The morning mist was hazy.
As the turning point between yin and yang, this was the coldest time of the day.
However, the Imperial Dragon soldiers on the deck were much more relaxed.
Navigation during the day was relatively safer.
Xu Zihuang, Yao Yang, and Wang Xiao sat cross-legged on the deck without pretense, using the wooden storage crate in the center as a makeshift table.
On it sat a pot of boiling, richly aromatic fish soup.
Beside it, several cooked purple lobsters were placed on a tray.
Each lobster was nearly half a meter long, its meat crystal clear and incredibly appetizing.
These were a type of sea soul beast called the Purple Crystal Shrimp, with a cultivation of around a hundred years.
Given the group’s strength, catching them wasn’t difficult.
Additionally, there was some black bread and a large jar of black caviar.
These were foods easy to preserve on long voyages.
After chatting through the night and understanding the connections between them, Xu Zihuang felt even closer to Yao Yang.
Taking a bite of black bread smeared with black caviar, Xu Zihuang smiled and said, “I didn’t expect Brother Yang to be the hereditary Viscount of the Yuenan Archipelago.”
“Zi Huang, are you mocking me?” A smile spread across Yao Yang’s handsome face.
His gaze was gentle, entirely different from his demeanor when using his martial soul.
“The Yuenan Archipelago consists of seven islands: Yuanshu, Yuanxuan, Yuanquan, Yuanheng, Yuanyang, Yuanyao, and Yuanji.
I only control the northernmost one, Yuanshu Island.”
Xu Zihuang paused, instinctively asking, “What about the other six islands?”
Strictly speaking, the Yuenan Archipelago was also part of his father’s fief.
But because he was young at the time, he didn’t handle specific affairs and only knew the general situation.
“Zi Huang, remember what I said earlier?
Because the Yuenan Archipelago is far from the Sun Moon Empire mainland, and the surrounding waters are home to extremely powerful sea soul beasts, the empire has almost zero control over it.
This makes it extremely chaotic, plagued by pirates.
The other six islands are nominally under my jurisdiction, but in reality, they are controlled by the largest pirate fleets.”
“Young Master, this is also why I brought you to the Yuenan Archipelago.
Once we arrive there, it won’t be easy for the Sun Moon Empire to extend its reach,” Wang Xiao chimed in at the right moment.
But as he spoke, his face suddenly turned pale, and he clutched his chest.
“Uncle Wang!” Yao Yang’s expression changed.
He quickly placed his hands on Wang Xiao’s back, using his soul power to check his internal condition.
Wang Xiao steadied his breathing and waved his hand.
“It’s nothing, just an old ailment.”
However, Xu Zihuang sharply noticed a touch of eerie green on Wang Xiao’s chest.
With an ugly expression, he asked hesitantly, “Elder Wang, are you poisoned?”
“Uncle Wang, these things have to be known to Zi Huang sooner or later.”
Yao Yang and Wang Xiao exchanged a look.
Despite Wang Xiao desperately trying to stop him with his eyes, Yao Yang ignored it.
“Uncle Wang was poisoned by the life-bound venom of one of the Evil Soul Masters during the battle ten years ago.
If not for that, Uncle Wang’s soul power wouldn’t have stagnated at rank eighty-nine.
Zi Huang, once you grow stronger, relying on the unique destructive attribute of the Purple Brilliance Heaven-Destroying Dragon, you can delay the spread of the poison.
Although I don’t want to put so much pressure on you, given Uncle Wang’s current condition, the poison will invade his entire body in at most fifteen years.”
“If you want to help Uncle Wang, you must cultivate to at least the Soul Sage level within these fifteen years.
And you need to find a cure as soon as possible.”
At this, the helplessness in Yao Yang’s eyes deepened.
Fifteen years meant Xu Zihuang had to reach rank seventy by the time he was twenty-three.
He himself possessed innate full soul power, but he only reached Soul Sage at twenty-eight.
While Xu Zihuang had twin martial souls, his second martial soul, the Purple Brilliance Thunder Hell Dragon, combined both Ultimate Lightning and Destruction attributes.
Furthermore, twin martial souls naturally had much higher soul power quality than ordinary soul masters, which would eventually make cultivating extremely slow.
Wang Xiao sighed, glaring reproachfully at Yao Yang, who acted as if he didn’t notice, deliberately avoiding his gaze.
“Elder Wang, Brother Yang.”
“Hmm?”
“I will definitely reach the Soul Sage level before I turn twenty-three.
And I will find a way to cure Elder Wang’s poison.” Xu Zihuang’s gaze was firm as he looked toward the boundless sea in the east.
That was the direction of the Douluo Continent.
Having awakened his past life’s memories, he had absolute confidence in this.
The Skydream Iceworm, Electrolux, the hundred-thousand-year immortal herbs at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and the Myriad Year Black Ice Marrow in the Earth Dragon Sect—the other sect in his mother’s hometown of Dragon City.
He wasn’t sure if he could secure all these fortuitous encounters, but he would try his absolute best.
Seeing Xu Zihuang radiating confidence, Yao Yang smiled with gratification.
Wang Xiao was equally moved.
Meeting this father and son was probably the luckiest thing that had happened in his life.
But their current thoughts were identical: no matter the cost, they would protect Xu Zihuang until he matured.
