Douluo Continent: Starting with a Heavenly Fire Judgment

Chapter 478 Shrek's Actions

Shrek City, Poseidon Island.

As dawn broke and morning mist still lingered over Poseidon Lake, Poseidon Island appeared and disappeared in the haze, like a bright pearl in the sea. With the Star Luo Empire retaking the Mingdou Mountains, Shrek Academy once again convened the Poseidon Pavilion meeting.

With the start of the war, Shrek Academy was no longer peaceful. The Sea God Pavilion meeting, which was originally held only once a year, was now held monthly, and even more so in special circumstances.

Xuanzi sat in the main seat, his face grim. He sighed and said, "The situation on the continent has suddenly become so dire. I never imagined that the Sun Moon Empire was hiding its true strength so deeply."

Zhang Lexuan hurriedly asked, "When I received the news before, I heard that large areas of the Heavenly Soul Empire had already fallen, even Heavenly Dou City. What's the situation now?"

Elder Xuan shook his head and said, "The situation is dire. More than two-thirds of the Heavenly Soul Empire's territory has been captured by the Sun Moon Empire. If the Sun Moon Empire hadn't been trying to disperse its forces to control the occupied lands and stabilize the emotions of the Heavenly Soul Empire's people, the entire Heavenly Soul Empire would probably be in the hands of the Sun Moon Empire by now. The remnants of the Heavenly Soul Empire have joined forces with reinforcements from the Star Luo Empire and the Dou Ling Empire to defend their last remaining lands, but holding on will be extremely difficult. The Heavenly Soul Empire has already sent envoys to our academy to request assistance, and the Dou Ling Empire's army has also begun to enter the Heavenly Soul Empire's territory."

The elders of the Sea God Pavilion exchanged glances, not too surprised. They had already anticipated this situation. The Douling Empire's intention was clear: to keep powerful enemies out of the country and place the battlefield in the Tianhun Empire, which was obviously most advantageous for them. Therefore, it was perfectly normal for them to send troops. Otherwise, if the Tianhun Empire were destroyed, they would be like the Xingluo Empire, always having to be prepared to withstand the firepower of the Sun Moon Empire.

As for the Heavenly Soul Empire seeking help from Shrek Academy, that's quite normal. After all, Shrek Academy is located within the Heavenly Soul Empire. If the Heavenly Soul Empire is destroyed, Shrek will also be affected. However, even the Heavenly Soul Empire's guardian sect, the Body Sect, couldn't withstand the Sun Moon Empire's strong attack. How much stronger can Shrek Academy be than the Body Sect?

In terms of overall strength, Shrek Academy is definitely stronger. But don't forget that Shrek is an academy, not a sect. It is far from being as united as the Body Sect. The academy's elders are naturally not a problem, but the teachers and students below have no obligation to fight for the academy. Even if they were willing, the academy's higher-ups would have to consider the safety of these teachers and students, unlike a sect where the entire sect shares life and death.

Therefore, in response to the Heavenly Soul Empire's request for help, Elder Xuan has been hesitant these past few days and has not yet directly sent reinforcements.

Reinforcements will definitely be sent, but the extent of that support is a big question. If the Heavenly Soul Empire is completely conquered by the Sun Moon Empire, then the Sun Moon Empire will be able to directly threaten Shrek City. Even if the Sun Moon Empire doesn't go too far because Shrek Academy is just an academy, it's impossible for Shrek Academy to maintain its independence; it will inevitably be absorbed by the Sun Moon Empire.

It's important to know that when the Sun Moon Empire clashed with the Douluo Continent, the initial war was only won because Shrek Academy intervened, ultimately repelling the Sun Moon Empire's invasion of the three original kingdoms of the Douluo Continent. In the end, the Sun Moon Empire was defeated and retreated for thousands of years.

Given these historical factors, once the Sun Moon Empire gains a comprehensive advantage, it is impossible for it to abandon Shrek Academy. Possessing the most advanced soul tools on the continent, the Sun Moon Empire is not something that Shrek Academy, a single city, can withstand.

"Elder Xuan, you must take care of your health!" Yan Shaozhe said worriedly, looking at Elder Xuan's aged face and the wrinkles around his eyes. Elder Xuan is currently Shrek Academy's strongest fighter and the head of the Sea God Pavilion. If Elder Xuan falls, Shrek Academy's situation will become even more difficult.

Elder Xuan glanced at Yan Shaozhe, smiled gently, and said, "To be honest, I am not a good leader. When Elder Mu was around, I lived a free and unrestrained life and was always very happy. Since Elder Mu left, this burden has fallen on my shoulders. Only then did I truly understand what kind of responsibility Elder Mu had borne all these years."

"If only the Sun Moon Empire had launched its war a few decades later! By then, the younger generation would have grown up, and I could have handed over this responsibility to them."

At this point, Elder Xuan smiled, but there was a hint of bitterness in his weathered smile.

