The ship rose and fell with the surging waves. The closer they got to Sea God Island, the more hidden reefs appeared beneath the sea surface, and the seawater became increasingly turbulent. Everyone had no choice but to grab onto whatever was around them to maintain their balance.
Amid the constant ups and downs, Mo Ying furrowed his brows slightly, then lowered his head and spoke softly to Xu Yuexuan, who was sitting on a cargo box nearby:
"Your Highness, the Princess, the soul guidance technology here seems quite backward. Even the ships lack the most basic course-fixing devices. They even rely on compasses and maps to determine direction, and sometimes they need to depend on the weather..."
"Your subordinate feels that the so-called Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires, and even Sea God Island, should not be too powerful. Otherwise, they wouldn't have failed to popularize even such simple soul tools..."
Xu Yuexuan frowned slightly, then gently shook her head and lowered her voice:
"Don't speak nonsense. A long time ago, Father Emperor said that soul masters and soul mentors are complementary to each other. That Title Douluo we saw earlier is definitely not old. A Title Douluo at such a young age is unheard of even within the Empire. In other words, the Title Douluos in the Empire have squeezed their potential too thoroughly in advance, and there is no possibility of further advancement in the future..."
"Moreover, the origin of soul tools lies with soul masters. Whether the power of soul masters is strong or not is the fundamental factor that determines everything. Do not speak nonsense anymore. This is ultimately someone else's territory. We are now merely shipwrecked survivors, not masters. Without permission, we don't even have the right to speak..."
Mo Ying respectfully acknowledged and showed no sign of dissatisfaction.
As shadow guards cultivated by the Empire, they had been assigned to each prince and princess from the moment of their birth. From the moment they were born, their mission was to use everything they had to protect their masters and unconditionally obey any orders from them.
This point was similar to the two empires. However, unfortunately, ever since the two empires gradually declined, only the Star Luo Empire still had the ability to cultivate high-tier shadow guards. For the Heaven Dou Empire, whose influence over soul masters was weakening day by day, this was somewhat unrealistic.
The outline of Sea God Island had already appeared before everyone's eyes. Suddenly, rows of gray dorsal fins emerged on the waves, followed by the streamlined bodies of demonic soul great white sharks and the sharp teeth faintly visible under the sunlight.
Everyone was startled and frantically crowded toward the center of the ship. Only the soul masters belonging to Sea God Island remained calm. After one of them stepped forward and showed his face, the patrolling demonic soul great white sharks below instantly retreated beneath the sea surface, and the sea returned to calm.
One of the purple-robed soul masters looked at the lingering fear on everyone's faces and smiled slightly, saying:
"No need to worry. The demonic soul great white shark group is the first line of defense that Sea God Island has arranged in the ocean. Their clan leader is a hundred-thousand-year demonic soul, a great white shark, who was once the mount of Lord Sea God."
At these words, everyone looked at each other, momentarily at a loss for what to say.
Mo Ying and Xu Yuexuan, however, both showed a trace of shock in their eyes. Then the two exchanged a glance and tacitly said nothing more.
After disembarking from the ship, what lay before them was a dense forest. In the forest, quite a few soul masters were wearing various colored robes. At this moment, their gazes all fell on the group, then slowly moved away as they continued their guard duties.
The leading purple-robed soul master said softly:
"I will take you to meet the lord from earlier. Remember to be clever when the time comes. Although I don't know that lord's true identity and strength, he is definitely not someone at your level or ours who can casually interact with..."
"Even our superior, the guardian of Sea Horse Sacred Pillar, Sea Horse Douluo, treats him with utmost respect. There are even rumors that the big shot is on the same level as our Great Enshrinement..."
Mo Ying and Xu Yuexuan, who had been consciously pushed to the front by the crowd, exchanged a glance. Then Xu Yuexuan spoke softly and asked:
"Sir, may I ask about the Sea Horse Douluo and the Great Enshrinement you mentioned..."
The purple-robed soul master turned around and looked Xu Yuexuan up and down. A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. It seemed he recalled Sea Horse Douluo's earlier instructions, and his tone became gentler and more polite:
"This young lady, Sea Horse Douluo, is one of the seven Sacred Pillar Guardian Douluos of our Sea God Island. He himself is an extremely powerful Title Douluo. Above the seven Title Douluos is our Great Enshrinement..."
