The Glory of the Sun and Moon in the Peerless Tang Sect

The upscale hotel Xu Zihuang stayed at was called Haiyue Grand Hotel. As always, he stayed in the most luxurious room on the top floor, which cost one hundred gold soul coins per night.

Standing on the spacious balcony, you can enjoy an unobstructed view of the azure sea. The sea breeze blows in your face, fluttering the gold-threaded curtains along the edge of the balcony.

After pausing on the balcony for a moment, Xu Zihuang went to the spacious, private bathroom to freshen up.

Unbeknownst to him, the moment he left, a woman in a long orange-red dress appeared on the balcony of the next room. The dress accentuated her fair, delicate skin, and she leaned gently against the railing, gazing at the distant sea.

Another sea breeze blew in, causing the woman's long, smooth black hair to sway in the wind, and her exquisite straw hat fell to the floor, revealing her stunningly beautiful face.

If Xu Zihuang hadn't left, he would definitely have recognized the woman on the neighboring balcony as Ju Zi, whom he hadn't seen for two years.

Compared to two years ago, Ju Zi now exudes a more composed and mature aura. A captivating glint of wisdom occasionally flashes in her beautiful eyes.

Instead of bending down to pick up the straw hat, she took out a letter from her storage ring.

This letter was sent by Keke a month ago. However, she had been fighting sea spirit beasts in the southern sea area of ​​the Sun Moon Empire for some time and only received it today, so she hasn't had a chance to read it yet.

Upon opening the envelope, Ju Zi couldn't help but smile. She could imagine Ke Ke's tone from between the lines, and her eyes softened.

But when she saw what came next, she couldn't help but feel distracted.

The note read: "Sister Orange, do you know what? That jerk secretly went back to Shrek Academy all by himself a while ago, and it really made me so angry! He didn't even say goodbye before leaving, and we took such good care of him! Even if there was a reason, couldn't he at least write a letter? What kind of person is he?!"

"Tianhuang?" Ju Zi murmured softly, her eyes misty. In this world, only Ke Ke and Yu Tianhuang could touch the softest part of her heart.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. The knocking seemed to follow a peculiar pattern.

The tenderness in Orange's eyes vanished instantly, and she returned to her previous demeanor, stepping forward to open the door.

Nineteen figures walked in one after another, their steps steady and their auras deep.

Nine of them naturally stood behind Ju Zi, their expressions clearly showing their respect and admiration for her.

Among the ten people opposite the orange, the leader was a stern-faced, sharp-looking middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man and the orange exchanged a glance and said in a deep voice.

"We've gathered all the information. The South China Sea Chamber of Commerce's merchant ship will set sail for Moon Pivot Island in a day. This is the only large ship heading to Moon Pivot Island recently. Our information is accurate; the Demon Crocodile Pirate Gang has likely set its sights on this merchant ship."

"Thank you for your trouble, Captain Yan. Let's proceed according to the original plan." Orange nodded, pondered for a moment, and then took out a nautical chart and placed it on the table.

Everyone gathered around knowingly and began to discuss it in hushed tones.

In the bathroom next door, Xu Zihuang was lying in the bathtub. A purple-gold light flashed deep in his eyes, and an invisible spiritual force expanded outwards.

Every scene and object in the next room was clearly presented in his mind.

He thoughtfully touched his forehead, wiping the water droplets from his cheeks.

"Oranges? The Demon Crocodile Pirates?"

Chapter 314 Departure and Encounter

Warm steam filled the spacious bathroom. Xu Zihuang, who had been lost in thought with his eyes closed, slowly opened them after a long while. The deep purple-gold light in his eyes faded, replaced by tranquility.

While soaking in the bath, he used his mental power to observe the entire plan that Orange and the others had discussed from beginning to end.

Firstly, in the last five or six years, every now and then, a ship traveling from the southern waters of the Sun Moon Empire to the Moon South Islands has been lost at sea. The frequency isn't very high, and the intervals between them are irregular. On average, there are only one or two such incidents per year. To the average person, this would likely be an attack by a powerful sea spirit beast in the deep sea.

Driven by the enormous profits in trade, large merchant guilds are willing to take risks even when they know the dangers. However, to ensure safety, they often assign a considerable number of Soul Masters and Soul Instructors to their guilds.

In the next room, Orange and nineteen others were all elites from the South China Sea Soul Master Corps. Orange's South China Sea Soul Master Corps had recently discovered that the Demon Crocodile Pirate Gang was behind these incidents.

Their purpose in this trip was to use the South China Sea Chamber of Commerce's merchant ship as bait to lure the Crocodile Pirate Gang into a trap.

Although the South China Sea Chamber of Commerce and the South China Sea Soul Master Corps share the same name, they are actually completely unrelated.

In order to avoid revealing any clues, Orange did not disclose any information to the person in charge of the merchant ship of the South China Sea Chamber of Commerce during this operation.

