Chapter 17: Xiao Bai, You Should Be Thanking Me!
As the deafening explosion of the Evil Spirit Orca King gradually faded, the raging aura over the ocean began to subside like a receding tide.
The once surging, chaotic sea—churned by the intensity of battle—slowly settled into uneasy calm.
What lay before them was a scene of devastation.
Corpses of countless adult Evil Spirit Orcas floated across the sea, scattered in disarray. Their massive bodies were riddled with wounds—some carved open by Yue Guan's golden petal blades, others charred and mangled by lightning bombardments.
The blood pouring from their corpses dyed the ocean dark red, and the thick stench of iron and death hung heavy in the air.
The Evil Spirit Orca King's colossal body was shattered beyond recognition, drifting lifelessly on the waves. Each motion of the tide made the remains sway gently, spreading more blood into the surrounding waters.
The foul, fishy stench of slaughter filled the air.
Hovering above the sea, Ghost Douluo and Yue Guan silently gazed down upon the aftermath.
Thin threads of crimson mist rose from the Evil Spirit Orca King's corpse, slowly converging into the air above the sea—the remnants of its immense life force dissipating into nothingness.
The two exchanged glances, exhaustion written across their faces—yet behind the fatigue flickered a trace of satisfaction.
"Old Ghost, that was one hell of a fight," Yue Guan said with a faint grin, his voice still tinged with adrenaline.
Ghost Douluo nodded slightly, his sharp eyes never leaving the ocean below.
"Old Chrysanthemum, that hundred-thousand-year soul bone skill of yours really is something. You slaughtered half the pod yourself."
Yue Guan chuckled, unable to hide his pride.
"Heh, of course. It is a hundred-thousand-year soul skill, after all."
Ghost Douluo's gaze shifted toward the Evil Spirit Orca King's mangled corpse.
"Old Chrysanthemum, I'll check the king's body for a soul bone. You take a look at the others. If we're lucky, we might find more."
"Got it."
The two figures flashed downward, descending rapidly toward the bloody sea.
Ghost Douluo reached the Evil Spirit Orca King's massive carcass and began examining it carefully.
Suddenly—
A streak of dark red light flashed before his eyes and plunged straight toward the ocean depths.
Ghost Douluo's eyes narrowed sharply. He released his soul power instantly, and with a flick of his hand, that light was pulled into his palm.
It was the Evil Spirit Orca King's soul bone.
About half a foot long, it was clearly a left arm bone, radiating a dark crimson glow. A sinister aura swirled around it—dense and malicious, filled with the lingering bloodlust and murderous will of the Evil Spirit Orca King.
Even without refining it, Ghost Douluo could feel the immense energy pulsing within. This power was far greater than that of the hundred-thousand-year Deep Sea Thunder Python they had slain before.
His second martial soul, his true body, allowed him to absorb any attribute of a soul ring or soul bone. Both of his martial souls shared the same set of bones.
This hundred-thousand-year soul bone carried an extremely potent evil attribute. If he fused it successfully, his Ghost Shadow Martial Soul would grow even more formidable.
Ghost Douluo's second martial soul had already absorbed two hundred-thousand-year soul rings. As a Rank 97 Titled Douluo—a top-tier agility and control-type expert—his spiritual power was immense, and thanks to his Ice and Fire Body Tempering, his physical strength could withstand the violent impact of such energy.
However, absorbing three hundred-thousand-year soul rings within the span of only three months was pushing even his limits.
To be cautious, Ghost Douluo decided to proceed in stages.
First, he would consume the Evil Spirit Orca King's brain, replenishing the soul power and physical energy he had expended during the battle.
Then he would fuse the soul bone.
Only after stabilizing his condition would he attempt to absorb the hundred-thousand-year soul ring.
After all, the ring of a hundred-thousand-year beast was filled with vast, raging energy—it wouldn't dissipate for several hours at least. He had enough time to recover and prepare.
