"W-What...?"
Orléans stared at Li Chang'an and Bibi Dong as if he were seeing devils. This kid looked so young, and this woman so beautiful—how could they lie with such a straight face?
Hunting a 300,000-year spirit beast? Let alone whether such a thing even existed—was that something humans could actually hunt?
What Orléans didn't know was that Li Chang'an was already giving him the toned-down version. What he really planned to do was hunt not one, but two spirit beasts—one around 200,000 years, and the other closer to 400,000!
Li Chang'an didn't bother wasting more words. He simply came clean.
"Captain, let me be honest with you. My name is Li Chang'an. I am the current Holy Son of the Spirit Hall. And this—this is my teacher, none other than the Pope of Spirit Hall herself."
As he finished speaking, Li Chang'an gave a slight nod toward Bibi Dong. At his signal, Bibi Dong released her soul rings without hesitation.
When Orléans saw all nine soul rings emerge around her, he almost fell to his knees on the spot. But it was the final ring—that deep red, representing a 100,000-year soul ring—that truly convinced him of their identities.
And Li Chang'an wasn't done yet. He casually tossed a pitch-black token to Orléans—the Holy Son Token, issued by the Spirit Hall itself.
Orléans, having some experience, quickly recognized the token as genuine. Without a second thought, he dropped to one knee and bowed deeply.
"Orléans pays respects to the honored Pope! To the Holy Son! I had no idea of your true identities—please forgive my earlier offense!"
In the eyes of the common folk, the Spirit Hall was an almost divine institution. Even in coastal regions, its authority was unquestioned. Though Orléans was a ship captain, he was still a commoner, one who had benefited from the Spirit Hall's protection more than once—naturally, he showed utmost deference.
"Alright, rise. Now, take my token and announce to everyone—we're heading to the Demon Shark Sea. Don't worry. We will ensure your safety."
Li Chang'an's tone softened slightly, but the command in his voice left no room for doubt.
"Yes, of course, Holy Son! I'll see to it at once!" Orléans no longer hesitated. He nodded quickly and ran off.
If there was anyone in this world who could make Orléans feel safe venturing into the treacherous Demon Shark Sea, it would be Spirit Hall—and now that even the Pope herself had come in person, he felt invincible.
After Orléans left, Li Chang'an and Bibi Dong exchanged a smile before sitting down to rest.
"Teacher, when the time comes, I'll need you to deal with the Demon Shark King yourself. As for the rest of the sharks, I can hold them off for now," Li Chang'an said casually.
To pit him against a 100,000-year spirit beast—especially in its ocean domain—was asking a lot. But if it were just the ten-thousand-year-class spirit beasts, he could take on a whole group by himself.
Not to mention, he had his trump card—the divine ability: "Whoever You Stare at Will Shit Themselves." If push came to shove, he could use it to assist Bibi Dong. There was no way that Demon Shark King would escape them.
Bibi Dong thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. Although she found it hard to believe that Li Chang'an could suppress an entire shark group by himself, his track record—defeating Tang Hao, no less—left her with no choice but to trust him.
Had they been on land, Li Chang'an might have hesitated, worried about disturbing the ecological balance or some such thing. At most, he'd just lure out the boss and be done with it.
But this was the ocean—an almost completely unexplored wilderness in the world of Douluo Dalu. Resources here were abundant to the point of excess. What impact could he possibly have just by stirring up a little trouble?
To put it crudely: forget damaging anything—he hadn't even reached the threshold yet.
With the appearance of Li Chang'an's token, their presence immediately drew everyone's attention. Three guest elders even came over to pay their respects. At the same time, the massive ship, Sea God, changed direction, raised its sails, and began full-speed navigation toward the Demon Shark Sea!
Li Chang'an and Bibi Dong entered a meditative state, conserving their soul power for the brutal battle to come.
Under Sea God's full speed, it took only twelve hours before Orléans came to report. "Twenty kilometers ahead lies the Demon Shark Sea. At most, we can sail another ten kilometers before we have to stop."
Their ship was large, sure—but entering the Demon Shark Sea meant almost certain death. They'd be lucky to make it back in one piece.
"Alright, Captain Orléans. Sail another ten kilometers, then leave the rest to us," Li Chang'an nodded.
Then, he and Bibi Dong stepped onto the deck, silently gazing toward the distant sea.
At their level of cultivation, they were highly sensitive to danger. And right now, both of them could clearly sense it—somewhere just up ahead, something terrifying was lurking.
But neither of them felt fear. Only excitement and anticipation.
This—this was the thrill of being strong!
As the Sea God drew closer, Li Chang'an felt the atmosphere shift.
How to describe it? The surrounding sea had become eerily still—unnaturally calm. The surface was smooth and quiet, an oppressive silence hanging over everything. It was the calm before the storm.
"Let's go!"
With a crisp command from Bibi Dong, nine soul rings rose behind her. A blood-red scythe appeared in her hand, divine pressure emanating from her form. Eight pure white spider legs extended from her back, giving her a fearsome yet majestic appearance.
Thanks to Li Chang'an's interference, the will of the Rakshasa God had not corrupted her mind. In fact, with the aid of Immortal herbs, her two martial souls had lost their former malevolence and become… almost sacred.
Li Chang'an also summoned his five soul rings. The Pangu Axe appeared in his hand, and with a flick of his left wrist, the Donghuang Bell materialized at his side. Together, the two of them rose into the air.
Everyone aboard the ship was dumbfounded.
Bibi Dong was one thing—she was the Pope, after all. But Li Chang'an? A mere Holy Son? How could he be this terrifying?
A Spirit King, with a ring configuration that exceeded even that of a Titled Douluo?
Was this guy even human?
And since when could a five-ring spirit master fly?
The two figures shot forward, covering more than ten miles in an instant. At that moment, the entire sea began to rumble.
Waves surged like a beast awakened. The once-calm sea began to churn violently, and even the clear skies above turned gray, as if heralding a downpour.
At the same time, a terrifying aura burst out from beneath the ocean, clashing directly with the pressure from Li Chang'an and Bibi Dong. But no matter how fierce the opposing aura was, it still couldn't overpower theirs!
"Who dares to enter my territory?!"
A massive shark fin—ten meters tall—pierced through the waves, followed by a colossal shark over a hundred meters long, its body pitch-black and glistening. Behind it, countless other sharks—large and small—surfaced one after another...
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T/N:
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