Leave No Survivors

The golden-eyed youth was naturally Xu Zihuang, who had just arrived. Using another Dark Red Crystal that had formed in midair beneath his right foot as a foothold, he landed steadily at the edge of the cliff with Ju Zi in his arms, gazing indifferently at the people encased in Dark Red Crystal.

"Bang, bang, bang..." A series of crisp shattering sounds rang out as the Dark Red Crystal encasing everyone abruptly turned to dust and scattered in the wind.

Only Leng Jun and the squad captain managed to avoid the worst of it at the last moment, protected by their Martial Souls and soul skills.

An enormous earthy-yellow bear phantom appeared behind the captain of the Star Luo Empire's Western Group Army, seeming to let out a low growl. His already burly body swelled further, granite-like muscles bulging as a thick layer of yellow fur covered his arms and the chest and abdomen exposed by his torn clothes.

This was one of the common bear-type Martial Souls on the continent: the Earth Bear. It possessed immense strength and astonishing Defense Power. Even among Soul Beasts, the Earth Bear ranked in the upper-middle tiers of the Soul Beast pyramid.

Two yellow and three purple Soul Rings—though not the optimal combination—were far more formidable than Bei Lao Liu and the other subordinates who had already died.

Even so, he had needed to consecutively activate his first two enhancement-type soul skills before breaking free ahead of the second stage of Xu Zihuang's second soul skill, Mirror Shatter.

This was the battle instinct cultivated through years spent on perilous battlefields. He had a powerful premonition that if he took the second stage of Xu Zihuang's Mirror Shatter head-on, his body would suffer some kind of irreversible damage.

That was why, despite the vast gap between his Soul Power and Xu Zihuang's, he had not hesitated to expend Soul Power on two soul skills.

Leng Jun's Martial Soul quality was clearly much higher than the squad captain's Earth Bear. Though he was only a Soul Ancestor, he broke through the Dark Red Crystal's confinement a fraction faster.

The first and third Soul Rings among his two yellow and two purple, perfectly matched Soul Rings lit up simultaneously. Dense golden Wind Blades immediately spread outward from his body.

In his Martial Soul Possession state, a pair of black eagle wings covered in hard feathers sprouted from his back, and his eyes became as sharp as an eagle's. Yet his hands had transformed into lion paws.

"Griffin?"

Seeing the changes in Leng Jun's body, Xu Zihuang raised a brow, the chill in his eyes undiminished.

The Griffin Martial Soul was rarely inherited on the continent, but there was no question of its power. Lion-type and eagle-type Martial Souls were both exceptionally powerful among Beast Martial Souls. How much more so a Griffin that possessed the traits of both?

At only fifteen or sixteen years old, Leng Jun had already cultivated beyond Level 40. Combined with the uniqueness of his Martial Soul, he would have had a good chance of entering the inner courtyard even at Shrek Academy. In the Star Luo Empire, he was undoubtedly considered a genius.

But geniuses who never matured and died midway were everywhere on the continent.

"Kill them. Leave no survivors." Xu Zihuang's voice was not loud, but it carried clearly across the silent cliff.

Leng Jun suddenly realized something. He tore his gaze away from Xu Zihuang and raised his head with difficulty. At that moment, he could no longer spare any thought for Xu Zihuang's powerful and bizarre soul skill.

When he saw the figures hovering in the air on Flying Soul Tools, his heart sank completely, and his entire body turned ice-cold.

The captain of the Star Luo Empire's Western Group Army beside him looked no better. His dry lips trembled slightly. Noticing the number of jet ports on the Flying Soul Tools behind them, his eyes filled with despair.

The rank of a Flying Soul Tool could be easily identified by the number of jet ports. Rank 6 Flying Soul Tools accounted for the overwhelming majority. Moreover, Flying Soul Tools could not be used beyond one's rank, which meant that most of these people possessed Cultivation at least at the Soul Emperor level.

Clenching his fists and steadying his emotions, the squad captain knew that they likely would not escape this time. After a brief hesitation, he suddenly shoved Leng Jun away. As his Fifth Soul Ring lit up, he shouted, "Run into the Ming Dou Great Forest! If you survive by some miracle, help look after my family."

"I will." Leng Jun nodded firmly, but his movements were swift.

He took several strides to the edge of the cliff, then leaped into the air, spreading the enormous wings behind him. He became a blur as he shot toward the Ming Dou Great Forest, whose outline was faintly visible in the distance. Driven by his survival instinct, he pushed his speed nearly to its limit.

Once Leng Jun had left, the squad captain strode toward Xu Zihuang, who was holding Ju Zi. Though he had chosen to help Leng Jun escape, that had merely been preparation for the worst. It did not mean he had given up hope of surviving.

No one was unafraid of death, especially someone like him, who had climbed step by step from the bottom. Having gained such strength and status, he was unwilling to cast them away so easily.

From Xu Zihuang's earlier order, it was easy to tell that Xu Zihuang held the highest status among the group. Only by controlling Xu Zihuang could he have even a sliver of hope.

Dense earthy-yellow light distorted the surrounding air. The rocks and trees on the cliff trembled faintly as the light spread outward from his body. This was the Gravity Amplification of his Fifth Soul Ring.

But before the earthy-yellow halo could reach Xu Zihuang, a deafening boom accompanied by a shrill scream instantly resounded through the heavens.

As the smoke and dust gradually dispersed, the captain of the Star Luo Empire's Western Group Army no longer looked remotely human. His entire body had been embedded deep within the rock, while the ground within a five-meter radius was cracked inch by inch. His thick arms had been ripped off alive, and Meng Cang, his expression gloomy, crushed one of his ears into a pile of mangled flesh beneath his foot.

"Quite the nerve you have."

The others landed behind Xu Zihuang one after another. There was anger in their eyes, along with a trace of sorrow.

If Prince had still been alive, how could he have allowed these scum from the Star Luo Empire to run wild within their country? Back then, King Zihuang had suppressed the current White Tiger Duke of the Star Luo Empire so thoroughly that he had not dared set foot in the Sun Moon Empire for decades.

Even Elder Cheng, who had always been kindhearted, found it difficult to sympathize with people from the Star Luo Empire who had invaded his country. But Ju Zi, a fellow citizen of the Sun Moon Empire, was different.

"Young Master."

"Mm." Xu Zihuang responded softly and understood at once, handing the unconscious Ju Zi over to Elder Cheng.

As he silently studied Ju Zi's delicate, gentle features, countless thoughts churned in his heart.

He could now basically confirm that the girl before him was Ju Zi, the future Empress War God of the Sun Moon Empire. It was just that the course of events seemed to have changed because of him. Under normal circumstances, Ju Zi definitely would not have experienced the danger she had faced earlier.

This inevitably caused a trace of concern to rise in his heart.