Hearing Hai Xiao's words, the tiger eyes of Wang Xiao's Martial Soul True Body flashed with a trace of doubt. His pupils suddenly contracted as his icy voice rang out:
"So it really was you who sent those two Evil Title Douluos to assassinate the prince back then."
Ten years ago, Xu Zihuang's father had concealed his identity to travel through the Three Major Empires of the Douluo Continent. Wang Xiao had accompanied him as his sole bodyguard.
When they reached the northwest border of the Heavenly Soul Empire and were preparing to return to the Sun Moon Empire, they were ambushed by two Titled Douluo-level Evil Soul Masters.
At the time, Wang Xiao's soul power had already reached rank 89, just one step away from becoming a Titled Douluo. Xu Zihuang's father was also a Soul Douluo, whose combat power rivaled ordinary Titled Douluos, thanks to his complete set of high-quality soul bones bestowed by the late emperor and his Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon martial soul.
While Evil Soul Masters were powerful and unpredictable, the duo's combined strength made it unlikely for two newly-advanced Titled Douluo to kill them if they chose to flee. However, they weren't alone—Xu Zihuang's mother was with them.
Ultimately, they escaped the two Evil Soul Masters, or there would be no Xu Zihuang today.
But Wang Xiao had paid a heavy price to protect the prince and his family. It had taken him nearly a decade to recover. Worse yet, he had been poisoned by one of the Evil Soul Masters. The deadly venom continually corroded his internal organs and bones, subjecting him to excruciating pain while halting his soul power progress entirely.
After returning to the Sun Moon Empire, Xu Zihuang's father concealed the incident for reasons unknown. He sent Wang Xiao to the southern provinces under the pretext of managing his fiefdom, allowing him to recuperate far from Mingdu City.
Wang Xiao was certain no word of the attack had leaked. When he returned to Mingdu City, only three people knew of his injuries: Xu Zihuang's parents and a trusted healing-type soul master.
Now, judging by Hai Xiao's reaction, it was clear he had knowledge of the events. The only possible source of information was the two Evil Soul Masters.
The eight soul rings surrounding Wang Xiao pulsed violently as his dark-attribute domain spread outward again. A murderous glint flickered in his eyes, impossible to suppress.
"It seems that three years ago, during the coup in the royal palace, you also relied on the power of those Evil Soul Masters. Collaborating with such vile beings who forsook their humanity to seize the throne?!"
Hai Xiao's stiff face twitched slightly, his fists clenching and unclenching reflexively.
Wang Xiao's accusation was spot on. The coup three years ago had indeed involved Evil Soul Masters. Without them, breaching the heavily guarded royal palace, protected by the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Legion, would have been nearly impossible.
Hai Xiao himself despised Evil Soul Masters, who had slaughtered countless citizens of the Sun Moon Empire. And held a deep hatred for them. Yet, his loyalty lay with his Lord above all else.
With a forceful swing of his right arm, his armor clanged sharply, as if he were shaking off the remnants of hesitation in his heart.
Blue-purple lightning crackled around him, and a massive phantom of an electric ray appeared behind him.
The phantom, a Purple Thunder Devil Ray, glowed with a mix of blue and purple hues. Its wide body resembled a bat, with a black, spiked tail emitting blue-purple lightning from its tip.
The Purple Thunder Devil Ray was Hai Xiao's martial soul, a mutation of the fierce and toxic Devil Ray that roamed the seas. Even the ferocious Demon Soul Great White Sharks and Evil Spirit Orcas avoided mature Devil Rays, whose venomous tails posed a mortal threat.
Hai Xiao's martial soul, imbued with both water and lightning attributes, was an especially rare and powerful mutation.
"Royal affairs are beyond the concern of someone like me. For me, as long as the Sun Moon Empire remains under imperial rule, that is enough. I owe Prince Zhengxuan a great debt of gratitude. While I knew some events during the coup, I did not participate. There is no need for you to question me, Wang Xiao."
The hesitation in Hai Xiao's eyes faded as he lifted his gaze to Wang Xiao, his tone calm.
"We both serve different Lords. Although I don't know how you learned of the prince's location, now that you and the remnants of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion have come here, only one of us will leave alive."
"And the countless citizens of the Sun Moon Empire slaughtered by those Evil Soul Masters? Do they mean nothing to you?" Wang Xiao sneered, his piercing gaze seeming to see through Hai Xiao's conflicted thoughts.
Hai Xiao's brows furrowed deeply. The crackling blue-purple lightning around him intensified, mirroring the turmoil in his heart.
Outwardly he appeared to be calm, but Hai Xiao was far from that.
Wang Xiao's words struck a nerve. As a rare, naturally gifted soul master born into a commoner family, Hai Xiao understood the plight of the Sun Moon Empire's ordinary citizens. Between marauding sea soul beasts, the atrocities of Evil Soul Masters, and the wars with the Heavenly Soul and Star Luo Empires that displaced countless lives, the continent's surface peace was a fragile facade.
Hai Xiao had joined the military after graduating from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy to protect his people. But his loyalty to his lord, who had colluded with Evil Soul Masters, filled him with guilt. It was as if his long-held beliefs had crumbled in an instant. But the long-term indoctrination to be loyal to the empire ruler made it difficult for him to rebel.
His decision to leave Mingdu City and station himself on this remote island was, in part, an escape from his own conscience.
Wang Xiao chuckled coldly, spreading his black wings as he let out a thunderous tiger roar. His overwhelming presence surged as he charged toward Hai Xiao with unmatched ferocity.
Perhaps taunting Hai Xiao to create self-doubt was a low tactic, but Wang Xiao didn't care. If it reduced casualties among his subordinates, he was willing to forgo his pride. After all, this was a life-or-death struggle.
Hai Xiao snapped out of his thoughts, his turbulent emotions cast aside. With his immense soul power, mingled with ferocious blue-purple lightning, he met Wang Xiao head-on.
Two yellow, three purple, and three black soul rings surrounded Hai Xiao—a slightly inferior configuration compared to Wang Xiao's.
The seventh black soul ring pulsed ominously, and under the dense blue-purple lightning, a ten-meter-long Purple Thunder Devil Ray materialized in midair. Its back shimmered with blue and purple hues, its underside snowy white, and its mouth and gills formed a grotesque human-like face.
Facing such a formidable opponent as Wang Xiao, Hai Xiao held nothing back.
While the Sun Moon Empire emphasized soul tools, high-level soul masters still relied heavily on their martial souls in battle. After all, both soul masters and soul engineers built their power upon their martial souls.
Though Martial Soul True Body appeared to be the ultimate form, for soul masters like Wang Xiao and Hai Xiao, maintaining this state for over half an hour without using other soul skills or powerful soul tools was entirely feasible. The true deciding factor would come with the application of soul skills and devastating soul tools amplified by their Martial Soul True Bodies.
Both men instinctively took their battle to the skies above the island, avoiding harm to their subordinates or to Xu Zihuang, who remained in the castle.