Dense black mist swirled around Yao Yang. One yellow, three purple, and three black; the brightly lit fifth and sixth black soul rings among his seven soul rings gradually dimmed.
His eerie, blood-red eyes turned icy cold, radiating an extreme chill that even made Wang Xiao glance sideways at him.
The dark-attribute domain just now had been Wang Xiao's doing. But it was Yao Yang who annihilated the Blue Ocean Soul Engineer Legion and dealt devastating damage to Yu Yun's spiritual sea.
The power of a strong spiritual-type soul master was truly terrifying.
"Uncle Wang, rest assured. I did not devour the soldiers' souls. After all, I promised the prince I wouldn't devour souls," Yao Yang said, meeting Wang Xiao's gaze directly with a firm and resolute tone.
Yao Yang's martial soul was a unique one called Sea Siren, inherently a spiritual-type martial soul passed down through his family for generations.
However, his martial soul had mutated upon awakening, gaining the ability to devour the souls of humans and soul beasts alike. This ability had drawn the attention of the Holy Spirit Cult, leading to the massacre of his entire family, leaving only him to be abducted.
He had later been rescued by Xu Zihuang's father, narrowly escaping that nightmare.
Wang Xiao withdrew his bloodied hand from Yu Yun's chest and nodded solemnly.
It had been over a decade since he and Xu Zihuang's father had saved Yao Yang from the Holy Spirit Cult. Now, seeing the strength Yao Yang had grown into, far beyond his expectations, he struggled to reconcile this cold, powerful figure with the despairing, powerless young man filled with self-blame for not being able to protect his family years ago, he had once rescued.
Exhaling a deep breath, Wang Xiao turned his resolute gaze toward the island.
His trust in Yao Yang wasn't the only reason for his determination but rather the urgent need for their rescue plan.
"There's no time to waste. According to the plan, I'll lead a team to hold off Hai Xiao and the Western Sea Soul Engineer Legion. Yao Yang, you'll lead the other team to rescue the young lord."
With a low growl, Wang Xiao launched himself into the air.
The Blue Ocean Soul Engineer Legion, including its commander Yu Yun, had been wiped out, and the noblewomen aboard the ship were all unconscious. It wouldn't take long for the Western Sea Soul Engineer Legion to notice the disturbance.
There was no point in hiding any longer.
To rescue Xu Zihuang, they had no choice but to face the heavily armed Western Sea Soul Engineer Legion head-on.
Following closely behind Wang Xiao were over twenty elite members of the former Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion. Each one's cultivation was above rank 60, and propelled by class 6 flying soul tools, they kept pace effortlessly with Wang Xiao.
The presence of over twenty Soul Emperors in a single mission spoke volumes about the deep foundation of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion.
Streaks of colorful tail flames cut through the night sky as the rescue plan, three years in the making, was finally put into action.
Two yellow, two purple, and four black soul rings danced wildly around Wang Xiao, making him look like a ferocious beast.
"Seventh Soul Skill! Martial Soul True Body!"
With a suppressed yet frenzied roar, black and purple flames erupted around Wang Xiao's body, encasing him in a massive cocoon of light.
A deafening tiger's roar echoed through the air as a mighty Black-Winged Tiger descended from the sky, charging straight for the fifty-meter-tall fortress wall.
The patrolling soldiers of the Western Sea Soul Engineer Legion were instantly alarmed, their terrified eyes snapping upward.
Hai Xiao had indeed ordered heightened vigilance at night, but Wang Xiao's sudden appearance caught them completely off guard.
The annihilation of Yu Yun and the Blue Ocean Soul Engineer Legion had taken less than a breath's time. With Yao Yang's fifth soul skill to conceal their approach, his sixth soul skill for mass spiritual attacks, and Wang Xiao's dark-attribute domain, the enemy hadn't had a chance to react.
On the fortress wall, a middle-aged man who seemed to be a squad leader reacted first. Activating his martial soul, he wrapped his voice in soul power and shouted:
"Enemy attack! All units, hold the fortress and activate the stationary soul cannon positions! Exterminate the enemy!"
The soldiers of the Western Sea Soul Engineer Legion were far better trained than those of Yu Yun's ragtag unit.
Under the squad leader's orders, they quickly regained their composure and turned the fortress's stationary soul cannons—black metal barrels stationed every few dozen meters—toward the incoming threat.
Designed to fend off aggressive sea soul beasts, these class 4 stationary soul cannons had the power of a Soul Ancestor's full-strength attack. Individually they weren't much, but combined, they could unleash devastating firepower.
Behind the squad leader, a massive red octopus phantom appeared. Two yellow, three purple, and one black soul ring circled him—a clear indication of his rank as a Soul Emperor.
Though not the best soul ring configuration, it was still quite formidable.
However, he overlooked one crucial point: the overwhelming strength of Wang Xiao.
In his Martial Soul True Body state, Wang Xiao, who transformed into the massive Black-Winged Tiger, stretched over twenty meters long, yet its size didn't hinder its agility. Like a lithe feline, it moved with astonishing speed, aided by its massive black wings.
As a black blur, it was nearly impossible to track with the naked eye.
Before the squad leader could finish his command, Wang Xiao had already descended upon him.
A single swipe of the tiger's claws tore a gaping hole in the once-impenetrable fortress wall, sending the surrounding stationary soul cannons flying.
"Boom!"
In the squad leader's despairing gaze, the giant tiger struck again, pinning him to the ground with a deafening crash.
The man's limbs twisted unnaturally, his body mangled beyond recognition as blood and viscera poured from his shattered frame. He was clearly beyond saving.
"Captain!"
The soldiers of the Western Sea Soul Engineer Legion felt a chill run down their spines. No matter how elite, they weren't immune to fear in the face of death.
In that fleeting moment of hesitation, the elite former members of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion following behind Wang Xiao had already passed through the range of the stationary soul cannons.
What followed was a massacre.
A top-tier Soul Douluo, who was also a class 8 soul engineer, leading over twenty Soul Emperors, was a force even a Titled Douluo would struggle against—let alone soldiers with an average cultivation level of rank 40.
Wang Xiao did not pursue the scattered and terrified soldiers. Instead, he lifted his massive head in his Martial Soul True Body state, sensing the direction of the castle at the center of the island.
As if responding to his gaze, a thick beam of blue-purple lightning shot into the sky from above the castle, illuminating the dark island.
Emerging from the electric light was Hai Xiao, clad in deep blue armor. His sharp eyes burned with a mix of fury and shock.
"Wang Xiao… You're alive?! How is this possible?!"