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

"Take them to other floors, leave this to us!" A white-haired old man, only half a step behind Yao Yang, had a glint of light in his cloudy eyes as he led the five people past the crowd.

Two yellow, two purple, and one black soul rings suddenly appeared beneath his feet, his entire body radiating emerald green soul power.

As he spoke, his black fifth spirit ring shone brightly, and countless lush green bamboo shoots shot up from the ground at the entrance of the corridor, piercing deep into the granite ceiling and causing irregular cracks to extend from the surrounding walls.

Several soldiers from the West Sea Soul Regiment who had just arrived were even pierced through the body, their blood and shattered internal organs gushing out.

"Enemy attack!" The other seven or eight soldiers of the West Sea Soul Master Corps who had escaped the attack all narrowed their eyes and quickly released their martial souls and various soul tools.

Yao Yang nodded silently, walked past the old man, and led the rest of the group up the stairs to the third floor.

Similar situations occurred on the third and fourth floors, but the forces left behind by the West Sea Soul Master Corps in the castle were simply not enough to hold them off. After annihilating the West Sea Soul Master Corps soldiers, the group also carefully searched for Xu Zihuang's figure on each floor.

"Elder Yu, all the soldiers of the West Sea Soul Master Corps on the second floor have been wiped out." A young man wearing the standard dark purple armor of the Imperial Dragon Soul Master Corps approached the white-haired old man who was panting heavily with a respectful expression.

The man he referred to as Elder Yu was the same old man who had previously stopped most of the West Sea Soul Regiment soldiers on the second floor.

"I have to admit I'm getting old. If I were young, I wouldn't be this tired after killing these little brats." Old Yu blushed, and used his right hand to cover the abrasion on his abdomen at a discreet angle, glancing back out of the corner of his eye.

"I almost ruined my reputation in my later years. I can't let the image I've worked so hard to build be destroyed like this."

Seeing the young man still standing behind him without moving, Old Master Yu said angrily, "What are you still standing here for? Why aren't you hurrying to find the young master?!"

He himself quickly walked along the corridor and began to search carefully.

"Click—" The door at the end of the second-floor corridor was suddenly opened, instantly putting everyone searching for Xu Zihuang on edge. They quickly came to Old Master Yu's side and aimed their soul tools at that spot.

To everyone's surprise, it wasn't soldiers from the West Sea Soul Master Corps who emerged from the room, but ten strikingly beautiful young women. Seeing that Elder Yu and his group seemed ready to fight at the slightest provocation, the girls tightened their grip on each other's arms.

Only the aloof blonde girl at the very front noticed the deep purple dragon-patterned armor worn by Elder Yu and the others, and clenched her fists in excitement.

"As expected, it's the Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Group."

"Ziyue—" A tall, blue-haired girl nervously shook Yin Ziyue's arm. Although they were all born into nobility, they had been pampered since childhood, and looking at the soul-guided cannon barrel that exuded a dangerous aura, they couldn't help but feel a little fear.

Yin Ziyue gave a flawless smile and gently patted the blue-haired girl's arm to comfort her, "Don't worry, it's alright."

But as she said those words, a barely perceptible chill flashed deep in her eyes.

Immediately, Yin Ziyue raised her head and looked at Elder Yu, who was at the head of the group. She introduced herself in a polite and gentle voice: "We have no connection with the West Sea Soul Master Corps. We were only selected by His Highness the Prince today. May we meet His Highness the Prince later?"

Everyone cast questioning glances at Old Yu.

Old Master Yu hesitated for a moment, then slowly walked up to Yin Ziyue and the others, and smiled, "I will convey your message, but before that, please go back to your rooms and rest for a while."

Although his expression was gentle, his tone left no room for refusal.

"That's only right." Yin Ziyue gave Old Master Yu a deep look before leading everyone back to their room.

Someone couldn't help but lower their voice and remind Elder Yu, "Elder Yu, the division commander said before that not a single one should be left alive."

"Everything is subject to the young master's decision. Do I need to teach you that?" Old Master Yu looked at the ten young women sitting on the sofa in the room and gave a curt reply. There was a hint of admonition in his eyes.

"You two stay here, the rest of you come with me to continue searching for the young master."

Chapter 11 Decisive

In a luxurious room on the fifth floor of the castle, Xu Zihuang, dressed in a purple gown, sat at the table, calmly savoring the fragrant black tea in a porcelain cup.

Compared to the two tense soldiers from the West Sea Soul Regiment behind him, he appeared much more composed. The turmoil in the center of the island and within the castle seemed to belong to a completely different world.

However, the way he gripped the porcelain cup handle tightly, with his right hand showing bulging veins, revealed that his mood was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.

