Near noon the next day, the defenders on Tianming City's walls spotted a strange group from afar.
At the very front were three bound figures dressed in black, followed by a very young-looking youth, then a group of children, and finally, another youth.
It was Wang Nan and his group, heading toward Tianming City.
After a night's rest, although Wang Nan's left arm still ached, he was already able to perform a few simple movements.
At this moment, he walked in the middle of the group: the three Evil Soul Masters in front, the children behind them, and Gongyang Mo naturally at the very end of the group.
Not long after Wang Nan and his group saw Tianming City, Commandant Pan Yue from the city led a team out to greet them.
At this time, Pan Yue had also released his Spirit, with four spirit rings encircling him. He held a long halberd in his hand, its blade constantly radiating a green light.
"You two have worked hard," Pan Yue said, cupping his hands around the halberd and bowing to Wang Nan.
"It's our duty, Commandant Pan. You're too kind," Wang Nan returned the bow, then said, "Behind me are the children who were taken by the Evil Soul Masters."
Saying this, Wang Nan pointed to the three people in front. "These three are members of that group of Evil Soul Masters. I imagine Commandant Pan has many questions for them."
Pan Yue glanced at the bound Evil Soul Masters and quickly signaled the soldiers behind him to step forward.
"Thank you. We will take custody of these individuals. As for these children... we will look after them as well. We will investigate their backgrounds to see if we can locate their parents."
"That's good," Wang Nan nodded.
...
Wang Nan and Gongyang Mo returned to the guest room that Duke Baihu Dai Hao had arranged for them earlier. It wasn't until evening that someone knocked on the door.
Gongyang Mo opened the door and saw that it wasn't Pan Yue, but Duke Baihu Dai Hao.
"Marshal, please come in."
Wang Nan heard the movement and also stood up.
"You two don't need to be so formal," Dai Hao's expression wasn't very good. After walking in, he sat at the table and then forced a smile. "As the saying goes, heroes emerge from the young. You two are indeed excellent Disciples of Shrek Academy, solving the Evil Soul Master problem that had been troubling me in just one night."
"Marshal, you flatter us. We were just lucky."
"Alas, if it were an ordinary person, even with such luck, they might not have been able to resolve the issue with these Evil Soul Masters so smoothly." Dai Hao waved his hand, no longer being polite with Wang Nan, and changed the subject to the children.
"The children you brought have all been investigated. Only four children were separated from their families while fleeing. We have already contacted their parents. However, for the remaining eight children, their parents..."
Dai Hao didn't continue, but Wang Nan already understood. This was the modus operandi of Evil Soul Masters. Or rather, it was fortunate that these Evil Soul Masters still tried to conceal their tracks; otherwise, the number of orphaned children would likely be more than just these eight.
"Then, Marshal, how do you plan to arrange these children?"
"This is the frontline after all. I plan to send people to escort them to Star Luo City. They all possess innate spirit power and will have the opportunity to become Spirit Masters in the future, so I believe many people will want to take them in."
Wang Nan thought about it but found that he didn't seem to have any better solution, so he could only nod helplessly.
"Oh, and the three Evil Soul Masters you brought have also been interrogated," Dai Hao said, frowning at this point. "It's all bad news. These Evil Soul Masters are not ordinary ones. According to them, they come from a Sect called the Holy Spirit Cult."
"These three are only from a branch in the Mingdou Mountain Range. Even they themselves don't know the exact location of the Holy Spirit Cult's headquarters; only the two Elders in the branch know where it is."
"According to them, the Disciples of the Holy Spirit Cult are mainly divided into two parts. One part consists of official Holy Spirit Disciples, and these Disciples are all Evil Soul Masters."
"The composition of the other part is more complex. Although they are all Spirit Masters, not all of them are Evil Soul Masters. These Disciples are also called Holy Servants. Once a Holy Servant with an evil Spirit reaches Rank sixty in spirit power, a Spirit Ascension Ceremony will be held, and they will officially become Disciples of the Holy Spirit Cult."
"In their branch, there are also two Elders. One of them has already reached the cultivation of a Spirit Saint, while the other Elder has never made a move, but his strength is definitely no lower than a seven-ringed Spirit Master."
"And these individuals you captured are specifically responsible for finding children with Innate spirit power within the Holy Spirit Cult. All their actions near Tianming City were precisely for the purpose of finding Holy Servants for the Holy Spirit Cult."
Wang Nan was fine, as he already knew about the Holy Spirit Cult's existence. But at this moment, Gongyang Mo's eyes were wide. He never expected that the Evil Soul Masters, who were reviled by everyone on the Douluo Continent, actually had a Sect.
Moreover, from the description, this Sect was not small, even having different divisions of labor, a complete promotion channel, and a full organizational structure. It was definitely not a simple Sect.
"Marshal, I'm afraid you have something else to say, don't you?" Wang Nan looked at Dai Hao, seeing that his brows were still furrowed after he finished talking about the Holy Spirit Cult, so he asked.
"Hmm, to be frank with you two, these Evil Soul Masters were captured by you, so you should know these matters. Although these few Evil Soul Masters are not high-ranking and don't know all the details of the Holy Spirit Cult, they saw traces of high-ranking Sun Moon Empire officials in their branch."
Wang Nan didn't know what to say. This Holy Spirit Cult seemed to be trying to conceal its tracks everywhere, yet it didn't bother to hide its contact with the Sun Moon Empire, and countless people must have seen them on their way here. They really weren't professional at hiding.
Dai Hao didn't know what Wang Nan was thinking and continued, "I will write to His Majesty later, elaborating on the situation of the Holy Spirit Cult and my conjectures. I also hope that you two can bring this news to Shrek Academy."
"Alright, this is what we should do," Wang Nan agreed.
After Dai Hao finished speaking, he stood up, glanced at Wang Nan's left arm, and asked, "I see your left arm seems to be injured. Would you like me to find a military physician to examine it?"
Dai Hao had been in the army for many years, and although it wasn't too obvious, he could still tell Wang Nan's injuries at a glance.
"Thank you, Marshal, but it's not necessary. It's just a few fractures in the bones and muscles, and no Meridians were injured. A few days of rest will suffice."
"Alright," Dai Hao nodded. "Coincidentally, tomorrow I will arrange a team to escort those eight children to Star Luo City. If you two don't mind, you can go together. Firstly, it will be good for your injuries on the way, and secondly, with your protection, I can feel more at ease."
"In that case, thank you, Marshal."