Undercurrent

Jingtian's "awakening" and initial refinement of the Ninth Tentacle had been completed in absolute silence and at a painstakingly slow pace. By the time he used the Ninth Tentacle as a guide, slipping soundlessly through a gap in Sea God Island's surveillance formation like mud from the deepest sea and completely leaving the Western Silent Sea Abyss's range of observation, nearly a month had quietly passed.

He did not immediately flee far away. Instead, he lurked at the edge of a deep, dark trench several hundred li from the Western Silent Sea Abyss, where the currents were chaotic. The environment was harsh, with almost no high-level soul beasts dwelling there and scarce Soul Power, but for precisely that reason, few soul masters or powerful Sea Soul Beasts would bother investigating it.

He needed time to adapt to this "new" body, assess his condition, and plan his next move.

First came recovery.

Coiled in the trench's shadows, he used the Ninth Tentacle like the most precise of feelers, slowly and continuously filtering and drawing the negligible free energy from the thin surrounding seawater. The efficiency was terribly low, but it was safe, steady, and produced almost no Soul Power fluctuations. Like a miser counting every coin, he accumulated strength bit by bit.

At the same time, he began trying to hunt with the Ninth Tentacle.

His targets were low-level deep-sea creatures wandering near the trench, creatures with weak Soul Power. The Ninth Tentacle's speed, precision, and strength far exceeded those of his other tentacles. With its tip, he could easily pierce a prey's shell or scales and precisely inject a faint thread of poison into its neural center, killing it instantly with barely any struggle. Then, the Ninth Tentacle would swiftly coil the prey back and begin devouring and digesting it.

The life essence of these low-level creatures was pitifully small, but for Jingtian, whose Soul Power had been exhausted, it was better than nothing. More importantly, this was an initial field test and period of adjustment for the Ninth Tentacle's combat use. He grew familiar with every bit of strength and every sensation in the new limb, as well as its rhythm when fighting in coordination with the other eight tentacles.

He discovered that the presence of the Ninth Tentacle had brought his control over poison to a new level of precision. In particular, the Silence trait originating from the Soul Bone made the toxins he released more concealed and harder to detect or disperse.

A month later, through this near-ascetic method, his Soul Power had recovered to fifteen percent of its peak, while his control over his body had returned to roughly forty percent. Though he remained weak, he at least possessed the ability to move and defend himself to some extent. His command of the Ninth Tentacle had also become as natural as moving an arm.

It was time to leave this barren place and head for waters with richer Soul Power and more abundant prey. But before that, he needed intelligence.

Carefully, he attached a portion of his recovered Spirit Energy to several passing deep-sea hagfish and lanternfish with extremely weak Soul Power and low intelligence. These creatures were everywhere in the deep sea and utterly inconspicuous. The command he gave them was exceedingly simple: swim toward the general directions of the Western Silent Sea Abyss, Sea God Island, and nearby known soul beast gathering areas; passively receive information along the way, such as sounds, abnormal currents, intense light, and powerful Soul Power fluctuations; then relay it back through an incredibly faint soul connection.

This was not "reconnaissance." It was the most primitive and least efficient form of "information gathering." The information sent back was chaotic, vague, and severely delayed. But without exposing himself, this was currently his only way of learning about outside developments.

Another half month passed.

From the vague, intermittent information transmitted by those "living detectors," information that required him to expend considerable effort to decipher, Jingtian pieced together several valuable Fragments:

Western Silent Sea Abyss direction: powerful, regular sweeps of Soul Power could occasionally be sensed—patrols. Their frequency seemed slightly higher than before his "slumber," but there were no signs of large-scale assembly or deep investigation. Sea God Island appeared to be maintaining a surveillance posture that was tight outside but loose within.

Somewhere in the deep sea: several dull, violent fluctuations filled with savage force had occurred, accompanied by shrill soul beast cries carrying pain and fury—the lingering emotional residue detected by Spirit Energy. The properties of these fluctuations somewhat resembled the power signatures of Demon Soul Great White Sharks and Deep Sea Demon Whales from his memories, but he could not be certain.

Farther away, seemingly toward the continental shelf: there had been disturbances in the currents caused by the regular movement of large objects, along with faint, rhythmic Soul Power fluctuations—very likely a fleet of human soul-guided ships.

The information was limited, but it was enough. The second piece in particular caught his attention.

"Demon Soul Great White Sharks... Deep Sea Demon Whales..." A ripple stirred within Jingtian's cold consciousness. He recalled the mad plan he had conceived before—profiting from the clash between the two great clans. But in his current condition, that would be no different from suicide.

But... perhaps he did not need to participate personally.

He needed an "eye," one closer to the battlefield and more sensitive, to confirm what was happening there, assess the situation, and see whether there was... an opportunity to exploit.