"The Great Enshrinement is the most devout believer of Lord Sea God and the strongest on Sea God Island. It is said that her strength has already stepped into the pinnacle of human soul masters. I remember there was once a rumor that our Great Enshrinement, together with two other powerhouses on the continent, is known as the three insurmountable mountains of the soul master world. Sea Horse Douluo once told us that the Great Enshrinement has reached the point where she can mobilize the power of the ocean for her own use. On the sea, she is truly unrivaled in the current era..."
As he spoke, the purple-robed soul master's eyes were filled with fervor and reverence—though it was unclear whether it was for Sea God or for Bo Saixi.
Xu Yuexuan was momentarily speechless. She exchanged a glance with Mo Ying beside her, and the shock in their eyes was almost impossible to hide.
It was not until they passed through the forest and entered the town that everyone first felt the prosperity of Sea God Island.
Unlike the soul–guided cities that the Sun Moon Empire had gradually built up, the cities on Sea God Island all possessed a classical beauty. They followed the common architectural style of near-sea cities, carrying a touch of simplicity yet an inexplicably romantic flavor.
Everyone curiously observed everything around them. Seeing that the purple-robed soul master leading the way and the others seemed uninterested in minding them, the group began whispering among themselves.
They arrived in front of a peculiar building in the city. The purple-robed soul master respectfully saluted, then turned to the group and said:
"Only ten people may enter. Of course, the three of you must be included."
As he spoke, the purple-robed soul master pointed at Wang Han as well as Xu Yuexuan. Wang Han naturally needed no further mention, he was currently the leader of this group of sailors. As for the remaining two, just judging by the aura they carried, they stood out like cranes among chickens in the crowd. It would have been hard not to select them.
Xu Yuexuan and Mo Ying silently stepped forward without any abnormality. Wang Han sighed lightly, then also took two steps forward. After the crowd chattered excitedly for a while, seven more people finally stepped out.
The purple-robed soul master whispered a few words to his companion nearby, then led these ten people inside.
After walking down a long corridor, laughter from several people could be heard not far ahead.
Mo Ying felt the faint yet terrifying pressure in the surrounding air and, for a moment, had the impulse to kneel on the spot.
The others also noticed the group brought by the purple-robed soul master. After waving to dismiss him, Shen Hanyu swept his gaze over everyone once and said calmly:
"No need to be nervous. There is nothing about you that would make us want to kill. On the contrary, if you cooperate, whether you wish to stay on Sea God Island to live or repair your warship and return to the Sun Moon Empire afterward, we will not stop you..."
As he spoke, Shen Hanyu glanced at Mo Ying standing at the side of the crowd and continued:
"The two of you don't seem like ordinary people. A fairly young Soul Douluo expert and a teenage Soul Sage. I can also sense the aura of the dragon clan within your body. Tell us your identities."
Mo Ying's body tensed up, but in the next moment, he was completely frozen in place by a single glance from the Snow Emperor. Xu Yuexuan swallowed hard, then took two steps forward. Only then did she gently perform a ceremonial gesture that had never been seen before and said softly:
"Princess of the Sun Moon Empire, Xu Yuexuan, greets Your Excellency."
"Princess?"
Shen Hanyu raised an eyebrow, then smiled lightly and continued:
"Quite a surprise. Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon martial soul, right?"
Xu Yuexuan nodded gently and said:
"My martial soul is indeed the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon..."
Shen Hanyu looked Xu Yuexuan over. His tone softened somewhat. He then glanced at Xue Ke, who was watching the show with Bai Nian nearby, and said with a light smile:
"There is another princess here. Perhaps you two can get to know each other."
Xue Ke seemed not to have noticed what Shen Hanyu was saying. Only after being viciously pinched by You Mengchu did she react. She then took two steps forward, performed a standard Heaven Dou noble salute, her face slightly flushed, and said:
"Heaven Dou Princess Xue Ke. Welcome to your arrival..."
A trace of surprise flashed in Xu Yuexuan's eyes, followed by a somewhat self-mocking light laugh. It took her quite a while before she continued:
"Just treat me as an ordinary person. This is not the territory of the Sun Moon Empire. Even if it were, it wouldn't make much difference..."
Xue Ke was slightly stunned, then also fell into silence. For some reason, she felt a strange sense of empathy toward Xu Yuexuan, which made her feel oddly strange for a moment.
Shen Hanyu paused, then continued to ask:
"Tell us about the internal situation of the Sun Moon Empire. I think this shouldn't be difficult for you..."