"News has come from the Star Luo Empire that Ye Xishui is still alive. She is from the same era as Elder Mu and is now the Death God Douluo of the Sun Moon Empire. With her and Long Xiaoyao together, we alone cannot stop them. Currently, on the Douluo Continent, only Chi Yuan Douluo and Beast God Di Tian can stand against them. Although Beast God Di Tian has had some interactions with us in recent years due to the matter of the Holy Mark and the Li Yue Chamber of Commerce, he ultimately represents the interests of the soul beasts. Given his personality, he would rather we humans suffer mutual destruction and lose all our elites, which would be most beneficial to his soul beasts. Therefore, even if he were to take action, he would definitely wait until we have both suffered mutual destruction. We cannot count on him now."

"The only one who can help us now is Crimson Douluo. Considering that little Ji Lin once studied at Shrek Academy, it shouldn't be a problem to ask her to help. However, after the battle at Mingdou Mountain Range, Crimson Douluo announced her seclusion. We probably can't count on her until she comes out of seclusion."

Zhang Lexuan said, "Elder Xuan, could we gather some hidden sects to fight against the Sun Moon Empire? After all, if our original three kingdoms on the Douluo Continent are invaded by the Sun Moon Empire, they won't fare well either."

Elder Xuan said, "We've already started working on this, and some sects have responded. However, the Sun Moon Empire is far ahead of us in soul guidance technology. Their group combat capabilities are invincible on the battlefield. I've obtained some detailed battle reports from the Heavenly Soul Empire. The casualty ratio between the Sun Moon Empire and the Heavenly Soul Empire is almost ten to one! Even in the Battle of Heaven Dou City, where the Body Sect participated, the casualty ratio was five to one. It's hard to say how the future battle will unfold. Fortunately, Crimson Douluo helped the Star Luo Empire recapture the Ming Dou Mountain Range, which at least allows us to hold off the Sun Moon Empire for a while. Time is becoming increasingly important for us. I've ordered the academy's soul guidance department to produce soul guidance devices at full capacity to equip our Shrek City defense army. We can only hope that our Shrek City defense army can turn the tide."

Zhang Lexuan pursed her lips and sighed inwardly. She knew very well that Shrek Academy's Soul Guidance Department had indeed made great progress in recent years, but Shrek Academy's production capacity was limited by the resources of a single city. Moreover, whether it was rare metals or soul tool technology, they were still far behind the Sun Moon Empire. Rare metals, in particular, were essential resources for war, and most of these resources were in the hands of the Sun Moon Empire. If they hadn't emptied a military warehouse of the Sun Moon Empire in Mingdu before, Shrek's situation would be even more difficult now.

With Shrek City's production capacity, how easy would it be to equip a fighting force capable of contending with the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Master Corps?

"Elder Xuan, should we go to the Liyue Merchant Guild and have a talk with Di Tian?"

Elder Xuan shook his head and said, "It's no use. The Soul Beast race has always believed that those who are not of our kind will have different hearts. Di Tian will only stand by and watch. At most, he will protect the Liyue Merchant Guild. As for other humans, the more they die, the happier he will be. There's no need to waste your time. Go and make preparations. I will inform you if there are any new developments in the battle."

Zhang Lexuan and the others had no choice but to leave the Sea God Pavilion. Afterwards, the Soul Guidance Department of Shrek Academy went into full swing, and under the leadership of Vice Dean Qian Duoduo, they worked hard to produce soul tools. Bei Bei's Tang Sect also joined in, contributing to Shrek Academy.

The most urgent task for Shrek Academy now is to equip an army capable of contending with the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Master Legion. The core of this army consists of teachers and elite disciples who are willing to fight for Shrek Academy. They are all Soul Masters with at least four Soul Rings, and in terms of Soul Power cultivation, they are in no way inferior to the Sun Moon Empire's Guardians.

After discussion at the Sea God Pavilion, Shrek Academy decided to establish three Soul Master Corps. Following the example of the Sun Moon Empire, if each Soul Master Corps consists of 500 people, then equipping three Soul Master Corps would require 1,500 people. Shrek Academy doesn't lack people; what they lack are Soul Guidance Equipment.

However, even though their cultivation and numbers are no less than those of the Sun Moon Empire's Guardians, their combat strength is still a long way off.

The strength of the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Master Corps lies in the fact that their Soul Tool technology is ahead of the entire continent. Soul Tool sites and Soul Tool Linkage are things that Shrek Academy currently does not possess.

Why did the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Master Corps suffer such low casualties in battle? Hundreds of their Soul Masters used linked Soul Tools, and their defenses alone were so formidable that even Super Douluo were helpless against them!

In Zhang Lexuan's opinion, Shrek Academy's plan to establish three Soul Master Corps at once was a bit too hasty. However, it was the only option available. Shrek Academy had to actively prepare for war and be ready to face the Sun Moon Empire's army at any time.

However, Shrek Academy also possesses a significant advantage that the Sun Moon Empire lacks: their first Soul Master Corps, consisting of only two hundred members, is the best-equipped of the three corps. They are equipped with top-tier Soul Tools smuggled from the Sun Moon Empire's military warehouse, and all members are at least Soul Emperor level. The corps leader is Xian Lin'er, the dean of the Soul Guidance Department, and the deputy leader is Qian Duoduo, the deputy dean. Additionally, eight Title Douluos have joined this Soul Master Corps.

(End of this chapter)