"Great Sun Prince Mansion... Great Sun Prince Mansion..."
Dai Weisi frantically searched his memories for the name, but came up empty.
This faction seemed to have sprung out of nowhere—mysterious, powerful, and full of aggression.
"Your Highness, what should we do now?"
One of the team members asked in a trembling voice, breaking Dai Weisi's train of thought.
Everyone's eyes turned to him. He was the Crown Prince, their captain, and the one they all relied on.
If even he lost his nerve, then they were all likely to die here.
Dai Weisi looked down at the chaotic streets, then glanced at Yan Yu in the sky. She seemed to be surveying the masses and hadn't noticed them yet. A look of grim resolve flashed in his eyes.
"Run!"
Dai Weisi spat out the word without hesitation.
"Run?"
Everyone froze, seemingly unable to believe that their usually proud and domineering Crown Prince had issued such a decisive order to flee.
"Obviously! What, do you want to stay here and die?!"
Dai Weisi spun around, grabbed Zhu Zhuyun's hand, and shouted:
"The enemy has a Titled Douluo with a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring! Forget us—even if Father Emperor were here, he'd probably have to avoid confronting them head-on!"
"Besides, I'm the Crown Prince of the Star Luo Empire!"
As he spoke, the fear in Dai Weisi's eyes gave way to deep apprehension and resentment.
"If I fall into enemy hands, not only will the Star Luo Empire lose all face, I'll also become the empire's greatest weakness and bargaining chip!"
More importantly...
Dai Weisi pictured his younger brother, with his mismatched eyes, who should be hiding somewhere in the Heaven Dou Empire right now—Dai Mubai.
That coward!
If he were captured here, or even killed, the Star Luo Empire's throne would fall to that deserter without question!
"I won't let that coward benefit from this!"
Dai Weisi roared inwardly, his will to survive reaching its peak.
"Everyone, listen up! Break through separately!"
Dai Weisi made his decision at once and quickly gave his orders:
"Stay off the main roads. Use the buildings for cover and retreat inland! Once we get beyond Linhai City, we'll be safe!"
"Move!"
With that, Dai Weisi didn't dare linger another moment.
He didn't even bother maintaining the Crown Prince's dignity. Grabbing Zhu Zhuyun, he surged with Soul Power and leapt straight from the other side of the Sea-Viewing Platform.
Using the staggered rooftops and panicked crowds for cover, he raced toward the city gates like a startled leopard.
Seeing this, the other team members came to their senses.
They scattered like birds and beasts, following Dai Weisi in a panic and wishing they had two more legs.
The Star Luo Royal Team, once brimming with confidence and eager to temper their will by the seaside, now fled like a pack of stray dogs before an unknown terror.
Just half an hour later, the upheaval that had seemed like doomsday to Linhai City's residents had settled with astonishing speed.
There were no bloody street battles, no drawn-out tug-of-war.
In the face of the Great Sun Prince Mansion's despairingly overwhelming strength, Linhai City's defenses were as fragile as a sheet of paper.
The plaza in front of the City Lord's Mansion was now filled with kneeling officials and military commanders from Linhai City.
At the very front, the most conspicuous among them was a group of richly dressed young people who were now in a wretched state.
It was Dai Weisi and his party.
"How could this happen... How could this happen..."
Dai Weisi knelt on both knees. His neatly combed blond hair now hung messily over his forehead, and the once-proud eyes that had earned him the nickname "Evil Eyes" had lost all their former spirit. Only emptiness and fear remained.
His proud plan to "break through separately" had been a complete joke under the reach of a Titled Douluo's spiritual power.
They hadn't even made it two blocks before an invisible force snatched them back like chicks, leaving them no chance to resist.
Zhu Zhuyun knelt beside him, her delicate body trembling uncontrollably.
She looked at the Soul Masters around them, clad in the Great Sun Prince Mansion's uniforms and wearing cold expressions, and despair filled her heart.
It was over.
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of the Star Luo Empire had become prisoners on their own territory.
It was a disgrace beyond words!
Meanwhile, the takeover of the city was proceeding in an orderly fashion.
"First Battalion, take over the city's armory and inventory the supplies."
"Second Battalion, secure every ship in the harbor. No one gets in or out."
"Third Battalion, patrol the city and maintain order. Tell the people that as long as they don't resist, the Great Sun Prince Mansion will guarantee their safety."
Xu Yu stood in the City Lord's Mansion hall, holding a map of Linhai City's defenses as he issued one order after another with a solemn expression.
As a prince of the Great Sun Prince Mansion, he might have seemed easygoing in everyday life, but when it came to military and political affairs, he acted swiftly and decisively, with the bearing of a great general.
As his orders were relayed, Linhai City quickly returned to order.
The unrest in the streets died down, the cries faded away, and the orderly footsteps of the Great Sun Prince Mansion's Soul Masters took their place.
Atop Star-Plucking Tower, the tallest building in Linhai City.
The sea breeze howled, whipping their robes.
Xu Zhao stood with his hands behind his back at the edge of the tower, calmly surveying the city below, its banners now changed.
The afterglow of the setting sun fell over him, gilding him in a faint golden light. He looked like a Deity surveying the mortal world.
This was his first step onto Douluo Continent.
It was also the beginning of the Great Sun Prince Mansion's empire-building ambitions.
As he watched the countless lights gradually flicker to life below, Xu Zhao's gaze remained deep and calm.
Everything had gone according to his expectations.
Nor did Xu Zhao show the slightest arrogance at having taken a city so easily.
On the terrace below Star-Plucking Tower,
Zi Zhenzhu gazed up dreamily at the tall figure atop the tower.
That man was like a true sun—powerful and dazzling, making people want to draw near and submit to him.
"The Heir Prince is so handsome..."
Zi Zhenzhu cupped her cheeks, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
As someone who had once been a pirate, she admired nothing more than a powerful, domineering strongman.
But in the next moment,
the smile on Zi Zhenzhu's face froze. The stars in her eyes instantly turned into two blazing fires of jealousy.
A graceful figure in a water-blue dress had joined Xu Zhao at some point.
It was Lan Yiyi.
Like a tender vine with no bones, she slipped her arm around Xu Zhao's with easy intimacy.
She leaned almost entirely against him, resting her head lightly on his shoulder as if whispering something.
Xu Zhao didn't push her away. Instead, he tilted his head slightly and answered her with a gentle expression.
In the sunset, the scene looked especially beautiful and harmonious, like a perfect couple.
But to Zi Zhenzhu, it was more painful than being killed!
"Damn it! That vixen!"
Zi Zhenzhu stamped her foot in anger, gritting her teeth so hard they clicked. She squeezed the railing in her hand until it bent out of shape.
"So what if she's known the Heir Prince longer than I have?
How dare she cling to him like that in public!"
"I want to cuddle up to him too!
I want to hold the Heir Prince's hand and watch the sunset with him too!"
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