His clear, purple eyes, exuding an air of nobility, gleamed, and a subtle smile curved his lips.

"I didn't expect that Old Wang would escape your pursuit. It seems that your control over the southern part of the empire is not as deep as I thought."

When Wang Xiao and Hai Xiao were talking earlier, they deliberately used their soul power to make their voices resonate throughout the entire island. Xu Zihuang, who was in the center of the island, naturally heard them as well. From their conversation, he had a basic understanding of the current situation.

He knew Wang Xiao all too well. Wang Xiao was always cautious, and since he had come here, he must have made thorough preparations.

If he hadn't had such strong self-control, he probably would have burst into laughter by now. He had spent the last three years in despair, so how could he not be overjoyed at this sudden turn of events?

With his talent, as long as he escapes alive, he will surely have the opportunity to make Xu Tianran and his son pay the price in the future. The throne of the Sun Moon Empire is not out of reach. He is completely confident in himself.

His twin martial souls, Golden Eyes and Purple Emperor Annihilation Dragon, are not his only trump cards.

The two West Sea Soul Master Corps soldiers standing behind Xu Zihuang had completely different feelings. Noticing the castle had fallen silent again, the two couldn't help but reveal their personal soul-guided cannons, staring intently at the door.

"Damn it! What's going on inside the castle?! Why haven't any of the people who went down returned yet?!"

"How should I know?!"

Under such extreme tension, the two of them were on the verge of exploding with emotion.

Their orders were to stay close to Xu Zihuang at all times, but they couldn't go out to check on him without permission.

"Hmm?" Xu Zihuang, who was sipping his drink with his head down, suddenly looked up and stared toward the door.

"What terrifying mental power!"

He suddenly became somewhat nervous. He was certain that no one in the West Sea Soul Master Corps possessed such terrifying mental power, not even Hai Xiao, who was a Soul Douluo. But even the Imperial Dragon Soul Master Corps, which his father had led back then, didn't have such a person.

As if in response to his gaze, the door in front of him was pushed open with a series of creaking sounds, and the two West Sea Soul Master Corps soldiers behind him fell to the ground one after another, lifeless.

A pair of blood-red eyes stood out conspicuously in the dimly lit corridor outside the door, meeting Xu Zihuang's gaze.

Looking at the owner of those blood-red eyes, Xu Zihuang's heart skipped a beat. That extremely chilling aura was so similar to that of those eerie evil spirit masters.

However, he quickly breathed a sigh of relief because he saw the familiar Imperial Dragon Soul Master Corps soldiers following behind him. Many of them were familiar faces.

"Young Master!" A group of soldiers from the Imperial Dragon Soul Instructor Corps knelt on one knee before Xu Zihuang, their expressions filled with excitement. A series of clanging metal echoed in the large room, as if expressing the turmoil in their hearts.

Just two words, yet they seem to contain countless emotions.

Old Yu, whose hair was already gray, had slightly red eyes, and his hunched figure moved Xu Zihuang deeply.

Xu Zihuang had a deep impression of Mr. Yu.

Old Master Yu was over eighty years old and retired from the Imperial Dragon Soul Instructor Corps more than ten years ago. After retiring, he became a guard at his family's residence. Although he did not follow his father to the Ming Capital to protect the imperial palace and thus survived, he must have endured many hardships over the years in order to evade the pursuit of Xu Tianran and his son.

In Xu Zihuang's memory, Old Yu had a ruddy complexion, unlike his current aged appearance.

"Please rise, Mr. Yu."

Xu Zihuang quickly stood up and personally helped Old Yu up, while gesturing to the others.

"Everyone, get up. We can catch up later; it's not safe right now."

Let me first explain the current situation.

Seeing Xu Zihuang's unusually calm demeanor, everyone's eyes lit up. From the familiar features between Xu Zihuang's brows, they seemed to vaguely see the shadow of the Prince from back then.

"It was us who were putting on airs." Old Master Yu looked at Xu Zihuang, who was only eight years old but was incredibly mature, with a gratified smile. Then he shifted his gaze to Yao Yang, who had withdrawn his martial spirit and had a refined and scholarly demeanor.

Yao Yang's smile, as warm as a spring breeze, had completely lost any of the previous chilling feeling.

“Zihuang, you look a lot like Uncle Zhengxuan.”

Zhengxuan was the name of Xu Zihuang's father; his full name was Xu Zhengxuan. His title was King Zihuang, and he governed the four most prosperous provinces in the south of the Sun Moon Empire.

The title "Purple Emperor" clearly demonstrates the favor the former emperor of the Sun Moon Empire bestowed upon him. To be directly given a title based on one of the Sun Moon Empire's most powerful martial spirits was unprecedented in the tens of thousands of years of its history.

