In a luxurious room on the fifth floor of the castle, Xu Zihuang, dressed in a purple robe, sat at a desk calmly savoring the rich aroma of red tea from a porcelain cup.
Compared to the two West Sea Soul Engineer Regiment soldiers behind him, who were visibly nervous, he appeared far more composed. The turmoil at the island's center and inside the castle seemed as though it belonged to a world completely separate from his.
Yet the tight grip on the cup's handle, the veins bulging on his right hand, betrayed that his mood was not nearly as calm as he appeared.
In his noble, crystal-clear purple eyes, light flickered, and the corners of his lips curved into the faintest of smiles.
"I didn't expect Old Wang to escape your pursuit. It seems your control over the southern part of the Empire isn't as strong as I imagined."
Earlier, when Wang Xiao and Hai Xiao conversed, they had deliberately channeled soul power so their voices carried across the entire island. Naturally, Xu Zihuang had heard it. From their dialogue, he had more or less grasped the general situation.
He knew Wang Xiao too well. Wang Xiao's personality was always cautious, and since he had come here, it meant he was fully prepared.
If not for Xu Zihuang's strong control over his emotions, he might have already burst into laughter. For three years, he had lived in constant despair, and now that a glimmer of hope had appeared, how could he not feel joy?
With his talent, as long as he escaped alive, there would certainly be a chance in the future to make Xu Tiannan and his son pay the price. Even the throne of the Sun Moon Empire would not be beyond reach. He had full confidence in himself.
His twin martial souls—the Golden Eyes and the Zihuang Annihilation Dragon—were far from his only trump cards.
The two West Sea Soul Engineer Regiment soldiers behind him, however, felt the complete opposite. Noticing the castle had fallen silent again, they revealed the soul cannons strapped to their bodies, glaring at the door.
"Damn it! What on earth is happening in the castle now?! Why hasn't a single one of those who went down earlier returned?!"
"How should I know?!"
Under such extreme tension, their emotions were on the verge of erupting.
Their orders were to guard Xu Zihuang at all times, and they could not leave to investigate.
"Hm?" Xu Zihuang, who had been sipping tea with his head lowered, suddenly raised his head sharply, staring at the door.
"What terrifying spiritual power!"
For a moment, even he felt nervous. He was certain no one in the West Sea Soul Engineer Regiment possessed such overwhelming spiritual power—not even Hai Xiao, who was a Soul Douluo. But back when his father led the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment, there had never been such a figure either.
As though answering his gaze, the door before him creaked open. Behind him, the two West Sea Soul Engineer Regiment soldiers collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
A pair of blood-red eyes shone vividly in the dim corridor outside, locking with Xu Zihuang's own.
Seeing the owner of those blood-red eyes, Xu Zihuang's heartbeat instantly skipped. The chilling aura was far too similar to those eerie Evil Soul Masters.
But soon he exhaled in relief, for he saw the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment soldiers he knew well following behind. Many of the faces were familiar to him.
"Young Master!" The soldiers of the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment knelt on one knee before Xu Zihuang, their voices brimming with emotion. A chorus of clanging armor echoed in the vast room, embodying the fervor in their hearts.
Just those two words carried countless emotions within them.
Elder Yu, his hair already fully white, even had reddened eyes. His stooped figure stirred Xu Zihuang's heart.
Xu Zihuang had a deep impression of Elder Yu.
Over eighty years old, Elder Yu had retired from the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment more than a decade ago. After retiring, he became a guard at Xu Zihuang's family estate. Though he hadn't followed Xu Zhenxuan to Mingdu to guard the imperial palace and thus survived, he surely had endured much hardship evading the pursuit of Xu Tiannan and his son all these years.
In Xu Zihuang's memories, Elder Yu had a ruddy complexion—not the frail, aged look he bore now.
"Please rise, Elder Yu."
Xu Zihuang quickly stood and personally helped Elder Yu up, then gestured to the others.
"Everyone, rise as well. We can catch up later; this place cannot yet be considered safe. Tell me the current situation first."
Seeing Xu Zihuang's unusual composure, their eyes lit up. From his familiar brows, they seemed to catch a glimpse of the Prince himself.
"It seems we were the ones being overly dramatic." Elder Yu smiled in relief as he studied the eight-year-old boy who displayed a maturity far beyond his years, then shifted his gaze to Yao Yang, who had withdrawn his martial soul and exuded scholarly refinement.
Yao Yang's gentle smile, like a spring breeze, carried no trace of the previous coldness.
"Zihuang, you are very much like Uncle Zhengxuan."
Zhengxuan was Xu Zihuang's father's name—Xu Zhengxuan, titled the Zihuang King, who governed the four most prosperous provinces in the Sun Moon Empire's south.
From the title "Zihuang King," one could see how much the late Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire favored him. To directly grant the title of one of the imperial family's hereditary martial souls—such an honor had never appeared in the Empire's tens of thousands of years of history.
Even Xu Zihuang's name came from it.
Xu Zihuang met Yao Yang's gentle gaze with surprise. He had no recollection of this man, yet he could feel genuine warmth radiating from him.
"This should be the first time we've met, right?"
Yao Yang nodded, a flicker of memory and regret flashing in his eyes.
