Huo Yuhao and his team traveled northward from the bay region, leaving the mainland and entering the northern seas.
Once they had sailed far from the coastline and deeper into the northern ocean, the team began to detect a faint scent of blood in the air.
Over the calm surface of the sea, a metallic, bloody smell drifted faintly with the ocean breeze—subtle, but impossible to escape the keen senses of Titled Douluo.
Besides, not a single seabird could be seen overhead.
In an instant, everyone realized they had entered a dangerous zone and immediately heightened their alertness.
Previously, the sisters Li Jing and Li Ya had already shared their experiences and observations with the members of Shrek Academy.
The northern seas had now become a hunting ground for the monsters that had destroyed the Ice Sea. At any moment, these creatures could be lurking just below the surface.
A foreboding feeling crept into everyone's hearts.
Still, Huo Yuhao and his team wouldn't retreat easily. Even in the face of danger, they had to press north and investigate.
If they turned a blind eye now, and sea soul beasts later invaded the continent, it would be too late for regrets.
So they pressed on.
Still, they saw no signs of life. Not even the sea soul beasts that typically harassed soul tool ships. It was a stark contrast from the bay region.
The northern sea gave off a profound sense of lifelessness.
Meanwhile, within the fourth soul ring of the Hao Sovereign Banner—Blessings of Heaven and Earth—Li Jing and Li Ya were calmly staying beside Jin Qiu'er, observing the scenes outside.
Blessings of Heaven and Earth was modeled after the familiar core region of the Great Star Dou Forest, complete with the serene and beautiful Lake of Life.
The group sat by the lakeside, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
Jin Qiu'er, having reverted to her true form as the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, puffed on a cigar rolled by He Caitou while listening to the sisters recall their past life in the ocean.
At times, even Huo Yuhao felt a bit guilty—forcing someone who had just witnessed the genocide of her people to recount beautiful memories of the past.
"Rubbing salt into the wound" didn't quite capture the cruelty.
The more the sisters reminisced, the more sorrowful they became—but they dared not stop or show the slightest resentment.
Part of it was due to the oppressive aura of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, a beast regarded as the emperor among land soul beasts.
Though she was of the land, her imperial aura still suppressed even sea soul beasts—it just couldn't boost their cultivation.
The other part was that Huo Yuhao had told them their mother was still alive.
Though the sisters didn't dare delve too deeply into the truth, the mere sliver of hope was enough to keep them obedient and eager to curry favor with Huo Yuhao and Jin Qiu'er.
They were placed in this layer simply because Li Ya's soul ring was integrated with Jin Qiu'er's second martial soul. Otherwise, they would have been better suited to the icebound environment of Xue Di's Frost Realm, The fifth soul ring.
To them, Blessings of Heaven and Earth was simply too warm.
You could even see tiny pearls of sweat rolling from the corners of their eyes.
At the moment, the Lake of Life projected images of the outside world—but all they saw was endless sea. It had become monotonous.
Initially, Jin Qiu'er was curious about the sea, but after staring at the surface for so long, she'd grown bored. So she pulled the sisters into conversation about their past.
Thankfully, Huo Yuhao's voice soon echoed inside the space.
"Tell me about the sea," came his voice from above.
He wanted to learn more about the ocean. Memories relayed from his avatar alone weren't enough to provide a full understanding.
Li Jing and Li Ya exchanged a glance and visibly sighed in relief.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion narrowed her eyes. "What was that look? You got a problem with me?"
The sisters frantically shook their heads. "No, no! We wouldn't dare!"
Now they understood what it meant to serve a true tyrant.
Due to the aura of the Imperial Auspice Beast, none of the beast spirits in the Hao Sovereign Banner's various realms dared to cross her. And being a main soul spirit, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion ranked among the top, with maybe only eight equals within the banner.
Li Jing quickly began explaining what they knew about the sea, hoping to distract the lion—and it worked.
Li Ya assisted by adding details as needed.
According to them, while they weren't overly familiar with every part of the ocean, they did know that the seas were divided into various regions—like the Northern Sea, for instance.
The mermaid tribe they once sought to join was located outside the Northern Sea.
Even the Northern Sea itself was subdivided into multiple zones.
Their most in-depth knowledge was of the Ice Sea. For the others, they could only say they had visited, but had no deep understanding. Most of their memories were from over ten thousand years ago.
