The White Tiger Duke"s personal guards couldn"t do much in a battle at this level, and most of those who died on the ground consisted of the White Tiger Duke"s personal guards. 

There were seven or eight people hovering amongst the two soul engineer legions in the sky. These people didn"t unleash any attacks, and were just watching the battlefield coldly. They were inside the protective barriers, but Huo Yuhao could still feel how powerful and frightening these people were. 

Huo Yuhao had seen three of them before. They were judges for the Radiant City Elite Soul Engineer Tournament in the Sun Moon Empire"s Radiant City, and the person he was most familiar with was this group"s leader. Wasn"t he the Starsky Douluo, Ye Yulin, who had given him the Sunmoon Divine Needle back then? At this moment, a Cla.s.s 9 Sunmoon Divine Needle was hovering above his head. Furthermore, there wasn"t just one... there were two! 

Huo Yuhao didn"t have to ask to faintly guess that the Starsky Douluo"s appearance here probably had something to do with the Sunmoon Divine Needle that he had given the White Tiger Duke back then. At this moment, one of the two Sunmoon Divine Needles above his head was likely to be the one that Huo Yuhao had given Dai Hao back then. 

These formidable individuals, who were some of the strongest soul engineers in the Sun Moon Empire, were undoubtedly holding down the fort here so that they could eradicate whatever resistance there was on the ground. 

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, and calmed and steadied himself as much as he could. Even though he was far stronger than he was last time, his strength was still far too small and weak on a battlefield such as this. 

Huo Yuhao was the only finished product from the Ultimate Soldier Plan, and he knew that he had to use every possible resource he could to turn the fight around, and those resources didn"t just comprise strength and abilities. 

Huo Yuhao lowered his alt.i.tude and moved his spiritual power towards the Star Luo Empire"s soldiers. Right now, he wasn"t even sure if the White Tiger Duke was still alive. 

The situation quickly became clear. 

The Star Luo Empire had less than two thousand soldiers left. The White Tiger Duke"s personal guards made up about thirteen to fourteen hundred of these two thousand soldiers, and they relied on about five to six hundred soul masters defending with their full strength to barely maintain the current situation. 

None of these soul masters were weak, and some had stronger soul power than the two soul engineer legions in the sky. Their soul rings sparkled on their bodies, and even the weakest of them had five soul rings. 

The Star Luo Empire"s royal family still strongly supported the Northwestern Field Army. This soul master legion comprised the best of the best soul masters in the Star Luo Empire. Even though they had lost quite a few people, they were the reason why the White Tiger Duke could still hold back the Sun Moon Empire"s soul engineer legions so that the Northwestern Field Army could retreat. 

However, these soul masters" faces were filled with fatigue, and everyone wore solemn and grave expressions.

None of them would be afraid of the soul engineers in the sky if they were one against one, and there were even four t.i.tled Douluo among these soul masters. The White Tiger Duke was still among this group, but he seemed like he was in a bad state - half his body was scorched black, and he was supporting himself with a yard-long knife as he commanded the battle. He had sustained severe injuries. 

The other three t.i.tled Douluo spread out and continuously cooperated with other soul masters to defend the group. They seemed like they had expended a lot of their soul power as well!

The White Tiger Duke was panting with heavy breaths. His eyes were still as resolute as ever, but they were already flowing with determination and a grim resignation to fate. He had been suppressed on this hill for almost two hours, and reinforcements couldn"t possibly come for them, no matter what happened. Even though the Sun Moon Empire"s army had entered the Ming Dou Mountain Range, the White Tiger Duke and his army would probably be eliminated today if he didn"t make a decision soon. 

Dai Hao lowered his voice and growled, "Invite the Big Dipper Douluo here."

Dai Hao"s eldest son was standing beside him. Dai Yueheng, who had graduated from Shrek Academy. Five years had gone by, and Dai Yueheng was now a powerful seven-ringed Soul Sage. He was just twenty-five years old, and he was definitely considered an elite among the younger generation. He could represent Shrek Academy in battle as their vice-team leader back then, which sufficiently displayed his talent.

"Yes." Dai Yueheng acknowledged, and he quickly called an elderly man who was in his seventies over to Dai Hao. This man was one of the three powerful t.i.tled Douluo in the soul masters" formation. 

This elderly man came beside Dai Hao, and suddenly arched his eyebrows as he pointed towards the sky with his right hand. A silver-white beam of light surged into the sky, and this light beam webbed out as it transformed into an enormous umbrella more than fifty meters in diameter. This umbrella blocked the soul rays and whatnot that were raining from the sky, and some of these attacks even included attacks from Cla.s.s 8 soul engineers. 

These soul rays and soul cannons didn"t just land on the umbrella"s surface. These attacks seemed like they were immediately dispelled when they touched the silver-white radiance on the umbrella"s surface, and they were pa.r.s.ed and consumed by countless thin and fine s.p.a.ces in the air. Therefore, no explosions rang out. 

This elderly man was the commander of the Star Luo Empire"s First Soul Master Legion, the Big Dipper Douluo, Xuan Ji. He was one of the t.i.tled Douluo who belonged to the older generation within the Star Luo Empire, and his real name had long been forgotten, so he had always been called Xuan Ji. His soul power stood at Rank 94, and his martial soul was a Big Dipper Umbrella. He was very good friends with the last generation"s White Tiger Duke, and one generation older than Dai Hao. The previous generation"s White Tiger Duke had pleaded with him to protect the White Tiger lineage, and he was one of the strongest core forces in the White Tiger Duke"s camp. 