On the day the merchant ship departs, the twenty elite members of the South China Sea Soul Master Corps, including her and Captain Yan, will disguise themselves as passengers and infiltrate the fleet. They will then use the Sun Moon Empire's newly developed positioning soul tool to report their exact location to the main force of the South China Sea Soul Master Corps. Once the Demon Crocodile Pirates take the bait, they will launch a coordinated attack from within and without to annihilate them.

Of course, the South China Sea Soul Master Corps took such a great risk to deal with the Demon Crocodile Pirate Gang for the sake of the interests on the Moon South Islands. A senior level nine Soul Master from the Sun Moon Empire recently visited the Moon South Islands and discovered a considerable number of rare metal veins in the waters near the islands. Some of these veins even contained extremely rare and valuable metals.

Mining rare metal veins on the seabed is indeed difficult, but with the Sun Moon Empire's advanced soul-guided technology, it is not impossible.

The level nine soul master told the ambitious crown prince Xu Tianran about this, and Xu Tianran immediately had an idea.

Destroying the Demon Crocodile Pirates was only the first step; his ultimate goal was to completely control the entire Moon South Islands. The Moon South Islands had essentially broken free from the control of the Sun Moon Empire in recent years, and his actions were a way of indirectly establishing his authority.

"Splash—" Xu Zihuang stood up in the bath, creating a series of splashes. Completely naked, his body lines were incredibly smooth, his muscles perfectly defined, and his smooth skin had a subtle, jade-like luster. He exuded a natural, vibrant energy that drew people in irresistibly.

His long, wet black hair clung to his back, with a few strands of purple hair standing out conspicuously. If it weren't for his defined muscles and tall stature, he might have been mistaken for a woman from a distance.

Her fair and flawless skin is enough to make any woman envious.

Xu Zihuang casually picked up a bath towel from the side to dry himself, and gave a cold snort with a deep gaze.

"Xu Tianran".

If high-quality rare metal veins truly exist in the waters near the Moon South Islands, he naturally cannot let Xu Tianran succeed. Compared to the Demon Crocodile Pirate Gang, he is even less willing to let Xu Tianran have his way.

The logic is simple: he could easily wipe out the Demon Crocodile Pirate Gang with Wang Xiao and the others. But if Xu Tianran were to extend his reach to the Moon South Islands, things would become uncontrollable.

Now is not the time to lay all the cards on the table.

However, he didn't plan to see Ju Zi right now. Given Ju Zi's special feelings for him, she would definitely advise him against boarding the merchant ship bound for Moon Pivot Island. And he was determined to go to Moon Pivot Island; with Ju Zi's intelligence, if he acted too insistently, he might inadvertently expose something.

He must be cautious and nip any potential problems in the bud.

The safest course of action is to wait until we board the ship the day after tomorrow, then deliberately pretend to bump into Orange.

After all, he can't completely trust Orange right now.

Xu Zihuang leaned back on the soft, comfortable sofa in the living room. He sensed that Ju Zi was once again lost in thought, gazing at the sea chart alone. After the nineteen members of the South China Sea Soul Master Corps left the Haiyue Hotel, he lightly pressed a metal button on the table in front of him.

Not long after, a clear doorbell rang from the other side of the door.

The top-floor deluxe rooms at the Haiyue Hotel are equipped with soundproofing devices. As long as the doors and windows are fully closed, no sound can escape from inside the room, and no sound can enter from outside. Guests can only hear the doorbell or knocking, thus fully protecting their privacy.

To show respect and politeness, waiters usually only ring the doorbell.

This is also why Orange and the others dared to discuss their battle plan in the room.

If Xu Zihuang's mental strength hadn't been strong enough, an ordinary Soul Master, even one with the cultivation level of Soul Saint or even Soul Douluo, would probably have had difficulty detecting even a fraction of it.

Xu Zihuang stood up and opened the door, which was made of rosewood and had metal partitions inside. Standing outside was a pretty young woman wearing the white, pleated, fluffy long dress that was the uniform of the female staff at the Mingyue Hotel.

The girl didn't have the typical dark tan skin common in Haiyue City; instead, she looked like someone from inland China.

Upon seeing Xu Zihuang's appearance, she was momentarily stunned, but quickly lowered her head respectfully, her face flushed. Even her voice seemed to become much softer.

"May I ask what your needs are, esteemed guest?"

Xu Zihuang calmly took out a gold card with a face value of one thousand gold soul coins from his storage soul tool and said indifferently, "Go to the South China Sea Chamber of Commerce and buy me a ticket to Moon Pivot Island. I need a room on the top deck. Preferably close to the deck with a good view. Money is not a problem."

"Yes."

The girl was quite perceptive; she obediently accepted the gold card, not daring to overstep her bounds, and bowed as she left the room.

