chsdbacks Chapter 249 The Earth-Drilling Technique
Chapter 249 The Earth-Drilling Technique
Chapter 249 The Earth-Drilling Technique
Dragon Throat River, the main camp of the Heavenly Soul Eastern Army.
Huo Yuhao stood on the makeshift observation platform, his mental energy spreading like an invisible tide.
He saw a jet-black swift falcon flying rapidly toward the direction of the Heavenly Soul Eastern Army camp.
The Heavenly Soul Eastern Army's soul-guided cannons and soul-guided ray guns all aimed at this suddenly appearing soul beast.
Huo Yuhao stopped them through the resonance of his heartstrings, then raised his arm, allowing the Swift Shadow Falcon to land precisely.
He took out the secret letter from the metal tube, quickly scanned it with his eyes, and then a knowing smile appeared on his lips.
Xu Yan couldn't sit still any longer.
Huo Yuhao handed the secret letter to Li Kongming: "A letter of surrender from Xu Yan, the garrison commander of Xuanlu Pass."
"He wanted to burn down the plank road to show loyalty, and asked us to cooperate in putting on a show for him. He was willing to act as an inside agent and surrender the pass."
Li Kongming took the secret letter and quickly scanned it.
Then Li Kongming sneered, "What a fine example of enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens, what a fine example of sacrificing one's life for the soldiers."
"Azure Dragon King, Xu Yan only rose to the position of garrison commander of the Hanging Skull Pass through scheming and nepotism."
"After Xue Rui ascended the throne, he immediately fawned over the emperor in order to retain his position as the garrison commander of Xuanlu Pass."
"I don't think he really wants to surrender and save his life. Instead, he wants to use Tianhun's sword to get rid of the new emperor's trusted confidant who was sent to take over, and then step on the corpses of his colleagues to offer us the credit for protecting the pass, in exchange for his personal wealth and position in Tianhun."
Setting fire to the plank road is a choice no normal general would make.
This is tantamount to completely abandoning the dignity of the empire and declaring that the empire no longer has the ability to launch attacks.
When news of the burning of the plank road reaches Lingdou City, the new emperor will surely send people to quell the unrest.
At this point, Xu Yan could use Tianhun's help to eliminate them, transforming himself into a shrewd and pragmatic hero. He could also avoid conflict with the Douling experts when offering the pass, thus preserving his own strength.
For Xu Yan, as long as the Heavenly Soul Empire still wanted the perilous Suspended Skull Pass, it had to accept his surrender.
But the current situation is that the Heavenly Soul Empire doesn't need the Suspended Skull Pass at all, or even the Primordial Spirit Mountain Range.
The existence of the Yuanling Mountains has become a huge obstacle to Tianhun's future business route.
"However, the harassment from the Douling army has ultimately caused some delays."
Huo Yuhao took out paper and pen: "Let's appease Xu Yan for now and buy the Eastern Army some time to clear the river."
"
"It's a way of making use of waste."
The Swift Shadow Falcon took off again, bringing Xu Yan the news that Huo Yuhao had agreed to accept the surrender.
Having done all this, Huo Yuhao directly opened the Gate of the Dead and entered the Demiplane of the Dead.
Zhao Xuan, who had been waiting there, wore an expression of shock and heartache.
Beside him were mountains of heavy metal boxes, each covered with warning signs indicating high explosive danger, emanating a chilling aura of soul power.
"The Ministry of Military Industry almost went into an uproar."
Zhao Xuan pointed to the mountain of metal: "But as soon as they heard that you were going to blow up the entire mountain range, they immediately stopped all production lines and went all out to produce explosive soul tools."
"There are now 123 level 8 fixed-position soul-guided cannon shells, 558 level 7 shells, and a total of 4,523 level 4 to 6 shells."
"Almost everything that was taken from the Sun Moon Empire has been moved here."
"Over there are the Mountain Armor series of earth-burrowing soul guides developed by the Body Sect, and the matching explosive shells are also inside."
Huo Yuhao and Li Kongming were not going to blow up a single mountain, but an entire mountain range.
Therefore, the number of fixed-load soul-guided shells must be sufficient.
Only in this way can we bury the two fortified passes behind us in one fell swoop.
All the earth-attribute soul masters that the Heavenly Soul Empire could gather within seven days were in place, waiting to arrive here as soon as the Yuanling Mountains were leveled, to be responsible for opening up a passage for the army.
Zhao Xuan lowered his voice: "Azure Dragon King, Dean Xuan already has an idea for a plan to combine the Soul Metal with the Natal Soul Tool."
"This newly crafted soul tool can not only help soul masters, but also be adapted to soul beasts with different meridians, enabling the armament of the Far North and the Star Dou Beast King."
"He said that after Douling destroys the kingdom, you need to immediately start the furnace to refine a miniature bio-refining furnace to advance the research."
.
"Understood."
Huo Yuhao replied, "Thank you for conveying the message, Elder Zhao. Once the battle of spirits is over, the matter of the Qi Refining Furnace should be given priority."
