Thunder Fire Plains.
This was a converging point between Daluo Territory and the southwest arena of the Hundred Battle Territory. With the two behemoth forces starting the war, the flames of war pervaded this vast plain.
Troops from both sides fought and clashed, sneak-attacked, and annihilated, and the fierce battle resulted in violent spiritual energy fluctuations that enveloped the world.
The earth seemed to quiver as the war raged on.
Those who did not belong to either side avoided these war-torn arenas to prevent themselves from being caught in a brutal war that was akin to a meat grinder, as that would clearly bring about devastating consequences.
Within the Thunder Fire Plains, a dilapidated city stood as violent waves of spiritual energy fluctuations swept through it. It was apparent that two forces were vying for possession of the city.
One troop was apparently from Daluo Territory, and the other, from the Hundred Battle Territory. Such battles of conquest were common in the Thunder Fire Plains at this time.
At present, the competition for this city intensified. This city was called the Earth Fire City, which was an important city in the Hundred Battle Territory, thus it had heavy defenses. Previously, there had been several forces from the Daluo Territory who tried to capture the city, but they suffered utter defeat.
However, the forces that set their eyes upon the Earth Fire City were from Daluo Territory's Lion Tiger Mountains. They enjoyed a certain reputation, thus the battle was at a stalemate between both parties.
At this time, there were hundreds of figures standing in the air atop the city gate. Their expressions were solemn as they looked at the interior areas of the city where spiritual energy fluctuations constantly spread.
At the forefront of these men was a burly, middle-aged man. He knitted his eyebrows and frowned at the city where the defense was unexpectedly strong.
Whoosh!
As he gazed at the city center, a dozen or so shadows swooped in and finally landed in front of them. The leader was a burly man of equal stature. He was no stranger. It was Fang Lei, whom they had met some time earlier in the Battle over the Daluo Golden Pool.
Fang Lei glanced at the middle-aged man and stated gravely, "Uncle Liu, there are two Third Grade Sovereigns hidden within this Earth Fire City!"
"No wonder it was so difficult to conquer it!" The middle-aged man had a somber expression. He was the leader of Lion Tiger Mountain and had the ability of a Third Grade Sovereign. If the other party had only one Third Grade Sovereign, they would still have the upper hand in terms of quantity, but if there were two, they would pay a hefty price.
"Uncle Liu, what do we do?" Fang Lei asked, as he was clear that the other party was more powerful, and if it weren't for the attacks from other troops before, they would have appeared to clash head-on with them.
The middle-aged man's gaze flickered before he gnashed his teeth and made a prompt decision. "Retreat! We'll find another target!"
Fang Lei and the other strong men of Lion Tiger Mountain were surprised, but could only nod unwillingly because they understood that if they were to attack forcibly, they would pay a heavy price.
"Go!"
With a wave of his hand, the middle-aged man retreated as the other strong men of Lion Tiger Mountain followed suit.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
However, just as they were about to retreat, silhouettes surged out from within the city, and the two leading figures emanated incredibly powerful spiritual energy fluctuations.
"Haha, since you are already here, don't leave!"
The two figures cackled maniacally before two streams of raging spiritual energy swept out and charged towards the retreating members of Lion Tiger Mountain.
Upon seeing this, the leader of Lion Tiger Mountain flinched as he hurriedly clashed with the two streams of spiritual energy.
Boom!
The spiritual energy fluctuations burst out, and the leader of Lion Tiger Mountain emitted a low hum as he was pushed a few hundred yards back. He was, after all, only a Third Grade Sovereign, and with the other party fighting him two versus one, he was naturally no match for them.
After being shaken by the attacks, the leader of Lion Tiger Mountain did not dare to remain and shouted hurriedly, "Leave now!" These guys had been feigning weakness all along and had recovered long ago.
"It's too late to leave now!"
Facing the hasty retreat of Lion Tiger Mountain's men, the strong men of the Earth Fire City put up a fierce pursuit under the leadership of the two Third Grade Sovereigns.
"D*mn it!" Upon seeing the persistent pursuit, Fang Lei cursed in fury.
"Let's see where you can escape!"
A silhouette swiftly surged forward as a Third Grade Sovereign appeared before Fang Lei and the rest. With a blow of his palm, a Spiritual Energy Giant Palm enveloped them, casting a looming shadow.
Fang Lei and the rest who were enveloped by the Spiritual Energy Giant Palm paled in terror, as they had no way of escaping.
Boom!
However, just as the Spiritual Energy Giant Palm was about to land, a black beam of battle light surged out from the horizon, colliding with the Spiritual Energy Giant Palm as swiftly as lightning.
Crash!
The Spiritual Energy Giant Palm disintegrated with the impact, but the beam of battle light did not slow its momentum as it landed a brutal hit on the Third Grade Sovereign who was caught off guard.
Spurt.
