Whale Fall

Jingtian blended into the inky darkness, silently passing through the cold, turbulent seawater under the pull of the Ninth Tentacle. The closer he drew to the target waters, the denser the lingering energy currents and bloody stench became. Shattered scales, broken bone spurs, and even blue-black blood mist flecked with pale golden light filled the sea, silently recounting the brutality of the battle that had taken place not long ago.

Yet contrary to his earlier prediction, the scene was not a deathly silent Whale Fall.

The first thing he sensed was several swift, sharp Soul Power fluctuations brimming with vicious killing intent, surrounding a massive, heavy, yet tottering dark-blue figure at the center. It was a Deep Sea Demon Whale, grievously wounded and bleeding profusely! Its body was mountain-like, its aura immense, but the flame of its life was already like a candle flickering in the wind. Its body was covered in lacerations deep enough to expose bone, especially a massive wound across its abdomen that had nearly pierced through it and was steadily spilling dark blood. Every movement of its body sent violent tremors through the surrounding seawater, but its actions were clearly sluggish, weak, and filled with despair.

Surrounding it were five equally massive Demon Soul Great White Sharks, their bodies silver-white, their fangs ferocious, and their eyes savage! These great white sharks were generally between fifty thousand and eighty thousand years old. Working together seamlessly and moving like lightning, they constantly used their speed and serrated teeth to add new wounds to the Demon Whale's body. They were clearly hunting down this lone, severely wounded Demon Whale, intending to tear it apart and devour it completely.

At the edge of the battlefield, he could faintly sense a weak yet pure remnant of Sea God's Power. It seemed Sea God Island soul masters had once watched or assisted here, but they were nowhere to be seen now. They might have already left, or they might be hiding farther away.

Jingtian instantly understood the situation. This was not an ambush jointly arranged by Sea God Island and the Demon Soul Great White Sharks. It was more likely that Sea God Island had intervened in the conflict between the Demon Whale and the great white sharks, leaving the Demon Whale heavily injured. Sea God Island had then perhaps departed, while the Demon Soul Great White Sharks seized the chance to finish off a wounded foe.

The Demon Whale was at the end of its strength, on the verge of defeat and death. The Demon Soul Great White Sharks, meanwhile, were still at the height of their momentum.

A plan bolder than simply scavenging corpses, yet far more feasible, instantly took shape in Jingtian's mind.

To reap the fisherman's profit, he needed not only the profit, but the fisherman's name as well!

His target was no longer the dying Demon Whale, but the Demon Soul Great White Sharks in perfect condition! Especially their leader, whose aura was close to eighty thousand years!

If he could use Dan-Devour with thunderous speed to severely injure or even kill that leader, he would not only obtain abundant life essence—the Demon Soul Great White Sharks were of exceptionally high quality—but could also save this dying Deep Sea Demon Whale! What emotions would a Deep Sea Demon Whale close to a hundred thousand years old, possessed of considerable intelligence and grievously wounded, feel after being rescued in such dire straits? Gratitude? Dependence? Or... loyalty that could be exploited?

The risk was that he would have to face several powerful Demon Soul Great White Sharks at once without revealing all his strength, lest he scare them away or attract stronger enemies. He also had to ensure Dan-Devour accurately struck the most troublesome leader.

The opportunity would vanish in an instant! The Demon Whale released another pained, feeble cry. Its enormous body swayed, as though it could no longer hold on.

"Now! Ninth Tentacle, lock onto the largest one!" Jingtian no longer hesitated. His Spirit Energy instantly locked onto the eighty-thousand-year Demon Soul Great White Shark leader, which was over a hundred meters long and possessed the fiercest aura. At the same time, he pushed Guixu Assimilation to its limit, perfectly blending his aura with the surroundings. His huge body moved like a ghostly shadow toward a region at the flank of the battlefield where the energy currents were particularly violent.

He needed a perfect, fleeting window for a sneak attack.

The chance came quickly. The great white shark leader seemed to be enraged by the Demon Whale's final struggle. It suddenly accelerated, opening its enormous maw full of sharp teeth as silver-white light filled with purifying and cutting power flashed forth. It viciously bit toward the Demon Whale's most vulnerable neck! This was the prelude to a fatal blow, and also the moment when its attention was most focused and its perception of the surroundings might lapse for an instant!

