Purple Pearl Recovers Memory, Star Luo Empire Shaken: Coastal City Lost, Crown Prince Captured?

Zi Zhenzhu stared fixedly at Lan Yiyi's profile, which was brimming with a sense of happiness, feeling as if the vinegar jar in her heart had been completely overturned, sending a pungent sourness surging upward.

"Just you wait, one day, I will be the one standing in that position!"

Zi Zhenzhu huffed indignantly, watching the two figures on the rooftop, her eyes filled with both envy and an unyielding stubbornness.

Just as Zi Zhenzhu turned around in a huff, preparing to leave so she wouldn't have to see what bothered her, it happened.

Perhaps it was because the jealousy she felt was too intense, or perhaps it was because the days of constant fighting and rushing had kept her mind in a state of perpetual tension.

At this moment of intense emotional fluctuation, a long-dormant string deep within Zi Zhenzhu's mind suddenly snapped.

"Ugh..."

Zi Zhenzhu's footsteps came to an abrupt halt as she felt the world spin around her.

Her once-clear vision instantly blurred, and countless fragmented, chaotic memories flooded into her mind like a bursting dam.

A magnificent, golden dome...

A solemn and majestic Six-Winged Angel Statue...

And those harsh, cold instructions echoing in her ears...

"What... is happening..."

Zi Zhenzhu clutched her head in pain, but before her groan could fully escape, her body went limp and she collapsed backward.

With a dull thud, this pirate queen who had once dominated the seas had fainted right there on the terrace.

When Zi Zhenzhu regained consciousness, the first thing that met her eyes was a luxurious bed canopy embroidered with delicate cloud patterns.

"Where... am I?"

Zi Zhenzhu rubbed her still-throbbing temples and slowly sat up.

In that very instant, the chaotic memory fragments from yesterday had finished reassembling, unfolding in her mind like a clear, vivid painting.

She froze.

Those eyes, which had once carried a hint of banditry and wildness, were now filled with shock and complex emotions.

She remembered.

She remembered everything.

She was not some natural-born pirate, nor was she an orphan raised by the sea.

She was once a member of Martial Soul Hall, and more than that, one of the Saintess Candidates carefully cultivated by Martial Soul Hall!

Those pasts she had once forgotten in the deep sea:

The cruel selections, the endless cultivation, and the failure in that most critical competition—it was to escape that suffocating pressure and punishment that she had chosen to flee overseas, only to encounter an accident near Lost Trace Canyon, suffer memory loss, and eventually become the Captain Zi Zhenzhu everyone knew.

"So... this is the real me..."

Zi Zhenzhu muttered to herself, her expression dazed.

Just then, a gentle voice came from the bedside, interrupting her thoughts:

"Awake?

How do you feel?"

Zi Zhenzhu turned her head sharply, only to discover that Xu Zhao was sitting in an armchair not far from the bed.

Xu Zhao held an ancient scroll in his hands, and a cup of steaming tea sat on the side table next to him; he had clearly been keeping watch here for some time.

Seeing this, the confusion and panic that had arisen in Zi Zhenzhu's heart from regaining her memories were instantly washed away by a massive wave of warmth.

The dignified Heir Prince of the Great Sun Prince Mansion, one of the supreme commanders who had just taken Linhai City, was actually keeping watch by her bedside himself!

"Heir Prince..."

Zi Zhenzhu's eyes reddened, her heart filled with overwhelming gratitude.

She took a deep breath, threw off the quilt, and without minding her slightly disheveled clothes, she looked at Xu Zhao with a solemn expression, her eyes filled with unprecedented firmness and honesty:

"Heir Prince, I have something to report to you."

Xu Zhao set down the scroll in his hand and looked at her with a gentle gaze:

"Speak."

"I have regained my memories."

Zi Zhenzhu bit her lip, her voice dry but exceptionally clear:

"I... am not just a simple pirate."

"Before I lost my memory and drifted to the island, I came from Martial Soul Hall."

Having said this, Zi Zhenzhu paused, seemingly observing Xu Zhao's reaction. Seeing that his expression remained calm, she gathered her courage and continued:

"Furthermore, I was once one of the Saintess Candidates of the previous generation of Martial Soul Hall."

"Although I ultimately failed and chose to flee."

However, I still hold many secrets and topographical maps regarding Martial Soul Hall in my mind...

If the Heir Prince requires them, Zi Zhenzhu is willing to offer them all to the Heir Prince without reservation!"

After saying this, Zi Zhenzhu looked at Xu Zhao nervously.

After all, Martial Soul Hall is a behemoth on this continent and a formidable enemy that the Great Sun Prince Mansion must face in its invasion of Douluo Continent.

She did not know if this identity would cause the Heir Prince to distance himself from her.

