Xu Tianxi's face twitched, and he stared wide-eyed, clearly not understanding. "Attacking a benefactor the moment you meet them—what kind of etiquette is that?"
Heavenly Tyrant Bixi rolled its eyes, its dragon horns swaying. "That's how everyone does it in the ocean… Hmm, maybe it's a little different from your human world's etiquette?"
Xu Tianxi was speechless. "…I don't think that's just 'a little' different…"
Well, for Soul Beasts, this was indeed a bizarre yet reasonable form of etiquette.
Whoosh!
Xu Xiaoyun steadied himself. His hands, which had been pushed back by the shockwave, abruptly clapped together. The Black Tortoise phantom's eyes glowed with blood-red light, stirring up a furious storm within dozens of nautical miles around, which transformed into layers of barriers protecting his body.
At the same time, the nine Soul Rings pulsating around Xu Xiaoyun underwent a sudden change—
His first five Soul Rings simultaneously lit up, instantly converging into a single black Soul Ring that shone brightly.
This was a Divine Beast bloodline talent: Soul Ring Combination.
The dark-gold Black Tortoise Shield, crisscrossed with golden lines, suddenly expanded to a hundred meters in diameter, transforming into countless shield phantoms. Xu Xiaoyun's body also swelled under the influence of Soul Power, like a sky-supporting giant, exuding an indomitable aura of invincibility, fearing nothing even if the sky were to collapse.
Xu Xiaoyun's demeanor changed. From a simple, unassuming old man, he became sharp and imposing. His robes, moving without wind, flapped loudly. Xu Tianxi clearly saw the shifting expressions in his eyes, as if glimpses of many memories flashed by. He caressed the Black Tortoise Shield, his gaze gradually firming.
"It's been a long time since I've gone all out. This old man almost forgot that the title I chose for myself in my reckless youth was 'Eternal'! To meet you today, and on this vast ocean, is truly a pleasure."
"Xu Xiaoyun of the Xuanming Sect, titled Eternal, I ask Heavenly Tyrant Ancestor for your guidance! Black Tortoise~ Roar!"
Layers upon layers of golden Black Tortoise Shield phantoms absorbed the boundless Water Element from the ocean, solidifying into physical forms. In the blink of an eye, they transformed into vast, shining golden divine walls, like an unyielding fortress, stirring up the ocean.
"Go!"
With a thrust of Xu Xiaoyun's palm, this boundless divine wall, which had turned half the ocean a radiant gold, surged forth majestically, splitting the sea and rending the sky, unstoppable!
A deep roar from a giant beast echoed across the sea at this moment. The Black Tortoise phantom also materialized from its ethereal form in that instant. Its blood-red eyes blazed with battle intent, like Xu Xiaoyun's second incarnation, revealing its boundless ferocity.
Where the roar reached, space shattered into fragments. The sky cracked open with crisscrossing Space Cracks. Xu Tianxi finally witnessed a top-tier expert on the Douluo Continent capable of tearing through space!
"Good~!"
Far in the distance, a colossal creature, whose size was immeasurable but certainly much larger than the Titan Snow Demon King, emerged from the waves, revealing its majestic form. It had a dragon head and a tortoise body, thick limbs, claws like a Qilin, and spoke in human words, its voice deep and resonant like a mountain abyss.
Xu Tianxi clearly felt that this terrifying Ferocious Beast first cast a benevolent glance at him—or rather, at Little Bixi beside him—before slightly focusing its attention and turning to meet Xu Xiaoyun's earth-shattering attack.
"Om~——"
The Heavenly Tyrant Ancestor raised its left forelimb, and the space around its massive body twisted violently. Countless water-blue lines, like spilled ink, poured across the dim, sky-and-water-colored ocean, resembling ten-thousand-foot guiding lights illuminating the way for travelers.
An even more terrifying scene soon unfolded. As the Heavenly Tyrant Ancestor became serious, huge Black Hole Vortexes suddenly appeared within the distorted space, seemingly capable of swallowing the sky and devouring the earth. They mobilized the boundless power of the ocean for its use, generating an incalculable amount of Soul Power.
Thousands of Water Tornados surged forth, covering the sky and earth, converging before the Heavenly Tyrant Ancestor into Water Dragons, seemingly imbued with divine presence, snarling and soaring majestically, facing the seemingly eternal and indestructible golden divine wall.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
An earth-shattering collision erupted, like a Heavenly Tribulation descending, raising thousands of waves, no less than a tsunami. No one would have expected that in this rarely frequented sea, two experts close to the world's peak would unleash such a peerless battle.
And this grand spectacle was only their second exchange!
