Roar

Xu Zihuang stepped impassively over Yin Ziyue's corpse. He swept his gaze across the crowd without saying much.

This was his first time killing someone in the truest sense, yet everything felt so calm. It was not because he had been born devoid of emotion or indifferent to life, but because he had prepared himself mentally from the very beginning.

His ambitions were great. Not only did he want Xu Tianran and his father to repay their blood debt, but he also coveted the throne of the Sun Moon Empire Emperor.

If his father had been a little more ruthless back then, what place would Xu Tianran and his father have had?

After enduring three years of imprisonment, he had come to deeply understand the importance of strength and power.

Whether human or Soul Beast, he wanted all living beings to submit to him and become the continent's sole ruler. This was the desire that had been endlessly magnified within his heart.

The path ahead was bound to be filled with thorns, and his hands would inevitably be stained with blood.

Killing Yin Ziyue was merely the first step in establishing his authority. The remnants of the Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Corps would serve as the foundation of his rise, and he had to keep them firmly under his control.

Having awakened the memories of his previous life and become familiar with the plot, he had already formed a rough plan in his mind. Shrek Academy was the most crucial stepping stone within it. His first Martial Soul, the Golden Eye, had never been exposed. If he made the Golden Eye his primary Martial Soul, changed his name, and entered Shrek Academy to study, who could possibly guess it was him? Besides, his Second Martial Soul was actually somewhat different from the Purple Blazing Sky Dragon Martial Soul of the Sun Moon Empire royalty.

With his talent, gaining the attention of Shrek Academy's upper ranks would not be difficult. That would be equivalent to gaining an invisible protective umbrella. He could also develop some connections at Shrek Academy, then meet Xu He—He Caitou—the cousin who had suffered the same fate as him.

He believed that, given He Caitou's hatred for Xu Tianran and his father, he would certainly stand on his side. He Caitou's identity was even more special than his own and could be put to good use.

Of course, that was all under the premise that their shared goal was revenge against Xu Tianran and his father. If he truly reached the point of seizing the throne, he would surely have grown strong enough by then that He Caitou could no longer pose any threat to him.

"Zihuang." Yaoyang's gentle voice brought Xu Zihuang back to his senses.

Xu Zihuang glanced sideways and saw that a pair of slender, dark-red folded wings had appeared behind Yaoyang at some unknown point. The folded wings were translucent overall, and behind them were no fewer than ten jet ports.

"A Rank 7 Flying Soul Tool?" Xu Zihuang was not particularly surprised. Given his status back then, he had personally seen quite a few Level 9 Soul Tools. Knowing that Yaoyang was preparing to take him into the air according to the plan, Xu Zihuang hurriedly adjusted his physical condition.

"Get ready!"

Yaoyang tucked Xu Zihuang beneath his arm. With a low shout, all ten jet ports on his folded wings simultaneously erupted with blazing white light. Immediately afterward, Xu Zihuang felt a tremendous force strike his waist. Only through the powerful eyesight of the Golden Eye Martial Soul could he barely make out the scenery flashing past around him.

The piercing shriek also assaulted Xu Zihuang's senses, making his body feel unable to endure it after only a few seconds. But soon, a gentle halo of Soul Power enveloped him, and the discomfort immediately vanished. To his shock, he realized that he had already risen five hundred meters above the island.

Yaoyang also noticed Xu Zihuang, whose body was surrounded by strange Spiritual Power fluctuations after he released the Golden Eye Martial Soul. Seeing Xu Zihuang's dramatically changed golden eyes, especially the obscure and intricate golden patterns around his pupils, Yaoyang rarely revealed an expression of astonishment. He gave Xu Zihuang a deep look, but forcibly suppressed his urge to question him.

Now was clearly not the time for questions.

With its dazzling exhaust flames, the Rank 7 Flying Soul Tool behind Yaoyang was impossible to miss in the night sky.

The Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Corps Soldiers battling the main force of the West Sea Soul Engineer Corps in the center of the island saw the brilliant trail of light streaking overhead and fought with all their might to force back the West Sea Soul Engineer Corps Soldiers surrounding them.

"Everyone, take to the air!"

Flying Soul Tools appeared one after another behind the Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Corps Soldiers. Exhaust flames of every color illuminated almost the entire island.

Seeing this, Qiu Ying, the Deputy Corps Leader of the West Sea Soul Engineer Corps, had a face so grim it seemed ready to drip water.

They really had come prepared!

Every member of the Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Corps was equipped with Flying Soul Tools of Rank 6 and above. The West Sea Soul Engineer Corps also had Flying Soul Tools, but there was an enormous gap in both quantity and quality.

"Use Ranged Soul Skills and Soul Tools! Don't let a single one escape! Bring out every flying-type Soul Tool we have!" Qiu Ying roared as he mobilized his Soul Power.

The West Sea Soul Engineer Corps had suffered far too great a loss in this battle. If they allowed these people to escape like this, then with the First Prince's vicious temperament, other than Haixiao, his confidant, likely none of them would survive.

But the only response was an earth-shattering roar. A terrifying orange-red mushroom cloud rose behind him without warning, carrying intense heat that caused even him, in his Martial Soul Possession state, to feel searing pain.

Screams and the sounds of falling rocks rang out without end. Many West Sea Soul Engineer Corps Soldiers near the orange-red mushroom cloud were directly vaporized, leaving behind only black shadows on the ground.

"A Level-7 High-Explosive Fixed Soul Cannon?" Qiu Ying's eyes were already filled with despair, because more than twenty orange-red mushroom clouds rose in rapid succession behind the first.

"It's over. It's all over..."

More than twenty Level-7 Fixed Soul Cannons could nearly destroy a small city. There was no possibility that this island could remain intact. He completely gave up resisting, his arms hanging limply at his sides. After this, the West Sea Soul Engineer Corps would likely be erased here.

The scorching, surging shockwaves cracked the sturdy five-story castle with enormous fissures, as though it would collapse the next instant. On the flat-roofed balcony, Elder Yu withdrew the barrel of the Fixed Soul Cannon. Barely maintaining his balance, he activated his Flying Soul Tool and anxiously urged the people beside him, "If you don't want to die, get into the air! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"

"Yes, Elder Yu!"

They too took to the air using flying-type Soul Tools, but compared to the twenty-odd people who had previously been fighting the main force of the West Sea Soul Engineer Corps, they had already lost the initiative. Furthermore, their Cultivation was only in the fifties, and their Flying Soul Tools were merely Rank 5. Fear showed in many of their eyes, but no one panicked.

From the beginning, they had known that staying behind to fire the Fixed Soul Cannon Shells carried the risk of being caught in the blast. The power and area of effect of Level-7 Fixed Soul Cannons were simply too great, especially with more than twenty arriving at once.

The intense heat swept through the entire castle in an instant, swallowing at least seven or eight Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Corps Soldiers.

Elder Yu clenched his fists and looked back once before quickly turning away. He mobilized all the Soul Power in his body and desperately poured it into the Flying Soul Tool on his back.

Although he had anticipated such a situation long ago, witnessing it with his own eyes still made his heart ache.