Douluo: Purple Brilliance Shines, Sun, Moon, Mountains and Rivers Are Forever

Chapter 135 Let the artillery fire come even fiercer (4K)

Ye Yulin took the letter from Xu Tianze and read it; her expression was intriguing.

"Such a thing has happened. It seems that the struggle in Mingdu is a hundred times more dangerous than the battlefield on the border."

"The struggle for the throne has always been like this."

"The Crown Prince must know that His Highness has been stationed in the Mingdou Mountains with his troops, lacking only an opportunity to make a name for himself. Knowing this, why would he still offer such a good opportunity to you? Could there be a trap involved?"

"He is either confident that he can prevent me from sending troops, or he is trying to make me and the Star Luo Empire fight to the death, leaving me empty-handed."

In short, he would never stand idly by and watch me expand my territory, return victorious with military achievements, and threaten his position.

"What should we do then? The opportunity to fight is fleeting!"

Xu Tianze retrieved the secret letter, then ignited a flame at his fingertips, burning the letter to ashes.

"That's my third brother, he can't have died in vain. Vice Pavilion Master Shangguan, please escort Tianzhen and Mengmeng back to Mingdu immediately. Yaoyao needs your help in Mingdu."

"Yes, Your Highness." Shangguan Wei'er hesitated for a moment before asking, "I wonder... is there anything Your Highness needs me to convey to the Pavilion Master?"

“Just tell her that I trust her and that I feel at ease with her in Mingdu.”

Shangguan Wei'er smiled knowingly, "Your Highness's words will be remembered by me. I will convey them to the Pavilion Master without missing a single word. I will take my leave now."
-
Mingdou Mountain Range, Xingluo Army Camp.

Dai Yueheng strode forward with unwavering determination, followed by a group of White Tiger Guards. Years of training in the army had drastically changed his demeanor, and no one dared to underestimate him in the slightest because of his missing arm.

When the soldiers guarding the camp gate saw him from afar, they immediately changed their dejected state, stood up straight, and saluted him respectfully.

"Greetings, Young Marshal!"

Dai Yueheng glanced at him indifferently, not taking his previous laziness to heart, and walked straight into the military camp.

This was certainly not because he was merciful, but because he knew that this was not just one person's problem.

Sure enough, upon entering the military camp, the scene before him immediately infuriated him.

The tens of thousands of soldiers had no fighting spirit and their morale was low. They would rather lie down than sit, and rather sit than stand. In every small patch of shadow, there were a dozen or twenty people gathered together, creating a scene of utter despair.

Dai Yueheng gritted his teeth, making a grinding sound.

He walked straight to the nearest soldiers' tent. As soon as he reached the entrance, he could feel a wave of heat hitting him. The entire tent was like a sauna. Even though the soldiers were almost naked, they were still sweating profusely.

"Is this still the so-called most elite Western Army Group of the Empire?"

“Young Marshal, we can’t entirely blame the brothers. This summer is many times hotter than in previous years. The entire camp is like a giant steamer, unbearably hot. This has never happened before.”

"What about those water and ice attribute soul masters? Don't they know how to cool down the camp?"

“Your Highness, they have indeed become the most sought-after asset in the army at the moment, and they were indeed effective at first, but the camp is too large, and their soul power will eventually be exhausted.”

Dai Yueheng spun around and kicked the railing hard, taking a deep breath and forcibly suppressing his anger.

"Where is Father? What did he say?"

"Young Marshal, you should go and see for yourself."

Before the group even reached the central army camp, they could hear a great commotion inside.

As soon as Dai Yueheng stepped into the tent, he felt as if he had entered a new world, where the scorching heat and the cool, refreshing air were separated by only one wall.

Several ice-attribute soul masters used their full soul power to maintain the temperature in the central army camp at an extremely comfortable level.

Duke Dai Hao of the White Tiger Army, as the commander-in-chief of the three armies, sat high in the main seat, with senior generals of the Western Army Group sitting on both sides below him.

When everyone saw Dai Yueheng enter the tent, they tacitly ended their argument, and the tent finally quieted down for the time being.

"Greetings, Father Commander!"

Dai Hao rubbed his temples wearily, only glancing at Dai Yueheng. "You're back. How did things go?"

"Reporting to Father, the situation remains as bad as ever. Our scouts and patrols are ambushed and killed by the Shence Battalion before they can get very far. We still know nothing about the situation in the mountains."

"Oh no! One bad news after another, what am I going to do?"

The entire Western Army Group had been hampered by the elusive Shence Battalion, which was a major headache for him as the commander-in-chief.

However, what troubled him even more was that the entire army was once again trapped in a high-temperature crisis, and the three armies were helpless against this increasingly bizarre weather.

The temperature rose day by day, and even Soul Masters were gradually finding it unbearable. Moreover, the vast majority of people in the army were ordinary people without Soul Power.

"Father, I have a method that may solve the current high-temperature problem."

