"Finally… it's dead."
Ignaz landed steadily on the ocean surface, gazing at the floating body of the Evil Demon Orca King with a deep sense of satisfaction.
"Big Brother Ignaz, hurry and absorb its hundred-thousand-year spirit ring! We've never seen a Spirit Master with a hundred-thousand-year ring before!"
"No rush."
Ignaz approached the Orca King. Using the blade of his Blood Thunder Battle Spear, he pried open the beast's brain cavity and retrieved a large piece of whale gel—white as jade with streaks of crimson.
He then probed further inside, as if searching for something.
"Found you."
After locating the Orca King's whale pearl with his spiritual perception, Ignaz twisted it free with his left hand. A medium-sized pearl, red and white swirling, appeared before them.
Dugu Yan asked curiously, "Ignaz, what is that?"
"This is a whale pearl. Aside from the soul ring and soul bones, it's the most precious part of the Evil Demon Orca King. Boil it with certain herbs and consume it—it greatly enhances your spirit power."
"But remember, this comes from a hundred-thousand-year Orca King. Its medicinal power is not only overwhelming but extremely potent.
It requires multiple people to consume it together to safely absorb the energy."
"As for this hundred-thousand-year whale gel, you three have already taken younger batches, so no need for an explanation."
He handed the whale pearl and half of the whale gel to Dugu Yan.
"Lingling, take these for now. When we return to Sea God Island, brew them according to Aunt Ye's new whale gel formula and give them to the others."
Having done this, Ignaz sat atop the Fierce Bite Shark and looked toward the Sea Dragon Douluo.
"Senior, I'm counting on you to keep me safe."
"Don't worry about absorbing it."
The Sea Dragon now had a new respect for Ignaz. His spirit skills, especially his self-created ones, rivaled even Posei's thirteen techniques from before he became a god.
More impressively, Ignaz's first self-created skill combined with his unique martial spirit domain.
Although they had needed assistance to kill the hundred-thousand-year Orca King, Ignaz could easily take down a seventy- or eighty-thousand-year soul beast on his own.
In other words, his power now exceeded that of a Titled Douluo without domain or defensive skills.
To avoid his body exploding from the energy, he first used spirit power to pull the Orca King's left leg bone into himself, beginning the absorption process.
A violent aura erupted from the soul bone. The Orca King's residual soul seized the opportunity to enter Ignaz's spiritual sea.
"Pathetic Spirit Emperor, dare to absorb my soul ring and soul bones… now I will shatter your soul and take over your body. From this moment, you are me, and your women are mine."
Before it could even launch a spiritual assault, a blood dragon burst from a bottomless black whirlpool, swallowing the Orca King whole, reducing it to nourishment.
The blood dragon coiled once around Ignaz's spiritual core, roared fiercely, then dispersed into a blood mist.
As Ignaz finished absorbing the left leg bone, he used the Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone skill to quickly restore his spirit power and place the soul ring atop his martial spirit. Soon, the floating red spirit ring was fully sealed within his Blood Thunder Battle Spear. He opened his eyes with satisfaction.
"Big Brother Ignaz, how do you feel? And what about the hundred-thousand-year spirit skills?"
The three girls leaned in, curious.
"Not bad. I gained four spirit skills in total. The specific effects? I'll show you back at Sea God Island. For now… let's keep it a secret."
The girls didn't press further. The sea was still dangerous, and the many Orca carcasses left behind would surely attract a swarm of sea spirits. Even with a Titled Douluo's protection, caution was wise. After all, two fists can't match four hands; if the sea spirits attacked en masse, victory would be difficult.
As they prepared to return, Ignaz and the Sea Dragon both tensed, frowning seriously toward the northeast, north, and south.
"Not good. Powerful sea spirits are approaching."
Within two miles in those three directions, enormous waves over a hundred meters high rose. Emerging from them were three massive sea beasts, each nearly twenty meters long and over a hundred thousand years old.
From the north came a hundred-thousand-year Nine-Heaven Dragon Centipede, the most vengeful toward Ignaz.
From the east, a pitch-black venomous sea spirit—the Three Rivers Sky Serpent. From the far south, the most distant, a Flowing Flame Red Dragon, spanning multiple sea regions with black-spotted scales.
Each of these hundred-thousand-year sea beasts harbored deep, unresolved mortal grudges against Ignaz.
The origin of this vendetta traced back three or four years. Ignaz had killed Nine-Heaven Dragon Centipedes in the North Sea, releasing deadly toxins.
Although most of the toxins were neutralized by the Nine-Heaven Dragon Centipedes and the Flowing Flame Red Dragons, some reckless and highly active sea spirits nested in the seabed's toxin-laden soil mounds, tearing holes that let the remaining toxins leak out, slowly spreading across the seabed.
During the harshest, coldest winter, while land spirits were hibernating and sea spirits moved slowly, the Nine-Heaven Dragon Centipedes guarding the seabed perished from the toxin, along with many patrolling fish spirits.
When the hundred-thousand-year Nine-Heaven Dragon Centipedes arrived with their clan, two-fifths of the chaotic sea had turned into a toxic wasteland, littered with countless corpses.
To prevent total annihilation, the Nine-Heaven Dragon King sought the help of a hundred-thousand-year Flowing Flame Red Dragon deep in the North Sea, offering precious sea herbs to purify the poisoned waters with its fire.
Unexpectedly, the Flowing Flame Red Dragon and over a hundred of its clan were exposed to the poisoned water.
The toxins triggered their most violent flames, creating fire-toxins. Even on land, these flames remained uncontrollable, instantly incinerating weaker Red Dragons.