The Star Luo continued to sail through the darkness before dawn. The sea was like a vast, inky silk cloth, with only the sound of waves breaking against the hull and the low hum of the engines.
Gu La silently returned to his room, quickly removing traces of seawater and changing back into his regular attire. He retrieved his soul-guided communicator and connected to a specially encrypted channel.
The holographic screen lit up, revealing Leng Yaozhu's stunning yet slightly weary face, as if she had just finished handling some affairs.
"Teacher," Gu La greeted respectfully.
"Gu La? Why are you contacting me so late? What is the matter?" Leng Yaozhu frowned slightly.
"While traveling, I obtained some materials that need to be crafted into a spirit soul. I'd like to ask for your help in providing contact information for the core leader of the Spirit Pagoda's branch in the Star Luo Continent so I can handle it directly upon arrival," Gu La explained concisely.
A flicker of surprise crossed Leng Yaozhu's eyes, but she didn't ask further questions.
She was already accustomed to Gu La's mysterious efficiency. With a casual gesture, she transmitted an encrypted contact list and intelligence on the responsible individual: "The head of the Star Luo branch is Nether Flame Douluo Zhang Geyang. He is one of my fellow vice-tower masters and a loyal supporter of the Qiangu family. You may contact him, but proceed with caution."
"Thank you, Teacher." Gu La noted the information and ended the communication.
Just as he put away the communicator and prepared to meditate instead of resting—
Boom—!!!
An indescribable, terrifying surge of soul power erupted from beneath the ship like a tsunami. The massive steel vessel shook violently, as if it were a leaf caught in a storm. The piercing sound of twisting metal and passengers' cries instantly filled the cabins.
"They came faster than expected." A cold glint flashed in Gu La's eyes as his spiritual power spread out instantly.
On the deck—
The figures of Zhuo Shi and Cai Yue'er appeared almost simultaneously at the bow. The faces of the two Super Douluo were grim.
Their perception had locked onto the source of the crisis even before Gu La's—deep beneath the calm surface of the ocean.
What had been a tranquil sea now boiled furiously. Countless ferocious marine soul beasts emerged, their heads breaking the surface densely packed, stretching endlessly as far as the eye could see.
Demon Soul Great White Sharks, Deep Sea Devil Whales, Sawtooth Mad Sharks, Venomous Jellyfish… Various powerful marine soul beast clans intermingled. Their blood-red eyes glowed like lanterns of hell in the darkness, exuding a bloodthirsty and violent aura.
Even more terrifying were the two colossal shadows slowly rising from the center of the beast tide.
To the left was a monstrous whale over a hundred meters long, covered in a thick layer of dark blue keratin, scarred with ancient wounds and large barnacle marks, radiating an oppressive presence—"Deep Sea Devil Whale King!"
A hundred-thousand-year soul beast!
To the right was a hundred-thousand-year Demon Soul Great White Shark, its enormous eyes blazing with molten rage. It could sense that the murderer of its offspring was aboard the ship.
And beneath them loomed an even more bizarre existence!
It wasn't a fish but an unimaginably huge octopus. Its main body resembled a moving black mountain of flesh, with eight tentacles each over ten meters in diameter and impossible to measure in length. These colossal tentacles danced atop the waves like towering pillars, stirring up massive tsunamis.
Its tentacles were covered in grinding-plate-sized suckers and hooks that gleamed with eerie blue light. Most unsettling was its head, hidden within roiling clouds of ink. Faintly visible were dozens of red eyes of varying sizes, glowing with icy intelligence—"Dark Octopus Emperor!"
The aura it exuded was chilling, viscous, and filled with endless malice and madness, clearly surpassing a hundred thousand years and reaching the level of a two-hundred-thousand-year fiend!
"Humans!!"
The Demon Soul Great White Shark's voice thundered like rolling thunder, shaking the sea with its boundless fury. "You slaughter soul beasts on land, and now you dare massacre our kin at sea! Today, we will use this broken ship and all your lives to sacrifice in blood for our fallen!"
"Jejeje…"
The Dark Octopus Emperor emitted a spine-chilling, shrill laugh, its voice like countless needles scraping against the soul. "You must answer for your actions today, or you will all perish in the sea!"
Zhuo Shi's hair and beard bristled as his eyes blazed with anger. "Nonsense! The hunting and being hunted between soul beasts and humans is the natural law of heaven and earth! You wretched beasts dare to gather and attack a federal ship—are you trying to incite war between our races?!"
