The one who charged the fiercest was none other than the most powerful among them—Bear Lord.
As soon as he appeared on the battlefield, he immediately reverted to his true form—the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear.
His meticulously refined four-word battle armor instantly fused into his body, while his god-level mecha merged with his darkgolden terrorclaws, emanating a blood-red glow.
In just a short span of time, he directly shattered Chen Zeyu's central army formation, tearing through the thick defensive line like ripping apart a dumpling wrapper, heading straight for Chen Zeyu's command center.
Bear Lord was well aware that the command center of a human army was equivalent to the brain of the entire force.
As long as he could crush the command center, the human second-line heavy army would no longer pose any threat, becoming nothing more than sheep to be slaughtered, a source of nourishment for the Star Dou Forest's return to its former glory.
"ROAR—"
A beastly roar erupted, carrying the power of a spiritual domain. The weaker ones fell unconscious immediately, causing the mechas and soul tools they operated to shut down completely.
With these insignificant pests no longer swarming around, Bear Lord charged forward and arrived before Chen Zeyu.
His darkgolden terrorclaws slashed through the air, five darkgolden streaks entwined with blood-red energy, rending everything apart and successfully tearing Chen Zeyu into shreds.
Thus fell the youngest general of the Sun-Moon Federation, heir to the Sea God Clan.
It wasn't that he didn't try to resist or escape—his sea martial soul, just like his father's, alongside his three-word battle armor's domain, Boundless Ocean, were released at the same time.
But none of it mattered.
No matter how powerful his soul-guided missiles and soul-guided beams were in theory, they failed to provide him with the firepower support he desperately needed.
Or rather, they didn't provide him with any firepower support at all.
On the distant soul-guided artillery positions, Ice Empress and the Titan Snow Demon King had already broken through.
These long-range soul-guided weapons, despite their immense destructive potential, were essentially useless in close combat.
If a Grade-9 fixed-installed soul-guided missile detonated within the army's proximity, it might not kill a single beast, but it would certainly take a significant toll on human soul masters.
As if their roles had been predetermined, Zi Ji, Lan Fozi, and several other powerful soul beasts focused solely on breaking through the heavy defenses of the human second-line forces, punching straight through.
At the fringes of the Star Dou Forest, where the expansion had initially been rapid, the once-thriving forest now appeared withered and lifeless.
The reason for this quickly became clear to Zi Ji and Lan Fozi—countless military drones had been dispersing a special chemical agent along the forest's perimeter.
Its effects were immediate—regardless of the species or resilience of the trees, the moment they came into contact with even a trace of the substance, they would turn yellow and wither away instantly, their life force completely extinguished.
Were it not for the continuous replenishment of vitality from deep within the Star Dou Forest, this chemical agent might have been enough to completely wither the entire forest's outer layer.
"SCREECH—"
A furious dragon roar erupted from Zi Ji's lips, and in an instant, she transformed into the Hell Demon Dragon King.
With the powerful suction force of her dragon wings, she crushed every last military drone still dispersing the chemical agent.
However, though the ongoing spraying had ceased, the chemicals that had already seeped into the soil continued their relentless erosion, forming a "ring" around the Star Dou Forest—every attempt at regeneration was met with renewed decay, creating a troubling predicament.
Zi Ji let out a breath of enraged dragon fire, intending to try again, but was stopped by Lan Fozi.
Having spent years traveling in the human world, Lan Fozi was knowledgeable about many things. Furthermore, because her mother, the Demon Queen, had suffered greatly from spiritual suppression drugs, she was particularly well-versed in human-developed chemicals.
"This is Agent Orange, a chemical weapon developed by humans decades ago—a forbidden weapon."
"Once applied, even the most self-regulating and self-purifying ancient forests will still wither. The soil and water sources will be polluted as well. Only by introducing an external purifying force can it be neutralized."
"Leave it to me."
As she spoke, water droplets formed around Lan Fozi, surging ceaselessly.
The splashing droplets coalesced into towering waves, expanding like a newly birthed sea.
Deep Blue Purification!
Endless waves and flowing waters, brimming with the breath of life, spread forth like the prayers and chants of water spirits.
"O sacred ocean, please use your life-giving power to dispel the corruption before us."
The tides of azure waters surged over the perimeter of the Star Dou Forest. As they ebbed and flowed, they brought forth rejuvenation and purification, washing away the contamination and decay.
Thus, the final obstacle preventing the Star Dou Forest's expansion was removed.
Deep within the dense forest, at the center of the Lake of Life, Bi Ji hovered above the water's surface.
Her pure white wings spread wide, each feather rippling with layers upon layers of emerald waves—a manifestation of overwhelmingly rich life force.
Beneath her, a massive spatial gateway loomed. Within it lay countless seeds of life, several unconscious Limit Douluo, and boundless essence of blood energy continuously pouring in to replenish vitality.
The origins of these unconscious Limit Douluo and the blood energy essence were self-evident.
Sensing that the chemical agent that had instantly withered plants was now eradicated, a gleam of vibrant green light flashed through Bi Ji's eyes. She called out in a crisp voice:
"Ten Thousand Demon King!"
A torrent of boundless life energy erupted, with Bi Ji acting as the central hub and the Ten Thousand Demon King as the intricate network of distribution. In an instant, it spread throughout the entire Star Dou Forest, initiating an unprecedented wave of rapid expansion.
The very land occupied by the second-line human army had once been part of the Star Dou Forest thousands of years ago—it was originally plains covered by the forest.
With an overwhelming infusion of life energy, the transformation was near-instantaneous.
The entire area was engulfed by dense vegetation, growing at speeds visible to the naked eye, disorienting the second-line human forces.
Numerous soul-guided weapons were lost or destroyed, while the failure of command structures led to the complete collapse of the army.
Panic ensued as the once-disciplined troops scattered in all directions.
Unfortunately for them, the rapid growth of vegetation and forest coverage left many of the weaker and slower-reacting human soul masters trapped within the expanding forest.
Intricate spatial pathways spread throughout, allowing ordinary soul beasts with high mobility to swiftly divide and surround human forces, engaging in overwhelming attacks.
Even the more powerful mecha pilots and battle armor masters who managed to escape were swiftly pursued and eliminated by the rampaging beasts.
In a matter of moments, the human second-line heavy army was completely annihilated on the battlefield.
The outer boundary of the Star Dou Forest extended to the very doorstep of the Spirit Pagoda headquarters, restoring its coverage to the vast range it had claimed ten thousand years ago.
The fallen human soldiers and soul masters became nothing more than fertilizer, nourishing the forest as it regained its former glory.
At the same time, in the extreme north…
(To be continued)