Chapter 149: The Shift in the Battle Formation

How could one underestimate the combined power of twelve merged battle souls?

The Flame Giant stood towering over ten meters tall, stretching the defensive formation upward considerably, as if on the verge of collapse at any moment.

"This power must be approaching a level five or six War Emperor; the situation is extremely dire," Hu Mo muttered with a bitter smile, thinking to himself. It had to be admitted—the power unleashed by the fusion of battle souls had already surpassed the limits of the Starlight Formation.

"Do you see that, Mo’er? Your father lost precisely because of this move. It’s not something mere children can withstand. The Flame Soul Fusion is an ancient soul combat technique. Although it only touches upon the true essence of battle, it’s far from easy to counter."

"Heh, but don’t be discouraged or disheartened. Your Star Battalion has tremendous potential. Given time, it will surely reach a higher level—it's only a matter of time. But for now, I think continuing the fight is pointless. Surrender."

Hu Yihu spoke calmly, as if this outcome was already expected.

Hu Mo did not want Hei Tie and the others to exhaust themselves. Given their current strength, fighting the massive battle soul was a stretch. Only by risking their lives could they hope to inflict mutual destruction, but what meaning would that hold?

Determined, he prepared to speak when suddenly Hu Baiwei’s voice sounded out: "Master, I refuse to lose like this. Is it just a level five War Emperor battle soul? I don’t believe that so many of us together can’t overcome it!"

Hu Baiwei spoke with frustration. At her peak level nine War Emperor strength, losing so easily was truly unbearable.

Hu Mo furrowed his brow and transmitted softly, "Mei’er, don’t be reckless. Just because you’re not afraid of that battle soul doesn’t mean the others can withstand it. We’re not here to fight to the death. If the Starlight Formation breaks, then they..."

"Master, you don’t understand. This isn’t just my wish. Even if we lose, we have to fight first to accept it. If you make them surrender without a fight, it’s an insult to them!" Hu Baiwei’s voice was resolute.

At that moment, the warriors of the Star Battalion roared in unison, a fierce battle spirit bursting forth, echoing Hu Baiwei’s words.

Hu Mo was momentarily speechless. Indeed, this battle was Hei Tie and the others’ chance to reclaim their dignity. If they lost outright, they would only fight harder, growing braver with each setback. But if they were forced to accept a humiliating defeat, it would leave a permanent wound in their hearts, hampering their future cultivation.

After much deliberation, Hu Mo sighed lightly and nodded, agreeing to Hu Baiwei’s decision.

Hu Yihu immediately sensed something was amiss and whispered, "What? They still want to fight?"

"Yes, let them try. They have been hoping for this for so many days. If they just surrendered now, no one would accept it. Besides..." Hu Mo’s eyes suddenly gleamed sharply as a fiery battle soul appeared behind him. "I don’t want to give up so easily either!"

With Hu Mo’s shout, the battle spirit of every Star Battalion soldier soared to its peak. Hu Baiwei seemed to be draped in a fiery red cloak, radiating a dense fire attribute aura.

The powerful fire attribute energy of the Nine-Tailed Fox clan burst forth from her, but these flames served only to stabilize the formation; otherwise, their sheer combat power alone could have destroyed the Flame Giant outright.

"Stage Six of the Art of War, Star Transformation, Form the Starlight Formation!" Hu Baiwei shouted. The mist vanished completely, and the seventy-one warriors, burning with various elemental powers, slowly began to levitate.

The Starlight Formation’s greatest strength lay in the star rays, supported by the power of the Art of War, which amplified the star rays’ might. Thus, the previous partial unions were merely preparations for this final fusion.

As the seventy-one took their positions, the formation’s power was fully realized. Each warrior emitted dazzling light, like brilliant starlight scattered across the night sky.

The Flame Giant, controlled by the twelve Flame Soul Generals, looked down at the seventy-one star rays with disdain, which turned to deep surprise at this moment.

Those nearby could feel the great threat the Star Battalion posed after the Star Transformation. Though the warriors had not fused, their dispersed forms still gave an impression of unity—tighter even than the Flame Giant’s own fusion.

Moreover, the formation’s overall power had grown to rival the Flame Giant’s might.

Not only the twelve Flame Soul Generals but even Hu Yihu, watching from the stands, was greatly astonished. The fusion of twelve battle souls had indeed boosted power significantly, but that required the use of battle souls.

In comparison, Hu Mo’s Star Battalion had elevated their power to this level without employing battle souls. The contrast was clear.

What surprised him more was the formation’s coherence—using a single battle formation to unify the energy of all warriors was far more sophisticated than any soul combat technique.

"What a marvelous formation! Whoever created this must be a divine being!" Hu Yihu murmured. Had he known that Hu Mo himself had devised the Starlight Formation, he might have been stunned to the point of jaw dislocation.

