Chapter 523.
The sea beneath Sea God Mountain often rippled gently, and sometimes soul beasts would leap from the waters, sending playful waves rolling across the surface. At times, when exhaustion set in, simply gazing at this picturesque scene helped ease the tension.
But today, something felt different—strange.
Towering waves, tens of meters high, crashed violently as a massive vortex formed, reaching nearly 60 meters in height. Although still smaller than the one caused by the Demon Whale, this aquatic spectacle exuded an awe-inspiring intensity none of them had witnessed before.
"Could a powerful sea soul beast be emerging?" Ma Hongjun wondered aloud, clicking his tongue. "It's been five months, and this is the biggest upheaval we've seen. Surely, it can't be just a soul beast causing this?"
Beneath the swirling vortex, three dark shadows could be faintly seen.
"I remember hearing from one of the purple-clothed sea soul masters that many powerful sea beasts are sealed beneath Sea God Mountain," Oscar speculated. "Could they be trying to attack the mountain? But that seems unlikely. Senior Bo Saixi is still here. Maybe they just came out for a breather?"
Oscar's suggestion brought a chuckle to the group.
"Well, that kind of makes sense," Dai Mubai mused with a grin. "They've been repressed down there for years… Oh, wait—do you think this has something to do with the White Pontiff, Wang Wu?"
Everyone paused in surprise.
Ning Rongrong laughed. "I bet the soul beasts devoured White Pontiff Wang Wu and came to thank Senior Bo Saixi for the meal!"
Her odd sense of humor sparked laughter throughout the group.
But just then, the sea's fury intensified.
RUMBLE!
Suddenly, a terrifyingly large sea crocodile surged from the water, its presence radiating menace.
"That's the Winged Blizzard Crocodile—at least 80,000 years old," Tang San said with a serious tone.
"This beast has both wind and water attributes, though it mainly relies on water. It's rare and formidable—stronger even than many land-based soul beasts of the same level."
He added, "It has a relative species called the Winged Blizzard Crocodile, covered in ice crystal armor, which gives it incredible defense. But the Winged Blizzard Crocodile specializes in manipulating water."
As the team listened intently, another massive creature emerged—a blood-colored sea serpent nearly fifty meters long, crashing through the sea's surface with the power of a tidal wave.
"Blood Colored Flood Dragon!" Tang San's expression darkened.
"I didn't expect to find such a beast sealed under Sea God Mountain!"
His eyes traced the serpent's long body.
"There's something about it—it feels exceptionally ferocious," Dai Mubai observed, furrowing his brow.
"Is this one even stronger than the crocodile?"
"There's no doubt," Tang San replied. "Look at those bumps on its head. Those are budding horns. According to the teacher, once sea beasts like this grow horns, they're nearing a hundred thousand years of cultivation. This one's probably over 90,000, just shy of reaching 100,000 year old."
He continued, "It's even stronger than the two hundred-thousand-year-old soul beasts we encountered in the Star Dou Great Forest. In the ocean, its strength would be unmatched–—only the Seven Sacred Pillars of Sea God Island could hope to restrain it."
Zhu Zhuqing's face tightened with concern.
"That's two beasts accounted for but what's still hidden in the center of the vortex?" Ma Hongjun asked, peering into the whirling water. "Could it be something over 100,000 years old?"
Just as he finished speaking, a massive creature broke the surface—a colossal shark over 80 meters long, nearly the size of a whale. Though not as gigantic as the Demon Whale King, it radiated an even more terrifying aura.
"That's a shark-type soul beast?" Ning Rongrong gasped. "But the Devil Great White Sharks we met before were barely over 20 meters—and they were 100,000 years old!"
Indeed, the group had previously encountered those sharks before reaching Sea God Island. It was only thanks to Tang San's Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud that they'd escaped unscathed.
"This isn't just any shark," Tang San explained. "It's a Demon Whale Shark—an apex predator of the sea. It rivals the Devil Great White Shark in power. Judging by its size, I'd estimate its cultivation at about 90,000 years. If it were 100 meters long, it would have easily crossed the hundred-thousand-year mark."
