Douluo Continent: Starting with a Heavenly Fire Judgment

Chapter 450 Full of Mysteries

The Fourth Elder died, Wu Yu died, and hundreds of members of the Evil Lord Soul Master Corps also died. The plains outside Sunrise City were turned into scorched earth, barren of everything.

If Ji Lin hadn't shifted the battlefield, and this sword had landed on Sunrise City, this medium-sized city would probably have been reduced to ruins and become a dead city.

No one could survive that brilliance, which resembled the extinguishing of a star, not even a Title Douluo.

Ji Lin didn't linger. After exclaiming "I'm really strong," he transformed into a streak of red light and disappeared into the horizon.

……

Haiyue City.

The port was as busy as ever, with cargo being handled and ships entering and leaving the port.

A headcount is being conducted on a massive transport ship.

Inside the spacious cabin, many people were lying haphazardly, while only a few in relatively good spirits could manage to sit cross-legged. But whether lying down or sitting, everyone's eyes shone with excitement.

Their excitement stemmed from freedom!

Xiao Xiao, Nan Qiuqiu, Wang Dong'er, Ling Luochen and others were counting the number of people, while Wang Qiu'er and Ye Guyi were guarding outside the cabin to prevent any accidents from happening.

The rescue operation went very smoothly, at least from their perspective; the entire process proceeded and was completed exactly as Ji Lin had planned.

Nearly six hundred people were rescued in total. To confuse the pursuers, more than a dozen senior sect experts or academy teachers stayed behind to cover their retreat and draw them away. It can be said that more than 95% of the hostages were rescued and reached Haiyue City to reunite with the group.

That's right, the meeting place that Ji Lin chose was Haiyue City.

They are exhausted from flying at full speed and the torture they suffered in the water prison. But with enough food and water, they will soon be fully recovered and ready to fight.

Although Ji Lin hasn't returned yet, they aren't worried about his safety. With Chi Yuan, a quasi-god, protecting him, and Ji Lin himself being very strong, the Sun Moon Empire would only have a chance of keeping Ji Lin by mobilizing all the Holy Spirit Sect's combat power and the five major Soul Master Corps, right? And that's only a possibility.

"You're all from the Freedom Sect, right? Thank you." An elderly man, around sixty years old, stood up and greeted Ling Luochen, who was counting heads, his eyes filled with gratitude.

Ling Luochen was aloof and not good with words, so Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "Please don't be so polite. The Sun Moon Empire has malicious intentions this time. They have disregarded the competition rules that have been passed down on the continent for many years and forcibly imprisoned so many people. How can our Zizai Sect sit idly by?"

A cold glint flashed in the old man's eyes. "The Sun Moon Empire, what a Sun Moon Empire! Do they really think they can dominate the entire continent just by relying on soul tools? They've been dreaming too long. How could the Sun Moon Empire possibly compare to the foundation of our Douluo Continent?"

Xiao Xiao nodded and said, "As long as we are united, even if the Sun Moon Empire launches a war of aggression, we will not lose to them. You should rest first, we will set sail in a little while."

"Yes, thank you. Tiandu Sect will always remember this. In the future, whenever Zizai Sect needs us, we will definitely not refuse."

Xiao Xiao smiled, and even Ling Luochen smiled slightly. In this way, their Zizai Sect hadn't worked for nothing; they hadn't lost out.

Wang Dong'er and Nan Qiuqiu walked over from the other side and checked the number of people with Xiao Xiao and Ling Luochen. At this point, there were still twelve people missing, but it was clear that these twelve people would probably never make it.

However, this was within their expectations, or rather, only twelve people failed to escape, which was much better than they had originally anticipated.

Unbeknownst to them, this was all thanks to Ji Lin's Heavenly Fire Annihilation, which lured the pursuing Second Elder, the three Zhongli brothers, and the Evil Lord Soul Master Corps back to Sunrise City ahead of schedule; otherwise, even more people would have been captured.

"It's almost time to set sail. Why hasn't Ji Lin returned yet?" Nan Qiuqiu was starting to worry about Ji Lin's situation.

"Oh, Qiuqiu, are you worried about me?"

No sooner had Nan Qiuqiu finished speaking than Ji Lin's mocking voice came from the air.

The next moment, Ji Lin and Chi Yuan, carrying Feng Ling, landed on the deck.

"Ha, who's worried about you! I'm just afraid you'll delay our retreat."

Nan Qiuqiu crossed her arms and said with a disdainful look.

Let's just say that's how it is.

Ji Lin didn't expose Nan Qiuqiu's sudden arrogance, because at this moment a middle-aged man dressed in yellow outfit came to them and looked excitedly at Feng Ling, who had been thrown onto the deck by Chi Yuan.

"Who are you? Young Master? Are you really the Young Master? How did you become like this?"