After the calm, the spatial fissures created by Xu Xiaoyun were filled by the water-blue glow, and the sky was as perfect as before. The boundless divine wall that had dominated the area also vanished completely, and Xu Xiaoyun himself was forced back several thousand feet.
In contrast, the Heavenly Tyrant Ancestor's massive body remained unmoving. The victor was clear.
Both Xu Tianxi and Heavenly Tyrant Bixi were protected by the unspoken understanding of their respective elders. Aside from being thrown back several hundred meters, they suffered no other ill effects. One human and one tortoise drank several large gulps of water, then gagged and spat it out.
The scene was too terrifying. Xu Tianxi was certain that the state of this battle exceeded his cognitive limits, so he turned to Little Bixi beside him, his eyes shining as he chuckled:
"I say, Turtle Brother, you're a ninety-thousand-year Soul Beast expert, well-traveled, and you've drunk more seawater than I've eaten salt. Could you analyze this for me?"
Little Bixi proudly raised its head, giving Xu Tianxi a look that said, "You sure know how to talk, little brother," and chuckled:
"Don't worry, little brother. My grandpa does this all the time at home. He's very experienced in controlling his power, he definitely won't hurt your grandmaster."
Xu Tianxi still looked worried. "But Turtle Brother, my grandmaster isn't a Sea Soul Beast, he's human. When your grandpa sees those nine Soul Rings on my grandmaster, won't he get ideas about avenging other Soul Beasts and keep my grandmaster here?"
Given Xu Xiaoyun's casual tone when mentioning killing Sea Soul Beasts, Xu Tianxi was certain that the Xuan Ming Family was definitely a habitual killer of Sea Soul Beasts, and Xu Xiaoyun's two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings very likely came from two Hundred Thousand Year Sea Soul Beasts.
If this Heavenly Tyrant Ancestor was a responsible leader and, in a fit of anger, killed his grandmaster, what then?
This old Baxia had at least six hundred thousand years of cultivation. Even if it wasn't in the ocean, it possessed peak combat power. Xu Xiaoyun couldn't win a head-on confrontation, and no matter how powerful his Black Tortoise Martial Soul was, it couldn't surpass the other party in ocean affinity.
Xu Tianxi was worried, but Little Bixi still looked unconcerned, chuckling:
"Relax, relax. My grandpa hates meddling in outside affairs the most. As long as your grandmaster hasn't killed any members of our clan, he won't kill your grandmaster. What's killing a few Soul Beasts? Our Baxia Clan eats quite a few Sea Soul Beasts every year."
"That's great, then I'm relieved." Seeing that both sides were about to unleash their third move, Xu Tianxi's suspended heart finally settled.
Little Bixi observed the Heavenly Tyrant Ancestor's expression for a moment, then communicated with it using an unknown method of sound transmission. Its majestic dragon eyes immediately filled with a smile, and it said to Xu Tianxi:
"Heh heh, speaking of which, your grandmaster is pretty amazing. To be able to exchange two moves with my grandpa is much stronger than my dad. When grandpa isn't sleeping, he likes to use this method to guide my dad and them in their cultivation.
Maybe he thinks your grandmaster has potential and wants to guide a junior."
"Guiding a junior… That's a pretty fitting way to put it. Oh, right, how many tens of thousands of years has your grandpa actually lived? Does he have seven hundred thousand years of cultivation?"
Hearing that Xu Xiaoyun was also being "guided" as a junior, Xu Tianxi's mouth twitched, but considering the age difference between them, he felt it wasn't that big of a deal. He then casually asked about the old Baxia's age.
Looking at the old Baxia, its racial talent must be extremely powerful. He wondered how it compared to the three great Ferocious Beast experts on the continent.
Little Bixi answered without hesitation, "Of course he does. His cultivation has surpassed eight hundred thousand years. He only passed his eighth Heavenly Tribulation a few thousand years ago."
"Huh? Your grandpa is that powerful?"
Xu Tianxi's expression shifted in surprise. Lived for over 800,000 years? On land, it seems only the Silver Dragon Fish and Beast God Di Tian are more powerful than this old turtle.
And to live to this age, it's undoubtedly cultivated dual Soul Cores of yin and yang complementation. Coupled with the Baxia bloodline, couldn't this old turtle even fight Di Tian?
I wonder if Di Tian's Dragon God Claw would even work on this guy.
"Of course! Grandpa often brags to us that there are only a handful of Sea Soul Beasts in the ocean that can fight him. He just spends most of his time sleeping and doesn't go out, which is why his reputation isn't as widespread, but his strength is absolutely formidable," Little Bixi said proudly, lifting its head.