Still, one undeniable fact was that sea soul beasts were generally more powerful than their land-dwelling counterparts.
Even excluding beings like the Silver Dragon King—who didn't officially count—the ocean's strength far surpassed that of the land, even if one combined all the human empires together.
For example, just around the Ice Sea and its surrounding regions, there were more than a few beings as strong as Limit Douluo—some even stronger. Among them was the Sea Princess. In their aquatic environment, they were just as formidable as top-tier land Douluo.
The only reason sea soul beasts hadn't invaded the continent was simply because they preferred life in the ocean—and because there hadn't been a unifying leader in a long time.
The former Sea God Island could barely be considered a holy site—it never held absolute authority. At best, it commanded the loyalty of those sea soul beasts who still believed in the Sea God.
But as the Sea God's divine signs faded, the number of devout tribes declined. In many cases, their belief had become little more than lip service.
The Sea Princess's clan, however, still held strong faith. The mermaids had once received the Sea God's blessing, granting them the ability to awaken martial souls—like human soul masters. Thus, they were once known as "half-human, half-soul beasts."
At this point, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion perked up. "So, what are your martial souls?"
Li Jing and Li Ya looked visibly awkward but had no choice but to answer under pressure.
"Our Sea Princess clan is rather proud. We generally prefer not to rely on outside powers," Li Jing said tactfully.
Translation: They looked down on humans and refused to awaken human-style martial souls.
Given that Huo Yuhao was human, and the lion had taken human form, they weren't about to voice such thoughts openly.
Still, their explanation helped Huo Yuhao better understand the sea.
If there was one area where the ocean fell short of the land, it was in intelligent beings. The land had humans—capable of wisdom even without soul power—and thus capable of offering belief.
That's why both the Sea God, born of the ocean's faith, and the Angel God, born of human belief, were considered first-rank gods of equal standing.
Then Li Ya added, "Ten thousand years ago, there were quite a few powerful sea soul beasts in the Northern Sea, comparable to our mother. But one day, they were suddenly all slaughtered."
"Even so," she continued, "nothing matched the complete genocide that happened this time. No matter how strong or weak, every sea soul beast was wiped out."
Huo Yuhao grew interested. "Those powerful sea beasts were killed? Do you know why?"
Li Jing replied, "We don't know the details, but it's said a being who called himself the Demon Empress was responsible."
Li Ya added, "Most of the victims were devout followers of the Sea God. Our Ice Sea escaped probably because the soul beasts there were more discreet."
"The Demon Empress again, huh?"
Huo Yuhao sighed inwardly.
From the situation on that previous island, Huo Yuhao had already guessed that the Demon Empress might be hiding there.
Now, upon hearing the story of her massacre of sea spirit beasts, Huo Yuhao could only call it fate. It made him itch to face the Demon Empress himself.
To massacre sea spirit beasts who worshipped the Sea God—wasn't that clearly an act of vengeance against the Sea God?
Unable to find Tang Dog, she turned to his believers instead. Unfortunately, Tang Dog never appeared to protect them.
"Looks like I'll have to find a chance to give her a good pounding!"
...
They continued northward.
Huo Yuhao, Xian Lin'er, Cai Meier, and Han Ruoruo all remained alert, but along the way, they didn't encounter any danger.
Until their soul-guided ship entered a particular sea region—
The temperature plummeted.
Thankfully, the cold wasn't enough to harm a Titled Douluo.
"We should be in the territory of the Extreme North now. According to the intel from Li Jing and Li Ya, the Ice Sea is nearby," Cai Meier said.
"Based on their report, the Ice Sea suffered the worst disaster. Also, the Great Sage of the Vast Sea might be lurking in this area," Xian Lin'er added.
Hearing the name "Great Sage of the Vast Sea" made Huo Yuhao's toes curl with discomfort.
Then Xian Lin'er warned seriously:
"From here on out, we'll abandon the soul-guided ship to reduce exposure. If anything happens, we retreat immediately. Do not engage in battle."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Senior Sister Xian, Dean Cai, I'll let my Frost Centipede spirit go ahead to scout. It can shrink its size and won't be easily detected," Huo Yuhao suggested.
"Yuhao, your spirit is just so versatile," Cai Meier couldn't help but marvel again.
The four stowed away the soul-guided ship and continued flying at low altitude. Huo Yuhao's variant Frost Centipede shrank and scouted ahead.
