Chapter 140: Acquiring a Spirit Ring Doesn't Always Have to Be About Fighting (Part 2)
Due to its long standing enmity with the powers of Sea God Island, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King felt a deep distrust toward human spirit masters.
"How can I be sure that if I sacrifice myself, you'll actually make me a god official or bring me back to life?" it demanded. "I need proof. Otherwise, I won't believe a word of it."
For a creature that had lived for centuries as the most powerful spirit beast in the sea, wariness was second nature by now.
Ye Wen smirked. This was exactly what he had hoped for.
"As I recall," he began, "you have a wife and daughter. Let them offer themselves first, and I'll revive them immediately afterward. Their power won't diminish, I assure you. Moreover, when they reach the million year mark, they'll qualify for god official status as well. I have no prejudice against intelligent beings of any kind you have my word on that."
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King fell silent, contemplating this offer for what seemed an eternity before finally agreeing.
"Very well. You are the Sea God's successor, so I'll take you at your word. Wait here."
The king's massive, two hundred meter long body reared up, and it released a resonant call that echoed far across the ocean, signaling a command to distant waters.
According to the principles of conservation of mass, a creature of such size would require an immense intake of other sea soul beasts simply to sustain itself. As a result, no single area could sustain more than one such powerful whale; the presence of two would devastate the marine ecosystem, transforming it into a barren zone.
After a while, Ye Wen sensed two powerful waves of energy coming from different directions, and within moments, two immense beings surfaced before him, each around 150 meters long and likely boasting at least 200,000 years of cultivation.
Ye Wen knew little about these two; he only remembered hearing from a former classmate that the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's wife and daughter made an appearance in Soul Land III. The details were hazy, but the encounter had left a lasting impression, especially given the formidable reputation of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King in Soul Land I. Even after its death, it had attempted to possess Tang San, and if Poseidon hadn't intervened, it might have succeeded.
The three whales conversed in the peculiar language of the Deep Sea Demon Whales, a language Ye Wen couldn't understand. Finally, the three gigantic forms transformed into human shapes and approached Ye Wen.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King appeared as a burly man with a rugged, muscular physique and a beard as thick as a forest, resembling a Western bodybuilding champion. His wife, by contrast, exuded elegance, with long, wavy blue hair and a graceful blue gown that gave her an air of noble sophistication. Their daughter, a young girl of fifteen or sixteen with long, pale blue hair and a simple white dress, had a fresh, innocent charm.
"Have you made your decision?" Ye Wen asked.
"Yes. We'll begin with my daughter," the Demon Whale King replied.
The young whale girl looked nervous but managed a small smile. "Hello, my name is Lan Zi."
Ye Wen nodded warmly and greeted her, then summoned his secondary martial spirit, the Orb of Time. The sight of the orb, already adorned with one 100,000 year ring and one 200,000 year ring, made Lan Zi gulp anxiously.
Calmly, Ye Wen placed the Orb of Time against her forehead, scanning her body's energy.
"Let's begin," he said after a moment. "Lan Zi, if possible, I'd prefer a left leg bone."
While the spirit rings were a tremendous boon, it was the spirit bones Ye Wen was truly after. The final Sea God inheritance required a complete set of spirit bones to be refined into divine armor. Poseidon might be generous, but he wasn't likely to hand over a full set as a gift. Rather than waste time searching, Ye Wen opted to start gathering the bones himself.
High quality spirit bones weren't easy to find. The Star Dou Forest was a powder keg ready to explode at any moment, and provoking the Silver Dragon King would be dangerous for all involved. The remaining options were the extreme northern lands or the vast ocean and the family of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.
Singlehandedly defeating the Demon Whale King would net him a god level spirit ring and a million year spirit bone, but it would also mean losing the chance to acquire spirit bones from his wife and daughter.
There simply weren't enough high quality spirit beasts to go around. While finding a 100,000 year beast was feasible, creatures surpassing that threshold were incredibly rare. If they were abundant, Little Bai would have progressed beyond 100,000 years herself by now. The gulf between an ordinary 100,000 year beast and a 200,000 year behemoth was vast.
Lan Zi nodded resolutely and began to glow with red energy, a radiance that enveloped both of them. Ye Wen could feel waves of soul power infusing his body, but since he hadn't yet reached a stage where he could bond with a tenth ring, he couldn't gauge his new level precisely.
After a brief moment, the Orb of Time gained a new ring, this one marked with two gold lines. Even as the daughter, Lan Zi was a powerful entity, deserving of the title "Ruler of the Seas."
Ye Wen placed his hand gently on the small, infant like form of Lan Zi's newly rebirthed body. Soul power surged from him, swiftly restoring her to her original size. Her eyes, once blank, now regained their sparkle. Delighted, she reverted to her human form and skipped back to her parents.
Witnessing this, the Demon Whale King visibly relaxed. "Then it's settled," he said in a gruff but calm tone. "Lord Sea God, I accept your offer and the god official position."
Ultimately, his goal was simple: godhood. Submitting to a greater power wasn't so difficult. He didn't have workplace experience, but he understood the value of appeasing a superior; his deferential manner made Ye Wen chuckle inwardly.
The wife, like her husband, was no less impressive, with an age of 500,000 years. Her sacrifice would provide a right leg bone.
Finally, the Demon Whale King itself began its ritual, and brilliant golden light shot into the sky, far surpassing the spectacle of a 100,000 year sacrifice. Naturally, Ye Wen designated its spirit bone as a torso bone, the most important piece of all.
In the divine realm, Poseidon, watching this clever approach to the trials, felt a pang of jealousy.
"That kid's mind works in fascinating ways. If I'd had this option, it wouldn't have taken me a thousand years to ascend."
Ye Wen knew none of this. A voice sounded in his mind, announcing his success.
"Sea God's Ninth Trial: Hunt the Deep Sea Demon Whale King completed.
"Reward: 5% Sea God affinity. Sea God affinity has reached 100%. Conditions to open the inheritance realm are met. Note: It appears that the host's body still lacks the final right arm bone. Please acquire it at the soonest opportunity and then seek out the Sea God's High Priest to initiate the final inheritance."
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