Upon hearing Haixiao's words, a flicker of suspicion flashed in Wang Xiao's tiger eyes in his Martial Soul True Body form. Then, his pupils suddenly contracted as he growled in a voice colder than ice:
> "So it really was your people who sent those two Evil Douluo to assassinate the Prince all those years ago."
Ten years ago, Xu Zihuang's father had been traveling incognito throughout the territories of the former Three Great Empires of the Douluo Continent. Wang Xiao had been his sole escort. Just as they reached the northwestern border of the Heavenly Soul Empire, preparing to return to the Sun Moon Empire, they were ambushed by two Evil Soul Masters—both of them newly advanced Title Douluo.
At that time, Wang Xiao had already reached Rank 89 in soul power—just a step away from Title Douluo. Xu Zihuang's father was also a powerful Soul Douluo, his strength bolstered by a full set of high-quality soul bones granted by the late Emperor and his own formidable "Zihuang Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon" Martial Soul. In pure combat power, he even exceeded most ordinary Title Douluo.
Although Evil Soul Masters were notoriously bizarre and unpredictable, Wang Xiao and his charge could have escaped had they focused solely on fleeing. However, Xu Zihuang's mother had also been present.
Ultimately, the three had managed to survive and escape. Otherwise, Xu Zihuang wouldn't even be alive today.
But Wang Xiao had paid a steep price to protect them. His injuries were so severe that he required nearly a decade to recover. Worse still, he had been afflicted by one of the Evil Douluo's life-bound poisons, which relentlessly corroded his organs and bones, leaving him in constant agony and halting his soul power advancement completely.
After they returned to the Sun Moon Empire, Xu Zihuang's father deliberately concealed the incident. He used the excuse of appointing Wang Xiao to oversee his fiefdom to remove him from the capital, sending him south to recuperate.
Wang Xiao was certain the secret had never leaked. The only people who knew of his critical condition were Xu Zihuang's parents and a trusted healing-type Soul Master who would never betray them.
Yet Haixiao's reaction clearly showed he knew. The only possible source of that knowledge was the two Evil Douluo involved in the ambush.
The eight soul rings around Wang Xiao began to pulse violently. His previously activated domain of darkness once again spread outward from his body, thick with killing intent he could no longer suppress.
> "So three years ago—during that coup in the palace—you lot must have relied on Evil Soul Masters again. Colluding with monsters who slaughter innocents to seize the throne? Despicable!"
Haixiao's rigid expression twisted. His fists clenched, then loosened subconsciously.
Wang Xiao's accusation struck a nerve. The truth was that the coup three years ago had indeed involved Evil Soul Masters. Otherwise, how could the palace—defended by the elite Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Legion—have been breached so easily?
Haixiao knew all too well the atrocities Evil Soul Masters had committed against the Sun Moon Empire's citizens. He loathed them to the core. But even so, his loyalty to his liege came first.
With a sharp sweep of his right arm, his armor clanged loudly. It was as if he were shaking off the last remnants of hesitation.
A surge of bluish-purple lightning crackled around him, and a massive spectral creature appeared behind him—an eerie, manta-like fish with a wide, bat-shaped body, a dark barbed tail, and shimmering purple-blue skin.
This was Haixiao's Martial Soul: the Violet Thunder Devil Ray. Also known as a devilfish, the manta was one of the ocean's most aggressive soul beasts.
A single ten-thousand-year-old devil ray could terrify even the powerful schools of Demon Soul Great White Sharks and Devil Tiger Whales—despite their strong natural immunity to toxins—because of the deadly venom carried in the ray's tail.
Haixiao's Martial Soul was an exceptional variant, possessing both water and lightning attributes.
> "Matters of the royal family are beyond the meddling of a lowly soldier like me," Haixiao said coolly, lifting his eyes to meet Wang Xiao's. "As long as the royal family rules the Sun Moon Empire, I remain loyal. Prince Zhengxuan once showed me great kindness. I knew of the coup, yes—but I did not participate in it. You need not question me like this, Wang Xiao."
The doubt in his eyes faded, replaced by a tranquil firmness.
> "We each serve our masters. I don't know how you discovered where the Prince is imprisoned—but now that you've come here with the remnants of the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Legion, only one of us will leave alive."
Wang Xiao sneered.
> "You really care nothing for the thousands of citizens slaughtered by those Evil Soul Masters?" His sharp gaze seemed to pierce straight through Haixiao's heart.
Haixiao couldn't help but frown. The lightning crackling around him intensified, matching the turmoil in his heart.
Outwardly calm, he was far from it inside.
Wang Xiao's words had struck deep. Born a commoner, Haixiao had risen thanks to rare talent and a powerful Martial Soul. Because of his background, he understood the suffering of ordinary citizens better than most: the chaos caused by rogue sea soul beasts, the senseless slaughter by Evil Soul Masters, the devastating wars with the Heavenly Soul and Star Luo Empires. Though the continent seemed peaceful, it was anything but.
He had joined the military after graduating from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy for one reason—to protect his people.
And yet, the ruler he served had secretly colluded with the very Evil Soul Masters he despised. A quiet guilt had gnawed at him ever since—like the betrayal of a lifelong belief. Still, the deeply ingrained doctrine of loyalty kept him from rebelling.
He had volunteered to be stationed on this remote island, far from the political center of Mingdu, partly to escape that inner conflict.
Wang Xiao let out a contemptuous laugh, then suddenly unfurled his wings and released a thunderous tiger's roar that shook the heavens, surging toward Haixiao with overwhelming force.
Perhaps using such provoking words to unbalance Haixiao was a dirty tactic—but if it meant fewer sacrifices among his own men, Wang Xiao would gladly cast his pride aside. This was a life-and-death duel.
Haixiao snapped back to focus. Shaking off all hesitation, he surged forward, a torrent of soul power laced with blue-violet lightning crashing toward Wang Xiao.
He had eight soul rings as well—two yellow, three purple, and three black—but his configuration was clearly inferior to Wang Xiao's. His seventh ring, a deep, abyssal black, gleamed ever darker as he activated his seventh soul skill.
Encased in lightning, a ten-meter-long spectral manta condensed midair over the island. Its back was blue-purple, its belly white, and its mouth and gills formed a strange, human-like face.
Faced with such a powerful opponent, Haixiao knew better than to hold back.
While the Sun Moon Empire prioritized soul tools, the strongest Soul Masters relied most on their own Martial Souls. After all, whether a Soul Master or a Soul Engineer, one's Martial Soul was their foundation.
Though Martial Soul True Bodies appeared visually overwhelming, for experts like Wang Xiao and Haixiao, they could be sustained for over half an hour even without additional techniques. The true fight would be decided by what came after—by the soul skills and high-powered soul tools layered atop that foundation.
Their unspoken agreement to battle high above the island was deliberate—both to prevent collateral damage among their forces, and to avoid endangering Xu Zihuang, who was still imprisoned within the castle.
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(End of Chapter)
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