Auction and the Five Great Pirate Groups

Xu Zihuang silently interlaced his long, fair fingers beneath his chin, studying Yaoyang and Wang Xiao with an inscrutable expression.

During his previous time with them, he had never concealed his ambitions. It was only natural that they had seen through his thoughts.

And that was exactly what he wanted.

Seizing the throne of the Sun Moon Empire Emperor would never be accomplished overnight.

Everything would begin here, in the Yuenan Islands.

As Xu Zihuang observed Yaoyang and Wang Xiao, they too were watching for his reaction.

The three men's gazes met in midair. No words were needed; everything was understood without being said.

"Back then, Uncle Zhengxuan helped me inherit my family's hereditary title, passed down for a thousand years. So I'll help Zihuang reclaim everything that should have been his." Having received a certain answer, Yaoyang revealed a heartfelt smile, his hands unconsciously clenching from the resolve in his heart.

Wang Xiao, on the other hand, appeared much calmer, though the turmoil in his heart was not necessarily any less than Yaoyang's.

Young Master had ultimately made this choice...

If Xu Zihuang had not possessed Twin Martial Souls, then even with Innate Full Soul Power, he would never have allowed him to embark upon this most arduous path. Having followed Xu Zihuang's father for many years, he knew all too well just how terrifying the Sun Moon Empire's foundations were. One misstep would lead to a bottomless abyss.

To his knowledge, Twin Martial Souls had appeared only twice throughout the Sun Moon Empire's tens of thousands of years of history. One was Xu Zihuang; the other was the current master of the Sun Moon Empire's Worship Hall. That master had entered seclusion several years ago, attempting to break through from a Level 9 Soul Engineer to a Level 10 Soul Engineer.

Once Xu Zihuang grew strong, his accomplishments would be no less than that Worship Hall master's. At such a level of strength, one could overturn the rules of the secular world.

More and more bidders arrived at the auction center, though there was still an hour before the auction officially began. They had come so early because the items in this auction were more precious than those in any previous one.

Yaoyang personally poured Xu Zihuang and Wang Xiao each a cup of fruit tea, a specialty of the Yuenan Islands. Seemingly recalling something, he suddenly said to Xu Zihuang, "Oh, right, Zihuang. There's something I need to tell you. I forged an identity for you as a clansman from a branch of my family who had been left outside the clan. My family was flourishing back then, so such an identity would not stand out. Once the heat dies down, we can announce it. It will also make your future life on Yueshu Island more convenient."

This was also how he had explained things to Zhu Yao earlier. Xu Zihuang's identity was too sensitive. Although he and Zhu Yao had known each other since childhood and trusted each other deeply, it was always better for one fewer person to know.

"Brother Yang, arrange it as you see fit." Xu Zihuang took a light sip of the fragrant fruit tea from the Crystal Cup as he examined the scroll on the table.

The scroll contained detailed information on the auction items. There were ten items in total. The thousand-year Evil Spirit Orca and the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber were both listed among them, yet these two items, each with a starting price above three hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, were only the eighth and ninth lots.

The final auction item was actually a Soul Bone—and a Head Bone, one whose value was second only to a Torso Bone.

"A Nine Thousand Year Demon Shark Head Bone? A Demon Soul Great White Shark?!" Xu Zihuang could not help murmuring softly. He raised his head in surprise and looked at Yaoyang.

"So the seventh lot, the thousand-year Deep Sea Fish Oil, was also taken from this Demon Soul Great White Shark's head? Did someone hunt a Demon Soul Great White Shark with nine thousand years of Cultivation?"

"That is indeed the case." Yaoyang nodded solemnly and sighed. "Sometimes, you have to admit that luck really does exist. Unfortunately, if one's strength does not match one's luck, it will only bring disaster."

"The one who hunted that nine-thousand-year Demon Soul Great White Shark was a Soul Master from the Star Luo Empire. But just as he discovered this Soul Bone, he was spotted by members of the Demon Crocodile Pirates. A few days ago, he fled all the way to Yueshu City. Left with no choice, he put this Soul Bone up for auction in exchange for safety. The Demon Crocodile Pirates are the most powerful pirate group in the Yuenan Islands. Their leader, E Luo, has a Soul Power Level of at least seventy-eight. There are seven islands in the Yuenan Islands, two of which are under his control. For the sake of his rather talented grandson, that old bastard E Luo will probably come in person to today's auction."