"Dan-Devour—Seed!"

Hidden in the darkness, Jingtian compressed and condensed with all his might the portion of Soul Power he had recovered, the essence of his Poison Source, and the will of "Silence" and certain death gathered within his soul. A strand of Dan-Devour poison force, more condensed, darker, and almost formless than before, was guided by the Ninth Tentacle. Like a death ray that transcended the barriers of space and water, it silently and incomparably precisely stamped itself onto the core of the Demon Soul Great White Shark leader's head as it opened its maw and surged with Soul Power!

To ensure both accuracy and power, the Dan-Devour Jingtian had condensed this time contained nearly thirty percent of the origin poison force he could currently mobilize! He sought to kill with one strike, or at least render it instantly incapable of fighting!

"Pfft!"

There was no earth-shattering sound. The Demon Soul Great White Shark leader, just about to launch its fatal attack, suddenly went rigid! The savage bloodthirst in its eyes was instantly replaced by endless confusion, terror, and pain! It felt as though its life essence and soul had been viciously pierced by a red-hot, poison-coated ice awl, which then began to wildly churn and devour them!

"Aooo—!!!"

A shriek so agonized that it changed pitch, filled with pain and despair, erupted from its mouth! Its forward momentum came to an abrupt halt. Its enormous body began to convulse and roll uncontrollably, while the pure silver-white light on its surface rapidly dimmed and distorted! It tried to mobilize its Soul Power to resist, but the Dan-Devour poison clung to it like maggots on bone, eroding it far faster than it could purify itself!

"Aoo?!" "What happened?!"

The other four Demon Soul Great White Sharks were stunned by the sudden turn of events. Their offensive instantly stalled as they looked uncertainly at their leader writhing in agony, then warily swept their gazes across the dark seawater around them.

At the instant they were distracted—

"Poison Domain—Annihilation!"

Centered on Jingtian, a deep dark-blue Poison Domain possessing the properties of devouring light and Soul Power abruptly expanded, instantly covering several hundred meters of sea! This was the new change produced in his Poison Domain after he had devoured some of the Demon Whale's traits. It not only delayed and corroded, but also carried a faint effect of devouring and suppression!

The appearance of the Poison Domain threw the remaining four Demon Soul Great White Sharks into even greater panic. They could feel the domain's suppression and the bizarre poison force within it, which made even their souls uneasy.

"Aoo!" A more alert seventy-thousand-year great white shark roared, turning without hesitation to flee this stretch of sea that had suddenly become dangerous.

However, it was already too late.

"Trying to leave?" Jingtian's icy voice, carried by Soul Power vibrations, echoed through the Poison Domain. He no longer hid himself. His enormous body slowly emerged from the darkness, and his nine tentacles, including the pitch-black Ninth Tentacle, swayed slowly within the domain like demonic shadows from the abyss. Although he only displayed an aura of a little over eighty thousand years, deliberately suppressing it, the eerie, terrifying Poison Domain and the unknown method that had instantly crippled their leader were enough to make the great white sharks tremble in fear.

More importantly, the Deep Sea Demon Whale that had originally been on the brink of death seemed stunned by this sudden turn as well. Yet a flash of incredulous light, mingled with hope and wariness, suddenly burst from its enormous eyes. It did not move, merely stared fixedly at Jingtian, who had appeared out of nowhere, and at the panicked great white sharks.

"Aoo!" Another great white shark roared, attempting to organize a counterattack.

But Jingtian gave them no chance. The Ninth Tentacle became like Death's whip. Empowered by the Poison Domain, it moved at extreme speed and instantly wrapped around a sixty-thousand-year great white shark attempting to pounce on him. Terrifying Poison Erosion force and raw power exploded, directly crushing its bones and tearing its tendons before hurling it viciously at another great white shark! At the same time, he opened his mouth and sprayed a thick cloud of poison mist with a powerful paralyzing effect over the remaining two.

The battle became a one-sided slaughter. With their leader severely injured by Dan-Devour and stripped of combat power, trapped within the bizarre Poison Domain, and subjected to Jingtian's precise attacks, the remaining four great white sharks were ferocious but had lost all will to fight. They wanted only to escape.

