Thank you to our new Patrons: Jose cabrera atzin, Luke Matthews, allen pellissery, mark74497, Charlie Puente-Duany, Anime fan123456 and DeathClan1980! Your support means the world to me <3 We are up to Chapter 20: 1500 Years, Creating History in the Douluo Continent! on Patreon!
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Outside Wu'an City
The Crown Prince of the Tian Dou Empire, "Xue Qinghe," sat proudly atop her white steed, gazing with satisfaction at the crumbling defenses of Wu'an City. A faint, elegant smile curved her lips.
"No wonder I personally summoned these elite troops from the capital…"
"Their bravery in battle far surpasses the old, weak soldiers stationed in Wu Ping City."
Yet even as she thought this, her brows furrowed slightly, and her gaze shifted toward the direction of the Star Luo Empire. "The Star Luo Empire truly lives up to its reputation as a nation even the Spirit Hall cannot infiltrate—it's proving to be quite troublesome!"
"Right now, my elite forces are only facing the most ordinary defenders of Wu'an City."
"And yet, even so, they can't crush them easily."
As "Xue Qinghe" contemplated how formidable the average soldier of the Star Luo Empire was—
At that moment.
The heavily armored, white-haired and bearded old general once again rode up beside Xue Qinghe.
"Your Highness, it is a grave taboo for a commander to personally lead from the front lines."
"This old servant still advises you to retreat to the rear…"
"Your presence is crucial to the morale of our troops. Simply commanding from the central army will reassure them that they have a reliable leader, strengthening their resolve to fight."
"But if something were to happen to you, the entire army would lose its head, and morale would collapse."
"Here, we have generals like myself who will ensure everything proceeds without a hitch."
Xue Qinghe's delicate brows twitched slightly, but her expression quickly returned to calm.
She pointed to the "teetering on collapse" walls of Wu'an City. "General Li, I appreciate your concern, but you're overthinking things."
"Wu'an City is already on the verge of collapse. Do you really think they'd dare sally out and charge our central army now?"
"Besides, we still have nearly ten thousand soldiers in our central forces."
"Even if they dared to come, they'd be marching to their deaths… Hmm?"
Xue Qinghe's confident words suddenly cut off as she turned her gaze toward Wu'an City in confusion.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
From the direction of Wu'an City, the thunderous sound of war drums erupted, resonating like rolling thunder.
Meanwhile
Inside Wu'an City
Dai Chengfeng and a group of heavily armored soldiers, mounted on tall warhorses, stood neatly aligned before the city gates, waiting for them to open.
"Thankfully, I've grown a lot these past two months; otherwise, I might not have been able to handle this horse properly…"
At this moment, Dai Chengfeng's face broke into a relaxed smile.
He patted the horse beneath him and grinned at Zhu Fan.
Seeing his prince devoid of any fear, Zhu Fan couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile. "Your Highness, even I can't fully guarantee your safety in the upcoming battle. How can you still joke around?"
"That said…"
"Though it's true that members of the Dai family experience rapid growth after awakening their White Tiger martial soul, Your Highness's transformation over these two months has been… extraordinary."
Dai Chengfeng chuckled, about to respond—
Rumble!
At this moment, the massive gates of Wu'an City slowly opened, and golden sunlight poured in like a waterfall, bathing Dai Chengfeng in its glow.
Instantly, Dai Chengfeng's smile vanished, replaced by an expression of utmost seriousness.
He turned to Zhu Yan. "Lord Zhu Yan, the city is in your hands!"
In the end, Dai Chengfeng had chosen not to let Zhu Yan accompany him outside the city—not because he had a daughter, but because Dai Chengfeng understood.
The idea of capturing Xue Qinghe alive was nothing more than a ruse.
The real purpose of this operation was to send scouts to break through and request reinforcements.
And no one was better suited to arrange the scouts and ensure the success of the mission than Zhu Yan, the lord of Wu'an City.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yan's expression grew solemn. "This lowly servant will not fail in my mission—I will not disappoint Your Highness!"
Then.
He clasped his fists together and shouted respectfully, "Zhu Yan wishes Your Highness great fortune in battle!!!"
Dai Chengfeng laughed heartily, his voice filled with confidence. "I'll take your good wishes!"
