The meeting continued.
Ling Xiao was no longer so at ease. Instead, he said solemnly and apologetically, "Zhennan Pass suffered grievous losses. As its administrator, I failed in my command. I should bear full responsibility and submit a self-criticism to the Temple Alliance!"
Beside him, Han Qian sighed. "Brother Ling, this happened so suddenly. If you and Elder Ling hadn't been here to hold the fort, any mighty pass would have suffered under an assault by twelve Demon Gods and a million demons."
Ying Suifeng also said, "That's right. The demons came without warning. Of those twelve Demon Gods, half were actually among the top thirty-six, and there were high-ranking Demon Gods such as the Undead Demon God and the Bear Demon God."
Ling Xiao felt somewhat comforted that these two old friends still supported him after his defeat, but he sighed nonetheless. "Although we don't know the reason, our losses this time were devastating. Of our two hundred thousand defenders, only fifty thousand remain, and half of them are wounded. All our Magic Cannons were destroyed, half the elite priest corps was lost, and six eighth-order cardinals fell..."
The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, slamming his palm hard against the table.
The old man in the seat of honor frowned and said, "Ling Xiao, you are the Priest Temple's temple master now. Calm down!"
"Yes, Grandfather!" Ling Xiao replied respectfully, reining in his emotions.
Yang Tian, listening from the side, was also somewhat shaken. He really was a grandfather-level figure, someone who had lived for over a hundred years. Yang Tian wondered whether his internal spiritual power exceeded three hundred thousand. He probably had a domain.
After beginning with the bad news, Ling Xiao turned to the good. "Fortunately, Brother Han and Brother Ying arrived with