Sea Abyss City.
On the training ground outside the city, the Nightfall Army, well-equipped and exuding a killing intent, the Fatui, wearing strange uniforms, the Golden Guard, with gleaming armor and iron-like discipline, and the Molten Knights, clad in silver-white mecha—all elite forces were already lined up, their blades shining, awaiting only a single command.
But that command was yet to come.
In Lu Jingming's blueprint, it was still far too early for Sea Abyss City to make its appearance.
The optimal moment for Sea Abyss City to strike would be when the Heavenly Soul and Dou Ling Empires had fallen, the Star Luo Empire was in turmoil, and people were on the brink of despair.
This was a cold calculation and a grand theatrical performance.
Lu Jingming needed to allow the old order of the three great empires to completely collapse under the iron hooves of the Sun and Moon Empire, letting fear and despair destroy their inherent pride and stubbornness.
By then, the carefully placed pawn—Ma Xiaotao and the remaining influence of Shrek Academy she represented—could step forward in the most legitimate and rallying name, raising her arm to gather the remaining resistance forces of the three empires.
And Sea Abyss City would descend like a savior.
It would use formidable military might to crush the arrogant Sun and Moon Empire legions, use its unmatched power to expel the Calamity Monarch and his Antimatter Legion pawns who brought disaster, and pull the continent back from the edge of destruction.
At that time, carrying the immense merit of saving the continent and irresistible military deterrence, Lu Jingming would naturally become the sole hope and leader of all survivors.
He would integrate the remnants of the three empires, form a new alliance centered around him, and subsequently march on the Sun and Moon Empire—which was also likely weakened by this war—to subdue it, ultimately achieving the substantive unification of the Douluo Continent.
Expelling foreign enemies, integrating the internal structure, and riding the momentum of great events.
This was the path with the lowest cost and least resistance.
As for those sacrificed in the process... in his view, they were merely the necessary growing pains before the birth of a new world.
In the top-floor office of Sea Abyss City's towering skyscraper, the huge floor-to-ceiling windows offered a view of the cloud-shrouded city and the faint blue sea visible in the distance.
Lu Jingming leaned lazily back in his large office chair, playing with a crystal that constantly shimmered with data streams.
The light screen projected by the crystal clearly listed the deployment map of the Sun and Moon Empire's army, the hurried defensive reactions of the three great empires, and an encrypted message from Xu Jiujiu—the Star Crown lineage was ready, awaiting his arrival.
All intelligence pointed to one conclusion.
The continent's chessboard was moving step by step along the trajectory he personally calculated, towards the preset endgame.
A knowing smile curved at the corner of his mouth; Lu Jingming was in a pleasant mood.
His free hand subconsciously and with a mix of indulgence and teasing, gently stroked the purple cat-like head currently buried beneath him, diligently "working."
"Cough... cough, cough!"
A sudden, sharp coughing sound rang out as if choked.
Keqing abruptly lifted her head, her violet eyes filled with moisture, staring at Lu Jingming with a hint of shame and annoyance. Her fair, pretty face was flushed crimson, even the base of her ears stained with color.
Seeing Keqing's shy appearance, Lu Jingming's mischief grew. He softly said, "Good girl, swallow it."
Keqing struggled and glared at him for a few seconds, but finally conceded. As if accepting her fate, her throat struggled to roll once, accompanied by a soft gulp.
She immediately covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes showing even greater humiliation and anger, as if she had committed a terrible mistake.
"You...! Why didn't you warn me!"
Her voice carried a slight hoarseness from the intense oral activity, making her sound even more petulant.
Lu Jingming raised an eyebrow, whispering with a wicked smile, "Hmm? Warn you about what? About... swallowing it?"
"Wh...!"
Keqing's face instantly turned so red it seemed ready to bleed, her gaze nervously darting away. "You... what nonsense are you talking about?"
Watching her so uncontrollably shy yet afraid to loudly refute, Lu Jingming's sense of mischief was greatly satisfied.
"Alright, stop bullying Keqing. She still has important work to attend to."
A voice carrying a playful laugh came from the doorway.
Chang Li had leaned against the doorframe at some point.
She wore a well-tailored uniform that hugged her exquisite figure, and black stockings accentuated her long, straight legs.
Her gaze swept over Keqing's red-rimmed eyes and the corner of her mouth that she subconsciously wiped, her smile becoming more teasing.
"Do you need me to help you, City Lord?"
Keqing jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, frantically tidying her slightly disheveled clothes and hair, not daring to look at Chang Li at all.
