Xu Zihuang silently intertwined his long, pale fingers, resting his chin upon them as he observed Yao Yang and Wang Xiao with an indifferent expression.
During their previous interactions, he had never concealed his ambitions, and it was unsurprising that the two had discerned his intentions.
This, however, was precisely what he had intended.
Taking the throne of the Sun Moon Empire was not something that could be achieved overnight.
And everything would begin here, in the Southern Moon Islands.
As Xu Zihuang studied Yao Yang and Wang Xiao, the two of them, in turn, were observing him.
Their gazes intersected in midair. No words were spoken; everything was understood without the need for explanation.
'Back then, Uncle Zhengxuan, you helped me to inherit my family's hereditary title, which has been passed down for a thousand years. In return, I will help Zihuang reclaim everything that rightfully belongs to him.' Receiving an affirmative response, Yao Yang broke into a genuine smile, his hands subconsciously clenching with determination.
On the other side, Wang Xiao appeared much calmer, though his inner turmoil was no less intense than Yao Yang's.
"Alas, the Young Lord has ultimately chosen this path..."
If Xu Zihuang hadn't possessed twin martial souls, even with innate full soul power, Wang Xiao wouldn't have allowed him to tread such a grueling road. Having long served at Xu Zihuang's father's side, he was acutely aware of the Sun Moon Empire's terrifying strength. One wrong move, and it would be an abyss of no return.
As far as he knew, in the Sun Moon Empire's thousands of years of history, twin martial souls had only appeared twice. One of them was Xu Zihuang; the other was the current Hall Master of the Empire's Worship Hall, who had secluded himself years ago, striving to break through the bottleneck from a Class 9 Soul Engineer to a Class 10 Soul Engineer.
Once Xu Zihuang grew strong enough, his potential achievements would be no less than that of the Worship Hall's Hall Master. With such power, he could overturn the rules of the mundane world.
The number of bidders in the auction center steadily increased, yet there was still an hour before the auction officially began. The bidders had arrived early because the items in this auction were more precious than ever before.
Yao Yang personally poured cups of fruit tea, a specialty of the Southern Moon Islands, for Xu Zihuang and Wang Xiao. As if recalling something, he suddenly said to Xu Zihuang, "Oh, Zihuang, I have something to tell you. I forged an identity for you as a distant cousin of my clan. Back in the day, my family was large and prosperous, so such a backstory won't draw attention. Once the situation stabilizes, it'll make life on Moon Hub Island easier for you."
He had explained the same to Zhu Yao earlier. Given Xu Zihuang's unique status, even though Zhu Yao was someone he had known since childhood and deeply trusted, it was always better for fewer people to know.
"Brother Yang, you can handle it as you see fit," Xu Zihuang replied, sipping the aromatic fruit tea from the crystal cup as he examined a scroll on the table.
The scroll detailed the items up for auction. There were ten in total. Among them were a thousand-year-old Evil Spirit Orca and a ten-thousand-year-old Whale Rubber, which, despite their initial prices exceeding 300,000 gold soul coins, were only the eighth and ninth items, respectively.
The final auction item was a soul bone, and it was a skull soul bone of the highest rarity, just slightly inferior to the torso bone.
"A 9,000-year-old Demon Soul Great White Shark head bone? A Demon Soul Great White Shark?" Xu Zihuang murmured in astonishment, looking up at Yao Yang in surprise.
"So, the seventh item, the thousand-year-old deep-sea whale oil, was also derived from this Demon Soul Great White Shark's head? Could someone have hunted a 9,000-year-old Demon Soul Great White Shark?"
"Exactly," Yao Yang confirmed with a serious nod, sighing. "Sometimes, one has to admit that luck is a real thing. Unfortunately, when strength doesn't match luck, it only invites disaster."
"The one who hunted this 9,000-year-old Demon Soul Great White Shark was a soul master from the Star Luo Empire. But when they discovered the soul bone, the Crocodile Pirate Crew set their sights on them. A few days ago, the soul master fled to Moon Hub City and had no choice but to auction off the soul bone for safety. The Crocodile Pirate Crew is the strongest pirate crew in the Southern Moon Islands. Its leader, Eyu Luo, has a soul power level of at least Rank 78. Out of the seven islands in the Southern Moon Islands, two are under his control. To secure the soul bone for his talented grandson, Eyu Luo himself is likely to attend today's auction."