"That's fantastic! To have such a powerful expert for practice—this is a truly incredible opportunity," Xu Tianxi said, his face filled with genuine anticipation.
It was now certain that Xu Xiaoyun wouldn't be able to defeat the old Baxia even if his life depended on it. It would be excellent if he could gain something from this battle.
Although Xu Xiaoyun couldn't follow the old Baxia's path of yin and yang complementation with dual Soul Cores, if the old Baxia were willing to offer some guidance, it would undoubtedly be of great help to Xu Xiaoyun. He didn't expect a sudden breakthrough to Limit Douluo, but increasing his combat power was always good.
"This is the third move. Be careful."
The unfathomably powerful Heavenly Tyrant Ancestor spoke proactively. It raised its dragon head and let out a profound roar. Its coral-like dark blue dragon horns pressed forward, and brilliant azure light illuminated all directions, transforming into a massive light sphere several hundred meters in diameter that hurtled towards Xu Xiaoyun.
The azure light sphere seemed both real and illusory, flickering erratically, as if a giant dragon coiled within it. Xu Tianxi and Little Bixi stared wide-eyed, unable to track its movements.
Did this move use spatial power? Xu Tianxi speculated.
"Good!"
Xu Xiaoyun stood firm and roared, spreading his arms wide. His sixth and seventh Soul Rings merged into one, transforming into a crimson, blood-red Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, which then lit up with a resounding glow.
"Martial Soul True Body! Black Tortoise Domain!"
A radiant golden aura enveloped Xu Xiaoyun's body, and his aura surged exponentially. The Golden Black Tortoise Shield in his palm flew out, blossoming with myriad rays of light in mid-air. The aura twisted and swirled, undergoing strange transformations. The Black Tortoise phantom behind Xu Xiaoyun also shot skyward, disappearing into the massive light cluster.
Limitless seawater surged as Xu Xiaoyun raised his hands, flowing into the light cluster in mid-air. This was the Black Tortoise Divine Beast's innate ability to manipulate the Water Element. As long as it was in the ocean, the Black Tortoise was invincible against any opponent of the same level!
"Ninth Soul Skill, Black Tortoise Divine Seal!"
Xu Xiaoyun ignited his Ninth Soul Ring, a resolute expression appearing on his aged face. All his Soul Rings, except for the Eighth, merged into it, amplifying the power of this strike to its absolute limit. He then pointed a finger, creating an energy channel that connected to his Black Tortoise True Body.
"Roar~!"
The Black Tortoise Divine Beast, over a thousand zhang in size, stepped out of the void, bringing Xu Xiaoyun onto its head. Its snake tail hissed, spitting out thousands of water pillars, and its turtle head drew water to form a heavenly seal, its aura covering half the sky.
"The power of a Divine Beast Black Tortoise? Not bad."
A flicker of emotion finally appeared in the Heavenly Tyrant Ancestor's eyes. It had lost track of time, and it was rare to encounter a human who could exchange a couple of moves, but unfortunately, his cultivation was still quite lacking.
The azure light sphere and the Black Tortoise Divine Seal swiftly collided. This time, however, there was no earth-shattering sound. Instead, it was silent, like a gentle rain. The two energy masses quickly dissipated and disintegrated after a brief contact, turning into a sky full of rain that fell back onto the sea.
"The might of the Ancestor is far beyond my reach."
Seeing his almost strongest attack dispelled by the Heavenly Tyrant Ancestor's spatial power, Xu Xiaoyun couldn't help but sigh wistfully. He recalled his Martial Soul and Soul Rings, and descended back to the sea surface.
When the opponent had arrived earlier, he had already informed Xu Xiaoyun through sound transmission that he would exchange three moves with him. How much Xu Xiaoyun could comprehend from it would depend entirely on his own understanding.
The Heavenly Tyrant Ancestor gently shook its head and said calmly, "To be able to withstand three moves from this Ancestor without being a Limit Douluo, you are already worthy of pride. The Black Tortoise Bloodline is also quite extraordinary. This Ancestor looks forward to your further progress."
With that, the Heavenly Tyrant Ancestor's gaze fell upon Xu Tianxi and Little Bixi, and it spat out a beam of blue light that landed in front of Xu Tianxi.
"My Baxia Clan never owes favors. This item is a Scale Fragment shed by this Ancestor during its Heavenly Tribulation. It can protect you through one Life-and-Death Tribulation. Little Tian likes you very much. Come visit my clan when you have a chance."
After saying this, the Heavenly Tyrant Ancestor enveloped Little Bixi in light and, with a flicker, vanished from this world.