Douluo: Steal Tang San's luck and become stronger!

As a result, in the following days, the situation in Northwest China was as if it were being pushed by an invisible hand, with turbulent changes taking place.

Dongyang City, a coastal border city that was not particularly remarkable at first, spread its name to the ears of the high-ranking officials of various forces on the continent at an astonishing speed.

It was like a huge vortex that suddenly appeared and had a terrifying suction force, constantly attracting experts from all directions, representing different positions and purposes, who gathered together like iron filings.

The Soul Douluos and Title Douluos of the Tang Sect and its affiliated sects quietly set off from their respective cities and strongholds, like trickling streams, eventually converging into the same sea.

The elite team from Shrek Academy, led by four deans-level powerhouses, cut through the air like a drawn sword and sped northward.

The 300,000-strong army of the Douling Empire marched across the vast plains like a black torrent, raising clouds of dust that blotted out the sky; the 5,000 Soul Master Corps followed closely behind, like silver waves leaping in the torrent, among them were the pillars of strength like Yin Hong, a Title Douluo-level figure.

While the Heavenly Soul Empire has not yet launched any large-scale official operations, its border garrisons have noticeably strengthened their vigilance, and intelligence personnel are frequently active, clearly closely monitoring developments in the direction of Dongyang City. Some lone powerful figures and smaller forces with long-standing grudges against the Holy Spirit Sect, or those who have sensed an opportunity to gain a share, have also begun to quietly move towards that area.

Undercurrents surged, powerful figures gathered, and the air above Dongyang City seemed to thicken with the stench of gunpowder and blood. A great battle, affecting the nerves of many forces across the continent and potentially determining the landscape for years to come, was about to unfold in this small coastal city.

Just as various forces were flocking to Dongyang City, Tang Lan was also preparing to head north from Rose City.

Before setting off, he and Wang Qiu'er made a special trip to see City Lord Xu Yu. On the one hand, it was to say goodbye, and on the other hand, they wanted to see with their own eyes how Rose City, under Xu Yu's leadership, dealt with the threat of the beast tide.

Standing on the newly reinforced and heightened northern city wall of Rose City, Tang Lan saw the "last resort" that Xu Yu had mentioned, which was also the "savior" he had relied on to hold out until now.

Looking out, a wide, deep, and swiftly flowing river has suddenly appeared between the once open plains and woodlands outside the city! The river water is murky, obviously recently introduced, and the river is more than fifty feet wide and its depth is unknown. It is like a huge scar, stretching between the city walls and the distant mountains and forests.

Xu Yu explained that this was a stopgap measure he came up with when the pressure from the beast tide was increasing and the soul masters and garrison in the city were exhausted.

He used his authority as the city lord and the few remaining resources to conscript all the earth-attribute soul masters and a large number of laborers who were still available in the city. During the lulls in the beast tide attacks, he worked day and night to dig and divert water, managing to dig this wide river channel in advance at a suitable location outside the city and successfully diverting water from a nearby river.

This newly formed river channel created a natural, insurmountable barrier. The vast majority of the land-based spirit beasts that had lost their minds and were charging forward madly were blocked on the other side of the river.

All they could do was roar in impotent rage towards the city wall. A few who tried to swim across were greatly slowed down by the rapid current and wide river, becoming easy targets for the soul masters, ballistae, and soul-guided cannons of the city wall's defenders.

Occasionally, a few aquatic or amphibious spirit beasts that are good at swimming or have amazing jumping ability can successfully cross the river.

They had already been closely watched by the city's experts, whom Xu Yu had arranged to be stationed on the inner side of the river. Under concentrated fire, they were often killed by a barrage of soul skills and arrows in the river before they even had a chance to reach the shore. On the river's surface, many corpses of soul beasts floated, only to be swept away by the swift current.

This method isn't particularly clever; in fact, it's somewhat clumsy and wasteful of manpower and resources. But it is indeed effective!
It greatly slowed down the pace and intensity of the beast tide, buying the defenders of Rose City precious time to regroup and rotate, and significantly reducing casualties. Xu Yu, through his perseverance and pragmatism, secured the possibility for this besieged city to continue its defense.

Looking at the scene before him, and at Xu Yu's still straight back despite his exhaustion, and the undiminished fighting spirit in his eyes, Tang Lan nodded inwardly. This man was indeed a talent worthy of respect.

Tang Lan bid farewell to Xu Yu, briefly explaining that he was going north to Dongyang City to participate in the siege of the core figures of the Holy Spirit Cult.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yu's face immediately showed a look of deep shame, and he solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute to Tang Lan.

"Your Excellency possesses a noble spirit and has gone north to eliminate evil. I, Xu, deeply admire you!"