Cai Yue'er's face was as cold as frost. Her radiant silver moon martial soul hung high above her head, and her three-word battle armor enveloped her body, exuding sharp, frigid energy. "Deep Sea Devil Whale King, Dark Octopus Emperor. As rulers of the ocean, you should know the rules. Mustering such forces—do you truly think we fear you?!"
"Rules? Hahaha!"
The Demon Soul Great White Shark laughed wildly, its crimson eyes brimming with savagery. "Rules are about the strong devouring the weak! Did you humans follow any rules when you slaughtered my descendants?! Today, I am the rule! Kill them all—!!!"
At its command, the Dark Octopus Emperor let out a piercing shriek. Countless marine soul beasts surged forward like soldiers receiving a charge order, roaring deafeningly and rushing toward the Star Luo.
They rammed the ship with their massive bodies, spewing venom, water arrows, ice spears, and lightning. The brilliance of various soul skills rained down on the Star Luo's protective barrier like a storm, creating ear-splitting explosions.
"Activate maximum protection! All combat personnel, engage the enemy!" The captain's calm voice echoed through the loudspeakers.
The Star Luo's protective barrier flared to its maximum intensity, but under the onslaught of such a terrifying horde of marine soul beasts—especially the overwhelming pressure from the two mighty beasts—the barrier fluctuated violently, on the verge of collapse.
The guardian soul masters of the Federation delegation and the students of the Star Luo Imperial Academy rushed onto the deck, unleashing their martial souls and engaging in fierce battles with the marine soul beasts climbing aboard or attacking from afar. The scene descended into utter chaos.
Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, and the others also rushed out. Seeing the apocalyptic scene before them, Tang Wulin's eyes flashed with golden light.
"Entangle!"
He barked, and no longer were these ordinary Blue Silver Grass. Thick vines, as robust as a child's arm, shimmering with deep, crystalline blue and flowing with golden patterns, burst from his body.
Like living serpents or dragons, they flexibly entangled and crushed the low-level marine soul beasts climbing onto the deck. Their resilience far surpassed the past, even briefly withstanding attacks from ten-thousand-year marine soul beasts.
This was the natural evolution of the Blue Silver Grass martial soul nurtured by the Golden Dragon King's bloodline, transforming into the true Blue Silver Emperor martial soul.
Amid the chaos, Gu La's gaze turned icy.
With a flicker of his thoughts, the space beside him warped slightly, and the avatar Bo Xi materialized. At this moment, Bo Xi suppressed most of his dragonic might and water dominion aura, displaying only fluctuations akin to a Soul King-level soul power.
"Main body."
"Change into my clothes and disguise yourself as me. Go to the deck and 'assist' in the battle, drawing attention without standing out too much."
Gu La gave quick orders, tossing a spare set of his clothes to Bo Xi. Bo Xi quickly changed, tying up his sea-blue hair. Under Gu La's subtle illusion adjustments, his appearance bore a striking resemblance to Gu La's, with the same calm, profound demeanor in his eyes.
Bo Xi accepted the mission and immediately charged out of the room, joining the battle on the deck.
He manipulated water currents to form massive vortex blades, slaughtering marine soul beasts with great fanfare. However, he did not reveal his true strength, successfully attracting some attention—including that of Zhuo Shi and Cai Yue'er—but due to Gu La's usual display of varied tactics, no one suspected anything.
Meanwhile, the real Gu La's figure distorted with psychic fluctuations, cloaking himself in a layer of illusory camouflage.
In an instant, he transformed into a mysterious figure shrouded in a wide black robe, wearing a grotesque ghost mask, exuding a chilling, obscure aura.
A formidable presence rivaling that of a Super Douluo erupted. Like a ghost, he avoided the chaotic battlefield on the deck, his figure flashing as he appeared directly at the Star Luo's side railing, hovering in midair.
His cold gaze locked onto the two colossal beasts at the heart of the beast tide below—the Deep Sea Devil Whale King and the Dark Octopus Emperor!
His goal was clear: to hunt these two top-tier marine soul beasts. Their spirit souls would be the perfect choice for Bo Xi—and potentially for future avatars. A hundred-thousand-year or even Fierce Beast-level spirit soul would support Bo Xi's cultivation to extraordinary heights.
------------------------------------------------------
Join my Patreon to read an exclusive novel – 'Douluo: Rebuilding Hao Tian Sect'
40+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)