Chapter 148: The Profound Meaning of the Battle Soul

As Hu Yihu’s voice fell, dozens of piercing whistles erupted from within the Vulcan Army. As the whistles faded, twelve middle-aged men shrouded in oppressive battle intent stood straight before Hu Mo. Every single one of them emanated a dense aura of death—an atmosphere born and nurtured by endless slaughter.

"The Twelve Fire Soul Generals of the Vulcan Army pay respects to General Weilong!" shouted the red-armored man at the head of the group. This was followed by a dozen thunderous roars as the remaining eleven men fully unleashed their overpowering presence.

"Seven Battle Kings and five Slaughter Battle Kings—not a bad formation," Hu Mo smiled faintly, quickly retreating several dozen paces away.

"Mo'er, let my Twelve Fire Soul Generals test the might of your Astral Brigade. Listen up, Fire Soul Generals: no fatalities are permitted, and anyone who violates this will be dealt with by military law! Furthermore, you had better not embarrass me, or else... hehe, you already know the consequences," Hu Yihu said with a chilling smirk. The twelve Fire Soul Generals merely chuckled unconcernedly. Given their lineup, pitted against a force where not a single member had even reached the realm of a Slaughter Battle King, let alone seventy-two opponents, even seven hundred and twenty would pose virtually no suspense in a fight.

"Understood!" the twelve men roared in unison, the sound cracking across the parade ground like a thunderclap.

Hu Mo looked at the soldiers of the Astral Brigade with a serene smile and said, "Fight with all your might, hold nothing back. Trust in the power of cooperation; rely on the formation and defeat them one by one!"

"Understood, Commander!" roared every single member of the Astral Brigade. Even Hu Baimei quickly immersed herself in her role. Had Hu Mo not forbidden her from fighting directly, she likely would have already charged forward to thrash those men to a pulp—though of course, she certainly couldn't have laid a finger on Hu Yihu.

Yet, for now, she could only act as a mere ornament, putting up a front here to anchor the formation while being unable to do anything else.

The Hex-Astral Formation was an offshoot born from the grand Dipper and Constellation Formation. That ancient array had far too harsh cultivation requirements; with the Astral Brigade's current strength, trying to unleash its true might was simply too difficult.

Drawing upon his own comprehension of the Dipper and Constellation array, along with the integration of several other formations, Hu Mo had created this Hex-Astral Formation.

"Quick resolution, don't keep the Commander waiting," shouted the leader of the twelve Fire Soul Generals, his demeanor exceptionally arrogant and unruly.

The other eleven nodded heavily, each drawing upon their utmost strength, preparing to end this battle with a lightning strike.

Heitie and his comrades burned with towering battle intent. Having just broken through and boosted their strengths, they were brimming with courage. No matter how formidable their opponents might be, it was entirely insufficient to instill fear in them.

The twelve Fire Soul Generals had already moved out, yet Heitie’s side remained completely motionless. This Hex-Astral Formation centered entirely around Hu Baimei; thus, without her command, not a single person dared to stir.

Heitie and the others grew somewhat restless. Watching the twelve Fire Soul Generals charge toward them while still receiving no command from Hu Baimei, the immense power accumulated by the grand array felt as though it was about to burst their bodies apart.

Just then, Hu Baimei offered a gentle, subtle smile. "First of the hex: Illusion!"

Heitie and the others let out a simultaneous roar, seventy-one figures leaping into motion to take up their assigned positions. Almost instantly, a thick fog blanketed the area they encircled, causing the figures of the twelve Fire Soul Generals to completely vanish.

Hu Yihu, who had been lounging lazily in his fur-lined chair, suddenly straightened up in surprise. "Such a marvelous illusion array, and it even possesses tangible substance! Could this be the fusion of water and earth attribute battle energies?"

Hu Mo remained silent. Seeing Hu Yihu's expression from afar, a wave of amusement washed over him, and he muttered to himself, "The hex represents six transformations; the illusion is merely the most preliminary and basic phase. Grandfather, I will soon let you witness a far more thrilling performance."

True to their reputation, the twelve Fire Soul Generals were seasoned veterans of countless battles. The moment this technique threatened to envelop them, they immediately clustered together. Twelve pillars of fire soared into the sky, appearing extraordinarily conspicuous amidst the rolling fog.

Hu Baimei stood outside the illusory array, fusing her entire being with the grand formation. Truly, she was a peerless monster of talent. When Hu Mo had merely explained it to her once, she was already wielding it with greater proficiency than he could himself. Hu Mo could do nothing but bow in admiration and heave a sigh of wonder.