"I only regret that I, Xu, am burdened with the responsibility of defending the city, with the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians resting on my shoulders. I simply cannot extricate myself from this grand campaign to annihilate the demons. It is truly... a lifelong regret! I implore you, Your Excellency, to slay as many demons as possible, to avenge me, and to avenge the blood debts of the people and soldiers who perished in Rose City!"

His tone was sincere and excited, carrying a deep regret for not being able to personally fight on the front lines.

Tang Lan understood his feelings and comforted him.

"Lord Xu's defense of Rose and protection of the city's inhabitants is a great merit, no less than the fighting on the front lines. Moreover, the Lord has something even more important to do: to lead the people of Rose through the current difficulties and defend the city. This is the best way to restrain the Holy Spirit Church and the greatest support for the front lines."

Xu Yu nodded emphatically.

"Rest assured, Your Excellency! As long as I, Xu, have a breath left, Rose City will never fall into the hands of evil! I wish Your Excellency a successful journey north, a resounding victory, and swift triumph!"

After bidding farewell to Xu Yu and leaving Rose City, Tang Lan and Wang Qiu'er did not use any means of transportation or disguise themselves as merchants. The two found a secluded place, removed their disguises, and revealed their original appearances and clothing.

Tang Lan, carrying Wang Qiu'er, soared into the air, transforming into two streaks of light that shot towards the northern horizon.

The flight speed of a Title Douluo is astonishing; mountains and rivers rush past beneath their feet.

As we traveled through rolling mountains, rushing rivers, and vast plains, the scenery below constantly changed. The further north we went, the fewer people seemed to be, and the climate subtly changed, with a hint of saltiness and coolness from the distant sea in the air.

Compared to the tense situation she experienced in Rose City, where she was constantly navigating between various forces and dealing with endless crises, the time spent traveling by air seemed much more relaxed to Wang Qiu'er.

When Tang Lan and Wang Qiu'er flew north and arrived at Hanhai City, the largest coastal city closest to Dongyang City and still under relatively stable control, it was already the morning of the second day.

Instead of gradually brightening as usual in the early morning, the sky appeared unusually gloomy. Lead-gray clouds hung low overhead, so thick they seemed almost within reach, obscuring the rising sun and shrouding the entire city of Hanhai in a somber shadow. The air was thick with moisture, carrying the salty smell of the sea, and the wind was damp, cold, and rapid, whipping the flags on the streets and the robes of passersby. The sky was dark, the clouds swirling, as if a long-brewing downpour was imminent.

The geographical location of Hanhai City is quite special. It is located north of the vast and mysterious Northern Sea, and is significantly affected by the marine climate, with frequent rainfall and changeable weather.

This is the border area where the northeastern corner of the continent meets the Northern Sea. Further north lies the legendary unknown sea, which is extremely dangerous, teeming with spirit beasts, and rarely explored by humans.

With Hanhai City as the boundary, to the east lies Hanhai City itself, which is relatively prosperous due to its port, fishing, and trade, while to the west, separated by a not-too-wide area of ​​hills and tidal flats, lies the epicenter of this storm—Dongyang City.

Tang Lan had already learned about the history of Dongyang City from the information Su Bai had sent him in advance during his journey.

Back then, Dongyang City, like Hanhai City, was originally a border coastal defense city belonging to the Douling Empire. Later, during a large-scale border conflict and subsequent negotiations between the two empires hundreds of years ago, Dongyang City was ceded and became a subordinate city of the Tianhun Empire.

However, due to its remote location, limited resources, and high management costs, its ownership changed hands several times in the years that followed, with the empire's control over it fluctuating.

After several twists and turns, and after a local rebellion was suppressed about a hundred years ago, the Heavenly Soul Empire re-established its nominal sovereignty over Dongyang City, which eventually became the territory of the Heavenly Soul Empire.

However, as the saying goes, "the emperor is far away," and especially in recent decades, with the Holy Spirit Cult's influence constantly infiltrating and expanding in the shadows, the empire's actual control over such remote border cities has long since diminished. According to intelligence gathered from various sources, Dongyang City is no longer a place that the Heavenly Soul Empire can effectively govern.

It has now become a den of "rebels" and evil spirit masters, secretly controlled by the Holy Spirit Cult and serving as an important node in this operation. It can be considered a "no man's land" that has a nominal ownership but is actually difficult for any party to interfere with.

Although the Heavenly Soul Empire is indeed slightly stronger than the Douling Empire in terms of overall national strength and military power, it is not a monolithic entity internally and also faces various problems. At this chaotic time, with the southwest beast tide erupting, the Holy Spirit Cult causing large-scale disturbances in the northwest, and the empire's central leadership needing to weigh the interests of various parties and concentrate its efforts on dealing with the main threats, the situation is particularly challenging.