The fusion of this left arm bone would take no more than an hour. He had more than enough time.
Ghost Douluo was just about to split open the Evil Spirit Orca King's head when he suddenly sensed a powerful surge of soul power rapidly approaching.
At the same time, the sea began to quake violently, waves rolling like mountains.
"Old Ghost! Something's coming!" Yue Guan's voice rang out sharply from above.
"I feel it too."
Ghost Douluo replied, his body fading into a ghostly shadow as he transformed into his first martial soul's form. In an instant, he hovered in the air, his cold gaze fixed on the direction of the approaching power.
Moments later, a massive group of colossal figures broke into view beneath the waves—swift, streamlined shapes gliding just below the surface.
Their thick dorsal fins sliced through the water as they approached.
Ghost Douluo immediately recognized them—these were another species of marine soul beasts: the Demon Soul Great White Sharks.
They were smaller than the Evil Spirit Orcas and lacked their wild, brutal aura.
Sensing the deathly stillness and thick miasma of slaughter that hung over the sea, the Great White Sharks halted mid-movement. Their sleek bodies floated just beneath the waves as they looked up warily at the two humans suspended in the sky.
Ghost Douluo and Yue Guan could now clearly see a small figure standing among the sharks.
It was a young girl—perhaps around twenty years old—with long, silvery-blue hair cascading down her back. Her eyes were the same shade, deep and clear as the ocean itself. Her nose was high and elegant, her face sharp and defined, exuding a mysterious, exotic beauty.
Ghost Douluo immediately understood—this was Xiao Bai, the Demon Soul Great White Shark King, one of Seagod Island's guardians and once the mount of the previous Sea God, Poseidon.
When her gaze fell upon the floating blood-red hundred-thousand-year soul ring above the sea and the countless corpses of adult Evil Spirit Orcas scattered across the water, Xiao Bai's eyes widened in shock.
The Evil Spirit Orcas had always been the Great White Shark clan's most bitter enemies. Every few years, brutal wars would erupt between the two species.
Her own kin had once perished under the Orca King's fangs—she had sworn vengeance for them long ago.
Though the Evil Spirit Orcas were not as powerful individually as the Deep Sea Demon Whales, their strength lay in their numbers and savagery. In the ocean, they were near-invincible predators. Even the Deep Sea Demon Whale King would think twice before provoking them.
Never in her wildest dreams had Xiao Bai imagined that this mighty orca tribe would be slaughtered so completely—even their king, the creature she hated most, now lay in ruins upon the waves.
"You… who are you people? Did you kill the Evil Evil Spirit Orca King?"
Xiao Bai's voice trembled slightly, her blue eyes wary yet filled with disbelief.
One of the strangers looked androgynous, with delicate features that blurred the line between male and female.
The other's face shifted like mist, a ghostly visage flickering in and out of sight—sinister and otherworldly.
She could scarcely imagine what kind of power these two possessed to annihilate an entire orca tribe.
Ghost Douluo's cold, detached voice echoed from above:
"Do not be alarmed. We came here only to hunt the Evil Evil Spirit Orca King—to take its soul ring and soul bone. Nothing more."
His tone carried no warmth, only the chill of death itself, making Xiao Bai instinctively tense.
Still, as one of Seagod Island's guardians, she could not back down. She was duty-bound to protect this sea.
"Do you even know where you stand?" she retorted, her voice rising with righteous anger.
"This is the Seagod's domain! Every soul beast within these waters has already submitted to the Sea God's will. How dare you land-dwellers slaughter so wantonly?"
Ghost Douluo merely sneered.
"Hmph. If I'm not mistaken, you must be the Demon Soul Great White Shark King yourself, aren't you?
Tell me—when the Evil Evil Spirit Orca King was butchering your kin, what did your so-called Sea God do?
Now that we've slain your greatest enemy and purged the sea of that menace, you should be thanking us, not condemning us."
His words hung heavy in the air, cold and cutting as the sea breeze itself.
—
End of Chapter