Hu Mo himself was equally astonished; he hadn’t expected the formation to perform so well. He had estimated it could at most withstand an attack from a level one War Emperor—beyond that, it would collapse.

Yet the current situation was different. Though Hei Tie and the others bore a heavy burden, buoyed by their fighting spirit, they managed to endure without disgrace.

What was going on?

Hu Mo studied the formation with puzzled eyes. Thanks to the powerful workings of the Holy Water King Sovereign, he could clearly observe the flow of combat power within the formation.

After several breaths, his eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed inwardly, "So that’s it! The formation has been altered!"

Hu Mo discovered that in the final union of the Starlight Formation, the combat power’s circulation route had undergone significant improvement. Within that circuit, he sensed a subtle trace of the Nine-Tailed Fox clan’s life-bound battle energy—so hidden that likely no one else could detect it.

"Master, I just made a small adjustment to give them a little help. Don’t worry, I won’t exert much effort—just enough to hold even. These big guys are fun; if they get killed or badly hurt, you’d feel bad too," Hu Baiwei chuckled. Hu Mo had no choice but to accept; opposing her would mean standing against the Star Battalion.

In truth, his concern extended beyond this. Thanks to the powerful soul perception granted by the Three Treasures, Hu Mo clearly sensed several forces in Flame City beginning to stir, as if poised to strike at any moment.

Recognizing the danger, his expression grew even grimmer. This battle had to be swift and decisive; otherwise, who knew what might happen?

"Do what you think best—quick victory or defeat," Hu Mo said softly, appearing beside Hu Yihu.

Hu Yihu’s face darkened. He said gravely, "Mo’er, don’t worry so much. If they dare make a move, they would be declaring war on the entire Heavenly Fire Empire. After all, we represent the Heavenly Fire Emperor’s authority. They shouldn’t be foolish enough to do that."

Hu Mo nodded, though his mood remained heavy. It was understandable; being watched by several War Saint-level old fiends made calmness difficult.

Still, Hu Yihu was right. Though those forces lurked nearby, they hadn’t directly intervened. The Western Mountain Training Ground was a military stronghold of the Heavenly Fire Empire; trespassing or provoking war here was unthinkable.

"Then let this one battle settle everything. The sooner, the better," Hu Mo said in a low voice. Hu Baiwei heard this and smiled softly.

"Initiate one, Star Rays Annihilate the Gods!" she whispered.

The Star Battalion warriors shouted in unison, their starlight intensifying. The star rays continuously converged and connected, and before long, a massive star cluster appeared within the formation.

Hei Tie and the others’ faces darkened as if all their strength were being absorbed by that enormous orb of light.

Their bodies began to waver, as if a mere gust of wind could shatter them. Yet, in this state, they were immune to any combat power—at a casual glance, they might be mistaken for air itself.

"Power immunity, tsk tsk, the Hu family really does have some impressive treasures!" Outside the Western Mountain Training Ground, ten miles away, an oddly dressed old man chuckled greedily.

"Di Longzi, when did you arrive?" Zhu Wannian’s figure slowly emerged from the void beside the old man, causing him to shriek exaggeratedly and leap aside.

"I say, Old Ghost Zhu, trying to scare me? Don’t think crossing dimensional space makes you so great; I can level up too!" Di Longzi glared at Zhu Wannian as though he owed him a great debt.

Zhu Wannian’s expression remained cold; he fixed his eyes on Di Longzi and said icily, "Whether you advance or not is none of my concern. I just want to know why you came to Flame City, what you’re lurking here for, and how many from the Earth Demon Sect have arrived."

His tone was harsh, as if ready to strike at any provocation.

Di Longzi grinned wickedly and flicked his hair flamboyantly. "What’s it to you? You’re just the Valley Lord of the Fire God Valley, unrelated to Flame City. And what business is it of yours if I’m here watching the show? Go cool off somewhere else!"

His voice was filled with brazen arrogance. As soon as he finished, a dozen round sacs erupted from the ground, slowly bursting open to reveal humanoid creatures emitting a thick stench of decay.

"Twelve Earth Demon Corpses!" Zhu Wannian snorted coldly and took a few hurried steps back. The very ground where he had stood was now corrupted by the aura of those creatures, with poisonous worms crawling out from beneath the earth, evoking nausea.

"Heh heh, yes, the Twelve Earth Demon Corpses. Old Ghost Zhu, if you know what’s good for you, don’t provoke me. Though your cultivation surpasses mine by a hair, paired with these corpses, you don’t stand a chance! Ha ha, you’re dreaming! I’m going to take that little fox and the kid. You’d better stay out of my way!" Di Longzi said coldly.

The Earth Demon Corpses howled fiercely, their stench killing all nearby life at an alarming speed.

Zhu Wannian’s face darkened further. He glanced at the Western Mountain Training Ground, and despite his fierce combat aura, a chill ran through him that was hard to shake.

"If I don’t wish it, what can you do?" he said grimly.