Chapter 516: The Fourth Elder Swears Upon Sunrise City
Liao Mengkai glanced at the Fourth Elder before waving a hand toward the soul engineers behind him. "Stand down. Do not aim your soul cannons at the white robed individual. Just as the Fourth Elder said, the Blue Silver Saintess is still in their hands. If she dies here, it will undoubtedly disrupt His Majesty's plans."
After all, the Sun Moon Empire's upper echelons were well aware of Emperor Xu Tianran's close ties with the Holy Spirit Cult and his intention to use the cult's strength in the upcoming war against the Three Douluo Empires.
If the Blue Silver Saintess were to die at the hands of Sun Moon soul engineers, it would severely damage the relationship between Xu Tianran and the Holy Spirit Cult.
Liao Mengkai had no love for evil soul masters, but for the sake of the bigger picture, he had to comply with the Fourth Elder's request.
"Yes, Commander Liao!"
The soul engineers promptly responded in unison. They adjusted their soul cannon muzzles, no longer aiming at Elder Song.
However, their aerial formation remained intact, keeping the area surrounded.
At Liao Mengkai's command, they could unleash a devastating attack at any moment.
The Fourth Elder's expression eased slightly.
Liao Mengkai then said, "Fourth Elder, can you explain what exactly happened here? I need a full report before I can decide on our next course of action."
The Fourth Elder took a deep breath and replied, "I'll keep it simple there are two major problems. First, the hostages have vanished, seemingly rescued. Second, the Saintess has been captured by this white robed individual."
"What?! The hostages are missing?!" Liao Mengkai's face darkened immediately.
"Fourth Elder, your Holy Spirit Cult swore that the hostages would be securely guarded. Now, you're telling me they're gone? I expect a proper explanation."
The hostages were valuable to the Sun Moon Empire.
Every participant in the tournament held in the Sun Moon Empire was far from ordinary.
By keeping them captive, the Three Douluo Empires were forced to hesitate in their actions.
But if the hostages were all rescued, that restraint would disappear entirely.
The Fourth Elder's face twisted with frustration. He transmitted a message to Liao Mengkai via spiritual communication:
"An explanation? It's obvious either Shrek Academy or one of the Three Empires infiltrated Sunrise City and rescued them.
But as serious as the hostage situation is, it's nothing compared to the Saintess's safety! Commander Liao, you understand how important she is to the Holy Spirit Cult.
No matter what happens, we cannot let her die."
Losing the hostages would earn him a severe reprimand from the Cult Leader.
But if the Saintess perished, not only would he lose his position, but he might also be subjected to the secret sacrificial rituals of the cult transformed into a mindless killing machine.
Even if it made him stronger, losing his sense of self was worse than death.
Liao Mengkai hesitated momentarily, then transmitted his response:
"You make a good point. The Blue Silver Saintess's safety is more important than the hostages."
Having reached a consensus, the Fourth Elder turned to Elder Song and declared:
"If you release the Saintess, I swear upon Sunrise City itself that we will guarantee your safe passage out of the Sun Moon Empire, and we will not pursue you for attempting to kill the Saintess. Do we have a deal?"
Elder Song saw right through his little ploy and sneered.
"Do you take me for a child? The words of an evil soul master are never to be trusted.
If I were foolish enough to believe your so called oath, I'd release the Blue Silver Saintess, only for you to attack me the very next second.
I'd be better off killing her now and fighting to the death!"
To emphasize her point, she tightened her grip around Tang Ya's throat as if preparing to snap her neck.
Of course, she had no intention of actually harming Tang Ya.
As a Shrek Elder, she would never kill a student of Shrek Academy especially not Bei Bei's beloved.
Even though Tang Ya now bore the title of Blue Silver Saintess, Elder Song firmly believed that she had not willingly joined the Holy Spirit Cult.
It was clear to her that the cult must have used some kind of extreme method to manipulate her.
The Fourth Elder took another deep breath.
"Wait! Don't act recklessly. We can negotiate! Tell me what do you want in exchange for her release?"
"I will leave Sunrise City immediately. Once I reach the Sun Moon Empire's border, and I am certain of my safety, I will release her."
Elder Song's voice was firm.
"Impossible!" The Fourth Elder's expression twisted.
"If you reach the border, what's stopping you from killing the Saintess or taking her away forever?"
Liao Mengkai silently nodded in agreement.
The Fourth Elder had no way to enforce the deal he was completely at a disadvantage.
Elder Song's gaze remained cold and unwavering.
"You have two choices: agree to my terms, or watch your Saintess die right now.
There is no third option."
She knew that in critical moments like these, she had to display absolute resolve.
If she showed even a hint of hesitation, the enemy might try to push back.
But if she remained steadfast, they would be forced to comply.
The Fourth Elder was deeply conflicted.
However, considering the Saintess's safety, he had no choice but to nod in reluctant agreement.
"Fine. I accept. I expect you to keep your word."
Liao Mengkai's expression changed slightly.
He wanted to protest, but before he could, the Fourth Elder transmitted another message to him:
"Commander Liao, for the Saintess's safety, I need you to stand down.
But we must stall for time.
Once we start escorting them out of the city, I will secretly notify the other Holy Spirit Cult Elders and have them summon our most powerful members.
When our top tier forces arrive, even if the Saintess is still in their hands, this white robed fool won't be able to threaten us anymore.
Once they make their move, she won't even get the chance to harm the Saintess!"
After transmitting his message, the Fourth Elder approached Elder Song.
"Let's go. We'll escort you out."
Elder Song nodded slightly before moving forward, still keeping Tang Ya restrained.
She was fully aware that this evil soul master was stalling for time and likely planning to summon reinforcements.
However, she was prepared for this possibility.
The border she referred to wasn't the coastal border leading to the Sun Moon Sea that escape route was meant for He Caitou's group.
Instead, she was heading for the land border between the Sun Moon Empire and the other two empires.
There, a group of powerful Shrek Elders was wreaking havoc on the Sun Moon Empire's soul engineer legions, drawing the attention of the empire's strongest forces.
Once she reached the border, she would rendezvous with them and escape with Tang Ya.
She was confident that Shrek's collective strength would be enough to break through any obstacles.
With that thought in mind, she prepared to send a mental transmission to He Caitou.
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