However, after hearing this, there was not a trace of surprise on Xu Zhao's face.

He simply smiled slightly, stood up, walked to the bedside, and reached out to gently ruffle Zi Zhenzhu's neat short hair:

"Is that all?"

"Ah?" Zi Zhenzhu was stunned, "Heir Prince... are you not surprised? I am a person from Martial Soul Hall..."

"I know."

Xu Zhao's tone was indifferent, as if he were speaking of a trivial matter:

"From the moment I decided to subdue you, I already knew your background clearly.

Whether you are a Saintess Candidate of Martial Soul Hall or a Pirate Queen, it makes no difference.

To me, you now have only one identity—that is, you are a person of my Great Sun Prince Mansion."

Xu Zhao had originally intended to find an opportunity to use some methods to help stimulate her memory.

But he did not expect that Zi Zhenzhu would recover her memory so quickly, and that the first thing she did after waking up was to confess to him without reservation.

This loyalty and trust were what Xu Zhao valued most.

('Loyalty' and 'trust', standard equipment for subordinates, just a tool!)

"I originally thought it would take some trouble, but I didn't expect you to give me such a surprise."

Looking at Zi Zhenzhu's moved eyes, Xu Zhao thought to himself:

Since she has recovered her memory, some of the layouts targeting Martial Soul Hall can be started ahead of schedule.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away.

In Star Luo City, the imperial capital of the Star Luo Empire.

As the core of one of the two great empires of Douluo Continent, Star Luo City has always been known for its iron-blooded and solemn atmosphere.

In the main hall of the imperial palace, the Star Luo Emperor Dai Tianfeng sat upright on the throne, his majestic gaze sweeping over the civil and military officials below as they conducted their routine morning assembly.

"Your Majesty, the southern border of the empire has enjoyed favorable weather this year, and the garrison's training has also been quite effective..."

A minister was holding a memorial, reporting on inconsequential government affairs.

Suddenly.

"Report—!!!"

A shrill, piercing cry, ignoring all palace prohibitions, came from far outside the main hall.

Immediately after, a messenger with command flags on his back and covered in blood stumbled into the hall.

He didn't even have time to salute before he collapsed heavily to the ground, his voice becoming hoarse and broken from extreme exhaustion and terror:

"Eight-hundred-mile urgent dispatch! Linhai City... Linhai City has fallen!!"

Boom!

This sentence was like a heavy bomb, instantly exploding within the magnificent main hall.

The court officials were in an instant uproar, and the previously solemn atmosphere vanished completely.

"What?!"

On the throne, Dai Tianfeng stood up abruptly, a terrifying wave of soul power erupting instantly, causing the main hall to hum and vibrate.

He stared fixedly at the messenger and shouted sternly:

"Nonsense!

Linhai City is a vital town in the east of my empire, with solid defenses and thousands of elite troops stationed there; how could it fall just like that?!"

"Which pirate group is it?

Or did the Heaven Dou Empire launch a sneak attack?!"

The messenger lay on the ground, his body trembling violently, and cried out:

"No... it is not Heaven Dou, nor is it ordinary pirates..."

"The other party calls themselves the 'Great Sun Prince Mansion'!

They piloted steel warships as massive as mountains, and in only... only half an hour, they completely breached Linhai City!"

"Half an hour?!"

A collective gasp echoed through the main hall.

A general clad in heavy armor could not help but step forward and rebuke:

"Simply absurd!

Even if Martial Soul Hall launched a full-scale assault, they wouldn't be able to take Linhai City in half an hour!

Are you under some kind of illusion, trying to shake the morale of the army here?!"

"It is the absolute truth, General!"

The messenger raised his head abruptly, his eyes still filled with lingering terror:

"The enemy had a Title Douluo make a move!

And... and that Title Douluo possessed a legendary hundred-thousand-year spirit ring!

With just a single strike, they destroyed the city defense camp!"

"A Title Douluo with a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring?!"

This time, even the expression on Dai Tianfeng's face changed completely.

As the ruler of a nation, he knew exactly what this meant.

That was a combat force standing at the very pinnacle of the continent, an existence akin to a nuclear weapon.

"There is more..."

The messenger swallowed hard, as if the next piece of information was even more difficult to utter, but he had no choice but to say it:

"His Highness the Crown Prince... along with Miss Zhuyun of the Zhu Clan, and all the members of the Royal Team..."

Upon hearing the words "Crown Prince," Dai Tianfeng's heart constricted violently, and a sense of foreboding surged into his mind.

"What happened to Weiss and the others?

Speak, quickly!"

"While attempting to break through the encirclement... they were captured alive by the Great Sun Prince Mansion, and now... now they have all been reduced to prisoners!"

(Explosive updates for the launch, I hope everyone doesn't hoard the chapters!)