Four Seas' Water, Heed My Command—Is It Really You, Yue Zhengyu?

"Li Jing!"

"Xiuxiu!"

Two shrill, anguished screams tore through the sea breeze. The two great ocean beasts fixed their eyes on the unconscious, limp Golden-Crowned Merman in Zhao Xuanzhen's hand and the Demon Soul Great White Shark floating belly-up, caught in Lan Fuzi's tail fin.

They were the apples of their eyes, the future heirs to their clans' thrones. Yet now, they had been captured by their greatest enemy like trophies. The two beasts' fury erupted in an instant, nearly burning away their reason.

"Human, Deep Sea Demon Whale, you all deserve to die!"

The Sea Princess's beautiful face twisted violently with rage. She summoned a golden spear and pointed it straight ahead. A massive column of water over ten meters wide shot into the sky, lifting her into mid-air. Water Element gathered around her as the pressure of a Six-Hundred-Thousand-Year beast spread outward.

At the same time, a blue-gray flash passed by. Xiao Bai no longer maintained her human form, revealing her original Demon Soul Great White Shark body. She was no smaller than Lan Fuzi, the Hundred-Thousand-Year Deep Sea Demon Whale.

Among the three top deep-sea soul beast races, Demon Soul Great White Sharks were the smallest, and at equal cultivation, their combat power was far inferior to that of Deep Sea Demon Whales and Evil Spirit Orcas.

However, blessed by the glory of serving as the mounts of two successive Sea Gods, Xiao Bai held an extraordinary status. Ordinary Sea Soul Beasts avoided her at all costs, allowing this Demon Soul Great White Shark clan to occupy countless treasures of the sea.

After Twenty Thousand Years of deep accumulation, Xiao Bai had smoothly broken through the Hundred Thousand Year limit and entered the realm of ferocious beasts!

"Demon Shark's Tooth!"

Her shriek was heart-wrenching. Desperate to save her daughter, Xiao Bai unleashed the Demon Soul Great White Shark's strongest offensive soul skill from the very start.

In an instant, centered on the waters where Lan Fuzi was located, the sea below suddenly caved in. A blood-red giant mouth seemed to stab out from Abyssal Hell, filled with dagger-like teeth that were grim and icy. Layer upon layer, ring upon ring, Demon Shark's Tooth bit upward fiercely!

The enormous mouth was large enough to swallow nearly half of Devil Island. It sought to crush the man, the whale, and the entire sea region together. Even so, this was not the full extent of the two ocean beasts' attack.

The moment Demon Shark's Tooth appeared, an ethereal, melodious song flowed out. The graceful song stood in stark contrast to the towering fury in the Sea Princess's eyes. Outside the blood-red giant mouth, the seawater collapsed once more, and a second Demon Shark's Tooth tore through the sea and emerged!

Double Demon Shark's Tooth!

Using the merman race's innate soul skill, Merman Duet, the Sea Princess allowed Xiao Bai to unleash a second Demon Shark's Tooth without any expenditure. The two giant mouths, one within the other, meshed their sharp fangs together and sealed off every avenue of escape for Lan Fuzi!

The sea was ripped Full of holes by the two giant mouths. Turbulent soul power twisted the seawater into chaos. At the center of the attack, Lan Fuzi's beast pupils constricted. The Deep Sea Demon Whale possessed a body unmatched in the ocean, but when facing two veteran ferocious beasts whose cultivation far exceeded her own, she could not help feeling nervous. Her mountain-like body tensed slightly.

Yet when she sensed Zhao Xuanzhen's calm, unruffled aura above her, that nervousness instantly became unwavering trust.

She recalled how, when he had still been a Seventh Ring Soul Sage, he had slain the Evil Orca King amid the raging waves of Devil Island. Now that Zhao Xuanzhen had ascended to the realm of Titled Douluo, with nine soul rings shining upon the world, what could these two ocean beasts possibly do to him?

"Four Seas' Water, Heed My Command."

A divine decree descended!