Dai Hao immediately perked up, "Yueheng, what's your idea? Tell me quickly."

“Abandon the current camp and set up the military camp in the dense forest, by the stream, to garrison and rest the troops.”

Dai Yueheng's words immediately garnered the approval and response of many high-ranking generals.

"Great idea! Marshal, I second that. We should move the general's camp to the dense forest. Not only will there be more places to cool off, but it will also be much easier for the soldiers to get water. Soul masters with ice and water elemental abilities can use the river to build cooling arrays."

"The idea is good, but the Mingdou Mountains have a complex terrain, with jagged rocks and little vegetation. How can an army of over 100,000 possibly all disappear into the forest?"

Dai Yueheng continued, "That's not a problem either. There are plenty of caves in the Mingdou Mountains. Even if that's still not enough, we have over 100,000 troops, many of whom are Soul Masters. How much effort would it take to open up and carve through the mountains?"

"May I ask, young marshal, if we abandon our current camp and enter the mountains, how will we defend ourselves if the Shence Battalion attacks?"

"You have fought against the Shence Battalion more than once or twice. Haven't you seen clearly that they are essentially a bunch of cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong?"

The Shence Battalion has always only dared to raid small groups, never daring to engage our army in direct combat. With our main force entering the forest, how dare they provoke us?

Of course, if you are still worried, we can set up camps stretching for miles. If one camp is attacked, the rest of the troops will converge and wipe out these rats.

The senior generals present whispered among themselves, and from their scattered words, it was clear that they deeply agreed with this.

Dai Hao sighed, "Things have come to this point, and there's no better way. Let's do as Dai Yueheng says."

"Gentlemen, effective immediately, the general's camp will be relocated to dense forests and caves, forming a continuous defensive line stretching for hundreds of miles."
-
Outside the Wenlan woods, two hundred soldiers of the Shence Battalion stood ready to depart.

Besides them, Right Vice General Ye Liuyun, Central Vice General Qi Kai, Special Forces Captain Li Tao, and their respective troops were already in position.

They lay in ambush in the Mingdou Mountains, eyeing the Western Army Group of the Star Luo Empire with covetous intent.

Suddenly, the neat and orderly queue retreated to both sides like a tide.

Xu Tianze strolled over from the back of the column, wearing a black and red military uniform, with the royal medal on his left chest shining brightly.

Three steps behind him, Di Qiu'er, now clad in golden phoenix feather armor and wielding a golden dragon spear, followed closely in his footsteps.

The person walking alongside her was none other than Ye Yulin, the Starry Sky Douluo.

The three of them stood at the forefront of the Shence Camp. Xu Tianze looked up and saw the bright moon hanging in the night sky.

"Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night."

He had already received the news that all the Western Army Groups of the Star Luo Empire stationed in the Mingdou Mountains had finally succumbed to the scorching heat of the past few days and had all retreated into the dense forest. It was worth all the painstaking planning he had put into today's battle, even resorting to celestial weapons, which had kept the enemy under constant scorching heat, until they finally willingly entered the cage he had carefully prepared for them.

Suddenly, Ye Yulin felt a powerful force rapidly approaching. He raised his head and looked towards the sky, following the aura he sensed.

"So it was you, you old madman, who made this trip in person."

He then approached Xu Tianze and whispered, "Your Highness, Shen Tianfeng has arrived."

"With Elder Shen's personal presence, we finally have news from Father Emperor's side."

Shen Tianfeng landed in front of everyone in his flying soul tool, and Xu Tianze and Ye Yulin immediately went to greet him.

"Thank you for your hard work, Professor Shen."

Ye Yulin joked, "Shen the Madman, you've come all this way, hopefully you've brought some bad news."

"If you are confident, then that is good news. If you are unprepared, I would not mind making another trip and risking my life to ask His Majesty to rescind his order."

"Old Master Shen, what exactly did Father Emperor say?"

Shen Tianfeng took out a bright yellow scroll from his storage soul tool and presented it to Xu Tiance.

"Your Highness, a great responsibility has been bestowed upon you! Despite the opposition of the Crown Prince and the court officials, His Majesty has defied public opinion and issued the imperial edict:"
The Star Luo Empire's brutal treatment of its third prince is irrefutable! Effective immediately, the Sun Moon Empire formally declares war on the Star Luo Empire!

Xu Tianze took the scroll and breathed a sigh of relief after reading its contents. Nothing was more important than gaining his father's support.

"The one who truly understands me is my father."

"Your Highness, His Majesty, despite his serious illness and immense pressure, has fought hard to secure this opportunity for you. I hope you will live up to His Majesty's trust."

Xu Tianze nodded heavily, then turned to face the Shence Camp, holding the imperial edict of the Sun and Moon Emperor, and raised his arms to shout.

"All troops, heed my command! By His Majesty's decree!"
Set off! "
-
In the Western Army Group camp of the Star Luo Empire, the patrol guards were diligently performing their duties that night, inspecting the entire camp.

