Cradled under Yao Yang's arm, Xu Zihuang gazed down at the island, now a hellish inferno of crimson flames, his expression tinged with melancholy.
Yao Yang had hinted at this outcome earlier, and Xu Zihuang understood—this was already the best result they could achieve. With only around forty men on Wang Xiao's side, continuing to tangle with the Western Sea Soul Engineer Legion would only lead to greater losses.
The remaining soldiers of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion swiftly flew toward Yao Yang and Xu Zihuang, using their flying soul tools. Among them were Yu Lao and others who had already met Xu Zihuang, as well as the group that had previously clashed with the main forces of the Western Sea Soul Engineer Legion.
Initially, there had been twenty-three Soul Emperors. Now, only nineteen remained. Many of them bore injuries, though none were too severe.
In contrast, Yu Lao's team of twenty-one had dwindled to just thirteen who safely made it to the rendezvous.
"Young Lord."
The soldiers encircled Xu Zihuang, their expressions grim in the wake of their comrades' deaths. Yet, despite the heavy losses, rescuing Xu Zihuang made it all worthwhile.
In war, there were always casualties.
But before they could collect their thoughts, countless bolts of dazzling blue-purple lightning rained down from the night sky like a waterfall.
Yao Yang, as the one with the highest soul power cultivation and a powerful spiritual-type soul master, immediately reacted, shouting, "Everyone scatter! "
The others instinctively looked up while following Yao Yang's command, activating their flying soul tools to disperse. From the meter-wide blue-purple lightning pillars, they could feel a deep, foreboding sense of danger.
The source of the lightning was none other than Hai Xiao, now back in human form. His original deep-blue armor had been shattered, and a deep, bone-revealing wound ran from his chest to his abdomen. His face was pale as a white sheet of paper; due to the tear in his lungs, his labored breathing sounded like a broken bellows.
The eighth black soul ring around him glowed brilliantly as crackling lightning surged over his body.
"Eighth soul skill: Purple Thunder Hell!"
Blood trickled from the corner of Hai Xiao's mouth, and his voice was deep and strained.
"At least I have no regrets before the Crown Prince."
Wang Xiao, having also deactivated his martial soul true body, saw what was happening, and his face immediately fell.
Though his strength was far above Hai Xiao's, there was no way he could fully block the latter's eight soul skill, which is powered by all of his remaining soul power.
Wang Xiao's martial soul, the Dark Tyrant Tiger, was an anomaly among tiger-type martial souls, imbued with darkness and wind attributes. Its quality was on par with the White Tiger martial soul passed down by the White Tiger Duke's lineage of the Star Luo Empire. Combining speed and power, it had virtually no weaknesses and was undoubtedly a high-level beast martial soul.
However, it did not excel in defense. Wang Xiao could only do his best to shield Xu Zihuang and the others.
His heart was heavy with regret. Why hadn't he stopped Hai Xiao's desperate counterattack earlier?
Hai Xiao let out a bitter laugh, turning his gaze toward the eastern sea. Beyond the sea lay the nation that had raised and nurtured him.
Memories flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern. Strangely, he now felt at peace.
Perhaps he had made up his mind the moment he learned of Xu Tianran's collaboration with evil soul masters. Dying here felt like liberation.
As his consciousness gradually faded, Hai Xiao mustered his strength to lessen the power of his Purple Thunder Hell in the area around Xu Zihuang.
Xu Tianran might have bestowed Hai Xiao with favor, but Xu Zihuang's father, Xu Zhengxuan, had once saved his life. That was why Hai Xiao had always treated Xu Zihuang with such courtesy over the years.
Though Wang Xiao's strength could protect Xu Zihuang, Hai Xiao wanted to minimize the young prince's risk. This was his final act of defiance, his last show of loyalty to both sides.
He had lived his life with no regrets.
"Everyone, gather around me!"