"R-right, I have a lot of documents to process. You two talk, I'll be leaving now."
Before her words even finished, she rushed out of the office with a speed that was almost fleeing, forgetting to close the door properly.
Watching the purple figure hastily escaping, Lu Jingming chuckled softly.
He then leisurely stood up and walked with a relaxed stride toward the smiling "culprit" at the doorway.
Seeing him approach, Chang Li did not retreat but instead met his aggressive gaze, lightly licked her red lips, her eyes alluring.
However, Lu Jingming's movements were faster. With one hand, he slammed the door shut and locked it, while the other naturally wrapped around Chang Li's waist, pulling her gently and pressing her against the cold wall.
Immediately after, he leaned down, skillfully lifted the beautiful, long leg wrapped in black silk, and rested it on his forearm, creating an extremely ambiguous and restrictive posture.
"You scared Ah Qing away..."
Lu Jingming lowered his head, his nose almost touching hers, his hot breath brushing against her sensitive earlobe.
"Tell me, shouldn't you compensate me?"
Without giving her a chance to reply, he dominantly sealed her tempting red lips, and his entire weight pressed down.
"Nng..."
Chang Li gave a token struggle before completely softening, her arms wrapping around his neck like water snakes, responding with passion.
The playful look in her eyes had long been replaced by a hazy arousal, turning into a pool of spring water.
Inside the office, the tense atmosphere of war that had just permeated the air was instantly replaced by an enchanting one.
Outside the window, the continent's war fires continued to burn fiercely, following the script of a certain "director."
Just as Lu Jingming was strategizing in the lap of luxury in Sea Abyss City, the Sun and Moon Empire's long-planned lethal blade had already fiercely stabbed into the seemingly stable territory of the Heavenly Soul Empire.
The long coastline of the Heavenly Soul Empire had historically been a natural barrier, but at this moment, it became the most fatal loophole.
When the mixed fleet—composed of vast fleets of floating battleships, a deluge of steel mecha, and the Antimatter Legion—breached the sea fog like ghosts and appeared in the sight of the coastal sentry posts, the alarm screamed shrilly through the sky, but it was already too late.
There was no declaration of war, no warning; war had arrived in the most direct manner.
From the broadsides of the battleships suspended high in the sky, countless muzzles instantly lit up with the light of destruction.
The next moment, thousands of soul tool beams rained down like a sudden shower, covering all the fortresses, watchtowers, and barracks along the coastal defense line.
The fire of the explosions merged into a single sheet; the sturdy fortifications shattered and collapsed like paper under the concentrated barrage comparable to Level Seven or Eight Soul Tools.
The defending soldiers didn't even have time to form effective defensive formations before suffering heavy casualties in the first round of shelling.
Immediately afterward, massive landing craft crashed onto the beach like meteors. The hatches opened, and dozens of new-model Soul Tool Mecha, over ten meters tall, stepped onto the Heavenly Soul Empire's soil with heavy strides.
The heavy cannons on their shoulders spat fire, and the high-speed rotating chainsaws integrated into their arms easily tore through the hastily constructed temporary barricades.
And in the shadows of these steel behemoths, the monsters of the Antimatter Legion silently spread. In their wake, there was only destruction.
The border defense line of the Heavenly Soul Empire collapsed within a few hours.
The news that returned to the capital shook the entire nation.
No one expected the Sun and Moon Empire's military edge to be so cunning and swift, completely bypassing the main battle front confronting the Star Luo Empire and launching a fatal strike from the most unexpected direction.
Princess Wei Na and Deadly Douluo Du Busi, who were leading the elite of the Body Sect and the Azure Hills Army to reinforce the Star Luo Empire, were struck as if by lightning upon receiving the urgent, devastating news from home.
"Reinforce, immediately return to Tian Dou City."
Princess Wei Na showed almost no hesitation. The color drained from her beautiful face, and her eyes were filled with fear for the fall of her country.
The Star Luo Empire was important, but the Heavenly Soul Empire was her root.
Du Busi's face was ashen, and he cursed, "Those despicable bastards from the Sun and Moon Empire."
He immediately ordered the entire Body Sect and the Azure Hills Army to turn around, rushing back to the Heavenly Soul Empire at top speed to intercept the enemy army that was driving straight into the empire's heartland.
The two sides finally collided head-on on a vast plain—the Emerald Plains.
This area was originally an important grain-producing region for the Heavenly Soul Empire, with fertile land and endless green crops undulating like waves in the wind. A clear river named the Jade Belt River meandered through the plains, nourishing the land.
