Another early morning, Xu Zihuang, who had been sitting cross-legged on the Demonic Whale, ended his night of cultivation.
The Demonic Whale was not a large vessel and could not drop anchor to fix its position.
After drifting with the wind and waves overnight, he had been carried to the boundary between the coastal and deep-sea areas. With his Golden Eyes martial soul, he could easily judge this through subtle observations of the seawater's color and internal currents.
After sailing continuously at sea for over a month, his clothing and appearance remained spotless. There was no trace of the weariness or vicissitudes that came with long voyages.
Gazing at the sunrise, Xu Zihuang took a deep breath, tied his flowing black long hair behind his head with a hair tie, and then took out a map of this sea area from his storage soul tool.
By comparing the sea chart with the direction of the rising sun, he determined that he was currently in the southern seas of the Star Luo Empire. Sailing westward for a while longer would bring him into the southern seas of the Sun Moon Empire.
The powerful sea soul beasts living in the deep sea restricted the naval development of both empires.
Neither the Sun Moon Empire nor the Star Luo Empire was particularly skilled in sea battles. However, this did not mean they had no presence on the seas. Both sides maintained a navy in the area where their southern seas met. These navies were not large, roughly equivalent to a soul mentor regiment of about five hundred men.
Relatively speaking, the Sun Moon Empire's navy was stronger. Though not on the level of the empire's top soul mentor groups like the Hand of National Protection, their advantage in soul tool technology was undeniable.
The Sun Moon Empire's southern navy was called the South Sea Soul Mentor Regiment, led by a powerful eighth-level soul mentor. Under his command were four hundred-meter-long ships, along with many smaller escort vessels.
The ships were equipped with numerous powerful soul tools, giving them considerable combat strength.
Xu Zihuang knew these details well because, back then, Wang Xiao and the others had thoroughly investigated the South Sea Soul Mentor Regiment.
Originally, the South Sea Soul Mentor Regiment had been under his father's command. However, after Xu Tianran and his son rose to power, they quickly replaced him with their own confidants.
Moreover, he had recently learned from Keke that Ju Zi was currently gaining experience in this South Sea Soul Mentor Regiment. With her outstanding command and combat abilities, she had achieved repeated victories against sea soul beasts and now held the rank of captain, leading nearly a hundred soul mentors. There were only five such captains in the entire regiment, second only to the regiment commander.
To avoid trouble, Xu Zihuang planned to skirt around both navies in the boundary area between the coastal and deep seas. Afterward, he would board a large ship from the Sun Moon Empire's southern coastal city, Haiyue City, to head to Moon Pivot Island.
The voyage from the Sun Moon Empire's southern seas to Moon Pivot Island would take at least half a month and would venture deep into the ocean.
He had essentially completed the goals of this sea training, so there was no need to venture alone into the deep sea again. Encountering powerful sea soul beasts was secondary; the main issue was his lack of extensive navigation experience.
Coastal sailing at least had the coastline as a reference, whereas navigating the open sea made determining direction far more difficult.
After carefully confirming his position, Xu Zihuang lowered the sails. The sea breeze blew against him, stirring a few strands of purple hair at his forehead and temples.
Conditions at sea were indeed rudimentary, but he never skimped on his daily needs.
Today's breakfast was made from local ingredients. A few casually caught sea fish were boiled in clear water to produce a fresh, sweet white broth, paired with some fresh greens. With the advancement of soul tool technology, modern storage soul tools could keep ingredients fresh while stored.
The main dish was pan-fried salmon. Gazing at the endless deep blue ocean while savoring delicious food eased his otherwise monotonous mood.
During breakfast, Xu Zihuang released a soul tool barrier to ward off several sea soul beasts with cultivations above eight thousand years but below ten thousand years. The distinction between coastal and deep-sea areas was not just about water depth; the most obvious difference was the cultivation levels of the soul beasts inhabiting them.
Sea soul beasts active in coastal waters were generally at the hundred-year or thousand-year level. But near the deep sea, including this boundary area, one could encounter ten-thousand-year soul beasts.
These beasts, with cultivations below ten thousand years, had limited perception and failed to detect the Demonic Whale or Xu Zihuang.
After sailing for about an hour, he officially entered the Sun Moon Empire's southern seas. Just as he changed course to land at the Sun Moon Empire's southern coastal city, Haiyue City, a sea soul beast with around five thousand years of cultivation suddenly entered his mental detection range.
