[DD2]: 512 (Patreon)

Dragon City!

Located in the northeast of the Heavenly Soul Empire, it was the largest city in the northern region of the empire.

Dragon City was not far from the Extreme North, and the temperature was relatively low.

If one set out from Dragon City, an ordinary Soul Sage expert would need only three hours to reach the border of the Extreme North.

Amidst the icy snow, the outline of a massive city gradually appeared.

Su Yu stood in midair, listening to the sounds of battle outside Dragon City, his gaze cold and sharp.

The force attacking Dragon City was an elite legion under the Sun Moon Empire.

Although not as formidable as the Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Regiment, the Soul Engineer troops' formation and firepower were so intense that even a Titled Douluo would hesitate to face them head-on.

“Xuanwu Battalion, organize the defense.”

“Divine Machine Battalion, suppress with firepower!”

“Tiger Ben Battalion, frontal assault—tear open their lines!”

...

Juzi stood at the front of the formation, commanding her troops methodically.

Longxiang Battalion, Tiger Ben Battalion, Divine Machine Battalion, Xuanwu Battalion.

The four battalions of the Holy Slayer Palace, under Juzi's leadership, were directed with masterful precision.

Although this was their first battle together, their coordination was already impressively smooth.

The Divine Machine Battalion bombarded, the Longxiang Battalion charged, and the Tiger Ben Battalion followed closely behind.

Su Yu watched the battlefield below calmly. In Juzi’s hands, this Holy Slayer Army had shown the beginnings of real fighting strength, not disappointing him.

“This... Juzi is really something!” Wang Dong'er exclaimed in surprise.

She had long known that, as the empress and war goddess in the original story, Juzi possessed remarkable talent in warfare.

But seeing the battle unfold with her own eyes brought a different kind of impact.

The Sun Moon Empire’s soul engineer regiment was utterly routed by the united assault of the Execution Army.

It was clear at a glance.

“Yu's judgment is always so accurate. Juzi is indeed very capable,” Meng Hongchen looked at Su Yu, a hint of admiration in her eyes.

Su Yu’s insight into people had never been wrong.

Anyone who caught Su Yu’s eye had extraordinary qualities.

“She really does have some skill,” Xuedi watched the battle below, a hint of surprise flashing in her cold eyes.

This Juzi was no mere showpiece.

“She looks capable enough, but still a bit inexperienced. The coordination between the Tiger Ben and Longxiang Battalions is a little lacking,” Su Yu shook his head. “She still needs more training.”

Juzi certainly had talent, but she had not yet fully converted that talent into ability.

The reason was simple: Juzi, at this stage, had not truly experienced the tempering of war.

To grow into a commander who could oversee the entire battlefield, she still had a long road ahead of her.

Su Yu was already planning to throw Juzi into the battlefield against the Sun Moon Empire to give her a good tempering.

After roughly half an hour, the sounds of artillery gradually faded.

The Sun Moon army attacking Dragon City had been all but wiped out.

Some top experts from the Sun Moon soul engineer regiment were also killed by Su Yu’s soul masters and the experts from the Earthdragon Sect.

For now, the crisis in Dragon City was temporarily resolved.

The Holy Slayer Army began to clear the battlefield, while Su Yu led his companions into Dragon City.

Dragon City’s garrison and a number of soul master experts hurried to greet them.

As the largest city in the north of the Heavenly Soul Empire, Dragon City’s defenses were naturally strong.

There were also many soul master sects in the city, with two being the most representative—the Heavenly Dragon Sect and the Earthdragon Sect.

Of these, the Heavenly Dragon Sect was stronger.

The sect master of the Heavenly Dragon Sect was a genuine Titled Douluo.

The Heavenly Dragon Sect had a long history, tracing its lineage back ten thousand years to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan of the Spirit Hall era.

Back then, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was one of the three upper clans, enjoying great prestige.

However, after being hunted down by Spirit Hall, they fell into decline, with only a few bloodlines surviving.

One such lineage was descended from Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong.

This branch’s bloodline had mutated and was not the pure Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon inheritance.

Mu En and Bei Bei were descendants of Yu Xiaogang’s line.

Another line, descended from Yu Tianheng and Yu Tianxin, had managed to escape Spirit Hall’s purge and persisted.

This lineage possessed the purest Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul.

The Heavenly Dragon Sect was likely descended from Yu Tianheng’s line.

Today, the power of the Heavenly Dragon Sect was a far cry from its former glory, no longer ranking among the superpowers.

