"Hmm?"
Zhuo Shi and Cai Yue'er immediately sensed the sudden appearance of the mysterious robed figure exuding a powerful aura.
A flicker of surprise crossed their eyes. The person's presence was unfamiliar, their movements suspicious—was this newcomer friend or foe?
But when they saw him charge without hesitation toward the two most terrifying beasts, clearly targeting humanity's enemies, Zhuo Shi and Cai Yue'er exchanged glances and temporarily set aside their doubts.
"Regardless of who he is, we must first deal with the marine soul beasts!" Cai Yue'er snapped coldly. Her radiant Silver Moon erupted into a sky full of silvery light, transforming into crescent-shaped blades that slashed through a group of ten-thousand-year Sawtooth Mad Sharks attempting to surround her. The sharp blade light instantly obliterated them.
Zhuo Shi let out a furious roar as a terrifying flame pressure erupted from his body. His fists, like molten lava hammers, smashed into the group of Deep Sea Devil Whales relentlessly ramming the ship, relieving some of the pressure on Cai Yue'er.
With the tacit "support" of the two Title Douluo, Gu La, in his guise as the mysterious robed figure, had no further concerns.
Facing the roaring Deep Sea Devil Whale King and the Dark Octopus Emperor's tentacles descending like a heavenly net, a cold smirk formed beneath his mask.
"Psychic Domain—Activate! Restrain!"
(T/N: After reviewing, Psychic Domain just sounds better than Confusion Domain and I'll be sticking with that going forward.)
Buzz!
The Spirit Domain-level spiritual power erupted without reservation.
Centered on him, the surrounding sea within a radius of several kilometers seemed to freeze in place.
The seawater solidified! Space became viscous!
The charging marine soul beasts were trapped as if encased in the toughest amber, their movements becoming painfully slow. Even the massive body of the Deep Sea Devil Whale King and the Dark Octopus Emperor's giant tentacles saw their speeds plummet dramatically!
"Roar!!" The Deep Sea Devil Whale King's eyes burned crimson, feeling an unprecedented restraint. It violently struggled, unleashing a terrifying surge of soul power in an attempt to break free from the telekinetic field.
"Squeal—!"
The Dark Octopus Emperor let out an ear-piercing shriek. Dozens of blood-red eyes simultaneously locked onto Gu La, launching a cold, sticky mental attack that seemed to corrode the soul like an invisible venomous snake, striking fiercely at Gu La's consciousness.
At the same time, several of its thickest tentacles, wrapped in terrifying force and corrosive ink, forcibly broke through part of the field's restraint, lashing out like massive steel whips.
"Hmph! Petty tricks!"
Gu La sneered. The Spirit Domain-level mental barrier instantly blocked the insidious mental attack. Facing the whipping tentacles, he pressed his hands forward.
"Psychic—Collapse! Tear!"
Boom! Boom!
An invisible, colossal force acted upon the two foremost giant tentacles, causing space to collapse inward.
The incredibly resilient tentacles, capable of withstanding ninth-grade soul-guided cannons, emitted a grating, twisting sound under the absolute crushing power of the Spirit Domain-level telekinetic force. Countless suckers and hooks shattered, and the dark green, foul-smelling blood sprayed like a fountain.
"Augh—!!"
The Dark Octopus Emperor let out an earth-shattering howl, the pain of its severed limbs driving it into a frenzy!
But Gu La's target wasn't it! Seizing the moment when the Dark Octopus Emperor was injured and the Deep Sea Devil Whale King was struggling against the telekinetic pressure, Gu La concentrated all his psychic power into an invisible spear-like force capable of piercing through mountains.
"Break!"
Shh—!
Ignoring spatial distance, the psychic spear instantly appeared before the Deep Sea Devil Whale King's enormous eye, unleashing terrifying penetrative power.
Pshh!
Like a red-hot steel needle piercing cheese, the Deep Sea Devil Whale King's incredibly tough eyelids and thick keratin layer defense crumbled like paper before the extreme penetration of the Spirit Domain-level psychic force.
The spear brutally pierced its molten-lava-like giant eye, driving straight into the depths of its brain.
"Roaar—!!!"
The Deep Sea Devil Whale King let out a roar even more despairing and agonized than the Dark Octopus Emperor's. Its massive body twisted and thrashed wildly, stirring up towering waves. Its brain had suffered catastrophic damage, and its struggles were now purely instinctual.
"Now! Forest Sea Space—Absorb!"
Gu La seized the opportunity. A point of emerald light flashed on his forehead, and a miniature vortex containing what seemed to be an endless forest world appeared, enveloping the dying Deep Sea Devil Whale King.
