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The Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale's roar shook sea and sky like a madman thrashing in its death throes before a great tribulation. Not a trace remained of the silver-haired woman's former purity and gentle grace.
Even among Auspicious Beasts, a chasm existed. The Emperor Destiny Beast governed the fate of all spirit beasts. Heavenly tribulations could not touch it. The Golden Tortoise's limit lay at two hundred thousand years. The Azure Sea Silver Dragon Whale sat between those two extremes. Without seeking change, relying on its own strength alone, it would never overcome its fifth great tribulation.
The Azure Sea Silver Dragon Whale possessed a wisp of Silver Dragon bloodline, the only reason it had broken through all the way to 490,000 years of cultivation. Meanwhile, the Ice Jade Scorpion Empress in the neighboring Extreme North, despite possessing Ultimate Ice, had been helpless against even her 400,000-year tribulation.
Great Beasts lived for hundreds of thousands of years. None were willing to fall beneath a tribulation. That was why, in another timeline, the Ice Empress had agreed to become an Intelligent Spirit Ring. The Azure Sea Silver Dragon Whale had chosen a different path. It had discarded its identity as an Auspicious Beast and resolutely fallen to evil, transforming into the Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale. It devoured every living thing in the Silver Whale Sea Region to strengthen its origin.
With such tyrannical strength, it had naturally drawn down the Sea God's execution order. At first, it had only wanted to survive. Ling Bai was not in its sights at all.
But Ling Bai's annihilation of the Demon Soul Great White Shark clan had shaken the seas. News spread swiftly from the Green Fish Sea Region to the Silver Whale Sea Region through the mouths of sea spirit beasts, drawing the Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale's attention. It sank into the deep and observed in secret.
That observation changed everything. Drawing on the bloodline gifts of an Auspicious Beast, the whale abruptly realized that Ling Qiuxi was actually the Emperor Destiny Beast, the one and only Destiny Divine Beast in all the world!
The Sea God's orders meant nothing to it, but the Emperor Destiny Beast was another matter entirely. With destiny's power shielding it, the Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale would become overlord of the ocean, the Beast God Di Tian of the seas!
Its plan to lure Ling Bai and Ling Qiuxi into the deep sea for an ambush had fallen through, but this fallen Auspicious Beast could no longer restrain the evil desire burning in its heart. The boundary between sky and ocean blurred. The sea rioted as never before!
Wild winds rose without warning. Dark clouds thick as ink swallowed the last sliver of moonlight, as if every calamity and fear in the world had gathered into this single moment. Undercurrents surged beneath the surface, massing into a tsunami strong enough to swallow Silver Whale Island whole!
"The Azure Sea Silver Dragon Whale… has abandoned its believers…"
The High Priestess knelt before the statue, staring up at the gentle, beautiful face carved in stone. The old woman, well over a century in age, suddenly looked like a lost child.
The rest of the fishing village felt the same crushing disbelief. The Azure Sea Silver Dragon Whale, guardian of their ancestors for generations, was now bent on annihilating Silver Whale Island. Their hearts turned to dead ash. Their eyes went hollow.
The first deafening boom rolled across the sea. A tsunami like an enraged dragon tore free of the deep, hurtling toward fragile Silver Whale Island with world-ending momentum. Before that apocalyptic wall of water, humans seemed impossibly small and helpless.
Seawater rushed to drown the land. Just as the island was about to sink, blinding light sliced through the night. Brilliant golden sword-light cut across the sky like a bolt of white silk and met the tsunami head-on.
Time seemed to freeze. Only the soul-shaking roar of impact and that dazzling brilliance remained. Wherever the sword-light passed, the tsunami split cleanly in two. Towering waves tumbled and seethed but could no longer advance even half a step.
"It's no longer the Azure Sea Silver Dragon Whale. Its name now is the Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale."
Ling Bai's gaze swept across the villagers. His cold voice snapped every despairing soul awake.
The Azure Sea Silver Dragon Whale's fall to evil had wounded its believers most deeply of all. They stared blankly at the Seraphim whose body shone with gold.
Disaster had come, yet the one who saved them was not the Azure Sea Silver Dragon Whale, nor the lofty Sea God, but the very Seraphim the Sea God had branded the Demon of the Sea!
"The ocean's power is inexhaustible! Seraphim, Emperor Destiny Beast, you'll both become nourishment for my invincibility!"
The Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale raged in half-mad frenzy, whipping up an even more terrifying tsunami.
"Should we fuse?"