The three sat back down, tacitly avoiding the heavy topic, and went back to the food on the crate.
The conditions on the warship were simple, and although seasonings were lacking, the ingredients were fresh.
After another bowl of fresh fish soup, Xu Zihuang felt a warm current flow through his entire body.
“Elder Wang, Brother Yang, I’ll go back to my room to cultivate.”
Having regained his freedom, he naturally wanted to cultivate without delay.
According to his estimates, even though he hadn’t acquired a soul ring, after more than two years of cultivation, he should have reached rank twenty.
After all, he had innate full soul power.
Ultimate martial soul masters don’t experience a slowdown in cultivation speed before rank thirty.
He already had some ideas regarding the first two soul rings for his Golden Eyes martial soul.
First, he would definitely develop as a control-type soul master.
Based on that, he would have plenty of leeway in choosing which soul skills to acquire.
…
For an entire day, Xu Zihuang completely immersed himself in cultivation.
Just as he finished, a knock came at the door.
He expected it to be an Imperial Dragon soldier bringing dinner, but to his surprise, it was Commander Wang Xiao.
Furthermore, the moment Wang Xiao stepped into the room, the sound of crashing waves, howling wind, and the chaotic footsteps of the crew on deck abruptly vanished from his ears.
“Elder Wang?”
“Young Master, I originally intended to wait until we reached the Yuenan Archipelago to give this to you.” Wang Xiao solemnly took out a close-fitting bright silver metal box from his coat.
Inside lay a deep purple ring carved with magnificent dragon patterns.
The ring’s material looked like semi-transparent amethyst.
Inlaid on it was an absolutely flawless star sapphire.
Star sapphires are essential for crafting top-tier spatial storage soul tools.
Even this piece, only the size of a thumbnail, was worth at least five hundred thousand gold soul coins.
“Inside is a soul bone left behind by the Prince.
You can try to absorb it.
If you cannot absorb it, save it for your descendants and pass it down through the generations.”
Xu Zihuang blankly accepted the storage ring.
“Were these father’s instructions?”
“Yes.”
Wang Xiao nodded.
“Young Master, you can try to absorb it in peace.
Your subordinate will not let any outside circumstances disturb you.”
With that, he exited the room, stood leaning against the wooden door, his gaze profound.
Prince…
when you handed this ring to me back then, you likely already anticipated your end, didn’t you?
Inside the room, Xu Zihuang silently slipped the ring onto his left index finger.
He was genuinely interested in the soul bone his father left behind, especially given the profound instructions attached to it.
There is only one reason a soul bone cannot be absorbed by a soul master: the quality of the soul bone is exceedingly high, placing extremely harsh demands on the soul master’s martial soul attributes and physical fitness.
The ring shrank the moment it touched his finger, fitting perfectly.
When it came to soul tool crafting, saying the Sun Moon Empire’s technology was thousands of years ahead of the native Douluo empires was no exaggeration.
Sinking his consciousness into the soul tool, he found the internal space was almost the size of a small room.
But just as Wang Xiao said, it only held a single soul bone.
With a flash of blue light, a bizarre bone radiating a heart-palpitating aura floated in the air above his left hand.
Its incredibly surging aura seemed to solidify the surrounding space.
The entire soul bone was crystal clear, deep purple, and wreathed in deep purple light-flames carrying terrifying destructive energy.
More surprisingly, this wasn’t one of the conventional six human soul bones, but a strange left hand bone.
Five finger bones of varying lengths connected to the metacarpals, glowing with a purple luster.
The sharpness of the fingertips felt as if they could pierce through anything.
“Is this an external soul bone?” Xu Zihuang frowned.
“Aren’t external soul bones unable to be stripped once absorbed?”
This meant the soul bone had never been fused by anyone.
Yet, this soul bone clearly shared the same origin as the Sun Moon royal family’s Purple Brilliance Heaven-Destroying Dragon martial soul.
It seems the royal family has many secrets I’m unaware of.
Focusing his mind, Xu Zihuang extended his left hand, using his soul power to guide the soul bone and attempt fusion.
Identical deep purple flames danced on his left hand.
The moment the two touched, they merged, and the color of the flames deepened even further.
Immersed in the process, Xu Zihuang was shocked to find his surroundings undergo an earth-shattering change.
He stood in the void, and an extremely oppressive voice echoed through the heavens.
“I was born alongside you, achieving glorious military exploits for my dragon clan!
What crime did I commit that you must personally execute me?!
You merely fear my potential!
For this, you dare call yourself the Dragon God?!”
“Hahaha!
Under your leadership, my dragon clan will undoubtedly plunge into eternal damnation!”
Xu Zihuang felt his own emotions infected, overwhelmed by boundless anger and venomous resentment.
Then, the scene shifted.
A sky full of dragon blood rained down.
A massive purple-scaled dragon corpse, over a thousand feet long, plummeted toward a vast continent below.
“Hah—hah—” In his room, Xu Zihuang snapped his eyes open, panting heavily.
Looking at his left hand, now brimming with power, he muttered softly, “Was that purple dragon corpse the origin of our Sun Moon royal family’s Purple Brilliance Heaven-Destroying Dragon?
The ancestor of the sub-dragons, the Brilliance Dragon.
The Brilliance Dragon Claw…”
He glanced out the window at the dark sea.
The brief shift in scenes had actually taken a full day in the real world.