"Still a failure…" The mecha crashed into the ground, exploding violently. Zetao abandoned his armor and took to the air, his six soul rings glowing as he prepared for a desperate fight.
Kill!
Countless Evil Soul Masters surged forward, most of them Soul Elders and Soul Exalts. Their eyes were filled with madness, as if their very existence had ascended beyond mortality.
A black soul ring lit up.
Heaven's Bind!
Zetao's martial soul, the Heavenly Shackles, manifested—essentially silver handcuffs like those used by law enforcement to restrain criminals.
"My hands! AHHH!!"
Each Evil Soul Master found their hands tightly bound by chains that couldn't be broken. The immense mental and physical pain made them experience the agony of impending death.
Cursed Strike!
A Soul Emperor-level Evil Soul Master struck. He had already slain two Soul Kings.
A streak of black light shot toward Zetao with terrifying speed, striking him square in the chest.
"Impossible?" Zetao looked at his chest in shock as the black energy spread rapidly across his body.
A wave of weakness washed over him, sapping his strength. He plummeted from the sky, his life seemingly drained away.
"Die…" The Evil Soul Emperor brought two fingers together and pointed at Zetao.
"Explode!"
BOOM!
A cloud of black mist erupted, tinged with traces of blood.
"It's over!"
Bang! Whoosh!
The battle was far from over. Hundreds of soul-guided missiles shot into the sky, like a meteor shower streaking toward the battlefield.
"We're late…" A general's voice choked with emotion.
"Listen to my command! The Evil Soul Masters have run rampant, defying our Federation, oppressing our people, and slaughtering our comrades! They must be eradicated!"
"Yes! Exterminate the Evil Souls!"
Three black shadows shot forward at speeds surpassing the speed of sound, reaching Mach 5. These were seventh-generation high-speed soul-guided fighter jets, designed by the Federation. They could carry Class-9 fixed soul-guided missiles, along with various countermeasure munitions. Each weighed eight to nine tons, and only Soul Kings or above could pilot them due to the immense G-forces involved.
This incident had escalated into a full-scale battle. The Federation had ordered the Northern Corps to annihilate all Evil Soul Masters. The general leading the charge was also responding to his old friend Zetao's distress call.
The expedition force was formidable—three Black-Class mechas, three Soul Douluo-level warriors (each a Two-Word Battle Armor Master, effectively equivalent to three ordinary Title Douluo), and countless Purple-Class mechas.
In a dark room…
"President, what are you thinking about?"
A cup of water was handed over.
The man took a slow sip and said, "Was hijacking a train in Shrek City really that easy? Even the tracks didn't match the original route, yet the train somehow smoothly followed this new path. Who changed the track?"
"You mean…?" The other man's eyes widened.
"It's not just the Federation; the three great powers might have all been infiltrated by Evil Soul Masters."
"But investigating this should be simple. Just interrogate the track operators, right?"
"Simple? The ones who changed the tracks weren't those people. Evil Soul Masters have bizarre methods—they can erase memories and even wipe souls. The track operators have all turned insane. What could they possibly say? Even a Title Douluo-level Spiritual Master wouldn't be able to extract useful information from their shattered minds."
"This so-called new era… is anything but peaceful."
Warning! Warning!
Multiple Class-3 surface-to-air missiles detected at an altitude of one kilometer!
Deploy countermeasures!
Dozens of Yellow-Class mechas launched small, precision-guided countermeasure missiles. They intercepted the incoming projectiles mid-air, setting off a series of explosions.
"The number of threats is excessive." The general furrowed his brows.
His Black-Class mecha wielded twin blades, which spun through the air like boomerangs, slicing apart incoming missiles.
"Advance!"
"Damn it!"
Three Soul Emperor-level Evil Soul Masters stood battered and bruised, their battle armor shattered, their bodies riddled with wounds and embedded shrapnel.
Above them, three high-speed soul-guided fighter jets roared through the sky, their dual wing-mounted machine guns raining down relentless fire. Low-level Evil Soul Masters were reduced to piles of flesh—a massacre with no chance of resistance.
"Our missiles! Where are our missiles?" A Soul King-level Evil Soul Master screamed.
"Our… our missile systems can't even reach them!"
The Soul King slumped to the ground. "Hahaha! Our Vine Demon Evil Soul Master Corps will never be wiped out… Boss, it's up to you!" With that, he took his own life.
"Evil God! Please take action!!"
Three Soul Emperor-level Evil Soul Masters self-destructed, their life force merging into the massive presence of the Evil God.
"Seven Class-6 soul-guided missiles, launch!"
The three fighter jets ascended sharply, then dived in a perfect triangular formation, leaving behind condensation trails that painted the sky.
Boom! Boom!
"What?!" The pilots were stunned.
As the smoke cleared, a colossal Evil-Eyed Entity emerged completely unscathed.
"Reorganize for a second strike!" The jets adjusted their angles and launched another barrage, but no damage was inflicted.
"Commander! We've encountered something…"
The general's face darkened. "Retreat immediately! We're en route."
"Commander… we won't be coming back."
The general's eyes snapped open. "What happened?"
"Tell my parents I love them…"
The signal cut off.
"Maximum speed! We reach the battlefield in three minutes!" the general roared.
"Yes, sir!!"
Massive dark vines erupted from beneath the city, stretching high into the sky.
"Haha! It's complete! A body that rivals the gods!"
A rift in space tore open.
A woman dressed in black stepped out. Her pupils were a strange, pure white. She gently caressed the Evil God, her eyes filled with obsession.
The three fighter jets were now trapped by the colossal purple vines—the same ones Gu You had seen near the outskirts of the city. Now, they were even larger, covered in glowing, eerie runes pulsating with black light.
"Comrades! Empty our ammunition! We will never surrender!"
They unleashed their remaining five tons of explosives, blasting apart a huge gap in the vine wall. The fighter jets activated their maximum speed, roaring forward.
They were going to ram the enemy.
To defend.
To protect.
To uphold the honor of warriors!
Their final charge was directed at the black-clothed woman and the Evil God. The moment they collided—
BOOM!
"How annoying." The woman wiped the blood from her lips. Nine soul rings hovered around her.
A Title Douluo!
She was an Evil Soul Master at the Title Douluo level!
Demon Vines!
Her Two-Word Battle Armor fused into her body, releasing an unparalleled aura, almost reaching Super Douluo-level power. The wounds from the crash healed instantly.
"Now… it's your turn." Her white pupils shifted toward the approaching reinforcements.
(End of Chapter)