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Tian Dou Empire, Wu Ping City
The sky was overcast with inky clouds, and the northern wind howled low.
Large raindrops began pelting down, sparse at first, but soon they formed continuous streaks until the world was enveloped in a gray haze.
At the city gates—
Raindrops splashed high on the stone-paved road, pooling into muddy streams that flowed slowly… just as they had in days past.
Boom—!
A deafening clap of thunder shook the air.
Blinding lightning snaked across the sky like a dragon, illuminating the darkened heavens.
Several veteran soldiers stationed at the gate, who had been drowsily leaning against the wall, were jolted awake by the sudden thunderclap.
"Damn it, scared the hell out of me!"
One spat on the ground, then gazed at the curtain of rain outside the gate, grumbling, "Look at this miserable weather today—it's cursed!"
"I was hoping to kill some boredom by watching those fools in Wu'an City repair the road in full armor under this heat."
"But now with this heavy rain… looks like we won't be seeing anything today!"
At that moment—
A stern-looking patrolling officer clad in armor strode over, his brows furrowed. "Look at you lazy bums! Pull yourselves together!"
"Remember this!"
"Wu'an City has been repairing roads for half a year—they've never given up their desire for revenge."
But the veterans paid no heed, smirking carelessly. "Captain, don't worry so much."
"Those idiots from the Star Luo Empire are actually fixing roads before a battle, and working so hard at it too."
"Now the road is almost finished."
"But look at their pathetic siege weapons—what do they think they're going to attack us with?"
"If they come now, they're just asking to die! Hahaha…"
Upon hearing this, the captain instinctively nodded in agreement, a sneer forming on his face. "You're right."
"At their current pace, it'll take them another two months to prepare enough siege weapons."
"What a pity!"
"If they knew that every single one of their moves has been under our lord's watchful eye, and that reinforcements from Tiandou City will arrive in less than half a month…"
"They'd probably be furious!"
"After all, all that effort put into building the road? Wasted!"
As the Tian Dou soldiers laughed among themselves—
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind swept through, causing their armor to flap loudly.
The soldiers at the gate exchanged glances, momentarily stunned, an inexplicable chill rising in their hearts.
It felt as though they had become prey… being stalked by a predator!
Gulp~
They swallowed nervously, gripping their weapons tightly, and turned stiffly.
In an instant, they were horrified to discover—
Behind them stood a middle-aged man dressed in black, his expression cold and his eyes radiating a chilling intent to kill.
"Y-you… who are you?"
The patrolling captain mustered his courage and shouted loudly.
The man's lips curled into a cold smile, revealing a hint of ice. "The person who will end your lives!"
Before his words even faded—
A flash of light erupted beneath his feet, and eight soul rings appeared abruptly: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black.
"A… a Soul Douluo?!"
Fear filled the eyes of the soldiers.
"Third soul skill, *Netherflash Step*!"
With a low growl, the man's figure blurred like a ghost, appearing simultaneously behind each soldier.
The next moment—
The soldiers felt a chilling sensation at their necks. Before they could react, they saw thin red lines appear on the throats of their comrades in front of them… blood flowing!
Thud, thud…
One by one, they collapsed lifelessly.
"Remember this!"
"The killer is Zhu Fan, Commander of the Star Luo Empire!"
With that—
Zhu Fan looked at the wide-open northern gate of Wu Ping City and smiled with excitement. "Almost everyone subconsciously believes…"
"To launch an assault, you must have sufficient siege weapons, and their focus is entirely on those devices."
"But Chengfeng—he defied conventional wisdom!"
"From the very beginning, he never intended to launch a direct assault on Wu Ping. Everything was designed to deceive the enemy!"
"Truly ingenious!"
Meanwhile
The soldiers stationed on the walls of Wu Ping City noticed something amiss at the gate.
When they rushed down and saw Zhu Fan standing amidst the fallen bodies of their comrades, their pupils contracted in shock.
"A Soul Douluo from the Star Luo Empire?!"
"How did he suddenly appear at the gate? We didn't see anyone approach earlier!"
Despite their confusion, the leading commander reacted swiftly.
He shouted, "Someone go and inform the lord of the city—Wu'an City has attacked!"
Then he turned to the soldiers beside him. "The rest of you, charge forward and kill him!"
"It's just one man!"
"Even if he's a Soul Douluo, there are so many of us… Even if we exhaust him, we can drain his soul power completely!"
Zhu Fan glanced at the trembling commander with disdain. "Who said I'm alone?"
Boom—!
At that moment, 800 meters outside Wu Ping City, what appeared to be an ordinary rock face suddenly exploded.
"Charge!"
Instantly, the roar of battle cries echoed like rolling thunder.
Two hundred soldiers from Wu'an City, clad in jet-black armor and wielding long blades, surged toward the city gates like a massive wave.
Their eyes burned red with vengeful fury.
Zhu Fan looked back at the surging tide of soldiers behind him and raised his arm, shouting, "All soldiers, follow my orders! Hold the gates of Wu Ping City for half an hour!"
"No retreat, not even a step back, until time runs out—even if only one of us remains! Charge!"
With that—
Zhu Fan transformed into a shadowy blur, charging ahead into the fray.
"Chengfeng, the rest is up to you!"
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Amidst the torrential rain, the world was shrouded in a curtain of water.
An army of about ten thousand marched silently through the rain.
Their steps were synchronized, their dark armor gleaming coldly under the rain, and their spears tightly gripped, their tips shimmering with a deadly glint.
Aside from the sound of rain striking their armor, there was no other noise—discipline so strict it inspired awe.
Flap-flap!
Suddenly, an owl martial soul flapped its wings in the rain and merged into the body of a scout.
The scout spurred his horse and quickly approached the silver-armored young general at the head of the army.
"Reporting, Your Highness—Lord Zhu Fan has succeeded!"
"He is currently leading 200 elite vanguard soldiers in a bloody battle against the defenders at the northern gate of Wu Ping City!"
Boom—!
Lightning split the sky, illuminating the resolute face of the young general. Rainwater streamed down his chiseled features.
"Good!"
The youth nodded slightly, then sharply turned his head, roaring to the black tide of soldiers behind him, "Now!"
"All of you, follow me and charge to reinforce Commander Zhu Fan!"
"Hup!"
Dai Chengfeng spurred his horse fiercely, and the steed beneath him reared and neighed, galloping forward like an arrow released from a bow, trampling through puddles as it raced toward Wu Ping City.
Rumble, rumble, rumble…!
The army surged forward behind him, their marching sounds like rolling thunder, shaking the rivers and mountains!
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