Chapter 2596: Arrival at Destination_1
Tiandou Empire within!
The soldiers responsible for this search operation of the Tiandou Empire were walking at an extremely slow pace...
because they had been marching for quite a few hours since their departure!
During this time, they had been marching at high speed, which was a tremendous burden for ordinary people!
As expected, the strong leader at the front noticed this scene and frowned, reprimanding, "You are soldiers of the Tiandou Empire, what kind of state is this?"
"Everyone, perk up and quicken the pace!!"
However, even so, this did not relieve the fatigue of these soldiers...
Only the sound of a "thump" was heard as a soldier could no longer endure the high-intensity march and collapsed to the ground, then began to gasp for breath...
Seeing this, the other soldiers steeled their hearts and a swath of them went down...
"The weather is too... too scorching, we simply... simply can't run anymore!"
"Yeah, really don't know why we have to cover such a long distance!"
"Damn it, if I were a Soul Master, this little distance would be nothing!!"
"Let us... take a... break, our legs have already started swelling and aching!"
Seeing this, the strong leader's eyes widened with fury, "You..."
Without his command, these soldiers dared to rest on their own!!
Seeing this, a few nearby soldiers cautiously began to explain, "Sir, you are a noble Soul Master and naturally have no problems, but we soldiers of the Tiandou Empire are mostly ordinary people, we simply cannot endure this!"
"Yes, we've not had a rest since setting out, there was nothing we could do!"
"Even I, merely a Grand Soul Master, find it extremely strenuous, to say nothing of ordinary people!"
Upon hearing their words, the man's face fluctuated...
But he also knew that continuing to command them to advance would only lower their efficiency, thus he coldly said, "Fine, everyone, rest on the spot for ten minutes, then continue forward!!"
"Phew..."
All the soldiers couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, feeling as if they were finally coming back to life...
...
Finally, just before the sun was about to set, the soldiers of the Tiandou Empire finally arrived at their destination...
Looking around, there were vast ranges of mountains, with no end in sight...
This inevitably raised doubts among the soldiers...
"I mean, has our Tiandou Empire really stationed troops here? It couldn't just be a pretext, could it?"
"Yeah, in this godforsaken place, not to speak of lodging, even getting food is a problem!"
"Keep it down, this is an order directly from His Majesty the Emperor himself, we just need to follow it!!"
"That's easy for you to say, but this is the last place I'd want to spend a second longer!"
One of the soldiers hesitated before asking the leading man, "Sir, what should we do now?"
The latter took a deep breath before speaking, "Have the soldiers set up camp right here, and come tomorrow, carry out a comprehensive search of all the mountain ranges, leaving no place unchecked."
To tell the truth, he had not expected the conditions here to be so harsh, but nonetheless, the orders from His Majesty the Emperor had to be carried out!
The soldier was startled, "Ah? Search all the mountain ranges?"
Just within the current field of vision, there were several large mountain ranges; to conduct a search of every single one, it would undoubtedly not be possible in a short period!
The man felt slightly displeased, "What, do you have a problem?"
The former swallowed hard, hurriedly denying with, "No... no problem, I'll go have everyone set up the tents."
And so, the soldiers began to erect the tents at an extremely fast pace, managing to finish just as night fell!
While it could serve as a temporary rest area, it lacked any form of protection, necessitating a rotation of soldiers to keep watch throughout the night...
...
Tiandou Empire Palace!
After receiving the news, the Daijin rushed to report to Xue Ye on the throne, "Your Majesty the Emperor, the team we dispatched has arrived at their destination and will formally begin the search tomorrow!"
The other ministers showed various expressions but chose to lower their heads and listen...
Xue Ye nodded slightly, a fierce killing intent in his eyes, "Hmm, we must find out exactly which power dares to act within the bounds of our Tiandou Empire!"
This was the first time such an incident had occurred during his reign!
It was a complete slap in the face to him as the emperor!
Summoning his courage, this minister cautiously said, "Your Majesty the Emperor, your servant has something to say, though I'm uncertain if it should be spoken..."
Faced with this statement, Xue Ye merely glanced at him, "Hmm?"
A chill ran through the minister's heart, and he no longer beat around the bush, "Cough cough... Your Majesty the Emperor, the thing is, according to information provided by the Crown Prince, the mountain range's location, although within our Tiandou Empire's territory, is extremely remote!"
"Furthermore, there are many soul beasts inhabiting that area. Maybe, those soldiers did not perish at the hands of humans."
Xue Ye raised his eyebrows, pondering, "You mean to say, these soldiers may have been attacked by soul beasts?"
The minister nodded earnestly, "Exactly! If that's the case, wouldn't sending so many soldiers to investigate just be sending them to their deaths for nothing?"
Unexpectedly, Xue Ye rebuked angrily, "Foolish, if it really was the work of soul beasts, why were there no traces of them left at the scene? Do you think these lower beings have such intelligence?"
The former dared not say anything more, merely bowing his head, "This servant was ignorant, please forgive me, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
Xue Ye then turned his gaze to the ministers below, saying irritably, "And you lot, as ministers of a country, why do you keep your heads down? I am not a bloodthirsty tyrant!"
Upon hearing this, the ministers immediately lifted their heads...
Yet in their hearts, they silently protested...
A bloodthirsty tyrant? How could it not be so!
Initially, some ministers had their heads fall just for speaking half a wrong word!
They certainly did not wish to meet such an end!
Therefore, they had to be extremely cautious in their actions!
Outwardly, however, they echoed obsequiously, "Your Majesty the Emperor is naturally not a bloodthirsty tyrant, it's just that we are also cautious not to speak rashly and affect Your judgment!"
"No... no mistake, Your Majesty the Emperor's wisdom is beyond our reach. Anything we can think of, you would surely have considered,"
"Yes, yes, yes, Your Majesty, you are the most outstanding among all emperors, surely you can control everything!"
This meaningless flattery made Xue Ye sneer, "Since you ministers are so useless, perhaps it would be better to dispose of you all, how about that?"
In an instant, a chill climbed up the backs of all the ministers, and they felt as if they had been plunged into an ice cellar, not daring to even breathe...
Xue Ye reigned in his emotions and said nonchalantly, "A bunch of spineless things, you are all dismissed!"
These ministers were far more cowardly than he expected, utterly unable to provide any useful advice!
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