Douluo Continent, Huo Yuhao who returned from Sekiro

Chapter 870 The Generous and Tragic Hero (6K)

More than twenty days have passed since the Sun Moon Empire officially broke through the border defenses of the Heavenly Soul Empire.

Apart from a few people who knew the inside story in advance, no one expected that the Heavenly Soul Empire would be defeated so quickly.

In less than a month, the area west of Tiandou City had completely fallen into the hands of the Sun Moon Empire.

The ferocity of the Sun and Moon Empire's attacks shocked the world.

At the same time, the terrifying speed of the Sun Moon Empire's offensive has made everyone in the Star Luo and Dou Ling kingdoms feel insecure.

Currently, the Sun Moon Empire's 200,000-strong army, seven Soul Master Corps, and four Beast King-level Soul Master Corps from the Guardian of the Nation have already besieged Heaven Dou City.

Apart from the Evil Lord Soul Master Corps, which is still patrolling back and forth near the Mingdou Mountains, the remaining main force has all gathered here.

The Heavenly Soul Empire's do-or-die, scorched-earth strategy proved effective.

Before the Sun Moon Army besieged Tian Dou City, reinforcements from the Dou Ling Empire had already arrived, and two Soul Master Corps dispatched by the Star Luo Empire had also been deployed to provide support.

All six Soul Master Corps of the Heavenly Soul Empire have arrived. The Soul Master Legion was completely wiped out, and 70% of the main force has been withdrawn.

Including those conscripted twice from cities in the rear, the total number of troops assembled exceeded 500,000.

In the following days of fighting, the Sun Moon Empire faced one empty city after another with no defenses—the army had all retreated into the Heavenly Dou City.

It must be said that Emperor Tianhun's drastic measure of cutting off his own arm finally brought a glimmer of hope to this ancient empire that was on the verge of collapse.

Heavenly Soul Empire, Heavenly Dou City, Imperial Palace.

Compared to just over two weeks ago, there's now an inexplicable and ambiguous atmosphere in the imperial court.

It was like a surging murderous aura, or like a desperate battle about to begin, filled with a tragic grandeur.

The high-ranking civil and military officials of the Heavenly Soul Empire all stood here, their faces filled with unwavering resolve and determination.

They sacrificed countless comrades, enduring their grief and abandoning nearly a third of their territory and people, all for the sake of giving the Heavenly Soul Empire a glimmer of hope.

Using Tiandou City as a fortress to defend against the enemy is the last hope of the Tianhun Empire after it has gone all out.

This ancient metropolis, which was already a leading city ten thousand years ago, is now preparing to don its armor once again and radiate its final glory, despite its aging state.

The Heavenly Soul Emperor stood before the throne, his voice deep yet carrying an imposing aura.

"In this world today, bandits run rampant, the nation is in disarray, and the people suffer."

"There is a great thief named Sun and Moon who has stolen the country and seized the title of Marquis. He is a wolf with ambitions. All the souls of the heavens are filled with righteous indignation and vow to punish this thief and restore order to the world."

"This thief is wicked and greedy by nature. His evil deeds are numerous and too many to recount. Judging from his actions, he deceives Heaven above and oppresses the common people below."

"In the Kingdom of Sun and Moon, the imperial court is rife with corruption, factionalism, and rampant evil. In the martial world, evil cultivators are allowed to run rampant, slaughtering the people and committing all sorts of atrocities. This has led to the decline of the people's livelihood and widespread resentment."

"The government intends to send troops north to drive out the bandits, save the people from suffering, and rescue the two provinces from fire and water."

"Now that this great thief has wielded his sword to stab the Heavenly Soul, how can we, the righteous, stand idly by? We must step forward, raise the banner of righteousness, and vanquish this bandit. With our blood, we will cleanse the world of its filth; with our courage, we will sweep away all evil from the land."

"The Xu family has defied the Five Elements and neglected the Three Virtues; Heaven has decreed their extermination. Now, I, Wei, will carry out Heaven's punishment!"

"Now that this proclamation has been issued, I urge all heroes, patriots and virtuous men from all directions to unite in hatred against this traitor, strike at the arrogance of this great bandit, restore the glory of the Heavenly Soul, and wipe away the shame of the Heavenly Soul. May you, my people, heed this."

Proclamation, another proclamation.

Compared to the sixteen-character proclamation Huo Yuhao sent to Zhao Yang last time, which called for the Empress Dowager to seize power and for the emperor's inner circle to be cleansed, the Heavenly Soul Empire's proclamation this time was clearly more forceful and resounding.

The Heavenly Soul Empire had only six provinces in total, and in just over a month, it had lost two of them. This was a crisis that threatened the country's survival and the extinction of its people.

It was precisely because of this that the Heavenly Soul Empire, having chosen the correct war strategy and not been completely overwhelmed by the Oranges, finally displayed an unexpected resilience.

The following day, Huo Yuhao appeared alone in front of the north gate of Tiandou City.

This was his first time visiting Tiandou City, the imperial capital that rivaled the Star Luo Empire.

Although time was tight, fortunately, Huo Yuhao had a lot more manpower than before, and was no longer a lone commander.

Therefore, after handing over the affairs in the far north, Huo Yuhao hurriedly traveled all the way north from the far north and finally arrived in front of Tiandou City.

With the token given to him by Vina, Huo Yuhao easily entered the city.

Now, this ancient city, which has a history as long as Xingluo City and has stood for thousands of years, is gradually radiating new vitality.

Compared to the modern skyscrapers of Mingdu, Tiandou City still retains its ancient charm.

Without the illumination of soul-guided streetlights, and without the ubiquitous soul-guided devices, everything seemed to remain as it was ten thousand years ago.

Tiled and wooden houses stand side by side, arranged neatly in a chessboard pattern, making this ancient capital appear even more profound and historically significant.

Squads of soldiers, clad in bright silver armor, stood in neat rows, long swords at their waists and round shields in their hands, patrolling the sparsely populated streets.

Accompanied by the night watchman's loud shouts, the light of soul-guided lamps occasionally shone from within the high walls of a few noble mansions.

However, just by looking at the four tightly closed city gates, it becomes clear that Tiandou City is very close to war, so close that the people outside the city have been ordered to be drawn into the city.

Huo Yuhao hadn't been wandering around the city for long. Less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea since he took out the token, a fully armored soldier rushed over.

"Sir, please follow me."

The soldier who had spoken immediately became even more respectful and led Huo Yuhao into the camp.

Before they even reached their destination, and after taking only two steps into the camp, the tall and imposing Poisonous Undying strode towards them from outside the camp.

"Yuhao?"

He could see Huo Yuhao from a great distance.

A smile appeared on that face that had been somewhat gloomy.

"You brat, you've finally arrived. Looks like everything's arranged. When did it start? Has that little girl with the Phoenix Martial Soul already gone?"

Huo Yuhao nodded to Du Busi: "It's all arranged, but in any case, Tiandou City has to survive this before it can have a chance to enter the game."

Poison Undying sighed: "Soul tools, truly amazing. I never dreamed that two provinces could be breached in less than a month."

"This was only possible thanks to your clever ideas, otherwise, the Sun Moon Empire's army might have reached the capital in ten days."

(End of this chapter)