Somewhere in the Celestial Palace, Commander Du approached the throne, where a tall, handsome man sat.
Standing on both sides of Commander Du in the room were ten other individuals, each of them a Squad Commanders for Heaven's Mandate. Since there were thirteen squads in total, two commanders were missing.
The commander for the Elite Squad, which was a regular occurrence, and the commander of the Sixth Squad, who was killed in action recently and hadn't been replaced yet.
"Now, tell me everything that happened and why you decided to retreat," said the Celestial Emperor.
Commander Du lowered his head in shame as he recalled the events that happened between Yuan and his Second Squad.
"When we arrived at the location, the Sixth Squad was gone, and the only person waiting for us there was an unknown man with only a cultivation at the True Immortal realm. We questioned him about the Sixth Squad's situation, and he implied that he had killed them all."
"We tried to capture him at first, but quickly realized that he could wield the Power of the Void. Not only can he use Void Manipulation, but his Void Understanding has reached at least the Advanced realm."
"An Immortal with Advanced Void Understanding?! That's impossible! You're just making up bullshit excuses for your humiliating retreat!" One of the commanders suddenly exclaimed.
The speaker was Commander Wong, the commander of the First Squad, as he was the only one in the room who would dare to rebuke Commander Du so openly.
However, this time, the other commanders also chimed in. After all, they could already see Commander Du being demoted in this meeting with the Celestial Emperor.
"Commander Wong is right. How can a True Immortal even grasp the Power of the Void, much less reach the Advanced level?" said the commander of the Seventh Squad.
"In my entire life, I only know three individuals who have managed to grasp Basic Void Understanding while they were still in the Immortal realm, and they were all monsters," said the commander of the Third Squad.
"If you're going to create a story, at least make it more believable." The commander of the Tenth Squad shook her head.
"Are you sure this individual was even a True Immortal?" asked the commander of the Eighth Squad.
Commander Du trembled in anger at their remarks, and he snapped at them, "How dare you mock me before His Majesty, the Celestial Emperor! I am not lying or making excuses! I am simply telling it as it is!"
"Enough." The Celestial Emperor's calm voice resounded, instantly halting the rising heavy atmosphere.
"Your Majesty, you must believe me! I am even willing to share my memories with you to prove my claims!" Commander Du said.
The Celestial Emperor nodded and responded, "I believe you, but that doesn't change the fact that you lost thousands of excellent soldiers and retreated without any results."
"..." Commander Du had no words for his failure.
"Even if you only had a slim chance of victory, you should've fought with your life on the line," the Celestial Emperor continued. "At least, Heaven's Mandate's reputation wouldn't have been smeared. Because right now, its name is being dragged through the mud."
"What?!" Commander Du's eyes widened with disbelief. He couldn't believe how quickly the news had spread, as he'd only just returned from the battlefield.
"The Second Squad's failure isn't just spreading within Heaven's Mandate, but throughout the Nine Heavens, as well." Commander Wong added.
"How's that possible?!" Commander Du exclaimed, wondering if his own soldiers were spreading the news.
'Even if they were spreading the news, it's spreading way too quickly! It hasn't even been a full day since I returned!' he cried inwardly.
Unbeknownst to him, the rumors were actually being spread by the Shadow Army, who never wasted an opportunity to smear the Celestial Emperor's reputation. The commander of the Seventh Squad continued, "According to the rumor that's being spread, the Second Squad of Heaven's Mandate suffered a humiliating defeat and was forced to retreat with their tails tucked between their legs after being completely overwhelmed by a single powerhouse."
"You left out the most entertaining part," said Commander Wong before continuing with a mocking smile, "They're saying that the commander of the Second Squad was so scared that he didn't even dare to participate in the battle, even though he led thousands of his own men to die."
"That's—!" Commander Du's aura exploded outward abruptly. Without a word, the other commanders also released their aura, even drawing their weapons and pointing them at Commander Du.
"You dare to release your cultivation before His Majesty's presence?!" Commander Wong shouted at him.
"This is too much even for you, Commander Du!" said another commander. "Enough!" The Celestial Emperor raised his voice. "I will not repeat myself for a third time!"
His voice instantly dropped the tension in the room, and all of the commanders retrieved their aura.
"I will now deliver my verdict," the Celestial Emperor declared. "Commander Du, your Second Squad will be demoted to the Thirteenth Squad and will restart their training from the beginning, as if they had just enlisted. As for you, Commander, you are hereby relieved of your position and duties until further notice."
"This subordinate acknowledges his punishment!" Commander Du responded with clenched fists. Even though he anticipated such punishment, it still pained him greatly.
'I swear I will get my revenge! Just you wait, bastard!'
The other commanders showed no outward reaction to the punishment, yet inwardly they rejoiced. Though they all served under the Celestial Emperor, rivalry ran deep among them, and one squad's demotion was another's promotion.
"You are all dismissed." The Celestial Emperor spoke as he stood from his throne.
The commanders bowed to him and remained in such a position until he completely left the room.
Once the Celestial Emperor was gone, the commanders started talking amongst themselves. As for Commander Du, he silently disappeared from the room with a determined expression on his face.