DD2 [559] (Patreon)

Chapter 559: Startling News, the Fall of Dou Ling, Stalemate

As mighty as the continent's three ultimate experts—Long Xiaoyao, Mu En, and Ye Xishui—

At the very beginning, they too only possessed demigod-level combat power.

Two demigods working together could even withdraw intact from a confrontation with a quasi-god.

Neither Sang Muning nor Shui Lingguang managed to leave behind even a single one of them alive; that is the best proof.

Su Yu was able to kill them purely because Su Yu is too strong, not because the demigods are too weak.

After all, Su Yu's current strength is already extremely close to divinity; in terms of combat power alone, he has far surpassed quasi-gods.

"A low-rank Adjutant already has demigod strength. The situation is far more serious than we imagined!"

Ju Zi's smile faded, her brows knitting tight.

Though she commands troops like a god, faced with such an enemy, she felt equally helpless.

Before absolute strength, all stratagems are as good as useless.

Confronted with a plane as terrifying as the Holy Prison, she couldn't think of the slightest way to counter it.

"The Seventy-Two Adjutants…"

Shui Lingguang's expression was likewise grim. If even a low-rank Adjutant has demigod-level power—

What about mid-rank and high-rank Adjutants?

 Wouldn't each of them rival the Three High Priests?

 How do you even face opponents like that?

Shui Lingguang felt crushing pressure just thinking about it.

"All right, there's no need to panic. The enemy hasn't arrived yet—how can we lose our composure already?"

Su Yu said in a deep voice, "The Holy Prison Plane is indeed powerful, but we have our own advantages."

"Douluo Continent is our home field; the will of the world will shelter us."

"No matter how strong the enemy is, they can't all descend at once. As long as we proceed steadily, we may yet have a chance to win."

"And what we must do is curb the Holy Prison Plane's invasion."

Seeing Su Yu so composed, Ju Zi and Shui Lingguang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

At a time like this, they desperately needed someone to carry the banner.

Right now, Su Yu was shouldering that role.

Shui Lingguang shifted the topic. "Young Master, now that we've joined forces, what are our next moves? Please give the order."

Su Yu gazed at the faintly outlined giant city in the distance, as if he could see the deep darkness seeping from within.

He understood that the other cities were no comparison to Mingdu.

Mingdu now was the Holy Prison Plane's main base. The eerie power amassed there likely far exceeded imagination.

After a moment's thought, Su Yu said, "No rush. For now, wait for reports from the other three fronts."

"The strange power in Mingdu is overwhelmingly strong. We must not act rashly."

"Yes, understood!"

…

Su Yu waited—and half a month passed.

"What did you say—the Dou Ling Empire has been crushed?"

In the command tent, the forces from the Ice God Palace, the Star Luo Empire, and the Heavenly Soul Empire had already linked up smoothly.

Only the Dou Ling Empire, responsible for the northern front, remained silent.

And the scouting reports that came in made Su Yu's pupils contract sharply.

"Reporting to the Alliance Leader: the Dou Ling Empire's legions were ambushed by an unknown force and took devastating losses!"

Su Yu frowned. "What about Shrek Academy?"

The messenger said, "Chief Zhang suffered minor injuries. The Martial Soul Department's Dean Yan Shaozhe was severely wounded."

"The attackers were far stronger than anticipated. According to Chief Zhang, they were Ultimate Douluo!"

Su Yu clenched his fists, sword-like brows knitting. As expected, an accident had occurred.

The Star Luo Empire and the Heavenly Soul Empire had been advancing quite smoothly.

Who could have foreseen that the supposedly weakest-defended northern front would produce an Ultimate Douluo?

It seemed more Adjutants from the Holy Prison Plane had descended than expected.

"The Dou Ling Empire's setback may have an adverse impact on the overall situation!"

Xu Jiujiu worried aloud.

Weina echoed, "Sister Jiujiu is right. With the Dou Ling Empire not yet in position, our goal of encirclement from four sides hasn't been achieved."

"Exterminating these eerie entities will likely become much more difficult."

"Ultimate Douluo… Among these strange beings, there are actually Ultimate Douluo. They must not be underestimated."

Du Bushi wore a grave expression. At that level, even he could not cope.

No wonder even Shrek Academy suffered a setback.

"You may not know—during our offensive, we encountered no fewer than six Ultimate Douluo."

Ju Zi interjected.

"Six Ultimate Douluo?"

Du Bushi and the others were shocked, clearly blindsided by the information.

"Here's what happened…"

At this point, Su Yu no longer concealed anything and laid out the situation in full.

As expected, after learning the specifics about the Holy Prison Plane, Xu Jiujiu and the others were plunged into despair.

"Deities?"

"The Twelve Lords of the Holy Prison?"

"The Seventy-Two Adjutants?"

Their pupils tightened. They could hardly believe what they were hearing.

They all knew the enemy was strong and they were weak—but was the gap really this vast?

 How could they possibly win?

 They couldn't find even a sliver of a winning chance.

They couldn't even invent a reason to convince themselves.

The enemy was too powerful—absurdly so.

"Heavens… how could this be?"

Xu Jiujiu could hardly believe the enemy was this strong.

Was the heavens truly intent on dooming Douluo Continent?

 "A dozen-odd deities, this is just…"

Du Bushi's voice was dry, his heart trembling violently.

A dozen deities—what could they possibly use to fight that?

 This was an unwinnable enemy!

 "Heh…"

Weina let out a dazed laugh, her scalp prickling at the absurdity.

Against opponents whose very description inspired despair, even a million troops could not provide the slightest sense of safety.

"All right, everyone!"

Seeing the crowd stunned into losing their wits, Su Yu barked a command that snapped them out of it.

"What kind of attitude is this?"

"What's with all the despair?"

"Does being defeatist solve anything?"

Su Yu's gaze was like a blade as he declared, each word heavy, "This is a war we cannot avoid."

"There is no retreat for us."

"Either the Holy Prison Plane completely seizes Douluo Continent and we all turn to dust—"

"Or we pull ourselves together and drive these invaders out."

"What good is it to be so crushed and spiritless?"

"The battle hasn't even begun, and you're already scared out of your wits?"

Su Yu's questioning rang in their ears, dragging them back from despair.

Xu Jiujiu and the others lowered their heads, looking ashamed.

"So what if they're deities? Deities aren't invincible. Cut them with a blade and they'll bleed all the same. What exactly are you afraid of?"

"We have a million-strong army and hundreds of millions of people. Even if each person spat once, we could drown these so-called deities."

"You lot—pull yourselves together. Don't make me look down on you."

Su Yu's scolding sought to rekindle their fighting spirit.

If the enemy hasn't even arrived and you've already collapsed, then there's no point in fighting at all.

Might as well surrender on the spot.