Observing Hu Baimei's actions, Hu Mo couldn't help but feel a sense of profound astonishment. This strategy was truly vicious. Luring the twelve Fire Soul Generals into the illusion array and gradually wearing them down through a war of attrition meant that, at this rate, the twelve Fire Soul Generals would inevitably fall into a passive disadvantage.

"Battle intent, obliterate the heavens!" Several roars merged into one, transforming into a colossal beam of light that pierced the sky. The light blade slashed through the air, churning the dense fog to the point where it could no longer maintain its form. Up on the viewing platform, Hu Yihu couldn't help but stroke his beard, a deeply gratified smile blooming across his face.

"Using battle intent to shatter the illusory realm—not bad, they didn't disappoint me, hahaha..." Hu Yihu laughed heartily, a surge of battle intent rising from deep within his own heart. Had it not been for the sake of his pride, he likely would have wanted to rush down there and cut loose for the thrill of it.

"Second of the hex: Bind!" Hu Baimei's tone remained calm, her gaze occasionally sweeping toward Hu Yihu, though it was brimming with utter disdain.

As her voice fell, the sea of fog abruptly surged with life. Massive dragons formed from mist rapidly coalesced until twelve of them towered in the air. Because the twelve Fire Soul Generals were all fire-attribute warriors, Hu Mo didn't even need to complicate things; deploying water-attribute battle energy alone sufficed. This concentrated their battle energy application, amplifying its might exponentially.

The mist dragons let out thunderous roars as they lunged toward the twelve Fire Soul Generals. The twelve Fire Soul Generals were reduced to mere puppets, plunging into a state of absolute passivity within the array.

Though the cultivation levels of these twelve men were exceptionally high, they were far too arrogant and conceited. When facing the Astral Brigade, they had already dismissed them as worthless trash—though, of course, they didn't dare hold such an attitude toward Hu Baimei.

Precisely because of this, their overwhelming contempt and reckless intrusion had allowed them to be cornered squarely by the Hex-Astral Formation. The Hex-Astral Formation was endlessly self-sustaining; unless the array was broken, the casters themselves remained completely unscathed. Of course, this kind of formation was limited by one's capability—if even one or two of these dozen men were Battle Emperor-tier powerhouses, whether the Hex-Astral Formation could even be maintained would truly become a question. And if a Battle Saint were present, unless Hu Baimei intervened personally, this array would undoubtedly be shattered.

"An illusion array, a trapping array—fascinating. I just wonder how formidable the lethality of this array truly is." Hu Yihu narrowed his eyes, watching the twelve Fire Soul Generals battling the twelve mist dragons within the formation. The twelve mist dragons possessed virtually no direct offensive power, but their self-healing capability was horrifyingly potent. No matter how many times they were shattered, within the span of a single breath, they would reform good as new. They didn't attack; they simply coiled around, attempting to bind the Fire Soul Generals with their bodies. Water and fire were inherently incompatible; the moment those mist dragons drew near, a profound sense of revulsion surged within the hearts of the Fire Soul Generals, driving them to frantically smash the mist dragons apart time and time again.

Behind the grand array, Heitie and the other seventy-one individuals maintained everything with effortless ease. In truth, this formation only required half of their number to operate, allowing them to rotate in shifts and handle the load with grace. Their hearts surged with exhilarating pleasure. Previously, within the Vulcan Army, this group of theirs had constantly been looked down upon by those arrogant, self-righteous bastards. But now, the situation was completely reversed—they were actually beating the twelve Fire Soul Generals to the point where they couldn't even fight back. This felt entirely too damn satisfying!

"Third of the hex: Attack!" Hu Baimei's expression tightened. A frantic wave of battle intent erupted from her body; mindful that this spar forbade any fatalities, she refrained from releasing any killing intent.

The mist dragons rolled and whipped through the air, their previously colorless pupils suddenly flashing with a crimson glow. With a sweep of their massive tails, all twelve Fire Soul Generals were sent flying through the air by the raw impact.

"Fourth of the hex: Seal!" Hu Baimei's gaze was sharp as lightning. Locking onto the trajectory where the twelve Fire Soul Generals were hurtling, the hardness of the air at that precise point suddenly multiplied a thousandfold—a masterclass application of metal and earth attribute battle energies.

A brilliant light flashed in Hu Yihu's eyes. He let out a loud laugh and said, "That's more like it! If a battle array lacks formidable offensive power, what kind of battle array is it? However, wanting to trap my Fire Soul Generals with just this level of might is still not enough."

No sooner had Hu Yihu's voice faded than the Fire Soul Generals—who had been battered into a state of complete helplessness—simultaneously let out a deafening roar. Twelve colossal battle souls materialized behind them. The battle souls rapidly merged with their physical bodies, and within a mere few breaths, their presence skyrocketed by several tiers.

