The Demon Empress, filled with shock and doubt, released an immensely vast spiritual force that enveloped the sea area within nearly a hundred kilometers around her.
Her spiritual force realm had actually reached the peak of tangible and qualitative, not inferior by much to even the Evil Eye Tyrant Ruler, and in terms of total spiritual force volume, she even surpassed it.
All of this was thanks to the domineering innate ability of the Deep Sea Demon Whale clan. Like the Dark Devilgod Tiger, the Deep Sea Demon Whale could also devour human soul masters or soul beasts to enhance its own cultivation.
Just earlier, the Demon Empress had relied on this innate ability to separate the blood qi energy and soul energy from nearly a thousand people. The blood qi energy could be directly used to improve cultivation, while the soul energy was used to expand the sea of spirit.
It was precisely because of this that she had deliberately allowed her original body size to repeatedly break through the limits of the Deep Sea Demon Whale clan. All of this was to cooperate with that innate ability, to devour more blood qi energy and soul energy.
Of course, in terms of control over spiritual force, the Demon Empress was certainly not as good as the Evil Eye Tyrant Ruler, who specialized in spiritual force.
She released her spiritual force and carefully sensed Xu Zihuang's aura, searching several times but returning empty-handed each time. Withdrawing her spiritual force, her face turned frosty as she let out a cold snort.
At her level of cultivation, premonitions were extremely sharp. The moment she saw Xu Zihuang, she knew that this human soul master in front of her would very likely cause her some trouble in the future.
After reacting, the Demon Empress had prepared to strike at the first opportunity to erase Xu Zihuang. However, her spiritual intent had been briefly suppressed by Xu Zihuang's demi-god realm spiritual force. In the end, she could only watch helplessly as Xu Zihuang escaped.
Meanwhile, the other Deep Sea Demon Whale, who had transformed into the young girl Lan Fozi, showed a look of astonishment in her eyes.
She had just received the intent transmitted by that human earlier.
"Can he really be trusted?" Lan Fozi's gaze flickered. She subconsciously raised her head to look at her mother. After a moment of silence, the hesitation in her deep blue, beautiful eyes gradually gave way to determination.
The talent displayed by that human indeed gave him such confidence. Humans were the race most favored by the heavens. She believed that as long as that human was given a few decades to grow, he could possess strength capable of contending with her mother.
Moreover, that human's special identity was enough to convince Lan Fozi.
She wanted to stop her mother, and cooperating with that human was indeed worth considering. After all, she was too weak to do it alone. That human might harbor ulterior motives or scheming intentions, but she did not care. In the face of absolute strength, all schemes and plots were meaningless.
Her mother's cultivation was close to eight hundred thousand years. In the entire sea domain, existences capable of contending with her were extremely rare. Trying to kill her mother in the sea domain was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The best outcome would be to make her mother wary of that human's strength and stop her from continuing to slaughter and harm the living beings on the Douluo Continent.
While Lan Fozi was lost in thought, the Demon Empress had already absorbed all the blood qi energy and soul energy, reverting to her original body and swimming toward the depths of the sea in the southeast direction.
Looking up at the coldness in the Demon Empress's eyes, Lan Fozi knew that once her mother recovered to fifty percent of her strength, she would likely venture deep into the sea again to kill and devour other powerful sea soul beasts.
Compared to humans, the massive sea soul beasts provided far more abundant blood qi and soul energy.
Lan Fozi bit her silver teeth and also transformed into her original body, catching up to the Demon Empress.
For now, all she could do was try her best to persuade her mother to commit fewer acts of slaughter.
...
In a certain sea area a thousand miles away.
Golden vertical pupil light patterns flashed in the air. Xu Zihuang, whose aura was wilted, appeared in the sky above this sea area while holding Ju Zi in his arms.
Two strands of crimson blood flowed from Xu Zihuang's eyelids down his cheeks, forming two terrifying blood trails. His chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath. The soul power in his body was completely depleted, and his sea of spirit showed signs of collapse due to forcibly elevating his spiritual force to the demi-god level using the golden-grade original martial soul second awakening.
If his martial soul quality had not been high enough, and his spiritual force had reached the tangible and qualitative realm, merely maintaining that brief instant of demi-god-level spiritual force would likely have caused his spiritual origin to decline, leading to his fall here.
The domain of the gods, how could it be so easily touched? Especially since his current cultivation was only at the Soul Emperor level.
Not only had his sea of spirit sustained damage, but Xu Zihuang's soul had also suffered some injury when he used his hundred-thousand-year head soul bone skill, Soul Barrier, to withstand the water-thunder dual-element mixed energy condensed by the Demon Empress. Moreover, he was enduring the enormous side effects from using the golden-grade original martial soul second awakening.
In all these years, this was the first time he had been in such a sorry state.
He did not even have the remaining strength to use the Mirror of Annihilation to pause in the air, falling straight toward the seawater. In the moment his consciousness blurred, he vaguely heard the anxious shouts of the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm in his sea of spirit.