"Duke." The Big Dipper Douluo"s face looked a little pale as he blocked the attacks that rained down from the sky. His expression was also extremely grave at this moment. The Sun Moon Empire had clearly planned and schemed their sudden ambush for a long time, and the ferocity of their a.s.sault exceeded everyone"s expectations. The Sun Moon Empire didn"t send their forces swiftly into the Star Luo Empire. Instead, they sent their strongest fighting strength against the White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao, which clearly meant that they had planned this. The White Tiger Duke was the Northwestern Field Army"s marshal, and he was also the mainstay for the Star Luo Empire"s western defense perimeter. Once he died, the Northwestern and the Western Field Armies would be dealt an unprecedentedly large psychological blow. This result would be exceptionally beneficial for what the Sun Moon Empire wanted to do next. 

Furthermore, Dai Hao wasn"t the invaders" only target. They were also going after the Star Luo Empire"s First Soul Master Legion, because this legion represented ten percent of the soul masters that the royal family controlled. Soul masters were inferior to soul engineers on the battlefield if legion fought against legion, but if these soul masters were used or deployed in another fas.h.i.+on, their impact and force would be comparable to that of a soul engineer legion. The First Soul Master Legion was also the strongest legion overall amongst the Star Luo Empire"s ten great soul master legions. 

From the sudden bombardment from those Cla.s.s 9 stationary soul cannons until now, the First Soul Master Legion had lost about one-third of their soul masters. This painful price was paid in exchange for an opportunity for the remnants of the Northwestern Field Army to retreat. The Big Dipper Douluo had requested the White Tiger Duke to lead his army in retreat a long time ago, but Dai Hao had insisted otherwise. He led his personal guards to cover the rear, and worked together with the Big Dipper Douluo"s First Soul Master Legion to do so. If he hadn"t done that, the First Soul Master Legion would probably have been destroyed by now. However, if their current circ.u.mstances were allowed to persist, they would still be unable to escape their fate of eradication and complete defeat. 

"Duke." The Big Dipper Douluo came beside the White Tiger Duke, and heaved a faint sigh when he saw the wounds all over Dai Hao"s body. 

The White Tiger Duke"s most severe injury came from the Starsky Douluo"s Sunmoon Divine Needle. Initially, the White Tiger Duke had had a Sunmoon Divine Needle of his own, but the Starsky Douluo took his Sunmoon Divine Needle away as soon as he appeared, and even used this Sunmoon Divine Needle to heavily wound Dai Hao. If the White Tiger Duke hadn"t had several defensive soul tools on his body, and if not for the fact that his martial soul was powerful, he would probably have died from that hit. 

Dai Hao raised his hand, and a layer of white light was released from his hand. This white light encompa.s.sed himself and the Big Dipper Douluo within it.

Dai Hao"s eyes were still as bright as ever. He clenched his fists tightly and said, "Uncle Xuan Ji, we can"t continue on like this. We can"t escape our fate of losing every single solder if this goes on."

The Big Dipper Douluo stared at him and said, "What are your plans?"

Dai Hao lowered his voice and said, "I am their target. After a while, I will order my personal guards to charge out and scatter in all directions to create an illusion that I want to charge out. I will run by myself towards the north to attract the enemy"s attention. You will take the First Soul Master Legion and break through towards the southeast. Run as far as you can, and preserve as much life and strength as possible, Preserve your strength so that we can retaliate in the future."

"No," The Big Dipper Douluo"s expression changed drastically as he retorted angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting? Your father has given me the task of protecting the White Tiger"s lineage. How can I just leave you behind and run away? If I did that, how could I face your father in the afterlife?" 

Dai Hao said calmly, "Uncle Xuan Ji, now is not the time to talk about sentiments. My decision is for my empire"s future. It"s meaningless if everyone dies in battle here today, and right now, there"s no way we can deal any conceivable or effective damage to those fellows in the sky. Their collective defensive soul tool formation is too powerful, and even Transcendent Douluo probably couldn"t break through. You have to go, and you"ll take Yueheng away. He will take over as the White Tiger Duke after my death. Time is of the essence, Uncle Xuan Ji, so you must listen to me. Only I will remain to draw their attention and create an opportunity for you guys to survive. It won"t be that easy for them to kill me either, and I will try my best to survive as long as a chance exists. We can"t unleash our full strength if we stay together."

The Big Dipper Douluo"s chest puffed heavily in and out. He understood in his heart that the White Tiger Duke"s solution was the best one for now. But how could he abandon Dai Hao when he had watched Dai Hao grow up since he was a child?

"Uncle Xuan Ji, please make a move while everyone still has soul power. The plan has been decided, and I will be at ease handing Yueheng over to you."

He dispelled the soundproofing barrier that he had just released as he spoke. He turned to Dai Yueheng beside as he lowered his voice and said, "You will follow grandpa Xuan Ji, and we will break out in two different groups. You will listen to grandpa Xuan Ji"s orders after breaking out. Do you understand?"

Dai Yueheng hesitated for a moment and asked, "What about you, father?"

Dai Hao muttered coldly, "I will break out from another direction. Only in this way will we have a higher chance of breaking out. Go… it"s up to you now, uncle Xuan Ji."

The Big Dipper Douluo heaved a long sigh as he stared at the deep determination and resolve in Dai Hao"s eyes. He grabbed Dai Yueheng as he turned and left.