Ling Qiuxi flew to Ling Bai's side. Her brilliant golden eyes reflected Silver Whale Island rocking beneath wind and rain as she spoke, solemn and cool.
The Silver Dragon bloodline granted it control over water. In the ocean, the Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale was far harder to deal with than Demon Soul Great White Sharks or Evil Spirit Orcas of the same rank. Even if they killed it, that massive tsunami could very well swallow Silver Whale Island whole.
"Qiuxi, ever heard the saying? Technology changes the world."
Ling Bai looked down at the Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale churning up waves, his voice perfectly composed—right up until an elbow jabbed mercilessly into his side.
Ling Qiuxi harrumphed. Who are you trying to impress!
"Give me one minute."
Ling Bai rubbed his aching side. His angelic wings gave a light beat as illusory violet light flared along his left leg.
The Harbinger Zhen Left Leg Spirit Bone's two great skills activated at once!
Traceless Phantom! Void!
The Seraphim's speed stacked atop Traceless Phantom was beyond perception. Under Void's effect, he ignored the water curtain surrounding the Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale and flew straight to the space above its blowhole!
He brushed a hand across his Storage Spirit Guidance Device. An iron-gray box dropped into his palm. Inside lay a slender shell, quietly emanating a keen aura like charging heavy cavalry. That edge hammered against the surface of his Spiritual Sea.
A Duskwater Alliance product. A Class 9 Stationary Spirit Cannon Shell. Annihilation Storm!
"Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale, I really didn't want it to come to this.
But who told you to grow such a big hole on your body…"
Ling Bai pressed both hands to the Annihilation Storm and fed a thread of spirit power into it, activating the core array inside. Terrifying pressure exploded outward. The Class 9 shell blazed with light, swallowing and spitting out a deep metallic gleam.
"Bombing fish. I like it."
He took aim, leaned back, and threw, all in one smooth motion!
The Annihilation Storm plunged straight into the Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale's blowhole. The great beast jolted in shock, its black-red pupils trembling. An ear-piercing, twisted female voice rang out over the sea:
"Seraphim! You—what did you throw into my body?!"
"Goodbye."
Ling Bai tossed a jaunty wave and shot into the clouds without sparing a backward glance. Cool guys didn't look at explosions. Besides, one more second and he would be caught in the blast radius!
The Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale felt violent energy surge inside it. It didn't know what a Class 9 Stationary Spirit Cannon Shell was, but that bone-deep chill was no illusion. Panic flooded through it as it mobilized all its spirit power, desperately trying to expel the Annihilation Storm.
Ling Bai had long since anticipated this. As he fled to a safe distance, his first spirit ring lit up.
Radiant Spirit Array: Seal!
"No… no… NO!"
The seven-pointed star array sealed the blowhole shut. Beneath the Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale's despairing wail, the Class 9 Stationary Spirit Cannon Shell, Annihilation Storm, detonated inside its body!
Class 9 Stationary Spirit Cannon Shells were the most destructive Class 9 Spirit Guidance Devices in existence. Each shell possessed unique abilities. Starsky Douluo Ye Yulin's Space Destroyer could create spatial rifts and borrow the power of space to annihilate enemies. Annihilation Storm was pure, concentrated destruction!
High heat! High pressure! Devastation!
BOOM—
After the thunderous detonation, the Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale's massive body tore open. A gaping hole ripped through its entire chest and abdomen as though a circular window had been carved straight through the flesh. Blood and gore sprayed in every direction, and a torrent of crimson instantly stained the sea around Silver Whale Island red!
The tsunami vanished. The Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale stared at the Seraphim descending from the sky. Its black-red eyes filled with regret, but that regret was already being replaced by the stillness of death. It seemed to want to say something. Its great maw opened and closed, yet only scarlet blood gushed forth.
It was far too late. Annihilation Storm had shattered every internal organ, heart included. Forget a 490,000-year Great Beast. Even the Beast God Di Tian would face nothing but death after suffering such grievous wounds.
Before the Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale could draw its last breath, Ling Bai ended its life with the Angel Sword. Even an evil spirit beast shouldn't go to waste!
"You're ruthless enough."
Ling Qiuxi drifted over to him and raised her thumb in sincere admiration. A Class 9 Stationary Spirit Cannon Shell straight into a whale spirit beast's blowhole. He had actually discovered such a niche attack vector!
If word of this spread across the ocean, every whale that saw Ling Bai would cover its blowhole and flee for its life!
"Finish early, go home early. No point dragging things out."