Xu Zihuang looked up toward the west as if sensing something. In the distance, several dazzling golden spots reflected off the sea surface.
Those golden reflections came from deep brown scales, smooth and translucent, with strange golden patterns inside. Thirteen scales overlapped to form a complete turtle shell.
The owner of the shell was a sea turtle-type soul beast with a sharp, eagle-like beak.
"A Tortoise?" Xu Zihuang raised an eyebrow in surprise.
In his memories from his previous life, Xu Sanshi fuses with a hundred-thousand-year Golden Tortoise for his seventh soul ring. The Golden Tortoise was not a beast that influenced the fortune of the entire Star Dou Great Forest like the Imperial Auspicious Beast Three-Eyed Golden Lion, but it was still called an auspicious beast and held an imperial status among turtle-type soul beasts.
Legend had it that the Golden Tortoise carried the inheritance of the golden bloodline among soul beasts. Unlike other soul beasts that hated humans, it was friendly toward human soul masters with great fortune. In ancient times, it was a symbol of auspiciousness.
Even ordinary Tortoises held a special status among turtle-type soul beasts.
The Tortoise clan could adapt to both ocean and land environments, so Xu Zihuang was not surprised to encounter a group in the sea.
But this Tortoise was exceptionally special. The golden patterns on its back indicated it possessed a trace of the golden bloodline.
This Tortoise swam rapidly across the sea surface, its mental fluctuations chaotic, as if fleeing danger. In an instant, it reached Xu Zihuang, and man and turtle locked eyes.
Xu Zihuang did not attack it. He was not someone who killed for pleasure; unless a sea soul beast attacked first, he usually would not act casually.
Moreover, this Tortoise held no value that would tempt him to act. Its shell scales were indeed highly valuable, prized for decoration and collection by nobles. But to his standards, they were nothing special.
The Tortoise seemed to sense that Xu Zihuang bore it no malice. It retracted its head and hurriedly continued swimming toward the deep-sea area.
Not long after the Tortoise left, a warship appeared in Xu Zihuang's sight.
The warship was fifty meters long and over twenty meters wide. Its hull was covered in thick iron-gray armor. Soul guide cannons were positioned on the deck.
At that moment, dozens of people stood on the deck. Leading them was a young man in his twenties. He was less than 1.8 meters tall, not particularly muscular, with dark, wheat-colored skin. Yet his hair was half white and half red, giving him a very strange appearance.
The young man stood with his arms crossed, feigning arrogance as he looked ahead. Noticing the Demonic Whale and Xu Zihuang standing at its bow, a trace of surprise flashed in his cold, proud brownish-yellow eyes, quickly replaced by disdain as he snorted lightly.
Venturing alone into the sea was either a sign of great confidence in one's strength or sheer ignorance. In his view, Xu Zihuang was clearly the latter.
A boy who appeared only sixteen or seventeen could at most be a Soul Elder. Not everyone could be like him, whose martial soul had undergone a beneficial mutation, making him a prodigy since childhood.
A dark-skinned, lean middle-aged man approached the young man. The man had a flat nose and small eyes, hardly flattering in appearance. Yet his aura was the deepest among everyone on the deck, and the others respectfully made way for him.
Jin Hong narrowed his eyes, gazing sharply like a hawk into the distance. After a moment, he withdrew his gaze and said in a low voice, "Young Leader, that Tortoise has fled into the deep-sea area. Continuing the chase could be dangerous. Let's rendezvous with the Leader first. The Leader instructed that this mission is extremely important and cannot afford any mistakes."
The young man let out a meaningful sigh.
"I know, Uncle Jin. It's just a pity. I originally wanted to use that Tortoise's shell scales to create a complete sea chart of the entire Yuenan Islands as a gift for Grandfather. Since that's not possible, we can't let this trip be for nothing."
As he spoke, he extended his right hand.
A burly young man behind him understood and grinned cruelly, retrieving a dark metal cannon barrel from a deck turret and handing it to him.
The young man smiled as he raised the barrel, loading a fixed-installation soul guide shell and aiming at the Demonic Whale. Yet the cold jealousy deep in his eyes was chilling.
"Annoying things should disappear from this world. If you must resent something, resent the unfairness of this world. A useless pretty boy has no right to live in it."
Jin Hong did not stop the young man; as long as it did not affect the bigger picture, it was fine.