The staff at Haiyue Hotel were quite efficient; they delivered a jade card with the words "South China Sea" engraved on it and the remaining 500 gold soul coins in less than half an hour.

This jade card is the so-called ship ticket. It needs to be verified by a special soul tool when boarding, and it cannot be faked.

The ticket costs 500 gold soul coins, and includes three meals a day for the entire two-week voyage. It's a bit pricey, but considering the powerful soul masters and soul instructors escorting us along the way, it's quite reasonable.

After handing these over to Xu Zihuang, the girl stopped bothering him. After that, she would simply bring him a lavish meal on a tray at mealtimes.

Xu Zihuang spent the entire day or so cultivating, except for meals.

The next morning, Xu Zihuang arrived at Sun and Moon Port early. As the largest port in the Sun and Moon Empire, Sun and Moon Port was much larger than Thousand Spirit Port, which he had visited before. Although it was still barely dawn, many workers unloading goods and passengers boarding ships had already gathered there. The bustling noise, mixed with the sound of waves crashing against the shore, was quite noisy.

Large cargo ships and passenger ships were moored in the central area of ​​Riyue Port. The merchant ship of the South China Sea Chamber of Commerce was particularly conspicuous.

The merchant ship was over 150 meters long and more than 60 meters wide. The tough iron hull was painted iron-gray, not for decoration, but with a special medicine made from some highly poisonous plants.

On the one hand, it prevents marine creatures such as shells and barnacles from attaching to the bottom of the ship; on the other hand, applying this special medicine can, to some extent, prevent attacks from sea monsters.

The deck's overall color scheme is a deep blue, similar to the color of the sea, designed to confuse the seabirds and spirit beasts.

However, seabird spirit beasts generally have excellent eyesight, and even so, encounters with them are common. Fortunately, there are few strong individuals among seabird spirit beast populations, so they pose less of a threat to ships than sea spirit beasts that live in the sea.

The iron steps extend from the dock all the way up to the wide deck of the merchant ship, at least tens of meters high.

Two white-clad deacons from the South China Sea Chamber of Commerce were standing on either side of the bottom of the steps checking tickets.

Because Xu Zihuang arrived early, he was the only passenger nearby preparing to board this huge merchant ship to Moon Pivot Island.

Without the two deacons needing to speak, he had already handed over the jade card.

One of the deacons took the card and stuck it on a soul tool that resembled a metal box. The two characters 'South China Sea' on the jade card immediately emitted a dazzling light.

The steward then handed the jade card back to Xu Zihuang, exchanged a glance with his companion, made a welcoming gesture together, and smiled warmly.

"Welcome aboard the Hailong. Have a pleasant journey."

Xu Zihuang calmly walked up the iron steps to the deck of the Hailong, instantly releasing his spiritual power.

Both of these white-robed deacons are Soul Masters, but their Soul Power cultivation is only around level 20.

There are quite a few stewards like this on the Sea Dragon. The white-robed stewards are the lowest rank, all possessing the cultivation level of a two-ring Great Soul Master. The yellow-robed and purple-robed stewards correspond to Soul Venerable and Soul Sect Master, respectively.

There was only one black-clad butler standing at the edge of the deck. Xu Zihuang saw him as soon as he stepped onto the deck.

The black-clad butler was of medium build and appeared to be around forty years old. He had a gentle smile on his face, which easily gave people a sense of trust.

According to Xu Zihuang's perception, this black-clad steward was a Soul Emperor-level expert, with a Soul Power cultivation level of approximately 67.

Upon hearing Xu Zihuang's steady footsteps, the black-clad butler instinctively turned around. It wasn't that he'd noticed Xu Zihuang's projected spiritual energy, but rather a genuine curiosity about the first passenger to board the ship.

Looking at Xu Zihuang, whose eyes were deep and whose aura was calm, he was taken aback at first, and then nodded slightly in a friendly manner.

Two more white-clad stewards approached from the deck and led Xu Zihuang toward the top deck room. The merchant ship had seven decks in total: two below deck and five above deck.

Upon seeing the jade card in Xu Zihuang's hand, the two stewards knew that Xu Zihuang had purchased a ticket for the top-floor cabin on the deck, and their attitude became even more enthusiastic.

Five hundred gold soul coins is no small sum for ordinary people and low-level soul masters. Xu Zihuang looks so young, and his appearance and temperament are so outstanding; he must come from an extraordinary background. It's always good to make a good connection.

As time went by, more and more people boarded the merchant ships.

At this moment, a woman wearing an orange-red dress and a straw hat came onto the deck. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced around and her heart skipped a beat.

It is an orange.

Including her, a total of twenty people successfully infiltrated the merchant ship under disguise. Although each of them possessed at least the abilities of a Level 5 Soul Master, this mission was still arduous and highly dangerous.

She also bought a ticket for a top-floor cabin on the deck.