Ling Bai's eyes shone with pure delight. No wonder the Sun Moon Empire churned out Class 9 shells like mad. These things really were satisfying to use!
Find the weak spot, one shot down the hatch, and a Great Beast was done in under a minute!
Once he got home, he would definitely push Lin Jiaran to make more!
If push came to shove, he could always go 'borrow' a dozen shells from the Sun Moon Empire and start blasting!
A blood-red spirit ring rose into the air. Four golden stripes proclaimed the Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale's vast aura. Even the ocean seemed to quail before it.
The Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale was a fallen Auspicious Beast with dual Evil and Water attributes. Its 490,000 years of cultivation made it perfectly suited to become the Death Abyss Spider Emperor's eighth spirit ring.
Ling Bai sat cross-legged atop the whale's corpse. Gray light from the eight Death Abyss Spider Lances spread like a greedy maw, baring its fangs at the Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale.
The whale had died in such an aggrieved, miserable way that its resentment could have sustained eight Evil Sword Immortals. Naturally, it refused to submit quietly. Then the Death Abyss Spider Emperor gave it a thorough beating at the soul level, and it obediently fused.
Gray, Red, Red, Red, Red, Red, Purple-Gold, Red!
The Death Abyss Spider Emperor's eight spirit rings shone brilliantly. In terms of ring years, its configuration was even more luxurious than the Seraphim's.
At long last, both of Ling Bai's Martial Spirits had complete spirit ring sets. Only after condensing Yin-Yang Complement Twin Spirit Cores could each absorb its ninth ring.
One whale falls, ten thousand things live. Ling Bai began harvesting the treasures within the Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale's body. He started with a violent cranial opening. A rich, intense fragrance wafted from the whale's brain. In the distance, Ling Qiuxi took several deep sniffs, her heart and mind at ease, as if drifting among clouds.
This was the scent of the Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale's brain. Pure gold in color, paste-like in consistency, it resembled molten gold. Ling Qiuxi unconsciously swallowed and declared from the bottom of her heart:
"If this whale lived in the Star Dou Forest, I could eat them to extinction!"
The Emperor Destiny Beast's personal seal of approval. An unparalleled delicacy!
Ling Bai pulled out two jade bottles and carefully collected every last trace of the whale brain, then tossed one bottle to the eager-eyed Ling Qiuxi with visible disdain.
Whale Rubber was the ultimate treasure extracted from whale brain, essentially a concentrated essence of it. Ling Bai looked at the jade bottle of 490,000-year whale brain and said with lingering trepidation:
"When I was eight and ate 10,000-year Whale Rubber, the sensation is still fresh in my memory.
490,000-year Whale Rubber... a young person eating that would explode on the spot."
Whale Rubber had an extremely powerful nourishing effect on Spirit Masters. It could strengthen the durability and resilience of muscles, bones, and meridians, raising one's spirit ring tolerance threshold.
Ancient factions with deep foundations would purchase Whale Rubber from sea Spirit Masters for their young geniuses. Ling Bai had long since passed that age and cultivation level. Whale Rubber of this supreme quality would be saved for the next generation.
At the center of the whale's skull sat a fist-sized orb flowing with silver light. The Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale's Whale Pearl.
Whale Pearls and Shark Pearls were similar to an inner core, much like the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's core or the dragon clan's dragon pearls, storing vast quantities of energy.
Killing the Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale and absorbing its 490,000-year spirit ring had pushed Ling Bai's spirit power accumulation even further. Combined with the Spectral Demiplane's reserve rations, he was more or less ready for Yin-Yang Complement Twin Spirit Cores.
The Demon Soul Great White Shark King's Shark Pearl and the Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale's Whale Pearl could have their energy extracted to condense his third spirit core.
Spirit ring, whale brain, Whale Pearl... next came the spirit bone. Ling Bai slashed the whale in half at the waist with a single sword stroke. A silver-black skeletal structure soared into the air, ribs and other bones still connected. It was clearly an exceptionally complete torso bone.
A 490,000-year Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale Torso Spirit Bone!
The spirit bone was flecked with intermingled specks of silver and black light. It looked as delicate as if carved from crystal, and energy on its surface had formed a miniature spirit power vortex.
The Sea-Swallowing Evil Dragon Whale and Death Abyss Spider Emperor were compatible, but Ling Bai felt the Blood Red Nine-Headed Bat King would be even more suitable in both attributes and cultivation.
