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Chapter 25 - Chapter 25: The Orange

In an unknown forest in the southern region of the Sun-Moon Empire.

Thanks to ample sunlight and rainfall, the trees were exceptionally lush and flourishing. Ancient trees, some towering a hundred meters and over a thousand years old, were scattered everywhere.

Crackling, crackling — the dry wood in the campfire snapped crisply, dispelling the morning mist in the forest.

Xu Zihuang, sitting cross-legged before the fire with eyes closed in meditation, slowly opened his eyes. A fleeting golden radiance shimmered, and his entire aura grew noticeably more refined and harmonious.

"Finally broke through to level 23."

Nearly ten days had passed since their landing at the coastal city in the southwest of the Sun-Moon Empire.

Along the way, the group had taken care to travel through remote and desolate areas using flying soul devices, avoiding any major mishaps.

They flew intensively during the day, then cultivated at night. As a result, Xu Zihuang's soul power — already at the peak of level 22 — naturally advanced to level 23.

"Young master." Seeing Xu Zihuang finish his cultivation, Rong Jin quickly handed him a bowl of thick, rich meat soup. Around the campfire, the elite soldiers of the Imperial Dragon Soul Instructor Corps, on guard, swiftly gathered to gulp down simple dry rations alongside the soup.

Wang Xiao, holding a similar bowl, came over and sat beside Xu Zihuang, reminding him, "Young master, at our current pace, we should reach the border between the Sun-Moon Empire and the Starfall Empire by dusk today. From there, we'll pass through the outskirts of the Mingdou Great Forest and enter the southern shore of the Xingluo Empire."

Xu Zihuang nodded calmly. This was the route they had agreed on earlier.

The Mingdou Great Forest lies where the southeast of the Sun-Moon Empire meets the southwest of the Xingluo Empire. Though the quality of soul beasts in Mingdou is inferior to the more formidable Starfall Great Forest, the rare metal veins there cause a proliferation of mutated soul beasts. These beasts are fiercely aggressive and often attack humans on sight.

Because of this, the Mingdou Great Forest serves as a natural barrier between the Sun-Moon Empire and the Xingluo Empire.

However, the more than twenty people following Xu Zihuang were the elite of the Imperial Dragon Soul Instructor Corps, most with soul power above level 60. Among them were Wang Xiao, a top-level soul soldier with a soul power of 89, and Linlong, a newly ascended soul saint at level 70. Not a single soul beast in the Mingdou Great Forest could pose a threat to them.

The group had long grown accustomed to military life. Breakfast was quickly taken care of. Not wanting to stand out, Xu Zihuang drained the meat soup in one gulp, then took out a slender deep-purple flying soul device.

It was specially prepared for him by Wang Xiao, embedded with special gems and core arrays to store and replenish soul power — usable even at Xu Zihuang's great soul master level.

Soon, brilliant flames shot straight into the sky, yet in this remote ancient forest, no one noticed.

At the edge of a cliff on the border between the Sun-Moon Empire and the Xingluo Empire.

Caw caw —

The setting sun was blood-red, and harsh cries pierced the sky as a flock of plump red-eyed crows swooped down, pecking at the rotting corpses below.

Looking down from the cliff, one could see a ravaged small town at the foot of the mountain. Smoldering wood chips emitted thick black smoke.

An eleven- or twelve-year-old girl, her eyes bloodshot, was shooing away a crow attracted by the scent. Perhaps exhausted, she finally used her delicate body to shield a small mound of earth, quietly sobbing.

"Dad was forcibly conscripted to the front line and never returned from the war against the Xingluo Empire. Mom, how could you abandon Orange and let her become an orphan with no home…"

The crow perched on a branch cocked its head from side to side. Following instinct, it hesitated briefly but then spread its dense black wings and joined its flock to feast on the sudden banquet.

Orange stood up again. Her white dress was stained with muddy yellow dirt. Her lively eyes were bloodshot, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her long black hair was messy, and her exposed pale legs bore scratches from thorns, making her look pitiful.

Biting her lip tightly, Orange sobbed for a long time, the sorrow in her eyes gradually drowned by an almost overflowing hatred.

"War—war destroyed my home! Duke Baihu, Dai Hao, I will make you pay blood for blood and sever the legacy of your Baihu Duke line!"

As Orange sank into her emotions, suddenly more than a dozen figures appeared from the dense forest nearby. They wore black armor, each bearing a majestic white tiger head emblem on their left chest.

The middle-aged squad leader stepped forward, lightly touching the bloodstains on the leaves at his feet as he scrutinized Orange.

