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Ning Tianchen's words successfully awakened the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.
In an instant, the sky underwent a strange transformation, with winds surging and clouds gathering, while enormous waves rose on the surface of the sea.
Hundred-meter-high waves seemed ready to devour everything in their path.
In his fury, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King harbored thoughts of destroying the Sea God Island.
His gaze turned fierce as he locked onto the location of the Sea God Island, preparing to head there for revenge.
Ning Tianchen quickly stepped in front of him. "The Sea God has left a representative on the Sea God Island. If necessary, he can descend to the Douluo Continent at any time. If you go to the Sea God Island to seek revenge, you will surely die."
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King roared in anger. "What if I die? Poseidon, that old dog, dared to use me like this—I'd rather perish together with him. Even if I die, I'll level the Sea God Island!"
Ning Tianchen shouted furiously, "Foolish! Your soul rings and soul bones are unique treasures in this world. Do you really want to hand them over to the people of Sea God Island?"
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King realized that the person before him also had his eyes on his soul rings and soul bones.
He sneered, "What, worried that my soul rings and soul bones will fall into others' hands and ruin your plans?"
Ning Tianchen quickly added, "As for what I just said, you should be able to find someone to verify it. I can wait here—it's not like you're going far."
"To be honest, I don't approve of the Sea God's methods either. Since he's an enemy to both of us, why can't we cooperate and each get what we want?"
"Each get what we want?" The Deep Sea Demon Whale King sneered.
This price was simply too high for him. He didn't trust anyone—could he really afford to bet his life on Ning Tianchen?
It was true that the other party was the inheritor of a god, but as fellow human gods, why would the other side help him and offend a future colleague?
He already had a plan to verify what the other party had said.
If the verification proved that Ning Tianchen wasn't lying, should he take the risk and bet on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
Seeing the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's resistance weaken slightly, Ning Tianchen pressed further. "The Sea God isn't an honest person—he'll eventually make a mistake and leave himself vulnerable."
In the original timeline, the Sea God interfered with the Angel God's trial, planting a seed of goodwill toward Tang San in Qian Renxue's heart.
This allowed Tang San to survive in the cracks and successfully inherit the position of the Sea God.
Before setting out, Tang San and his group had already arrived at Hanhai City—their purpose was self-evident.
Although they were opponents, Ning Tianchen still acknowledged Tang San's talent. Putting himself in the Sea God's shoes, would the Sea God willingly give up such a promising successor?
Therefore, Tang San obtaining the Sea God's trial was an indisputable fact.
The only variable was that Tang San hadn't encountered Qian Renxue yet.
Whether or not the Sea God would interfere with Qian Renxue's trial, as he had in the original timeline, remained uncertain.
But one thing was certain: knowing the situation on the Douluo Continent, the Sea God would definitely set up a plan for Tang San, which would leave him vulnerable.
"The Sea God's position is coveted by many. You should understand that the enemy of your enemy is the friend who truly helps you."
As the strongest among the first-tier gods, the Sea God naturally held a position above all other first-tier gods, standing just below the Five Great God Kings.
Which first-tier god wouldn't covet this position?
In the original timeline, because of Tang San's relationship, he and the Asura God grew close, making it impossible for others to harm him.
But now, without Tang San as the bridge, would the Asura God protect him?
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's emotions gradually stabilized, and the sea returned to calm.
"I've remembered your words."
As he spoke, a ray of light shot out from his fingertip and entered Ning Tianchen's body.
This light carried no destructive power—it merely left a mark on the other person.
"I've left a seal on you. I'm going to verify the truth of your words immediately. If you're lying, with this mark, I'll chase you to the ends of the earth."
"If what you say is true, this mark, imbued with tens of thousands of years of my cultivation, will be enough to rapidly boost your strength."
"As for the so-called cooperation… hah, we'll talk about it when I return."
With that, his figure transformed into a streak of crimson-black light, flying toward the Douluo Continent.
On the Douluo Continent, the only one who knew about the ancient divine war was the Beast God Di Tian. Naturally, he understood that the god realm forbade soul beasts from ascending to godhood.
Both were peak-level soul beasts, and after countless years, they had formed a connection. Ning Tianchen wasn't surprised by this.
After the Deep Sea Demon Whale King left, the Demon Whale Sea became completely calm, without even a ripple.
The mark he left penetrated Ning Tianchen's soul—it couldn't be undone unless one's spiritual power evolved into divine awareness.
Ning Tianchen wasn't worried; everything he had said was true.
While the other party verified his words, he retrieved the Water Spider escape boat from his spirit tool and floated quietly on the sea, cultivating his soul power.
