A creature moved through the sea at incredible speed. Each stroke of its fins displaced a massive volume of water; everything was swept away by the motion of its colossal body, which surpassed even that of Ao Ziyun. It looked like a great whale; its body was covered in an extremely oily skin, it had six pairs of fins, and in its mouth were two large curved tusks.
It released a murderous aura as it sped northward.
"I've found him… I won't let him reach the worms' territory…"
Its voice echoed through the region like a deep, guttural roar.
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Hai Shan was entering her cave at the bottom of the valley when she felt a powerful aura pass over the valley, quickly heading in the same direction Ao Ziyun had gone.
"That aura… that dragon is unlucky."
The aura was familiar to Hai Shan; it belonged to an elder of the Sea Roar Beast Clan, a Saint Beast at the Revolving core realm.
------
"Strange, I'm feeling uneasy."
It had been a few minutes since he had left the moray's valley. Ao Ziyun didn't know why, but he had been feeling a bad premonition ever since leaving that place. Since his transmigration, he hadn't felt anything like this.
"No matter, I just need to move faster." He felt his entire body go on high alert. By reflex, he looked back.
He saw a massive silhouette in the distance.
"A whale?" He didn't have time to keep wondering; every part of his body screamed at him to defend himself as quickly as possible. Instantly, he coiled himself up completely, resembling a serpent.
The silhouette opened its mouth and let out a thunderous roar. It wasn't a simple roar, it was imbued with the power of the Concept of Vibration. The sound of the roar spread with extraordinary speed and force; the water molecules vibrated with an intensity never seen before. The temperature rose rapidly, heating everything in its path.
The shockwave struck Ao Ziyun like a bomb. He felt his entire body shake; the wave tore through his protective layer of true essence and scales, hitting directly at his internal organs. He trembled all over, even his brain felt like it was rattling inside his skull.
"Damn it!" His vision was trembling. "Cowa—"
Ao Ziyun heard a buzzing sound followed by a loud crash.
Boom!
The seabed shook from the impact, lifting a great cloud of dust. A massive crater formed in the crust, and at its center was Ao Ziyun.
Ao Ziyun quickly got up and used [Divine Thunder Step] to get out of the crater as fast as possible. His decision proved wise when a shockwave struck the crater right after he escaped.
Boom!
An even larger cloud of dust rose; in just those few attacks, the geography of the area had already been overturned.
Ao Ziyun moved away and assessed his condition. The first attack hadn't been able to injure him, though it had broken through his defense, it only stunned him, leaving an opening for the second strike. That one, however, did cause injuries: several of his scales had cracked from the headbutt and the violent impact with the seafloor.
From this distance, he could get a clear view of the beast. 'What kind of creature is that…? Could it be one of the Sea Roar Beasts? Despite its enormous body, it's incredibly fast. In the time between the first attack hitting me and now, it managed to close the distance in the blink of an eye and strike again. If I hadn't reacted fast enough, I would've taken a third hit.'
That wasn't the main problem, though, it had a higher cultivation than his, likely an early Revolving core beast.
Despite surpassing his reaction speed, he was still relatively intact after enduring two consecutive blows.
While Ao Ziyun was thinking, the beast attacked again, lunging at him with its tusks.
He sensed danger and immediately used the fifth skill of the [Purple Flood Dragon Divine Ability].
[Purple Thunder Armor]
It was a martial ability that used his thunder soul to cover his entire body, raising his defensive capabilities to a superior level. It also served as a kind of spiked armor against opponents who relied on physical attacks.
In addition, it had an extra effect, increasing his speed!
With that boost of speed, he managed to dodge the charge just in time. His body coiled around the Sea Roar Beast like a constrictor serpent. His jaws opened wide, and he bit into its neck.
Crack!
His teeth cracked as he bit down. 'Impossible! In his memories, he had never encountered anything so hard that he couldn't bite through and tear apart with the strength of his jaws!'
"Worm! Until you reach the Revolving core Realm, don't even think about breaking through my skin with those useless teeth!" the beast finally spoke. But he had no time to reply, it swam downward toward the seafloor and flipped its body against him. Ao Ziyun, still coiled around it, took the full brunt of the impact, crushed between its body and the ground.
"Argh!"
Ao Ziyun spat out blood.
[Thunder Dominion]
Ao Ziyun unleashed his thunder soul to its limit. Currents surged through his entire body and erupted outward as a field of force; thousands of purple lightning bolts spread through the water. Everything within a vast area was struck, including the Sea Roar Beast entangled with him.
Roar!!
The beast roared as loud as thunder and pulled away from the seabed, giving Ao Ziyun space to retreat.
His broken teeth fell out, and a new row grew in their place in the blink of an eye. 'Its skin is too tough; even my bite reinforced by the [Purple Thunder Armor] couldn't pierce it. That means my claws will have a similar result.'
The beast roared again and attacked with a sound wave far more powerful and faster than the previous ones. Ao Ziyun had no time to dodge and was struck.
"Argh!!"
The beast wasted no time and followed up immediately, its tail hit Ao Ziyun like a massive slap, sending him crashing once more toward the seabed. This time, before hitting the ground, he used [Divine Thunder Step] to propel himself in another direction, narrowly avoiding another shockwave.
For the next three minutes, they continued to battle. Dozens of blows were exchanged; both sides had their share of hits, but it was clear that Ao Ziyun was falling behind. The [Purple Flood Dragon Divine Ability] wasn't enough to bridge the gap in cultivation.
'That bastard! My first battle since transmigrating, and I'm getting beaten up. None of my direct physical attacks are having any real effect, and my true essence is depleting rapidly. I can't prolong this fight.' Ao Ziyun grit his teeth.
He had tried to escape several times, but that damned creature was just as fast as he was. He was relying entirely on the practical experience he had gained from improving the [Purple Flood Dragon Divine Ability] to keep fighting until now.
Even though it had originally been a technique created just to test the system, it was proving extremely useful. If he hadn't created it and come to the South Sea in his earlier state, he would have been doomed. Who could have imagined he'd be attacked by a Revolving Core beast on the way?