The powerful members of the Body Sect who then arrived in the Undead Demiplane from the Azure Dragon City spatial portal began to move these bombs, which were enough to flatten several cities, together with the terrified Heavenly Soul Eastern Army.
One of the Soul Saints from the Body Sect laughed and said, "I always told the Young Master how powerful our Earth-Drilling Soul Guidance Device is."
"Today I finally have the chance to show you with your own eyes what it truly means to pierce through mountains and split rocks."
"With these treasures, the combined strength of our brothers, and the soul beasts sent by the heavens, we can definitely drill a hole right through the Yuanling Mountains!"
Crypt Spider, Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, Pangolin —
More than a hundred ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts were mobilized from the Star Dou Great Forest.
At the same time, after receiving Huo Yuhao's reassuring letter, Xu Yan immediately began his performance.
There is a secret passage at Xuanlu Pass, a secret passage known only to the commanders of the garrison at Xuanlu Pass throughout history.
At this moment, this secret passage became Xu Yan's means of welcoming the arrival of the Heavenly Soul Army.
"Quick! Bring all the kerosene up! Pour it on the walkway!"
Xu Yan gave an order to the soldiers under his command, his face filled with grief, indignation, and determination: "The Heavenly Soul bandits are powerful; the plank road must not fall into their hands and become their passage into the heart of Douling!"
"Even if we brothers are reduced to dust today, we will burn this plank road to extinguish their hopes!"
"The time has come to serve the Empire!"
His orders sounded grand and imposing, filled with a tragic sense of patriotism and loyalty to the emperor.
The soldiers, kept in the dark, looked at the Heavenly Soul Army whose construction was gradually slowing down in the distance, and then at Xu Yan's resolute expression, and they all obeyed the order.
Barrels of kerosene were poured onto the plank road leading to the pass, and a strong smell permeated the air.
"ignition!"
Xu Yan waved his hand, his voice trembling slightly, whether from excitement or nervousness, it was hard to tell.
boom!
A giant fire serpent shot up along the walkway in an instant, flames soaring into the sky and thick smoke billowing out!
The crackling sound of the fire was particularly jarring in the valley, and the flames reflected on Xu Yan's face, making it impossible to discern his triumphant expression.
This fire burned not only the plank road, but also Dou Ling's desire to escape westward.
But what is being illuminated is the broad road leading Xu Yan to the new elite of the Heavenly Soul.
As the fire at Suspended Skull Pass began to rage, the Heavenly Soul experts and Soul Beasts, who had been lying in ambush throughout the Yuanling Mountains, simultaneously heard Huo Yuhao's voice in their minds: "The time is perfect, begin digging!"
The moment the order was given, the almost silent roar of engines suddenly echoed from dozens of hidden caves and crevices throughout the Yuanling Mountains.
The Body Sect's research on earth-burrowing soul tools can be described as unparalleled on the continent, even ahead of its time.
This is a technology that even Xuan Ziwen admires, saying that even the Sun Moon Empire cannot defend against it.
He even drew inspiration from these earth-drilling soul tools and developed many derivative soul tools.
The main body of the pangolin soul tool is similar to a shuttle, and the high-frequency oscillating soul force field at the front end can easily tear apart hard granite like butter.
The soul beasts sent by Di Tian were completely dumbfounded.
Compared to the Pangolin of the Body Sect, the 80,000-year-old Pangolin felt like a newborn soul beast.
It subconsciously scratched the rock next to it with its paw, and then looked at the pangolin that had silently crawled out a tunnel several meters in diameter. A huge sense of disparity instantly overwhelmed it.
"Brother!"
Yu Tao of the Body Sect grinned: "What are you standing there for?"
"The soul tool only digs, but doesn't care about stabilizing the passage."
"You need to hurry up and secure the passage so that you can at least hold out until you can stuff all the good stuff in before you escape."
"Hoo (I understand)!"
The 80,000-year-old pangolin shook its enormous head, trying to shake off the slight sense of disparity.
Its massive forepaws gleamed with an earthy yellow light as it slammed them down into the newly opened passage, which still smelled of mud.
hum!
A heavy, earthy energy emanated from between its claws.
The originally loose rock walls of the passage suddenly seemed to be compacted, and the structure of the passage became stable as a result.
This is an innate ability inherited from its bloodline, called Earth Shaping, which can stabilize the dug tunnel.
"Wow, that's powerful!"
Yu Tao immediately shouted to the back, "Quick! Bring in the good stuff!"
"What are you dawdling for?! Make room for the guys in the back!"
The disciples of the Body Sect, along with the Heavenly Soul Engineers and Power-type Soul Beasts who had been waiting outside the cave entrance, immediately pushed the heavy metal boxes and filed in through the passage that had been secured by the Soul Beasts.
These boxes were carefully placed at the huge cavity node opened up by the pangolin soul tool.
These nodes were precisely selected after Huo Yuhao's mental probing and communication with the soul beasts. They are the fragile load-bearing points that support the entire Yuanling Mountain Range's structure.
