Zi Zhenzhu didn't dare slack off for a moment and hurriedly called over her subordinates.
Working together in a flurry, they hauled the charred figure out of the sea.
When Sea Dragon Douluo's battered body was tossed onto the deck, the surrounding pirates couldn't help drawing in sharp breaths.
The Titled Douluo who had once commanded the seas now had not a single patch of unburned skin on his body.
The extensive burns were horrifying to behold. His faint breathing was barely perceptible, as though he could stop breathing at any moment.
After taking care of everything, Zi Zhenzhu instinctively looked up. Her gaze fell upon the white figure slowly drifting down from the air.
By now, the terrifying heat around Xu Zhao had subsided, and he had returned to the gentle, jade-like appearance of a refined young nobleman.
But Zi Zhenzhu's gaze had changed completely.
In that moment, the awe and fear she'd felt earlier underwent a subtle transformation.
Out at sea, where strength ruled above all else, nothing could win a woman's heart like absolute power—especially that of a wild, untamable pirate like Zi Zhenzhu.
Looking at Xu Zhao's peerlessly handsome profile and the domineering ease with which he had subdued a Titled Douluo, Zi Zhenzhu felt her heart pounding like a drum.
An unfamiliar feeling spread through her heart.
It was a mixture of admiration and respect, along with a hint of something she herself hadn't noticed: infatuation and obsession.
"This is what a real man is..."
Zi Zhenzhu murmured to herself, her cheeks flushing an unnatural red.
After landing, Xu Zhao paid no heed to Zi Zhenzhu's heated gaze and walked straight over to the unconscious Sea Dragon Douluo.
Xu Yu and Kong Yan came over too. Looking at Sea Dragon Douluo, who lay on the ground like a dead dog, Xu Yu raised an eyebrow and asked his son:
"Zhao'er, this loach may be half-dead, but he's still a member of Sea God Island.
What do you plan to do with him now?
Kill him outright, or..."
Kong Yan didn't say anything, but her eyes also held a silent question.
Xu Zhao pondered briefly, then looked toward Sea God Island in the distance, a profound glint passing through his eyes.
"That fight just now ended quickly, but it certainly made quite a commotion.
Especially that final clash. It must have alerted the person deep within Sea God Island."
Xu Zhao paused, his tone turning slightly more serious.
"Bo Saixi is a Level 99 Limit Douluo, and she has a natural advantage at sea.
Although we don't fear her, it's better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
If she does come, holding the 'successor to Sea God Island's Grand Pontiff' hostage will make her hesitate and save us a lot of trouble."
Xu Yu nodded approvingly.
"My son has thought this through. We'll do as you say and spare his miserable life for now."
Xu Zhao nodded, then crouched down and pressed a finger against Sea Dragon Douluo's dantian.
"Seal!"
At his low command, an overbearing wave of solar Soul Power poured into Sea Dragon Douluo's body, forming a golden shackle that locked away the Soul Power remaining within him.
Once he'd finished, Xu Zhao stood up and called softly toward a cabin behind him:
"Aunt Lan, could I trouble you to come out for a moment?"
As soon as he spoke, a gentle blue light shone from inside the cabin.
A beautiful, middle-aged woman in a pale blue dress then stepped out, her manner warm and gentle.
She exuded none of the oppressive aura of a powerful expert. Instead, her presence radiated life, refreshing to the spirit.
Simply standing beside her seemed enough to sweep away all weariness.
She was Lan Ya, one of the Great Sun Prince Mansion's retainers: a Level 94 Healing-type Titled Douluo.
Even more astonishingly, her Martial Soul was the Blue Silver Emperor, the sovereign among Plant-type Soul Beasts!
Lan Ya was the current Blue Silver Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire.
However, she hadn't been a Soul Beast who underwent Soul Beast Transformation.
Several generations back, one of Lan Ya's ancestors had been a Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor who underwent Soul Beast Transformation and became a Soul Master.
She had made an agreement with the imperial family of the Sun Moon Empire: her descendants would serve the empire for generations.
That was how the family had continued to this day.
A Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Spirit Bone had also been passed down through the generations.
Every generation's Blue Silver Emperor inherited the title "Blue Silver."
But that might not be the case for this generation.
Lan Ya's daughter, the twenty-year-old Lan Yiyi, was already a Level 87 Soul Douluo.
It likely wouldn't be long before she broke through to Titled Douluo.
That would make the Blue Silver Family the first in its history to have two Blue Silver Emperor Titled Douluos alive at the same time.
However, "Blue Silver Emperor" was both a title and a legacy.
Even if Lan Yiyi broke through to Titled Douluo, she could only be considered a possessor of the Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul. She would have to choose a different title.
That ensured each generation's Blue Silver Emperor awakened the purest bloodline.
In this world, the Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul possessed the highest level of vitality and healing power.
Though Lan Ya was only Level 94, the Blue Silver Emperor's inexhaustible vitality made her more than a super "healer" with terrifying staying power.
If it came to a fight to the death, she could even use her boundless vitality and recovery to wear down a Level 96 Super Douluo until he died!
"Heir Prince."
Lan Ya stopped in front of Xu Zhao and bowed slightly, her voice as gentle as water.
Xu Zhao pointed to Sea Dragon Douluo on the ground and smiled.
"Aunt Lan, could I trouble you to heal him?
Just make sure he doesn't die or suffer any irreversible disabilities.
After all, he's a valuable hostage. If he looks too badly beaten, we won't get a good price for him."
Lan Ya glanced at the charred Sea Dragon Douluo, covered her mouth, and chuckled softly.
"Don't worry, Heir Prince. As long as there's a breath left in him, I can have him back on his feet."
With that, Lan Ya raised her jade-like hand, and nine Soul Rings appeared beneath her feet, gently pulsing.
Countless translucent Blue Silver Grass vines sprouted from the deck and tenderly wrapped around Sea Dragon Douluo's body.
A rich life force flowed into his ruined body like a gentle rain, repairing his damaged meridians and flesh.
Zi Zhenzhu stared blankly at the scene, feeling as if her mind couldn't keep up.
That was Sea Dragon Douluo, burned to a crisp and on the verge of death!
Under the Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul of Retainer Lan Ya, the horrifying charred skin peeled away before their eyes, while fresh, tender flesh sprouted at a frantic pace.
In just a few seconds, Sea Dragon Douluo's faint, threadlike breathing had genuinely steadied.
"So this is the Great Sun Prince Mansion's true power?"
Zi Zhenzhu was shaken to the core.
A peerless young Heir Prince who could casually subdue a Titled Douluo, and a Healing-type Titled Douluo with the power to defy death.
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