Under the watchful eyes of Zhu Ziyang and the others, a massive deep-blue whale, nearly two hundred meters in length, burst out of the sea. Its appearance was not much different from the Deep Sea Demon Whale they had encountered before. The only difference was its size—for compared to this one, that fifty-thousand-year Deep Sea Demon Whale seemed like nothing more than a juvenile.
"This—!" Zhu Ziyang stared in shock at the colossal creature and exclaimed, "A nine-hundred-thousand-year Deep Sea Demon Whale!"
Among the Deep Sea Demon Whale clan, once they reached one hundred thousand years of cultivation, every additional hundred thousand years would increase their length by ten meters. The one before them stretched almost two hundred meters, meaning its cultivation had already surpassed nine hundred thousand years!
"How is that possible?" Both the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress were visibly shaken. "Could the Deep Sea Demon Whale race truly be this favored by heaven?"
It was obvious what they were thinking of—the Deep Sea Demon Whale King from ten thousand years ago, the so-called million-year soul beast, who had been slain by the Sea God Tang San. That battle had left a deep impression on them.
"This isn't the time for questions!" Zhu Ziyang also thought of the ancient Deep Sea Demon Whale King, but he had no leisure to dwell on it. "First, we must deal with this Deep Sea Demon Whale King before us!"
A nine-hundred-thousand-year soul beast was not something they could face alone. Hearing Zhu Ziyang's shout, the spirit souls immediately understood his intent and nodded in agreement.
But the Deep Sea Demon Whale King had no intention of letting them strategize. She only wanted to slaughter the fools who had dared to injure her daughter. With a furious roar, a six-pointed star array appeared above her head, releasing a pillar of violet-gold light. The pressure it exuded was terrifying as it surged toward Zhu Ziyang and his companions.
Zhu Ziyang instantly counterattacked. Wielding the Scythe of Resting Fate, he unleashed a golden slash, filled with the purest light, that clashed violently against the violet-gold pillar. The impact caused a terrifying explosion, boiling the surrounding seawater.
The Demon Empress, Snow Empress, Ice Empress, and Second Frost did not remain idle either. As Zhu Ziyang struck back, they launched their own attacks—the Netherworld Finger, the Emperor Sword, the Ice Empress' Claws, and the Dragon King's Talons—all landing upon the massive body of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.
"Arghhh!" The whale screamed in pain. Struck by the combined assault of four spirit souls, her rage only deepened, but she also realized she couldn't continue fighting in her beast form.
A flash of violet light, and her immense body disappeared, replaced by a woman clad in regal purple robes. She stood proudly in the air, her face cold, her violet eyes filled with disdain and fury. Her red lips parted as she declared, "Who are you? I, the Demon Emperor, do not kill nameless wretches!"
"Demon Emperor?" Zhu Ziyang froze for a moment, surprised that the Deep Sea Demon Whale King possessed such a title. But he quickly dismissed the thought. A nine-hundred-thousand-year soul beast king having a title was not strange. He sneered, "Enough nonsense!"
Without hesitation, he raised the Scythe of Resting Fate high, unleashing his third soul skill. Countless meteorites tore through the void, falling down toward the Demon Emperor. The Demon Empress, Snow Empress, Ice Empress, and Second Frost followed suit, launching their attacks in unison.
The Demon Emperor frowned at Zhu Ziyang's arrogance. She lifted both hands, violet-gold streams of energy radiating from her body and spinning rapidly, forming a massive vortex. The vortex's pull was immense, sucking in every meteorite conjured by Zhu Ziyang's third soul skill.
Then, with a wave of her hands, those same meteorites scattered like heavenly maidens scattering blossoms, flying toward the spirit souls.
The Demon Empress and Snow Empress dodged with ease, closing in on the Demon Emperor from both sides. The Demon Empress attacked from the right, the Snow Empress from the left, forcing the Demon Emperor into a rare moment of panic.
She quickly withdrew her hands, blocking both attacks at once. Truth be told, she could afford to belittle Zhu Ziyang—after all, from his aura she only sensed the level of an ordinary Titled Douluo—but she dared not underestimate the Snow Empress and the Demon Empress. One with eight-hundred-thousand years of cultivation, the other with seven-hundred-thousand—whether on land or sea, both were rulers in their own right.
