Chapter Eighty-Six: Battle at the Camp

After witnessing the power of landmines, Xue Qinghe ultimately decided to adopt Xiao Yu's strategy.

When Lin Jun heard that Xue Qinghe was planning to split his forces to attack cities affected by the rebellion—cities that were, in fact, of little consequence—he secretly laughed at Xue Qinghe’s foolishness. Without hesitation, he led a detachment out, and in the following days, the other troops departed one after another. The camp that had once housed an army of fifty thousand was now left with barely a thousand men.

A dozen or so days later, on a night as dark as ink, a chill wind sweeping through, a force of several thousand silently crept toward the great camp of the Heaven Dou Empire’s army.

“Brothers, charge in! Capture Xue Qinghe alive, and I will reward you handsomely!”

The commander was none other than Ferrera, the mastermind behind this rebellion. At his call, the army surged forward like a tide, pouring into the camp.

Beep beep beep!

The camp was deserted. Beneath their feet, however, countless red dots blinked continuously, their glare cutting through the night.

“It’s a trap!” Ferrera barely had time to shout as the blinking red dots suddenly accelerated, and a wave of crimson light expanded outward.

Boom!

A series of explosions erupted in rapid succession. The once-mighty rebel force was instantly blasted to pieces, severed limbs and bodies hurled skyward amid clouds of dust. In an instant, casualties mounted; the air was filled with wails and screams.

“Retreat! Fall back!” Ferrera, a high-ranking Soul King with fifty-eight levels of spirit power, immediately shielded his vital points with soul energy the moment he sensed danger. Though caught at the center of the blast and left in dire straits, he barely managed to survive and quickly issued the order to retreat.

At the same time, several generals of the Heaven Dou Empire, secretly planted by Qian Renxue, led their loyal troops out from ambush, banners unfurled, launching a spirited assault as soon as they saw the rebels thrown into chaos.

The rebel army, devastated by Xiao Yu’s landmines, suffered heavy losses and lost all formation. Most soldiers, terrified out of their wits, ran aimlessly like headless flies across the camp.

The Heaven Dou Empire’s forces, though outnumbered, now faced an enemy as helpless as lambs led to slaughter. Under their onslaught, the rebels scattered, abandoning their weapons, the ground littered with the dead and wounded.

Under Xiao Yu’s command, the Nine Stars Squad—Yi Hui, Eden, Purple Dragon, and the others—formed an assault formation and charged into the rebel ranks, their soul rings flashing one after another. Soul skills rained down upon the dense crowd, each burst of blood the most vivid color in the night.

“Damn it, break through!” Ferrera roared. Two yellow and three purple soul rings glowed, and a massive gray rhinoceros more than a meter long crashed to the ground, leaving four bowl-sized craters in its wake.

His first and third soul rings—a yellow and a purple—lit up together. Ferrera’s first soul skill increased his speed, while his third boosted his defense.

With both skills activated, Ferrera moved. The rhinoceros thundered forward, charging straight for the camp’s edge.

The soldiers of the Heaven Dou Empire recognized the traitor at once. Under their officers’ orders, volleys of arrows and spears rained down on him, but the rhinoceros’s defenses were formidable. The attacks were little more than an annoyance, and Ferrera’s charge did not slow in the slightest. Instead, the soldiers who tried to block his path were trampled to death beneath his hooves.

“Everyone, target the rhinoceros soul master! Take him down!” Xiao Yu, having learned of Ferrera’s abilities from Qian Renxue before the battle, immediately recognized the rampaging beast. Though no expert in military strategy, he knew well the principle of striking at the leader to break the enemy’s will. Without hesitation, he led his squad in pursuit.

“Out of my way!” Ferrera, in full flight, sensed several soul power auras converging on him—the Heaven Dou soul masters were coming for him. Without time to assess their strength, he unleashed his fourth soul skill, a shockwave technique that spread his power through the ground from his own position.

The earth trembled violently. Around Ferrera, both Xiao Yu’s team and countless ordinary soldiers were locked in battle. Most of these soldiers had no soul power at all; against the fourth skill of a Soul King, friend and foe alike were struck down, blood streaming from their orifices as they died on the spot.

“Yi Hui, Yuna—take to the air! Strike from above and break his attack!”

The tremor forced Xiao Yu’s team to pause their charge. Though they could resist the shock with their own soul power, there was no need to force their way through when simpler solutions were at hand.

A streak of red and another of blue soared skyward. The fiery silhouette struck first; a jet-black fourth soul ring burst into radiance. “Fourth Soul Skill: Divine Phoenix Heavenly Flame!”

Behind Yi Hui, a colossal fire phoenix let out a piercing cry, flames swirling about its form, diving from the heavens straight at its target. No matter how tough the rhinoceros’s hide, against Yi Hui’s ultimate flame it could only be scorched. The searing pain forced Ferrera to scream in agony, his momentum utterly broken.

“Third Soul Skill: Gale Dragon’s Wrath!”

As Ferrera was engulfed in fire, Yuna’s soul skill struck as well. Fierce winds battered the massive rhinoceros, lifting it into the air and spinning it about before slamming it back to the ground.

Dazed and bleeding, Ferrera stumbled back a dozen steps before regaining his footing, barely able to stand.

The Nine Stars Squad fought with seamless cooperation, giving Ferrera no chance to recover. The instant he landed, Purple Dragon struck with his fifth soul skill, Azure Dragon’s Sacred Sword. Compressed soul power formed a single blade, which descended upon Ferrera in a blaze of light, slicing through the rhinoceros’s defenses and splitting its phantom in two.

Suffering another grievous wound, Ferrera was forced out of his martial spirit state, spitting blood and dropping to one knee, clearly incapable of further battle.

“Let me finish him off!” Huo Wu shouted excitedly. With a powerful leap, her long, athletic legs propelled her toward Ferrera.

“Second Soul Skill: Crimson Flame Burst!”

This was Huo Wu’s second soul skill, a single-target attack. Channeling her soul power between her arms, she transformed it into flames and launched herself at the enemy, the fire exploding on impact.