The Spirit Eyes had seven rings, while the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion had eight. The rings of two different colors interchanged as they shone brilliantly. In the next instant, Huo Yuhao transformed into a gigantic eye that was floating in mid-air.
A deep melodic chanting sound began as the higher-ups who were waiting on the observation deck returned to their legions.
The Eye of the Asura! Yes, this was the Eye of the Asura! The soul masters from the three different legions were all screaming inside with excitement.
Nine huge black doors slowly opened before the observation deck.
Actually, this was not the limit of Huo Yuhao"s ability. It was just unnecessary for him to use all of his abilities.
“Get ready to enter.” Huo Yuhao"s voice reverberated across the military drill ground.
The Heavy Artillery Soul Engineer Legion—the least mobile legion—was the first to move. They also happened to be the unit under Huo Yuhao. Under the control of the soul engineers, the three hundred Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannons rolled towards the huge doors.
After the repeated improvements Xuan Ziwen had made, these crossbow cannons now had tracks. When necessary, they were able to use their stored soul power to drive themselves forward. Even though their speed was still fairly limited, it was a lot better than having to rely on human strength all the time.
It took a whole ten minutes for the three hundred crossbow cannons to fully enter the black doors into the spectral demiplane.
While they were slowly entering, two hundred figures had already activated their flying-type soul tools and were levitating in mid-air. This was none other than the Tang Sect Soul Engineer Legion—the only legion which possessed flight capabilities.
The Fort Soul Engineer Legion spread out into a fan shape as every single All-Terrain Self-Driving Fort fully extended their long legs. Compared to the Heavy Artillery Soul Engineer Legion, they were a lot more agile and mobile. They formed a fan shape and guarded the nine huge doors as though they were the sweepers of the team.
A few people stood at a corner of the military drill ground. As they watched the scene unfold before them, they could not help but nod. After these two years of rigorous training, these three legions now finally possessed true fighting power. It would depend on the commander as to how they would actually perform on the battlefield.
After the Heavy Artillery Soul Engineer Legion entered, it was the Fort Soul Engineer Legion"s turn. They were a lot faster, and it took them only four minutes to enter. Last but not least was the Tang Sect Soul Engineer Legion. They flew in from the top in an organized fashion, and only took two minutes.
In total, the three legions—which contained two thousand seven hundred people—took sixteen minutes to completely enter Huo Yuhao"s spectral demiplane. If one were to add in the time which Huo Yuhao used to chant the incantations, they would have used twenty minutes in total.
This meant that they would be able to retreat from anywhere in twenty minutes. This was definitely contingent on Huo Yuhao"s ability to escape detection, which had already been tested during his countless forays on the battlefield.
After the nine black doors were closed, the military drill ground returned to its formerly quiet state. One could only tell that there were many soul masters here previously from the tracks the heavy artillery and forts left on the ground.
The Eye of the Asura morphed back into Huo Yuhao"s figure. After landing on the ground, he moved towards the group of individuals who were standing under the tree at the corner of the military drill ground.
The leader amongst them was none other than Elder Xuan. The two Deans—Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin"er—were standing by his side.
“Elder Xuan!” Huo Yuhao greeted politely.
Elder Xuan nodded and said, “The ball is now in your court. Let"s hope you can give us a much-needed miracle.”
Huo Yuhao smiled. “I am confident that we can pull it off. We will also have to depend on all of you for the battle at the frontline.”
Elder Xuan replied, “The Sun Moon Empire might be strong, but do you really think the three original empires of the Douluo Continent are a joke? It won"t be that easy for them to invade us. Anyways, I just received an update this morning. Just as we have predicted, the Sun Moon Empire"s army has already entered what was formerly the land of the Heavenly Soul Empire. They are now moving towards the southeast region of the Heavenly Soul Empire.”
Huo Yuhao started to break out into a sweat. It seems like time really waits for no man! At the same time, the figure of a lady fleeted into his mind. Ju Zi, are you still the commander leading the Sun Moon Empire"s army?
I really don"t want to b.u.mp into you on the battlefield!
“Yuhao, you can start moving out. Regardless of whether or not you succeed, do your best to bring them back.” Elder Xuan instructed Huo Yuhao as he gave him a pat on the shoulder.
“Yes.” Huo Yuhao answered politely. Following which, he bade goodbye to both Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin"er before flying up into the air. Then, he vanished as he sped towards the Sun Moon Empire.
It would take time for the three legions to familiarize themselves with and accept their surroundings within the spectral demiplane. However, Huo Yuhao did not have to be overly concerned with these things. The other higher-ups of the Tang Sect had taken up the responsibility to brief the legions on the spectral demiplane. Also, he had already gotten Er Bai to chase away the spectral creatures and create a camping area for the three legions. At the very least, the soul masters would not be able to see any spectral creatures near their camping area. This would naturally make things smoother.
Even though they had only left in the morning, by noontime, they had already arrived at the Ming Dou Mountain Range because of how fast Huo Yuhao was flying. However, the White Tiger Duke was not at the Ming Dou Mountain Range where the Sun Moon Empire"s Western Army was camping. Instead, he had already led his elite troops to the north of the Star Luo Empire.