In any case, once a spirit bone was in his pocket it wouldn't grow legs and run. There was no need to rush.
When Ling Bai and Ling Qiuxi returned to Silver Whale Island, they found every fisherman kneeling in neat rows with the High Priestess at their head and Qin Hai and Qin Yu arrayed behind. They kowtowed in unison and spoke as one:
"Many thanks to the Seraphim for saving Silver Whale Island!"
"No need."
Ling Bai used his spirit power to help the villagers to their feet. These people were far too formal, kneeling at the drop of a hat!
"Big Brother Ling, look at the thank-you gift we prepared for you!" Qin Yu grabbed his hand and dragged him straight to the village center.
Ling Bai's eyelid twitched violently. While he had been absorbing his spirit ring, the Azure Sea Silver Dragon Whale's humanoid statue had been replaced with one of him, holding the Angel Sword aloft, cleaving through a tsunami with a single strike!
"Ta-da! My grandpa's handiwork is pretty good, right?"
At his granddaughter's proud declaration, Qin Hai rubbed his fish spear in embarrassment.
"The Azure Sea Silver Dragon Whale fell to evil. Silver Whale Island had to change its name. We voted unanimously to rename it Angel Island.
To commemorate our rebirth and show our gratitude for the Seraphim's grace, we will pray to the heavens on this day every year!"
"Aren't you all... a bit too efficient?" Ling Bai didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The villagers nodded vigorously. That's right, we've switched allegiances!
At daybreak, under the warm send-off of Angel Island's people, Ling Bai and Ling Qiuxi departed aboard the Black Pearl. Before leaving, they gave the islanders some Sun Moon Empire Spirit Guidance Devices to help guard their home.
...
One month later, in the Evil Spirit Sea Region.
Evil Spirit Orcas floated on the surface as far as the eye could see, bodies scattered in every direction. Their corpses dyed the sea blood-red.
Crack, crack, crack—
Ling Bai descended from the sky. His left hand fell on the Evil Spirit Orca King's forehead. Ultimate Ice rushed into the depths of its bloodline, and ice climbed instantly across its body, transforming it into a lifelike sculpture.
Empress' Palm: Snowless Glacier!
Nearby, Ling Qiuxi walked across the waves, dragging several unconscious 80,000 to 90,000-year Evil Spirit Orcas behind her.
Ling Bai froze them one by one, opened the Spectral Gate, and tossed both the Evil Spirit Orcas and their king into the Spectral Demiplane.
The Black Pearl had followed its set route for a full month. Along the way, they had captured twelve 100,000-year sea spirit beasts, among them regional overlords and a few fools who had traveled thousands of miles to deliver themselves at the Sea God's command.
One every two and a half days on average. The strongest had been this 300,000-year Evil Spirit Orca King.
The 100,000-year sea spirit beasts Ling Bai froze would become spirit rings and spirit bones for Ling Qiuxi, Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and others in the future. High-ranking sea spirit beasts would serve as rewards for his subordinates.
The ocean covered seventy percent of Planet Douluo's surface. With Spirit Masters posing little threat to the deep-sea overlords, the ocean's resources exceeded Ling Bai's wildest imagination. Beyond 100,000-year spirit beasts, he had also harvested rare Heaven and Earth Treasures unique to the sea.
For example, the Blue Diamond Sea Region's overlord, the 180,000-year Blue Diamond Marlin, had been cultivating a 100,000-year Scarlet Gold Coral. It was much like the 100,000-year Snow Lotus the Snow Empress had nurtured, one that had never developed sentience.
The Blue Diamond Marlin had planned to devour the coral to survive its 200,000-year tribulation. Instead, both fish and coral ended up occupying premium seats in the Spectral Demiplane.
Thanks for the ocean's generosity!
After collecting their spoils, the two returned to the Black Pearl. In the wheelhouse, a Skeleton King controlled the ship, continuing toward the Extreme North.
Tireless spectral creatures were an exploiter's dream labor force!
Ling Bai glanced at the sea chart. "Once we pass through the Evil Spirit Sea Region, we'll reach the Extreme North Ice Sea ruled by the Mermaid clan.
I can sense two exceptionally powerful auras in the Extreme North Ice Sea. One should be the Sea Princess. The other is no weaker than her, possibly even stronger.
Sea spirit beasts have formed an alliance and are waiting in full battle array. The final obstacle before landfall won't be easy."
The Snow Empress's cool, clear voice echoed through his Spiritual Sea:
"Advance without worry. I will clear the ocean's obstacles for you."