The Mutated Soldier force soon arrived at the entrance of the Tang Sect. The leading Commander looked at the deserted sect and frowned, saying coldly, "Why is no one here? Where did the people of the Tang Sect go?"
Another Commander said, "Could they have discovered our plan and evacuated in advance?"
The leading Commander snorted. "Impossible. Our operation has always been well concealed. How could they have known beforehand?"
"Send people inside to search. See whether they are hiding in there or whether they left behind any clues."
Several Mutated Soldiers immediately rushed into the Tang Sect and searched it thoroughly. Before long, they came out to report that the sect was completely empty. No useful clues had been left behind—only some abandoned tools and dried bloodstains.
The leading Commander's expression darkened further. "It seems they really did evacuate in advance."
"Commander, what should we do now? Should we send people to search everywhere for their traces?"
The leading Commander shook his head. "No. Searching everywhere will only expose the location of our base. We'll return for now. Once our soldier force has fully taken shape, we'll hunt down the remnants of the Tang Sect and conquer those sects that refuse to submit."
After saying that, he gave the order to the Mutated Soldier force and turned to withdraw toward the base. The mass of dark figures gradually receded and soon vanished from sight.
Only after the Mutated Soldier force had left did Lin Taichu and the elders hiding in the valley let out a sigh of relief. Elder Tang Shi said, "Good thing we withdrew early. Otherwise, we would have suffered a disastrous defeat this time."
Tang Xuan nodded, then looked at Lin Taichu. "Taichu, we have you to thank this time. You foresaw the danger and preserved