Even without spirit possession, Huo Yuhao could now fly freely—it was a basic skill for Titled Douluo.
His speed was just a bit slower.
To most soul masters, the Extreme North was a largely unfamiliar place. Unless one needed spirit rings, they generally wouldn't enter its borders.
Because the environment was simply too harsh.
And too dangerous.
The cold and savage polar spirit beasts made the Extreme North arguably even more dangerous than the Star Dou Great Forest.
But Huo Yuhao had been here before. Now, he could pat his chest and tell any soul master: Aside from the cold, the Extreme North is so safe you could vacation here.
In the past, even the empires bordering the Extreme North didn't dare develop it. Instead, they had to prepare for the beast tide that could erupt from it.
Three of the four human empires bordered the Extreme North:
The Heaven Soul Empire bordered it directly to the north, with a vast frontier.
The Dou Ling Empire only touched the border at a few points.
The Sun Moon Empire's connection to the Extreme North wasn't land, but a glacial path formed over thousands of years.
So when the beast tide erupted from the Extreme North, only the Heaven Soul Empire took the full brunt. The Dou Ling and Sun Moon Empires suffered less.
The Ice Sea region sat westward, between the Sun Moon Empire and the sea. The eastern bay between the Sun Moon and Heaven Soul Empires was further east.
So it wasn't that the sea princesses had headed the wrong direction—they'd gone east because even more terrifying creatures occupied the west.
They had no choice.
The new sea spirit beast vassals they recruited were meant as meat shields—to stall the monsters when they fled westward.
They weren't the same species and had barely known each other. The sea princesses weren't going to pity those vassals.
...
Naturally, things weren't going to go smoothly for Huo Yuhao on this Ice Sea expedition.
Even with his Frost Centipede spirit scouting ahead...
Danger could come from below, behind—or even above!
Suddenly, all four in flight stopped simultaneously.
At the same instant, they each sensed an unusual shift in the atmosphere.
A sense of crisis filled their hearts.
And a heavy, suppressive pressure made them uneasy.
They looked around and had the Frost Centipede check the seafloor—nothing.
Then, a strange gale blew from above. All four looked up.
They saw a black dot falling from high above—getting bigger and bigger...
Until they saw clearly what it was.
Their pupils shrank in shock.
It was an iceberg wrapped in a tornado, crashing toward them from the sky!
"Dodge!" Xian Lin'er shouted.
The four fled at full speed, not daring to hesitate.
But the iceberg was too fast, and it was enormous. Just as they escaped the area it covered—
It slammed into the sea.
BOOM—
Heaven and earth seemed to change color.
A massive tidal wave surged toward them.
The sea transformed into a wild beast, waking from slumber, ready to devour them whole.
Seeing no time to escape, Huo Yuhao shouted:
"Forgive me!"
He reached out and pulled Xian Lin'er, Cai Meier, and Han Ruoruo into his arms.
Then, he unleashed his Ultimate Ice soul power, forming an icy sphere to enclose them all.
The sphere was flung skyward by the waves.
The tsunami spread far, finally fading into a white line at the edge of the horizon.
Only then did the ice sphere burst from the sea again.
It was no longer smooth—though it hadn't shattered, the impact had clearly taken its toll.
That wave wasn't much weaker than a typical 100,000-year soul skill—it just wasn't focused.
Fortunately, the ice sphere held.
Had it not been for Huo Yuhao's Ultimate Ice property, with its superior hardness, any other ice-using soul master would've seen their sphere shattered.
He broke the ice sphere, revealing the four in a disheveled heap—entangled awkwardly.
But no one cared.
They were all staring at the spot where the iceberg had fallen. The sea was now covered in shattered ice.
The iceberg had been completely destroyed.
But what truly stunned them was—who had thrown the iceberg?
The answer came swiftly.
In the distance, a strange spirit beast approached, walking across the sea.
It had a blue-green body: horse-like upper half, lower half composed of swirling wind and water elements.
It stood 20 meters tall above the waves.
Its aura clearly exceeded 200,000 years.
"So, you've finally come, humans!"
"I am the Storm Seahorse, one of the Twelve Demon Kings under the Great Sage of the Vast Sea. You may call me General Storm!"
"What? The two sea princesses didn't come with you?"
That's right—the Storm General was also under the control of the centipede demon. The same sinister aura emanated from him.