He added, "Among the Seven Sacred Pillars, perhaps only the Sea Dragon Sacred Pillar could stand against it."
The trio of beasts, each exuding immense spiritual pressure, now faced the sky. And yet, none of the group felt panic—not while Bo Saixi floated above, watching.
Suddenly, all three beasts let out thunderous roars that echoed across the sea.
And then, Tang San's voice rang out in astonishment.
"Wait, is someone standing on the back of the Ten Thousand Demon Whale Shark?!"
Startled, everyone turned their gaze.
Sure enough—a black-robed figure stood calmly atop the enormous beast, hands clasped behind his back.
In that moment, every one of them froze.
It was him.
The man who dove into –the ocean five months ago and never returned.
Wang Wu.
The White Pontiff of Soul Hall.
His mere presence atop such a fierce sea soul beast was all the proof they needed.
Shock swept through the group. Their minds went blank.
No one could believe what they were seeing.
The moment Wang Wu appeared, the memory of his first test surfaced in everyone's minds like a lightning bolt.
That's right!
It struck them all at once.
The nine took a collective sharp breath.
"Wait a second could it be that Wang Wu, after five whole months, not only sank more than 5,000 meters into the sea, but also managed to subdue three sea soul beasts—each one over 80,000 years old?" Ma Hongjun muttered in disbelief.
"That's just… monstrous, isn't it?"
"Is that even humanly possible?"
"He had to have cheated!"
"Five months!"
Ma Hongjun's stunned voice broke the silence.
All the doubts, questions, and mixed feelings they'd held over the past five months melted away—replaced by pure, overwhelming shock.
"How could this be? Wasn't he supposed to be eaten alive or something?" Ning Rongrong whispered. Then she exploded in frustration, "Ahhhhh! How is this bastard so powerful? Zhuqing! Tell me, how is he this strong? He definitely cheated!"
Zhu Zhuqing was silent for a moment. She turned her head slightly, a faint, complicated joy flashing across her face. Then she nodded and said quietly,
"…Yes, he probably cheated."
"Exactly! I knew it!" Ning Rongrong grumbled.
"Senior Bo Saixi will see through his lies in an instant!"
However—
Bo Saixi slowly descended from midair, gently landing on the back of the enormous whale shark. Under her presence, the terrifying beast stilled, becoming completely docile.
Had they still been deep beneath the sea, the whale shark might not have feared her so much. Down there, even Bo Saixi would need to pay a steep price to defeat it. But on the surface, the advantage was hers.
And yet—the beast didn't resist.
Because it already had a master.
"You really did it," Bo Saixi said, her voice calm, but her eyes shimmered with astonishment as she looked at the black-clothed man before her.
In all her decades as Sea God Island's high priestess, the past few months had been the most shocking by far. Surprise after surprise kept unfolding before her eyes—each one more unbelievable than the last.
He had not only descended 5,500 meters into the ring-shaped sea where three of Poseidon's sacred locks were anchored, but now stood before her after taming three legendary sea soul beasts.
If that was all, Bo Saixi might have been able to accept it.
But taming all three?
That defied reason.
"??" Even Bo Saixi was speechless.
To be honest, when these sea beasts first surfaced, she thought she was dreaming.
These three sea soul beasts had existed in that ringed sea zone since the time she first took up her mantle as Great Priestess. She had personally attempted to tame each of them—multiple times over the years. Every attempt had ended in failure.
The 5,000-meter depth wasn't easy for her to reach either. And the beasts often moved together, making it impossible to approach one without facing the others.
Besides, they never surfaced.
There was simply no way to lure them up.
Even if she tried, the moment they rose above, she would be forced to subdue them instantly—or risk chaos.
But the man before her? He had somehow lured them all to the surface.
For the first time ever.
How could she not be stunned?
But what shocked her the most wasn't that he had encountered the beasts.
It was how he had tamed them.
Down there, more than 5,500 meters deep, where the crushing pressure alone was nearly unbearable.
Bo Saixi was certain—when Wang Wu reached that depth, he must have been exhausted, on the brink of collapse.
And those sea beasts were no fools.
