Five years later.
On the surface of Soul Star, near the City of Torrential Flow.
Yun Qi and Ma Nanshan, paired together, were scouring the dark and desolate land in search of fuel.
Unlike the Soul Clan, who could directly absorb souls for sustenance, these Ascenders, possessing physical bodies, needed to consume biomass. Typically, the Ascenders fed on tuberous starch plants and insect protein.
Underground, where no sunlight could provide illumination or warmth, they had to produce their own energy for light and heat. The Ascendant Faction utilized what was once the Soul Star nobility's Soul Furnace, using souls as fuel to generate light and heat.
However, the nobility had used the souls of the lower classes, whereas the Ascenders now used wild soul beasts as their fuel source. Most of these soul beasts had indeed been wild animals before, but a small portion were formerly members of the Soul Clan. Without the constraints of a physical body for too long, they had gradually become aggressive and murderous, eventually turning into soul beasts.
Ma Nanshan scratched his head, "Leader Yun, we've been out for four days and have only caught three soul beasts. How are we supposed to report back like this?"
Yun Qi gave a wry smile, "I wish I knew…"
The underground city's fuel supply was depleting rapidly. The queen had no choice but to send out teams of Ascenders to capture soul beasts. The Dragonfly Squad had performed well; in just five days, they had captured over a hundred soul beasts.
In contrast, their own Dark Cloud Squad had not only encountered the Slaughter Faction, suffering heavy losses but had also managed to catch only three soul beasts. They would pale in comparison to the accomplishments of the Dragonfly Squad."This time, we'll probably face the queen's punishment," Yun Qi sighed lightly.
The queen's temperament had changed drastically, becoming increasingly tyrannical and erratic. She would fly into a rage over trivial disagreements. Many of the Ascenders serving her had been executed for minor offenses.
Ma Nanshan pondered for a long while before whispering, "Leader Yun, what if we leave the Ascendant Faction? Stop serving the queen."
Yun Qi smiled bitterly again. Ma Nanshan's suggestion was not something he hadn't considered himself. He had thought about leaving many times. But if they left the Ascendant Faction, where could they possibly go?
The Slaughter Faction's Soul Clan members were madmen who killed any living person on sight. The Husbandry Faction's Soul Clan was somewhat rational, but being caught by them meant the life of a slave.
And if they encountered any of the remaining Soul Star nobility, as outsiders, they would be even less welcome. After much consideration, the only place they seemed to fit was the Ascendant Faction.
Yun Qi sighed softly and tried to counsel, "Nanshan, we outsiders..."
However, before he could continue, he sensed a strong threat looming behind them.
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Instinctively, Yun Qi pulled Ma Nanshan to the left.
Boom!
The spot where they had just been standing was instantly blasted into a large pit. Both Yun Qi and Ma Nanshan were shaken, looking back in alarm.
"Hmm? Yun Qi, you're truly worthy of being the highest-ranked captain of the Dark Cloud Squad. Tsks, my long-planned ambush, and you dodged it just like that?"
A strange laughter echoed.
Following that, ten figures appeared one after another, surrounding Yun Qi and Ma Nanshan. Yun Qi, upon seeing the leader, was shocked. It was Long Yuan, the captain of the Dragonfly Squad! The others were also members of the Dragonfly Squad!
Ma Nanshan furrowed his brows, "Long Yuan? What are you up to? Using a sneak attack and disregarding martial ethics?"
Long Yuan burst into laughter, "Ma Nanshan, you really are naive. I can't understand how someone like you unites the Pegasus Star. You probably still don't know that your revered Captain Yun is a member of the Golden Horse Empire's royalty!"
Ma Nanshan looked at Yun Qi in shock, "What? Yun Qi, you're part of the Golden Horse Empire's royalty?"
Yun Qi sighed, "Yes, but I am only from a collateral line."
Ma Nanshan's eyes blazed with fury, roaring, "My family was killed by the Golden Horse Empire! I cannot coexist under the same sky with the royal family of the Golden Horse Empire! I will kill you!" His palm surged with soul power, forming a long spear, ready to strike Yun Qi!
Yun Qi's expression changed dramatically as he hurriedly mustered his soul power to defend against the attack.
Long Yuan crossed his arms, sneering. He Qing, a slender woman beside Long Yuan, covered her mouth and chuckled softly, "This Ma Nanshan really is foolish, easily provoked to turn against Yun Qi."
The others laughed scornfully, reveling in the chaos.
However, in the next moment, Ma Nanshan's spear of soul power suddenly blasted towards the two nearest people! Yun Qi's hands, initially forming a soul shield, swiftly changed and transformed into a soul-powered bow and arrow in the blink of an eye.
Two twanging sounds.
The soul-powered arrows flew from the string at high speed towards two members of the Dragonfly Squad!
In just an instant. four heads were pierced through by the soul spear and soul arrows! Their faces, frozen in mockery, instantly stiffened.
With a thud, four bodies fell to the ground.
Ma Nanshan sneered, "Did you really think I was foolish enough not to know that Leader Yun is from the Golden Horse Empire's royalty?"
Yun Qi felt a sense of relief. He had noticed the change in Ma Nanshan's expression earlier and knew Ma Nanshan's true intentions. The two men, perfectly coordinated, acted in seamless unison.
The cold sneers on the faces of Long Yuan and his group instantly turned into raging fury at that moment. They had never expected that Ma Nanshan, always regarded as a talkative and straightforward man, would feign an attack on Yun Qi to strike the unguarded members of the Dragonfly Squad.
Yun Qi, pretending to defend against Ma Nanshan, also aimed his real attack at the members of the Dragonfly Squad. In that instant, four of the ten members of the Dragonfly Squad were dead!
Long Yuan's heart bled with grief. He roared furiously, "Yun Qi! You damned traitor!"
He Qing also shouted in anger, "Ma Nanshan, you dare kill my sworn brother, prepare to die!"
The remaining six members of the Dragonfly Squad quickly closed in. They relentlessly unleashed soul techniques, bombarding Yun Qi and Ma Nanshan with a frenzy of attacks. Yun Qi and Ma Nanshan fought while retreating, using the terrain to their advantage and continuously inflicting injuries on Long Yuan and his team.
However, after a prolonged chase and battle, except for Long Yuan and He Qing, all other members of the Dragonfly Squad were dead. Even Long Yuan and He Qing were severely wounded, with their soul power nearly depleted.
The look in their eyes when they gazed at Yun Qi and Ma Nanshan had shifted from furious anger to fear. These two were exceedingly difficult to kill. Yun Qi was truly the most experienced of the Ascenders. Ma Nanshan was truly the strongest in soul power. No wonder the queen had secretly ordered their elimination.
With a thud, a soul spear pierced through He Qing's heart. The slender woman fell to the ground in disbelief.
Yun Qi and Ma Nanshan, dragging their heavily scarred bodies, stood before Long Yuan. Long Yuan was overwhelmed with fear, desperately shrinking back. His earlier arrogance had completely vanished.
Ma Nanshan growled, "Speak, why did you ambush us!"
A sinister smile suddenly appeared on Long Yuan's face. Yun Qi, with a complex expression, said, "You don't need to say it, I can guess. It was the queen's command, wasn't it?"
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