Chapter 536.3: The Eastern Sun Falls
He Caitou led the way as he dismantled every single possible soul tool in the area and brought them back into the spectral demiplane. In fact, he even led the soul engineers to the top of the city wall to scavenge rare metal bits from the ruins.
The sky had started to turn bright by the time they had finished dismantling and packing everything up.
The troops who were planning to attack Huo Yuhao and the others were also fairly rational. They knew they were unable to compete against the soul engineer legions, and hence they merely surrounded the area while they waited patiently for the reinforcements they had called for.
The mission was not over after clearing the area of any remaining soul tools. It was now the Tang Sect Soul Engineer Legion’s turn to perform.
Eastern Sun City’s seven storehouses were plundered by the legions as they transported large amounts of resources, especially food, into the spectral demiplane.
While Oak City was already considered a huge granary, it was nothing compared to Eastern Sun City. If the food in Oak City was to be compared to a small mountain, the food in Eastern Sun City could be an entire mountain range. In fact, the granary in Eastern Sun City had several special products from the Ice Sea, such as the skin of aquatic soul beasts, etc. There were plenty of resources and money for the legions to plunder.
It was only in the afternoon on the next day when the plundering operation ended. The thirty thousand soldiers were pinned down near the northern city gate by the Fort Soul Engineer Legion until the entire operation ended. Afterwards, the Fort Soul Engineer Legion left the city and headed north.
This operation affected more than just Eastern Sun City. It affected the entire northern region of the Sun Moon Empire.
The newly acquired resources had exceeded the two storehouses built within the spectral demiplane. They had no choice but to erect another two additional storehouses to contain them.
Right from the beginning of their mission, Huo Yuhao had never told the three legions to bring many rations. Their strategy was to fuel the next fight with their plunder from the previous fight.
The rations which they had plundered from these two cities was already sufficient for them to survive for three to five years without any worries.
The group of cultivators from the Tang Sect gathered on top of a small knoll in the spectral demiplane.
Huo Yuhao sighed and said,
It seems like we have underestimated the Sun Moon Empire!
What do you mean?
Jiang Nannan asked curiously.
Huo Yuhao said,
Actually, our initial predictions were correct. The number of troops stationed in the northern part of the Sun Moon Empire was actually very limited. In fact, they were not viewed with much importance. Nonetheless, we still faced relatively strong resistance from them. If we had not planned for an unprepared foe, we might not have won so easily, especially with the number of soul tools they had. Hence, we must be extra careful with our subsequent operations. Also, after our two victories, I am certain the Sun Moon Empire will be responding with some sort of plan. Thus, we must be even more unpredictable with our next move in order to achieve the best effect.
Bei Bei nodded and said,
Yuhao is correct. Our biggest advantage is this spectral demiplane. We are only able to move faster than any other troops because of it. In fact, we can probably appear at any corner of the continent within three days. Even if we can only launch a single shell at the enemy and flee, we can still achieve our objective. We must remember to not get entangled in a battle with our enemies. Yuhao, didn’t you want to take a walk in the Ice Sea?
Huo Yuhao nodded and said,
Yes, I’m about to go and take a look. Hopefully, I will be able to leave with some takeaways. In the meantime, I need everyone to remain in the spectral demiplane. Regardless of the outcome of my trip to the Ice Sea, I will immediately head to the southern parts of the Sun Moon Empire. By shifting our attack from the north to the south, they will be completely lost as to where exactly we plan to strike. This will be a perfect way to cause panic in their backlines.
Xu Sanshi frowned and said,
But the problem is that we don’t really know how we’re doing at the frontlines. If we can find out what’s going on there, we might be able to strike at the Sun Moon Empire more effectively.
Bei Bei replied,
We shouldn’t be too greedy about these things. It’s already incredible for us to achieve what we have done. At least for now, the entire northern part of the Sun Moon Empire is a mess because of the food shortage we’ve created. The Sun Moon Empire must devote resources and attention to solving this problem. At the same time, they will have to try and uncover our tracks. I am sure this will help our friends at the frontline. Once we expand the range of our operations, I am certain that the Sun Moon Empire will become even more chaotic, and when that happens, they will have no choice but to retreat.
Xu Sanshi asked,
Little junior brother, do you need me to follow you to the Ice Sea? I’m better with water. Judging from the camp the Sun Moon Empire had set up here, the aquatic soul beasts in the Ice Sea might cause you some problems. You need to be careful.
Huo Yuhao replied,
You can rest assured, senior brother! Even in the worst case scenario, Wutong and I should be able to retreat safely. Don’t forget, I have an Ultimate Ice martial soul. I do have a big advantage up here in the extreme north. If I need any help, I will summon all of you.
Xu Sanshi did not bug Yuhao any longer. After all, Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong were already a level above them in terms of fighting ability.
