Soul-Devouring

"Three Title Douluo, and a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast... They really think highly of me." As Jingtian moved stealthily through the complex waters, a trace of mockery rippled through his cold thoughts. Yet it was instantly swallowed by deeper killing intent and urgency. "Damn it, using my origin is only enough for three... They have to be used where they count."

He no longer allowed himself any distraction, pushing his senses and speed to their limits. The pursuers behind him—Sea Star, Sea Spear, and the others—had temporarily been shaken off, but the terrifying pressure locked onto the direction of the Soul-Devouring Undercurrent, enough to make his soul tremble, was drawing ever closer like an invisible tsunami. That was Xiaobai's main force.

Before they arrived, he had to rendezvous with Tieshan and Moyuan and complete the preparations.

The edge of the Soul-Devouring Undercurrent was a death zone beyond description. It was not wholly dark. Instead, it was filled with countless chaotic, twisted, kaleidoscopic energy vortices. They writhed, collided, and annihilated one another as though alive, letting out soundless shrieks. Here, seawater was no longer a stable medium, but a violent slurry of energy—scalding like magma one moment, freezing like black ice the next—mixed with spatial rifts and Soul Power currents capable of easily tearing apart a Soul Saint's body. Senses were compressed to within a hundred meters, while sound and light were utterly twisted and devoured.

This was a natural death zone of the Deep Sea, and also the final hunting ground Jingtian had chosen for Xiaobai.

"Master!" When Jingtian's enormous figure emerged like a phantom from a twisted dark-purple vortex, Tieshan and Moyuan, who had been waiting there in anxious anticipation, sent out mental waves at the same time. Yinyi, Lijia, Wojiao, Xiliu, and the Young Whale gathered around as well, their eyes filled with dependence and tension.

"The situation." Jingtian did not exchange pleasantries and went straight to the point. His gaze swept over the whales. Tieshan's injuries had recovered somewhat, but he was still far from his peak. Moyuan's aura remained weak. Yinyi was in comparatively the best condition. The newly arrived Lijia and Wojiao were full of fear, while Xiliu was trembling. This was not an army capable of fighting a hard battle, but it was all he had.

"Master, the main force of the pursuers is expected to arrive within two hours," Moyuan reported swiftly. "I can already sense Xiaobai's aura very clearly. Also, Baiya, the shark king's deputy who entered the cavern earlier, experienced a brief but intense fluctuation in his aura after reaching the depths, and then... disappeared. I can no longer sense him."

"Disappeared?" Jingtian's thoughts stirred. Had Baiya triggered a trap deep within the cavern, or had Huiban dealt with him somehow? Or was his presence merely concealed by the peculiar environment of the underground river fissures? Either way, it was an unpredictable factor, but there was no time to worry about it.

"Good. Moyuan, take Yinyi, Lijia, Wojiao, Xiliu, and the Young Whale to hide in the Energy Subsidence Zone southeast of the Soul-Devouring Undercurrent's core. The energy there is chaotic, relatively safe, and suited for Demon Whales to use their water-control abilities to create regional chaos. Your task is to protect the Young Whale and wait for an opportunity. Once the battle fully breaks out, use your breath attacks and Soul Power to disrupt every energy vortex in that area with all your strength. Create chaos over a wider range and cover our retreat or pursuit. Do not engage the enemy unless you are attacked."

"Yes!" Moyuan immediately accepted the order. He knew this was the best arrangement for protecting the clan's spark and providing support.

"Tieshan, come with me." Jingtian turned and led Tieshan toward the most peculiar region of the Soul-Devouring Undercurrent, where the chaotic energy currents resembled an enormous vortex grinding mill. Countless disorderly streams of energy were drawn by an invisible force field, slowly but irresistibly rotating and grinding. Anything that wandered into it would gradually be pulled apart, broken down, and ultimately annihilated.

"Master, this is... the Vortex Heart Death Grind?" A trace of apprehension flashed through Tieshan's enormous eyes. He had heard of this sea region's terrible reputation.

"That's right. This is the main course we've prepared for Xiaobai." Jingtian's thoughts were icy. "Your task is to use your strength and defense here to attract, restrain, and provoke Xiaobai for as long as possible. Do not fight her head-on. Use the terrain to maneuver around her and lure her into the depths of the vortex heart. Your defense and vitality are the only assets here that can withstand her attacks, even briefly."

