Menglong City was the frontline of the Heaven Dou Empire's battle against the Spirit Hall. Marshal Ge Long led his troops to fight against the attacks of the Spirit Hall's spirit master corps.
He had to sacrifice a large number of soldiers just to catch his breath almost every day, but eventually, he saw salvation. Reinforcements from the Heaven Dou Empire's main forces began arriving on the battlefield one after another.
Seeing the spirit master corps from Sea God Island, the Glorious Seven Treasure Clan, and the five elemental academies under them, Ge Long felt both joy and fear.
These troops could integrate multiple spirit master corps very efficiently. If it weren't for the war, he would definitely have warned Xue Beng to be more cautious of this force.
What shocked Ge Long even more was that another force had come to the frontlines to support them—one that no one had expected.
Tang San, standing at the forefront of the Sea God Island team, frowned slightly. He realized that he still knew too little about the forces on the mainland. He didn't know much about every emerging power.
"Father, what kind of powers are the Suo Family and the Li Family? Why is Marshal Ge Long so surprised by them?"
It wasn't just Ge Long who was surprised—Tang Hao was also stunned. As a genius once carefully trained by the Clear Sky Sect, he knew most of the powers on the Douluo Continent.
That was why he was confused. But after the confusion, a surge of joy exploded in his heart. Spirit Hall was finally facing its day of reckoning.
"Xiao San, do you still remember that great spirit arena you once visited?"
"Father, what are you saying?"
"Yes, the Suo Family and the Li Family are two of the powers behind that arena. They used to be Spirit Hall's lapdogs, but now they finally know to abandon darkness and join the light."
"Spirit Hall is cruel and unjust—anyone can strike them down. They've finally realized that. Father, can we win them to our side?"
"It's possible. But the families behind the soul-fighting arenas have always shared the same bloodline. We still need to observe the stance of the other families."
"Alright. As long as there's still hope, it's fine."
Tang San was confident in his secret weapons. He didn't believe other forces would remain indifferent after witnessing the Sea God Island troops equipped with such powerful weapons.
His prediction was correct. When the two family heads saw a one-ring spirit master from Sea God Island standing on Menglong City's wall, wielding a Zhuge Divine Crossbow and taking down a three-ring spirit master from the opposing side, they were deeply moved.
The two knowledgeable men searched their memories and found they had never seen such a weapon before. It was somewhat like a regular soldier's crossbow—but the power was far greater.
They had joined the Heaven Dou Empire in hopes that with Sea God Island's addition and the unified strength of the continent's major sects, they could completely crush Spirit Hall—and even divide the spoils.
They hadn't even discussed it with the other families before coming—of course they wanted to equip their own spirit masters with the strongest weapons possible.
Sea God Island's equipment was incredible. They weren't short on money, and this was a golden opportunity to form ties with Sea God Island. Once Spirit Hall fell, they could reap more benefits from its corpse.
After a brief discussion, Soster and Li Dan approached Tang San directly, offering large amounts of gold soul coins and a small amount of rare metal to buy many Zhuge Divine Crossbows.
Looking at the rare metals under the moonlight at the Twenty-Four Bridges, Tang San felt deep regret.
When he went to Gengxin City on his father's recommendation, he discovered that master craftsman Lou Gao had vanished. Otherwise, he could've asked him to craft the Tang Sect's top-tier hidden weapons.
Soster and Li Dan admired the Zhuge Divine Crossbows in their hands with satisfaction, unaware that across the battlefield, a pair of golden pupils were watching them with murderous intent.
"Great Priest, please calm down. Once we break through Menglong City, we can eliminate the traitors—the Suo and Li families."
"What did the other five families say?"
"They said they weren't aware of the Suo and Li families' actions, and that the seven families have long been divided, unable to control one another."
"Good, good. You can't control one, and you're gambling on all sides. Are you really not afraid of strangling yourselves to death?"
To Qian Daoliu, the seven families behind the spirit arenas kept the status quo by paying "protection money" to Spirit Hall, and now sent two families to each side—just to hedge their bets, no matter who won.
But they didn't realize that neutrality was the most hated stance. Wanting the best of both worlds would only invite trouble.
He walked into a tent and looked at Bibi Dong, who was meditating in the center with dark energy surrounding her. A trace of fear flashed in his eyes.
We must act quickly. If not, Bibi Dong will only grow stronger, and Xiaoxue's divine trial may never end.
"Bibi Dong, tonight, we'll launch our first surprise attack. Do you know your target?"
"Don't worry. I can kill the little Spirit Emperor with a wave of my hand."
Bibi Dong stood up with a bloodthirsty glint in her eyes. She hadn't yet tried to kill the Divine Examiner. If she could kill Tang San, her progress in the ninth Rakshasa trial would accelerate.
Before Qian Daoliu could reply, her figure vanished from the tent and reappeared on the city wall.
Amid the reverent gazes of Spirit Hall's spirit masters, she silently activated a formation below—one that would absorb energy from the dead soldiers' bodies.
As dusk fell, the golden crow set in the west, and the distant sunset resembled flaming clouds. Tumbleweed rolled across the battlefield, heavy with killing intent.
Qian Daoliu, accompanied by Bibi Dong, Qianjun Douluo, Jiang Mo Douluo, five Spirit Hall elders, and two titled clan masters—eleven Titled Douluo in total—stood atop the city wall.
At his command, all the Titled Douluo gathered their energy and launched their strongest attack at Menglong City's wall.
The wall instantly collapsed, and the Heaven Dou army was now facing off against Spirit Hall's spirit master corps. All the Titled Douluo rose into the sky and engaged one another.
Seeing Qian Daoliu, Tang San immediately crushed the blue water spatial pearl given to him by Senior Bo Saixi. A black hole appeared, and a beautiful figure slowly walked out, facing Qian Daoliu with neither joy nor sorrow.
With Ning Fengzhi's help, Sword Douluo faced Qianjun and Jiang Mo, while Bone Douluo stood beside Ning Fengzhi to protect him.
Two members of the Clear Sky Sect, two from the Suo and Li families, Sea Spear Douluo, Sea Illusion Douluo, along with the newly arrived Sea Horse Douluo and Sea Ghost Douluo, clashed with Spirit Hall's elders and clan leaders.
The battlefield was deadlocked on both sides—their strength was nearly equal. Sea Dragon Douluo obeyed the high priest's orders and stood beside Tang San to protect him.
He gazed at Spirit Hall Pope Bibi Dong opposite them, and his fingers trembled involuntarily. He felt an endless, deadly killing intent radiating from her.