Lan Fozi's heart was filled with worry; she knew hatred had thoroughly twisted her mother's mind, making her mad and reckless.
She feared her mother would face divine punishment from endless hatred and slaughter, leaving her alone and helpless.
"Didn't I tell you not to follow? You won't listen to me anymore." Seeing her daughter follow, the Demon Empress's face turned cold instantly.
Though blinded by hatred, deep down she didn't want Lan Fozi involved in this dangerous revenge.
If her daughter wanted a quiet life, let her hide peacefully in the deep sea, away from strife and killing, not drawn into her hateful world.
Scolded by the Demon Empress, Lan Fozi instinctively shrank back; she feared her mother's angry, icy gaze that could freeze everything.
Even so, she mustered courage and stubbornly said, "Mother, it's been ten thousand years. Stop the killing; it'll bring divine punishment."
"Divine punishment? Hahaha, what a joke!" The Demon Empress scoffed at Lan Fozi's words, eyes full of disdain.
"This world is survival of the fittest. Your father never offended humans; he stayed in his place, never invading the continent or humans. Yet, because Sea God Tang San coveted his soul ring and soul bone, he was cruelly killed."
"Our Deep Sea Demonic Whale clan devours sea soul beasts—it's part of nature, like wolves eating sheep or humans eating meat. What's wrong with that?"
"The Demon Soul Great White Shark clan is extremely bloodthirsty; they've killed no fewer sea soul beasts, yet have they faced divine punishment?"
"Humans hunt soul beasts for soul rings, killing billions—have they faced divine punishment?"
The Demon Empress believed Deep Sea Demonic Whales were essential to natural balance, limiting marine overpopulation, a part of the planet's natural selection, its favored children—how could they face divine punishment?
Moreover, now wielding lightning authority, she felt she was divine punishment itself—why fear it?
Lan Fozi's face twisted bitterly at her mother's words.
Her mother didn't believe in retribution, and her twisted logic seemed somewhat reasonable upon reflection.
In debates with her mother, Lan Fozi never won.
Besides, hatred had warped her mother's mind; even the sincerest advice was hard to accept, let alone from a daughter sheltered in the deep sea with little worldly experience.
"Don't follow me anymore. Go back and stay put." The Demon Empress coldly tossed out the words and headed toward the Douluo Continent without looking back.
According to that woman Mobius's intelligence, Sea God Tang San was preoccupied and unable to oversee the Douluo Continent.
She no longer needed to hide in fear daily.
Before, due to Sea God Tang San's power, despite her hatred, she buried it deep, hiding with her daughter in the ocean's depths, cautiously building strength, waiting for revenge.
Now, she felt that ten-thousand-year wait had finally arrived!
Lan Fozi watched her mother's receding figure, face full of helplessness.
She knew her mother's mind was set, but as a daughter, she couldn't watch her sink into hatred's abyss toward ruin.
After hesitating, determination filled her eyes. Even if she couldn't stop her, she couldn't rest easy. She chased toward the Douluo Continent.
Though a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, Lan Fozi was worlds apart from the Demon Empress, even in speed.
She could only follow her mother's faint scent trail.
She knew she couldn't stop her mother's sins, but deep down hoped to save her if retribution came, even at life's cost.
After all, her mother was her only family; she couldn't abandon her.
The Demon Shark Sea, this vast ocean region, was the territory of one of the ocean's three overlords, the Demon Soul Great White Sharks.
It was also the richest sea area near the Douluo Continent.
As one of the three overlords, backed by the Sea God and serving as his mounts, the Demon Soul Great White Shark clan had defeated and driven out the other two—Deep Sea Demonic Whales and Evil Orca—over the ages.
Today, in the vast seas near the Douluo Continent, they held absolute dominance, unchallenged.
Even clans with hundred-thousand-year soul beasts dared not provoke them or approach the Demon Shark Sea.
The clan was naturally bloodthirsty and fierce, and with the Sea God as backing, they roamed the ocean unchecked.
At this moment, a slender, silver-white small Demon Soul Great White Shark quietly left the Demon Shark Sea, embarking on another runaway adventure.
"Hmph, Mom treats me like a kid even though I'm grown and nearly breaking through to a hundred thousand years."
A crisp, bell-like girl's voice rang over the sea as the small shark swam swiftly, tracing a dreamy silver line through the sparkling waters.
"That girl Xiuxiu ran away again!"
A nearly hundred-meter-long Demon Soul Great White Shark with a powerful aura surfaced, eyes full of indulgence, gazing toward Bai Xiuxiu's direction.
From its aura and size, it was clearly a male over a hundred thousand years old.
"Let her go; she won't run far. That girl is such a handful—as princess of the Demon Soul Great White Shark clan, she inherited none of our warlike nature. She's a total weakling, can't even beat lower-cultivated sea soul beasts!"
A larger, more ferocious and noble Demon Soul Great White Shark surfaced, tone laced with helplessness.
As the Demon Soul Great White Shark King, her daughter Bai Xiuxiu was a rare variant with ice attributes, allowing her to dominate the ocean.
Yet, this unique little princess disliked fighting, brimming with curiosity about the world, her innocent demeanor like a naive human child.
In this fight-loving, aggressive clan, Bai Xiuxiu's personality was an outlier.
Without her princess status, she'd have been ruthlessly abandoned.
"It's good she's leaving now; I have a bad premonition about this Holy Grail War and Sea God inheritance—it's too strange!"
The Demon Soul Great White Shark King, Xiao Bai, had fought alongside Sea God Tang San ten thousand years ago, defeating the Evil Orca King and Deep Sea Demonic Whale King.
After that battle, she gained immense benefits, her cultivation rocketing; now she was a true ferocious beast.
Her strength matched Douluo Continent's top ten ferocious beasts, though slightly below the top three.
If ocean soul beasts were included in rankings (which focused on land ones), she'd compete for top five.
After Sea God Tang San ascended, the once-glorious Sea God Island faded.
To show loyalty, Xiao Bai led her clan to build a grand Sea God Temple underwater in the Demon Shark Sea, devoutly worshiping the Sea God and gathering faith power from countless deep-sea soul beasts.
Thus, for ten thousand years, they maintained close ties with the Sea God.
Yet, for such a major event as passing down the position, they—as his mounts—received no word.
In this eerie situation, Xiao Bai felt a strong ill omen; her sharp intuition warned of impending disaster!
Suddenly, the clear sky darkened with gathering black thunderclouds, threatening to devour the heavens.
Dazzling lightning flashed like silver serpents, deafening thunder rolling in, each boom pounding Xiao Bai's heart, making it skip beats.
"This aura—Deep Sea Demonic Whale King? Impossible; I saw him killed by the Sea God!"
Accompanying the sudden storm was a heart-palpitating terror aura.
It seemed from ancient times, carrying endless malice and oppression.
Xiao Bai was all too familiar with it—the signature of the Deep Sea Demonic Whales, once one of the ocean's three overlords.
Though all three were overlords, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale was the true king, claiming the throne single-handedly unlike the clustered Evil Orcas and Demon Soul Great White Sharks.