The same scene is playing out in dozens of similar hiding places in the Yuanling Mountains.
In the direction of Xuanlu Pass, the fire that Xu Yan lit on the plank road is still burning fiercely.
The towering flames and thick smoke provided excellent cover, drawing the attention of the Douling defenders.
They only saw the Heavenly Soul Army sigh in despair at the fire, and then, as if giving up on the place, they actually began to retreat.
This retreat even meant abandoning the Ghost Gate that had just begun to be cleared.
The army of the Heavenly Soul Empire actually retreated directly to the original location of Dragon Throat Gorge.
Xu Yan, standing on the city wall, looked puzzled, thinking to himself that Huo Yuhao's acting was far too convincing.
"Timed high-explosive soul tool, in position!"
Huo Yuhao stood in the largest underground cavern, with two level-nine fixed-position soul-guided cannon shells radiating a dangerous aura beside him.
His and Tianmeng's two bodies stood in a triangular formation, each positioned in a different part of the Yuanling Mountains, ensuring that the resonance of their hearts could be transmitted to the hearts of everyone and the soul beasts in a timely manner.
Based on calculations made by Huo Yuhao and many earth-attribute soul masters and soul beasts, combined with the terrain of the Yuanling Mountains, they believed that the impact of the collapse of the Yuanling Mountains would mainly be concentrated on the east side of the core area of the mountains.
The impact on the western section, Longhou Gorge, which is now the Longhou River area, is relatively small.
The collapse of the Yuanling Mountains was a precisely targeted man-made disaster.
Their targets were the heart of the mountain range and its eastern side, with the aim of completely destroying the three major passes and the dangerous roads that blocked trade.
The Dragon Throat River, located at the westernmost part of the Yuanling Mountains, is within a safe range because it is far from the core of the explosion and is blocked by the Ghost Gate.
The Heavenly Soul Army retreated to this point, where they could witness the spectacular collapse of the Yuanling Mountain Range.
"Activate the timed high-explosive soul tool in three seconds. All personnel and soul beasts must evacuate at that time!"
"three!"
With precise mental commands transmitted, everyone installing the timed high-explosive soul tools, as well as the soul beasts responsible for stabilizing the passage, instantly accelerated their movements to the extreme.
"two!"
The powerful spirit beasts hoisted the exhausted engineers, roughly stuffed them into the mountain-drilling armor, and then fled at top speed.
All the pangolin soul guides were forcibly reversed, ready to evacuate at any moment.
The giant claws of the 80,000-year-old pangolin were firmly pressed against the cave entrance, ready to retreat as soon as the people from the Body Sect rushed out.
"—!"
"Activate! Evacuate!"
The Body Sect experts responsible for operating the Pangolin Soul Guidance Devices immediately activated the emergency escape procedure and rushed frantically toward the nearest pre-set exit!
Behind them, the timer began to make a barely audible clicking sound.
After escaping through the exit, these people and soul beasts quickly retreated to the location predetermined by Huo Yuhao.
"Advanced Undead Demiplane!"
Huo Yuhao quickly said, "We only have fifteen minutes. We'll check the explosion after we get back to the Dragon Throat River camp!"
'
The towering flames from the direction of Xuanlu Pass were still clearly visible, and thick smoke billowed, obscuring half the sky.
The Yuanling Mountains, which resemble a giant dragon coiled around, appeared exceptionally serene in the afterglow of the setting sun.
When Huo Yuhao rushed back to the Eastern Army camp, he immediately opened the Gate of the Dead.
All the people and soul beasts filed out, the final ten minutes of the countdown clearly measured in their minds.
The bombing of an entire mountain range during World War I was unprecedented in the history of warfare.
Humans and beasts alike wanted to witness this momentous occasion.
As the time drew ever closer, every second seemed to stretch out, feeling as long as a hundred years.
10, 9, 8 —
The countdown ticked silently in the hearts of every participant.
Li Kongming clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white.
The burly men of the Body Sect tensed their muscles, as if they themselves were the power about to erupt.
The spirit beasts growled uneasily, their intuition, stemming from their bloodline, making them sense the turmoil in the earth.
7, 6, 5 —
On the wall of Xuanlu Pass, Xu Yan gazed at the three streaks of light flying from the east.
A triumphant smile appeared on his lips, as if he could already see the three powerful figures being torn apart by the Heavenly Soul Empire.
He had even begun to imagine the approving gaze and generous rewards bestowed upon him by the Heavenly Soul Emperor when he surrendered the pass.
IV. III. II —
Upon seeing the three Soul Douluos descending directly onto the city wall, Xu Yan's expression suddenly froze.
Where is Huo Yuhao?
What about the people from the Body Sect?
What about dual limits?
Why haven't you come to save me yet?
Don't they want the Suprascalp Passage anymore?
One!
The three Soul Douluos brought out Xue Rui's gold medal!
Deep within the Yuanling Mountains, in those enormous cavities, the hands of the timer finally reached their final mark!