9: Return to the eastern defense line, the returning Xu Yi!

"Please rest assured, my Lord, this is something we excel at!"

Squadron Leader Hou Shuo's lips curved into a confident smile as he solemnly assured Xu Yi.

"Our Judgment Headquarters has a unique interrogation method that will definitely make these traitors wish for death but be unable to achieve it! Before they breathe their last, we will squeeze every last bit of value out of them!"

Xu Yi listened and nodded deeply.

With the methods of the Judgment Headquarters,

these traitors, once in their hands, would indeed face a grim end.

This was also why he had kept these traitors until now,

and not executed them directly.

There was no way he would let them die so easily; he wanted these traitors to struggle in agony,

to console the nearly one hundred thousand soldiers who had sacrificed their lives because of them!

"Good, then I'll leave it to you."

Xu Yi waved his hand,

gesturing to the Martial Emperor Level General who had brought the Judgment Headquarters personnel to lead the way and escort the dozen or so traitors, who had already been imprisoned, onto the Judgment Headquarters' warplane.

"Yes!"

The Martial Emperor Level General respectfully responded.

After saluting Xu Yi,

he turned and led the Judgment Headquarters personnel towards the prison where the important prisoners were clearly being held.

These currently bound traitors had clearly already suffered a beating.

Each of them was bruised and swollen,

their eyes filled with fear and despair.

Their internal power was suppressed, unable to exert even a trace, leaving them at the mercy of the martial artists!

Before long,

the two sides successfully completed the handover of the important prisoners.

They were escorted onto the warplane by the elite martial artists of the Judgment Headquarters, and then the warplane let out a thunderous roar that pierced the clouds.

It cut through the night sky,

heading towards the distant location of the Judgment Headquarters...

After the warplane departed,

Xu Yi did not intend to continue cultivating in the cultivation room.

Now that he had personally completed the handover of the criminals, he had more important things to do.

He was preparing to return to the Eastern Defense Line, which he had been guarding.

He then ordered the highest-ranking Martial Emperor Level Late Stage General currently in the Central Defense Line to be summoned.

This General was usually not favored by General Yang Xiong for various reasons, so he was completely unaware of General Yang Xiong's defection to the fierce beasts.

Now,

Xu Yi entrusted him with the temporary command of the Central Defense Line, replacing General Yang Xiong,

and instructed him to act cautiously,

to prevent any unforeseen incidents in the Central Defense Line due to a lack of unified command after his departure.

The Martial Emperor Level Late Stage General nodded solemnly upon receiving Xu Yi's order,

indicating that he would faithfully fulfill his duty!

After arranging everything for the Central Defense Line,

Xu Yi's figure flickered, transforming into a bolt of lightning and departing from here.

His speed was incredibly fast, like a shooting star traversing the night sky,

racing towards Mobei Province,

to the Eastern Defense Line he guarded...

After approximately half an hour,

Xu Yi's figure appeared in the vicinity of the Eastern Defense Line.

Gazing at the familiar outline of the distant defense line, a complex emotion welled up in his heart.

"This old man has returned alive..."

Xu Yi murmured to himself, his heart filled with sorrow.

Of the nearly one hundred thousand elite soldiers who had followed him into battle a few days ago, only he remained upon their return.

Thinking of this,

Xu Yi's eyes instantly filled with killing intent.

He was ready to deal with those traitors who had been bribed internally as well!

At this moment,

just as Xu Yi appeared in the vicinity,

the intelligence department within the defense line base suddenly issued an alarm!

A powerful energy body had suddenly been detected nearby, rapidly approaching them!

The alarm blared suddenly.

The martial artists, whether sleeping, patrolling, or cultivating, quickly became vigilant at the sound.

"Quick, get up, enemy attack!"

Someone shouted.

Everyone instantly became tense!

They thought the fierce beasts were trying to launch an attack under the cover of night and due to Xu Yi's "demise."

Numerous military martial artists began to mobilize rapidly,

wanting to slay more fierce beasts to avenge their General and the nearly one hundred thousand brothers!

