A crucial military preparation that determined the life and death of the Eternal Star people was being conducted urgently on Eternal Star. Looking at the Eternal Star people, who remained high-spirited despite facing adversity, Haoyun and his two companions were deeply inspired. They felt they must do everything in their power to protect Eternal Star, not to betray the indomitable spirit of the Eternal Star people, nor their own identities as priests.
Considering that once the Mastanians launched an attack on Eternal Star, the Palace of Eternal Stars would undoubtedly become a primary target. Moreover, even if the Destroyer had the capability to lead the Mastanians in an assault on Eternal Star, they would choose to strike from the closest positions to both Eternal Star and the Mastan bodies. Therefore, with the assistance of military advisors Dao Lao and Dream Jia, the Eternal Star people constructed extensive defensive measures along the line from the Palace of Eternal Stars to the Rainbow Tunnel. They amassed a large number of troops stationed there, ready to effectively intercept any incoming enemies from the neighboring celestial bodies.
Meanwhile, Haoyun remained in the Palace of Eternal Stars to assist Hilf in fortifying the defenses and underground shelters, ensuring that the young and others without combat capabilities could better evade the flames of war after it started, preserving as many lives as possible for the future of the Eternal Star people.
Although the construction of the new defensive fortifications was a massive undertaking, thanks to the abundant logistical construction experience accumulated by the Eternal Star people during the divine war era, they managed to complete the newly planned military preparations in just a few weeks. With all defensive works successfully completed, everyone instinctively looked up at the chaotic pale red sky. Now, everything was ready, and all that remained was to await the arrival of the decisive battle!
The pale red sky over Eternal Star seemed to turn into a deep crimson again, indicating that Eternal Star had entered midnight. At this moment, most of the soldiers who had been busy all day had fallen asleep, making the Palace of Eternal Stars considerably quieter than before. After putting his two children to bed, Yan Chaoyue walked alone back to the semi-circular balcony at the center of the Palace of Eternal Stars, quietly gazing at the Summerbar canopy in the courtyard, lost in thought.
At this moment, Dao Lao, who had just finished patrolling the outer defensive works of the Palace of Eternal Stars and returned to the palace, happened to see Yan Chaoyue looking somewhat downcast. A bitter smile of pity appeared on his face. So, Dao Lao quietly walked up to Yan Chaoyue and asked with a caring tone, "Chaoyue, are you okay?"
At the same time Dao Lao saw Yan Chaoyue, he actually ordered the Mold Spirit Energy Detection System to conduct another check on her. Looking at the monitoring report indicating "Misfortune Level: One Star," Dao Lao breathed a sigh of relief. He had been concerned that Yan Chaoyue's spiritual body might have been further damaged, leading to her current miserable state.
"Don't worry, Uncle Dao. I'm fine," Yan Chaoyue half turned around, forcing a smile as she replied.
Dao Lao immediately noticed that Yan Chaoyue's eyes were slightly moist and slightly swollen. It seemed she had just cried.
Yan Chaoyue was someone he had watched grow up since she was young. Seeing her so heartbroken, Dao Lao naturally felt deeply distressed. However, Dao Lao was after all a rough man and didn't know how to comfort his niece. Therefore, he could only gently pat Yan Chaoyue's shoulder, sigh softly, and look towards the Summerbar canopy in the courtyard, trying to silently share in Yan Chaoyue's pain.
Just as Dao Lao looked towards the Summerbar canopy, he was surprised to find that one of the Summerbar flowers on the canopy was showing signs of withering. The eight petals of this Summerbar flower had almost turned charcoal black by now, withered down to a thin layer. Dao Lao naturally understood that this situation meant King Earl's life was officially nearing its end.
In fact, when King Earl was transformed into the demonized Earl by the Mold Spirit Energy, the black spots on the Summerbar flower had started to grow faster. At that time, everyone knew that King Earl's life was rapidly fading, so they were psychologically prepared for the withering of the Summerbar flower. However, King Earl was after all the husband of Dao Lao's niece and the son-in-law of his close friend Judge Yan. Therefore, when he saw the nearly withered Summerbar flower, he couldn't accept this reality and felt a great sadness in his heart.
