When Elder Cheng was treating Juzi, Wang Xiao carried Leng Jun's corpse back with one hand.
There was no such thing as a desperate escape, nor the saying "thirty years east of the river, thirty years west."
A genius who had not yet matured could be extinguished with ease. There were not so many miracles.
Xu Zihuang waved his hand listlessly. "Elder Wang, have someone deal with the corpse and clean up afterward. Don't dirty this place."
"Yes, Young Master." Everyone also noticed the lone grave not far away, and their hearts felt heavy. That mother and daughter were pitiful souls dragged into the war. As fellow citizens of the Sun Moon Empire, they couldn't help but feel sympathy for their fate.
But given their current position, they could not intervene in this war between the Sun Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire.
"Rather than send reinforcements to the front, they dispatched the Evil Monarch Soul Tool Regiment to ambush Young Master. Such a ruler is unworthy of the throne!" Elder Yu sneered coldly.
Xu Zihuang smiled faintly without replying.
In his imperial brother's eyes, the throne was more important than anything else. Eliminating him as a threat was understandable. Still, he wondered if his brother was overly wary of him. After all, what he had shown back then was nothing more than innate full soul power and the pure Purple Radiance Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon martial soul.
Even with the remnants of the Imperial Dragon Soul Tool Regiment, it was hard to stir up waves.
Unless… was it related to that purple dragon corpse he had glimpsed when fusing with the external soul bone, the Radiant Dragon Claw?
Thinking of this, Xu Zihuang subconsciously glanced at his left hand.
Not long after, a flash of yellow lightning, and two figures appeared before Xu Zihuang, kneeling on one knee. "Young Master, a soul master squad is approaching. They seem to be from the Fire Phoenix Soul Tool Regiment."
Xu Zihuang and the others all looked toward the distance, faintly seeing the dazzling trails from flying soul tools.
Though still some distance away, their course was direct, swiftly closing in on their position.
It must have been the commotion earlier that drew them here.
Xu Zihuang understood. Golden patterns flickered around his pupils. Once he confirmed the familiar fire phoenix emblem on their armor, he ordered, "Enter the Mingdou Great Forest through the mountains."
"Yes, Young Master." Everyone understood his meaning. Using flying soul tools now would be far too conspicuous, and the forest wasn't far away.
Juzi's injuries were only superficial. It was her exhaustion and overwhelming grief that caused her to faint. By now, Elder Cheng had already healed her wounds.
Hearing Xu Zihuang's order, he hesitated and asked, "Young Master, what about this girl?"
"Leave her here. Let the Fire Phoenix Soul Tool Regiment take her in." Xu Zihuang had long since decided on Juzi's fate. Compared to his ruthless imperial brother, he was hardly nobler.
What he wanted was to use Juzi's hatred toward the Star Luo Empire. Only if the Sun Moon Empire launched war against the three great empires of the original Douluo Continent, as in the original story, would he have a greater chance to seize the throne. Taking Juzi along now was meaningless.
What he needed was an empress and war goddess who could command the empire's soul tool army—not a vase. Leaving Juzi here best served his interests.
Almost right after Xu Zihuang and his group left, soldiers of the Fire Phoenix Soul Tool Regiment landed on the cliffside. They wore magnificent crimson armor and radiated heroic presence.
Like the Imperial Dragon Regiment, the Fire Phoenix Soul Tool Regiment was a guardian of the empire. From the regiment commander down to the soldiers, every member was a female soul master.
At the front stood a striking woman of about twenty-six or twenty-seven, with fiery red hair tied into a neat ponytail. Even her armor could not conceal her impressive figure.
She scanned the surroundings, frowning when she noticed a pit nearly a meter deep.
"Big Sister, there's a girl still alive!" a clear voice rang out. The woman quickly stepped forward to check.
Under the influence of soul power, Juzi slowly opened her eyes, a lazy daze lingering in them. When she came to, sorrow and hatred filled her gaze as she stared blankly at the lonely grave by the cliff.
How she wished it had all been a dream. But reality was cruel. Nothing could return—neither her loving parents nor the little town where she had grown up.
Her eyes made the woman feel suffocated. She couldn't help but soften with pity. If not for the war, perhaps the innocence shown earlier was this girl's true self.
"Little girl, what happened here? Did the Star Luo Empire's army invade?"
As she asked, her expression froze, a trace of self-mockery flashing in her eyes.
The ruins of a town lay just ahead. Wasn't her question redundant?
Hearing this, Juzi's clear eyes flickered, recalling the noble golden eyes she had last seen before falling unconscious.
She glanced down at her bare, smooth legs—without a single wound. That confirmed what happened earlier was no illusion.
So… the ones who saved me weren't you?
Quick-witted as she was, Juzi sensed something hidden. Shaking her head in confusion, she said, "I don't know why I fainted. When I woke up, the first people I saw were you."
The woman suspected nothing. Seeing Juzi's fragile state, she refrained from asking further. She divided her troops—some to scout the area, others to escort Juzi away.
Throughout it all, Juzi remained calm, though her eyes grew resolute.
Only one thought echoed in her heart: revenge.
The war between the Sun Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire continued.
Half a month later, Xu Zihuang and his group, setting out from the southern coast of the Star Luo Empire, finally arrived at their destination—Moon Pivot Island.
Located at the northernmost tip of the Moon South Archipelago, Moon Pivot Island was the largest and most prosperous island, with several major ports.
They traveled aboard a Star Luo Empire merchant ship, landing at the northern port.
The harbor teemed with vessels of all sizes: merchant ships for trade, fishing boats returning from the open sea, and private craft carrying purchases.
The docks bustled with noise—shouts of vendors, stalls piled with fresh fish and fruit. The liveliness even surpassed some of the Sun Moon Empire's major cities.
Xu Zihuang strolled with interest, surveying his surroundings. Behind him followed Meng Lang and four Imperial Dragon Regiment guards, each at least Soul Emperor level. The rest, dismissed by Wang Xiao, scattered to rest or procure rare metals.
On Moon Pivot Island, safety was relatively assured. After agreeing with Wang Xiao on a meeting place for the evening, Xu Zihuang decided to enjoy this rare moment of leisure.