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

But amidst the shrill and urgent sounds of bugles and gongs, and under the stern urging of their superiors, the vast majority of imperial soldiers and Tang Clan disciples chose to obey.

They gritted their teeth, suppressing their desire for victory and their grief for their fallen comrades, and quickly broke away from the remaining enemy forces. Following the predetermined retreat route and sequence, like two iron torrents surging backward, they began to rapidly withdraw from the city through the breach in the east gate and other occupied sections of the city wall.

Meanwhile, several miles outside the East Gate, on a pre-selected high ground, a formation team composed of elites from the Tang Sect's Soul Guidance Hall and Soul Masters skilled in formations from the Imperial Soul Master Corps was racing against time to set up an array.

They drove metal array bases, each engraved with intricate silver patterns, into the ground, connecting them with specially made soul wires, and injecting pure soul power into the core array eye.

Soon, a soft, pale silver halo, carrying the meaning of purification and protection, rose from this high ground and quickly spread, forming a light shield with a considerable coverage area—the prototype of the Spirit Control Array.

Although it could not be fully deployed in time, the nascent formation had already begun to take effect, effectively weakening the malevolent aura of death that permeated the city, making people's blood boil and their souls tremble, and providing the retreating troops with a temporary place to catch their breath and regroup.

However, not everyone could maintain absolute rationality and obedience. Especially in the Imperial Army, some mid- to low-ranking officers and brave soldiers witnessed countless comrades fall on the road to victory.

They had finally managed to tear open the city gates and storm into the city, and were about to expand their gains and even secure victory in one fell swoop, but now they had to retreat in such a hasty manner? They couldn't swallow this insult!

"Why should we retreat?! So many of my brothers died, and we were about to wipe out those evil bastards!"

"That's right! The Tang Clan is afraid of death, but we, the sons of the Empire, are not!"

"General! Let us charge one more time! Just one more time! We will surely break through their defenses!"

"Yes! We can't retreat! We can't let our brothers' blood be shed in vain!"

Whispers of resentment spread through some of the retreating troops, especially among the vanguard battalions that had suffered heavy casualties and were bloodthirsty, and among some arrogant and fierce generals. Rage and resentment overwhelmed discipline, and the desire for revenge devoured reason.

"Damn it! Military orders are absolute! Get out of here! Now!"

Some sober generals roared and tried to suppress the protests.

"We can't worry about anything else! Avenge our fallen brothers! Follow me and charge in!"

A very small number of captains and lieutenants, blinded by rage, raised their arms and led dozens or even hundreds of equally unwilling soldiers to break away from the main force's retreat and charge back into the open east gate or through other breaches in the city wall!
They split into several small teams, howling as they charged into the smoke-filled, collapsed streets and alleys, rushing towards the remaining defenders and evil spirit masters who were also panicked under the pressure of the Death God Tower but had not yet completely collapsed.

"Stop them! Come back now!"

The commander at the rear was furious, but it was too late to stop it.

These disobedient squads, like drops of oil thrown into boiling water, vanished instantly into the chaotic depths of the city's battlefield.

The retreat continued, with most of the army having withdrawn outside the city and beginning to regroup under the cover of the spirit array. The shouts of battle within the city had diminished considerably due to the withdrawal of the main force, leaving only sporadic fighting and localized skirmishes caused by disobedient squads.

Time slipped away amidst tension and chaos.

It took less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

suddenly!

"what--!!!"

"My body! No—!!!"

A piercing, desperate scream suddenly erupted from inside the east gate and from some streets and alleys near the city wall! The sound was filled with indescribable pain and fear, instantly drowning out all other sounds!
The soldiers who were lining up outside the city looked on in horror. They saw an extremely terrifying scene unfolding at the breach in the city gate and on several sections of the city wall, where the imperial soldiers who had previously disobeyed orders and charged in were now presenting themselves!
Some soldiers were fighting the remaining enemy when suddenly their movements froze, their eyes bulged, veins on their faces stood out like earthworms, and their skin instantly turned blood red! Then—

boom!boom!boom!boom!
Like an overripe watermelon being smashed to pieces! One soldier after another, without warning, their bodies exploded from the inside out, turning into thick clouds of blood mist!
Blood, flesh, bone fragments, and visceral shards splattered everywhere! In just a few breaths, a large number of people lay dead near the city gate, limbs and torsos littering the ground, blood flowing like streams, and a thick, pungent stench of blood rising into the sky!

