Demon Whale Sea Area, an unnamed reef island.
At the center of the island, a young girl lay sprawled on a rock, basking in the sun's scorching warmth.
She had long, flowing dark-blue hair and a face as delicate as a porcelain doll. Her big, sparkling eyes were half-closed as she enjoyed the sunshine.
She was Lan Fozi, the little princess of the Deep Sea Demon Whale Clan.
Though her true form was a Deep Sea Demon Whale, she didn't like staying in the dark depths of the ocean.
What she loved most was visiting the little islands on the surface to sunbathe and soak up the rays.
Beside her, on a wide lounge chair, a stunningly beautiful, mature woman with a voluptuous figure lay with her eyes closed, wearing a bikini.
Dark-purple demonic markings covered her hands, eerie and mysterious.
She was the Demon Empress of the Deep Sea Demon Whale Clan, the wife of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King.
"Mom." Lan Fozi rolled over and turned her head toward her mother.
"Are you all right? For the past few years, you've been with me almost every day. You never cultivate or stay with Dad. I'm all grown up now, not a little kid anymore. You don't have to be with me every day."
The Demon Empress opened her eyes, tenderness filling their deep-violet depths.
She reached out and gently stroked her daughter's hair. "Child, no matter how old you get, you'll always be a little girl in your mother's eyes."
Lan Fozi obediently nodded and said no more.
What she didn't know was that her mother hadn't been cultivating over the past few years because she'd found a better way to do it.
That was to practice the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique with that man in the Dream Space.
Because she often had to spend day and night in wild exchanges with Brother Cao, she always seemed exhausted.
Fortunately, it was all worth it. Her cultivation had been shooting up, hundreds of times faster than the grueling cultivation she could do in the real world.
Brother Cao had told her that she was the first Soul Beast to set foot in the Dream Space.
The Demon Empress closed her eyes, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly as she sank into fond memories of the wonderful moments she'd enjoyed in the Dream Space.
Just then.
"Boom!!!"
High above, the Sky Screen rippled, and a new ranking slowly appeared.
[Combat Power Ranking, Sixth Place: Demon Empress.] [Identity: Wife of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King of the Deep Sea Demon Whale Clan (can freely switch between human and Soul Beast forms).] [Strength: 990,000 years.] [Techniques: Yin-Yang Reincarnation Technique, Heavenly Demon Chaotic Dance.] [Rewards: 10 Teleportation Talismans, allowing teleportation to any location on Douluo Continent; cultivation age increased by 10,000 years without a tribulation; Divine Skill: Ocean Power, able to suppress all Sea Soul Beasts.]
Lan Fozi abruptly sat up, her big, sparkling eyes opening wide.
She looked at her mother's name on the Sky Screen, then at her mother, who was shrouded in golden light.
"Huh? Mom, you made the ranking? Then you and that Brother Cao..."
The Demon Empress slowly opened her eyes amid the golden light and looked down at her daughter, without a trace of shame over her affair.
True to form, a Soul Beast was still a Soul Beast.
She reached out and gently stroked her daughter's cheek. "That's right. Brother Cao has convinced your mother. From now on, you should call him Uncle Cao, understand?"
Lan Fozi parted her lips, but before she could speak—
"Rumble!!!"
A towering wave suddenly surged up from the sea!
A colossal black shape burst out of the depths, its massive body blotting out the sky. Its eyes blazed with fury and murderous rage!
It was none other than the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King!
"Bitch!" The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's voice boomed like a thousand thunderclaps across the ocean. "You dare betray me!"
After devouring countless Soul Beasts, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King had long since become savagely violent.
Now, flames of rage burned in his eyes as he glared at the Demon Empress amid the golden light.
"No wonder you've been running off all these years and stopped cultivating. So you've taken up with another man!" His voice grew more and more vicious. "Bitch, you've made me wear a cuckold's hat. Die!"
Before the words had even faded, he snapped open his enormous jaws. A beam of pitch-black energy blasted out, hurtling straight toward the Demon Empress!
Its terrifying power made even space tremble!
The Demon Empress furrowed her brows slightly and casually raised a hand.
"Bang!!!"
The energy beam, powerful enough to destroy heaven and earth, shattered before her like paper.
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's enormous body was sent reeling backward by the force, churning up towering waves.
The Demon Empress lowered her hand and said coolly, "You're no match for me anymore."
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King roared and charged at her again!
The Demon Empress sighed softly, extended her right hand, and unleashed a blast of dark-purple light!
"Boom!!!"
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's enormous body flew through the air like a kite with its strings cut. Her palm sent him crashing hard into the sea, raising a hundred-foot wave! A horrifying palm print marked his chest, and blood poured from the wound.
The Demon Empress lowered her hand and looked at the gravely injured Deep Sea Demonic Whale King. Her eyes held no hatred, only a faint trace of pity.
In the original course of fate, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King had been killed by Tang San and turned into his Soul Ring.
To avenge him, she had become the leader of the Holy Spirit Cult, vowing to destroy all of Douluo Continent in revenge.
Later, possessed by the Abyssal Sage King, she had killed her daughter, Lan Fozi. Her fate had been truly tragic.
Fortunately, she had met Brother Cao. In this life, she would live only for him and repay him.
"For Lan Fozi's sake, I'll spare your life. Leave."
She turned to her daughter. "Child, our little family has fallen apart. Come with your mother and find your Uncle Cao."
Lan Fozi stared blankly at her mother, her mind still frozen.
The Demon Empress smiled faintly, bent down, and whispered in her ear, "When you're a little older, the two of us can cultivate together. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Lan Fozi's face turned scarlet. "Mom! What are you saying?"
The Demon Empress burst into laughter, scooped up her daughter, and activated a Teleportation Talisman. In a streak of light, they vanished from the sea.
Only the gravely injured Deep Sea Demonic Whale King remained, bobbing in the waves.
He stared at the streak of light as it disappeared, his eyes full of fury and resentment.
The mighty ruler of the sea, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, had been made a cuckold!
The whole continent had witnessed this scene of marital betrayal, and it sent every gossip-loving onlooker into a frenzy.
"Just as expected of Brother Cao—he's so persuasive! He even managed to win over the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's wife. Heh heh heh!"
"Tsk, tsk, that Demon Empress is a real knockout. What a woman! I envy Brother Cao every day. What a life, tsk, tsk..."
"Heh heh, it's just that Lan Fozi's still too young. Otherwise..."
"Otherwise what? Go on, spit it out!"
"You know what I mean! Heh heh heh!"
"His wife ran off with someone else, and his daughter's calling another man Uncle Cao. The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's got it rough!"
Seagod Island, Sea God Hall.
Bo Saixi stood by the window, gazing at the Demon Empress's alluring figure on the Sky Screen, lost in thought.
Ocean Power, able to suppress all Sea Soul Beasts.
Wasn't that stealing my thunder? Her lips twitched slightly.
But it didn't matter. She didn't care about it anyway. She could do without being the Sea God's High Priestess.
She turned and looked at the empty Sea God Hall, at the imposing statue of the Sea God. A hint of relief flashed in her eyes.
Soon. Her time was almost here too.