If there was ever a time to strike, it would've been then.
So in her mind, the best possible outcome for him should have been a narrow escape. A battered retreat to the surface.
But instead…
He now stood on the back of the mighty whale shark, calm and poised—almost cheerful.
Unbelievable. Baffling.
"This was supposed to be difficult?" Wang Wu said indifferently, a faint smirk on his lips. After all the effort he put in, he had to make it look easy.
Bo Saixi: "…"
She chuckled lightly, studying him with a mix of disbelief and admiration.
"You're younger than you look… but still, to achieve this… You've done Sea God Island an incredible service."
"No need for thanks," Wang Wu replied calmly.
'Who's thanking you?' Bo Saixi thought as her lips twitched a little at that shamelessness, amused despite herself.
Wang Wu added with a smile, "Also, I'm actually over forty. Compared to you, I might still be young…"
Bo Saixi gave a soft laugh, shaking her head.
This man— He was something else.
However, Bo Saixi gently shook her head and said, "No, you are not over forty. Your bone age is, at most, twenty. And your aura—you can't hide it from me."
Wang Feng merely smiled and said nothing.
From the standpoint of a human soul master, Bo Saixi was likely the strongest soul master on the entire continent. On Sea God Island, there was almost nothing that could be hidden from her.
"Yet what confuses me," she continued thoughtfully, "is that… you don't seem to be lying."
On Sea God Island, Bo Saixi wasn't just unmatched in strength—she also possessed the uncanny ability to sense truth and deception. She could tell, almost at a glance, whether someone was being dishonest.
Of course, Wang Feng hadn't lied.
While his bone age might indeed appear to be just over twenty, his soul carried the experiences of two lifetimes—making his true consciousness over forty years old.
But that was a truth Bo Saixi could never know.
She changed the subject.
"Your three disciples—I've granted them god-given soul rings. I don't know what method you used to help them sink to their target depth so quickly, but your method is undoubtedly extraordinary."
Her tone carried genuine admiration.
"You've awakened their full potential. At this rate, in no more than half a month, they'll reach their goals."
When Bo Saixi had gone to bestow the god-given rings to Hu Liena and the others, she had clearly felt the change in them. It was unmistakable. There had been no cheating involved.
Their spirit power had increased rapidly, and their bodies had strengthened substantially.
If they had found a way to fake the sinking trial, the results wouldn't be this genuine. Their growth was proof enough.
Clearly, Wang Wu had used some sort of unique tool or method—custom-designed for the three of them—and the results were remarkable.
"Just an ordinary method," Wang Feng replied casually with a slight nod.
Bo Saixi couldn't help but study him more closely. Through this brief interaction, she had begun to understand his character a little better.
Calm, confident, commanding, and shameless.
Detached, but responsible. A man with incredible inner strength.
Qualities worthy of respect.
"Your soul power has reached level 70," she said at last. "This god-given soul ring is granted to you by the Sea God."
A radiant soul ring materialized in her palm.
"Surely your disciples must have told you already?"
Wang Feng nodded again, acknowledging.
But then, Bo Saixi narrowed her eyes slightly, a flicker of curiosity flashing through them.
"There's something odd… your soul power is strange. Even I can't say with absolute certainty that it's just at level 70."
Though Hu Liena and the others couldn't perceive it, Bo Saixi could clearly sense it.
Yet, the more clearly she sensed it, the more puzzled she became.
How could a soul master at level 70 give off an aura that feels both lower and higher than it should?
What made it stranger was that, by all traditional standards, someone with a soul power level like Wang Wu's shouldn't have been assigned such an extreme trial by the Sea God.
The first test he faced—just the descent through the three Sea God Locks to a depth of 5,500 meters—was already impossible for even the Seven Sacred Pillars of Sea God Island.
Not even they could accomplish it.
In truth, only Bo Saixi herself could complete such a task.
And yet, Wang Wu had done it. Alone.
This only deepened her curiosity.
And it wasn't just about his spirit power anymore.
Bo Saixi now found herself wondering—
What is the true limit of the soul ring this man can withstand?
......….
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