"Alas! Although Earl obtained some divine power from me, he is only a creature of the lower realm. Even though he can temporarily resist the Mold Spirit Energy, he will eventually be defeated. Moreover, the strength of the Mold Spirit Energy infiltrating King Earl's body should not be underestimated. Therefore, although I don't want to face this fact, I have prepared for the worst since early on," Yan Chaoyue forced back tears, trying to ease her grief.
"Chaoyue, don't be too sad! Maybe things aren't so bad? Um... you see, although the Mold Spirit Energy has merged with King Earl, because of the divine power on King Earl's body, his soul may not be completely swallowed by the Mold Spirit Energy. Perhaps, part of King Earl's soul and consciousness has not disappeared, but has been sealed inside his body by the Mold Spirit Energy. Therefore, maybe as long as we defeat the demonized Earl, we can liberate King Earl's remaining soul and consciousness, and find a way to revive King Earl," Dao Lao said. Although Dao Lao knew that his way of comforting Yan Chaoyue was somewhat far-fetched, he could only try his best to give Yan Chaoyue a sense of hope and help her alleviate the pain of losing her husband.
"Hoo—! Yes, Uncle Dao is right. After all, within King Er's body, there still remains divine power bestowed by the Spirit Realm, as well as the power transferred from me. Therefore, there is indeed a possibility that parts of his soul and consciousness still survive. As long as we can defeat the demonized Er, perhaps we can find a way to bring back his soul to the Shadow Realm, and then Father can figure out a way to reshape his body!" After listening to Dao Lao's persuasion, Yan Chaoyue sighed deeply and said, as she relaxed her furrowed brows, reminding herself that now is not the time to grieve, and to continue maintaining an optimistic attitude. Only in this way could she better rally herself, maintaining a high and calm fighting spirit.
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The next morning, under the dome of Xia Ba, Yan Chaoyue held a simple farewell ceremony for King Er. During the ceremony, she expressed that although King Er had passed away, his spirit would always be with the people of Eternal Mu. The spirit of King Er, along with the spirits of countless fallen comrades, would bless the people of Eternal Mu, granting them the courage and strength to continue bravely forward. Death does not make the people of Eternal Mu retreat; instead, it makes them face the challenges of death even more courageously. The people of Eternal Mu will eventually unite and repay the blood debts to the Mastanians!
The news of King Er's death acted like an accelerant, igniting the flames of revenge against the Mastanians even more fiercely. Everyone's morale became stronger as a result, and they became more actively involved in preparing for the impending battle, even starting to anticipate the Mastanians' arrival so they could engage in decisive combat as soon as possible.
Amidst the hopeful anticipation of the people of Eternal Mu, as evening approached on that day, as the sky gradually turned crimson, suddenly, distant reverberations that seemed to tear the heavens and earth apart were heard in the skies of Mu Xing. At the same time, the crimson mist over the Mu Xing Palace began to churn like boiling hot water. Moreover, within the violently churning crimson mist that filled the sky, dense lightning bolts appeared. These lightning bolts impatiently sought to break through layers of barriers so that they could unleash their fury upon the land of Mu Xing.
"Boom! Boom boom boom—! Boom! Boom boom boom—!" Deafening explosions continued unabated, growing increasingly dense. Based on the Eternal Mu's years of experience, such sudden celestial anomalies definitely had something to do with unknown entities breaking through the three-layer protective array. And at this critical moment, the most likely suspects were the Mastanians.
"They've finally come! Order everyone to prepare to open fire!" Yan Chaoyue said calmly.
Based on Eternal Mu's many years of combat experience, upon seeing such celestial phenomena, they knew that the Mastanians were attempting to break through the celestial shield and launch an attack on Mu Xing. However, compared to the previous minor celestial anomalies that occurred only on a small scale, this time, a large-scale celestial anomaly pervaded the entire frontal area of Mu Xing, making the people of Eternal Mu immediately understand the difference in this situation. This time, the people of Eternal Mu were about to face a large-scale attack from the Mastanians. And the outcome of this Mastanian attack could very well decide the future fate of the people of Eternal Mu.
