Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Corps

As the sun rose and set, it cast vast shadows across the ground along the edge of the city wall on the island's western side. Xu Zihuang had lost count of how many times he had seen such a scene over the past three years.

He was like livestock kept in a pen, imprisoned on this island.

The sea breeze had already robbed the fragrant black tea in the porcelain cup of its warmth.

A soldier standing guard at the door lowered his head and hurried over to Xu Zihuang. Understanding his intent, he took the teapot from the table, preparing to brew a fresh pot.

Xu Zihuang waved him off listlessly.

"No need. You may leave first."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The soldier respectfully stepped back, exchanged a glance with the other soldier at the door, then resumed his upright stance beside the entrance.

Haixiao did not truly restrict his actions, but he always had his men watch him.

Xu Zihuang knew this was most likely his cousin Xu Tianran's order, so he did not make any meaningless attempts.

Setting the porcelain cup down on the table, he gazed thoughtfully toward the eastern harbor.

Possessing the Golden Eye, a Body Martial Soul with Spiritual Attribute, his Spiritual Power was exceptionally powerful, and his five senses were correspondingly acute.

From the sounds coming from the harbor, the ship Haixiao had mentioned earlier—the one carrying a hundred noble young ladies—should have arrived.

Before long, a measured knock sounded at the door. Xu Zihuang knowingly glanced to the side. The visitor was Haixiao, Regiment Commander of the West Sea Soul Engineer Corps, whom he had met earlier.

"Your Highness, the Empire's ship has arrived at the harbor. Would you prefer to go now, or..."

"Let's go now. Regiment Commander Haixiao, please make the preparations first." Xu Zihuang interrupted before Haixiao could finish.

Given his current circumstances, what difference did it make whether he chose sooner or later? For that little scrap of pathetic dignity?

Even his life was in someone else's hands.

The rose-gold sun sank beneath the horizon, and night gradually enshrouded the boundless sea.

The Soul Guiding Lamps in the room had been lit by the soldiers outside, while Xu Zihuang remained seated beside the glass window, one hand propping up his cheek. His gleaming violet eyes, brimming with nobility, were mesmerizing.

The soldier who had just lit the lamps suddenly felt a palpitation in his heart and looked toward Xu Zihuang in uncertainty.

For an instant, he had actually sensed an extremely dangerous aura from this prince.

But he quickly came back to himself, silently cursed his own wild imagination, and left the room.

A bright silver moon hung in the night sky, casting hazy reflections across the sea.

This was an uncharted stretch of sea west of the Sun Moon Empire.

A black figure suddenly burst from the water, throwing up a great spray and shattering the moon's reflection.

The figure's shape was deeply strange. Its upper body retained a human form, but its lower half was a broad tail fin. Its skin was pitch-black from head to toe, with a metallic sheen. Most bizarre of all was the enormous spiraling horn on its forehead, over three meters long.

"Fourth Soul Skill, Raging Waves!"

A low shout rang out, and the fourth Soul Ring beside the black figure immediately flared brightly. Dense sky-blue Soul Power spilled across his body as an ethereal, drawn-out cry pierced the heavens.

A translucent Unicorn Whale phantom gradually solidified behind him. Nearly corporeal, it slammed forward with explosive force.

On the sea directly ahead of him, a black-violet shadow flashed past. Immediately afterward, a grotesque colossal creature suddenly appeared before him.

The monster was covered in black-violet scales. The portion of its body exposed above the water alone exceeded ten meters in length. Its cold purple vertical pupils glowed faintly like lanterns, while dark red blood stained its savage fangs.

"Hissss—" The monster raised its head and let out a piercing shriek. The previously calm sea began to churn, and its black-violet-scaled tail surged from the water, meeting the solid blue Unicorn Whale phantom head-on.

The Unicorn Whale phantom was at least twenty meters long, yet it was instantly shattered by the monster's tail.

Water mist rained down upon the sea, producing crisp splashing sounds.

Under the moonlight, the black figure's face could clearly be seen, dark as water.

He was a rugged middle-aged man around forty. The reason he had taken this form was naturally because he had used his Martial Soul's abilities.

A Beast Soul Master's Martial Soul Possession.

The middle-aged man was covered in blood, and numerous indistinct wounds could even be seen across his body.

"Damn it, why is there a Sea Viper with twenty thousand years of Cultivation here?" the man cursed under his breath, a ruthless glint flashing through his sharp eyes.

"Since we've already reached this place, there's no need to worry about alerting the Sun Moon Empire's two Soul Engineer Corps."

