Douluo Continent: Starting with a Heavenly Fire Judgment

Chapter 457 Acting on Emotions

"defense!"

The sudden turn of events caused Starry Sky Douluo Ye Yulin's expression to change drastically. He hurriedly commanded the Soul Master Corps to deploy a Soul Guidance Shield to defend against the giant flaming sword falling from the sky.

Although the White Tiger Duke below did not know who had lent them a helping hand at this crucial moment, the battle-hardened Duke did not falter at this critical juncture. He decisively shouted, "White Tiger troops, follow me! First Soul Master Legion, retreat!"

Duke White Tiger took the lead, charging northward with his White Tiger Guards. He was at the very front, running wildly into the distance. He deliberately ran very fast, creating some distance between himself and the White Tiger Guards behind him. He knew that he was the enemy's most important target, and the closer they got to him, the faster they would die!

On the other side, Xuanji Douluo, with tears in her eyes, knocked out Dai Yueheng, who was emotionally agitated and wanted to follow his father, with a single palm strike. She then led the First Soul Master Legion in a full retreat to the southeast. Figures took to the air, flying at a low altitude of about five meters above the ground. They were also equipped with flying soul tools; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to escort the White Tiger Guards so far. Now that the White Tiger Guards were no longer a burden, their escape speed was naturally much faster.

Dai Hao flew at full speed. With his Title Douluo-level strength, even if he wasn't an agility-type Soul Master, his speed at full power was still quite astonishing.

Because of Ji Lin's attack with the Flame King Sword, Starry Sky Douluo Ye Yulin and others were busy organizing their defenses and were unable to intercept him immediately, nor were they able to launch a timely attack on the White Tiger Duke and others who were escaping below.

Otherwise, given the vast attack range of Starry Sky Douluo Ye Yulin, both the White Tiger Duke and the First Soul Master Legion would have to face the Starry Sky Douluo's ranged attacks.

"boom--!"

The hundred-meter-long flaming sword, descending from the sky, struck the soul-guiding shield jointly released by the soul masters with earth-shattering force. A deafening roar echoed throughout the battlefield. The collision of the two powerful forces generated violent energy fluctuations, causing the surrounding air to seem to freeze. Ripples spread across the soul-guiding shield, like the surface of a lake after a stone has been thrown in, the ripples continuously expanding.

The blazing blade of the flaming greatsword clashed with the powerful defense of the soul-guided shield, resulting in a stalemate for a time. The heat from the flaming greatsword caused the surface of the shield to begin to melt, while the soul-guided troops struggled to maintain the shield's stability. Beads of sweat glistened on their foreheads, clearly indicating that such a confrontation was extremely taxing on them.

Feeling the intense heat emanating from outside the protective barrier, even the proud Starry Sky Douluo Ye Yulin couldn't help but be moved. They were all within a defensive array jointly set up by hundreds of Soul Masters. Such an array was impenetrable even to Super Douluos. Combined with the power of hundreds of Soul Masters, although the massive shield wasn't perfectly stacked, it was enough to withstand several attacks from a Limit Douluo-level expert. This was one of the most powerful trump cards of the five Soul Master groups of the Sun Moon Empire's Guardian Hand.

Although the attack from the shadows did not break through the protective shield, it did cause it to fluctuate. The power of this attack was at least at the level of a Super Douluo. In other words, there was a Super Douluo lurking in the shadows. Even a Starry Sky Douluo would not dare to underestimate the power of a Super Douluo.

However, upon seeing the White Tiger Duke and the First Soul Master Legion scattering and fleeing below, Ye Yulin chose to attack the White Tiger Duke without hesitation. Their original target was the White Tiger Duke. It would be ideal to capture both the White Tiger Duke and the First Soul Master Legion, but if they had to choose one, the White Tiger Duke would be more important.

Starry Sky Douluo Ye Yulin pointed his right hand in the direction of Duke White Tiger, and the Sun and Moon Divine Needle above his head burst out with a golden and silver light, heading straight for Duke White Tiger Dai Hao, who was fleeing to the north below.

Unfortunately, despite his well-thought-out plan, Ji Lin, having already made his move, wouldn't waste it. In the next instant, a crimson beam of light came from afar, accurately meeting the golden and silver light emitted by the Sun and Moon Divine Needle. The two powerful forces collided in mid-air, erupting with dazzling light and a deafening roar. The collision of energy generated a powerful shockwave, scattering the surrounding clouds in all directions.

Ye Yulin frowned. He hadn't expected the person in the shadows to be able to create such a powerful interference. He quickly controlled the Sun and Moon Divine Needle to amplify his mental power and probe in the direction from which the crimson beam of light had just flown. Unfortunately, he missed. Ji Lin had moved to a different location after releasing the light cannon, and Ye Yulin was unable to find any trace of anyone.

