Chapter 168: The Tragic Fate of Soul Beasts
"Xiao Bai, I already know all of this."
Neptune looked down at the massive creature beneath him, listening to her persistent warnings. He reached out, patting her head gently as he explained, "I know even more about the Deep Sea Demon Whale King than you do. Don't worry, I will not underestimate it. In fact, I'll be at my absolute peak, giving it my full attention."
"That's good!"
Hearing his assurance, Xiao Bai finally felt relieved. She didn't want Neptune to fail at the very last step due to carelessness. That would be far too tragic.
"Xiao Bai, how long will it take to reach the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's territory from here?" Sitting on the back of the Devil Soul Great White Shark, Neptune felt the sea breeze against his face and suddenly asked.
Beneath him, Xiao Bai responded, "At my current speed, it'll take about three days to get there."
"Three days, huh?"
Neptune nodded, then closed his eyes without saying another word. He needed to preserve his peak state for the upcoming battle. If he underestimated his opponent and failed, the consequences would be disastrous.
After all
As a sea spirit beast, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King would be far stronger in the ocean than on land.
In the original timeline, even Tang San nearly lost his life to this behemoth. That alone was proof of how difficult it would be to deal with.
Noticing that Neptune had closed his eyes, Xiao Bai stopped talking.
Instead, she focused all her energy on speeding forward, racing across the sea toward their destination.
Three Days Later
Time passed quickly.
During those three days, Neptune spent all his time communicating with the Sea God's Trident, gradually adapting to the artifact's power.
It had been a productive experience.
He could clearly feel his strength improving.
With this newfound power
His confidence in subduing the Deep Sea Demon Whale King grew stronger than ever.
Suddenly
The speed of the Devil Soul Great White Shark began to slow.
Neptune slowly opened his eyes.
Even without Xiao Bai saying anything, he could already tell that they had arrived at the Demon Whale Sea Territory.
Xiao Bai's massive form came to a stop as her voice echoed out:
"We're here. This is the territory of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King."
Neptune stood up, gazing at the distant waters.
With his powerful senses, he could clearly detect the presence of an immense force lurking beneath the sea.
That deep, oppressive energy had already surpassed the limits of an Ultimate Douluo, barely touching the realm of the divine.
Unfortunately for this soul beast
The laws of this world had been tampered with by the Divine Realm's Core System, making it nearly impossible for soul beasts to reach godhood.
Any soul beast that reached 100,000 years of age would begin to face Heavenly Tribulations.
For each additional 100,000 years, they had to withstand another tribulation.
Reaching 1,000,000 years meant surviving ten heavenly tribulations.
But unless a soul beast abandoned its power to take human form, very few could endure all ten trials and make it to a million years.
Even if a soul beast miraculously survived, they would still be unable to become a true god.
Because the Divine Realm's Core System controlled the rules of Douluo Star, it restricted any native soul beasts from ever forming a god position.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King was proof of this injustice.
Even though it had lived for a million years, even though 99% of its body had already transformed into a divine form, it still could not take that final step into true divinity.
It was permanently stuck at the threshold.
A single step away from godhood yet forever unable to cross it.
What a tragic fate.
In the original timeline, Tang San had been able to kill the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, but not through pure strength.
He had divine assistance from both the Sea God and the Asura God.
The real reason the whale fell was because it had given up hope of breaking through naturally.
It had targeted Tang San, hoping to possess his body and steal his Sea God inheritance.
If things had gone differently, history itself might have changed entirely.
"Stay here and don't move," Neptune said, glancing down at Xiao Bai.
"I'll go subdue it."
"Alright, be careful!"
Xiao Bai nodded obediently.
She knew her own strength well.
If she rushed in, she wouldn't be able to help only get in the way.
At that moment
A faint golden light appeared across Neptune's body.
This wasn't soul power.
The glow came directly from his skin.
Thanks to the Sea God's essence within the Sea God's Heart, his body had undergone a transformation
Now, it was closer than ever to the divine.
With a single step
Neptune rose into the sky.
His entire figure glowed with golden radiance, streaking through the air like a shooting star.
His target
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's domain.
At the same time
He unleashed his aura without reservation!
The sky darkened.
The wind howled.
The sea roared in response.
In an instant
The entire Demon Whale Sea trembled under the sheer force of his presence!
In the blink of an eye
Neptune had arrived.
With the Sea God's Trident in hand, he hovered over the ocean, eyes filled with absolute dominance.
His long blue hair danced wildly in the wind.
On his forehead, the golden trident mark shone like a third eye, its light piercing through the heavens.
The impact was immediate.
The surrounding sea soul beasts were all stunned by the immense energy sweeping through the ocean.
It had been countless years since anyone had dared to challenge the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.
A human challenger?
Unthinkable!
Many sea soul beasts surfaced, gazing in shock at the floating man in the sky.
But some
Those with enough intelligence to access the Q&A System
Instantly recognized who Neptune was.
And the moment they realized his identity, they panicked.
Without hesitation
They dove straight into the deep sea, fleeing as fast as they could.
This was not a battle they wanted any part of.
Neptune stopped at an altitude of about 500 meters above the water.
Even though the Deep Sea Demon Whale King could attack from below, being in the air gave him a slight advantage over direct underwater combat.
Suddenly
The crystal clear waters began to shift.
The vibrant blue darkened, turning into an ominous abyss.
Within the Demon Whale Sea, the waves abruptly calmed, standing in eerie contrast to the restless ocean beyond.
The sea stilled completely, as if awaiting something dreadful.
Even the air itself grew heavy, distorting with tension.
Neptune's expression remained calm.
A deep black red glow surged beneath his feet.
One by one
His soul rings emerged, their powerful auras radiating outward.
He was ready.
Silently
He waited for the beast to appear.
(End of Chapter)
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