And Huo Yuhao could tell—it was the same Soul-Controlling Centipede as before.
The Storm Seahorse — its proper pronunciation isn't "Storm, Seahorse," but "Storm Sea, Horse."
The upper body resembles that of a powerful horse, while the lower body appears to be composed of water and wind elements. In truth, the Storm Seahorse has a serpentine lower half — a long tail capable of manipulating both water and wind. When stirred at high speed, it creates the illusion of an elemental body. This unique structure allows the Storm Seahorse to move rapidly through the ocean.
It possesses the power to whip up hurricanes at sea and can easily blow icebergs into the sky.
Because it enjoys stirring up storms on the ocean's surface to bring deep-sea fish to the surface for food, the area it inhabits is known as the "Storm Sea" — hence its name.
Though it's inferior to the once-proud Sea Princess Clan, the fact that it became a ferocious beast shows that its bloodline is exceptional.
Thus, the Storm Seahorse facing Xian Lin'er, Cai Mei'er, and Han Ruoruo alone might still manage a worthy fight.
Assuming Huo Yuhao isn't taken into account.
Inside the "Heaven's Blessing Domain," the mermaid sisters Li Jing and Li Ya gasped in recognition upon seeing the Storm Seahorse. Then, their expressions turned into gritted-teeth anger.
"It actually sided with those monsters? How dare it?!"
"Shameless traitor! Mother should've destroyed it completely back then!"
Hearing the sisters' curses, even the Three-Eyed Golden Lion paused mid-puff on its cigarette and asked curiously:
"You have a grudge?"
The sisters nodded in unison.
Li Jing: "Once, the Storm Seahorse stirred up a massive storm in the Ice Sea. Our mother caught it, and only spared it because it begged for mercy. It later became one of the subordinate soul beasts of our Sea Princess Clan."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion understood. No wonder the princesses were so enraged — the Storm Seahorse was a traitor.
"A traitor deserves death," it agreed — unaware of its own... questionable background.
The Storm Seahorse — or rather, Storm General — now showed clear hostility toward Xian Lin'er and her group.
But that hostility didn't extend to Huo Yuhao.
Soul-Stealing Centipede: Who dares bare their fangs at the Old Ancestor?
The reason they didn't log in with the "Hundred-Tentacle Demon Lord" account is because that demon lord's power has been almost completely depleted.
To escape from Huo Yuhao and Xian Lin'er's martial soul fusion technique, the demon lord paid a heavy price.
Even that outcome was only possible because Huo Yuhao warned them in advance.
The Demon Lord has a unique survival ability — it can abandon most of its body and power, transforming a single tentacle into a new form to escape death.
It's like tail-shedding to escape a predator, only much more extreme.
While this ability costs it most of its power, it was still enough to capture ordinary Sea Princesses and bring them back to the Ice Sea.
Back then, if Han Ruoruo hadn't held the mermaid sisters back, they might've stopped the demon lord and saved the others. At the very least, it couldn't have taken all of the Sea Princesses.
In short, the Demon Lord's account fulfilled its role — and is now sealed away in the food storage warehouse.
So, the Soul-Stealing Centipede switched to the Storm General account.
And there are more than ten of these accounts sitting in the warehouse!
Confronted with the Storm General's hostility, Xian Lin'er and the others were not intimidated.
"We don't know any Sea Princesses! Sea soul beast — you attacked us for no reason. Do you really think we're afraid to kill you?" Xian Lin'er denied the connection, testing whether the enemy actually knew anything about them.
"Don't know them? Heh, I can smell the Sea Princess scent on you! Especially on that perfect, handsome boy — he's even carrying Sea Princess soul energy!" the Storm General growled menacingly.
Huo Yuhao: "…"
Fortunately, no one had time to be distracted by the inappropriate phrasing.
Now that the enemy was clearly targeting them, there was no need for more tests.
Xian Lin'er gave Cai Mei'er a look.
In the next moment, the two charged forward.
"Attack!"
Huo Yuhao and Han Ruoruo also moved in.
Four Title Douluo struck at once — with two wielding Super Douluo-level power. Working together, they had a real chance of defeating the Storm General.
Seeing that they weren't fleeing but attacking, the Storm General let out a savage grin. His eyes glowed with bloodlust as he let out a sky-shaking roar:
"Storm Domain!!"