And his pair of brilliant golden eyes seemed to pierce through endless space and time, seeing scene after scene.
Similarly, in the sky above a sea area, a black-haired, purple-eyed youth stood in mid-air, his expression indifferent as he looked down from above at a giant whale covered in demonic patterns. The whale's body length was nearly a thousand meters, extremely shocking and awe-inspiring. However, its body bore several deep wounds visible to the bone, dyed with blood, surrounded by an endless expanse of blood-red.
A young girl stood in front of the giant whale, crying with tears streaming down her face like rain on pear blossoms, incessantly pleading with the youth.
No sound could be heard, but the true emotion revealed by the girl was deeply moving.
However, the scene soon came to an abrupt end, and Xu Zihuang's mind returned.
"The ability of the Golden Pupil martial soul when using Martial Soul True Body: Void and Future Vision. So that's how it is."
"Tian Meng, I'll leave the rest to you." But Xu Zihuang could not afford to delve deeper into it now. He barely transmitted an intent to the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm before completely losing consciousness.
Ju Zi, leaning in Xu Zihuang's arms, had also fallen into a coma, but protected by Xu Zihuang, her condition was clearly much better.
In fact, that was indeed the case. Ju Zi had only been affected by the dense black-purple energy released by the Demon Empress and the aftermath of the impact from Xu Zihuang's Soul Barrier; she was not seriously harmed.
Xu Zihuang's arrangement was not entirely due to a sudden inspiration or whim to take a risk, but a decision made after careful consideration. When using Soul Barrier to block the Demon Empress's attack, his soul had already been damaged.
Even if the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm used means to take him and Ju Zi away, after this event, he would be unable to mobilize spiritual force or soul power for a long period of time. Perhaps even a random hundred-year soul beast could threaten his and Ju Zi's lives.
Rather than that, it was better to let the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm remain conscious as a safety net. If they encountered danger again, it would not be too late to have the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm use that ultimate life-saving ability.
Moreover, although the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's combat ability was not strong, merely mobilizing the tangible and qualitative realm spiritual force in Xu Zihuang's sea of spirit would be enough to scare off many soul beasts.
"Leave it to me with peace of mind, Zihuang." The inwardly anxious Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, upon receiving the intent transmitted by Xu Zihuang, suddenly calmed down, its tone unusually serious. Xu Zihuang's doing this was absolutely equivalent to trusting it without reservation. It had to respond to that trust with actions.
"Plop—"
Xu Zihuang and Ju Zi simultaneously plunged into the seawater one after another, splashing up a wave. Their bodies sank toward the seabed, their scattered black long hair intertwining together as they maintained their embracing posture.
"Hm?" Just as the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm was preparing to take over Xu Zihuang's body, a white light flashed, and a white whale about five meters in length used its back to support Xu Zihuang and Ju Zi's bodies.
It was precisely the Silver-Scaled White Whale that had signed a contract with Xu Zihuang and become a soul spirit.
The Silver-Scaled White Whale itself was a spiritual attribute soul beast, its size far incomparable to the Deep Sea Demon Whale or the Evil Demon Orca.
However, after absorbing the spiritual origin of the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, this Silver-Scaled White Whale was now equivalent to a genuine forty-thousand-year soul beast. Even leaving Xu Zihuang's sea of spirit, it possessed considerable combat strength.
It was just that, due to the incompleteness of its spiritual consciousness, most of the time it could only act on instinct. Otherwise, with its special nature as an auspicious beast, it might even be able to speak human words.
The Silver-Scaled White Whale affectionately turned its head to glance at Xu Zihuang, then quickly surfaced, using its spine to support Xu Zihuang and Ju Zi's bodies above the water surface so they could breathe.
"Whine—"
An ethereal and delicate whale song resounded.
A circle of ice-blue halo bloomed on the spine of the Silver-Scaled White Whale, condensing into irregular ice prisms that protected Xu Zihuang and Ju Zi's bodies within. After the ice-blue halo, a dazzling golden light burst forth. The golden light shone, almost in the span of a breath, transforming into a golden cocoon that enveloped Xu Zihuang and Ju Zi.
"Ice element control?! Light element control?! This little thing is truly extraordinary."
Suspended above Xu Zihuang's sea of spirit, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's golden little eyes flickered with light. It had not been surprised when the Silver-Scaled White Whale first displayed ice element control ability, as that was merely a basic application of ice element control. But the subsequent light cocoon was different; the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm could clearly sense the rich life aura within it.
Light of Life Healing! This was clearly an ability that could only be displayed when one's control over the light element reached the pinnacle.
The light element was the purest kind of element, inherently possessing a strong life aura. However, not all light attribute soul beasts and soul masters could display the Light of Life Healing ability. One needed an extremely high affinity with the light element.
"Little thing, there's a reef about thirty kilometers ahead. Let's head there for now."
