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*****
A streak of black light flashed across the sky, speeding toward the west.
Within this black light was the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, and standing on its back were Wang Li and Dugu Yan.
With great confidence, Wang Li declared,
"The ocean is like a vast soul beast forest. The variety and quality of soul beasts in the sea are no less than those on land. For your ninth soul ring, we'll choose one from the sea."
"First, we'll head to a coastal city to buy a detailed ocean map. After that, we can set sail. If all goes smoothly, it won't take long to find what we need."
Dugu Yan held onto Wang Li's arm, gazing at him intently. Her curiosity was evident as she asked,
"I have no doubts about my ninth soul ring, but what I really want to know is... have you truly become a god?"
"While I was in seclusion, you effortlessly dealt with the Hao Tian Sect's troubles. Five Titled Douluo elders, even Tang Chen, who had reached Rank 99 and supposedly passed the God Trials, were all easily slain by you!"
Seeing the curiosity in her eyes, Wang Li smiled and explained,
"I wouldn't call it becoming a god. My soul power has grown, but I'm still lacking some comprehension of the Great Dao. So, I can't claim to be a true god just yet. However, you already know—I've always been strong. Even real gods might not be my match."
Hearing this, Dugu Yan's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
"If you can defeat a god… then you might as well be one yourself..."
Still in awe, Dugu Yan followed Wang Li as they made their way to Hanhai City, the most prosperous coastal city in the western part of the Heaven Dou Empire.
With a clear goal in mind, Wang Li quickly purchased a sea chart within the city. When he saw the marked location of the Demon Whale Sea Region—labeled as extremely dangerous, proceed with caution—he felt reassured.
At the same time, they received a startling piece of news: the Spirit Empire had launched a full-scale war, attacking both the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire simultaneously. The borders of the three great empires were now engulfed in relentless conflict.
Despite their best efforts, the two empires were losing ground rapidly—and this was without Bibi Dong, who had already ascended to godhood, personally stepping onto the battlefield. If she did, their defeat would be inevitable.
Dugu Yan voiced her concerns,
"Bibi Dong leads the Spirit Empire with the intent of uniting all of Douluo Continent. You've rejected her invitations multiple times, which means she definitely sees us as enemies. If she succeeds in conquering the continent, she could become a major threat to us."
"What do you think? Should we let her destroy the two empires, or should we step in to maintain the current balance?"
Wang Li was momentarily surprised. He had expected Qian Renxue to ascend to godhood first, but instead, it was Bibi Dong. However, given how much the story had already deviated from its original course, unexpected changes were only natural.
After some thought, Wang Li replied,
"No rush. First, let's find you a suitable ninth soul ring. Bibi Dong hasn't personally intervened yet. Once she does, I'll deal with her. I can't allow someone who considers me an enemy to rule the entire continent… though I have to admit, unifying the continent isn't necessarily a bad thing."
Hearing that Wang Li had already made up his mind, Dugu Yan no longer pressed the issue. Instead, she felt secretly delighted—Wang Li was prioritizing her needs above all else.
As the sun began to set, they decided to delay their departure until the next day. They rented a room in Hanhai City, rested for the night, and set off in the morning.
Outside the city, Wang Li focused his thoughts, and in response, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger—imbued with a strand of his divine consciousness—soared out from the nearby forest, landing before them.
With such a powerful mount, there was no need for a ship.
It didn't take long before the vast, boundless ocean came into view. The salty sea breeze swept over them, invigorating their spirits.
Studying the sea chart, Wang Li commanded the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger to head straight for the Demon Whale Sea Region. His target: the Deep Sea Demon Whale King—an ancient and terrifying soul beast on the verge of transforming into a dragon and ascending to godhood after a million years of cultivation.
By ordinary standards, it would be nearly impossible for Dugu Yan to absorb a million-year soul ring. However, if a million-year soul beast willingly sacrificed itself, then the impossible could become reality.
As for how to make it sacrifice itself… coercion and temptation were always options. Wang Li never considered himself a noble person—if intimidation or persuasion could achieve his goal, he had no qualms about using them.
The Demon Whale Sea Region was vast. As the territory of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, even soul beasts that were considered rulers of the ocean wouldn't dare approach.