Wind and water elements surged, forming a domain that engulfed the four attackers, transforming into waterspouts that lashed out at them.
The Storm General's domain was more like a battlefield effect — a natural upgrade for powerful soul beasts.
Not all 100,000-year soul beasts gain domains, but those who break through to 200,000 years and become "fierce beasts" almost always do. This is because soul beast evolution depends greatly on bloodline — the stronger the bloodline, the higher their survival odds against heavenly tribulations.
And soul beasts with strong bloodlines awaken domains easily.
While the domain created some pressure for the four, it wasn't enough to guarantee the Storm General's victory.
Xian Lin'er and Cai Mei'er engaged the Storm General in close combat.
Huo Yuhao and Han Ruoruo stayed behind, aiming to control him.
Han Ruoruo's control abilities were top-tier. Known as the "First Control of the Inner Court," her nickname was "Golden Fairy."
While the front-liners fought, Han Ruoruo used her Shimmering Golden Rope to try binding the Storm General's front hooves.
Naturally, he wouldn't just sit still and let it happen. But suddenly, an icy burst of soul power exploded in the water beneath him — freezing his lower half in place.
It was Huo Yuhao, using his variant Frost Centipede martial soul to unleash his Ultimate Ice ability beneath the surface, freezing the water elements the Storm General had summoned.
This opening allowed the Golden Rope to successfully bind the front hooves.
At the same time, Han Ruoruo's eighth soul ring began to shine:
"Eighth Soul Skill: Golden Ascension!"
A powerful single- or multi-target control skill that could suppress both martial souls and soul power. If the opponent's power was lower than Han Ruoruo's, they'd have no hope of escape.
Unfortunately, the Storm General was strong and physically dominant. With just his upper-body strength, he began breaking free of the ropes.
Xian Lin'er and Cai Mei'er ramped up their assault, leaving more injuries on his body.
But the Storm General's HP bar was clearly quite thick — he tanked the attacks, focusing all his effort on breaking free.
Soul-Stealing Centipede: I'm not the one getting hit. As long as the HP bar isn't empty, keep fighting!
Seeing the enemy on the verge of escaping, Han Ruoruo didn't hold back anymore — unleashing her full strength.
The sooner they finished this, the fewer accidents could happen.
Her right arm glowed gold, and she grasped at the air toward the rope. In that moment, the rope's effect intensified, tightening its grip.
This was due to a reward she'd received from the academy during the Star Dou Great Forest beast tide crisis — a 60,000-year Golden Anaconda Right Arm Bone, which came with a soul skill: Golden Right Arm.
This boosted her right arm's strength, her control over weapon-type martial souls, and enhanced those souls' power by 30%.
Then, golden light glowed in her eyes.
Her ninth, blood-red soul ring lit up.
A soul skill from the 100,000-year Six-Winged Demon Tiger:
"Ninth Soul Skill: Golden Rope Heaven Bind!"
The moment Han Ruoruo unleashed her soul skill, the power of the light attribute and the elemental force of heaven and earth surged violently into her Radiant Golden Rope.
Immediately, the rope emitted a golden radiance and visibly extended, wrapping tightly around General Storm, binding him securely.
It almost seemed to possess a trace of legendary immortal weapon power.
This soul skill, inherited from the soul ring of the Six-Winged Demon Tiger, carried one of its three major attributes — the power of Light. The Light attribute enhanced and amplified the Radiant Golden Rope's effectiveness.
This soul skill was a type of absolute control skill. As long as the target's strength didn't surpass Han Ruoruo's, they couldn't resist the control. Only those stronger than her could potentially break free — and even then, only resist, not completely evade the control.
This time, General Storm's power was thoroughly sealed. His Storm Domain vanished, all the sea tornadoes within the domain dissipated, and even the wind and water elements forming his lower body faded away.
"What?!"
General Storm looked utterly stunned, disbelief written all over his face.
"Well done, Ruoruo!" Xian Lin'er praised with a smile before unleashing her own power.
"Azure Flame Tyrant Body, activate!"
"Eighth Soul Skill — Azure Flame Pierces the Heavens!"
Cai Meier followed up with her own explosive attack.
"Eighth Soul Skill — Evil-Breaking Rend!"
"Power of the Dragon Soul — Break for me!"
