The Devil Whale Sea spread across the bottom of a deep, dark trench.
The enormous one-eyed Deep Sea Demonic Whale King gazed gently at his daughter, who was happily wagging her tail in front of him.
The petite Lan Fozi opened her small mouth and swallowed the remaining few snacks in one gulp.
"Delicious! So delicious!" Lan Fozi swallowed the snacks, wagged her tail in satisfaction, spraying water, then added with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Too little! I deliberately made my body smaller, but there are only enough for two bites!"
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's eyes were filled with doting laughter. His massive body swayed gently, stirring warm currents as he said, "If you really like them, next time I see that human boy, I'll talk to him and ask for more for you."
"Okay, okay!" Hearing this, Lan Fozi's huge fish-like face transformed into a very human "whale smile," her eyes curving into crescent moons.
The Demon Empress quietly watched her husband and daughter interact affectionately, but a faint trace of worry lingered in her eyes.
Ever since her husband returned that day, everything had seemed fine on the surface. He had even brought back many delicious snacks to please their daughter, but she knew him too well.
She could sense that beneath his calm exterior, he was hiding some major decision.
For the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, who had already reached the divine realm, to show such an expression…
What exactly had happened?
The Demon Empress was full of questions. She could not understand why her husband, with his current power, would look so downcast in this vast ocean.
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King sensed his wife's gaze. Realizing he could not hide it from his long-time companion, he gently turned his massive head and met the Demon Empress's eyes with his single eye.
"It's nothing serious, my lady. Please don't worry."
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's voice echoed in the Demon Empress's mind, gentler than usual.
"It's just… I made a deal with that human child."
"A deal?"
The Demon Empress's heart filled with doubt. "What kind of deal could a human make with you? Is it worth it…"
After a moment of silence, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King finally revealed to the Demon Empress the cruel truth he had learned from Chen Yi about why soul beasts cannot become gods.
The Demon Empress listened quietly, but the more she heard, the stronger her ominous premonition grew.
"So… you intend to sacrifice yourself for that human?"
At first, the Demon Empress's heart was in turmoil, and she wanted to angrily question the Demon King, but the moment she saw her innocent daughter Lan Fozi, she suppressed her anger and spoke to the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King in a trembling voice.
"Yes."
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's answer was simple, yet it struck the Demon Empress's heart like thunder.
"Why?!"
The Demon Empress could not understand. She knew her husband's innate pride better than anyone.
Immortality? Divinity? These temptations were indeed great, but they were not enough to make her husband act against his nature.
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King paused for a moment. Complex emotions flashed in his huge single eye before he spoke slowly.
"That human has inherited the status of a God King. His potential and future prospects far exceed our imagination.
"After he ascends to godhood, he will have the ability and willingness to make our daughter… the new Sea Goddess."
The Demon Empress's resolve hardened as he bestowed the Sea God's title upon her…
These conditions were indeed extremely attractive and seemed like a shortcut to success for Lan Fozi.
"Anything else?"
The Demon Empress's thoughts relentlessly pursued him. She knew him too well. There must be a more compelling reason.
Seeing his wife's persistent questioning, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King realized he could no longer hide it—and no longer needed to.
He let out a quiet sigh.
The sound echoed clearly in the Demon Empress's mind.
"Because… there isn't much time left."
There isn't much time left… There isn't much time left…
The Demon Empress's eyes narrowed sharply, and her massive body began to tremble slightly.
She understood! She understood completely!
Sorrow, understanding, helplessness, and deep love intertwined and swirled in her heart.
She no longer questioned him or tried to dissuade him. She simply swam forward slowly, gently pressing her enormous body against her husband's mountain-like form, silently offering support and companionship.
No matter what awaited them or what choices she had to make, she would face it together with him.
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King felt his wife's understanding and support. A gentle light appeared in his single eye as he gently swayed his tail fin and leaned toward her. His gaze returned to their innocent daughter nearby, filled with boundless love.
...
Sea God Island was the former site of the Sea God Temple.
This holy land, once worshipped by the Sea God Poseidon and revered by countless sea spirits, had now changed owners and become Chen Yi's temporary seclusion site.