She couldn't fathom where these two top-tier beast kings had come from, nor why they were obeying a human boy. If they could be persuaded to serve her instead, it would greatly aid her plans. But alas!
Lost in thought, she struck back at the Snow Empress with one hand, while her other hand morphed into a violet-gold fin-blade that slashed fiercely toward the Demon Empress. Shocked, the Demon Empress retreated just in time to avoid the strike.
The Ice Empress and Second Frost were not idle. While the Demon Emperor parried the two beast kings, a ray of extreme frost pierced her abdomen, and a massive glacier rose beneath her feet.
Caught off guard, the frost beam forced her back a few steps, and the glacier immediately surged upward, encasing her in ice.
Briefly restrained, the Demon Emperor was then struck by the combined onslaught of the Demon Empress, Snow Empress, Ice Empress, and Second Frost. Zhu Ziyang, meanwhile, hung back from the battlefield, waiting to deliver the final blow.
Though a nine-hundred-thousand-year beast, the Demon Emperor had not yet reached the million-year threshold. Against the Demon Empress and Snow Empress, she was inferior, and with four against one, the outcome was inevitable.
She soon realized this as well. Injured and overwhelmed, she grew desperate to retreat. Step by step, she fought her way toward the sea. If she could reach the ocean, her domain, she could choose to flee or continue the battle at her advantage.
Truthfully, she regretted leaving the sea to fight in the air. Had the battle taken place underwater, these four traitorous soul beasts would never have been her match. It was a grave miscalculation.
Zhu Ziyang, ever watchful, saw through her intent. Smiling coldly, he said, "You want to escape? Too late!"
He unleashed his ninth soul ring. The Scythe of Resting Fate glowed with gray-white light as a dark sphere formed at its center, growing larger as it absorbed energy until it fused with the blade itself. When Zhu Ziyang made a slight motion with his hand, the black sphere detached and floated toward the Demon Emperor.
It drifted slowly, wobbling harmlessly, seemingly without threat. Yet before she could react, it was already less than half a meter away.
Her heart sank. Just as she prepared to strike it aside, the sphere abruptly expanded, swelling to the size of a human and enveloping her within.
Scythe of Resting Fate, Ninth Soul Skill: Resting Dark Heaven!
The sphere continued to grow, forcing the spirit souls to retreat and leave space. Soon, it had expanded large enough to hold the Demon Emperor's true form. Black streams of energy swirled around it, tainting the sea with darkness and death.
After about a quarter of an hour, the sphere shattered, revealing the Demon Emperor inside. She had reverted to her true form, her massive body scarred and battered. Her aura was weak, her fury replaced by fear as she gazed helplessly at Zhu Ziyang.
Resting Dark Heaven was a single-target control ability, trapping its victim in a space of death and darkness, draining life force and soul power. Weaker opponents could even be killed outright within it.
The Demon Emperor's current state was proof—her life and soul power had been drained by nearly seventy percent. She was on the verge of collapse and would need centuries of recovery to regain her peak. At this moment, only one thought remained in her mind: escape, as far as possible.
But Zhu Ziyang would not allow it. Even if her attributes didn't suit him, a soul ring from a beast with more than five-hundred-thousand years of cultivation was priceless—let alone one with nine-hundred-thousand. His Heavenly Frost Dragon King martial soul still lacked a ring, and the Demon Emperor was the perfect candidate.
Determined, he signaled the Snow Empress and the others to surround her, cutting off escape routes. He raised the Scythe of Resting Fate, preparing to strike the final blow.
The Demon Emperor closed her eyes, resigned to death.
"Please, don't kill my mother!"
A blue-haired girl suddenly appeared in front of the Demon Emperor's enormous body, blood flowing from her shoulder. She spread her arms wide, shielding her mother as she pleaded tearfully with Zhu Ziyang.
She was clearly the Deep Sea Demon Whale with fifty-thousand years of cultivation who had fled earlier.
Zhu Ziyang's expression grew heavy. He did not answer, for the moment the whale girl appeared, the flower mark on his forehead flickered—the mark of the Other Shore Blossom. He immediately sensed a mysterious presence arriving in the sea.
And sure enough, a voice echoed in his ears:
"For my sake, spare this insolent creature."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 early chapters available on Patreon: [email protected]/facficmax10