E Cheng was the only grandson of the Demonic Crocodile Pirate Group's leader. Even with Jin Hong's status in the group, he could not say much.
More importantly, in his long-held worldview, killing was the most ordinary thing.
As soul power surged, the cannon barrel in E Cheng's hand began to tremble slightly. Intense black light flowed across its surface.
"Boom—" an explosion rang out as a dazzling black beam shot from the barrel toward the Demonic Whale.
However, the boy standing proudly on the Demonic Whale did not show the panic E Cheng expected. The indifference in his deep purple eyes seemed like a silent mockery.
Then E Cheng saw four blue flames erupt simultaneously from the rear of the Demonic Whale, rushing toward the black beam at astonishing speed.
At the critical moment, Xu Zihuang tapped his foot lightly, and the shuttle-shaped Demonic Whale plunged deep into the sea.
The black beam struck the water, sending waves dozens of meters high across a hundred-meter radius. Powerful winds swept through.
Blue light streaked through the water, leaving a solid trail. Everyone on the deck was captivated by the Demonic Whale darting underwater.
Jin Hong seemed to sense something and looked up sharply, his expression grave.
The reaction speed to evade a fixed-installation soul guide cannon head-on was not something any soul master could possess. He realized the boy before him was no ordinary person.
The others followed Jin Hong's gaze. A black-haired, purple-eyed youth descended gracefully from the sky, landing steadily on the railing at the front of the deck. His voice was cold.
"Demonic Crocodile Pirate Group, E Cheng, right?"
Xu Zihuang had recognized E Cheng from the start. It was not that E Cheng was particularly memorable, but Xu Zihuang's memory was extraordinary; once he saw someone, he rarely forgot them.
Moreover, E Cheng's distinctive appearance made him hard to miss.
Seeing the calm and composure in Xu Zihuang's eyes, a vein throbbed on E Cheng's forehead. Those familiar with E Cheng knew their Young Leader was on the verge of exploding.
Several pirates from the Demonic Crocodile Pirate Group bared ferocious expressions, ready to attack, but E Cheng stopped them.
"You know me?"
E Cheng stared coldly at Xu Zihuang. The fact that Xu Zihuang had dodged his attack made him feel defeated. If not for the confusion caused by Xu Zihuang recognizing him, he would have crushed him already.
In these seas, no force dared openly oppose the Demonic Crocodile Pirate Group. Even the Sun Moon Empire's officials were powerless against them.
Xu Zihuang smiled faintly.
"That doesn't matter. All you need to know is that today, none of you will leave here alive." His voice was calm, as if stating a simple fact.
"You brat, you're courting death?! Who do you think you are?!" E Cheng's face darkened. His brownish-yellow eyes changed dramatically; one pupil turned ice blue, the other fiery red.
Two yellow, two purple, one black, five soul rings in the optimal configuration rose instantly from his feet. Extreme cold and heat radiated from his body.
Behind him appeared the shadow of a massive double-headed crocodile turtle, one head ice blue, the other fiery red.
Ice-Fire Double-Headed Crocodile Turtle. This was E Cheng's martial soul.
The dozens of pirates behind E Cheng also released their martial souls. Their cultivations ranged from two-ring Great Soul Masters to five-ring Soul Kings, with varied and strange martial souls. Most were sea soul masters.
The atmosphere grew tense. Without a doubt, at E Cheng's command, they would tear Xu Zihuang apart without hesitation.
But before they could act, their eyes filled with terror.
Black, black, black, black, black, red. With each soul ring that appeared around Xu Zihuang, their fear deepened. When they saw the demonic blood-red ring, their breathing seemed to stop.
Even the previously calm Jin Hong paled dramatically.
In the next moment, strange silver ripples enveloped a large area of the sea, including the warship. Everyone except Jin Hong and E Cheng exploded into blood mist.
"Bang, bang, bang—" Dull sounds of bodies bursting echoed on the deck. Blood even splattered onto E Cheng's cheek, but he remained unaware, his face ashen.
Jin Hong reacted and tried to gather soul power to release his martial soul in resistance, but a golden-silver tentacle emerged from the void and wrapped around him.
Despite being a Soul Sage, he had no power to resist the tentacle. Golden patterns flashed on it, and he felt his soul and consciousness on the verge of being crushed by a terrifying, explosive force.
Xu Zihuang landed on the deck and walked step by step toward E Cheng.
"Who do you think you are?"
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