This made tracking down the Deep Sea Demon Whale King more difficult, but it wasn't a major issue. Although his Blue Silver Domain was ineffective in the ocean, Wang Li's immense divine consciousness was more than enough to scan the entire region.
As Wang Li extended his divine consciousness, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's immense and unique energy fluctuations stood out like a beacon in the dark—it was impossible for the beast to hide.
A grin spread across Wang Li's face as he chuckled softly.
"I've found it. Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, speed up toward the northwest."
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger let out a low growl, obediently adjusting its course.
Dugu Yan was stunned. They had just set out to sea, yet Wang Li had already located their target. But her surprise quickly gave way to curiosity—what kind of soul beast had Wang Li chosen for her?
Meanwhile, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King had also noticed that a divine consciousness had locked onto it. Yet, it made no attempt to flee. As a million-year-old soul beast, it carried immense pride and simply remained where it was, waiting.
In a way, it was similar to Wang Li—both had stepped into the realm of gods, lacking only a deeper comprehension of the Great Dao to achieve true divinity.
But realm alone did not define power. The Deep Sea Demon Whale King had only one million-year soul ring and one million-year soul bone. Wang Li, on the other hand, possessed nine million-year soul rings and six million-year soul bones. The gap in strength between them was beyond measure.
By choosing not to flee now, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King had forfeited its last chance to escape—though it had yet to realize this.
A Moment Later—
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger arrived above the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's location. Suddenly—
BOOM!
A massive column of water shot skyward.
It moved so fast that even the keenest reflexes couldn't react in time. Though the water held little energy, if it hit, the result wouldn't be lethal—just utterly humiliating, drenching the target like a drowned rat.
A weak attack in terms of power. But in terms of insult? Overwhelming.
"ROAR!"
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger let out an enraged roar and activated its Evil God's Protection. A layer of gray energy instantly enveloped its body.
The water column crashed against the protective barrier, but the shield held firm. Once the force of the water dissipated, it rained back down into the sea.
And then—
A massive figure, 200 meters in length, began to emerge from beneath the surface.
Its body was covered in purple-gold skin, gleaming like a suit of armor. Its enormous head bore a single eye—the other, long lost. From that remaining eye gleamed a distinctly human-like mockery and disdain.
Then, it spoke.
Not through its mouth, but directly into their minds through spiritual transmission.
"A land-dwelling soul beast… reduced to such a pathetic state? Allowing itself to be enslaved by a human? I feel ashamed for you."
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger let out a furious roar. It understood the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's taunt perfectly. But the tiger had only one thought in its mind—
"You have no idea how powerful the human on my back is… You'll find out soon enough."
At that moment, Wang Li stepped forward, hovering in midair as he directly faced the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.
"Deep Sea Demon Whale King, I came here specifically for you. I've heard your legend—you once fought the Sea God for his divine throne, but in the end, he struck you down and blinded one of your eyes."
"You are a million-year soul beast, a being on the verge of divinity."
"I want you to sacrifice yourself for my fiancée. Offer your soul ring, your soul bone, and all your power to her. In return, I will spare your life—I will resurrect you. But your cultivation… will only be restored to the hundred-thousand-year level."
"ROAR!!"
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King erupted in fury.
The mention of the Sea God, the reminder of the eye it had lost—these were already grievous wounds to its pride.
And now, Wang Li dared to demand its complete surrender?
Its rage became a storm, surging violently as it bellowed once more:
"Human! I will devour you! No matter how strong you are, I will swallow you whole!"
Wang Li shook his head. As expected—some creatures just refuse to accept reality until it's staring them in the face.
"Then let me show you what true power means, Deep Sea Demon Whale King."
"Eighth Divine Technique—Heaven and Man Rebirth!"
Around Wang Li, no soul rings appeared. Hiding them had long since become effortless for him.
Though no soul rings were visible, an immense number of Blue Silver Emperor vines erupted from his body, rapidly intertwining and expanding. They grew taller, thicker, more massive—until they merged into an earth-shattering colossus towering a thousand meters high.
This was the divine form of Heaven and Man Rebirth—a technique that transcended the limits of Blue Silver Emperor, unleashing its raw life force and converting it into absolute power.
Compared to Wang Li's titanic battle form, the 200-meter-long Deep Sea Demon Whale King seemed utterly insignificant.
Even the legendary sea beast was left momentarily dumbfounded.
Impossible… This can't be real…
It was one of the largest soul beasts in existence. How could a human—such a tiny, insignificant creature—grow to this size?
Yet, before it could finish questioning reality, Wang Li pushed his power further.
"Seventh Divine Technique—Blue Silver True Body!"
BOOM! BOOM!
A 1,000% power amplification detonated through his form.
The sky churned. The ocean trembled. The very forces of nature recoiled in turmoil.
In the blink of an eye—
A towering giant, now 11,000 meters tall, loomed over the world.
As Wang Li's form descended, a massive repelling force surged outward, splitting the sea apart.
Thousands of meters high, colossal walls of water rose and crashed outward in every direction.
And at the center—
A vacuum of absolute stillness, devoid of a single drop of seawater.
It was as if a divine power had parted the ocean with a single thought.
But this wasn't magic. This was simply the natural consequence of Wang Li's battle form—a mere side effect of his overwhelming energy field.
Now, if he stomped, the earth would shatter.
If he waved his hand, space itself would rip apart.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King was speechless.
Even the Sea God himself had never wielded such power.
A hand—so massive it could blot out the sky—reached forward.
As Wang Li stretched out his own hand, his battle form mimicked the movement, extending its enormous fingers.
The sky fractured.
Dark cracks spread like a spiderweb across the heavens.
From those rifts, black currents of void energy spilled out, drifting across Wang Li's titanic form—but they had no effect on him whatsoever.
Yet, these same black currents were deadly to anything below the divine level. Even a Titled Douluo would be instantly obliterated upon contact.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's mind blanked in terror.
It refused to believe this.
But when the massive hand closed in, instinct took over.
It had no choice but to fight.
Gathering every last ounce of its million-year power, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King unleashed its might.
Its entire body exploded with intense purple-gold radiance.
The energy was so overwhelming that space itself distorted under the pressure.
Then—
BOOM!
A blinding purple-gold beam tore through the air, warping space as it blasted toward Wang Li's colossal hand.
And yet—
It barely even slowed his advance.
The hand paused for a fraction of a second—then continued forward unhindered.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King finally understood fear.
Its full-power attack had been completely ineffective.
There was no point in fighting.
It tried to flee, but it was already too late.
The energy field around them had sealed the battlefield. No escape. No resistance. No hope.
The massive hand gripped the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.
Its once-mighty 200-meter form now looked pitifully small, flipping and thrashing like a fish caught in a net.
Yet, no matter how it struggled, it couldn't break free.
Standing atop the colossal wrist of his battle form, Wang Li gazed down at the captured beast, his voice calm and absolute.
"Deep Sea Demon Whale King, you have only two choices."
"First option: Sacrifice yourself for my fiancée. Offer your soul ring, your soul bone, and all your power to her. I will spare your life—but I will only restore your cultivation to 100,000 years."
"Second option: If you refuse, I will crush you like an insect. I will extract your brain and whale pearl to enhance my fiancée's talent. I will use your soul bones to strengthen her body. And the rest of your corpse? I will feed it to my Dark Demon Evil God Tiger."
"ROAR!"
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger perked up, excitement flashing in its eyes.
Saliva dripped from its mouth, pooling into a river as it stared hungrily at the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.
If it devoured this soul beast, it could instantly evolve into a 100,000-year-level existence—an unimaginable opportunity.
Its tail wagged as it looked up at Wang Li, its gaze filled with fawning admiration, as if begging him to kill the whale immediately.
Wang Li shot it a sharp glance, and the tiger froze, obediently falling silent.
Then, he turned back to the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, his voice still calm… but ice-cold.
"Without you as my fiancée's soul ring, I will simply go deeper into the ocean to find another target."
"You call yourself the Deep Sea Demon Whale King. Surely, in those depths, you have a mate… or perhaps… a daughter."
"Tell me… which one should I take instead?"
The moment those words left his lips, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King snapped.
"ROAR!!!"
It thrashed violently, roaring with unrestrained fury, but its struggles were futile.
It panted heavily, its lone eye filled with unyielding rage as it growled through clenched teeth:
"Human… you are despicable!"
Wang Li simply smiled.
His voice remained calm, indifferent, unwavering.
"Thank you for the compliment."
"I never said I was a good person."
(End of Chapter)