Both unleashed powerful single-target soul skills, and simultaneously activated self-enhancing techniques. Their twin spears struck at the bound General Storm, intertwining like two soaring dragons.
The twin spears pierced through General Storm's chest, leaving behind a gaping bloody hole so deep one could see through to the other side.
With a cry of pain, General Storm fell into the sea, clearly gravely wounded.
Had General Storm been an ordinary fierce beast, he would have been finished. But let's not forget — inside him dwelled the Soul-Stealing Centipede.
Though General Storm's power was sealed, the centipede's wasn't.
In terms of raw power, the Soul-Stealing Centipede couldn't compete with a Titled Douluo. But it had techniques that ensured survival.
A monstrous black-red wind suddenly surged forth, enveloping General Storm's body and pulling him into the sea, swiftly fleeing into the distance.
Soul-Stealing Centipede: Joestar Secret Technique~
After so much time training at sea, these centipede monsters had mastered the art of fleeing underwater.
"This is bad. After it!" Xian Lin'er's expression changed dramatically.
No one expected General Storm, restrained by the Radiant Golden Rope, to still be able to escape.
But once submerged, how could a land-based soul master easily pursue him?
Soon, General Storm's presence vanished completely.
Xian Lin'er, furious, stabbed the sea surface twice, sending water spraying high into the air — but it was only venting.
General Storm had moved beyond the range of Han Ruoruo's martial soul. The Radiant Golden Rope returned to her side, and the soul skill automatically dissipated.
Frowning, Han Ruoruo said, "There was nothing wrong with my soul skill. That strange black wind — it definitely wasn't from that soul beast's own strength."
As a Titled Douluo, she had the judgment to know.
"Could there be another soul beast nearby helping it?" Cai Meier guessed, eyes scanning warily.
No ambush occurred.
"Perhaps a pre-prepared life-saving method," Xian Lin'er suggested.
Just then, Huo Yuhao spoke seriously, "Either way, our presence has been exposed. That soul beast will surely report back to the others — including the Vast Sea Great Saint. Next, we'll face far greater danger."
Everyone realized the gravity of the situation.
Retreat or advance deeper?
Huo Yuhao wanted to "ignore the risk."
But Xian Lin'er decided to "end the operation."
"If the other monster kings also have fierce beast-level strength, and we're surrounded, there's almost no chance of escape. Not to mention that Saint, who rivals an Ultimate Douluo, might act too. My decision is retreat! Return to the academy, and rally the four great empires to plan together," Xian Lin'er reasoned.
Everyone nodded.
Huo Yuhao had no reason to object.
But he had already predicted this choice.
So when the group turned to leave, a terrifying dragon might burst from the sea, enveloping them.
All four were shocked.
With a dragon's roar, a terrifying sea soul beast emerged. It resembled a plesiosaur, with a neck over 200 meters long.
Even more terrifying was its soul power — the aura of a five-Hundred-thousand-year fierce beast, fused with an ancient presence, like a prehistoric monster from the distant past.
Compared to it, the Bear Monarch of equal age seemed inferior.
"I am the Ancient Sea Dragon, one of the Twelve Monster Kings under the Vast Sea Great Saint. You may call me Sea Dragon King!"
"By order of the Great Saint, I've come to take you all!"
With that typical villain intro, the Sea Dragon King attacked — field first, then soul skill.
"Deep Sea Domain — Activate!"
"Take this — Soaring Giant Wave!"
Within the Deep Sea Domain, Huo Yuhao and the others found their movements slowed, as if trapped in mud, and they began to feel a suffocating pressure.
The domain was even more terrifying than it appeared. It not only slowed movement, but suppressed strength and caused direct damage.
Soul masters below the Titled Douluo level would be utterly incapacitated under this domain.
Even Huo Yuhao and the others had to fight with all their might to resist its power.
And then came the Sea Dragon King's attack — a titanic wave crashing down. The domain even enhanced his power.
This time, the Soul-Stealing Centipede stuck to the script — focusing most of the attack on the other three, forcing them to burn through their trump cards.
Yes, the one controlling the Sea Dragon King was still — the Soul-Stealing Centipede.
It wasn't easy though. The centipede could only control the Sea Dragon King with the help of its true body's clone. It lacked the finesse to use the Sea Dragon King's power precisely, resorting to crude, brute-force methods.
But they worked.
Under the crushing wave, Xian Lin'er, Cai Meier, and Han Ruoruo were all forced to unleash their ultimate abilities.
