If the Heaven Dou Empire's army had merely suffered a defeat, no one would have been too surprised, since the power of Soul Master is something ordinary humans cannot withstand.
But what truly shocked everyone was that while the Heaven Dou Empire's army suffered such a crushing defeat, the Spirit Hall's Soul Master force suffered almost no losses! The number of people maintaining combat effectiveness was still around 40,000!
This means that after losing 150,000 troops, the Heaven Dou Empire achieved nothing. Its only merit was to delay the Spirit Hall for two days, giving the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect two days to catch its breath.
"How is this possible! Even if there is a gap between the army and the Soul Master, it is impossible for such a crushing defeat to occur!" In the dean's office of Shrek, all the core members of Dragon's Glory were gathered here, including the Shrek Seven Devils and Qian Renxue, and they discussed the consequences of this incident together. The words that Grandmaster said now represented everyone's first opinion.
"Could it be that they fell into a trap, making the fatal mistake of underestimating the enemy?" Flender said at this moment.
The Grandmaster shook his head and said, "Impossible. A general who can lead an army of 200,000 must be a famous general of the empire. He wouldn't make such a basic mistake."
"Moreover, the fact that the 40,000 Soul Master were completely unharmed is extremely unusual; something must have happened that we don't know about!"
Qi Ling then said, "Regardless, this has already happened, and the situation is developing in the worst possible way!"
"The odds of winning this battle are slim, and it may even be extremely dangerous. Therefore, if any of you are considering withdrawing now, please let me know immediately, and I will not hold it against you."
No one spoke; their surprisingly unanimous attitude brought Qi Ling of relief.
"Alright, in that case, we have two more days, so let's set off immediately for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect," Qi Ling said.
Afterwards, Qi Ling led everyone to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, while Flender gathered the students and followed.
After leaving Shrek Academy, the group encountered several unexpected people on the road. The three members of the teaching committee of the Heaven Dou Academy, as well as Dugu Bo, appeared before them together.
"Kid, how could you not call me for a fight? That's not fair!" Dugu Bo said with a smile. "That's why I brought these three old guys along, in case you didn't have enough men!"
" Dugu Bo, don't try to flatter yourself. We came to help Qi Ling of our own volition!" Meng Shenji said, showing no respect for Dugu Bo whatsoever.
Upon seeing them, Qi Ling was overjoyed and said, "Three members of the Education Commission, how could I possibly trouble you!"
"Alas, our students have all gone to the battlefield; how can we teachers be afraid of death!" Meng Shenji said. "Not only us, but all the teachers of the Heaven Dou Academy will come to participate in this war! The Spirit Hall's conspiracy will not succeed so easily!"
Don't underestimate the teachers at the Heaven Dou Academy. Those who can teach here are the most outstanding talents in the empire, including many Soul Emperor Soul Saint. They are a formidable force.
"In that case, thank you all for your kindness!" Qi Ling said. "Then let's head to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect together."
"Hahaha, I never expected to see so many familiar faces here today!" Just then, Tai Tan of the Strength Clan arrived with his people.
"Oh? You Old Gorilla, you're here to join the fun today too?" Seeing Tai Tan, Dugu Bo couldn't help but tease, "Be careful you don't lose all your old bones!"
"Hmph, you old viper are unharmed, so how could I be worse than you?" Tai Tan retorted defiantly. "Now that we've joined the Tang Sect and are allies of the Dragon's Glory, Alliance Leader Qi Ling, you tell us how to fight, and we'll fight accordingly!"
"Alliance Leader?" Qi Ling was taken aback when she heard this title, but she quickly realized that for an alliance organization like Dragon's Glory, "Alliance Leader" was indeed the most suitable title for her.
With the addition of the Strength Clan, Qi Ling's team grew even stronger. Along the way, many more indignant people joined the team, and by the time Qi Ling left the city, the team had become quite large.
But after Qi Ling left the city, what truly shocked him appeared before his eyes: a well-organized and well-equipped group of knights, numbering as many as three thousand, were quietly waiting there, led by none other than Tuoliya.
" Tuoliya, what are you doing here?" Qi Ling asked suspiciously. "These are turbulent times. As the vice-commander of the Imperial Knight Order, you can't..."
"Lord Qi Ling, I am no longer the vice-commander, but the commander of the Imperial Knights." Tuoliya said, but a look of sorrow crossed his face. "The former commander of the Imperial Knight Order died in battle against the Spirit Hall!"
Qi Ling was surprised. He hadn't expected that the 200,000-strong army would include members of the Imperial Knight Order, the true elite of the empire!
As one of the few teams composed of Soul Master, the Imperial Knight Order are not as powerful as the Holy Temple Knight Order, but their strength is at least at the Soul Elder or above, and their combat power is quite formidable.
"What are you doing here? Are you planning to seek revenge on the Spirit Hall?" Qi Ling asked. If so, Qi Ling would stop them no matter what, because that would be tantamount to suicide.
Tuoliya shook his head and said, "Lord Qi Ling, we know that relying on just the few of us to seek revenge is like throwing eggs against rocks; we won't be able to cause any damage to the Spirit Hall at all."
"But I know that if anyone can defeat the Spirit Hall, it's only you! So we've come here specifically to join you, please take us in!"
Qi Ling exclaimed in surprise, " Tuoliya, do you know that for the Imperial Army, such an action is tantamount to treason! If Xue Ye investigates this matter later, you could face severe punishment!"
"I'm not afraid! No matter how severe the punishment, I can accept it as long as it avenges our leader!" Tuoliya said. "Not just me, but everyone in the Knights feels the same way! Lord Qi Ling, please lead us to fight against the Spirit Hall!"
After Tuoliya finished speaking, the three thousand knights behind him shouted in unison, "Please lead us, Qi Ling, to avenge our commander!"
"It seems your former leader was a very popular and kind person!" Qi Ling said regretfully. "In that case, you can temporarily join my Dragon's Glory. I'll figure out a way to deal with Xue Ye."
Seeing the knights' unwavering resolve, Qi Ling had no choice but to agree to let them temporarily join Dragon's Glory. After all, he really needed this power right now. As for Xue Ye's pursuit of justice, that could wait until everyone had survived.
In this way, the procession became even more imposing, and they all headed towards the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School.