The Ultimate Douluo guarding by his side seemed to have noticed something off about Dai Yueyan and asked in confusion, "Your Majesty, we have won the eradication campaign, so why don't you seem happy at all?"
Dai Yueyan pondered, "I always feel that it's not that simple. The evil Soul Masters of the Holy Spirit Cult are notoriously despicable and difficult to deal with, even going to any lengths for their own purposes!"
"Even though our army is vast, it's ultimately comprised of ordinary soldiers. To eradicate thousands of evil Soul Masters, it's impossible to say it was a complete victory!"
The pupils of the Ultimate Douluo constricted, "Your Majesty, do you mean… that those generals have concealed the true casualty figures?"
Dai Yueyan nodded slightly, "Yes! If that is the case, I can understand them. After all, this is the Xingluo Empire's first battle against the Holy Spirit Cult's Evil Soul Masters, and the morale of the citizens and the army is extremely important!"
While the two were speaking, the other Daijin gradually calmed down...
One of the Daijin stepped forward and proposed, "Your Majesty, since the battle has been won, why not strike while the iron is hot and annihilate all of the Holy Spirit Cult's Evil Soul Masters in one fell swoop?"
Another Daijin echoed, "Exactly, no matter how strong those evil Soul Masters of the Holy Spirit Cult are, they will kneel before the unstoppable hooves of our Xingluo Empire!"
"Those mere evil Soul Masters are only outwardly strong but hollow inside, certainly no match for our Xingluo Empire!"
Clearly, these Daijin, having been oppressed by the Holy Spirit Cult for many years, were somewhat getting carried away by this sudden victory!
But not all the Daijin were blinded, as one of them sensibly said, "Your Majesty, I think there is something fishy about this eradication campaign. It would be best to observe first!"
"That's right, even though our soldiers are physically strong, they are still at a disadvantage when facing the Holy Spirit Cult's Evil Soul Masters. To say the result was a complete victory is impossible!"
"If the Evil Soul Masters of the Holy Spirit Cult were really so easy to defeat, then powers with strong Soul Masters like Shrek Academy should have destroyed them long ago!"
Dai Yueyan watched these Daijin seriously, "Regarding the eradication campaign, regardless of the actual casualties, the fact that we eradicated thousands of evil Soul Masters is true, and it has boosted the morale of our soldiers and the citizens of the empire!"
"Of course, some Daijin worry that the Holy Spirit Cult is luring the enemy by pretending to be weak, but I naturally have a sense of proportion!"
In just two sentences, he silenced the Daijin, putting an end to their dwelling on the issue...
He then once more spoke in an unquestionable tone, "Issue my order, have the army immediately return to defend the Xingluo Empire, to avoid a counterattack from the Holy Spirit Cult!"
All the Daijin bowed in unison, "Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
…
Holy Spirit Cult Headquarters!
The leader, known as the Ghost Emperor, had a grim expression, "The Xingluo Empire dares to muster its elite forces and launch an attack on us!!"
What's more, they caused the loss of thousands of our evil Soul Masters!!
This is undoubtedly an act of contempt for the Holy Spirit Cult!
Nanali was the first to reply, "Reporting to the Sect Hierarch, although our Holy Spirit Cult lost a thousand evil Soul Masters, the casualties of the Xingluo Empire are clearly much worse than ours! Roughly tenfold!"
"From this perspective, our Holy Spirit Cult has not lost!"
Leng Yulai spoke indifferently from the side, "Indeed, the majority of the Xingluo Empire's army are ordinary soldiers with very weak individual combat abilities. They're simply relying on their sheer numbers to hold out!"
"If they were to truly clash with our large troops of evil Soul Masters, it would be nothing short of a moth to a flame!"
Halosa, however, cautioned, "It's not that simple. Since the military strength of the Xingluo Empire is the strongest among the three major empires, they must have their unique traits!"
"Sect Hierarch, I suggest that we not initiate a counterattack recklessly without understanding the situation clearly!"
The loss of merely a thousand evil Soul Masters means little to the Holy Spirit Cult as it stands now!
The Ghost Emperor's icy gaze swept over Halosa, "Vice Sect Hierarch, are you implying that our Holy Spirit Cult fears the Xingluo Empire?"
Halosa's mind trembled, yet he feigned composure, "Sect Hierarch, we naturally do not fear the Xingluo Empire, but to truly unify all the Continents, we would be facing the joint forces of the three great empires!"
"Even with the foundation we have in the Holy Spirit Cult today, it would be very difficult to contend with! Therefore, we still need to continue our secret development until we have an absolute guarantee!"
Upon hearing this, the Ghost Emperor "hmmph" coldly, his expression easing slightly...
Then, his gaze turned to Nanali, "Nanali, have all the sects of the Xingluo Empire been cleansed?"
Nanali collected herself and replied calmly, "Sect Hierarch, all the resisting sects large and small have been completely cleansed, and as for the others, they have all submitted to our Holy Spirit Cult."
Those who follow us shall prosper, and those who oppose us shall perish!
Such is the law of the Holy Spirit Cult!
The expression on the Ghost Emperor's face slowly turned maniacal, "Good! With this, the Xingluo Empire is but a possession within our bag, ready to be replaced at any time!"
Poor nobility of the royal household, who truly believed that by relying on two Ultimate Douluos, they could guard against the assassination attempts of the Holy Spirit Cult!
Then suddenly, he called out, "Leng Yulai!"
Leng Yulai nodded slightly, "Sect Hierarch!"
The Ghost Emperor pursed his thin lips, "From now on, you will be responsible for infiltrating the Xingluo Empire's border, it is imperative that we control all the transportation hubs in our hands!"
With control of the transportation hubs, even if the outside world wanted to assist the Xingluo Empire, it would cost them a lot of time and resources!
Leng Yulai remained impassive, "I understand, Sect Hierarch!"
To her, such a task was a trifle!
…
Soul Land, the federation!
One of the senior officials frowned, "The Xingluo Empire's first battle against the Holy Spirit Cult resulted in a complete victory. How is that possible!"
Another high-ranking official agreed, "Indeed, the Xingluo Empire is so far behind in terms of technology and Soul Masters, how could they possibly be a match for the Holy Spirit Cult! Our federation lost a lot of Soul Masters in the past!"
"It's probably a tactic concocted by the high echelons of the Xingluo Empire to stabilize military morale or perhaps to conceal the actual casualties!"
"Given the Holy Spirit Cult's covetous nature, after suffering this attack, they will likely retaliate soon. It remains to be seen whether the Xingluo Empire can withstand it!"
"I think, we might as well negotiate proactively with the Xingluo Empire, asking them to simply pinpoint the location of the Holy Spirit Cult Headquarters, then apply to use a Level Twelve Soul Guidance Shell to eradicate it completely!"
"I agree, as long as the Holy Spirit Cult exists, the situation will remain unstable!"
"But this suggestion can only be contemplated; if we actually did it, considering the range covered by the Level Twelve Soul Guidance Shell, I fear it would result in the deaths of countless civilians!"
The middle-aged man with the most influence within the federation said indifferently, "Instead of dwelling on these matters, we should keep a close eye on the progress of the competition!"
"Furthermore, I propose we add another reward: any Soul Master who makes it to the top three in the finals can choose to join the federation and will be granted the military rank of Lieutenant Colonel."
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