What the soldiers of the Western Sea Soul Engineer Regiment engaged in battle hadn't anticipated was that over twenty other figures were stealthily approaching the central castle from the southern part of the inner wall.
They were none other than the second squad led by Yao Yang, composed of more than twenty soldiers from the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment.
Although these soldiers only had soul power levels in the fifties, they were able to approach the castle undetected with ease. The surrounding stone houses and the cover of darkness helped conceal them, along with Yao Yang's fifth soul skill, which allowed him to hide his presence.
This was precisely the strange and elusive nature of spirit-type soul masters. Without specialized soul tools for detecting spiritual power, even a powerhouse at the Soul Douluo level would find it difficult to notice anything unusual.
Yao Yang observed the battle between Wang Xiao and Hai Xiao in the air, then turned to glance at Qiu Ying, who was currently being stalled by four or five Soul Emperors from the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment.
Everything was proceeding just as planned.
"Judging by the current clash, the Western Sea Soul Engineer Regiment has committed the majority of their elite forces. There shouldn't be many guards left inside the castle. Once we breach the castle, follow the operation plan we outlined earlier—eliminate the remaining forces in the shortest time possible. After rescuing Xu Zihuang, we'll use this high vantage point to deploy the fixed-mounted soul cannon and conduct a full firepower sweep to annihilate the Western Sea Soul Engineer Regiment."
Xu Zihuang's identity was far too sensitive. There was absolutely no way they could allow any information from this place to leak—no matter the cost.
"Yes, sir!" everyone responded in unison.
Although Yao Yang wasn't officially a member of the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment, his formidable strength had already earned the others' respect. Besides, this operation had been ordered by Wang Xiao himself.
Over a dozen soldiers guarding the front of the castle were on high alert, watching the battle unfolding near the eastern harbor, fully prepared to move in at a moment's notice.
The squad leader swallowed hard as he watched the heavy casualties his side had already taken.
He couldn't imagine how a mere two dozen Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment soldiers could possess such terrifying combat strength. If the entire regiment had arrived in full force, it truly would have been a catastrophe for them.
Just as his thoughts were spinning, a sudden chill ran down his spine. His body tensed, and he abruptly turned his gaze toward the southeast corner of the castle.
"Enem—!"
Before he could even finish the warning, his eyes lost focus, and his knees gave out beneath him as he collapsed to the ground.
Over twenty figures gradually revealed themselves near the flower beds by the castle's main entrance. At their lead, Yao Yang frowned slightly as the third purple soul ring around him glowed with a deep, intense light.
He was clearly puzzled—how had this squad leader, whose soul power was barely in the fifties and who couldn't even release his spiritual perception, been able to detect their presence?
What he didn't know was that the squad leader's martial soul was sensitive to changes in temperature, and his reaction had been triggered by that. No matter how strong one's spiritual power was, it couldn't completely mask a person's body heat.
The thought passed briefly through Yao Yang's mind, but he didn't dwell on it.
With a slight nod to the others behind him, he took the lead and charged into the castle's first-floor main hall.
The spacious hall, bathed in soul tool light, was richly decorated with golden splendor—but no one had the luxury to admire it.
They quickly scanned the hall, confirmed their direction, and made their way up the stairs.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed continuously, and the entire castle was thrown into chaos.
The infiltration had already been discovered; there was no longer any point in remaining hidden. Their top priority now was to rescue Xu Zihuang as quickly as possible.
Before they could reach the second floor, the sound of approaching footsteps and the clinking of armor grew louder from up ahead.
"You take them to the other floors. Leave this to us," said a white-haired elder, trailing just half a step behind Yao Yang. A sharp glint flashed in his cloudy eyes as he led five people past the group.
Two yellow, two purple, one black—five soul rings lit up beneath his feet, and his entire body radiated a vibrant green soul power.
As he spoke, his fifth black soul ring flashed, and countless emerald sword bamboos burst from the stairwell floor, piercing through the granite ceiling above. The surrounding walls cracked and split under the pressure.
Several Western Sea Soul Engineer Regiment soldiers who had just arrived were instantly impaled, blood and viscera spraying in all directions.
"Enemy attack!" The seven or eight surviving soldiers widened their eyes in shock and hurriedly activated their martial souls and soul tools.
Yao Yang gave a silent nod and led the rest of the team past the elder, continuing up the stairs to the third floor.
Similar battles unfolded on the third and fourth floors, but the defending forces inside the castle were simply not strong enough to stop them. As they wiped out the enemy, they also conducted a floor-by-floor search for Xu Zihuang.
"Elder Yu, all Western Sea Soul Engineer Regiment soldiers on the second floor have been eliminated," reported a young man in dark purple armor as he respectfully approached the white-haired elder, now breathing heavily.
This "Elder Yu" was the same man who had held off most of the second-floor enemies earlier.
"Hmph, I really am getting old. If I were younger, taking out these little runts wouldn't have left me this winded," Elder Yu muttered, his old face flushing slightly. He subtly clutched a wound on his abdomen and glanced behind him with the corner of his eye.
"Almost embarrassed myself… I've worked hard to build up this dignified image—I can't let it crumble now."
Seeing the young man still standing behind him, he barked, "Why are you still here? Get moving and find the young master!"
With that, he too began carefully searching the corridor.
Click—the door at the end of the second-floor hallway suddenly opened, instantly putting everyone on edge. They quickly gathered behind Elder Yu, raising their soul tools and aiming at the doorway.
But what appeared was not enemy soldiers.
Instead, ten beautiful young women stepped out of the room. Their elegant appearance stood in stark contrast to the battlefield tension. Instinctively, the girls clung more tightly to one another, frightened by the deadly aura radiating from the intruders.
Only the golden-haired girl at the front seemed calm. Her cool expression lit up slightly with excitement when she recognized the deep purple dragon-patterned armor.
"It really is the Royal Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment."
"Ziyue…" A curvy blue-haired girl tugged nervously at Yin Ziyue's arm. Although they were all noble-born, they had lived pampered lives and were now clearly intimidated by the soul cannons pointed their way.
Yin Ziyue offered her a flawless, reassuring smile and gently stroked her arm. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."
But deep in her eyes, a trace of cold intent flickered.
She then turned to Elder Yu and spoke with quiet poise, "We have no affiliation with the Western Sea Soul Engineer Regiment. We were only chosen today by His Highness the Prince. Might we request an audience with him?"
Everyone looked to Elder Yu for a decision.
He hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and smiling politely. "I will convey your request. But for now, please return to your room and rest."
Though his tone was kind, it brooked no argument.
"As it should be," Yin Ziyue replied, her eyes lingering meaningfully on Elder Yu before leading the others back inside.
Someone couldn't help whispering to Elder Yu, "But didn't the regimental commander say not to leave a single living witness?"
"We follow the young master's orders. Do I really need to teach you that?" Elder Yu responded coolly, glancing toward the ten girls now seated on the couch. There was a subtle edge to his gaze.
"You two, stay h
ere and keep watch. The rest, come with me. We continue the search for the young master."
(End of Chapter)
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