Jingtian did not pursue them. His objective had already been achieved. He swiftly finished off the great white shark he had ensnared, then used poison mist to delay the escape of the other three, ensuring they could pose no threat for the moment. Then his "gaze" turned toward the center of the battlefield, toward the Deep Sea Demon Whale still floating there, its aura weak but its eyes complicated, and toward the Demon Soul Great White Shark leader beside it, still convulsing in agony as its aura rapidly faded.

He slowly swam toward the great white shark leader. It could no longer move. Nothing remained in its eyes but endless pain and desolation, its life force like a candle in the wind. Jingtian showed no mercy. The Ninth Tentacle pierced its vital point and rapidly devoured its remaining life essence. The vitality of an eighty-thousand-year Demon Soul Great White Shark leader replenished much of the origin power he had just expended and eased some of the fatigue in his soul.

Only after finishing this did he turn to face the silent, grievously wounded Deep Sea Demon Whale.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale's enormous eyes stared unblinkingly at him, filled with complexity: relief at having survived disaster, awe toward powerful strength, wariness of an unknown being, and perhaps... a faint instinctive closeness and dependence born from being rescued in the depths of despair?

Jingtian slowly withdrew the Poison Domain, though he did not completely lower his guard. He sent over a relatively calm but unquestionable thought through Spirit Energy:

"They are dead."

"You are alive."

"I saved you."

The Deep Sea Demon Whale's huge body trembled slightly. It seemed to want to say something, but its injuries were too severe. It could only let out a low whimper filled with gratitude and pain. The wariness in its gaze toward Jingtian lessened, and the sense that it had been saved became clearer.

Jingtian knew the first step had succeeded. He had appeared at the moment when the other party was most desperate and vulnerable, used thunderous means to "deal with" its pursuers, displayed overwhelming strength—at least, that was how it appeared—and shown no hostility for the time being.

He did not make any demands at once. Instead, he slowly swam closer. The Ninth Tentacle extended outward, releasing gentle energy that contained the "Silence" and "repair" traits of his poison force, lightly covering the Demon Whale's most terrifying abdominal wound. This energy could not rapidly heal such grievous injuries, but it could stop the bleeding, ease the pain, and prevent the wound from worsening.

It was a clear gesture of goodwill.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale's body stiffened, then relaxed, allowing that gentle yet faintly cold power to touch its wound. The wariness in its eyes melted away by another degree. Its intelligence might not rival a human's, but the instincts of a soul beast told it that this powerful, strange, poison-wielding being was, at least for now, on its side.

"You are badly hurt. You need time." Jingtian continued to send his thoughts. "It isn't safe here. Their companions, or something more troublesome, could arrive at any time."

Worry flashed through the Deep Sea Demon Whale's eyes. It clearly understood this as well.

"Come with me." Jingtian's thought carried an unquestionable guidance. "I know somewhere temporarily safe where you can recover."

He did not ask or discuss it. He directly gave an order. In such a situation, this instead made the weakened and confused Demon Whale more inclined to follow the strong.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale's enormous head slowly and laboriously nodded. Its vast body began to move under Jingtian's guidance, slowly heading toward deeper, darker waters in the direction opposite to where the Demon Soul Great White Sharks had fled.

Jingtian swam slightly ahead and to its side. The Ninth Tentacle continued to release gentle energy to stabilize its injuries, while he vigilantly sensed the surroundings.

The first step of the plan had been perfectly accomplished.

He had not only gained the life essence of several Demon Soul Great White Sharks—the leader had already been devoured, while the other three had scattered, though the poison mist had likely left them badly poisoned—but more importantly, he had obtained a Deep Sea Demon Whale close to a hundred thousand years old, grievously injured and weakened, that had begun to trust and depend on him.

This Demon Whale could become his first powerful ally in the Deep Sea—or, more precisely, the first little brother he had gained after descending as a savior.

The strength of the Deep Sea Demon Whale clan, their knowledge of the Deep Sea, and their immense combat power would play an immeasurable role in his future plans.

And all he had paid was a carefully planned sneak attack and a perfectly timed performance.

Beneath poisonous fangs, seeds could still be sown.

After the hunt came... the beginning of taming.