As if being struck by thunder and lightning, the latter fell back with blood spurting out from his mouth. He stared at the horizon aghast, seeing a mass of dark clouds sweeping towards them and then hovering in the sky.
"It's the Nine Nether Troop!"
Upon seeing this, the strong men of Lion Tiger Mountain gasped in surprise and glee.
Leading the Nine Nether Troop, a figure glanced at Fang Lei, and a crisp laugh rang in the air. "Heh heh, Brother Fang, I hope you have been well since we have last seen each other."
"You… You are Mu Chen?!" Fang Lei glanced the familiar figure, as his eyes widened.
Mu Chen smiled and nodded. Along the way, he had led the Nine Nether Troop and defeated many Hundred Battle Territory troops, but he had sensed the violent spiritual energy fluctuations, causing him to rush here.
"Ah, so it's Commander Mu Chen. I'm the leader of Lion Tiger Mountain, Liu Shi." The leader of Lion Tiger Mountain clasped his fists together in respect as he gazed at Mu Chen with a strange look, most likely having heard of the reputation of Nine Nether Troop's new Commander.
"Ah, it's Mountain Master Liu." Mu Chen clasped his fists and smiled, but he did not waste time on pleasantries and continued, "I will deal with one Third Grade Sovereign. As for the others, you have to deal with them yourselves."
"Thank you Commander Mu Chen!" Upon hearing this, Liu Shi could not help but be pleased because this meant that Mu Chen did not seem to want to vie with him for the city, so Lion Tiger Mountain could gain something this time.
Mu Chen smiled and nodded, but his eyes suddenly turned cold, and with a wave of his palm, a burst of battle instinct swept out, charging directly against the Third Grade Sovereign whom he had wounded.
However, he had overestimated the other party's combat desire, and with the terrifying aura of the Nine Nether Troop and overwhelming battle aura, even a Third Grade Sovereign would be fearful.
Furthermore, if the Nine Nether Troop was here, could the Master of Nine Nether Palace be far behind?
At the thought of this, the Third Grade Sovereign's gaze flickered, and he fled directly. His escape caused the strong men of the Earth Fire City to falter, and one after another fled.
The men of Lion Tiger Mountain regained their morale as they started their relentless pursuit, their previous despondence wiped clean.
Mu Chen smiled faintly as he glanced at Liu Shi and Fang Lei. "Gentlemen, Nine Nether Palace's target is the Thunder Magic Sect. If Lion Tiger Mountain has completed your conquest, you could consider going towards the Thunder Magic Sect."
"The war is pressing, and we shall not stay much longer. We will take our leave!"
Mu Chen clasped his fists and with no hesitation, he waved his hand and led the Nine Nether Troops as they transformed into dark clouds and charged ahead, leaving the people in awe and astonishment.
"What a capable young man. He has only been in Daluo Territory for a short time, yet he has such a good command over the Nine Nether Troop." Liu Shi looked at the mass of dark clouds and sensed the pervasive raging battle instinct, so he couldn't help but commend Mu Chen.
"He is indeed terrifying. He is now even stronger than when I met him previously." Fang Lei sighed. The last time he saw Mu Chen, he was confident that he could match him in a battle, but now he understood that he was no longer Mu Chen's opponent. The speed at which Mu Chen was improving shocked him.
"At this rate, I'm afraid it will only be a matter of time before a new Lord emerges in Daluo Territory…"
Liu Shi shook his head enviously before waving his hand in a flourish. "Let's go. We'll conquer Earth Fire City before heading to the Thunder Magic Sect. Haha, we absolutely cannot miss such a magnificent scene!"
As his voice rang out, he charged swiftly while the other men of Lion Tiger Mountain immediately followed.
Although Nine Nether's target had always been the Thunder Magic Sect, she wisely did not attack them recklessly and slowed her speed as she infiltrated the Thunder Fire Plains. At the same time, she sent Mu Chen to command the Nine Nether Troop alone. With his capability and the assistance of the Nine Nether Troop, they could easily dominate the arena.
Hence, wherever the Nine Nether Troop passed, some of the people in the Hundred Battle Territory, who were still stubbornly fighting, had been utterly defeated. Mu Chen, however, did not conquer the cities that they had passed but instead, handed them over to those who had fought hard before.
Although these actions caused them to suffer some losses, in a short time, it had created an excellent reputation for the Nine Nether Palace, so when the Nine Nether Palace asked the other forces to unite to suppress the Thunder Magic Sect, almost everyone agreed.
Thus, when the Nine Nether Troop charged towards the Thunder Magic Sect the next day, there were already more than a dozen forces coming from other directions, surrounding and trapping the Thunder Magic Sect.
The scene was majestic and magnificent as figures soared across both sky and ground with battle instinct permeating the horizons. Even the sky seemed to dim.
It was in this terrifying encirclement and suppression that Mu Chen led the Nine Nether Troop to finally step into the territory of the Thunder Magic Sect.