Under Lin Mu's direct arrangement, Hu Liena and the others were immediately imprisoned in a highly secure jail cell within the camp.
To completely prevent their escape, Lin Mu permanently abolished all their soul power.
Without the essential support of soul power, even possessing top-tier martial souls, they absolutely couldn't force their way out of a military prison.
Originally, Lin Mu had only intended to temporarily seal their cultivation, but critically considering their close relationship with Bibi Dong, he decided to simply abolish it altogether.
Even if we take a step back and look at it logically, Hu Liena and the other two had all successfully reached the Soul Saint level or higher. Simply sealing their cultivation wouldn't be entirely safe in an active war camp.
The exact moment their hard-earned cultivation was brutally abolished, the three felt as if they had suddenly fallen into a freezing ice cellar, their proud spirits dangerously teetering on the absolute brink of total collapse.
They truly hadn't expected Lin Mu's methods to be so definitively cruel, leaving absolutely no room for future compromise.
Previously, they were the widely celebrated Golden Generation of Spirit Hall, exclusively enjoying all sorts of premium resources and proudly possessing a status completely unmatched by any other soul masters of the same level.
They were practically being officially groomed as the future ruling elders.
Hu Liena, needless to say, as Bibi Dong's personally handpicked Holy Maiden, was practically a guaranteed shoo-in for the position of the next Empress, assuming Bibi Dong gained full control of Spirit Hall not just the current Spirit Empire.
Now, all of those grand dreams were permanently gone, completely turning to dust since their cultivation had been totally abolished.
"Teacher, I have completely failed your high expectations."
Hu Liena miserably huddled in a dark corner of the cell, bitter tears of deep regret streaming endlessly down her face.
If she hadn't confidently suggested to her teacher that they attempt to intercept the Heaven Dou Empire's supply convoy, they never would have encountered Tang San, nor would they have been humiliatingly captured and had their entire cultivation destroyed.
Now, she painfully realized her brilliant tactical plan had far too many glaring flaws; the Heaven Dou Empire obviously hadn't even sent any major reinforcements to require such a convoy.
If she had just been slightly more cautious, the outcome might have been very different.
All of this terrible tragedy was entirely because she was far too eager for quick war success, desperately wanting to conclusively prove to everyone that her teacher's controversial appointment of her as the Holy Maiden was the absolute right thing to do.
This arrogant drive had led her directly into this inescapable predicament and even deeply implicated others.
Regardless of her intentions, her cultivation had been permanently crippled, making it physically impossible for her to ever continue serving as the Holy Maiden.
"Sigh..."
Looking at his deeply distraught sister, Xie Yue sighed sadly.
In the past, he would have warmly comforted her, but having also just lost his entire cultivation, the devastating blow to his proud heart was no less than Hu Liena's; how could he possibly have the mental energy to offer comfort?
Just then, Yan suddenly stood up and awkwardly staggered towards Hu Liena's corner.
Seeing this unusual movement, Xie Yue frowned deeply, a sudden sense of dark foreboding creeping into his heart.
Could Yan, because his soul power had been permanently crippled, be about to impulsively do something completely irrational?
He silently resolved to forcefully subdue Yan at the absolute slightest sign of genuine trouble.
Although his soul power had been completely crippled by Lin Mu, with his powerful Moon Blade martial soul and years of intense combat experience, he was still more than physically capable of dealing with soul masters below level 30.
However, Yan actually had no intention of physically disrespecting the goddess he worshipped. Instead, he tried to comfort her, saying, "Nana, as the official Holy Maiden of Spirit Empire, they certainly wouldn't dare actually do anything to physically harm you. Her Majesty the Empress will definitely send someone powerful to rescue us soon."
Even in this utterly pathetic, crippled state, Yan somehow remained Hu Liena's blindly loyal admirer.
He was practically just another Flander.
However, if we really have to objectively compare the two, Flander is still slightly better.
He had so many clear opportunities, yet he stubbornly insisted on blindly favoring the brother and sister; Yan was simply completely out of his mind.
Facing Yan's well-intentioned but useless comfort, Hu Liena showed absolutely no appreciation, coldly saying, "Get out of my face!"
At this horrific point in her life, she had completely and utterly failed her teacher's grand expectations.
Even if she could somehow miraculously return to Spirit Hall, she physically couldn't continue as the Holy Maiden.
Since she couldn't help her teacher complete his great cause anymore, there was absolutely no reason for her to ever go back.
Therefore, she decided she would genuinely rather just stay here and quietly wait to die than ever cause any more trouble or shame for her teacher.