It tried to struggle but was instantly struck by the Myriad Beast Forest soul skill within the Forest Sea Space, pulling it into an infinite labyrinth of illusions, preventing it from even self-destructing.
A powerful spatial suction erupted, forcibly compressing and dragging its massive body. In the blink of an eye, it vanished into the vortex, leaving behind only churning bloody waves and the lingering, spine-chilling aura of its presence.
"Bastard!!"
The Dark Octopus Emperor was utterly enraged. It hadn't expected this mysterious figure to be so terrifying, defeating and capturing the Devil Whale King in a single clash. Without needing its multiple brains to think, it could guess the fate awaiting the Deep Sea Devil Whale King.
Its remaining six tentacles flailed wildly, stirring up a terrifying deep-sea vortex and a storm of toxic ink, turning the surrounding space pitch black. Its massive body began to dive, clearly preparing to flee.
"Want to run? Ask me for permission first!"
Gu La's gaze turned icy. His telekinetic power condensed once again into an invisible blade, slashing toward the Dark Octopus Emperor's central brain. However, it was blocked by one of its retracting tentacles, only hitting its base.
Crack!
Another giant tentacle, over ten meters in diameter, was brutally severed. Dark green blood gushed out like a waterfall.
"Human!! This king remembers you! This debt will be repaid a hundredfold!!"
The Dark Octopus Emperor's voice, filled with extreme malice, echoed from the depths of the sea, carrying endless hatred.
It dared not linger any longer. Its massive body stirred the seawater, leading the remnants of the beast tide, and swiftly disappeared into the deep darkness like a receding tide.
On the sea surface, only the Star Luo rocked violently, and countless marine soul beast corpses floated in the blood-soaked battlefield.
Gu La, in his guise as the mysterious robed figure, hovered in midair as if he had done something trivial.
Without sparing a glance at the shocked crowd on the deck, his figure blurred and vanished on the spot—not teleporting away, but using illusion and spatial jumps to silently reappear underwater. He then swiftly swam back to his room through an emergency hatch like a fish.
Zhuo Shi and Cai Yue'er stared at the spot where the mysterious robed figure had disappeared, then at the countless floating marine soul beast corpses, the lingering terrifying energy fluctuations, and the massive severed tentacle. Their expressions were complex.
"Ran away?!" Zhuo Shi's beard bristled with anger. "That bastard! We helped him fend off so many attacks, and he just snatched the biggest prey, ran off, and didn't even say thank you?!"
Cai Yue'er's face turned ashen as she stared at the still-twitching, mountain-sized severed tentacle of the giant octopus. She was both angry and helpless. "This person's strength is bizarre, their movements unpredictable. A Title Douluo with such terrifying control over spiritual power is unheard of, yet they didn't even use their martial soul. Clearly, they don't want to reveal their identity."
They now fully understood—they had been used as pawns! They had borne the brunt of the pressure for nothing, while the greatest prize was taken by that mysterious figure, leaving behind only a mess and the enmity of a fearsome beast.
"What bad luck! Such damn bad luck!" Zhuo Shi slammed his fist into the ship's railing in frustration, denting the hard alloy.
He scanned the deck, seeing that although the students were disheveled, most had only minor injuries. Under Tang Wulin's leadership, they were clearing out the remaining low-level marine soul beasts. He finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Enough! First, ensure the ship's safety!" Cai Yue'er took a deep breath, suppressing her frustration, and began directing the cleanup.
Fuming with anger, the two checked on the students, confirmed there were no major issues, and then returned to their rooms with grim expressions.
This sudden revenge battle with the marine soul beasts ended in a complete victory for humanity. But the biggest winner was an unnamed mysterious robed figure.
Inside the cabin, Gu La had already changed back into his regular clothes, appearing as though he had never left the room. Sensing the barely alive, soul-source-damaged Deep Sea Devil Whale King within the Forest Sea Space, a satisfied smirk curled his lips.
"A hundred-thousand-year spirit soul and soul bone… secured. And it's the largest, most energy-rich Deep Sea Devil Whale. Its whale glue is also a rare resource comparable to seventh- or eighth-grade medicinal herbs. Unfortunately, Bo Xi can't handle a hundred-thousand-year spirit soul yet, otherwise…"
He closed his eyes and began meditating.
Though the battle had ended quickly, his consumption was significant. Without access to earth energy at sea, relying solely on natural elements for recovery would take an hour or two to replenish his depleted spiritual power.
The rest of the journey proceeded smoothly. After capturing a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, the marine soul beasts couldn't cross the vast ocean to find other regional overlords in time, allowing those aboard the Star Luo to enjoy a peaceful stretch.
About half a month later, the outline of the Star Luo Continent became clearly visible in the morning light. The true stage was about to unfold.
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