As the Deep Sea Demon Whale King had said, the mark significantly accelerated his cultivation speed. He even had a premonition that by refining the soul power within the mark, he could break through the bottleneck of the Title Douluo rank in just a few days.
…
Ten thousand years ago, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King had fought Di Tian. Their relationship wasn't good.
Di Tian's cultivation was inferior to his, but he possessed pure Dragon God bloodline.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King was merely a soul beast born in the "lower realm." In terms of methods and bloodline, how could he possibly match Di Tian?
As expected, in that great battle, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King suffered a complete defeat.
For the prosperity of the soul beast race, Di Tian didn't kill him despite his high cultivation level. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been any conflict between him and the Sea God.
It could even be said that without the existence of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King in the ocean, the birth of the Sea God might not have been possible.
Their conflict was irreconcilable, so the Deep Sea Demon Whale King wouldn't go to him for verification.
In the soul beast world, those who knew about the divine realm weren't limited to Di Tian. There was also the third-ranked ferocious beast on the list, the Snow Empress—Heavenly Snow Woman.
She had once assisted the Ice God, but after the Ice God ascended to the divine realm, she wasn't taken along.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's cultivation was terrifying, and in just three days, he arrived at the Far North.
Di Tian possessed the Dragon God bloodline and could easily defeat the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, but the Snow Empress couldn't.
Though she was an ice nature spirit born in the Far North and could draw upon the region's power, the gap of 300,000 years of cultivation couldn't be bridged by environmental forces alone.
The moment the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's presence appeared, the entire Far North was put on high alert.
The Snow Empress personally blocked his path, intending to uncover the reason for his visit.
At the same time, the people of the Snow Mountain Sect, who had relocated to a new sect base, also sensed the abnormality in the Far North.
Although they had moved, their exploration of the Far North hadn't slackened. They regularly sent large numbers of people into the region to investigate.
Tian Guozhen, who had obtained the Ice God's trial, was currently training in the Far North.
The leader of the Snow Mountain Sect's expedition immediately made arrangements. "Report this matter back to the sect immediately. The young master may be in danger—we must enter the Far North to rescue him."
Meanwhile, the Snow Mountain Sect's Elder was in the Ice Plains Town.
Upon receiving the news, he would soon arrive to join them.
…
Soul beasts had their own territories. The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's territory was the sea, and other soul beasts wouldn't dare trespass.
The Far North wasn't his territory, so naturally, he adhered to the rules of the soul beast world.
However, his urgent need for verification caused unnecessary trouble in his actions.
When he recounted Ning Tianchen's words, the Snow Empress didn't hesitate to confirm them.
Moreover, she elaborated further.
Back then, her relationship with the Ice God was far deeper than that between the Sea God and Xiao Bai. The Ice God had tried countless methods but failed to bring her to the divine realm, proving that living soul beasts couldn't enter the divine realm.
The Snow Empress also revealed that she couldn't survive the seventy-thousand-year heavenly tribulation. She had decided to offer herself as a sacrifice to Tian Guozhen, entering the divine realm as a soul ring.
The Ice God had said that only by doing this would she be reborn as a true divine beast in the divine realm, free from the threat of heavenly tribulations.
Upon hearing this, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King nodded heavily and clasped his hands in gratitude.
The Snow Empress was also a soul beast—there was no reason for her to deceive him in such matters.
Since the Snow Empress had chosen to sacrifice herself, he needed to carefully consider his own options.
On his way back to the sea, his speed unconsciously slowed.
He was pondering why the divine realm rejected soul beasts, whether he should sacrifice himself to Ning Tianchen, and how to ensure the other party wouldn't break their promise after the sacrifice.
...
The aura of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King had somewhat receded, but the more powerful soul beasts could still sense his presence.
Di Tian had not yet awakened, but the Myriad Beast King appeared voluntarily to investigate.
After all, the strength of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King was beyond their ability to challenge, and his erratic behavior posed a potential threat.
If he caused a major disaster in the human world, it would bring catastrophic consequences for the soul beast race.
During this era, several inheritors of godhood had already emerged on the Douluo Continent.
If these individuals joined forces to oppose the soul beast race, not even Di Tian—let alone his master behind the scenes—could withstand such an onslaught.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King had no patience to waste time with idle chatter. After explaining that he was merely passing through, he paid no heed to whether the other party followed him or not.
The Myriad Beast King didn't dare let his guard down. He trailed the Deep Sea Demon Whale King to the coastline, confirming that he was heading toward the deep sea before finally leaving with relief.
On the ocean's surface, Ning Tianchen had already been cultivating for ten days.
