Rescue

The port had been built against the city wall on the eastern side of the island. Since a port could be constructed here, this area also had the gentlest terrain on the entire island.

A massive ship over two hundred meters long lay steadily docked at the port.

It was deep into the night, and the late-autumn chill at sea was biting to the bone. The fifty or sixty soldiers of the Lan Hai Soul Engineer Corps guarding the deck had all curled up, occasionally moving their limbs to keep warm and maintain their body temperature.

Not every Soul Master could remain unaffected by heat and cold. To achieve that, one either needed a special Martial Soul, such as one with an Ice Attribute or fire attribute, or powerful Soul Power cultivation.

Within the Lan Hai Soul Engineer Corps, an irregular Soul Engineer Corps that could not even rank within the Sun Moon Empire, fewer than one in a hundred soldiers clearly met those conditions.

The soldiers' Cultivation varied greatly, with the vast majority possessing Soul Power cultivation of only around Level 30. Not to mention that almost all Soul Engineers focused their training on improving Soul Power; their physical fitness was far inferior to that of Traditional Soul Masters from the Three Great Empires of the original Douluo Continent. At most, they were only somewhat stronger than ordinary people.

"Damn it, we really are doomed to suffer. How can we compare to those noble young ladies?" A tall, thin young man in a black fitted outfit lowered his head and breathed out a puff of warm air as he complained resentfully to the colleague beside him.

Unlike the dark, freezing deck, the five levels of cabins on the massive ship remained brightly lit. The rooms of those noble young ladies even had Soul Tools installed for heating.

The man beside the tall, thin youth looked about the same age, except his body was practically developing into a sphere. Leaning against the deck railing, the short, fat youth sat down. A strange smile flashed through his small eyes as he shifted his bulky body slightly, then clasped his hands together and said in a mocking tone, "Isn't it because we haven't worked hard enough? We have to know how to be grateful. Just be grateful, and that's all there is to it."

"Work hard? What the hell is working hard going to do? Can working hard give you a powerful Martial Soul from birth, like those noble brats?"

The tall, thin youth snorted and sat down beside the short, fat youth in frustration. They had come from the same fishing village on the coastal border of the Sun Moon Empire and had long since become familiar with each other. Naturally, he understood what the short, fat youth meant. He was merely venting along with him.

The short, fat youth kicked the tall, thin youth with his foot and revealed a lewd grin.

"How about it? Why don't you go knock on one of those noble young ladies' doors? Maybe one of them might actually take a liking to you. You might even soar to the heavens in a single step."

"You go if you want. I'm not looking to make trouble for myself. I have that much self-awareness." The tall, thin youth replied irritably as he raised his head to watch their surroundings.

No matter how lax the discipline of their Lan Hai Soul Engineer Corps was, they did not dare slack off under the Regiment Commander's nose.

But as fate would have it, Yu Yun happened to lead several soldiers up onto the deck along the metal gangway built at the port.

"Stop slacking off, damn it. The Regiment Commander is here." He hurriedly barked at his companion, then sprang to his feet and straightened his back.

A series of scattered sounds of people rising rang out. The small-framed Yu Yun coldly swept his gaze across the soldiers on the deck.

"We'll begin the return voyage at dawn tomorrow. Stay sharp, all of you."

"Yes, Regiment Commander!"

Everyone answered in unison, yet strangely, every soldier of the Lan Hai Soul Engineer Corps heard only his own voice. Even though their comrades were standing right beside them.

Then, without warning, the deck—which had retained a faint trace of light—fell into silent darkness.

Yu Yun clutched his violently throbbing head. Blood vessels filled his dark red eyes, and his face turned deathly pale. Even his consciousness began to blur.

But as a Soul Sage-level powerhouse, he quickly reacted. Releasing his Martial Soul, he roared, "Enemy attack! All personnel, prepare for battle!"

One white, two yellow, three purple, and one black—Seven Soul Rings emerged in succession, slowly revolving around his body. The shriveled muscles all over his body swelled by a full circle. Most bizarrely, a black turtle shell covered in strange yellow patterns appeared out of thin air over his chest, abdomen, and back.

But his low roar was entirely futile. Even with his Soul Sage-level Cultivation, he had nearly lost consciousness. The soldiers of the Lan Hai Soul Engineer Corps, whose Cultivation varied so greatly, stood even less of a chance.

"A sea turtle Martial Soul?" A hoarse voice sounded from the darkness. At first, it seemed far away, but in the next instant, it appeared to explode directly beside Yu Yun's ear.

Every hair on Yu Yun's body stood on end. His first, third, fourth, and sixth Soul Rings lit up almost simultaneously.

"Who's there?!"

His low roar was clearly far less confident than before.

The bizarre scene before him reminded him of the domains that only a very small number of Soul Masters could possess. If this truly was a domain, his earlier shout had most likely been unable to travel beyond it.

All he could do now was stall for as long as possible, hoping that the West Sea Soul Engineer Corps at the port would notice something strange on the deck. As long as he could hold out until Haixiao arrived, the situation could be stabilized with his Cultivation as a Rank 8 Soul Engineer.

His response was calm.

Bolstered by four Defense System soul skills, the black turtle shell on Yu Yun's body expanded several times over in the wind, completely enveloping his small frame. Dark Soul Power radiance flickered across its surface as though it had solidified. Though he merely stood there quietly, he exuded an imposing air of immovability.

The Defense Power of his sea turtle Martial Soul had always been astonishing, and he had absolute confidence in it. With four Defense System soul skills activated simultaneously, the Defense Power he possessed now was second only to when he used the Seventh Soul Skill: Martial Soul True Body.

It was not that Yu Yun did not want to use his Martial Soul Avatar. Having clawed his way up from a commoner to become the Commander of the Vast Sea Soul Engineer Corps, a position of genuine authority, he treasured his life more than anyone.

But using the Seventh Soul Skill: Martial Soul True Body required time to gather Soul Power. Unlike other soul skills, it could not be cast instantly. Activating four soul skills at once was already the limit of what he could do.

Yet before absolute strength, it was utterly meaningless.

A muffled groan escaped Yu Yun's mouth as sounds like shattering mirrors rang out in succession. Countless dense cracks suddenly appeared across the enormous, heavy black turtle shell that encased him.

Then, with a thunderous crash, it shattered into countless motes of light.

Bang— A half-clenched hand pierced through Yu Yun's left chest.

The darkness gradually faded. By the light of the Soul Tools in the cabin hall, a hardened old man clad in Deep Purple Dragon Pattern Armor could vaguely be seen. Three claw marks over his right eye were stained with traces of messy blood, sending a chill through anyone who saw them.

"Cough, cough—" Yu Yun struggled to turn around. When he saw the savage purple dragon head on the old man's chest, his pupils suddenly contracted.

"Imperial... Imperial Dragon..."

Bright red blood spilled from his mouth and nose. His lips moved, but before he could finish speaking, his voice had already fallen silent.

The newcomers were none other than Wang Xiao's group, who had come to rescue Xu Zihuang.

Yaoyang's figure appeared beside Wang Xiao immediately afterward, along with more than forty elite soldiers from the Original Dragon Soul Instructor Corps.

As for the remaining soldiers of the Vast Sea Soul Engineer Corps, they had all collapsed on the deck with blood streaming from their seven orifices. The cabins occupied by the noble young ladies had likewise fallen completely silent.

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