"Tieshan understands! I will drag that white shark into her grave!" Tieshan roared, blazing fighting spirit igniting in his eyes without the slightest trace of fear.

"Remember, your life matters. You can only take revenge if you stay alive. If you can't hold on, retreat at once toward the Subsidence Zone where Moyuan and the others are hiding. I'll cover you." Jingtian gave the reminder, then began moving.

He stopped conserving his strength and split off more of his dwindling origin Soul Power. Along the edge of the Vortex Heart Death Grind and on several key paths leading to Moyuan's hiding place, he rapidly set up simple yet vicious triggered poison traps. These traps were not meant to kill; they were meant to delay, disrupt, and mark the enemy, creating opportunities for him to strike.

Then, he chose a shadowed fissure above the Vortex Heart Death Grind where several enormous energy vortices converged. He pushed his Guixu Assimilation to its utmost limit and concealed himself completely. His field of vision—his perception—was relatively broad there, allowing him to overlook most of the area below, while the violent, chaotic energy fluctuations perfectly concealed him. It was the ideal sniping position he had prepared for Xiaobai.

The three Specialized Dan-Devours had long been bound to his soul, poised and ready. The first Armor-Piercing Pellet was aimed at Xiaobai, the second Explosive Pellet was reserved for her deputy or a Title Douluo, and the third Shotgun Pellet was meant to clear the field or create a chance for a killing blow.

Time passed second by second amid the dead-silent wait and the terrifying pressure that steadily drew closer.

Two hours felt as long as ten thousand years.

Finally—

"They're here."

Jingtian's thoughts caught it. Against the chaotic energy backdrop in the distance, a pure, vast, inviolable blue radiance tore into the outer region of the Soul-Devouring Undercurrent like a divine sword cleaving through chaos! Wherever it passed, the violent energy currents seemed to be purified and smoothed out, leaving behind a briefly stable passage.

Xiaobai had arrived.

She was still in that jade-white divine body, streaked with pale golden light, floating above the chaotic energy like a deity descending upon a land of filth. Sea Ghost Douluo and his deputy, Baiji, followed closely at her left and right. Behind them came dozens of fierce Demon Soul Great White Shark elites, each at least fifty thousand years old, formed into a battle array to offset the effects of the environment.

Xiaobai's gaze swept across the entire Soul-Devouring Undercurrent like the most precise searchlight. At last, without the slightest deviation, it locked onto the Vortex Heart Death Grind—and the figure that had deliberately released a thread of violent Soul Power to draw her attention: Tieshan!

"I found you, little whale. Where is your master? Is he hiding like a coward, only daring to send his subordinates to their deaths?" Xiaobai's cool voice carried a hint of mockery as it rippled across the spiritual plane. She did not even spare a second glance for the Subsidence Zone where Moyuan and the others hid. Perhaps, to her senses, it was merely a few faint, chaotic Soul Power disturbances, not worth mentioning.

"Roar! You white-skinned worm! Come down and fight me if you dare!" Following the plan, Tieshan released a furious, provocative spiritual roar. At the same time, he swung his body and actively swam deeper into the Vortex Heart Death Grind.

"Courting death." Xiaobai's gaze turned cold. In her eyes, this Demon Whale of more than eighty thousand years was merely prey struggling on the brink of death, yet it dared to disrespect her. She could not even be bothered to pursue it personally. Turning her head slightly, she said, "Baiji, Sea Ghost, take a team and capture that whale that doesn't know its place. Take it alive and force it to reveal the Poisonous Entity's whereabouts. The rest of you, spread out and search. Drag out that Poisonous Entity and his remaining accomplices!"

"As you command!" Baiji and Sea Ghost Douluo responded at once, leading ten elite Demon Soul Great White Sharks—each averaging more than seventy thousand years old—as they shot toward Tieshan below like arrows loosed from a bow! Xiaobai herself remained suspended where she was, her vast spiritual perception spreading like an invisible net over the entire Soul-Devouring Undercurrent. She was searching for the Poison Lord, who had made her hunt him for so long and cost her several subordinates!

"They really split their forces... but it isn't enough." Hidden within the shadows, Jingtian watched coldly. Xiaobai had not entered the battle herself, just as he had expected, but that was also the greatest problem. His Armor-Piercing Pellet had to strike Xiaobai herself for its value to be maximized.