This man was none other than the elder leading the Chongtian Sect. Although Feng Ling's gender had been changed, his physique and appearance remained largely the same. This middle-aged man from the Chongtian Sect recognized him at first glance. He had originally thought that Feng Ling, who had been taken from the water dungeon by the evil soul master, was in grave danger and would surely be punished by the sect leader upon returning to the sect. Unexpectedly, a glimmer of hope appeared, and Feng Ling was still alive. Although he looked like he had been tortured quite a bit, as long as he was alive, that was enough.

After dismissing the grateful elders of Chongtianmen, Ji Lin looked at the hostages in the cabin. Those who were supposed to come had come, and those who weren't coming couldn't come anymore. They had done enough, and there was no need to wait any longer.

"sail!"

Minutes later, the massive anchor was slowly pulled up, and with the combined efforts of the hired sailors, the huge cargo ship slowly pushed out of the harbor and sailed toward the boundless sea...

……

The Imperial Palace of the Sun and Moon Empire.

"What? The hostages have escaped?" Xu Tianran's usually calm voice suddenly became penetrating, causing the entire roof of the hall to tremble slightly.

Xu Tianran, dressed in a bright yellow robe, had a face so dark it seemed like it was about to drip water. He looked coldly at the people kneeling on the ground below, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Kneeling below were the leader of the Evil Lord Soul Master Corps and the leaders of the two Soul Master Corps stationed around Sunrise City.

"Speak, what happened? Explain the details clearly." Xu Tianran said calmly. In a short time, he had regained his composure, but everyone could feel that this was just the calm before the storm. If things were not explained clearly, or if there were any mistakes in the process, someone would probably lose their head immediately.

Ju Zi sat beside Xu Tianran, her face also grim. Guarded by the Holy Spirit Sect and two Soul Master Corps, with the Evil Monarch Soul Master Corps—a Beast King-level Soul Master Corps renowned for its speed—ready to provide support at any time, they had still managed to let hundreds of hostages escape completely. This was an utter disgrace! Moreover, these hostages were extremely valuable, making the three former kingdoms of the Douluo Continent hesitant to act rashly. Furthermore, keeping them in the Sun Moon Empire severely limited the future high-end Soul Master strength of the former three kingdoms of the Douluo Continent. Now that they were all gone, all plans had to be changed, and retaliation from the former three kingdoms of the Douluo Continent could erupt at any moment on the border!

The leaders of the Soul Master Corps immediately began their reports. Each of them was responsible for a part of the story, and the combined accounts of the three of them basically explained the entire process of the hostage's escape.

Xu Tianran's face was grim, and his eyes were icy as he looked down at the leader of the Evil Monarch Soul Master Corps. He gritted his teeth and said, "You mean, the Evil Monarch Soul Master Corps has lost a third of its manpower, and what have you, as the leader, been doing?"

Commander Wang of the Evil Lord Soul Master Corps was also heartbroken. Those were his subordinates! He had personally trained them, and now a third of them were gone. Commander Wang gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, when I arrived at Sunrise City with my men, the hostages had already escaped. I took two hundred men to pursue the hostages and left one hundred men to guard Sunrise City. As a result, they all died on the plains outside Sunrise City. The people in charge of commanding them were from the Holy Spirit Cult."

The leaders of the other two Soul Master Corps chimed in, "At the time, we were cleaning up the mess and reorganizing our subordinates, but the Holy Spirit Cult led a hundred members of the Evil Monarch Soul Master Corps to chase an enemy, and then a massive explosion occurred on the plain. Nobody knows exactly what happened, only that those who chased after them, including a Title Douluo elder of the Holy Spirit Cult, all died in the explosion."

"Someone, summon the Imperial Advisor for a meeting." After listening to the three leaders, Xu Tianran coldly gave the order, and immediately a guard rushed off to deliver it.

Xu Tianran narrowed his eyes, a thoughtful look in them. The Holy Spirit Cult had handled the most crucial part of guarding the hostages, even using drugs that could dissipate the soul power of soul masters, yet they still managed to let them escape completely. What was the Holy Spirit Cult doing? Two evil soul masters at the Title Douluo level couldn't even hold that place, let alone buy time for reinforcements?

Moreover, in the end, in order to chase after someone who came to rescue them, they actually lost a Title Douluo and a third of the Evil Lord Soul Master Group members. That's too strange.

"Have you found out who that person is? The one who was last chased?" Xu Tianran asked coldly.

Wang Yiheng, the leader of the Evil Monarch Soul Master Corps, said respectfully, "We have found out that the person should be from the Free Sect. Not long ago, he led a team to participate in the All-Continent Youth Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition."

Upon hearing this, Orange, who had been expressionless, showed a slight change in expression, but it quickly disappeared, and no one noticed her momentary unease.

"Because he participated in the competition, a Soul Master recognized him. His name is Ji Lin, the sect leader of the Zizai Sect and the captain of the Zizai Sect team participating in the competition. However, his cultivation level is only Soul Saint. I don't know how he escaped the encirclement of a Title Douluo and my hundred Soul Masters? And how he wiped out the pursuers, who consisted of a Title Douluo, a Soul Douluo, and a third of the Evil Monarch Soul Master Corps, on the plains? This is too strange!"

(End of this chapter)