The indifferent voice resounded. The vast expanse of water in the Devil Sea Region seemed to have been granted absolute will and began rising against all reason. The sea surface, which had been torn apart by the giant mouths just moments ago, raised countless enormous water walls that connected sky and sea, surging and roiling!

Purple-gold light blazed with wild intensity. A black-and-white phantom stood with its head beneath the heavens and its feet upon the ocean. Xiao Bai and the Sea Princess stared in shocked horror at the churning sea and the towering figure commanding an entire sea region.

The vast power of the Body Soul's third True Meaning Awakening merged perfectly with the Martial Soul Avatar, containing both the divine rules of Eight Deceitful Gods Xuanwu and half the control over the northern sea region.

A spiritual power comparable to divine sense shot into the sky like a volcano that had accumulated beneath the sea for ten thousand years, erupting with a thunderous roar. The authority of Northern Water wound around his body and spread outward in a savage rhythm. Ink-black seawater surged forth—it was an extension of Zhao Xuanzhen's power.

Black Water embraced all things, transforming into a bottomless abyss that devoured everything. With irresistible absolute power, it eroded the sea region.

Lan Fuzi floated at the center of the Black Water. In her senses, everything around her had become viscous. Her vision contained nothing but boundless darkness, like when she had once plunged into Blood Sea Trench, one of the ocean's forbidden zones, and looked upward. All she could see was an ever-darkening sky, while the ancient sound of tides crashing echoed beside her ears.

The two overlapping Demon Shark's Teeth, enough to tear Devil Island apart, ripped at the Black Water. Yet they were like waves crashing against reefs, unable to stir even a ripple. Accompanied by broken wails, they collapsed and disintegrated, reverting to their original Water Element before being assimilated and absorbed by the black Water of the Northern Abyss!

"Roar—"

Xiao Bai cried out in pain and grief. The Water of the Northern Abyss had broken through the Demon Shark Domain protecting her body. The ocean that Sea Soul Beasts depended upon for survival and controlled so freely had now become a sharp weapon attacking her.

The Black Water surged wildly. An irresistible immense force came from below, viciously tossing the enormous Demon Soul Great White Shark into the air before smashing her heavily into the black sea surface.

An ocean beast with this level of combat power was utterly incapable of standing against Zhao Xuanzhen for even a single exchange, let alone after he had fused with Xuanwu's power. Xiao Bai swiftly followed in her daughter's footsteps, floating unconscious on the sea with her belly up and bobbing gently with the waves.

"Sea God's Heart!"

The Sea Princess's mind trembled violently. The deadly sense of crisis made her reveal her trump card without hesitation. With both hands, she held up the heart-shaped crystal. Pure, boundless blue-gold light rippled outward. It was the Sea God's Heart, blessed by Sea God Tang San and containing a trace of his authority!

The Sea God's Heart erupted with brilliant blue-gold radiance, attempting to use the Sea God's power to reclaim control over the sea region and disperse the Water of the Northern Abyss that had driven Sea Soul Beasts into despair.

Zhao Xuanzhen pressed down with his five fingers. A black tsunami roared in fury as seawater twisted and transformed in mid-air into a majestic yet ferocious Xuanwu. Turtle and serpent entwined, carrying a world-shaking force that could suppress the sea region as it charged toward the former ruler of the Arctic ice sea!

This was a battle between Eight Deceitful Gods and the Sea God's divine sense, as well as a savage struggle between oceanic authorities. It was as though two giant dragons, one black and one blue-gold, were fighting to the death, each collision tearing great chunks of flesh and bone from the other!

A battle for authority could only end with one side dead. The two began the cruelest mutual erosion and annihilation. The Qimen Divine Disk turned faintly as the blue-gold light was continuously extinguished by that profound darkness, only to pour out from the Sea God's Heart again and again through the Sea Princess's sacrifice.

The Water of the Northern Abyss was just like a true Northern Abyss, mercilessly devouring the Sea God's power before launching an even fiercer counterattack!

"Boom!!!"