At this point, Yao Yang's warm and gentle smile vanished, replaced by an icy coldness in his eyes.
"After my family was attacked by Evil Soul Masters, its influence over the Southern Moon Islands greatly diminished. It was this old bastard who was the first to take advantage of the situation, seizing Moon Sun and Moon Wharf Islands. Many members of my clan's branch families were killed by him."
Xu Zihuang sighed deeply. The misfortune Yao Yang had experienced in his youth was remarkably similar to his own.
However, Yao Yang quickly suppressed his emotions and continued introducing the major powers of the Southern Moon Islands to Xu Zihuang.
First, there was he, who controlled Moon Hub Island with a garrison of 500 soldiers. Each of these soldiers had a soul power level of at least Rank 20, and their combat strength was formidable, especially when equipped with various soul tools.
Next were the five major pirate crews led by E Luo.
The Crocodile Pirate Crew, the Silverfin Pirate Crew, the Purple Serpent Pirate Crew, the Porcupine Pirate Crew, and the Whale Shark Pirate Crew.
Although the number of soul masters under these pirate crews didn't surpass those of Moon Hub's garrison, each crew leader was at least a Soul Saint level. Besides the Crocodile Pirate Crew, the other four controlled one island each among the seven Southern Moon Islands.
Even in Yao Yang's father's generation, their control over the Southern Moon Islands was limited. The islands were far from the Sun Moon Empire's mainland, and the surrounding seas were perilous. The wars between the Sun Moon Empire and the Douluo Continent's three major empires often led to refugees fleeing here, resulting in chaos. Countless smaller pirate crews operated in the region. Ironically, after the major pirate crews established dominance, the region became relatively stable.
As the two conversed, an hour passed swiftly.
The lights in the auction center dimmed, and under the glow of several soul-powered crystal lamps on the stage, Zhu Yao, dressed in a flowing purple gown, gracefully ascended the platform. With a sound amplification soul tool in hand, she cast a quick glance at the top-tier VIP suite where Xu Zihuang and the others were seated before flashing a charming smile and beginning to host the auction.
With about ten minutes left until the auction's official start, several figures appeared in the other five VIP suites.
Yao Yang stood by the amethyst floor-to-ceiling window, his expression grave as he said to Wang Xiao, "Aside from the Silverfin Pirate Crew, the leaders of the other four crews are all here. Uncle Wang, I'll have to trouble you to keep an eye on Eyu Luo this time to prevent any mishaps."
"His soul power seems to be approaching Rank 80," Wang Xiao said, frowning as he observed the burly, one-eyed, white-haired elder in the opposite VIP suite. He appeared to sense something unusual.
However, Wang Xiao wasn't overly concerned. With his soul power of Rank 89 and his top-tier martial soul, the Dark Tyrant Tiger, he could eliminate Eyu Luo with ease.
Yao Yang's brows furrowed slightly but then relaxed. The result was not entirely unexpected. Even so, he was confident he would surpass Eyu Luo's strength one day and use the man's head to honor his dead clan's memory.
Xu Zihuang, on the other hand, was focused on the youth beside Eyu Luo. The youth appeared to be about fourteen or fifteen, with skin of a wheatish tone and hair that was half white and half red, an unusual combination.
"An androgynous person?" Xu Zihuang muttered inwardly. Regardless of the longstanding hatred between their families and Yao Yang, the boy's arrogant and distasteful gaze was enough to irritate him.
The leader of the Whale Shark Pirate Crew was a stoic, muscular middle-aged man with intricate blue tattoos adorning his bare upper body. The leader of the Purple Serpent Pirate Crew was an alluring woman with violet hair, whose every move exuded a seductive charm. In contrast, the Porcupine Pirate Crew's leader was a frail-looking man, barely 1.6 meters tall, with sparse, messy red hair and a wrinkled face.
As for the Silverfin Pirate Crew, its representatives were the two blue-haired girls they had encountered earlier. The elder was named Shui Jixi and the younger Shui Qianqian, and they were the sister and only daughter of the Silverfin Pirate Crew's leader, respectively.