Meanwhile, an agile-attack class Soul Master was heading from the Douling Empire towards Soul Land when they suddenly halted their steps...
After quickly scanning the empty surroundings, they frowned and muttered, "Hmm? Did I take a wrong turn, or has Hall Master Tang and the others already returned to Soul Land?"
"I remember, the route we agreed upon was definitely this one!"
Ever since receiving the order, they had been chasing at full speed. By now, their Soul Power was nearly exhausted...
If they couldn't find the Elders of the Sea God Pavilion soon, they feared they would only be able to convey the message upon arriving in Soul Land...
But by then, it might already be too late!
Thinking this, they violently shook their head, deciding to restore some Soul Power here before setting off again...
But the next second, a sharp dagger was suddenly pressed against their neck...
"Who are you? Why are you tracking us??"
The speaker was none other than Xie Xie, who had voluntarily stayed behind to keep watch!
Feeling the chill from the tip of the dagger, the former couldn't help but swallow hard...
However, they quickly recognized the familiar trace of Soul Power Aura...
In an agitated voice, they said, "You... You're Elder Xie of the Sea God's Pavilion? Hold on, don't attack, I'm one of us, one of us!"
Fearing that the dagger might just slice through their neck...
Xie Xie narrowed his eyes, interrogating, "One of us?? Then why were you skulking about just now?"
The man hesitated for a moment, then explained, "I... my Soul Power is depleted, so I planned to recover a bit here."
After hearing this answer and not sensing anything amiss, Xie Xie finally lowered the Light Dragon Dagger...
He said with an awkward laugh, "If you're one of us, you should've said so earlier. I thought you were an evil Soul Master sent by the Ghost Emperor, hahaha..."
Relieved, the other man didn't dwell on that but said with a grave expression, "Elder Xie, time is pressing. Let's skip that—do you know where Hall Master Tang and the others are? I have an urgent message!"
Xie Xie, who had just relaxed, became vigilant again...
"What's the matter? Tell me first!!"
Since the dagger had just been removed and the other party was eagerly asking to see Wulin and the rest, he couldn't be careless.
Without wasting words, the man immediately said, "Elder Xie, not long after you left the Douling Empire, the Ghost Emperor ordered the evil Soul Masters to head to various cities and set up Ritual Formations."
"They have already been activated and it won't be long before the entire population of the Douling Empire is transformed into evil Soul Masters!!"
Xie Xie's pupils constricted as he exclaimed, "What?? Such crucial information, why didn't you use the communicator??"
The former replied with a wry smile, "Elder Xie, we thought of that too, but the communicator is being interfered with—there's no signal whatsoever. That's why I was dispatched to deliver the message!"
Upon hearing this answer, Xie Xie didn't hesitate for a moment and vanished from the spot...
Seeing this, the man was a bit bewildered and quickly reminded, "Elder Xie, wait for me!"
With such speed, there was no way he could keep up!!
But it wasn't long before he discovered the trace of Soul Power Aura that Xie Xie had deliberately left behind, and he promptly followed...
...
"Buzz!!"
As the space rippled with Soul Power, Xie Xie's figure appeared before everyone's eyes...
Yue Zhengyu was quite surprised and inquired, "Xie Xie, weren't you on guard over there? Why did you come back? Did you discover something new?"
The rest of those present also cast puzzled glances at him...
Xie Xie took a deep breath and explained, "I just encountered a Soul Master from the Dou Spirit Empire who came to deliver a message!"
"I learned of a very important piece of information!"
Yuanen Zhentian asked with confusion, "An important message? Is it about the Dou Spirit Empire?"
Tang Yinmeng chimed in, "Most likely, it's about the Ghost Emperor and the other evil Soul Masters who have likely already begun to make their move!"
Yuanen Yehui suddenly reminded, "If it's that important, we should have used the communication device; why did they have to send someone in person to deliver the message?"
En Ci chose to get straight to the point, "Elder Xie, since the matter is urgent, let's not worry about these details for now,"
Xie Xie nodded, "That's right, according to what that Soul Master said, after we left the Dou Spirit Empire, the Ghost Emperor and other evil Soul Masters activated the Ritual Formation!"
"It won't be long before all the people of the Dou Spirit Empire become evil Soul Masters, turning into our enemies!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression became grave...
The Soul Masters from the Xingluo Empire could not help but discuss among themselves...
"What?? It's happening so fast, we haven't even returned to the Douluo Continent yet!"
"Humph, if we have to talk about why, isn't it because Hall Master Tang had an accident and we waited here too long, delaying our journey!"
"Don't talk nonsense, it's not Hall Master Tang's fault. Probably the Ghost Emperor and the other evil Soul Masters have been waiting for us to leave before they acted to activate the Ritual Formation!"
"So, what do we do now? Do we return to the Dou Spirit Empire the same way and stop the evil Soul Masters??"
"No, going back to the Dou Spirit Empire now would be too late. With just us, there's no way we can eliminate an empire's worth of evil Soul Masters!!"
Seeing that their emotions were running high, En Ci chided, "Quiet down, everyone. It's already too late for any discussion!!"
Then he turned to inquire of the Elders of the Sea God's Pavilion, "Elders, in your view, what should we do now?"
Yue Zhengyu was the first to respond, "One thing is certain, since the Ritual Formation has been activated, it cannot be stopped, not even by killing the Ghost Emperor!"
"Therefore, rushing back to the Dou Spirit Empire would be like walking into a trap!"
Yuanen Yehui immediately agreed, "Zhengyu is right. We should stick to our original plan and return to the Dou Spirit Empire. After a detailed discussion, we can take further action!"
Xie Xie said through gritted teeth, "But, we don't know how long Wulin will take to recover. If we keep waiting here, I'm afraid..."
The real situation regarding Wulin, he had only told Yuanen Yehui!
Yuanen Zhentian stroked his chin, suggesting, "Why not leave one or two strong protectors with Wulin and have everyone else return to the Douluo Continent?"
"Holy Dragon Douluo, what do you think?"
En Ci immediately made a decision, "I have no objections. This might be the best course of action!"
Hall Master Tang is an important combatant against the Ghost Emperor; we absolutely cannot leave him here alone. It would be too dangerous!
He did have that much foresight!
Yuanen Zhentian nodded, "In that case, I'll go inform Elder Ya'li right away..."
However, no sooner had he spoken than Ya'li emerged with a calm expression...
Yuanen Zhentian looked surprised and asked, "Elder Ya'li, why have you come? What about Wulin...?"
Ya'li shook her head, "Wulin is no longer in danger, and he should wake up in about four hours!"
She also vaguely knew what had really happened inside Tang Wulin's body...
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