"This blood belongs to one person only. It's not from a defeated remnant force of the Sun-Moon Empire."

His words caused his subordinates to curse quietly in their hearts. If they had just wiped out a remnant force, it would have been a major achievement.

Among them, a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old youth's expression did not change. His gaze was filled with resentment as he stared at Orange's back.

"Squad leader, can I take care of this one?"

The middle-aged squad leader frowned but, recalling the youth's circumstances, said nothing more.

A girl from the Sun-Moon Empire died here—who would even know? To him, managing his subordinates' feelings was more important than the lives of Sun-Moon people. Besides, this subordinate had great cultivation talent; there was no need to foster hatred in him.

Never underestimate the cruelty in human nature, but some still hold on to their last boundaries.

Just as the youth was about to stand, a burly man beside him reached out to stop him.

"Let it go, Leng Jun. The war between two countries shouldn't involve civilians."

"Shouldn't involve civilians?!" Leng Jun laughed bitterly. "Do you know my hometown was massacred by the Sun-Moon Empire's army? My parents and brothers were killed by those bastards! All the people of the Sun-Moon Empire deserve to die! Otherwise, why do you think I suddenly dropped out of the Xingluo Royal Academy to join Duke Baihu's Western Army? To kill all those bastards!"

With that, he broke free from the man's grasp and strode coldly toward Orange.

"Hmph." A sudden chuckle came from behind. Leng Jun turned angrily to see a thin, lecherous-looking old man.

This old man's cultivation was second only to the squad leader's in the group, and because he came from the Xingluo Royal Academy, he looked down on the rest of the squad, who were unlikely to progress further.

"What do you mean, Old Bei?" Leng Jun asked.

"Little Leng Jun, don't be angry. I'm quite good at tormenting those bastards from the Sun-Moon Empire. Hand this little girl to me; I'll make sure you get your revenge," Old Bei smiled darkly, his aged face showing a flattering slyness.

Leng Jun looked at Old Bei with contempt, warning coldly, "Cut out your filthy thoughts."

Though filled with hatred for the Sun-Moon Empire people, Leng Jun, like the man who stopped him, had his limits—albeit laughable ones.

Old Bei clearly feared Leng Jun and cunningly added, "The women in your hometown were severely harmed by those bastards from the Sun-Moon Empire. Maybe this girl's father was one of them. I'm just returning their cruelty in kind."

Neither lowered their voices, and Orange nearby had long noticed. Seeing the white tiger emblem on their chests, she clenched her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms. Especially when she heard Old Bei's insult toward her father, she could no longer contain her anger.

"Did you see it with your own eyes?"

Orange's calm voice trembled slightly.

"What?" Leng Jun met Orange's gaze directly, his breath catching a little. From her eyes filled with hatred, he seemed to see his own true reflection.

"I ask you, did you see with your own eyes my father pillaging and burning in your Xingluo Empire?!" Orange shouted hoarsely. "My father was just the best chef in this town. His greatest joy was cooking delicious food for me and Mom. If not for your Xingluo Empire's invasion, he wouldn't have been forcibly conscripted, and Mom wouldn't have died from grief."

Her question caused the group to fall silent, their numb hearts stirred by the weight of her words.

Seizing the moment, Orange drew a dagger from her clothes and swiftly stabbed at Old Bei with the aid of soul power.

"You little bastard!"

Orange possessed over twenty levels of soul power, something Old Bei hadn't expected. Flustered, he hurriedly unleashed his martial soul.

Black fur covered his body, and his hands elongated grotesquely. Under his feet, only three soul rings — one white, two yellow — rose up.

He swung his ape-like arms to block Orange's dagger. The immense force was too much for the food-type soul user Orange, forcing her to retreat several steps. She misstepped and fell off the cliff.

Everyone snapped back to attention. Avoiding Leng Jun's icy gaze, Old Bei awkwardly explained, "It's not my fault—I just lost control. Besides, they're Sun-Moon people; if they die, so be it."

Before he finished, a series of sounds like ice cracking filled the air. The silent squad leader's expression changed dramatically as he shouted, "Alert!"

But it was already too late.

A strange dark red ripple suddenly engulfed the cliff. Their consciousnesses blurred simultaneously.

The last thing they saw was a golden-eyed youth carrying Orange as he stepped lightly through the air. With each step, a thin, mirror-like dark red crystal formed beneath his feet.

In his indifferent golden eyes, an endless fury brewed.

(End of Chapter)

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