"It's been nearly ten years since I last saw Uncle Zhengxuan. I never expected that farewell to be our last chance to meet."
"You're right—this isn't the time for reminiscing. Some things are better left until we've escaped from here." Yao Yang quickly suppressed his emotions, kindly patting Xu Zihuang's shoulder. Then, he relayed Wang Xiao's plan word for word.
Of course, it was mainly to make sure Xu Zihuang understood.
"Everyone, check the stationary soul-guided cannons in your soul tools. Make sure everything is ready without error." After speaking, Yao Yang seemed to think of something and smiled at Xu Zihuang.
"By the way, my name is Yao Yang. From now on, don't stray too far from my side. Otherwise, I might not be able to get you out of the stationary soul-guided cannon's blast range in time."
Xu Zihuang raised an eyebrow, a faint suspicion forming in his heart, but he didn't ask further. He tied his shoulder-length hair into a neat wolf-tail with a headband and, surrounded by Yao Yang and the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment soldiers, ascended to the castle's rooftop terrace.
The open flat rooftop offered a vast view. From here, they could clearly see the fierce battle raging at the island's center.
In the skies above the island, the fight between Wang Xiao and Hai Xiao was approaching its decisive stage. The Purple Thunder Manta Ray, Hai Xiao's true form, was covered in gaping wounds across its pale white underbelly, its aura weakening. In contrast, Wang Xiao fought with increasing vigor, holding the absolute advantage.
Xu Zihuang slowly retracted his gaze and looked toward the island's periphery. The castle walls, battered by the conflict, had collapsed in many places.
But instead of despair, he felt an irrepressible surge of excitement—for beyond those walls lay the freedom he had always longed for.
At last… could he truly escape this prison?
The soldiers of the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment beside him pulled out long, black cannon barrels, each nearly two meters in length, aiming them toward the central battlefield of the island, awaiting the command to fire.
Just as everything was ready, the sound of footsteps suddenly came from behind them.
"You worthless fools! You can't even handle something this simple?!"
At the same time, Elder Yu's furious voice rang out.
Frowning, Elder Yu turned his gaze to the cold, golden-haired girl brought over by two of his subordinates.
Her white gown was stained with blood, her hands dripping red. Though her soul power had been sealed, Elder Yu cautiously stepped in front of her to block her from Xu Zihuang.
Xu Zihuang furrowed his brows as he looked at the girl, immediately recognizing her as Yin Ziyue.
"What happened?"
"Young Master, she took advantage of these two fools' carelessness, released her martial soul, and killed the other nine noble girls you had chosen." Elder Yu's expression darkened as he shot a glare at the two Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment youths who had been guarding Yin Ziyue.
Upon seeing Xu Zihuang, Yin Ziyue immediately fell to her knees on the ground, her former air of aloof nobility gone—she now resembled nothing more than a lowly cur.
"Your Highness, they were all sent by the Crown Prince. They deserved to die!"
"Oh? And what about you?" Xu Zihuang asked with interest, his gaze fixed on Yin Ziyue's tearful, sky-blue eyes.
Only then did Yin Ziyue lift her head. Her long golden hair fell messily around her face, and a spark of hope flickered in her beautiful eyes. She was far more clever than the other noble girls—she understood all too well that in this situation, Xu Zihuang and his men were likely to silence them. By killing the others herself, she had cut off her own path back to the Sun Moon Empire.
This was her way of proving loyalty to Xu Zihuang.
"Your Highness, I am the second daughter of Marquis Yin of Mingdu. I willingly wish to bear your descendants. I have nothing to do with the Crown Prince. Please take me with you when you leave. I know my family controls several rare metal mines in the south of the Empire. My cultivation talent is decent, and I am familiar with handling noble affairs. I can definitely be of use to you…"
Yin Ziyue spoke quickly—this was the most humiliating moment of her sixteen years of life. Yet she felt no shame at all. So long as she could follow Xu Zihuang and leave this place, her future would hold endless possibilities. Compared to being a bargaining chip in her family's marriage schemes, clinging to Xu Zihuang was far better.
In truth, she had no choice.
If she stayed on this island, she was almost certain to die. Following Xu Zihuang was her only slim chance at survival.
But before she could finish, Xu Zihuang suddenly cut her off, his calm purple eyes radiating an oppressive force.
"The others are dead. So be it."
At these words, a faint smile spread across Yin Ziyue's face—but it froze instantly with what Xu Zihuang said next.
"But it seems you overestimate your worth. You're not worth burdening my men. Their lives are far more precious than yours."
Expressionless, Xu Zihuang stepped forward. In the next instant, he seized a soul-guided longsword from one of the soldiers and drove it straight through Yin Ziyue's pale throat.
It wasn't until Xu Zihuang returned the bloodstained blade to the soldier that everyone around finally regained their senses. Their eyes burned with fervor as they gazed at him.
This young master was even more resolute and ruthless than they had imagined. And it was precisely such a master who was worthy of their loyalty.
Yao Yang looked at Xu Zihuang with open admiration, making no attempt to hide it.
"Uncle Zhengxuan… if only you had been as decisive as Zihuang, you would not have met such an end."