Xian Lin'er glowed with golden light — her Dragon Reigns Supreme battle technique — then used her Eighth Soul Skill again to resist the wave.
Cai Meier's martial soul flashed, and from within emerged a golden earth dragon to shield her — the Golden Armored Earth Dragon, sealed within her weapon.
A mutated variant of the White Armored Earth Dragon, it was the source of her Ninth Soul Ring. With stronger defense and light attribute power, it amplified her protection.
Finally, Han Ruoruo activated the soul bone skill from her 100,000-year Six-Winged Demon Tiger.
That soul bone passed down the tiger's golden bloodline, allowing her to enter a Demonic Transformation state — boosting her body and strength tremendously.
The three women burst through the wave — fierce and mighty, yet their strength was being rapidly drained.
Without Huo Yuhao going all out, even the combined efforts of Xian Lin'er, Cai Mei'er, and Han Ruoruo could not possibly rival the Sea Dragon King.
In the ocean, sea soul beasts experience a massive boost in their combat strength—far exceeding their counterparts from the mainland. The ocean's environment provides a natural battlefield advantage.
Rules are rules, and they weren't just established today.
This is why most land-based soul masters never consider the ocean a viable place to hunt soul beasts.
To face the Sea Dragon King, Xian Lin'er, Cai Mei'er, and Han Ruoruo had only one option: fight with everything they had.
Xian Lin'er activated "Dragon Reigns the World" mode.
Cai Mei'er summoned the Golden Armored Earth Dragon's soul.
Han Ruoruo used the demonic transformation soul skill of her torso bone.
All of these are powerful soul skills that significantly enhance one's combat abilities, but they come with steep costs.
"Dragon Reigns the World" consumes both spiritual power and soul power.
To summon the Golden Armored Earth Dragon into battle, Cai Mei'er must expend her soul power.
Demonic transformation is an explosive soul skill that leaves one weakened afterward.
Huo Yuhao also donned his Frost Centipede Armor, golden light representing his Sovereign's Might shone from his body. Around him floated nine soul rings—red, purple, black, black, black, black, red, red, red—an unprecedented configuration beyond conventional standards.
At least on the surface, it looked like Huo Yuhao, just like the others, had played all his cards.
In addition, Huo Yuhao unleashed his Frost Centipede Domain, but it proved ineffective—its area was severely compressed within the deep-sea domain and could only slightly weaken its effects.
Xian Lin'er and the others were well aware that their burst power couldn't last. Against the Sea Dragon King, their primary plan was never a prolonged fight—it was to escape.
"I'll clear the path!"
Xian Lin'er shouted, charging forward. Her Dragon Spear struck outward—not at the Sea Dragon King, but toward the edge of the deep-sea domain. She aimed to punch open a breach through the domain to allow for escape.
The deep-sea domain was encased in a nearly tangible barrier of water elements. Unless they broke free of it, they would be like trapped fish in a barrel.
Cai Mei'er acted simultaneously. "Leave resisting the domain's pressure to me!"
With soul power surging, the Golden Armored Earth Dragon soared despite lacking wings, expanding its form into a tangible body that shielded the group and bore the oppressive pressure of the deep-sea domain.
However, Cai Mei'er's face turned pale, the typical sign of rapidly depleting soul power.
Huo Yuhao and Han Ruoruo were responsible for engaging the Sea Dragon King directly.
Protected by the Earth Dragon, everyone felt lighter, their soul power flowing more freely.
Huo Yuhao condensed his soul power onto his Dragon Spear and hurled it at the Sea Dragon King.
"Dragon Spear – Demon Suppression!"
It was a derived combat technique of his Ultimate Ice Demon Suppression Kill.
Han Ruoruo also acted, sending out her Shaking Gold Rope, trying to bind and restrain the Sea Dragon King—even weakening it by ten percent would boost their escape odds.
But despite their seamless teamwork, it wasn't effective.
The Sea Dragon King let out a roar, its body glowing ocean blue. It swung its head like a giant hammer and smashed the incoming Dragon Spear away.
Even Ultimate Ice failed to penetrate its body. Instead, a powerful water-element force clashed with the ice.
This was not Ultimate Water, but a unique force known as "Primordial Deep Sea Water", the Sea Dragon King's innate element, condensed over time from water elements.
