Douluo Continent, Huo Yuhao who returned from Sekiro

Chapter 523 "I will not eat from the five tripods while alive, but I shall be cooked in the five tripods when I die" (Daily 10,000 words)

"Orange, Coco."

Xuan Ziwen's mental energy fluctuations entered the mental seas of the two through Huo Yuhao's mental probe. Hearing this familiar yet somewhat old-fashioned voice, Ju Zi and Ke Ke looked at each other in disbelief.

They seemed to hear their teacher's voice.

The next moment, looking into the distance, two figures appeared from the mountains. Xuan Ziwen's all-terrain self-propelled soul-guided turret and Huo Yuhao controlled four strong and powerful mechanical tentacles, moving as if on flat ground in the complex hilly environment, rushing towards them at an extremely fast speed.

Their rapid advance was also noticed by the group of Soul Masters, and Coco almost immediately raised the heavy cannon in her hand.

In such a dangerous situation, if the enemy were to launch a frontal interception, their chances of escape would become even slimmer.

However, no matter what, they could never forget their teacher's masterpiece that resembled a giant spider, and Huo Yuhao's annoying face.

The two figures rapidly closed in, causing both girls to tremble violently. Keke's eyes were filled with surprise and joy as she quickly shouted, "They're our own people! They're our reinforcements!"

"How did you two end up on the battlefield?"

These were Xuan Ziwen's first words as he jumped off the all-terrain soul-guided vehicle, his face filled with worry, leaving Ju Zi and Ke Ke momentarily at a loss for words.

Seeing that the others still intended to flee, Huo Yuhao quietly said, "Stop running. The enemy has already completed the encirclement. If you try to charge forward, you will only be surrounded and killed. With the attack capabilities of your artillery, it is impossible for you to blast a hole in the two cavalry squads that are closing in at an accelerated pace."

Upon hearing this, the others' expressions turned grim. They hadn't expected this at all. They wanted to lure the enemy in and use themselves as bait to launch a counter-encirclement, but the enemy's speed was simply too fast. Their soul power reserves were now less than 30%, yet they had already been surrounded by the enemy.

"Okay, so what's going on now?"

Seeing that Ju Zi and Ke Ke bit their lips without answering, Xuan Ziwen had no choice but to skip the question for the time being: "What's going on with you two? Why are you being chased like this?"

Orange said, "These are enemy soldiers from the imperial rebellion. A duke in the north has rebelled and wants to establish his own duchy. We're here to quell the rebellion."

Huo Yuhao found it somewhat amusing: "Is this all the suppression of the rebellion has become?"

Keke, standing to the side, said with great dissatisfaction, "Hey! You surnamed Huo, I'm not afraid of you anymore. Let me tell you, they've fallen into a trap. What's so special about their little encirclement?"

"These ten thousand-plus people are the enemy's main force. They've already fallen into our encirclement. In half an hour at most, our men will arrive. Then, none of them will be able to escape."

Huo Yuhao nodded: "I understand, the center-outbreak tactic—you're launching a center-outbreak tactic in this terrain where there are no natural ambushes or defensible positions? There isn't even a single truly defensible high ground here."

Orange lowered her head and said, "It's my fault. I underestimated the enemy. I didn't expect their pursuit to be so resolute, and they even sent over a hundred Soul Masters to hold us back. Now we're in trouble."

"We've been greatly exhausted, teachers, you should leave quickly. As long as we're not entangled by the Soul Masters, breaking through the encirclement shouldn't be a problem."

Xuan Ziwen shook his head: "No matter what, you two are my students. Under heaven, what teacher would abandon their students and run away? I will create time for you to break through and help you blast an opening."

"Teacher Xuan!"

Ju Zi and Ke Ke exclaimed in alarm, "Teacher, this is absolutely not possible! All the Soul Masters among these pursuers are Level 4 Soul Masters. The leader should be a Level 5 Soul Master. There are probably more than eighty of them in total."

"Besides that, there is another Soul Saint-level expert within the rebel army, you..."

The two didn't continue their conversation, but Xuan Ziwen already understood what they meant.

This is a well-known fact: before a Soul Master reaches the seventh ring, the power of their Soul Guidance Device ensures that the Soul Guidance Master can steadily suppress the Soul Master. However, once their cultivation reaches the seventh ring and their Martial Soul True Body appears, this situation will be instantly reversed.

As an eighth-level soul master recognized by the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, Xuan Ziwen's cultivation and talent were naturally exceptional; he was a seven-ring soul saint.

However, relying solely on the strength of a seven-ring Soul Saint and the abilities of an eighth-level Soul Master, it is utterly absurd to think that one could withstand a seasoned, battle-hardened, and deadly offensive Soul Saint.

Having only theoretical knowledge and firepower but lacking practical experience, if Xuan Ziwen really charged in, he would probably be dead in less than five moves.

A powerhouse of this level is like a sharp dagger, capable of charging into enemy ranks alone and unleashing a bloodbath. As long as their soul power is not exhausted, it is difficult to find any means to truly restrain them.

"Yuhao, you go with them first. I'll try to stall them for as long as I can."

Xuan Ziwen made up his mind; no matter what, he could not stand by and watch his students be abandoned here.

Although he wasn't very familiar with the intricacies of high-level politics, he was still very clear about what rebellion and suppression meant.

The other side is up to the grave matter of exterminating nine generations of their family; they clearly intend to live a life of utter debauchery but die a life of utter annihilation. There is probably no possibility of peace talks whatsoever.

"Without the interference of these Soul Masters and the intervention of that Soul Saint on the battlefield, how long could you hold out under the siege of the army?"

Before Ju Zi could speak, Ke Ke interjected, "Our soul power is being depleted significantly, with an average of less than 30% remaining, and we don't have any fixed soul tools. Under these circumstances, even without interference from the enemy's soul masters, we can only hold out for a maximum of fifteen minutes before we're exhausted under the onslaught of the army."

Huo Yuhao nodded and said, "I understand. Ju Zi and Ke Ke continue to command. We'll use this hilltop as a barrier; it can barely be considered a high ground."

Huo Yuhao frowned and looked around. Only the hill not far away could be considered high ground, a high ground that could be taken up in two charges.

"Take care of yourselves. From now on, we only have one tactic: hold out until reinforcements arrive. Are you sure reinforcements will come?"

Orange said, "I'm sure. I was the one who planned this tactic. We have 30,000 troops lying in ambush outside. Our Soul Master squad is here to lure the enemy in. The enemy doesn't know our army has arrived yet. I just gave the signal, and our troops will be here in less than half an hour."

Huo Yuhao said, "Alright. Let's hold out to the death then."

On the other side of the orange, a young Soul Master couldn't help but shout angrily, "Defend? How can we defend? Everyone's Soul Power is almost exhausted. The enemy even has Soul Masters down there using us as targets."

"Before our soul-guided shield is completely depleted, the enemy army will have already charged in."

(End of this chapter)