But as the saying goes, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Within the Heavenly Soul Empire, the Heavenly Dragon Sect was still quite renowned.

“Young Master Su Yu, thank you so much for coming to our aid,” Nan Shuishui, dressed in a plain white robe, showed deep fatigue between her brows, but could not hide the joy in her eyes.

Su Yu smiled lightly, “Qiuqiu is a member of my Holy Slayer Palace. Since her hometown was under attack, how could I stand by and do nothing?”

Nan Shuishui looked at Nan Qiuqiu, who was grinning cheerfully at her side. Her beautiful eyes unconsciously softened.

Letting Nan Qiuqiu join the Holy Slayer Palace had truly proven to be a wise decision.

The thought flashed through Nan Shuishui’s mind as she smiled, “Young Master Su Yu, let me introduce you. This is the sect master of the Heavenly Dragon Sect...”

After some polite exchanges, everyone accompanied Su Yu into Dragon City.

Su Yu followed Nan Shuishui along the streets of Dragon City.

Dragon City remained quite prosperous.

The Sun Moon Empire’s attack seemed not to have greatly affected the residents.

As they walked, Nan Shuishui sighed, “Young Master Su Yu, if not for your help this time, Dragon City may have faced total destruction.”

Looking back over the wars waged by the Sun Moon Empire, the casualties had been tremendous.

After every city they captured, they would massacre the inhabitants, leaving death and suffering in their wake.

After forming ties with Ye Xishui, the Sun Moon Empire’s approach changed drastically.

Su Yu remembered that in the original story, the Sun Moon Empire relied on open strategies, which were Juzi’s policies.

By showcasing the high-tech soul tools, they subtly influenced the populace.

Once the people got used to soul tools and experienced the Sun Moon Empire’s advancement, they naturally developed a sense of recognition.

Especially after every conquest, they would tempt, coerce, and brainwash the soul masters of the three empires, absorbing them and continuously strengthening their own soul engineer regiments.

Using the soul masters of the original Douluo Continent to counterbalance Douluo itself—truly ingenious.

But now, things were completely different.

The Sun Moon Empire was not aiming to conquer territory but to slaughter.

Such extreme actions naturally provoked fierce resistance from the three great empires.

One could only say that the Sun Moon Empire had gone utterly mad.

“Master Nan, you flatter me. Even without me, with the Heavenly Dragon Sect and your Earthdragon Sect here, Dragon City would not have fallen so easily,” Su Yu replied modestly.

Nan Shuishui shook her head. “Young Master Su Yu, you are too modest. Without you, we could never have withstood the Sun Moon Empire’s assault.”

“The Sun Moon Empire is far stronger than we imagined.”

“Their evil hands have even reached Dragon City.”

“The Heavenly Soul Empire is truly on the brink of collapse.”

Su Yu said nothing.

The facts were clear.

Even with support from the Dou Ling Empire, the Heavenly Soul Empire was struggling against the Sun Moon Empire’s offensive.

Within a short time, the Heavenly Soul Empire had already lost nearly half its territory.

Tens of millions of people were displaced, and losses of property were incalculable.

Faced with the Sun Moon Empire’s onslaught, the Heavenly Soul Empire suffered defeat after defeat.

Even with soul tools supplied by the Holy Slayer Palace, the empire could not hold such a long front.

Prolonged defense inevitably led to defeats in detail.

The gap in underlying strength between the two sides was simply too great.

Now, the Heavenly Soul Empire could only hold a few strong cities and establish a unified defensive line, trying to protect what remained.

Northern cities like Dragon City were already beyond the empire’s ability to defend.

“If the war continues like this, it’s hard to see any hope,” Nan Shuishui sighed.

She, like the soul master sects, saw no hope for the Heavenly Soul Empire’s comeback.

“As long as people strive, there’s always hope. If the Heavenly Soul Empire can find its footing, there’s still a chance for a counterattack in the future,” Su Yu said.

Nan Shuishui forced a smile. She understood that Su Yu was only trying to comfort her.

Unless outside forces intervened, it was nearly impossible.

About half an hour later, Su Yu followed Nan Shuishui into the Earthdragon Sect.

As one of the top two sects in Dragon City, the Earthdragon Sect occupied a vast area.

Some buildings were clearly old—after all, the sect had been passed down for nearly a thousand years.

Back home, Nan Qiuqiu was quite excited, chattering as she introduced the Earthdragon Sect to Su Yu.

Su Yu listened patiently, a faint smile on his lips.

Nan Shuishui welcomed Su Yu into the sect and entertained him graciously.