In the center of the temple, Chen Yi sat cross-legged. His aura surged violently. Visible blood energy and purplish-gold lightning intertwined and raced across his body, emitting low growls and roars that illuminated the entire stone chamber with flickering light.
Time passed slowly until Chen Yi's breathing reached a certain critical point.
"Boom—!"
An aura several times stronger than before erupted from Chen Yi's body, instantly filling the entire hall.
Level 80!
Chen Yi suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes. Three feet (about 90 cm) of divine light shot out, striking the distant stone wall and leaving two scorched marks. He slowly exhaled a turbid breath. His aura rapidly subsided and finally returned to calm.
Feeling the soul power surging within his body, a satisfied smile appeared on Chen Yi's lips.
"Finally… I broke through." He murmured, his voice mixed with emotion and joy. At less than 19 years old, a Soul Douluo had been born! This was truly an unprecedented record in the long history of the Douluo Continent.
After a brief adjustment, Chen Yi flipped his hand, and a pearl containing purplish-gold lightning appeared in his palm.
The soul ring granted by the gods!
"With my current strength, I want to test how far I can strengthen the eighth spirit ring." Chen Yi's eyes shone with anticipation.
As soon as he finished speaking, he gently pressed the light orb against his chest.
The light orb instantly melted into his body, and a vast amount of energy surged into his limbs and bones.
Chen Yi groaned, immediately focusing his mind and fully activating his cultivation method to guide and absorb this enormous energy. At the same time, he used it as the core to condense his eighth soul ring.
His aura once again entered a state of rapid rise and intense fluctuation.
The surrounding lightning grew fiercer, and faint illusions of mysterious lightning runes appeared…
Outside the stone chamber, the Grand Elder, who had been quietly guarding the law, clearly sensed the two obvious changes in the aura inside the chamber and revealed a satisfied smile.
"Amazing… that speed is so fast there's no time to even marvel at it."
The Grand Elder secretly praised him and looked toward the distant Douluo Continent.
"Big Brother, it seems you'll need to work harder to live up to the new title of overwhelming dominance.
"Otherwise, by the time this kid emerges from seclusion, you, the former Sect Master, won't even have time to choose a proper title. That would be quite awkward."
...
In the core area of the Extreme North.
This was the dwelling place of the Three Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North and a sacred site in the hearts of the Extreme North soul beasts.
At this moment, the gazes of the Three Kings of the Extreme North were all fixed on the blue figure sitting cross-legged in the center of the square.
In front of Shui Bing'er lay a ten-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion emitting powerful ice-attribute energy. This was precisely the target for her sixth soul ring, carefully selected by the Snow Empress and Ice Empress for her.
As icy light beams shot toward the sky, a special magnetic field enveloped Shui Bing'er. At the same time, a huge pitch-black soul ring flew toward her.
Soon, the black soul ring stabilized completely. Simultaneously, an even stronger wave of soul power erupted from her body.
Level 61 Soul Emperor.
The moment Shui Bing'er broke through her cultivation level, the snowflake-shaped mark on her forehead emitted an unprecedentedly dazzling icy light.
Pure, sacred, and possessing supreme dignity that transcended the fleeting mortal world, it instantly spread out like ripples on water!
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
Almost simultaneously, four dull sounds rang out!
The four ferocious beasts of the Extreme North who had been watching from afar were suddenly overwhelmed by the pressure of the holy icy light raining down. They lowered their heads, their bodies trembling slightly, and could only prostrate themselves on the ground.
Among them, the Ice Devil Titan King Ah Tai reacted the most violently. He not only felt the overwhelming pressure from the gods but also sensed the icy light… and the pressure coming from his own bloodline.
"This is… the aura of the Ice God!"
Snow Empress felt the soul-shaking sacred waves, and an irrepressible excitement appeared on her beautiful face. She took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly.
"Bing'er… she… has received the Ice God's approval! She has successfully begun the Ice God's Nine Trials!"
The Ice Empress's beautiful eyes were fixed on the sparkling snow crystal pattern on Shui Bing'er's forehead, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes.
"The Ice God… the Ice God is returning!"
The Snow Empress nodded vigorously, her eyes shining with extreme excitement, as if she were gazing at the infinite light of the future stretching across the distant northern frontier.
"Yes… the Ice God is returning. The god of the Extreme North… has finally returned!"
…
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