Just as Wang Xiao prepared to unleash his soul skills to shield the group, Xu Zihuang's voice rang out, causing him to freeze momentarily. The other soldiers also turned their gazes to Xu Zihuang.
Xu Zihuang, who had been protected by Yao Yang, now let his tied-back mid-length hair fall freely. Strands of faintly purple hair at his temples swayed in the wind. His cold, purple vertical pupils gleamed with a regal aura, and in his right hand, a sphere of black-purple lightning crackled, exuding an oppressive, suffocating energy.
Under Xu Zihuang's control, the lightning in his palm condensed into threads as thin as a finger.
The soldiers watched in astonishment as Hai Xiao's mighty blue-purple lightning pillars melted away upon contact with Xu Zihuang's black-purple lightning threads, vanishing like snow under the sun.
"Ulti...mate... Lightning Attri...bute?" Hai Xiao choked out, his mouth full of blood as he uttered the word slowly.
Staring at the imposing Xu Zihuang, he froze for a moment before breaking into the most content smile he had ever worn in his entire life.
"Heaven blesses our Sun Moon Empire."
Lightning or Thunder, is a manifestation of the heavens' righteous fury, naturally countering evil soul masters. Ultimate Lightning, in particular, suppressed them no less than the Angel Clan of ten thousand years ago.
In his mind, Hai Xiao envisioned countless evil soul masters being obliterated under cascading thunderbolts.
He didn't know if Xu Zihuang's rise would benefit the current rulers, Xu Tianran and his father, but he was certain it would spell doom for the evil soul masters.
As this final thought left him, Hai Xiao closed his eyes and fell from the sky, his body consumed by the scorching shockwaves below.
He would rest here forever alongside his fallen subordinates.
The black-purple lightning in Xu Zihuang's palm wove itself into a net about ten meters wide. Within its protection, the surrounding space became a sanctuary.
Though the soldiers marveled at Xu Zihuang's display, their battle-hardened instincts quickly kicked in.
Wang Xiao crushed a nearby blue-purple lightning pillar with his hand, his breathing slightly labored. It was unclear whether this was due to his earlier battle with Hai Xiao or sheer emotional upheaval.
"It's actually Ultimate Lightning…" Wang Xiao muttered in awe. "The young lord truly inherited the bloodlines of Prince Zhengxuan and Princess Consort."
A martial soul's traits were directly tied to parental bloodlines, and Xu Zihuang's martial soul was clearly not a mutation that came out of nowhere. Wang Xiao could sense the fusion of two powerful, distinct bloodlines within Xu Zihuang, one of which unmistakably carried the destructive power of the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon.
Wang Xiao, one of the few privy to Princess Consort's identity, knew exactly what this meant.
As the black-purple lightning in Xu Zihuang's hand dimmed and the night returned to its stillness, he let out a long sigh of relief before collapsing unconscious.
Even with the absolute suppression of Ultimate Lightning, it was far too taxing for a mere rank-10 soul master to counter an eighth soul skill. Were it not for Hai Xiao's eighth skill being composed entirely of thunder and lightning, Xu Zihuang wouldn't have stood a chance.
Maintaining even a small protected area had completely drained his soul power. Only his body, strengthened by years of rare medicinal nourishment, had prevented him from outright collapsing.
"Young Lord!"
The soldiers looked at Xu Zihuang with concern, their gazes tinged with fervor. The spectacle they had just displayed was beyond astonishing.
A mere rank-10 soul master had deflected the eighth soul skill of a Soul Douluo?
Yao Yang examined Xu Zihuang's condition and reassured the group, "He's fine; he just fainted. Due to exhaustion of his soul power, he'll recover after some rest."
Yao Yang himself had been ready to intervene but was awed by Xu Zihuang's endurance. Though the Ultimate Lightning gave him an elemental advantage, the strain he had borne was undeniable.
Wang Xiao landed beside them and exchanged a glance with Yao Yang. He then waved his hand firmly and commanded.
"Return to the ship. We're leaving this island."