Seeing her so aggressively reject him even now, Yan's face turned completely ashen. He truly hadn't expected that even locked in a filthy prison, Nana still wouldn't give him a single kind look.
In an instant, a truly wicked, desperate thought arose in his unbalanced mind.
Just as he was about to impulsively make his move on her, Tang San suddenly appeared standing directly outside the iron bars of the prison cell, immediately forcing him to completely abandon his twisted idea of coercion.
Seeing Tang San suddenly appear, Xie Yue's pupils contracted slightly, and he asked anxiously, "Tang San, what are you doing here?"
Apart from the entirely heartbroken Hu Liena, the others absolutely did not want to just wait to die in this prison and desperately hoped that Her Majesty the Empress would indeed send someone to rescue them.
Although their cultivation had been permanently abolished, it was definitely better to live as a cripple than to die.
This was especially true since they were actively carrying out a vital mission for Her Majesty the Empress and firmly believed that Her Majesty the Empress would not treat them unfairly upon their return.
Tang San obviously had absolutely no mind to answer Xie Yue's desperate question. His cold gaze turned directly to Hu Liena huddled in the corner, and he said calmly, "Hu Liena, my Master officially plans to use you to actively trade with Bibi Dong."
Upon suddenly hearing this, Hu Liena's delicate body trembled violently, and she quickly scrambled up from the cold ground.
The absolute worst thing she least wanted to see happen had still inevitably happened.
Since her teacher now knew that she was imprisoned here, he would definitely agree to whatever outrageous conditions Lin Mu demanded at all costs, which only made her feel even more deeply guilty.
"Tang San, if you actually have the guts, kill me right now!"
Hu Liena was entirely too ashamed to ever face her teacher again. If her teacher knew her cultivation had been crippled, he would be massively disappointed.
This entire situation was perhaps Lin Mu's devious scheme from the very beginning!
Tang San naturally wouldn't even consider agreeing to Hu Liena's pathetic plea for death, coldly saying, "Hu Liena, you'd better properly recognize your current situation, or the actual consequences will far exceed your limited imagination."
"What exactly do you mean by that?"
Seeing that Tang San didn't seem to be faking his serious tone, Hu Liena's heart tightened painfully, and she felt a very strange, creeping sense of genuine panic.
Xie Yue and Yan also immediately began to tense up; they finally realized their ultimate fate was truly no longer in their own hands.
"In a brutal war between two massive armies, as enemy prisoners, if you can't be officially ransomed, your ultimate fate absolutely won't be good. This is especially true for you, Hu Liena. With your exceptional looks, you'll definitely attract a massive amount of base covetousness."
As he specifically said this, Tang San gave Hu Liena a quick, entirely clinical glance. Her physical appearance and figure were undeniably top-notch, and she naturally possessed a highly unique, alluring charm.
If Lin Mu hadn't specifically given the strict order to leave her alone, some of the soldiers probably wouldn't have been able to properly restrain their darker urges.
This was an active military camp filled with stressed men; there was always the very real possibility of being brutally forced to queue up for them, and her ultimate fate would be even far worse than what her teacher had suffered.
At this terrifying moment, Hu Liena finally realized the true gravity of her situation.
If she forcefully stayed in the military camp against the trade, she would definitely suffer a horrifying fate truly worse than death, and even simply dying would be made incredibly difficult for her.
Desperately thinking of this, Hu Liena immediately looked up at Tang San, her eyes filled with a tiny glimmer of desperate hope, and tentatively asked, "Tang San, did you actually come here to let me secretly leave?"
"Hu Liena, don't be completely delusional."
Tang San looked at Hu Liena as if she were a complete, utter fool, showing absolutely no mercy in his voice. "Although I personally don't want to actively see that horrible fate happen to you, it certainly doesn't mean I'll ever actually help you."
In his honest opinion, this woman's basic intelligence was highly questionable; she actually dared to genuinely expect the enemy to secretly help her escape.
Seeing his freezing cold attitude, Hu Liena was immediately furious, angrily saying, "Then what are you even doing here!"
"If Bibi Dong doesn't agree to the trade terms, you either go willingly serve my Master, or you wait for the soldiers outside to start queuing up for you," Tang San said perfectly calmly.
Currently, in terms of pure martial soul strength alone, the Blue Silver Emperor was definitely vastly superior to the Clear Sky Hammer.
All of this incredible progress stemmed directly from her master's guidance.
To try and repay his master's immense kindness as much as absolutely possible, this was the only viable method he could quickly think of.
Hearing this outrageous ultimatum, Yan couldn't sit still any longer and hurriedly shouted, "Tang San, if you actually have the guts, come at me! Don't you dare bully Nana!"