With that—
He turned his head, his gaze sweeping over every soldier behind him. "My comrades, it's time to show our enemies just how powerful our nation is and that we will not tolerate their oppression!"
"Remember!"
"All we do today is supremely honorable!"
"May our blood water the soil of my homeland, and may the rivers and mountains remain as they are—Kill!!!"
With those final words, he spurred his horse forward, charging out of the city like an arrow released from a bow.
"May our blood water the soil of my homeland, and may the rivers and mountains remain as they are!"
"May our blood water the soil of my homeland, and may the rivers and mountains…"
"…"
The soldiers behind him, their blood boiling, roared in unison, following closely in Dai Chengfeng's wake, surging like a torrent toward the central forces of the Tian Dou Empire.
---
In the central forces of the Tian Dou Empire
Ci Tun Douluo, disguised as an ordinary soldier, sneered disdainfully upon seeing this scene.
"These fools dare charge our central army with so few men? This is suicide!"
But Xue Qinghe merely chuckled softly, shaking her head. Her gaze remained fixed on the unarmored youth at the forefront, wielding a spear. She raised her finger, pointing at him.
"The one leading them is the Fourth Prince of the Star Luo Empire—Dai Chengfeng."
Ci Tun Douluo's eyebrows rose slightly, his eyes filled with contempt. "Just as rumored—he's reckless and lacks strategy…"
"He actually dares to attack our central army with such a small force."
However, Xue Qinghe's eyes shone with admiration. "Though he may lack strategy, he hasn't run away. Instead, he's leading the charge."
"This courage to attempt the impossible is rare indeed."
"It seems he deserves…"
While they were speaking, Dai Chengfeng had already charged forward like a tiger descending from the mountain, clashing with the vanguard of the Tian Dou Empire's central army.
Roar!
In an instant, a tiger's roar shook the heavens, accompanied by a fierce gust of wind.
The enemy horses near Dai Chengfeng panicked, neighing wildly.
Seeing this, Dai Chengfeng declared, "First Soul Skill: Innate Geng Metal Qi!"
Beneath his feet, a yellow soul ring emerged.
Instantly.
Dai Chengfeng's entire body was enveloped in a dazzling golden aura, swirling around him like threads. His spear too was covered in the same energy, radiating unparalleled sharpness.
"Kill!"
With a single thrust of his spear, the enemy's heavy armor crumbled like paper.
Wherever the spear struck, enemies screamed and fell.
Even more despair-inducing was the fact that when enemy weapons struck Dai Chengfeng—who wore no armor—
They only sparked, ringing with the sound of metal against metal, unable to harm him in the slightest.
For a moment, Dai Chengfeng moved as though he were invincible, cutting through the battlefield like a god of war.
Not a single enemy could withstand even one blow from him.
"Sss!"
Zhu Fan, who had been following close to Dai Chengfeng, instinctively sucked in a breath of cold air upon witnessing the full extent of his first soul skill.
"Chengfeng, I thought your first soul skill only increased the sharpness of your weapon?"
"How can it now also protect your body?"
For the first time, doubt flickered in Zhu Fan's mind… Could it be possible that the Emperor and the ancestors of the Dai family were wrong?
It was a ridiculous thought, in his opinion.
But Zhu Fan couldn't deny it—Dai Chengfeng's Geng Metal Qi was now perfect, capable of both offense and defense, and could unleash Geng Metal Sword Qi to strike distant enemies.
It was… flawless!
What was the White Tiger Guardian Barrier compared to this? It was laughable!
At this moment, Dai Chengfeng's body was drenched in the blood of his enemies, resembling a god of war.
As he swung his spear, he simply smiled and nodded.
At the same time, he thought to himself, "Once this is over, I need to focus on cultivating my soul power…"
He knew that the reason he seemed invincible amidst the enemy ranks was because his uncle Zhu Fan was secretly fending off the stronger opponents, keeping them away from him.
"But now isn't the time to dwell on that!"
With this thought, he raised his spear, pointing directly at Xue Qinghe in the distance. "Follow me—we'll capture the Crown Prince of the Tian Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe!"
"Capture Xue Qinghe, kill!"
Instantly, all the warriors raised their arms and roared in unison.
The cries of battle echoed like rolling thunder, shaking the very heavens and earth.
------------------------------------------------------
Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow