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The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King lost the courage to resist to the death. Bowing its head, it spoke in a low voice:
"Human, I agree to your request. Just promise not to disturb my wife and child!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Li nodded and replied:
"Alright. I don't kill needlessly—I only seek the most suitable ninth soul ring."
At this point, Wang Li looked directly into the eyes of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King. A divine light shot from his eyes, locking gazes with the whale king for a brief moment, before the light swiftly withdrew, returning to his own eyes.
In that instant, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King felt as if it had been completely seen through. In a mix of shock and fury, it roared:
"Human! What did you do to me?"
Wang Li glanced at it and calmly said:
"I copied your memories. Don't worry—since you're offering a proper sacrifice, I'll return them to you in the end."
The whale king was utterly stunned. This human was even more difficult to deal with than it had imagined—not only powerful, but possessing strange and terrifying abilities.
At that moment, Wang Li waved his hand, and the Dark Devilgod Tiger immediately flew over. Its tiger face was full of disappointment.
Just moments ago, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King had mocked it for being enslaved by a human. And now? It too was easily subdued by a human. How infuriating. It had been so close—just a little more, and it could've tasted whale meat today.
Then Wang Li chuckled and said:
"Sister Yanyan, get ready. Time to absorb your ninth soul ring."
Even now, Dugu Yan still wore an expression of disbelief. The ninth soul ring that Wang Li had prepared for her came from a million-year-old Deep Sea Demonic Whale King. A soul beast of that level should probably be called a divine beast.
The whale king also turned to look at Dugu Yan. It understood that she was the one to receive its sacrifice. Though reluctant, it had no choice but to obey:
"Human, even if I offer myself, you may not be able to withstand my power. Whether you live or die—I won't care!"
Boom!
As soon as it spoke, it began burning its full cultivation. A pillar of purple-gold light shot into the sky, and divine might surged in waves.
The terrifying energy fluctuations formed a massive magnetic field. Drawn by the energy, Dugu Yan's body floated toward it. Her expression was resolute—this was a chance she had to seize, the chance to successfully absorb the soul ring of a million-year-old Deep Sea Demonic Whale King.
The moment her body entered the purple-gold pillar of light, the whale king's vast energy instantly surged into her.
Dugu Yan immediately activated her martial soul possession. Two yellow, two purple, one red, two black, and one red soul ring—a total of eight—circled around her.
As the whale king's energy entered her, it began enhancing her on all fronts. Some of the energy condensed into a soul ring, some formed a soul bone, and some elevated her soul power...
Under the impact of the energy, Dugu Yan could clearly feel her strength rising rapidly. Yet at the same time, she also felt as if her body was being torn apart.
Thankfully, the whale king was offering itself willingly. Its massive energy was able to merge into her body gradually.
Had she tried to forcibly absorb the soul ring instead, the overwhelming surge of energy would have poured into her all at once—and Dugu Yan in her current state would never have survived it.
Though in pain, she clenched her teeth and endured. She couldn't let Wang Li's efforts go to waste, and began actively channeling and refining the explosive energy within her.
She urged her Jade Phosphor Dragon Emperor martial soul to devour the energy in great gulps, converting it into her own strength.
It must be noted—her martial soul's fifth soul ring, the life-bound Jade Phosphor Devours the Heavens, allows her to completely absorb and digest energy. At this moment, it was operating at full capacity—devouring, refining, and strengthening without pause.
The color of her fifth soul ring, originally a mix of red and black, was gradually turning entirely red—and growing deeper, exuding a brilliant blood-red hue.
Jade Phosphor Devours the Heavens was mutating. No longer limited to devouring energy, it was beginning to take a physical form. In the future, when summoned, it would be a true Devouring Python—a monstrous being capable of swallowing the heavens and devouring the earth.
Outside the pillar of light, Wang Li remained focused on everything happening within. When he saw that Dugu Yan had endured the initial surge of overwhelming energy, he let out a slight breath of relief.
As long as nothing unexpected occurred from here on out, he could now rest assured and leave the rest to time—waiting for Dugu Yan to fully absorb the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's million-year soul ring and soul bone.
Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, on a remote island—Sea God Island—Poseidon Island's High Priestess, Bo Saixi, sensed a disturbance within the ocean. A strange and unusual energy fluctuation had appeared deep within the sea.
As the devoted servant of the Sea God, she could not ignore such a phenomenon. She immediately set out to investigate. But as she approached, Bo Saixi witnessed a scene that would be etched in her memory for the rest of her life.
Towering waves rose into water walls thousands of meters high. It was as though some invisible energy field had displaced the surrounding sea water, forming those awe-inspiring walls.
Through the misty veil of water, she vaguely saw a pillar of purple-gold light piercing the sky. That familiar energy fluctuation immediately told her it was the power of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King.
"The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King… the million-year soul beast that once competed with the Sea God for the divine throne… is actually… actually offering itself as a sacrifice...?"
Bo Saixi was stunned beyond belief. But what she saw next shook her even more. Behind that purple-gold pillar stood a colossal giant—towering beyond comprehension, exuding a majesty too overwhelming to look upon.
It was the presence of this giant that had forced the surrounding seawater to retreat. Bo Saixi could feel it—around this giant, not even the divine power of the Sea God could reach.
Such a sight nearly shattered the faith she had devoted her entire life to. A mysterious, unknown powerhouse had stepped foot upon the Sea God's domain—and not only that, had even repelled the divine power of the Sea God. What kind of terrifying might was this?
Then, the giant seemed to glance in her direction. With just a look, Bo Saixi felt the very energies of heaven and earth bending to the giant's will. If he so desired, she believed she would be torn to pieces by the very elements.
Bo Saixi didn't dare remain a moment longer. She immediately turned and fled, her heart trembling with fear as she thought:
"Lord Sea God… what am I supposed to do now?"
On the other side, Wang Li cast a casual glance and immediately guessed who the intruder was:
"The High Priestess of Sea God Island—Bo Saixi. I'll give you some respect and leave your people alone. But if your Sea God dares to come and provoke me… don't blame me for erasing his last remaining foothold in this world."
After all, this was still the domain of the sea—being discovered by someone from Sea God Island was entirely within reason. Wang Li wasn't particularly surprised.
He had no intention of causing trouble, but if trouble came knocking, he would respond with overwhelming force.
However, in the days that followed, no one else from Sea God Island appeared. Perhaps the Sea God had tacitly approved of what had transpired.
Wang Li quietly waited for seven days. During this time, Dugu Yan endured unimaginable pain, yet she managed to persevere—and the rewards she gained were beyond anyone's imagination.
At this moment, Dugu Yan's body—her skin, fat, internal organs, bones, and meridians—was faintly tinged with gold. This was a sign of her body reaching the level of a divine vessel.
Surrounding her, nine soul rings rotated continuously: two yellow, two purple, one red, two black, one red, and one gold. Although it still couldn't compare to Wang Li's configuration, it was nonetheless a terrifyingly powerful lineup.
She slowly opened her eyes, where emerald green and purple-gold hues intermingled. Soon, all the radiant light retracted, and her eyes returned to their original emerald green.
Seeing that Dugu Yan had awakened, Wang Li asked with concern:
"How do you feel?"
Dugu Yan looked as if she had been reborn. These past seven days had felt like an eternity, filled with constant agony, as if she had been plunged into a bottomless hell. But the outcome was worth it. She smiled and said:
"My soul power has reached level 97—I've entered the Super Douluo realm. The age of my fifth soul ring is now around 700,000 years. The Devouring Heavenly Python I can now summon not only consumes any kind of energy-based attack, but it's also impervious to blades, spears, fire, and water. It's an incredibly powerful defensive soul skill."
"My ninth soul ring granted me four new skills: Jade Phosphor Annihilation Light, Jade Phosphor Abyssal Devour, Jade Phosphor Prison of Darkness, and Jade Phosphor Dragon Emperor's Wrath. The first is an offensive soul skill, the second defensive, the third a control-type skill, and the fourth an amplification ability. One soul ring gave me four new techniques."
"And that's not all. The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's left leg soul bone also gave me four abilities: Whirlpool Blade, a high-precision single-target attack with powerful cutting force; Tidal Rage, a group attack formed by surging energy waves; Demonic Whale Cannon, a focused single-target attack using high-pressure condensed water; and Demonic Whale Ice Shards, a group attack where water is transformed into countless ice lances and launched."
"In addition to all that, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's sacrifice brought unimaginable benefits—my martial soul evolved, and my body was greatly enhanced… It truly lived up to being a million-year-old soul beast."
Wang Li's eyes held a trace of amazement. As expected of a million-year soul beast—to grant eight abilities through sacrifice. In comparison, his own Blue Silver Emperor's ninth soul ring had only provided four, one of which was a duplicate.
Still, what mattered most was suitability. Each of his soul skills possessed terrifying, immeasurable power.
Wang Li smiled and said:
"The sacrifice of a million-year soul beast is worlds apart from that of a hundred-thousand-year one. The Sky Blue Bull Python's sacrifice helped you reach level 90 much faster. The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's sacrifice will surely help you reach level 99 even sooner."
"After reaching level 95, improving soul power requires constant compression, purification, and resonance with your martial soul. Yan Yan-jie, from now on during your cultivation, try to communicate with your martial soul using your spirit. It'll benefit you greatly."
"As for what comes next, leave it to me…"
After speaking, Wang Li turned his gaze toward the shriveled corpse of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King. With a flick of his finger, a whale pearl the size of a baby's fist flew out from its hollow eye socket and landed in his palm.
Wang Li examined the pearl and said:
"This is the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's whale pearl. It contains immense energy fluctuations. Now then, Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, come out."
The golden jelly-like pearl trembled slightly and released a brilliant light. A tiny version of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, no bigger than a palm, appeared floating above the whale pearl—its soul.
The whale king's voice trembled with fury and shock:
"Human, don't push things too far. You've already taken my soul ring and soul bone. This whale pearl is my last spiritual refuge. If you take this too, my soul will completely dissipate!"
Wang Li smiled calmly and replied:
"I told you—I would bring you back to life. How much of your strength you can recover will depend on your own fortune."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Li waved his hand, and strands of Blue Silver Emperor vines spread out, wrapping around the corpse of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King.
Immediately afterward, massive streams of blue-gold energy surged along the vines and poured into the whale's body. The once-lifeless form twitched slightly—then gradually began to stir with vitality.
It was as if the dead were brought back to life. Muscles and flesh began to regrow, and the withered whale's body slowly filled out. As it regained its original mass, its aura grew increasingly powerful.
After half a day, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King looked just like it had before—except for the absence of a soul. Even its once-blinded eyes, pierced by divine power, had returned to perfect condition.
Floating atop the whale pearl in Wang Li's palm, the whale king's soul stared in utter disbelief. Its body had been restored, and even its eyes—once marked forever by the Sea God's divine power—were healed.
How was this possible? That divine mark had been left by the Sea God as both a symbol of eternal shame and a curse of servitude, condemning it to be trapped forever under divine control.
Just then, Wang Li tossed the whale pearl and said:
"Return. Soul, rejoin your body!"
The moment the whale pearl landed atop the whale king's head, it burst into an intense purple-gold light. Soul and body reunited, and the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King regained its spiritual essence.
"ROAR!"
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King let out a thunderous roar. Its aura surged instantly, rising from the level of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast to at least three hundred thousand years.
Though it lacked a soul ring and soul bone and could not fully return to its million-year cultivation level, it had managed to restore itself to three hundred thousand years with the help of the whale pearl.
Strangely enough, the whale king felt… happy. Its vision had returned, and the constant surveillance it had once sensed was gone. No longer would it be bound to this part of the sea.
But when it remembered losing seven hundred thousand years of cultivation, grief welled up again. Glancing once at Wang Li, it let out a snort and, with a flip of its body, dove back into the sea—without looking back.
As it disappeared into the deep waters, it left behind a single line:
"Human, don't let me run into you again! Damn it… my seven hundred thousand years of cultivation…!"
Watching the whale king flee, Wang Li couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle. Then, bringing two fingers together like a sword, he tapped the center of his brow and pulled outward, extracting a wisp of divine sense. With a flick, the strand shot through the air, chasing after the fleeing soul beast.
Dugu Yan walked up beside Wang Li and asked curiously:
"What was that just now?"
Wang Li glanced at her and explained:
"I copied its memories. It kept its promise, so I have no intention of prying into its privacy. Its original million years of cultivation have now become your soul ring and soul bone. But through devouring other sea soul beasts, it'll be able to rebuild its power quickly."
Dugu Yan nodded thoughtfully:
"Honestly, if it hadn't willingly sacrificed itself, there's no way I could've ever absorbed a million-year soul ring on my own…"
(End of Chapter)