Xu Yuexuan signaled Mo Ying with her eyes, having him step back a couple of paces, before saying:
"Although I don't know why you are so curious about the situation in the Sun Moon Empire, if you only rely on the navigation technology here, it would be best not to think about crossing the vast ocean. The terror of the deep sea is not something ordinary people can imagine—even with Title Douluo escorts, it would be the same..."
Shen Hanyu chuckled lightly, looked into Xu Yuexuan's eyes, and said unhurriedly:
"We have no intention of invading. Moreover, we have no interest in those things, and the continent over there doesn't have the capability anyway. Besides, strength is the greatest right. I believe you understand this principle. I'm asking you simply because we need to make a trip to the Sun Moon Continent. Learning about it in advance shouldn't be a bad thing..."
Xu Yuexuan's face remained pale and steady as she said softly:
"What do you want to know..."
Shen Hanyu glanced at the people beside him and said:
"Very simple. Give us the specific location of the Evil Demon Forest, as well as the specific situation of soul tool development in the Sun Moon Empire today. Also, in the future, I may take away quite a few high-tier soul mentors from your empire..."
Hearing this, the calmness on Xu Yuexuan's face finally showed a crack.
"The Evil Demon Forest is a forbidden area within the Empire's borders. Its master has a strange personality and does not welcome humans. Moreover, the Evil Demon Forest is full of evil soul beasts. If you only want its location, that would naturally be easy..."
"As for high-tier soul mentors, they all hold lofty statuses within the Empire and would not be willing to follow you to an unknown world."
Shen Hanyu found it somewhat amusing and said:
"Have you ever seen a powerhouse approach those below him with a peaceful and consultative attitude from the start? If they do not obey, I can kill until someone obeys. This world itself is unfair, where is there so much justice and morality to speak of..."
"It's all nonsense..."
Xu Yuexuan seemed somewhat shocked by Shen Hanyu's attitude. Her brows and eyes slowly lowered, and her voice also became cold.
"Give me paper and pen. I will draw a detailed map of the Sun Moon Empire for you and tell you the locations of the high-tier soul mentors I know. But you must promise me one thing: after it is done, if you destroy the Sun Moon Empire, I will approve."
Shen Hanyu raised an eyebrow and said softly:
"Tell me the situation."
Xu Yuexuan raised her head. The bloodshot veins in her eyes looked particularly ferocious at this moment. After taking a deep breath, she began to recount softly:
"The current Sun Moon Empire has a total of seven princes and three princesses. I am the eldest among the three princesses, with the title Purple Moon. My elder brother ranks third among the seven princes. Like me, he is one of the extremely few imperial bloodline descendants who awakened the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon martial soul."
"The imperial family has always been emotionally distant from each other, but I never imagined they would go this far, all for the sake of the throne, at least on the surface."
"The eldest prince, that is, my nominal eldest brother, to smoothly inherit the throne, cooperated with a fallen evil soul master in the Evil Demon Forest. That evil soul master also had a dragon-type martial soul. To obtain a complete Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon bloodline to help him break through to Super Douluo, he cooperated with my eldest brother to lure my elder brother out of the imperial palace. They then forcibly refined him into a human blood pill. In the end, because the effect was insufficient, they even turned their attention to an old ancestor of our imperial family who possessed the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon martial soul and was a Title Douluo..."
"Everything that happened afterward, I believe you can guess. My eldest brother and that Title Douluo evil soul master frantically hunted down the other imperial descendants. I only managed to escape thanks to my parents desperately blocking them. But I never expected that I would encounter an attack by sea soul beasts in the near-sea area, then be swept into the deep sea by a storm, and finally drift here..."
Xu Yuexuan clearly did not want to say more about the details. This could be seen from her body, which she tried hard to suppress, yet still trembled slightly.
Everyone, as well as the sailors behind Xu Yuexuan, was full of astonishment and shock. Wang Han even slapped his forehead hard and muttered to himself:
"I was wondering why everything felt uneasy during that period, but no matter how the brothers inquired, there was no news at all. So the problem was in Ming Capital... This... Your Highness, the Princess, you..."
A trace of sympathy appeared on Wang Han's face. It seemed he finally understood why, late at night on the ship, one could hear suppressed crying. He had once thought it was his own hallucination, but now it seemed it must have been this princess quietly venting her emotions in the middle of the night when she broke down...
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Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are chapters available on Patreon."
"From Douluo to Godhood by Defy 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo: Far North Invincibledo 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo Peerless: Living as an Evil Soul Master the novel is already finished on Patreon."
"Douluo Dalu 2:Peerless Tang Sect Dawn of Sun and Moon 40 Advance chapters."
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