Thick black mist coiled around Yaoyang as the glow from the fifth and sixth of his seven soul rings—one yellow, three purple, and three black—gradually dimmed.
His blood-red, eerie eyes turned ice cold, and the aura of chilling darkness around him was enough to make even Wang Xiao glance over.
Although it was Wang Xiao who had released the dark-attribute domain, it was Yaoyang who had wiped out the Lanhai Soul Engineer Regiment and severely damaged Yu Yun's spiritual sea.
The terrifying power of a strong spirit-type soul master was on full display.
"Uncle Wang, rest assured—I didn't devour the souls of those soldiers. I made a promise to His Highness back then," Yaoyang raised his head, meeting Wang Xiao's gaze without a hint of evasion. His voice was calm and resolute.
His martial soul was a rare spirit-type known as the Sea Siren, passed down through his family for generations. However, when he awakened it, it mutated—gaining the ability to devour human and soul beast souls. This unnatural power drew the attention of the Holy Spirit Cult, leading to the slaughter of his entire family. Only he survived, taken captive.
He escaped only thanks to the intervention of Xu Zihuang's father.
Wang Xiao slowly withdrew his bloodied right hand from Yu Yun's chest and nodded silently.
It had been more than a decade since he and Xu Zihuang's father rescued Yaoyang from the Holy Spirit Cult. To be honest, Yaoyang's current power exceeded even his expectations. It was difficult to reconcile the powerful soul master before him with the despairing, powerless boy who had once been unable to protect his family.
Letting out a deep breath, Wang Xiao turned his firm gaze toward the island ahead.
It wasn't just his trust in Yaoyang—time was of the essence.
"There's no time to waste. Just as we planned: I'll lead a team to intercept Haixiao and the main force of the West Sea Soul Engineer Regiment. Yaoyang, you take the other team and rescue the young master."
With a low shout, Wang Xiao was the first to soar into the air.
With the destruction of Yu Yun and the Lanhai Soul Engineer Regiment, along with the unconscious noble ladies in the ship's cabins, it wouldn't be long before the West Sea Soul Engineer Regiment realized something was wrong.
There was no longer any need for secrecy.
To rescue the young master, they had to face the well-equipped West Sea Soul Engineer Regiment head-on.
Behind Wang Xiao flew over twenty elite veterans of the former Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment. All were at least Spirit Emperors, and propelled by sixth-grade flying soul tools, they kept pace with him effortlessly.
That such a group casually included over twenty Spirit Emperors spoke volumes about the profound legacy of the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment.
Brilliant exhaust trails streaked across the night sky. After three years of preparation, the rescue mission had finally begun.
Two yellow, two purple, and four black soul rings—the optimal combination—danced wildly around Wang Xiao, making him seem like a peerless beast.
"Seventh Soul Skill: Martial Soul True Body!"
His voice was both suppressed and laced with a hint of madness. Dark-purple flames ignited around his body, wrapping him in a massive cocoon of light.
Then, with a deafening roar, a majestic black-winged tiger plummeted from the sky toward the fifty-meter-high fortress wall.
The West Sea Soul Engineer Regiment soldiers patrolling the wall were instantly alerted, staring upward in terror.
Haixiao had indeed ordered them to increase vigilance that night, but Wang Xiao's sudden assault caught them completely off guard.
The earlier annihilation of Yu Yun and the Lanhai Regiment had taken barely the span of a breath. Thanks to Yaoyang's fifth soul skill, which concealed their presence, and his sixth skill, a powerful mental attack, combined with Wang Xiao's domain, the ambush had left no trace.
On the wall, a middle-aged squad leader of the West Sea Regiment was the first to react. As he activated his martial soul, he shouted with his soul power amplifying his voice:
"Enemy attack! All units, hold the soul cannon positions on the wall! Destroy them!"
The West Sea Regiment's soldiers clearly outclassed those of the Lanhai Regiment.
Under the squad leader's command, they quickly regained composure, swiveling the dark barrels of the stationary soul cannons.
To defend against sea soul beasts, fourth-grade stationary soul cannons had been installed every few dozen meters along the wall. Each had the firepower equivalent to a full-strength attack from a Soul Ancestor. Coordinated, they could be devastating.
A massive red octopus phantom emerged behind the squad leader. Two yellow, three purple, and one black ring—six in total—confirmed his rank as a Spirit Emperor.
Though not a perfect configuration, it was still impressive.
But he overlooked one crucial fact—Wang Xiao's true strength.
In his Martial Soul True Body form, the more-than-20-meter-long black-winged tiger lost none of its agility. It moved like a shadowy cat, swift and silent. With the support of his black wings, its speed was terrifying, almost impossible to track even with sharp eyes.
Before the squad leader could even finish speaking, Wang Xiao was already above him.
A single tiger claw descended. With a deafening crash, the fortress wall cracked open, a massive gap torn through it. Even the soul cannons anchored nearby were flung aside.
With another blow, the giant tiger slammed the squad leader into the stone floor. His limbs twisted grotesquely, blood pouring from his wounds, internal organs spilling from his nose. He was clearly beyond saving.
"Captain!"
The soldiers nearby froze with fear. No matter how disciplined, any soldier would feel terror in the face of such death.
In that brief instant of panic, the elite forces behind Wang Xiao surged past the cannons' firing range.
What followed was a massacre.
A top-tier Spirit Douluo and eighth-grade soul engineer, accompanied by over twenty Spirit Emperors—such a force could challenge even a Titled Douluo. The West Sea Regiment, whose soldiers mostly hovered around the fortieth rank, stood no chance.
Wang Xiao no longer paid the crumbling defenders any mind. Instead, he lifted his massive tiger head and turned instinctively toward the fortress at the center of the island.
As if responding to his gaze, a thick bolt of blue-purple lightning suddenly shot into the sky from above the castle, illuminating the dark island.
In the light, a figure in deep blue armor appeared—Haixiao. His eyes flickered with fury and disbelief.
"Wang Xiao… it's you?! You're still alive?!"
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