Then the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm felt joy in its heart. With the Silver-Scaled White Whale present, it had much more confidence.
With the pressure suddenly reduced, it could not help but smugly chuckle.
"Although my strength is a bit weak, it seems I won't even need to make a move. What is called having a sharp eye!"
It was now even more convinced that Xu Zihuang was the son of destiny born in this era under the mandate of heaven; all of heaven's favor seemed to be concentrated on Xu Zihuang alone.
...
A grand manor quietly sat in the area near the northwest coast of Moon Pivot Island. This was the private manor belonging to the owner of Moon Pivot Island, Viscount Yue Nan.
In the pointed castle at the center of the manor, faint lights shone.
Moonlight passed through silk curtains and scattered into a spacious room on the top floor of the castle. Ye Guyi lay prone on the soft, large bed, her smooth golden long hair sliding down her waist and back, the longest parts already reaching her perky buttocks.
Her fair and delicate skin, under the reflection of starlight, gained an additional jade-like lustrous sheen.
Her long eyelashes trembled slightly as she greedily savored the scents on the bedsheets, pillows, and blankets. These had all once been used by Xu Zihuang.
During this period, Ye Guyi did this every night to alleviate her longing for Xu Zihuang.
When she opened her eyes, a flush appeared on her delicate face.
At that moment, a sudden feeling of palpitations inexplicably arose in her heart.
With a sense in her heart, Ye Guyi got up and walked to the window edge. What met her eyes was the vast, endless sea, the sound of waves crashing against rocks clearly audible.
However, not long after, this feeling of palpitations dissipated. Her slightly furrowed brows relaxed, and her gaze became dazed.
It had already been more than seven months since they parted in Mingdu. In less than five months, it would be the day she and Xu Zihuang had agreed to meet at Shrek Academy.
After more than half a year of seclusion, Ye Guyi had smoothly broken through the level seventy bottleneck. Once she obtained her seventh soul ring, the power of her Holy Angel martial soul would undergo a qualitative sublimation.
"Zihuang, everything you have lost, I will help you take it all back." Ye Guyi murmured, a dazzling golden light emerging in her golden eyes, filling her filled with a holy and sacred aura.
It was hard to imagine that the currently noble and aloof Ye Guyi had previously shown such a somewhat unseemly side.
The night passed without incident.
The golden sunrise rose from the eastern coastline.
"Splash—, splash—" Waves washed against the reef, the air filled with moisture. Ju Zi groggily woke up, discovering that she was on a huge reef. The reef was uneven but had an area of at least three hundred square meters.
The instant her consciousness cleared, she suddenly raised her head and looked around.
"Tianhuang!"
Seeing Xu Zihuang lying beside her, she quickly bent down to check his condition. Only after confirming that Xu Zihuang's vital signs were all normal did she slightly relax.
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm in Xu Zihuang's sea of spirit was constantly paying attention to the outside situation. Seeing Ju Zi show such concern and true feelings for Xu Zihuang, it immediately transformed into the most affectionate soul beast in the soul beast world and let out a soft sigh.
"I hope Zihuang can treat this little girl better in the future. True feelings cannot be let down."
Immediately after, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's consciousness sank into Xu Zihuang's second sea of consciousness. After the overexertion last night, the Silver-Scaled White Whale had returned to Xu Zihuang's second sea of consciousness to continue nurturing its spiritual consciousness. It would likely be unable to wake up in the short term.
Next, it had to be fully alert. Although nourished by the Gold of Living Creatures, Xu Zihuang had suffered soul-level wounds, along with the enormous side effects from using the golden-grade original martial soul second awakening, and his body was severely overdrawn.
How long it would take for Xu Zihuang to fully recover, even Tian Meng could not say; it could only depend on the situation.
Outside, Ju Zi carried Xu Zihuang on her back, her face flushed red with exertion. Her long, black hair was left unkempt, messily scattered over her shoulders.
Xu Zihuang's muscle density and bone density were far beyond those of ordinary people. Though he appeared somewhat slender, his weight was astonishingly heavy.
However, Ju Zi was after all a six-ring Soul Emperor, although her cultivation had been forcibly elevated through drugs, her physique was still much stronger than that of ordinary people.
Ju Zi remained very calm. She carried Xu Zihuang step by step to the center of the reef, then set up a leather tent to block the sea wind. The tent's color was very similar to the reef's, both black-brown, and from a distance, it would be hard to spot quickly.
She gently removed all of Xu Zihuang's clothing and hung it on the tent to dry in the sea breeze.
Changing into dry clothes would definitely make Yu Tianhuang more comfortable.
Returning to the tent and being in such proximity to the fully naked Yu Tianhuang, Ju Zi's cheeks could not help but burn as she recalled what had happened last night in the top-floor room on the Sea Dragon's deck. Her gaze paused for a moment on a certain spot.
She still deeply remembered that suffocating feeling.
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