He prepared himself for a fight to the death.

His Soul Power had reached rank sixty-four, and his Black-Striped Unicorn Whale Martial Soul was also exceptionally powerful. At his peak, he naturally would not have feared this twenty-thousand-year Sea Viper. But he was now seriously wounded, with less than half of his peak Soul Power remaining. Against such a powerful Sea Soul Beast, his odds of victory were not high.

But he had no other choice. If he continued fleeing, he would not last much longer.

To rescue the Young Master, he had to survive and deliver this crucial information.

A series of metallic clanks rang out. Two thick, jet-black cannon barrels appeared out of thin air over his shoulders, while several slightly smaller barrels emerged along his arms.

He was not merely a Soul Emperor, but also a powerful Level 6 Soul Engineer. He had not used these Soul Tools earlier only because they would burden his body and consume Soul Power while he fled.

Dazzling white light erupted from the cannon barrels, seemingly about to transform into dense Soul Guidance beams that would blanket the Sea Viper.

But at that moment, a deep tiger's roar echoed through the sky. A Black Winged Giant Tiger, even larger than the Sea Viper, hovered before the silver moon.

Two yellow, two purple, and four black Soul Rings surrounded it. The seventh black Soul Ring flickered with a faint glow. This was actually a Soul Douluo-level expert using a Martial Soul Avatar.

The Double-Winged Black Tiger's fur was a mottled mixture of dark purplish-red and black, with willow-leaf-shaped black, gray, and white stripes running from its head to the base of its tail. Its body was thick and elongated, and its face bore several faint spots.

Its wings, vast enough to blot out the sky, swept once. Within a breath, it had reached the ten-thousand-year Sea Viper. As its pure-black claws swung, the surrounding space seemed to be sliced apart, making even the middle-aged man's skin sting.

"Thud, thud, thud..." Several enormous sections of the serpent's body crashed into the sea, and the spilling blood dyed the surrounding waters crimson.

Deep light gathered over the severed remains. A powerful ten-thousand-year Sea Soul Beast had fallen.

At the sight of the Black Winged Giant Tiger, whose fierce aura was overwhelming, the middle-aged man finally let out a breath of relief and hurriedly said, "Regiment Commander, I have confirmed the location of the island where the Young Master is being held."

The Soul Power radiance around the Black Winged Giant Tiger receded, revealing an elderly man around fifty. He was not particularly tall, but he exuded a fierce and valiant air. Deep Purple Dragon Pattern Armor covered his entire body. Three deep claw scars ran across his right eye, and his tiger-like gaze was immensely oppressive.

Upon hearing the middle-aged man's words, surprise first flashed across the old man's brows. But he quickly concealed it and stared coldly at him.

"This is the first time you acted without authorization, and it will also be the last."

The middle-aged man withdrew his Martial Soul, and his pale face changed.

"Yes, Regiment Commander."

The old man stood in the air, his expression indifferent as he waved his right hand. Drawn by a powerful force of Soul Power, the middle-aged man was roughly hurled backward.

A bizarre scene unfolded.

A hundred-meter-long warship slowly emerged from the previously empty sea. Its entire hull was encased in an unknown metal, with rows of Soul Guidance Cannon Barrels mounted along both sides, gleaming coldly beneath the moonlight.

On the warship's deck, forty or fifty soldiers clad in the same Deep Purple Dragon Pattern Armor stood proudly, radiating a grim, killing intent.

The middle-aged man crashed heavily onto the deck, tugging at his wounds and making the corner of his mouth twitch.

The old man landed on the deck immediately afterward. The soldiers had naturally heard the conversation between the two, and all of them looked at the old man with blazing eyes.

Sure enough, after sweeping his gaze over the crowd and pondering briefly, the old man shouted coldly, "Members of the Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Corps, rest for two hours, then follow me to rescue the Young Master!"

The emotions brewing in the soldiers' eyes finally ignited. They dropped to one knee and pressed their clenched right fists firmly against their left chests.

"Yes, Regiment Commander!"

The Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Corps was one of the five Soul Engineer Corps directly under the Sun Moon Empire's control. Known as the Protectors of the Nation, it was the strongest force aside from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Corps.

Every Regiment Commander had been a member of the Sun Moon Empire royalty. The previous Regiment Commander had been Xu Zihuang's father.

The old man was named Wang Xiao, and he had been the previous deputy Regiment Commander of the Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Corps.

The author has a complete outline and one hundred thousand words in reserve, so everyone can follow with confidence. Suggestions are welcome. This is a newcomer's first book, so please support it.