As for Dongyang City, a remote enclave that had long since spiraled out of control, the Holy Spirit Cult indeed seemed powerless to intervene for the time being, or rather, unwilling to do so until a suitable opportunity and a solution that required minimal cost were found. This gave the Holy Spirit Cult the opportunity to calmly establish itself and transform Dongyang City into an important stronghold.

Tang Lan and Wang Qiu'er landed in a deserted area outside the city. After a brief disguise to conceal their striking appearances and demeanor, they disguised themselves as a merchant couple who had come to the seaside to purchase local medicinal herbs. They then entered Hanhai City with the morning crowds.

Although the city was somewhat tense due to its proximity to Dongyang City, the epicenter of the storm, and the number of patrolling city guards had increased significantly, and the checks were stricter, the overall order was still maintained. Most of the shops on the streets were still open, and the faint sounds of ship horns and waves could be heard from the direction of the dock, showing the tenacious vitality of this seaside city.

Following the pre-arranged code and route, the two quickly arrived at a bustling street in the coastal area of ​​the eastern part of the city.

Here stands a rather imposing five-story building with upturned eaves, carved beams and painted rafters, and a huge gilded signboard hanging on the front – “Haitian Restaurant”. The restaurant has an excellent location; opening the windows reveals the azure Northern Sea, with the sea breeze blowing in your face and a wide-open view.

The Tang Clan disciples received news of their sect leader's imminent arrival early in the morning and had already made all the necessary arrangements.

They specifically booked the top three floors of this seaside restaurant in Hanhai City as a temporary command post and a base for key personnel. This ensured both secrecy and allowed them to use the restaurant's business as cover, facilitating personnel movement and information transmission.

As Tang Lan and her companion approached the restaurant entrance, a sharp-eyed waiter immediately greeted them, seemingly offering enthusiastic business, but in reality, they had exchanged a secret signal. The waiter discreetly led them into the restaurant, through the somewhat noisy first-floor lobby, and directly onto the private soul-guided elevator, arriving at the heavily guarded top floor.

As soon as I stepped out of the elevator and into the soft carpeted rooftop corridor, a figure who had been waiting there quickly came to greet me.

This is a woman who looks to be around thirty years old. She is tall and graceful, wearing a well-tailored sea-blue brocade dress that accentuates her mature and beautiful curves.

She was extremely beautiful, with delicate features and fair, smooth skin. In particular, her pair of light blue eyes seemed to contain shimmering light. Her gaze conveyed both the charm of a mature woman and the competence and authority of someone who had long held a high position.

Her long, jet-black hair was styled into an elegant updo, adorned with a pearl hairpin at an angle. Matching pearl earrings dangled from her ears, complementing the subtle fluctuations of her water-attribute soul power and adding to her mystique and nobility.

She walked quickly to Tang Lan and Wang Qiu'er, bowed slightly in greeting, her movements elegant and graceful, her voice like a clear spring, melodious and pleasant to the ear.

"I, Wen Yun, the head of the Hanhai City branch, respectfully welcome the Sect Master and Miss Qiu'er! I hope the Sect Master will forgive me for not being able to greet you properly."

She is the owner of the Haitian Restaurant, and also the highest-ranking person in charge of the Tang Clan's branch in Hanhai City and the surrounding coastal areas—Wen Yun.

Tang Lan nodded slightly, indicating that there was no need for formalities. Her gaze lingered briefly on Wen Yun, and she could already sense the powerful and condensed soul power fluctuations within her body. Her cultivation had already reached the peak of the level 90 Soul Douluo, just one step away from becoming a Title Douluo! Moreover, her soul power attribute was extremely pure and powerful, being an exceptionally pure water attribute.

Wen Yun straightened up, met Tang Lan's scrutinizing gaze, smiled frankly, and took the initiative to introduce herself.

"My martial spirit is the 'Vast Ocean Staff,' a water-attribute weapon martial spirit that excels at manipulating water flow and water vapor for attack, defense, control, and a certain degree of environmental perception and assistance."

As she spoke, a wisp of extremely pure blue water vapor seemed to linger around her fingertips, exceptionally agile, demonstrating her exquisite control over her soul power and martial soul.

Tang Lan nodded. The Vast Ocean Staff sounded like a top-tier weapon spirit that leaned towards spellcasting and crowd control. Its power would probably be amplified in this coastal region.

With a level 90 water-type Soul Douluo stationed in Hanhai City, it's no wonder that the Tang Sect was able to quickly establish itself here and run the Haitian Restaurant so successfully, making it an important intelligence and operational hub.

After a brief introduction, led by Wen Yun, the three arrived at a room on the top floor used for temporary meetings and rest. Wen Yun personally served fragrant, high-quality sea tea, then stood by and answered Tang Lan's questions. (End of Chapter)