During the visit, Nan Shuishui asked, “Young Master Su Yu, what do you think of the Sun Moon Empire now?”

Su Yu took a sip of tea. “They’re wolves at heart, utterly mad—they’ll meet their end sooner or later.”

Nan Shuishui sighed. “The Sun Moon Empire is bound to perish for its crimes, but the problem is, I fear the Heavenly Soul Empire may fall first.”

“Today's crisis in Dragon City may be resolved, but it’s only temporary.”

“In the northern borderlands of the empire, the Sun Moon Empire still has several elite soul engineer regiments stationed.”

“If word of today’s battle spreads, those regiments may soon march against Dragon City.”

This was Nan Shuishui’s greatest worry.

Things were fine while Su Yu was present, but once he left, the Sun Moon Empire would return, and Dragon City would be unable to resist.

With its current strength, Dragon City simply could not withstand the Sun Moon Empire’s iron onslaught.

“Mother, why don’t we move the Earthdragon Sect to Heaven Dou City? It’s the capital, and the Holy Slayer Palace headquarters is there—it’s absolutely safe.”

“Su Yu told me that he would protect our Earthdragon Sect,” Nan Qiuqiu blurted out.

“Qiuqiu, watch your words!” Nan Shuishui glared at her, then apologized to Su Yu. “Young Master Su Yu, thank you for your kindness. I appreciate it.”

“If the Sun Moon Empire were merely invading, I would not hesitate to relocate Earthdragon Sect.”

“But the situation is different now. The Sun Moon Empire’s methods are too cruel. If we leave, who will protect the people of Dragon City?”

“There are nearly a million innocent residents here!”

Nan Qiuqiu’s pretty face changed.

Yes.

If they withdrew, Dragon City’s defenses would be greatly weakened, and its people would suffer terribly.

The Sun Moon Empire’s forces showed no humanity in their cruelty.

But organizing the evacuation of Dragon City’s people was impossible—the Heavenly Soul Empire could not possibly resettle them.

The entire empire was already full of refugees.

“What should we do, then?” Nan Qiuqiu asked helplessly.

Nan Shuishui said nothing but glanced at Su Yu from time to time.

Su Yu held his teacup and smiled faintly.

“Master Nan, are you hoping that the Holy Slayer Palace will help defend Dragon City?”

Being so directly exposed made Nan Shuishui a little embarrassed, but she still mustered her courage. “Young Master Su Yu, I know this is a presumptuous and unreasonable request.”

“But I truly have no other way.”

“The lives of a million people in Dragon City are at stake—I cannot ignore them.”

“Young Master Su Yu, I will not let you do this for nothing. I have a gift for you as well.”

A sharp light flashed in Su Yu’s eyes, and then he smiled. “Master Nan, you are too kind.”

“The gift isn’t important. What matters is that I, too, wish to do something for the people of Dragon City.”

“Juzi, you stay here. The Sun Moon Empire still has three soul engineer regiments in the northern border, nearly 200,000 soldiers.”

“I’m giving you permission to recruit 100,000 troops. You must forge an army of battle-hardened elites for me.”

“When this is done, I’ll take you to Star Luo.”

Juzi’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

Su Yu replied coolly, “A gentleman’s word is his bond.”

Juzi patted her chest. “With your promise, I’m at ease.”

“Leave those soul engineer regiments to me: 40,000 against 200,000, and I have the advantage.”

The Holy Slayer Army was equipped with the latest and most advanced soul tools from the Holy Slayer Palace.

Even compared to the Sun Moon Empire’s top four soul engineer regiments, they were not inferior at all.

As for the soul engineer regiments within the Heavenly Soul Empire, Juzi didn’t see them as a threat.

They were nothing more than warm-ups before a real war.

As for Su Yu’s order to expand the troops, it was exactly what she wanted.

If she could command a 100,000-strong, fully armed soul engineer regiment, Juzi was confident she could directly launch an attack on the Mingdou battlefield.

Besides, Su Yu had solemnly promised her.

She had long wanted to go to the Star Luo Empire, to the point of obsession.

“Just don’t get careless,” Su Yu nodded. He trusted Juzi.

The Sun Moon armies near the Extreme North were just training opponents for Juzi.

A sword must be honed to be sharp; the Holy Slayer Army needed blood to forge its soul.

“Young Master Su Yu, thank you so much!” Nan Shuishui said excitedly.

Seeing Su Yu leave the Holy Slayer Army behind, Nan Shuishui was so moved that she could barely express it.