The master, highly perceptive of power struggles and stratagems, immediately detected Golong’s veiled hostility beneath his broad and kindly countenance.
He inwardly cursed, realizing that Marshal Golong harbored doubts about Xiao San’s sudden arrival, and was displeased with Xiao San's ambition to claim a share of both power and military achievements.
As Tang San’s teacher, the master spoke first, “Marshal Golong, please rest assured. Blue Hao King has already pledged to His Majesty that the Tang Family Army will assist our Spirit Soul Division in jointly resisting the Spirit Empire’s Spirit Master Corps, minimizing the losses of the main army as much as possible.”
“Oh?” Golong’s gaze swept over the speaking master. After a moment of contemplation, he looked at Tang San again and asked, “May I ask, Blue Hao King, what is the combat strength of the Tang Family Army?”
The ball was ultimately kicked to Tang San’s feet.
He spoke in an orderly fashion, “The Tang Family Army was established three years ago, when His Majesty Xue Beng ascended the throne. It is composed of elite young soldiers selected from various armies, forming a ten-thousand-strong unit. After three years of intensive training, the combat capabilities of the Tang Family Army are already very strong and ready for the battlefield.”
“In addition, there are two thousand three hundred Spirit Masters from the Tang Sect I established, who will be dispatched. The average Spirit Master level of the Tang Sect disciples is around level forty. Both Tang Sect disciples and the Tang Family Army will be equipped with the specially crafted Zhuge Divine Crossbows of my Tang Sect and special crossbow bolts with armor-piercing and explosive properties. Even ordinary individuals in the Tang Family Army, when paired with the Zhuge Divine Crossbow, can eliminate Spirit Masters below the Spirit Ancestor rank without any problem.”
Upon hearing this, Golong frowned, disbelief evident in his eyes, and said, “The combat strength sounds indeed extraordinary, but as Blue Hao King mentioned, this ten-thousand-strong unit consists of soldiers who have never truly been on the battlefield. Battles are perilous, and while the Tang Sect’s Spirit Masters are beyond doubt, whether the Tang Family Army can truly meet Blue Hao King’s expectations remains unknown.”
“I believe in the warriors of the Tang Family Army, but as Marshal Golong said, battlefields are constantly changing. I cannot yet say to what extent they can resist the Spirit Masters of the Spirit Empire, but…” Tang San turned his head, meeting Tang Sui’s gaze, who had looked over as if sensing something, and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “With the cooperation of Blue Ling King, the difficulty of significantly weakening the Spirit Empire’s Spirit Master forces will be greatly reduced.”
Blue Ling King was a title of peerage bestowed upon Tang Sui by Xue Beng, in place of a family name.
When Tang Sui learned of it, she only thought Xue Beng was utterly incompetent at naming things, leaving her speechless.
Mentioning Tang Sui, Golong’s tightly knit brow remained unrelaxed, and he scrutinized the exceedingly young Tang Sui, “Although I have heard His Majesty mention Blue Ling King’s excellence, the Spirit Masters of the Spirit Empire are all above Spirit Ancestor rank and possess formidable strength. While Blue Ling King, you are a Support Spirit Master, relying solely on you…”
He left the rest unspoken, but in the tent, the expressions of the Master and Tang San were subtle, while Dugu Bo looked at Golong, who was walking a tightrope in the air, with an expression of sheer idiocy.
Xue Beng hesitated to speak, but he also knew that he could not interrupt and quell the conflicts between his subordinates every time. Only by truly winning over opponents could they coexist peacefully.
Tang Sui, who had been praised and then scrutinized, showed no anger on her face. She calmly stated, “My first Spirit Skill, Infusion, can provide a group buff of 40% to spirit power, 30% to speed, and 25% to attack power. When stacked with my fifth Spirit Skill, Cycle Mask, it will further increase the existing buffs by 25% to speed and 20% to critical damage. For one person, this results in a total buff of 40% spirit power, 55% speed, 25% attack power, and 20% critical damage.”
“If my brother plans to engage in group versus group combat, I can assist up to five thousand people while retaining most of my own strength. The consumption to myself is not significant. Even if a Titled Douluo confronts me later, I can still fight.” As long as her faith was unceasing and her Dao essence unfaltering, her spirit power and demonic energy would continue to be supplied.
At these words, everyone’s pupils, including the Master’s, contracted sharply.
Golong’s gaze towards Tang Sui became as ardent as if he were looking at a Spirit Bone.
In a conservative scenario, one person could assist five thousand people with such substantial composite buffs!
She alone could be equivalent to five thousand, or even more, people!
No wonder His Majesty would bestow a royal title upon her; this was how one kept such a person!
“This is a supportive strategy. A more direct and simpler method with minimal consumption also exists, which is for me to directly deploy my domain. My domain will only target enemies, filtering out allies, and will directly devour enemies to replenish my own energy. However, the possibility of being directly targeted by the Spirit Empire’s Titled Douluo is one hundred percent. As for how we fight, I can fully cooperate.”
Under several burning gazes, Tang Sui spoke with an unruffled expression, but she did not mention the combat power from the Slaughter City.
She currently had other plans for the Slaughter City.
Seeing the change in Golong’s expression, a subtle smile flashed in Tang San’s eyes. He steered the conversation back, discussing other matters of the upcoming war and defense.
For Tang Sui’s sake, Golong’s hostility towards Tang San somewhat subsided, but he still couldn’t resist arguing with him.
Xue Beng looked at Golong, whom he held dear like the palm of his hand, and then at Tang San, dear like the back of his hand, with a troubled expression, trying to mediate.
Stop arguing, stop arguing. You are both my beloved wings. Why not implement both your opinions!
In the end, concerning the logistics and supply issues raised by Tang San, Xue Beng assigned six legions, plus the previous four light cavalry legions, forming a hundred-thousand-strong army to guard the supply lines and ensure their smooth flow.
Golong’s side, as before, retained full command of the three armies.
After the meeting, Tang San and Tang Sui returned to the camp where the Shrek Seven Devils were resting and informed their companions of the discussion results.
The elite forces responsible for escorting the provisions this time, in addition to those legions, were mainly the Shrek Eight Devils.
Yes, eight devils.
Tang San could feel himself on the verge of breaking through to level eighty-nine. With the great war looming, he naturally had to seize this time to cultivate, complete his breakthrough, and quickly ascend to the Titled Douluo realm.
After a night of rest, the army continued to advance towards the Limapingyuan plain before Jialing Pass.
…
The morning breeze blew across their faces, carrying a hint of chill.
A blood-soaked, murderous aura spread like waves.
The Heaven Dou Empire’s encampment, stretching for nearly a hundred miles, lay like an ancient behemoth fifty miles outside Jialing Pass.
“Woo—”
Long, drawn-out horn calls, accompanied by thunderous war drums, echoed across the vast Heaven Dou army.
Squadron after squadron appeared outside the encampment, each massive formation comprising ten thousand men.
Golong, the commander of the three armies, sat on the back of his White Tiger spirit beast, and after the last horn call, he injected his spirit power into his voice. The murderous sound spread among the vanguard heavy cavalry units—
“Full army, advance!”
A total of ten heavy cavalry regiments, a hundred thousand strong Heaven Dou Empire army, mounted on warhorses and brandishing knight lances, charged towards the Spirit Empire’s Spirit Master Corps with earth-shattering roars.
The war had truly begun!