He slowly swayed his tentacles, and his massive body began stealthily moving toward the source of the battle fluctuations at an unhurried pace. He maintained the state of Guixu Assimilation, his aura perfectly blending into the environment, while the Ninth Tentacle remained extended before him like the most vigilant sentry.

The journey was not smooth. He encountered a small migratory school of Split-Tooth Arrow Fish, their average cultivation around a thousand years. These soul beasts were fierce by nature and would charge at every large creature passing through their territory. In the past, Jingtian could have wiped them all out with a single Poison Domain. But now, he chose to avoid them and made a wide detour.

He also sensed from afar a terrifying aura that made his heart tremble, entrenched amid an undersea mountain range ahead. The aura was cold, bloodthirsty, and filled with chaotic murderous intent. Its cultivation was likely no lower than eighty thousand years, perhaps even ninety thousand. Jingtian turned away without hesitation. He would rather spend several extra days than go anywhere near that region.

Caution was the first lesson he had learned from countless brushes with death.

After roughly ten days of stealthy travel, he arrived in a relatively "calm" sea region where Soul Power particles in the water were clearly more active, carrying faint traces of blood and residual energy. The terrain here was extraordinarily complex, filled with towering undersea peaks, deep rifts, and scar-like craters formed by violent energy impacts.

The traces of battle were still fresh.

Jingtian concealed himself in the shadow of a narrow rift. The Ninth Tentacle extended like a spirit serpent, its tip glowing faintly as it began sensing and analyzing the residual energy traces in the surrounding environment with extreme care.

"The 'purification' and 'sharpness' power of Demon Soul Great White Sharks... is very concentrated. More than one presence—a small clan." He "read" the energy information.

"The 'heaviness,' 'devouring,' and 'savagery' of Deep Sea Demon Whales... is more domineering, but it seems... somewhat 'weakened' and 'grief-stricken'?" He sensed an unusual emotional residue.

"And... fluctuations of Sea God's Power! Faint, but there is no mistake. It was left behind by those human soul masters... They took part, or at least, they were present."

His heartbeat—the pulsing of his energy core—quickened slightly. The situation seemed more complicated than he had expected. This was not a simple battle between two clans. A third party, Sea God Island, appeared to have intervened, and the Deep Sea Demon Whale side may have suffered a loss, their emotions filled with grief and indignation.

Just then—

"Wooo—!"

An extremely faint Whale Song, filled with pain and despair and mixed with powerful soul fluctuations, came from the depths of an incredibly distant sea region! The sound was so low and heavy that ordinary soul beasts could not possibly detect it, yet Jingtian's Spirit Energy—tempered by the Silence trait of his Soul Bone and having once indirectly come into contact with Deep Sea Demon Whale Soul Power—captured it clearly!

This was not a battle cry. This was... the lament of a dying creature! And the level of Soul Power contained within the sound... was extremely high! Far beyond any soul beast he had encountered before, perhaps even approaching... one hundred thousand years?!

Almost at the same time, several rapid, sharp Soul Power fluctuations came from another direction, carrying the arrogance and cruelty of victors as they sped away! Demon Soul Great White Sharks! They were withdrawing!

Jingtian understood in an instant.

A hunt had just ended. The Demon Soul Great White Shark clan had likely, with the assistance of Sea God Island's soul masters, successfully gravely wounded or even killed an extraordinarily powerful Deep Sea Demon Whale! That dying Whale Song was proof! And the victorious side was withdrawing with its spoils—or at least with its victory.

A cold, cruel, yet immensely tempting plan instantly took shape in his mind.

He would not concern himself with the victorious Demon Soul Great White Sharks and Sea God Island soul masters as they withdrew.

His target was that dying, or newly dead, powerful Deep Sea Demon Whale!

A Deep Sea Demon Whale close to one hundred thousand years old, perhaps even truly one hundred thousand years old, contained life essence, Soul Power, and possibly a Soul Bone beyond compare. To him, it was an unparalleled tonic! It would be enough to send the recovery of his cultivation and injuries soaring!

More importantly, if he acted quickly enough and cleaned up thoroughly enough, this "black pot" could be perfectly pinned on the Demon Soul Great White Sharks and Sea God Island that had just left! The Deep Sea Demon Whale clan would only vent its fury upon them.

Risk?

Of course there was risk. A dying giant beast was at its most dangerous. Other Deep Sea Demon Whales might rush over after hearing the news. The Demon Soul Great White Sharks or Sea God Island might even return.

But the reward was simply too great!

"Ninth Tentacle, scout ahead!" Jingtian hesitated no longer. His Spirit Energy locked onto the direction from which the Whale Song had come, and the Ninth Tentacle shot out like an arrow while his main body followed closely behind under maximum concealment.

Like a deep-sea ghost that had caught the scent of blood, he silently slipped toward the waters where the slaughter had just ended.

The hunter was about to rush toward the aftermath of another feast.

And the feast's main course might not yet have drawn its final breath.