"All units, be alert! The enemy is here! Everyone, get ready for battle!" Captain Tie Zhu issued orders through the communicator to the Eternal Mu troops stationed all over Mu Xing.
However, Yan Chaoyue soon realized the problem hidden within the vast crimson mist and exclaimed, "No! What's appearing in the sky isn't the Mastanian army! It's the Crimson Poisonous Mist Formation!"
Having dealt with the Crimson Poisonous Mist Formation before, Haoyun and his companions, based on the warning messages from their respective systems, knew that the rolling mist engulfing the sky wasn't a phenomenon accompanying the Crimson Poisonous Mist under the night's cover, but rather due to the rapid descent of the Crimson Poisonous Mist from high altitudes.
"Why is this happening?! Why has the Crimson Poisonous Mist Formation descended to such a low altitude? Moreover, why has it descended so low yet failed to trigger the Rain of Destruction? Could it be that the Immortal Star Array has malfunctioned? So even though the Crimson Poisonous Mist Formation has pierced through the Immortal Star Array, it hasn't reacted chemically again?" Haoyun asked in puzzlement. Dao Lao and Dream Jia shook their heads quickly, indicating they too didn't know what was going on.
Not only Haoyun and his companions, Yan Chaoyue and her team also immediately thought of this point. Therefore, General Tie Zhu immediately asked the frontline defense, "Andemas, how's the situation on the Rainbow Tunnel side? Have you spotted any enemies?"
"Reporting, General, no enemy presence has been detected for now," replied Andemas, the frontline commander who had long commanded troops stationed at the Rainbow Tunnel.
General Tie Zhu then inquired about the situation from the commanders responsible for defense positions everywhere, receiving the same responses. He then reported back to Yan Chaoyue, ordering all soldiers to remain vigilant. "Very well! Everyone, stay sharp! The situation in the sky is suspicious; there may be deception within!"
"Very well! All allied defenses, be prepared at all times! Once the Mastanians invade, do your utmost to hold them in place. And promptly report the Destroyer's position to us. Remember, since we are at a disadvantage in overall strength, we must concentrate our forces and go all out to defeat the Destroyer, only then can we bring about a turning point!" Yan Chaoyue reiterated the core objectives of the battle just before the enemy appeared.
"Yes, Your Majesty! We swear to serve Your Majesty to the death, to live or die with Eternal Mu! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Eternal Mu!" After receiving the order, the soldiers shouted loudly in unison, entering into full combat readiness.
"I'm terribly sorry for being late! Hehehe." Just as the morale of the Eternal Mu soldiers surged further with their slogans, a sly laughter tinged with a malicious aura suddenly echoed down from the sky.
Following that, a towering figure covered in tentacles slowly emerged from the thick mist that filled the sky. This person was none other than the Destroyer, Heimen. Heimen leisurely hovered in the rolling crimson mist, effortlessly repelling the crimson energy constantly rushing towards him with the purplish-black aura emanating from his body.
Seeing Heimen effortlessly handling the attacks from the defensive array, Haoyun and his companions frowned deeply, feeling that things were taking a turn for the worse. They had personally experienced the power of this three-layer defensive array. They knew very well that even the protective shield formed by the three Abyssal Spirit Realm armors modified by the Countess could only withstand the assault of the out-of-control array for a short time. Therefore, the fact that the Destroyer could easily pass through the Meteorite Formation and calmly stand within the thick crimson poisonous mist could only mean one thing: his power had undergone a significant enhancement.
Almost simultaneously as Haoyun and his companions realized this, their systems also issued a message—Heimen's current Misfortune Level had officially reached seven and a half stars, which placed him between Catastrophic to Wrathful levels of disaster. Upon seeing this message from their systems, Haoyun and his companions were naturally shocked. According to their original estimates, the Destroyer would likely lead the Mastanians in another attack on Mu Xing once his strength reached Catastrophic level. However, contrary to expectations, within just a few weeks after Haoyun escaped from Eternal Star, Heimen's strength had soared from the process of approaching Catastrophic level to reaching the level just shy of Wrathful.