To reach 500,000 years of cultivation, the Sea Dragon King's bloodline had to be extraordinary—on par with or even exceeding that of Bear Lord.
Though called the Ancient Sea Dragon, it wasn't of dragon lineage.
The Sea Dragon King was an ancient variant, hatched from an egg some 500,000 years ago by sheer luck.
It might be the last of its kind.
It didn't grow quickly like other soul beasts; no amount of heavenly treasures could shortcut its cultivation. It had no ability to take human form and start over.
However, the benefit was that all its absorbed nutrients strengthened its body and essence, giving it power far beyond its soul power level, and unparalleled control over water elements.
That's how it could condense Primordial Deep Sea Water with only 500,000 years of cultivation.
Even the heavenly tribulations, which terrorized most soul beasts, were of little threat to it.
Maybe with another half a million years, it really could reach a million years of cultivation.
Sometimes, Huo Yuhao had to admit: the ocean really is a treasure trove—you never know what amazing things you might find.
His Dragon Spear—infused with Ultimate Ice—couldn't hurt the Sea Dragon King. So how could Han Ruoruo's Shaking Gold Rope fare any better? The Sea Dragon King simply bit it and chewed it to pieces.
A broken martial soul causes immense backlash for a soul master—especially during battle.
Han Ruoruo instantly turned pale and spat two mouthfuls of blood. Her body swayed. If not for her demonic transformation, she would've been even weaker.
Even so, her aura dimmed significantly—the boost from demonic transformation weakened.
"Senior Sister, are you alright?" Huo Yuhao asked with concern.
"I can still hold on…" Han Ruoruo replied weakly.
She couldn't use her martial soul or soul skills for a while, though she could still use her soul power and soul bone techniques. Unfortunately, she had only learned some basic combat techniques—not powerful or refined ones.
Then, the Golden Armored Earth Dragon that shielded them let out a wail. The Sea Dragon King swung its head again and smashed into the Earth Dragon.
The Golden Armored Earth Dragon couldn't withstand the Sea Dragon King's power.
Every one of the Sea Dragon King's attacks was like a natural disaster.
On the second impact, cracks spread across the Earth Dragon's armor-like body.
Cai Mei'er spat a large mouthful of blood.
The dragon soul was tied to her martial soul, which in turn was tied to her. When the dragon soul was injured, so was she.
Seeing the Sea Dragon King about to strike a third blow, Huo Yuhao shouted:
"Not on my watch!"
"Seventh Soul Skill: Frost Centipede True Form!"
The variant Frost Centipede martial soul had two true forms: one fused with Huo Yuhao to form a giant Frost Centipede, and another which combined into full-body armor.
Faced with the Sea Dragon King's massive body, Huo Yuhao chose the fusion transformation, turning into a massive Frost Centipede to directly clash with the incoming headbutt.
But size is relative. The Sea Dragon King's neck alone was 200 meters, while the Frost Centipede True Form was only 20 meters—one-tenth of that size.
Still, Huo Yuhao was fierce. He deflected the third headbutt, saving the Earth Dragon, and then wrapped himself around the Sea Dragon King's head, biting madly.
"Yuhao!"
Cai Mei'er and Han Ruoruo called out in worry.
They could feel it—Huo Yuhao was fighting with everything he had for them.
Thanks to everyone's combined efforts, Xian Lin'er finally broke through the deep-sea domain's blockade and opened a breach in the elemental barrier.
"Go, now!" Xian Lin'er shouted. "Yuhao, retreat!"
Cai Mei'er and Han Ruoruo were the first to escape through the breach, then worked together to keep it open.
Huo Yuhao seized the opportunity. His Frost Centipede True Form flapped its wings and broke away from the fight, racing for the breach.
But just then, the Sea Dragon King twisted and bit down on the centipede's tail. The Frost Centipede gave a miserable screech.
Truthfully, if Huo Yuhao didn't play along, the bite wouldn't have done much.
Soul-Devouring Centipede: Licked Ancestor's butt—feels great~
But to the three girls, all they saw was Huo Yuhao being bitten, crying out in pain—clearly injured.
They were relieved when he finally broke free and escaped the deep-sea domain through the breach.
But before they could celebrate…
The Sea Dragon King raised its 200-meter neck, opened its mouth, and began gathering soul power.
Soul-Devouring Centipede: Family! I licked Ancestor's butt!