With the aid of the power from the mark, he successfully broke through to Level 90. All that remained was obtaining a soul ring to officially become a Title Douluo.
Upon returning to the Demon Whale Sea and seeing Ning Tianchen, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King couldn't help but sneer. "Can't your god's methods remove my mark?"
The fact that Ning Tianchen had stayed in one place to cultivate surprised him somewhat.
Ning Tianchen shrugged. "Without you here, the Demon Whale Sea is the safest place in the world. Why would I leave? Moreover, I haven't deceived you—why would I flee?"
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King made no comment.
Ning Tianchen continued, "You haven't sought retribution, so I assume you've already obtained the answers you wanted. Have you considered my proposal?"
"How can I trust you?" the Deep Sea Demon Whale King countered.
Before this, they had never met.
To expect him to hand over his soul rings and soul bones based on a few words was absolutely impossible.
After more than ten days of contemplation, Ning Tianchen had already prepared countless arguments in his mind, which now came into play.
"It's only natural for you to have reservations about our first collaboration."
"I won't force cooperation upon you. Your soul rings and soul bones are merely a bonus for me."
"Of course, whether we cooperate or not, the Sea God remains my potential enemy. It has nothing to do with anyone else—challenging him serves my own interests."
Ning Tianchen spoke at length.
In summary, whether the Deep Sea Demon Whale King chose to sacrifice himself or not wouldn't significantly impact his future.
After completing the nine trials, the assistance of soul skills would be negligible. Even a hundred-thousand-year soul ring would pale in comparison.
After all, in battles between god-level beings, divine techniques and divine artifacts were the key factors.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King waved his hand dismissively. "If that's the case, you may leave. Next time we meet, don't expect me to be this courteous."
Ning Tianchen wasn't surprised.
Convincing the other party with mere words alone had been overly optimistic on his part.
As for the seventh trial, he already had a plan.
His target was the two hundred-thousand-year soul beasts deep within the Star Dou Forest.
With the Seven Kill Sword hovering beneath his feet, he flew at incredible speed toward the Manta Ray.
Seeing the other party disappear into the distance with no intention of looking back, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King finally began to believe Ning Tianchen's words.
They hadn't known each other beforehand, and after rejecting Ning Tianchen's proposal, the latter indeed had no reason to stay.
As Ning Tianchen had said, even without his soul rings and soul bones, hunting other hundred-thousand-year soul rings would still yield excellent results.
Suddenly, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King realized that he couldn't afford to wait any longer.
According to what the Snow Empress had said, encountering heavenly tribulation was inevitable for soul beasts. Whether he accepted it or not, it would eventually come.
A thousand years was but the blink of an eye to him, but who could guarantee that another inheritor of godhood would appear on the continent a thousand years later—and that this inheritor would offer the same conditions?
With this thought in mind, he suddenly appeared, blocking Ning Tianchen's path forward.
Ning Tianchen's eyes narrowed in caution. "What is it, sir?"
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King wasn't someone to be trifled with—he had to tread carefully.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King raised his head, gazed at the azure sky, and his attitude abruptly shifted. "I've made up my mind."
"What do you mean?" Ning Tianchen asked in confusion.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King burst into laughter, his voice echoing across the ocean, lingering for a long time.
"Heaven truly favors you humans. I've cultivated in the ocean for hundreds of thousands of years, yet in the end, I'm no match for a human who has trained for mere decades."
"Heaven is unjust. I have no attachment left to this world. After I die, you may take some flesh and blood from my corpse—but don't take it all."
As soon as he finished speaking, a pillar of golden light shot straight into the sky.
His hundred-thousand-year cultivation ignited in this moment, and rumbling thunder echoed high above, like a mournful dirge.
Ning Tianchen understood—the other party had made his final decision.
"Remember your promise. The Sea God is my lifelong enemy—kill him for me."
Ning Tianchen smiled and responded, "I think, if there's a chance in the future, you should avenge yourself personally."
"Hahaha, good."
The laughter gradually faded as the Deep Sea Demon Whale King transformed into his true form, his entire body radiating brilliant golden light.
The light enveloped Ning Tianchen, and on the ninth soul ring position of the Seven Kill Sword, a dazzling golden soul ring began to form.
The commotion caused by the sacrifice of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast was immense, visible even from thousands of miles across the sea.
Everyone aboard the Manta Ray couldn't help but marvel at the sight.
"Goodness, what did Brother Tianchen do? I seem to feel the presence of a god."
"That power is incredibly strong, yet it harbors no malice."
Ning Rongrong was utterly astonished.
Feng Xiaotian and the others were similarly astounded.
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