Prince's Son Xu Zihuang

New release: Douluo: Legend of the Dragon King—Void Throne.

The golden-red sun slowly rose in the east, casting its light across the glittering sea. A sea breeze tinged with a faint fishy smell blew head-on, damp and chilly in the deep autumn.

Wave after wave crashed against the rocky cliffs. As the mist over the sea dispersed, an island abruptly emerged from view.

This island lay in the western waters of the Sun Moon Empire, far from the empire's mainland but not too deep into the open sea. Because of this, it was spared the threat of all manner of powerful Sea Soul Beasts from the depths and could be included within the Sun Moon Empire's vast territory under its direct jurisdiction.

The island was not particularly large. Unlike ordinary islands, however, it was encircled by a sturdy wall built from bluish-gray marble, nearly fifty meters high.

The crashing waves had already left the marks of time upon it, yet the massive wall remained utterly unmoved, standing firm and steady.

Huge cannon barrels with a dark metallic sheen sat in the gaps atop the wall. Rows of disciplined, capable soldiers patrolled the battlements in shifts, their standardized dark-blue armor scattering an unusual halo beneath the sunlight.

This island was an offshore military base built by the Sun Moon Empire to defend against rampaging Sea Soul Beasts in the western waters. There were quite a few such bases in the western and southern seas of the Sun Moon Empire. After all, even with the development of Soul Tool Technology, humanity was still far from conquering the vast, unknown ocean.

The powerful Soul Beasts of the Deep Sea far surpassed land Soul Beasts in both number and quality.

Inside the walls were no bustling streets or crowded towns as one might imagine. There were only rows of low stone houses. Groups of resting soldiers came and went along the roads, collecting all kinds of supplies from rudimentary distribution points.

The only thing that could barely be associated with a street or town was the towering castle at the island's center. The castle was entirely bluish-gray, and even beneath the sunlight, it gave off an oppressive feeling.

Compared to the mostly one- or two-story stone houses, this five-story castle stood head and shoulders above the rest.

The flowerbeds before the castle held the island's only splashes of color. Rare flowers of every shade gave off a pleasant fragrance, diluting the fishy smell carried by the sea breeze.

A young man dressed in a luxurious purple-gold robe stood beside the flowerbeds with his eyes closed. Leaning close to a deep-purple Exotic Ink Orchid, he inhaled its scent through his high, straight nose.

He looked quite young, with obvious immaturity still lingering between his brows. His medium-length black hair just touched his shoulders, though several purple strands mingled with the black around his forehead and temples, adding an inexplicably sinister air.

With delicate features and jade-white skin, he looked nothing like someone who had lived by the sea for a long time. Instead, he resembled a pampered child of nobility.

And that was indeed the case. The young man's name was Xu Zihuang, and his background was far more illustrious than that of ordinary noble children. He was the son of a Prince of the Sun Moon Empire. However, during the Palace Coup in the Sun Moon Empire three years ago, his once-powerful father had fought desperately to save the previous Sun Moon Empire Emperor, only to end up with his entire family destroyed.

Perhaps because the new emperor feared driving the other royal descendants who held real power into desperation, or perhaps because a newly enthroned emperor could not afford further bloodshed, the five-year-old Xu Zihuang had fortunately not been purged by the Sun Moon Empire's new ruler. Instead, he had been exiled to this isolated island at sea.

"Your Highness, the wind is strong outside. Please take care of your health." A steady voice sounded from behind him. Xu Zihuang slowly opened his eyes and glanced to the side, his clear deep-purple eyes utterly indifferent.

Looking at the imposing middle-aged man in dark-blue armor before him, a trace of self-mockery appeared at the corner of his lips.

Your Highness? An exiled Prince?

The middle-aged man had dark skin and stood nearly two meters tall, the very image of a hardened military man. Yet when facing Xu Zihuang, he lowered his head respectfully, not daring to meet his gaze in the slightest act of impropriety.

The sort of scene where a disgraced young lord was humiliated by his subordinates did not play out here. The dignity of the royal family could not be violated. Even if Xu Zihuang was merely the son of an exiled Prince, he still represented the Sun Moon Empire royalty.

If he could be humiliated at will, then the Sun Moon Empire royalty's reputation would be worth far too little.

Using his left hand to smooth the hair at his forehead that the sea breeze had tousled, Xu Zihuang slowly walked up to the middle-aged man and narrowed his eyes as he studied the expression on his face.

"Regiment Commander Haixiao, coming to see me at this time, you must have something to tell me, right?"

Haixiao nodded, his stiff expression twitching slightly.

"A ship will arrive here from the imperial mainland this afternoon. On board will be one hundred noble young ladies selected from across the empire, all of them exceptionally beautiful and talented. His Highness the First Prince hopes that Your Highness can select ten of them to carry on the royal family's purest Purple Sun Annihilating Heaven Dragon Bloodline."

At this point, Haixiao paused briefly before adding, "Of course, if Your Highness wishes to keep all one hundred noble young ladies, His Highness the First Prince will permit it as well."

"Hmph." Xu Zihuang sneered inwardly, though his eyes turned exceptionally cold.

Xu Tianran really has been so thoughtful on my behalf.

He finally understood why Xu Tianran had spared his life back then.

Though the Sun Moon Empire royalty was prosperous, very few inherited any of the several top-tier martial souls passed down through the royal family. Xu Zihuang was one of those fortunate few. When his martial soul awakened, not only did he possess the exceptionally rare Innate Full Soul Power, but he had also inherited the top-tier Beast Martial Soul known as the Purple Sun Annihilating Heaven Dragon. Furthermore, the purity of his bloodline was unprecedented in nearly a thousand years of the Sun Moon Empire royal family's inheritance.

The emotions in his eyes quickly settled once more. Xu Zihuang then turned and walked directly into the castle.

"Let me know when they arrive, Regiment Commander Haixiao. After all, I have no right to refuse, do I?"

Now that he understood Xu Tianran's purpose, the nerves he had kept taut for so long instead relaxed considerably.

At least, he was safe for the time being.

If he was fortunate enough to survive, he likely would never be able to leave this island for the rest of his life. Indulging himself properly was probably the only thing he could do.

Fortunately, the Sun Moon Empire's current Soul Tool Technology was still incapable of extracting his seed and keeping it viable for a long period of time. That was why he appeared to have some room to choose.

Most importantly, he could continue barely clinging to life for several more years. He would need at least three or four years before reaching the age at which he could leave behind descendants.

Those three or four years were probably the final deadline.

He understood his cousin's vicious nature well. If he truly left behind descendants and lost his value, he would likely not be far from death.

Walking through the castle's broad, luxurious corridors, Xu Zihuang sighed to himself.

Starting out on hell difficulty, huh.