Hanhai City, above the harbor, a golden figure descended from the sky.
He was tall and majestic, with long golden hair draped over his shoulders, and a pair of golden eyes that seemed to look down on all creation. His platinum-white robe shimmered in the sunlight, giving him an otherworldly air.
"Hanhai City... my first time here."
Qian Daoliu stood at the edge of the harbor, gazing at the distant coastline.
It was true—this was his first visit. In his youth, he'd only operated within the continent. After ascending to the position of Grand Priest, he remained in the Worship Hall to serve the Angel God. Even when he left the temple, it was mostly to follow Tang Chen.
As for whale gum, he had no intention of acquiring it within the city.
Even in Martial Soul City and the two great empires, ten-thousand-year whale gum was nearly impossible to find. Though the city was near the sea, the strongest soul master here was only a Rank 83 Soul Douluo.
Capturing a ten-thousand-year whale soul beast required an immense effort and posed a serious risk of death—even for a Soul Saint. Without knowing the true effects of whale gum, no one would go to such extremes for mere tonic.
Qian Daoliu soon found the captain of a local fleet—a Soul King with strength beyond Rank 50.
"Shuan, do you know which sea region has the highest concentration of whale soul beasts?"
The ocean was vast. Even with thousands of branching currents, one needed a direction before setting sail. And those who fished and hunted sea soul beasts for a living were naturally the best source of information.
"I do," the captain replied hesitantly, "but whale soul beasts usually live in the deep sea. It's not easy to reach them."
Qian Daoliu lightly touched the jade pendant at his waist and tossed a golden soul coin card into the man's hands.
"There are 10,000 gold soul coins on this card. Just take me there. You won't need to worry about anything else."
The boatman's eyes lit up. After confirming the amount, he smiled broadly.
"Understood, sir. Please board. I'll get everything prepared right away."
"Mm."
Qian Daoliu nodded slightly and stepped calmly aboard the vessel.
Not long after, the ship set sail from the harbor.
At the bow, Qian Daoliu stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze steady on the horizon.
A few crew members approached the captain, puzzled.
"Big bro, that guy's been standing there for three days. Doesn't he get tired?"
The captain glared at him. "Shut it. He's our employer this time. He can do whatever he wants. Don't ask questions."
"Yes, yes! Just worried he might not be able to handle it out there."
Qian Daoliu, with his high cultivation, naturally heard their conversation. But he ignored it.
In his perception, a massive creature—its soul power nearly 90,000 years old—was approaching. Surrounding it were several 40,000 to 50,000-year-old sea soul beasts, and a group of lesser ones.
They all shared the same aura, indicating they belonged to the same species.
But they were still a thousand miles from the designated sea area. Why had they appeared so soon?
Typically, soul beasts did not leave their territory unless.They encountered a powerful enemy.
or They were hunting.
Qian Daoliu turned and addressed the captain. "The target is approaching. Move the ship to the back. Leave the rest to me."
"Huh?"
The captain froze. He suddenly sensed an abnormal change in the surrounding sea, his eyes widening in horror.
"No—it's a tide of ten-thousand-year soul beasts!!"
With years of experience, he recognized the signs. But this tide was unlike anything he had ever seen. Its scale far exceeded any he'd witnessed.
"A tide of ten-thousand-year soul beasts!!"
The crew's eyes filled with terror.
"How is this possible?!"
"Captain, what do we do?!"
"No—I don't want to die..."
Panic overtook them. Even the captain collapsed, trembling, eyes wide with fear.
Qian Daoliu sighed lightly but said nothing. He didn't expect these ordinary sailors to remain calm—they were, after all, just common soul masters who lived by the sea.
Fear was natural.
"ROAR!!!"
Sensing the presence of humans, the leader of the evil killer whales bellowed. Terrifying soul power stirred the sea, raising a massive wave.
This whale wasn't the king of its species, but even so, it could rival many titled Douluo within the ocean.
Waves rose hundreds of meters high as the monstrous whale burst from the sea, its blood-red eyes locked on the tiny boat below.
Despair gripped the crew. They couldn't even scream.
Then—
Qian Daoliu's eyes turned cold.
The golden Angel Domain erupted, forming a divine barrier that sealed the ship within a sacred realm.
Six golden wings spread behind him, and a 50-meter-tall six-winged angel avatar manifested.
Soul rings appeared beneath him:
Black, black, black, black, black, black, black, black, red.
A terrifying nine-ring formation—eight ten-thousand-year soul rings, and one hundred-thousand-year ring—radiated overwhelming might. Golden feathers filled the air like snow.
"Seal... Seal Douluo!!"
All eyes widened.
The terror was gone, replaced by awe.
They stared at the six-winged angel spirit behind him and the incredible soul ring configuration.
"That... that's the six-winged angel..."
"He... is he the Pope?!"
Qian Daoliu had long retired, and the younger generation no longer knew his face. But the six-winged angel was the inherited martial soul of the Martial Soul Hall. Naturally, they mistook him for the current Pope.
"Eight black soul rings, and one red... how is this even possible?!"
Someone finally realized the impossible.
Everyone knew that a soul master could only begin absorbing ten-thousand-year soul rings after the fifth ring. Otherwise, the beast's power would cause soul backlash and death.
But the man before them had done the unthinkable.
All nine of his rings were at least ten-thousand-year-level.
"How\... how can this be..."
(End of Chapter)