Left with no other choice, Ye Yulin could only take out a baby bottle to recover his soul power. Although the Sun and Moon Divine Needles were extremely powerful, they also consumed a great deal of soul power. He had already activated the Sun and Moon Divine Needles twice today. As a Soul Master, he understood very well that in an enemy country, he had to maintain himself in his best condition at all times. Moreover, there was an unknown Super Douluo hiding on the battlefield. He had to keep his soul power at its peak to avoid being ambushed.

While recovering her soul power, Ye Yulin controlled the Sun and Moon Divine Needles to probe her surroundings.

Taking advantage of Ji Lin's interception of Starry Sky Douluo and the others, the people of the Star Luo Empire's First Soul Master Legion had already gone far away. They could only be seen as small black dots flying rapidly towards the southeast. With the help of their flying soul tools, they had already flown several kilometers away in such a short time.

Although the White Tiger Guards were still within their sight, the White Tiger Duke, who was moving at full speed, had already disappeared from sight. What frustrated Ye Yulin most was not the escape of the White Tiger Duke and the Star Luo Empire's number one Soul Master Legion, but that he had not found any trace of the person who had attacked from the shadows. This left him with a thorn in his side, and he dared not go all out on the battlefield, fearing that he would be ambushed by this mysterious Super Douluo. Although he was not afraid of death, he did not want to die in such a humiliating way.

"Chase! Duke White Tiger would never abandon his White Tiger Guards, they must be over there." As he spoke, Ye Yulin took the lead, fully activating the flying soul tool on his back, and chased after the White Tiger Guards.

Although someone was hiding in the shadows, the fact that they didn't immediately step in to rescue Duke White Tiger head-on meant that the other party was also wary of them and dared not reveal their presence casually, only daring to provide some assistance in secret. In that case, he only needed to remain vigilant. Duke White Tiger had to die. This time, the war was launched without declaration and the preemptive strike was brilliant. However, if Duke White Tiger survived, although they were not afraid, it would still taint the outcome of the battle.

When Ji Lin stopped Ye Yulin and the others, Duke White Tiger noticed something was wrong. A violent roar came from behind. He had already flown far away, but when he turned around, he saw a collision of golden and silver light and a crimson pillar of light. The people from the Sun Moon Empire were stopped in place and were not chasing after them at all.

This is……?

A hint of doubt turned into ecstasy in an instant. Although they didn't know who it was, the two Soul Master Corps of the Sun Moon Empire were stopped in place, and the First Soul Master Legion successfully broke through.

Having figured this out, Dai Hao stopped flying into the distance. If he wanted to escape now, he would have plenty of opportunities. No matter how strong Ye Yulin was or how miraculous the Sun and Moon Divine Needles were, with his Title Douluo strength, it wouldn't be a problem for him to fly out of the Sun and Moon Divine Needles' detection range in a short time.

However, he still turned back without hesitation, because even if he had to leave, he wanted to take his comrades with him and live and die together.

Dai Hao met up with the White Tiger Guards and shouted, "White Tiger guards, run at full speed! Don't worry about what's behind you! This is our only chance!"

He could only hope that the person who had secretly helped him could delay Ye Yulin for a little longer. Although he knew very well that with so many White Tiger Guards, it would be difficult for them to get far, he had no other choice at this moment.

Just then, he saw Ye Yulin leading two major Soul Master Corps, flying rapidly towards them.

So they couldn't leave after all? A hint of melancholy appeared in Dai Hao's eyes. But this was the best outcome, wasn't it? At least the people from the First Soul Master Legion had left, leaving a spark for the Empire.

Without flinching, Dai Hao's eyes shone brightly. Just as he was about to take flight and meet the enemy, and order the White Tiger Guards to scatter and flee.

Ji Lin's voice echoed in Duke White Tiger's mind, "Why didn't Marshal Dai take advantage of the opportunity to escape? Why did he turn back?"

Duke Dai Hao of the White Tiger Clan was startled. He knew this was the person who had secretly helped them just moments before. Hearing the familiar voice and recognizing the familiar soul skill, Dai Hao's face lit up with joy. "You are... Ji Lin? What are you doing here? Have reinforcements arrived?"

Ji Lin's voice rang out again, "Unfortunately, Marshal Dai, I just happened to be in the vicinity. There are no reinforcements. You still haven't answered my question."

The joy on Dai Hao's face faded, and he said in a deep voice, "In my entire life, I, Dai Hao, have never abandoned a single soldier under my command. Even if we are forced to retreat, I must be the last one to leave."

Ji Lin frowned. "But only if you live can more soldiers live, and only then will the Star Luo Empire have a better chance of resisting the Sun Moon Empire's attack. Don't you think this decision is foolish?"

Dai Hao laughed, his smile carefree. "Of course I know this decision is foolish, and I know I've broken a battlefield taboo—you can't act on emotion on the battlefield. But this is my creed. Even if it's foolish, I must uphold it. I already have descendants, so what if I die? Thank you. If it weren't for you, Uncle Xuanji and Yueheng probably wouldn't be able to leave either. You should leave quickly, or it will be too late!"

(End of this chapter)