Today, however, this plain, a symbol of life and abundance, was destined to be stained with blood and the fires of war.
There were no superfluous challenges or wasted words. The moment the vanguards of both sides came into view, the battle exploded.
The Sun and Moon Empire's floating battleship fleet launched the first attack, raining down soul tool artillery fire like a plow over the Body Sect and Azure Hills Army's forward positions.
The explosions tossed up soil dozens of meters high, fire consumed the green crops, and thick smoke billowed, obscuring the sky.
"Body Sect, follow me and kill them!"
Du Busi roared. Violent green Soul Power surged into the sky. He personally led the charge, like a green meteor, rushing directly toward a new-model mecha that was wreaking havoc.
The power condensed on his fist was terrifying. With one punch, the mecha's heavy chest plate instantly caved in. The massive body staggered backward, and the grating sound of internal parts shattering could be heard.
Following the Sect Master's action, the Body Sect experts burst forth with powerful Soul Power.
They relied not on external objects but developed their own Martial Souls to the extreme: some transformed into giants with infinite strength, others became phantoms with astonishing speed, and some had skin as tough as fine steel, directly resisting soul tool beams.
They were like a sharp knife, plunging fiercely into the Sun and Moon Empire's mecha legion, engaging in the most primitive and desperate close-quarters combat against these steel behemoths.
The tearing of metal, the explosion of Soul Skills, and screams of rage and pain interwove.
On the other side, Princess Wei Na commanded the Azure Hills Army, confronting the heart-stopping Antimatter Legion.
The Azure Hills Army soldiers were agile and equipped with specially made soul tool armor, attempting to counter these monsters with speed and coordination.
Trained by Feixiao, although the time was short, they were all elites and managed to hold back the Antimatter Legion.
But their numbers were far inferior to the Antimatter Legion, and they were gradually overwhelmed. Azure Hills Army soldiers fell one after another.
In the high altitude, the battle was equally brutal.
The Heavenly Soul Empire's flying Soul Masters and some tamed large flying Soul Beasts attempted to assault the floating battleship fleet, but they were immediately intercepted by the Doomsday Beasts.
These colossal biological weapons let out deafening roars, and dark red energy breaths swept across the sky, instantly reducing several Soul Masters and their mounts to ash.
Titled Douluo-level powerhouses had no choice but to take to the air and fight these Doomsday Beasts.
Soul Rings flashed; various powerful Soul Skills collided and exploded in the air, the energy ripples continuously spreading.
A Titled Douluo Elder from the Body Sect, relying on his powerful Body Martial Soul, forcibly tore off a Doomsday Beast's wing, but he was immediately struck by the breath attack from another Doomsday Beast coming from the side, plummeting from the sky with a scream.
On the ground battlefield, Long Aotian, the standout and future hope of the Body Sect's younger generation, constantly protected Princess Wei Na.
He activated the "Unity of Man and Nature" state of his Body Martial Soul's second awakening, his strength close to that of a Titled Douluo. Wherever his fist wind struck, ordinary Soul Engineers and mecha were no match for a single blow.
He was like an indestructible shield, blocking most of the attacks coming from the front for Wei Na.
However, the cruelty of war lies in its unpredictability.
A thick, Level Nine soul tool beam, pre-charged and fired from a distant battleship, was originally aimed at the immensely powerful Du Busi, but due to Du Busi's evasion, it went astray. Carrying an aura of utter destruction, it hurtled directly toward Princess Wei Na's command position.
It was too fast and covered too wide an area. Wei Na had no time to dodge, and her eyes showed despair for the first time.
"Princess, look out!"
In a flash of peril, Long Aotian roared, instantly erupting all his Soul Power without hesitation. He violently pushed Wei Na away, throwing himself selflessly toward the beam of death.
"Boom—!!!"
Blinding white light engulfed his figure.
When the light dissipated, only a massive, scorched pit remained on the spot.
Long Aotian, the Young Master of the Body Sect and Wei Na's childhood protector, was annihilated.
"Aotian—!!!"
Wei Na let out a heart-wrenching wail, completely collapsing onto the ground.
Du Busi saw the scene from afar, his eyes splitting with rage, letting out a roar like a wounded beast.
The death of Long Aotian completely ignited Du Busi's fury and madness.
"Bastards of the Sun and Moon Empire, die for me!!"
He roared up at the sky, his body inflating as if blown up. Green light enveloped his entire being, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a hundred-meter-tall green giant with bulging muscles and a ferocious countenance.
This was his Martial Soul Avatar.