The Glory of the Sun and Moon in the Peerless Tang Sect

Wang Xiao then selected five more men from the team to stay on the warship with Meng Cang. Without saying much, he waved his hand and jumped directly from the deck onto the sea.

Yao Yang and the group of more than forty soldiers from the former Emperor Dragon Soul Mentor Corps followed closely behind, their soul power flashing continuously in the darkness.

Small boats were taken out of the soul tools and floated on the sea one after another.

These small boats are quite peculiar; they have no sails and are long and narrow. Each boat has only three seats.

To be precise, this small boat is actually a level three soul tool, with each one inscribed with a level three propulsion core array. As long as soul power is injected, it can maintain high-speed navigation.

The group took turns infusing their soul power into the island, ensuring that their soul power was at its peak, while maintaining their formation as they headed towards the island whose outline was faintly visible in the distance.

Yao Yang, who was traveling on the same boat as Wang Xiao, suddenly underwent a transformation. His long black hair fluttered in the wind, and his previously gentle demeanor turned extremely cold. His entire body became ethereal, transforming into a pitch-black phantom, with thick black mist rising from his feet. His black eyes also turned blood red.

Very weird.

One yellow, three purple, and three black spirit rings—seven in total, far exceeding the typical proportions of a spirit master—rose one after another from beneath his feet. Despite appearing to be under thirty years old, he was already a spirit saint-level powerhouse.

As the fifth-ranked black spirit ring shone brightly, he said in a deep voice to the crowd, "Be careful not to leave the range of my fifth spirit skill."

Before the words were even finished, the soldiers and their ships vanished one after another from the sea, as if the previous scene had never happened.

Meng Cang punched the deck hard, looking frustrated.

Among the soldiers remaining on the warship, a young man who looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old quickly knelt down to help Meng Cang up. A hint of displeasure appeared on his honest face, which bore an eighty-point resemblance to Meng Cang.

“Father, you have clearly made a great contribution this time. It is really unfair of the division commander to treat you like this.”

The discontent stemmed not only from his father but also from his own.

He had originally hoped to showcase his skills, but his first mission as a member of the Imperial Dragon Soul Instructor Group ended in such a way. It would be impossible for him not to feel any emotion.

Upon hearing his son Meng Lang's words, Meng Cang's annoyance vanished instantly. He widened his eyes, suddenly raised his head, and swung his right arm to slap his son hard across the face.

"Bang, bang, bang—" Meng Lang was slapped dozens of meters away and crashed onto the deck, bouncing three times in succession. His body was pressed tightly against the iron railing, which shows just how heavy the force of the slap was.

"You bastard!" Meng Cang's chest heaved with anger, aggravating his previous injuries, and he coughed up a mouthful of bloody phlegm.

Meng Lang endured the burning pain on his cheeks and body, looked at his furious father, and lowered his head in fear and grievance.

After calming down for a long time, Meng Cang covered his forehead and sighed to Meng Lang, "Didn't you notice that, apart from Lao Cheng, all the people left behind by the division commander have soul power levels below 50?! Your soul power is only level 40, and you haven't even obtained your fourth soul ring yet. What can you do if you go?! You'll just be a burden. There are two soul master regiments there. The West Sea Soul Master Regiment is not as good as our Imperial Dragon Soul Master Regiment, but it is still one of the few elite soul master regiments in the Sun Moon Empire."

"Forget it, Lao Meng. Meng Lang is just a bit hot-blooded when he was young. Weren't we like that back then?"

The other five soldiers who were left behind were all older. One of them quickly smoothed things over and came to Meng Lang's side to help him up. It was Lao Cheng.

"Lao Cheng, don't take this bastard's side."

Meng Cang'e's gaze toward Meng Lang was still fierce, but seeing his old brothers who had been through thick and thin with him for decades stepping in, he couldn't afford to lash out again.

Meng Lang stood up and touched his swollen cheeks, his face full of resentment.

He was honest and kind, but that didn't mean he was stupid. At this point, it was natural for him to go along with it, not daring to further anger his father.

……

In the castle's first-floor hall, bathed in the glow of soul-guided lamps, Xu Zihuang sat silently in the central seat, savoring the fragrant juice made from fresh fruit brought directly from the Sun Moon Empire. To his upper left sat Hai Xiao, and to his upper right sat Yu Yun, the commander of the Lan Hai Soul Master Corps who had escorted the hundred noble ladies.

