Upon hearing that En Ci not only did not blame anyone but also gave the order to retreat!
The Soul Masters all revealed looks of joy; they had been prepared to take the blame!
Seeing everything, En Ci sighed somewhat helplessly, "What? Do you all see me as someone who cannot understand the situation?"
Upon hearing this, the Soul Masters immediately denied it, "No, not at all, State Preceptor, you are naturally the person who can see the situation most clearly, how could you not understand?!"
"Yes, yes, we always trust your judgment. We have been keeping watch here without any incidents occurring; it must be an anomaly!"
"That's right, State Preceptor, you are like a diviner; this is just an exception. We always believe in you deep in our hearts!"
En Ci rolled his eyes, not pleased, "Enough, enough, say a few words and you will start flattering me!"
"With this time, you should hurry up and pack up, then set off."
These fellows really knew how to use those flatterers' tactics on themselves!
Lucky for them, he was no longer as proud and arrogant as he had been in the past; otherwise, he might have become somewhat complacent, right?
The Soul Masters looked at one another and chuckled...
Then they began to pack up the things around them...
At this moment, a Soul Douluo who had been standing silently next to En Ci couldn't help but ask, "State Preceptor, are we really just leaving like this? Wouldn't that make our past several days of waiting a total waste?"
The latter glanced at him and replied somewhat helplessly, "Yes, I don't want it to be this way either, but there is no other choice than to return to the Xingluo Empire now!"
Staying here any longer, not to mention whether the forces of the Soul Land Continent would suspect any conspiracy!
Just the lack of a place to stay is enough to trouble everyone present!
The Soul Douluo hesitated for a moment, then his eyes lit up, "State Preceptor, how about I stay here on watch, while you lead the others back to the Xingluo Empire? As soon as anything happens, I will immediately communicate with you."
However, the suggestion was denied, "No, since I brought you all here, I have to bring every single one of you back!"
Considering the high-end combat power present, it's best not to have any losses!
Upon hearing this, the former's expression didn't change, "State Preceptor, from the moment I followed you out of the Xingluo Empire, I was already prepared to not return. Please allow me to stay here!"
He was not content to wait so long for nothing!
This firm response caused En Ci's attitude to waiver slightly, "Are you sure? If we return to the Xingluo Empire, we don't know how long before we can come back."
"And moreover, you don't know how long you will have to wait here, it could be several days, or it might be over ten days!!"
The former responded without hesitation, "State Preceptor, my feelings are the same as before, I have made my preparations!"
En Ci had no reason to refuse and said in a very serious tone, "Alright, then this mission is yours. Remember to be extremely careful with everything!!"
The Soul Douluo's face lit up with joy, and he quickly said, "Yes, State Preceptor, I will remember your words!!"
En Ci said no more and instead looked at the other Soul Masters who had already packed up and loudly declared, "Set off and return to the Xingluo Empire!!"
As the words fell, these Soul Masters followed the former and left the place...
Watching their departing backs, the facial expression of the just now Soul Douluo subtly changed, and his eyes became increasingly fierce...
"Sorry, State Preceptor, although I have been favored by you in the Xingluo Empire for many years, I am ultimately from the Holy Spirit Cult!!"
If one observed carefully, his Soul Power was filled with an evil aura...
Without a doubt, he was an evil Soul Master!
...
Not long after!
En Ci led the Soul Master warriors back to the Xingluo Empire!
And they were personally received by Emperor Dai Yueyan!!
Dai Yueyan's face overflowed with joy as he excitedly said, "State Preceptor, your journey must have been hard!"
Upon hearing this, En Ci replied with an unfazed demeanor, "Your Majesty, you give us too much praise. It is our unshirkable duty to serve the Xingluo Empire!"
After a pause, he shook his head, "It's just that the trip was not as smooth as imagined!"
Hearing this, Dai Yueyan, with a puzzled look on his face, said, "Oh? Did you encounter any dangers during the trip? I see that it took you much longer than expected to return!"
En Ci glanced around at the people of the Xingluo Empire and answered evasively, "I wouldn't say we encountered danger, just that some of the plans we wanted to implement were unsuccessful."
"As for the specifics, Your Majesty, shall we discuss it back at the imperial palace?"
Dai Yueyan also realized that it was not proper to speak of such matters in a place with many prying eyes and nodded, "Good, then we'll talk after we return to the imperial palace!"
He then turned his gaze to the other Soul Master warriors, "All of you are pillars of the Xingluo Empire, please follow me to the imperial palace!"
Seeing this, everyone bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty!"
They were already flattered that the emperor had come to meet them personally; how could they possibly refuse!
The commoners around, who had no idea what was going on, simply raised their hands and applauded, "As expected of the State Preceptor leading the team, they have returned unharmed!"
"Indeed, the State Preceptor is one of the most powerful Soul Masters in our Xingluo Empire. With him around, what could possibly go wrong?"
"Yes, yes, our Xingluo Empire's ability to stand tall for so long is greatly related to the State Preceptor!"
"Having returned triumphantly this time, the State Preceptor and his team must have gone through many hardships. His Majesty must reward them well!"
...
After returning to the Imperial Palace Great Hall, Dai Yueyan seated himself on the throne and gestured with his hand, "State Preceptor, please don't be courteous, take a seat!"
He maintained his respect towards En Ci!
After nodding, En Ci also took a seat below...
Only then did Dai Yueyan continue, "State Preceptor, earlier you mentioned that some plans did not go very smoothly. May I know what happened?"
The former did not refuse but responded, "Of course, Your Majesty has the right to know everything!"
"After we arrived on the Douluo Continent, we held discussions with forces such as Shrek Academy. The conclusion we reached was to temporarily set aside our grievances and prioritize dealing with the evil Soul Masters from the Douling Empire!"
Dai Yueyan pursed his lips, "Isn't that result quite good? Why did you say it wasn't very smooth, State Preceptor??"
En Ci sighed, "The result does indeed seem good, but what the Federation and Spirit Pagoda are doing behind the scenes, that remains unclear."
"What's more, the Federation has now successfully created the God-killing soul-guided missile, trying to make them give it up is probably impossible!"
The former was stunned, "Indeed, with the God-killing soul-guided missile, the Federation has essentially secured the ultimate victory!"
"Our Xingluo Empire will likely need to make a strategic choice between the two!"
...