The power reached its critical point. The Devil Sea Region let out a muffled, thunderous explosion as the rampaging energy finally found an outlet. Blue-gold light scattered and splashed apart, while the seawater surged back in to fill the deep trenches left by the collision of authorities.

"Buzz—"

The Sea God's Heart dimmed and fell. Murky blue light seeped from its cracks, and the moment it touched the Black Water, it broke down into particles finer than dust.

Blood flowed from the Sea Princess's seven orifices as she fell backward helplessly, collapsing upon the sea surface. Coldness spread through her magnificent golden tail. A crystalline layer of ice rapidly climbed upward, freezing her willow-slender waist, the chest covered by two white shells, and finally her sorrowful, enchanting face...

The Second Before she was completely frozen, a teardrop condensed with endless sorrow and unwillingness slid down. Leaving her cheek, it rolled into a round golden pearl and fell into the sea. The Sea Princess murmured softly:

"Lord Sea God... this believer is incompetent... I have failed your expectations..."

The merman wept, her voice fading into the sea. The ice sculpture encasing the Sea Princess reflected the mournful, beautiful light falling from the sky. The ocean returned to calm, its waves gently lapping against the Sea Princess's ice sculpture. In the distance floated the unconscious King of Demon Soul Great White Sharks, Xiao Bai.

"Crack, crack, crack—"

The crisp sound of freezing rang out one after another. Xiao Bai, Bai Xiuxiu, Li Jing, and Zhao Xuanzhen froze these precious ocean soul beasts and tossed them one by one into storage Soul Tools, intending to bring them back to the Spirit Pagoda and turn them into soul spirits.

All those Sea Soul Beasts that had foolishly blocked their way earlier, so long as they were over Ten Thousand Years old, met the same fate. Zhao Xuanzhen had originally intended to take only the superior ones over Fifty Thousand Year, leaving the rest for Dragon King to handle.

Who would have thought that Dragon King would start putting on airs? After eating Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, ferocious beast soul rings, and tender, delicious Abyss creatures, the Companion Dragon of the self-proclaimed Creation Dragon God had gradually become picky. He looked down on these trash Sea Soul Beasts.

Zhao Xuanzhen looked up at Dragon Valley, still entirely unharmed above Devil Island, and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. This voyage had yielded abundant rewards. He had protected the northern sea region and Dragon Valley space, while also obtaining a large group of precious Sea Soul Beasts—especially the Sea Princess.

The Sea Princess's cultivation was as high as Six Hundred Thousand Years. She was an exceedingly rare Spirit Attribute soul beast. Zhao Xuanzhen's lower-body soul bones were complete, but he still lacked three soul bones for his upper body: the Left Arm Soul Bone, Right Arm Soul Bone, and Head Soul Bone.

On this road to godhood, Zhao Xuanzhen was a first-generation founder. He needed to absorb everything that should be absorbed in order to forge flawless Deity Armor.

The merman race had the Six-Hundred-Thousand-Year Sea Princess and Li Jing, the Hundred-Thousand-Year Golden-Crowned Merman. As spirit-type soul beasts, the Sea Princess and Li Jing would most likely yield Head Soul Bones. If he then selected a Secret Technique Soul Bone from the Spirit Pagoda treasury to fuse with it, Zhao Xuanzhen could obtain a head bone of exceptional quality.

The problem was that head bones could not be replaced. Zhao Xuanzhen felt that merman soul bones somehow lacked a certain flavor and did not quite meet his expectations.

"Pshht—"

The Deep Sea Demon Whale's breathing hole sprayed out a clear column of water. Droplets splashed over Zhao Xuanzhen as Lan Fuzi struggled to roll her eyes upward at him. Opening her whale mouth wide, she said:

"Beep beep beep, I want an appearance fee—the Shark Pearl in White Emperor's head!"

"Your appearance fee is that expensive?"

"Even if I didn't earn merit, I still worked hard!" Lan Fuzi said righteously. "Or tell me where you want to go, and I'll be your mount again and take you back."