A Soul Master Corps formed by cities on the western border of the Sun Moon Empire.

The soldiers' skill levels varied greatly, far inferior to Hai Xiao's West Sea Soul Mentor Corps. They only numbered one hundred.

Yu Yun, the division commander, was several decades older than Hai Xiao, but his cultivation had only just broken through to the Soul Saint realm, and he was only doing so with the aid of drugs. It seemed that this was the limit of his cultivation. He adopted a very humble attitude in front of Hai Xiao, an eighth-level Soul Master.

Xu Zihuang rested his chin on his right hand and looked up. The entire hall was filled with beautiful women. Although the noble ladies were chatting with each other, he knew that their attention was actually entirely focused on him.

"Hmph." He chuckled to himself, a self-deprecating smile playing on his lips. The scene before him reminded him of the time before he was exiled to this island.

At that time, he was the only son of a powerful prince. The noble families of the Sun Moon Empire tried every means to send their eldest daughters to his mansion in order to find an opportunity to contact him and seek that slim chance of marriage alliance.

The scene is so similar to the one we are in now, but his circumstances are completely different in the two instances.

The noble ladies in the hall, whether aloof or innocent, always inadvertently tried their best to present their best selves to him.

But people's joys and sorrows are not shared, and Xu Zihuang only found them noisy.

However, in order to please his cousin Xu Tianran, he pretended to be making a selection.

Perhaps, as Haixiao had said before, he could keep all these noble ladies. But that would be inconsistent with his past behavior.

To avoid any unforeseen circumstances, he still only planned to select ten from among them.

Of course, he'll do it according to his own preferences. After all, he has no reason to compromise himself.

Chapter 5 Choice

At the crystal dining table closest to Xu Zihuang in the hall, a blonde girl who looked to be sixteen or seventeen years old elegantly held a glass cup in her hands. The girl's face was extremely beautiful; her loose blonde hair shimmered with a dark gold hue under the dim soul-guiding light, as if draped in tassels, adding a touch of mystique to her appearance. She wore a pure white pleated long dress, revealing her fair shoulders and collarbone.

The precious ice silk gloves on her hands wrapped around her delicate fingers.

A sapphire necklace the size of a pigeon egg adorned her chest, complementing the girl's fair skin perfectly.

Her azure eyes gleamed with wisdom, and she was surrounded by a group of other noble ladies vying to fawn over her.

When his gaze shifted to the girl, Xu Zihuang's eyes narrowed slightly.

His memory has always been excellent; he can almost never forget what he sees. Perhaps this is a sign that he will awaken his spiritual attribute martial soul, the Golden Eye.

From his memory, he recalled that the girl seemed to be the daughter of a powerful marquis in the Sun Moon Empire. He had had contact with her when he was young.

As for the name, Xu Zihuang didn't pay attention to it at the time, and naturally had no impression of it.

The girl, who appeared to be having a conversation but whose attention was actually focused on Xu Zihuang, deliberately feigned surprise, slightly parted her red lips, raised the glass in her hand, and performed an elegant etiquette between nobles of the Sun and Moon Empire towards Xu Zihuang.

Xu Zihuang nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then looked away.

A very scheming woman.

This is Xu Zihuang's assessment of the girl.

No matter how naturally the girl acted, and her facial expression showed no flaws, the emotions deep in her eyes were hard to conceal.

The eyes are the windows to the soul, and also the area of ​​the human body most likely to reveal a person's true emotions. Only extremely powerful Soul Masters can perfectly conceal them.

As the son of a powerful prince, Xu Zihuang received royal education from a young age, preparing him for the path to power. Understanding people's hearts was one of the most crucial skills he learned.

In addition, with the awakening of his spiritual attribute martial soul, the Golden Eye, he is able to observe changes deep within a person's eyes in greater detail.

"Your Highness, that is Yi Ziyue, the second daughter of the Marquis of Yicheng in Mingdu," Yu Yun, the commander of the Lanhai Soul Master Corps, respectfully reminded him.

Yu Yun was an elderly man who appeared to be less than 1.65 meters tall, with a thin build and dark skin. He was a typical person from the coastal region of the Sun Moon Empire.

He didn't initially have much respect for this exiled prince. After all, given the current situation, no one dared to have anything to do with Xu Zihuang, whose chances of recovery were almost nonexistent.