Xu Zihuang's name comes from this.

Xu Zihuang was taken aback when he met Yao Yang's gentle gaze. He had absolutely no recollection of Yao Yang, but he could feel the genuine closeness Yao Yang showed him.

"This should be our first time meeting."

Yao Yang nodded, a hint of reminiscence and regret flashing in his eyes.

"It's been almost ten years since I last saw Uncle Zhengxuan. I never imagined that this parting would be the last time we would ever meet again."

“You were right before. Now is not the time to reminisce. Some things can wait until we leave here.” Yao Yang quickly composed himself, patted Xu Zihuang’s shoulder affectionately, and then repeated Wang Xiao’s plan without missing a beat.

Of course, the main purpose was to let Xu Zihuang know.

"Everyone, first check the fixed-mount soul cannon in the soul tool to make sure it's perfectly safe." After saying that, Yao Yang seemed to have thought of something and smiled slightly at Xu Zihuang.

"By the way, my name is Yao Yang. Don't stray too far from me, or I might have a hard time getting you out of the range of the fixed-mounted soul-guided cannon immediately."

Xu Zihuang raised an eyebrow, having some guesses in mind, but did not ask any further questions. He tied his medium-length hair, which was draped over his shoulders, into a neat wolf tail with a hairband, and was escorted by Yao Yang and a group of soldiers from the Imperial Dragon Soul Instructor Corps to the rooftop of the castle.

The open-air flat-roofed terrace offers a wide view, from which one can clearly see the fierce battlefield in the center of the island.

The battle between Wang Xiao and Hai Xiao in the skies above the island had reached a crucial stage, nearing a decisive victory. Hai Xiao's true form, the Purple Thunder Manta Ray, was covered in deep, bone-revealing wounds on its snow-white abdomen, and its aura was waning. In contrast, Wang Xiao was growing stronger with each battle, gaining an absolute advantage.

Xu Zihuang slowly withdrew his gaze and looked around the island. The city walls had been affected, and many parts of them had collapsed beyond recognition.

But he felt an overwhelming sense of excitement, because just outside the wall lay the freedom he had always longed for.

Can we finally escape this cage?

The soldiers of the Imperial Dragon Soul Master Corps around him took out two-meter-long, dark cannon barrels from their soul tools, aimed them at the battlefield in the center of the island, and waited for the order to fire.

Just as everything was ready, a sound of footsteps suddenly came from behind.

"Are you all just good-for-nothings?! You can't even do this simple thing right?!"

At the same time, Old Master Yu's angry rebuke rang out.

Old Master Yu frowned as he looked at the aloof blonde girl brought by his two subordinates.

The girl's white dress and hands were stained with blood. Although her soul power was sealed, he stood in front of her out of caution, separating her from Xu Zihuang.

Xu Zihuang frowned as he glanced at the girl; he recognized her as Yin Ziyue.

"what happened?"

"Young Master, she just took advantage of these two idiots' inattention and released her martial soul to kill the other nine noble ladies you chose." Old Master Yu glared at the two young men from the Imperial Dragon Soul Instructor Group who had been guarding Yin Ziyue and the others.

Upon seeing Xu Zihuang, Yin Ziyue immediately knelt on the ground, completely abandoning her previous aloof and noble demeanor, and instead becoming like a lowly dog.

"Your Highness, they were sent by the First Prince, they all deserve to die!"

"Oh, and what about you?" Xu Zihuang stared with interest at Yin Ziyue's captivating azure eyes.

Yin Ziyue then raised her head, her long, golden hair falling in disarray, a glimmer of hope flashing in her beautiful eyes. She was far more astute than the other noble ladies; she knew perfectly well that in their current situation, they were highly likely to be silenced by Xu Zihuang and his group. By killing everyone else, she would essentially cut off her own path back to the Sun Moon Empire.

This can also be seen as a way of showing loyalty to Xu Zihuang.

"Your Highness, I am the second daughter of the Marquis of Yincheng in Mingdu. I voluntarily wish to bear your child, and it has nothing to do with the First Prince. Please take me with you. I know my family owns several rare metal mines in the south of the empire. I have decent cultivation talent and am also familiar with handling affairs among the nobility. I will definitely be of use to you..."

Yin Ziyue quickly responded; this was the most humiliating experience she had ever had in her sixteen years of life. But she didn't feel inferior at all. Only by leaving this place with Xu Zihuang could she have limitless possibilities for the future. Xu Zihuang's father had managed the four major southern provinces for so many years; his influence was incredibly deep. Following Xu Zihuang was far better than being a manipulated tool in a family marriage.

To be honest, she really had no choice at all.