The distant Mingdou Mountains resembled a coiled-up giant beast, slumbering in the inky darkness of night, where even the wind seemed to solidify into a thick, viscous darkness.

The sound of boots crushing gravel suddenly stopped, and the guards instinctively halted, looking up at the sky.

"What are you all looking at? Let's go."

"Captain... Captain, look, what's that?"

Looking in the direction he pointed, one could see hundreds and thousands of golden-red slits splitting open in the sky, like the trajectory of a falling fire meteor piercing through the clouds.

For a moment, they were all dumbfounded, standing there in a daze, watching helplessly as the rain of fire, trailing long tails of flame, fell into the camp.

The sounds of chaotic shouts seemed to echo in my ears.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

Boom! ——Boom! ——Boom! ——

The sound of the explosion instantly drowned out all the noise.

The young soldier's vision was filled with raging flames. The scorching heat wave instantly overturned the watchtower, and scorching metal shards, reeking of rust, flew through the air and embedded themselves in the young soldier's eye sockets.

The entire camp, stretching for miles, convulsed in a series of explosions, instantly turning into a continuous sea of ​​fire.

The continuous high temperatures and dry weather have turned the dense forest into a field of dry firewood. With just a little spark, it can quickly turn into a raging fire, transforming a hundred-mile-long camp into a hundred-mile-long inferno.

The mud, carrying human remains, was thrown ten feet into the air, leaving behind a deep, scorched pit.

The soldiers were engulfed in flames, staggering out of their tents and scattering in all directions, the burning tent fabric turning into fiery butterflies that danced in the air.

But none of these are the most terrifying things.

Each rocket was filled with thousands of steel balls and iron pieces, which shot out in a fan shape upon explosion, killing anyone in its path.

They were all made of the cheapest and most common metals, and their total cost was less than one ten-thousandth of that of rockets. Yet, they had now become the Grim Reaper's scythe, ruthlessly reaping the lives of the Star Luo soldiers.

Startled awake from his deathbed dream, Duke Dai Hao of the White Tiger Army walked barefoot out of the commander's tent without even putting on his shoes.

The scene before him, resembling a purgatory, was incredibly impactful, leaving even the seasoned veteran Dai Hao momentarily stunned.

"This this……"

All he could see was blood and fire. Despite the cries of soldiers and the roar of explosions everywhere, he felt like he couldn't hear anything.

However, the crisis was not over, and the explosions did not end; a new wave of firestorms swept across the land.

Within the camp, more and more Soul Masters flew out from every corner, constructing Soul Power shields.

At this moment, many powerful figures in the Star Luo Empire's military camp stepped forward, resolutely forming a Great Wall with their own bodies to jointly resist the sudden air attack.

Dai Hao quickly regained his senses as well. His eyes were bloodshot, and he charged into the air like a sharp sword, unleashing his Title Douluo-level soul power to create a protective shield that covered as wide a range as possible.

On the other side of the mountain, the cannons of the Crimson Sky Soul Guidance Rocket Nest were still roaring and spewing flames.

While long-range strikes may lack precision, attacking the Star Luo Empire's military camp would require a straight-line distance of no more than fifty kilometers, and with the added advantage of firepower coverage, precision would be more than sufficient.

Moreover, the Shence Battalion, which was lying in ambush, was also ready to go, and the cannons at the fixed-position soul-guided artillery positions were already eager to fire.

As agreed, if an explosion occurred in the enemy camp, they would immediately launch a fierce attack.

"Release!" the commander roared, waving his command flag.

bang-bang-bang-

Hundreds of fixed-mount soul-guided cannons roared in unison, their sharp whistling echoing through the valley. Explosions came one after another, creating crimson waves that seemed to make the rugged mountainside tremble.

Their goal is to make the Mingdou Mountains the burial ground for the Western Army Group of the Star Luo Empire.

Inside the cave, the Star Luo soldiers who were resting were suddenly awakened from their sleep. They had no idea what was happening and were immediately thrown into chaos.

The rock face began to crumble, and the loose rocks became like a dagger hanging over one's neck, threatening to smash one's head open and cause a bloody mess.

"Run!"

The single stone stirred up a thousand ripples; everyone immediately scrambled to escape the cave. Hundreds of people crowded into the narrow passageway, trampling, pushing, and groaning...

Faced with a sudden disaster, order collapsed at an unimaginable speed.

Little did they know that even if they managed to escape the cave, they would be met with countless boulders rolling down from the mountain, killing countless people.

If, unfortunately, the cave entrance collapses and their only escape route is cut off, then all that awaits them is the fate of being buried alive.

Xu Tianze climbed to a high place and looked into the distance. In the ink-like painting, the fire dragon was spreading at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the blank space was getting smaller and smaller.

He slowly raised his arm, as if he were a chess player, pronouncing a death sentence on the Western Army Group of the Star Luo Empire.
"Let the artillery fire come even more fiercely!"

(End of this chapter)