However, seeing Hai Xiao, a confidant of the eldest prince Xu Tianran, treat Xu Zihuang with such respect, the quick-witted Xu Zihuang naturally dared not act out of line.

Xu Zihuang indifferently put down the gold vessel engraved with exquisite patterns in his hand, and looked up again in the direction of Yi Ziyue.

"Ten of them it is. Commander Yu Yun, please go back and thank my brother for his kindness."

The "elder brother" he mentioned was none other than His Highness Xu Tianran, the eldest prince who was currently the most likely successor to the throne of the Sun Moon Empire.

"Your Highness, I will certainly convey your message to the Crown Prince." Yu Yun quickly stood up and bowed.

Xu Zihuang didn't say anything more, got up and left the hall under the escort of several soldiers.

The atmosphere in the hall changed instantly the moment Xu Zihuang stood up to leave. The noble ladies all understood that Xu Zihuang had made her choice.

Many hopeful eyes turned to Xu Zihuang, but no one spoke up.

It wasn't until Xu Zihuang left that the sound of quiet conversations could be heard in the hall.

"Ziyue, I just noticed that His Highness the Prince has been looking this way. Do you think we have a good chance of being chosen?!" A blue-haired girl with an extremely impressive figure next to Yi Ziyue clenched her pink fist with a happy expression, her chest heaving.

"If we can really produce an offspring with the royal Purple Radiance Heaven-Slaying Dragon Martial Soul, the family can also reverse its decline."

Of the hundred noble ladies who came here, most were in similar situations to her, due to various difficulties.

Otherwise, if one were from a top-tier noble family with immense power and influence, they would never allow the eldest daughter of the family to do such a thing.

Aside from the gossip from other nobles, the more serious issue is that this matter, involving the succession of the Sun Moon Empire's royal family, is far too sensitive. It could potentially bring disaster upon the family.

However, Yi Ziyue was an exception. She took the initiative to come, even at the cost of straining her relationship with her family.

She was only the second daughter in the family. Although women could inherit family titles in the Sun Moon Empire and the original Douluo Three Kingdoms, she was not a legitimate daughter.

They will never be able to obtain a family title throughout their lives, and may even be used as a tool for marriage alliances to consolidate the family's power.

She was unwilling to accept this fate. Rather than being manipulated by her family and living her life like a puppet, she decided to fight for a chance to change things herself.

Thanks to her family's influence, she had obtained some inside information about Xu Zihuang.

His innate full soul power and pure bloodline are extremely rare even in the royal family of the Sun and Moon Empire over the past thousand years.

If it operates properly, then there will be endless possibilities.

Overwhelmed by her emotions, Yi Ziyue's delicate hand, gripping the glass, trembled slightly, and a charming yet confident smile curved her lips.

The noble ladies surrounding Yi Ziyue were all beaming with joy, while Yu Yun, sitting in the main seat of the hall, breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Commander Haixiao, now that His Highness the Prince has made his choice, I will go and prepare for our return journey tomorrow morning. I will take my leave tonight."

The ten noble ladies Xu Zihuang selected, led by Yi Ziyue, were basically backed by some of the most powerful noble families. Since they were staying on the island, the return journey wouldn't be as stressful as it had been on his way there.

"Please proceed, Commander Yu Yun." Hai Xiao did not rise, but simply watched Yu Yun leave the castle. He then instructed his subordinates to take the ten selected noble ladies to the castle.

Those who were not chosen were sent back to the giant ship. The castle could not accommodate so many people, and with so many people around, problems were more likely to arise.

Hai Xiao led his imposing figure to the flowerbed in front of the castle, looked at the silver crescent moon hanging high in the night sky, and gave a deep order.

"Someone come here."

A soldier clad entirely in blue armor knelt on one knee behind Hai Xiao. This blue armor was standard issue for the West Sea Soul Master Corps.

This shows that they are completely different from Yu Yun's ragtag group of soul masters.

"Pass the word down that everyone should stay up tonight and strengthen the guard on the city walls, especially near the port on the east side."

"Yes, Division Commander!"

Chapter 6 Rescue

The port was built against the city wall on the east side of the island, and the terrain here is the flattest part of the entire island.

The giant ship, over 200 meters long, was smoothly moored in the port.