But then,

the piercing alarm suddenly ceased.

Leaving a group of fully armed martial artists, who had just rushed to the defense line, looking at each other in confusion.

"What's going on? Did the fierce beasts retreat?"

Everyone looked bewildered, their hearts filled with questions.

Just then,

on the distant horizon, a black dot cut through the night sky at an astonishing speed, heading straight for the defense line!

It was very conspicuous!

"What is that?" someone shouted, pointing at the sky.

As the black dot gradually enlarged, everyone's eyes widened, looking incredulously at the increasingly clear figure!

For a moment,

shock and disbelief spread through the crowd!

"I... I'm not mistaken, am I? Is that the General?!"

"Didn't the General fall? How is this possible?!"

Everyone discussed animatedly,

their conversations filled with shock and confusion.

The intelligence department, after repeated confirmation, began to announce this dream-like news to all martial artists within the base.

General Xu Yi had "resurrected" and returned from beyond the dominion!

The news was like a bolt from the blue,

leaving everyone utterly stunned!

And Xu Yi's figure, at this moment, arrived above the defense line base from the distant night sky.

A Martial Emperor Level martial artist's aura, even more powerful than before,

spread outwards!

Like an invisible force, it declared his return to the soldiers within the defense line!

Xu Yi surveyed his surroundings.

Everywhere his gaze fell were familiar yet unfamiliar sights.

White cloths were hung all over the defense line base,

seemingly mourning his demise...

Just then,

Xu Yi suddenly noticed something, and his brows couldn't help but furrow slightly.

"What is that?"

His gaze fell upon a large gray and white portrait frame.

It was his own portrait, placed in a position similar to an altar.

The area in front of the frame was filled with spirit fruits, energy crystals, and other offerings,

appearing exceptionally solemn.

The altar's scale was also very large and luxurious.

Seeing this scene,

"I..."

Xu Yi's face showed a helpless, bitter smile, his heart a mix of emotions.

He understood that this was the martial artists of the defense line mourning him.

Everyone had thought he had fallen on the battlefield outside the dominion, and after shaking his head lightly, he said no more.

Just then,

a familiar and excited voice came from the ground.

"General, General, is it really you?!"

Xu Yi looked in the direction of the voice, only to see Wang Xian, his trusted subordinate and Commander, standing below in the base, tears streaming down his face.

His face was filled with disbelief and excitement.

Seeing this,

Xu Yi's grief intensified.

He thought of the trusted subordinates and soldiers who had followed him for many years but were now forever left on the battlefield.

He then reined in his aura.

His figure flickered,

and he directly descended from high in the sky to stand before Wang Xian.

His expression was calm, making it impossible to discern the turmoil in his heart.

"What, have I only been gone for a few days, and you no longer recognize this General's face?"

Xu Yi said softly,

with a hint of teasing in his tone.

Wang Xian immediately became even more excited upon hearing this!

"It really is you, my Lord!"

"This subordinate knew that you are wise and mighty, unparalleled in the world, blessed with great fortune, and could not possibly fall so easily!"

As he spoke,

tears involuntarily streamed down his face.

"As soon as this subordinate received the news of your ambush, I wanted to go and support you immediately, but that dog General Yang Xiong absolutely refused to let me go, and even ordered me to be forcibly stopped and not allowed to leave the defense line!"

"That beast clearly had no good intentions, and he even spread rumors everywhere that you had fallen, wanting to take over our Eastern Defense Line..."

Wang Xian was already a chatterbox.

Now that Xu Yi had returned to support him, he began to pour out everything like a bamboo tube, speaking non-stop.

He unleashed all the grievances and anger in his heart before Xu Yi.

As Wang Xian spoke excitedly, he suddenly remembered something.

He looked at Xu Yi with a shocked expression and said,

"My Lord... have you broken through your cultivation?"

"Why are you the only one back? Where are Vice General Luo and the others? Are they behind you?"

Wang Xian keenly noticed that Xu Yi's expression seemed off.

His eyes instantly filled with anticipation and unease.

He hoped it wasn't what he was thinking...