This time round, the Sun Moon Empire did not conceal the route they were taking. Hence, the Star Luo Empire were also beginning to make preparations after receiving the news of their impending attack.
Of course, there were still plenty of troops which camped at the Ming Dou Mountain Range, including five legions. Other than the troops, Princess Jiujiu was also here.
“Yuhao? How come you"re here?” Princess Jiujiu was extremely happy to see Huo Yuhao.
As time pa.s.sed, Huo Yuhao had started to gain the recognition and acknowledgement of the higher-ups in the different empires after showcasing his abilities. Besides, Huo Yuhao was still holding out for the t.i.tle of Duke of the Star Luo Empire.
After sitting down with Princess Jiujiu in the tent, Huo Yuhao asked, “Your Highness, do you have the latest news?”
Princess Jiujiu said, “I do have some news, but it might not be extremely accurate. The only thing that is certain is that the Sun Moon Empire has a.s.sembled over three hundred thousand soldiers for their armies. It seems like all of them have been transported into the Heavenly Soul Empire. From the looks of it, they are probably going to link up with the troops that are already within the Heavenly Soul Empire. As to what they will do next, we have no reliable intelligence on that.”
“Other than this, the Sun Moon Empire has strengthened their defences at the borders of their land. In fact, they have placed at least two soul engineer legions on the other side of the Ming Dou Mountain Range to supplement their aerial surveillance soul tools and existing troops. With their new setup, we can"t even send a fly in to do any reconnaissance work. Yuhao, since you are here already, do you mind helping us do some reconnaissance work?”
Even though he was looking into the Princess"s hopeful eyes, Huo Yuhao shook his head and replied, “Your Highness, I am sorry, but I do have another mission at hand. However, I can help you solve some of your reconnaissance problems.” Following which, Huo Yuhao gave her a sly smile.
Princess Jiujiu seemed to have caught what Huo Yuhao was hinting as she said, “That would be great. However, I must let you know how sly their surveillance soul tools have become. They do not only possess a greater range, but also greater mobility and speed. They will flee the moment they detect any dubious movement. At the same time, the other soul tools in the area will stop any attempt from the enemy to intercept the surveillance soul tool. Hence, this will be a challenging task. We have tried to use soul cannon sh.e.l.ls to bomb the surveillance soul tools multiple times, to no avail.”
Huo Yuhao said, “These are probably the best prevention methods they can employ. But rest a.s.sured, I have my ways. Even though I won"t be able to destroy all of them, I am confident I can take down at least some of them.”
Princess Jiujiu was evidently excited by Huo Yuhao"s reply. “That would be great! If we can give the Sun Moon Empire some pressure from here, the battle at the frontline will be a lot easier for our people.”
Huo Yuhao said, “Then I shall begin to make my move. Afterwards, we will be inserting ourselves into the Sun Moon Empire to continue our battle. Goodbye, Your Majesty.”
After bidding her goodbye, both Huo Yuhao and Princess Jiujiu stood up. She moved closer to Huo Yuhao and looked at him with an inexplicable look. She said, “Yuhao, you are truly the most outstanding youth I"ve ever seen. The Star Luo Empire will forever be your home. As long as you wish for it, the Empire can give you all the honor and glory you might want.”
Huo Yuhao smiled. “In that case, if this operation were to be completed successfully, I shall return to ask for the t.i.tle of Duke from Your Majesty.”
Princess Jiujiu was a little shocked by Huo Yuhao"s request. It was not the first time that he had asked about this t.i.tle. However, he had never asked for anything other than the t.i.tle—not even a plot of land. Why is he so persistent about the t.i.tle?
Of course, it was still more rea.s.suring to know that he wanted something, instead of not wanting anything at all. Xu Jiujiu said, “Yuhao, what is your mission actually about? Can you tell me?”
Huo Yuhao hesitated for a short while before replying, “I am leading some troops to perform a sabotage operation within the Sun Moon Empire just like the Duke did previously. If we succeed, I am confident that we can threaten the foundation of the Sun Moon Empire and alleviate the pressure on our troops at the frontline.”
It was apparent that the White Tiger Duke had not inform Xu Jiujiu of this plan. After hearing Huo Yuhao"s words, Xu Jiujiu was very much taken aback. “You are going to bring an entire army into the Sun Moon Empire? Are they from the Shrek City Defense Army?”
Huo Yuhao nodded and replied, “Pretty much. However, they are stronger than the Defense Army. I don"t think it would be appropriate for me to reveal any more information. I just hope I can bring back good news soon. Alright. I"ll see you around, Your Highness.”
Xu Jiujiu saw Huo Yuhao to the edge of the main peak and watched him take off until his figure disappeared in the sky. Her emotions, which had been suppressed for the past few days seemed to have relaxed a little. She clenched her fists and muttered to herself, “Good luck, Yuhao!”
Of course, Huo Yuhao would not share the secret of his spectral demiplane with Xu Jiujiu. Even though there would be a lot of people who would learn of his spectral plane after the war ended, he still believed he should keep it a secret—at least for the time being.