As he said this, Yaoyang's previously gentle smile vanished instantly, and his eyes turned incomparably cold.

"After my family was attacked by Evil Soul Masters all those years ago, our control over the Yuenan Islands greatly declined. That old bastard was the first to step forward and seize the two southernmost islands, Yueyang and Yueji. Many members of my family's branch lines died at his hands."

Xu Zihuang let out a deep sigh. Yaoyang's experiences in childhood were so similar to his own.

However, Yaoyang soon reined in his emotions and continued introducing the other major powers of the Yuenan Islands to Xu Zihuang.

First was Yaoyang himself, who controlled Yueshu Island and commanded five hundred members of the Yueshu City Guard. All five hundred had Soul Power cultivation above Rank 20, and equipped with various Soul Tools, their Combat Power was considerable.

Beyond that were the Five Great Pirate Groups led by E Luo.

The Demon Crocodile Pirates, Silver Fin Pirate Group, Purple Snake Pirates, Porcupinefish Pirate Group, and Whale Shark Pirates.

Although the number of Soul Masters under these Five Great Pirate Groups might not compare to the Yueshu City Guard, every one of their leaders possessed Soul Sage level Cultivation. Aside from the Demon Crocodile Pirates, each of the other four pirate groups occupied one of the seven islands in the Yuenan Islands.

In truth, even during Yaoyang's father's generation, their control over the Yuenan Islands had been limited. The islands were far from the Sun Moon Empire's mainland, while the surrounding waters were dangerously treacherous. Due to the wars between the Sun Moon Empire and the Three Great Empires of the original Douluo Continent, refugees often fled here. This was destined to make the Yuenan Islands chaotic, with countless pirate groups of all sizes. Still, after those major pirate groups claimed islands and ruled as kings, the Yuenan Islands had maintained a relatively balanced state overall, becoming much more stable instead.

As the two conversed, the hour passed in the blink of an eye.

The lights within the auction center gradually dimmed. Illuminated by several Soul Tool crystal lamps on the stage, Zhu Yao ascended gracefully in a purple dress. Holding an Amplifying Soul Tool, she cast a glance toward the top-tier VIP room where Xu Zihuang and the others sat before smiling sweetly and preparing to host the auction.

There were still roughly fifteen minutes before the auction officially began when several figures appeared one after another in the other five VIP rooms.

Yaoyang stepped up to the purple crystal floor-to-ceiling window and said gravely to Wang Xiao, "Other than the Silver Fin Pirate Group, the leaders of the remaining four pirate groups are all here. Uncle Wang, to prevent any trouble, I'll have to trouble you to keep an eye on that old bastard E Luo."

"His Cultivation seems to be very close to Rank 80 already." Wang Xiao frowned as he observed the burly, one-eyed, white-haired old man in the VIP room opposite them, speaking as though he had sensed it.

But there was no need for fear. With his Rank 89 Soul Power and top-tier Overlord Tiger Martial Soul, he could kill the man with a casual gesture.

Yaoyang raised a brow, not particularly surprised by this result. So what if that was the case? Given enough time, his Cultivation would surpass that old bastard's sooner or later, and he would use his head to honor his clansmen.

Xu Zihuang's attention, however, was fixed on the youth standing beside E Luo. The boy appeared to be around fourteen or fifteen years old. His skin was dark, wheat-colored, but half his hair was white and the other half red, making him look extremely strange.

A yin-yang freak, huh? Xu Zihuang mocked inwardly. Setting aside the enmity between their family and Yaoyang, the youth's arrogant, disdainful gaze alone made him dislike him.

The leader of the Whale Shark Pirates was a brawny middle-aged man who rarely smiled, his bare upper body covered in blue tattooed patterns. The leader of the Purple Snake Pirates was surprisingly a bewitching purple-haired woman, every movement of hers capable of stirring one's heart. As for the leader of the Porcupinefish Pirate Group, his appearance was far more wretched. Thin and frail, he looked barely one meter sixty tall, with sparse, messy red hair and an old face covered in wrinkles.

As for the two from the Silver Fin Pirate Group, they were the two blue-haired girls Xu Zihuang had seen before. The older one was Shui Jixi, the younger sister of the Silver Fin Pirate Group's leader. The younger one was Shui Qianqian, the leader's only daughter.

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