"Forget it. I'm afraid you'll try to scam me." Zhao Xuanzhen smiled and waved a hand. "Go to North Sea City. I'll turn these Sea Soul Beasts into soul spirits at the Spirit Pagoda first, then I can crack open Xiao Bai's head and get the Shark Pearl for you."

"I knew you were the most righteous and generous! Hold on tight, we're setting off!"

Lan Fuzi immediately smiled until her eyes curved into crescents. Three years on Devil Island had not been spent accompanying him for nothing. She shouted that she would let Zhao Xuanzhen experience the joy of having a whale driver!

The Deep Sea Demon Whale turned and swam toward North Sea City. Along the way, Lan Fuzi chattered away with Zhao Xuanzhen, inadvertently revealing countless Holy Spirit Cult secrets. She even invited Zhao Xuanzhen to visit the Holy Spirit Cult Headquarters and introduced him to her mother.

Zhao Xuanzhen suddenly fell into thought. He would have plenty to do at the Holy Spirit Cult Headquarters—the Holy Angel Family would wake up to find themselves knocked down to second place!

"Come on, come on! Mom will definitely like you!"

Seeing Zhao Xuanzhen remain silent, Lan Fuzi continued trying without pause, like a young girl newly awakened to love who desperately wanted to bring a handsome young man home for her mother to inspect. The next moment, piercing whistles drew closer from afar above the sea, and the Holy Spirit Cult fortunately escaped disaster for the time being.

Combat aircraft broke through the Clouds and swiftly, orderly occupied the sky. Units of mecha came riding through the waves, throwing up layer after layer of spray. Their chest armor bore the standard military insignia of a sharp sword piercing through ocean waves.

The only military mecha unit that could appear in the Devil Sea Region was the Northern Navy Legion, which guarded the northern sea region and was stationed year-round in North Sea City.

Zhao Xuanzhen stood quietly where he was, a smile on his face as the sea breeze gently stirred his clothes. He raised his eyes slightly, with no intention of having Lan Fuzi dive into the deep sea to evade them. He calmly watched the Northern Navy Legion Mecha unit approach, as though he had long anticipated their arrival.

The Northern Navy Legion Mecha rapidly formed an encirclement. The hum of Soul Tool weapons charging sounded in the air. Then, through their Soul Guide Screens, the pilots clearly saw that unmasked, handsome face. Almost at the same time, the communications channel filled with uncontrollable gasps. Everyone's hearts skipped a beat!

Across The Entire Douluo Continent over the past decade, from Soul Guide Television to newsprint on every street corner, this face had appeared with such frequency, and every news story it created had been so great that every citizen remembered it by heart.

The hero who saved Shrek City, the peerless monster who stood above his era, the legend who cut off the Abyss Plane, the Sun Moon Federation's most dazzling sun, the Tai Chi Douluo said to possess the potential to become a god!

"Members of the Northern Navy Legion, greetings to Tai Chi Your Excellency!"

The tense, murderous atmosphere vanished in an instant. The mecha unit activated their external speakers and expressed their respect for Zhao Xuanzhen.

This was not overstepping their bounds. Aside from being the Spirit Pagoda Crown Prince and one of the Four Great Spirit Emissaries, Zhao Xuanzhen was also a Federal major general and held the special title of Blood God Zero, awarded by the Federal Council. Even if the Northern Navy Legion was not allied with the Angel Legion, they would not dare show disrespect to a major general.

The mecha pilots flushed red with excitement. As time had passed, Zhao Xuanzhen had become an idol for the entire populace. A clearly captain-grade Black-grade Mecha flew out from the formation. Its chest armor opened, revealing the cockpit within, where a man and woman stood side by side.

The young man was tall and straight, dressed in a white military uniform. His bearing was unrestrained and exceptional, and a warm, holy aura naturally radiated from him. The woman wore a major's uniform. She had a beautiful face and an excellent figure that even her uniform could not conceal.

His face full of incredulous delight, the young man gazed intently at Zhao Xuanzhen. Then Angel Wings burst from his back as he stepped forward and embraced him tightly.

"Brother Zhao, it really is you!"