Ji Juechen, who had been keeping quiet at the side, suddenly asked,
Yuhao, when can we spar?
He had finally asked the question that had been on his mind for the longest period of time.
Just now during the battle, he did not face any formidable foes, but saw how Huo Yuhao was able to play around with the two evil soul masters. As a sparring maniac, how could he resist the temptation to ask Huo Yuhao to spar with him?
Huo Yuhao looked at him helplessly before replying,
Brother Ji, let’s talk about it some other time. For now, can I get everyone to go and get some rest? We will head to the Ice Sea after finishing our preparations.
He did not want to spar with Ji Juechen now. Ji Juechen’s sword intent was no joke. Even if he were confident in his abilities, he still had to put in a hundred percent in order to beat Ji Juechen. Huo Yuhao did not want to waste energy on sparring right now. He still had plenty of work to do.
Ji Juechen frowned as he looked towards the other people around him.
Immediately, Bei Bei walked away and sat down before beginning his meditation. Xu Sanshi looked up at the sky as he whistled and strolled away with Jiang Nannan.
He Caitou smiled awkwardly at Ji Juechen before saying,
Don’t look at me. I’m a soul engineer, so I won’t be a good sparring partner for you. Actually, Ye Guyi should be a good partner. Her cultivation must have improved a lot after the previous battle. Why don’t you spar with her once she’s done with digesting the newly acquired energy?
Ye Guyi was currently cultivating in the storehouse, and soul engineers had been stationed there to protect her.
Ji Juechen sighed in despair. Why is it so hard to find someone to spar with?! Everyone was now avoiding him. He improved the most from finding inspiration in his sparring or battles with strong opponents. It was not sufficient for him to train alone. No one desired a strong opponent more than him.
Then, someone whom no one had expected stood up.
Why don’t I give it a try?
The voice was tender, but one could still detect a tinge of competitiveness in it.
Ji Juechen turned around, and was surprised to find out who had accepted his challenge.
The voice belonged to a female! But the person was not Tang Wutong—the strongest female soul master among them. She was also neither Jiang Nannan nor Ye Guyi. The person was also not Nan Qiuqiu, who was getting ready to watch the performance before her eyes. She was none other than Xiao Xiao—the one among Shrek’s Seven Monsters who rarely showed her abilities.
Yes, the person who stood up and agreed to spar with Ji Juechen was none other than Xiao Xiao.
The first person who expressed his shock was He Caitou. He frantically asked,
Xiao Xiao, what are you doing? Are you crazy? How could you challenge Juechen? His sword intent is not something he can control properly.
Xiao Xiao glared angrily at him and said,
Why do you have such little confidence in me? Or are you just a chauvinist by heart?
Uhmmm…
He Caitou was lost for words after hearing her words. He was simply too doting towards her. Even though he might be really busy all the time, he was never stingy on the care and affection he had shown for Xiao Xiao. This also resulted in a lack of opportunities for Xiao Xiao to get her hands dirty.
The truth was that even though Xiao Xiao gave off the vibes of a little girl—especially among Shrek’s Seven Monsters—she was actually a little older than Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong. In fact, the three of them had won the freshman competition together when they had just entered Shrek Academy.
Subsequently, she once again showed her abilities in the Continental Elite Youth Soul Master Tournament.
But after that time, Xiao Xiao rarely had the opportunity to spar and showcase her abilities. Even He Caitou did not know exactly how strong she had become.
Ji Juechen stared at Xiao Xiao, but he did not belittle her because of her size. Instead, his eyes showed the respect and wariness he had for any challenger.
Xiao Xiao stood there plainly, but did not seem to reveal any flaws in her stance.
Jue Jichen was an expert at finding flaws in an enemy’s stance. Once the enemy revealed a flaw, he or she would face the wrath of his torrential attacks.
However, Xiao Xiao seemed to have blended in with her surroundings. She was simply not exhibiting any flaws at all.
Xiao Xiao stared at Ji Juechen before announcing,
Brother Ji, can I challenge you?
Ji Juechen hesitated a while before looking at Huo Yuhao, who was standing by the side.
Huo Yuhao nodded without any hesitation.
While the others might belittle Xiao Xiao, Huo Yuhao would never do so. A year ago, Xiao Xiao had already gained her own spirit with Huo Yuhao’s help. Besides, Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong would never forget her true abilities.
Huo Yuhao was not the only control system soul master among the new generation of Shrek’s Seven Monsters. Xiao Xiao was the other one.
However, she had taken a different path from Huo Yuhao. Huo Yuhao had chosen to focus on controlling and attacking, whereas Xiao Xiao chose to dedicate her training to controlling and defending.
The rationale for these two different focuses was because of Huo Yuhao’s twin martial souls. His Spirit Eyes would focus on controlling, while the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion would focus on attacking.
