Time Is Running Out

Xu Jingyao walked at a leisurely pace, stepping on the frost he had created himself, and every step produced a faint crunching sound.

Those seven ice sculptures were lined up in order beside him, and the Evil Soul Masters inside the ice layer still maintained their postures before death, resembling a silent ice corridor.

Xu Jingyao stopped in front of Ye Guyi and looked down at her.

Ye Guyi tilted her head back, her long blonde hair plastered messily against her cheeks, her holy light completely extinguished, and those four soul rings at her feet had also sunk back into her body.

She panted, her chest heaving violently, and the wound on her shoulder was still oozing blood, staining half of her collar red.

Xu Jingyao squatted down to be at eye level with her.

He reached out, palm facing up, his fingers slender and fair with distinct knuckles, and the moonlight fell into his palm like a handful of shattered silver.

"Would you like to come with me?" He smiled, his voice falling into Ye Guyi's ears, "I will give you a chance to grow stronger."

Ye Guyi's eyelashes trembled.

"And in the future, when the moment comes that you are strong enough, come and help me purify the entire Sun Moon, how about that?"

Ye Guyi stared at the hand he extended, staring at it for a long time.

She bit her lower lip, her teeth sinking into the soft flesh of her lips, and tasted a trace of a metallic tang.

"Alright, I want-"

"Shh, do not speak of your goal, this is the stronghold of those people. If you truly have an idea, then only by becoming a strong person can you seek justice for those who died unjustly, right?"

She pondered for an instant before extending her hand, placing it in Xu Jingyao's palm without hesitation.

That hand was very cold and still trembling slightly, likely due to the despair of being on the verge of death just moments before, and her fingertips were stained with blood and ash, with ice shards embedded in the gaps of her nails.

Xu Jingyao grasped her hand, his palm warm, just like the newly risen sun.

He exerted a gentle force, pulling her up from the ground.

Ye Guyi staggered slightly. She was half a head shorter than Xu Jingyao, looking up at him with her golden eyes reflecting that pair of pupils intertwined with violet and emerald green.

Xu Jingyao released her hand, turned around, and walked toward the imperial carriage. After taking two steps, he stopped and tilted his head to look at her.

"Tang Wulin, take her to tend to her wounds." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the wound on Ye Guyi's shoulder that was still oozing blood, "Then arrange a residence for her and come to my study tomorrow."

"Yes, Your Highness." Tang Wulin walked over briskly and made a "this way" gesture toward Ye Guyi, "Miss, this way please."

Ye Guyi did not move. She looked at Xu Jingyao's back and suddenly spoke, "Your Highness."

Xu Jingyao's steps paused.

"My name is Ye Guyi."

Xu Jingyao tilted his head, a fan half-covering his face, and those smiling eyes curved.

"I know. I am the Carefree King of Sun Moon, but you may call me Xu Jingyao."

He turned and walked back to the imperial carriage, stepped on the footrest to board, and added another sentence before the curtains dropped.

"Ye Guyi, don't be late tomorrow."

The curtains closed, the imperial carriage rose slowly, and the flags of the Carefree King's Residence fluttered loudly in the night wind.

Tang Wulin led Ye Guyi and followed behind. Those seven ice sculptures still stood in their original spots, the ice layer casting a faint blue light under the soul guidance lamp, resembling a deserted ice corridor.

Ye Guyi walked beside Tang Wulin, glanced back at the seven ice sculptures, and then looked toward the direction of the imperial carriage, clenching her fists.

She did not know much about this prince of the Sun Moon Empire, nor did she know what he actually wanted her to do.

However, she needed someone to protect her right now, and that person's status should suffice.

She bit her lip, suppressed that surging wave of emotion, and quickened her pace to follow.

The night wind of Mingdu blew from the end of the street, fluttering the flags on the imperial carriage, sweeping past the seven silent ice sculptures, and blowing toward the brightly lit imperial palace in the distance.

As soon as the imperial carriage left, several guards in the rear immediately disposed of the ice sculptures with astonishing speed.

Xu Jingyao leaned against the soft cushions inside the imperial carriage, his fan resting on his knee, his fingers tapping lightly against the fan bones.

"Angel Martial Soul." He muttered to himself, his voice low enough that only he could hear, "Holy Spirit Cult, Evil Soul Masters... Tsk."

Very well, he now had a means of checks and balances for the future.

As long as Ye Guyi became a Titled Douluo and then purged the Evil Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent, there was no reason she couldn't have a chance to revive the glory of the Angel God.

These were troubled times, and they in Sun Moon needed this bunch of Evil Soul Masters to balance the top-tier battle strength of the Original Three Kingdoms, but an era of peace had no need for these gutter-dwelling vermin.

Thus, the Angel Clan would be the best arbiters.

After arriving at the Carefree King's Residence.

"Miss Ye, my residence has quite a few guest rooms; you may choose one to stay in temporarily," Xu Jingyao said gently to Ye Guyi, completely ignoring Tang Wulin, who wore a look of slight jealousy at the moment.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Ye Guyi replied neither servilely nor overbearingly.

After arranging everything, Xu Jingyao returned to his study and picked up a piece of intelligence.

The soul guidance lamp illuminated the entire study brightly. Xu Jingyao rested his hand beneath his mouth, a look of contemplation on his face.

"Dai Huabin, the second son of the White Tiger Duke, will enroll in Shrek Academy this September. Hm, then that should be this year." Xu Jingyao murmured softly.

He had no need for that thing called the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, but a cheating artifact like Electrolux had to be in his own hands.

Otherwise, was he supposed to wait for Huo Yuhao to lead an undead army and stab them in the back in the Sun Moon Empire?

However, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm could not simply be given to Huo Yuhao for nothing. It was of the Mental Attribute, but the problem was that soul masters possessing the Mental Attribute were too rare, and a portion of them were even Evil Soul Masters.

He certainly could not use them.

As for his own subordinates, Bone Dragon Martial Soul? No. Three-Legged Golden Toad? No...

It seemed none of them would work. What should he do?

He did not even need a soul ring!

Yet would it not be far too wasteful to let a million-year soul ring go to waste for nothing?

Forget it, he had to figure out a way to travel to the Original Three Kingdoms first.

He could only say it was fortunate that his identity as the Pavilion Master of the Carefree Pavilion was only known to a few people.

What he feared, however, was that Long Xiaoyao and those few people from the Holy Spirit Cult would leak it.

After all, the upper echelons of the Xishui Alliance knew, which meant the Holy Spirit Cult definitely knew.

No, wait.

Xu Jingyao suddenly thought of something, rummaging through the piles of archives until it took him a good while to find a shit-green invitation card, signed by Many Treasures Pavilion of Shrek Academy at the bottom.

Many defective products in the past had been given to Shrek Academy from his end.

As for why he did it?

If he didn't do it, someone else surely would, so it was better for him to handle it while being able to keep the items flowing out of their Sun Moon Empire under control, within a manageable range.

Of course, it was mainly because after he proposed gears and other machinery, that group of crazy soul engineers had worked themselves to the bone, and now new-style soul tools had quietly replaced the old soul tools.

What was leaked to Shrek Academy was naturally the previously phased-out version.

As for Shrek inviting him, it was naturally because of the matter regarding soul tools. They probably wanted something and wanted to discuss it in person.