This tragedy did not only happen to ordinary soldiers! Some Soul Masters who charged ahead, even Soul Kings and Soul Emperors with Soul Power levels of fifty or sixty, were not spared either!
They might have lasted a few more breaths than ordinary soldiers, barely managing to muster their soul power to suppress the raging blood and qi within their bodies, but that terrifying draining power from the Death God Tower, targeting the very source of life, was like a bone-deep infection, impossible to resist!
The Soul King's protective soul light shattered like paper, and the Soul Emperor's soul power barrier only delayed its explosion slightly. In the end, it also exploded and died amidst a series of unwilling roars, turning into even more powerful blood mist energy that drifted into the sky!

Only a few Soul Saints with strength reaching level 70 or above managed to avoid being immediately detonated, thanks to their deeper soul power foundation and powerful martial soul essence.

But their faces were also flushed red, their veins bulged, and their bodies trembled violently as if countless raging beasts were raging inside them!
They had to stop everything and exert all their soul power to suppress their boiling blood and qi. Not to mention continuing to fight, even moving a single step was extremely difficult. Their faces were filled with pain and terror as they watched helplessly as their comrades around them turned into blood mist one after another. The shadow of death had never been so real!
In the blink of an eye, the area inside and outside the East Gate was awash in blood, with corpses strewn everywhere! The horrific scene was more shocking than any previous direct confrontation!

That wasn't just being killed by the enemy, but being detonated from within by an invisible, evil force! This kind of death makes one feel even more desperate and powerless!

"hiss--!"

Outside the city, all the imperial soldiers who witnessed this scene, whether they had just withdrawn or were already harboring resentment, gasped in shock, their bodies turning ice-cold and their scalps tingling! All their resentment, unwillingness, and doubts transformed into boundless fear and relief at this moment!

They finally understood! They understood why Zhuge Feng had issued the retreat order regardless of the consequences! They understood what the blood and death that enveloped the entire city meant!
That was something they couldn't fight against with courage and flesh and blood! It was a death scythe that reaped lives, a weapon that transcended the level of mortal battlefields!

Those who disobeyed orders learned a bloody lesson from the lives of themselves and their brothers! "Quick! Speed ​​up! Get away from the city walls! Enter the Spirit Control Array's range!"

The shouts of the generals at all levels trembled as they desperately urged the troops to retreat. No one dared to question the orders anymore, and the pace of the retreat suddenly quickened. Ironically, the order improved considerably, as everyone rushed forward, eager to get as far away as possible from that terrifying giant tower that seemed to be alive, spewing blood-red light.

At this moment, the Death Tower, hanging high above Dongyang City like a blood-red demonic sun, seemed to be only just beginning to reveal its power. The pulsating dark red crystal at the top of the tower shone brighter and brighter.

As if absorbing the blood mist and remnant souls of those who had exploded below, the vein patterns on the surface of the tower came to life, constantly writhing and emitting an increasingly chilling and evil aura.

Seated atop the skull throne, Ye Xishui's aura had reached a terrifying peak, infinitely approaching that of a legendary demigod! A cruel yet satisfied smile seemed to curl at the corner of her mouth, hidden beneath the shadow of her hood. The power of the Death Tower had not disappointed her.

The deaths of those ants are merely appetizers before the main feast begins; their blood and souls are used to accumulate strength for the "main course" to come.

Her gaze, like two cold, blood-red arrows, pierced through the walls of the Death Tower, locking firmly onto Tang Lan, who still stood calmly in the chaotic realm high in the distance.

"Tang Lan...can you feel the power of the Death Tower? This is the true power of this master!"

Ye Xishui's voice, amplified by the Death God Tower, became grand and eerie, as if countless vengeful spirits were howling in unison, echoing between heaven and earth.

"You think that by touching the threshold of the divine realm, you can contend with my Holy Church? Today, I will make you and all the living beings in this city become nourishment for the advancement of the Death God Tower, helping this leader... to truly ascend to godhood!"

As soon as the words fell, the Tower of Death trembled violently! The dark red crystal at the top of the tower suddenly erupted with blindingly bright blood light! Countless thick beams of light shot out.

A torrent of dark red energy, condensed from the pure laws of death and the power of blood and resentment, surged out from all parts of the tower like a giant python, and frantically gathered, compressed, and rotated in the sky above the tower!
A terrifying crimson energy vortex, over a hundred feet in diameter, with countless crimson lightning bolts flashing inside and countless vengeful spirits struggling and roaring, is forming at an astonishing speed!