"I have to force her to move, or... create an opportunity where she has no choice but to move."

Below, battle had already erupted within the Vortex Heart Death Grind.

Tieshan roared as he used his formidable defense and the complex terrain of the Vortex Heart Death Grind—the pulling and cutting forces everywhere—to maneuver against Baiji, Sea Ghost, and the ten elite sharks. He did not fight head-on, merely provoking and luring them as he tried to draw his enemies deeper into the vortex heart. As a shark king nearing one hundred thousand years, Baiji far surpassed Tieshan in both speed and strength, but within this strange environment, he could not secure a swift victory. Sea Ghost Douluo moved like a phantom, constantly unleashing disruptive soul skills and mental attacks in an attempt to control Tieshan.

The battle was exceptionally fierce, and the aftershocks of the energy collisions stirred even greater chaos within the Vortex Heart Death Grind. But it was clearly not enough.

Then, a sudden change occurred!

Boom—!

Violent energy explosions suddenly erupted from the direction of the Energy Subsidence Zone, not far from the Vortex Heart Death Grind! Several enormous Demon Whale breath attacks mixed with frost and water blades burst from the chaotic energy backdrop without warning. They did not strike the battlefield, but instead slammed fiercely into the weak points of the energy barrier between the Subsidence Zone and the stable outer region!

It was Moyuan! Following Jingtian's earlier plan, the instant he sensed the battle erupt and Xiaobai's attention being drawn away, he decisively gave the order to launch the planned disruption!

Those breath attacks were not overwhelmingly powerful, but their timing and placement were incredibly tricky. The already fragile energy balance was shattered, and the energy currents across a vast area instantly went berserk! Like a powder keg set ablaze, a chain reaction of energy detonations spread in every direction! One of them surged directly toward the area where Xiaobai and her main force were hovering!

"Hm?" Xiaobai furrowed her brow slightly, annoyance flashing through her eyes. She did not even move. The pale golden glow around her body merely rippled, and the rampaging energy current rushing toward her seemed to crash against an invisible dam before collapsing and being purified on its own.

But that was clearly enough to anger her—and successfully seize her attention.

"More rats hiding over there?" Xiaobai's cold thoughts swept toward the Subsidence Zone. This time, she sensed more than one Demon Whale aura there! "Hmph. Overestimating yourselves. Since you're looking to die..."

She seemed to have run out of patience, or perhaps she felt that having her subordinates search slowly was too inefficient. At last... she moved.

There was no earth-shaking display. She simply flicked her tail. The next moment, her flawless jade-white body transformed into a streak of pale golden light too fast for the naked eye to catch, shooting toward the Energy Subsidence Zone! Her speed was so extreme that she seemed to ignore the barriers of space and the chaotic energy field!

She intended to strike personally, crushing those hidden ants who dared provoke her with thunderous force!

An opportunity!

The moment Xiaobai moved, her attention fully shifting toward the Subsidence Zone and her speed exploding to its limit, there was an instant in which her perception of the surroundings might suffer an extraordinarily brief blind spot or delay from her high-speed movement—

Within the shadowed fissure above the Vortex Heart Death Grind, the ghostly light in Jingtian's eyes suddenly flared!

"Now!"

The Ninth Tentacle shot out like a venomous snake that had long locked onto its prey! At its tip, the Dan-Devour that contained all of his insights into Po Jing, refined and compressed to the utmost limit, transformed into an arrow of absolute darkness deeper than the surrounding shadows, as if it could devour even souls. It flew without a sound, yet faster than thought, precisely and predictively firing toward Xiaobai's pale golden streak of light just as she launched forward and was about to reach peak speed!

This was not a straight-line snipe. It was a predictive interception! He had calculated her speed, her route, and the tiny opening that might arise at that instant from her extreme velocity and shifted attention!

At the same time, Jingtian's other tentacle did not pause. The second Dan-Devour containing origin power shot after it like a second death-dealing cold gleam, aimed at Baiji, the shark king's deputy nearing one hundred thousand years, who was locked in fierce combat with Tieshan within the Vortex Heart Death Grind!

Two arrows flew at once!

One arrow to slay the king!

One arrow to behead the general!

The Deep Sea's ultimate hunt finally bared its dagger!