Hu Mo's expression shifted slightly, a profound shock gripping his heart. The appearance of battle souls was nothing out of the ordinary; that much was well within his expectations. What astounded him, however, was their cultivation levels. Battle souls were supposed to merely amplify offensive power—how could they actually elevate one's cultivation realm as well? This was utterly baffling to him.

With their power and cultivation enhanced, the twelve Fire Soul Generals launched a frenzied assault within the array. Vast amounts of mist dissipated, and even the battle array itself began to fracture with alarming cracks, presenting a horrifying sight.

Heitie and the others felt their hearts sink heavily. Had it not been for the protection of the grand array, a fraction of such terrifying attacks would have been enough to leave at least half of them severely wounded.

The fierce onslaught of the twelve Fire Soul Generals subjected the Hex-Astral Formation to immense pressure. Even with seventy-one of them resisting together, the cracks across the formation continued to spread relentlessly.

Hu Baimei's expression turned stern as she shouted aloud, "Fifth of the hex: Defend!"

The Hex-Astral Formation contracted instantly, replacing its water-attribute battle energy with earth-attribute battle energy. Its defensive capability multiplied manifold in that exact fraction of a second, allowing it to stubbornly withstand the onslaught of the twelve Fire Soul Generals.

Hu Yihu wore an expression of sheer delight as he laughed heartily. "Mo'er, do you see this? This is the exact reason why they are called the Fire Soul Generals! Only through the flawless integration of one's battle soul and physical body can the power of the battle soul be driven to its absolute peak. The battle soul is a warrior's true soul—far more important than even their lifeline soul!"

Hu Yihu's emotions ran high, a faint crimson glow blossoming across his skin—the manifestation of Hu Yihu's stirring battle soul.

Only then did Hu Mo understand. The primary reason Hu Yihu had dispatched the twelve Fire Soul Generals was to let him comprehend the true power of battle souls.

"The resonance between the battle soul and one's own power, is it?" Hu Mo murmured to himself. A peculiar brilliance flickered across his skin as well, though the radiance on his body differed vastly from Hu Yihu's. While Hu Yihu burned with a singular crimson, Hu Mo's glow shimmered in three colors—cyan, red, and blue—resembling three layers of translucent gauze draped over him. Hu Mo knew this was the convergence of his wood, fire, and water battle souls. Once he completely gathered all five elements, he would possess the legendary Five-Element Battle Soul, something Hu Mo had anticipated for a very long time.

"Mo'er, back in the day, your father also challenged me, but his soldiers only managed to last half an hour under the hands of my Fire Soul Generals. I wonder if your soldiers can hold out a bit longer?" Hu Yihu smiled faintly, his burning gaze fixed intently on Hu Mo.

Sensing the fluctuation of the battle souls within, Hu Mo's thoughts stirred, causing the three streams of battle soul energy to slowly recede back into his body. Facing Hu Yihu's inquiry, Hu Mo merely shook his head with a cheeky smile and said, "Grandfather, some things shouldn't be spoken of with such absolute certainty. Who's to say my soldiers might not end up defeating those twelve Fire Soul Generals? Hehe, nothing in this world is set in stone."

"Is that so? Then I shall let you see just how foolish your notions truly are." Hu Yihu's voice echoed across the entire parade ground. The expressions of the twelve Fire Soul Generals simultaneously tightened, a trace of a sneer curling the corners of their mouths.

"Fire Soul Generals, display your ultimate power!" Hu Yihu bellowed like thunder in a clear sky, leaving ears ringing with vibration.

The twelve Fire Soul Generals roared in unison, causing the twelve previously scattered battle souls to immediately converge. Hu Mo could clearly sense that as the twelve battle souls merged into one, the fire-attribute battle energy in the air grew so dense it reached a terrifying threshold—lingering just a hair's breadth away from the primordial flames of chaos.

"Soul battle skill: Fire Soul Fusion!" The twelve battle souls raised their heads to the heavens in a wild roar, rapidly blending together. With the speed of lightning, they fused all twelve into one. In that exact fraction of a second, the fire-attribute energy of the entire world seemed to have been completely drained dry. A colossal battle soul materialized before everyone's eyes, resembling a gigantic fiery titan venting the violent battle intent raging within its soul.

Inside Flame City, a dozen gazes turned toward this direction. Zhu Wannian opened his eyes and let out a cold snort. "Brat, what kind of games are you playing at again? If you get beaten up again, I couldn't care less about you lot!"

No sooner had his voice faded than he furrowed his brow, turned around, and left his room, soaring straight toward the West Mountain parade ground.