The center of the vortex was aimed at Tang Lan! A destructive aura, powerful enough to distort the laws of heaven and earth and annihilate all living things, was rapidly brewing and rising!
That was the Death Tower, under Ye Xishui's control, preparing its strongest attack—an attack powerful enough to threaten a true demigod!
Tang Lan hovered in the air, his chaotic domain flowing around him, blocking the terrifying pressure and locking aura from the Death God Tower.

He frowned slightly. Ye Xishui had forcibly raised her strength to a level almost close to demigod by relying on the Death God Tower. Although this slightly exceeded his pre-battle expectations, it did not surprise him.

He had long known through various channels that Ye Xishui possessed an evil tenth-tier soul tool that had been upgraded only after sacrificing millions of lives. The Death God Tower before him was clearly that thing.

"Approaching demigod... but ultimately not a true demigod."

Tang Lan remained calm.

“Relying on external objects to forcibly improve one’s foundation is unstable, and one’s understanding of the laws is also lacking. Although the power of the Death God Tower is strong, it is not invincible.”

Sensing the rapidly gathering, destructive energy within the crimson vortex—energy that even he found threatening—Tang Lan knew he couldn't allow the opponent to continue building up power. He had to interrupt it, or defeat it head-on with a stronger attack!

His eyes narrowed, and the Dragon Soul Overlord Spear in his hand shone brightly with golden light, emitting a pleasant hum.

He no longer held back, pouring all the vast soul power within him—which had already surpassed the Limit Douluo realm and truly entered the realm of demigods—as well as the primordial power contained within the Ancient Dragon Martial Soul, into the gun!
"Dragon Soul Overlord Spear - Ancient Dragon Void Breaker!"

Tang Lan let out a low shout, gripped the gun with both arms, and swung it horizontally towards the Death Tower!

"hold head high--!!!"

A terrifying dragon roar, more ancient and majestic than any previous dragon's cry, seemingly originating from the very beginning of creation, erupted from the tip of the spear! The golden dragon patterns coiled on the spear shaft came to life, detaching from the spear and swelling in the wind!
In the blink of an eye, a huge golden dragon shadow, hundreds of feet long, with its entire body shining with golden light, each dragon scale seemingly forged from the purest gold and law runes, and its eyes burning with chaotic divine fire, appeared out of nowhere!

This golden dragon was not an illusion, but a materialized attack that condensed Tang Lan's demigod-level soul power, the origin of the ancient dragon, and the full power of the Dragon Soul Overlord Spear!

When the golden dragon appeared, the aura of death and bloodlust in the world paused!
It let out a roar that shook the universe, and with a swing of its huge dragon body, ignoring spatial distance, it charged towards the Death God Tower, which was brewing a terrifying attack, and Ye Xishui sitting in the tower with a speed beyond the comprehension of thought, carrying a terrifying power that could tear the sky and destroy the void!

Wherever the golden light passed, space shattered like a mirror, revealing the pitch-black void behind it. Even the crimson domain emanating from the Death God Tower was forcibly torn apart and dissipated by this domineering golden light!
This shot was Tang Lan's truly all-out attack after advancing to demigod status! Its power had completely transcended the realm of mortals and truly touched the realm of gods!
"what?!"

Ye Xishui's pupils shrank sharply. From the roaring golden dragon shadow, she sensed a divine pressure that was far purer, more solid, and more terrifying than the "near demigod" state she had achieved with the Death God Tower!
Meanwhile, the Dark Holy Dragon, which had been circling in the Eternal Night Dragon Domain looking for an opportunity, saw this earth-shattering spear strike, and its huge dragon eyes also burst out with unprecedented light and horror!

"That shot... he really hadn't used his full strength before!"

A storm raged in Long Xiaoyao's heart.

"Today's battle... the outcome is hard to predict!"

However, the Tower of Death was not without reaction to this strike, powerful enough to tear the heavens apart and shake the divine realm. Just as the golden ancient dragon's colossal shadow was about to collide with the tower, the crimson domain surrounding the Tower of Death suddenly contracted and condensed inward!
Buzzing--! ! !
The viscous, almost tangible blood-red light emitted a violent buzzing sound, instantly condensing outside the tower into a hundred-foot-tall, several-foot-thick surface covered with countless illusory images of tormented and twisted souls.

A colossal, dark red light barrier emanated an aura of solidity and ominousness! This barrier seemed to be forged from the resentment and blood essence of countless living beings; its defensive power far surpassed ordinary soul power barriers, and it contained the powerful force of the law of death, capable of eroding and dissipating all attacks! (End of Chapter)