Sea Soul Beasts / Evil Tiger Shark Pack

For ordinary people, this trip was simply for obtaining Soul Rings.

But he was different. He had other things to verify as well.

Sea Soul Beasts

Amid peaceful calm, three hours passed.

By then, the Soul-Hunting Ship had sailed out of the safe waters and reached an area where Sea Soul Beasts might attack.

Xue E had also returned to Bai Chen and the others. It had been fine for him to leave temporarily in the safe zone, but in a place like this, he had to remain by Bai Chen and Na'er's side at all times to protect them.

Bai Chen noticed the map in his hand and asked curiously,

"Uncle Xue, what is that?"

Xue E paused, then smiled and unfolded it, showing its contents to Bai Chen.

"This is the Soul Beast distribution map for the waters we'll be traveling through. Only with this map can the Federation meet the needs of every Soul Master traveling with us."

As technology developed, humanity's exploration of the ocean had steadily advanced as well.

They still could not conquer the entire ocean, but with the Federation's strength, conquering the coastal waters was more than feasible.

Since the Federation dared to run a business hunting Sea Soul Beasts, it meant they had already surveyed the nearby waters thoroughly.

Like land Soul Beasts, Sea Soul Beasts also possessed territorial instincts. Their territories were less stable than those of land Soul Beasts, but their movements were generally confined within certain ranges.

And this information was precisely what gave the Federation confidence to conduct this business.

After all, different Soul Masters required different Soul Rings. Take Bai Chen, for example. This time, he wanted a Soul Ring with either the Dark Attribute or the Space Attribute.

It was not that he did not want Soul Rings with the Evil Attribute or Time Attribute. But he knew one of those attributes could easily invite criticism, while the other was simply too rare to seek out deliberately. So, he lowered his expectations and only hoped to obtain one with the Dark or Space Attribute.

If they searched the sea aimlessly for Soul Rings of those two attributes, it would not quite be like searching for a needle in the ocean, but it would certainly be time-consuming and exhausting.

Thus, the Federation was actually following the regions marked on this Soul Beast distribution map and traveling according to a plan.

"Ah, we've reached the first area."

At that moment, Xue E suddenly folded the map and straightened up, looking ahead of the Soul-Hunting Ship.

Just as he said, the Soul-Hunting Ship had stopped. A middle-aged man in white robes stepped onto the bow. Two yellow, three purple, and two black Soul Rings pulsed around him, while an icy-blue pearl floated in his hand and released waves of cold air toward the sea.

Aside from the customers' accompanying guards, the Federation had also dispatched an Ice Attribute Soul Saint for this voyage, specifically to better fight Sea Soul Beasts on the ocean.

Provoked by this, streaks of cyan Wind Blades soon shot up from the seabed, cutting gaps into the ice covering the sea's surface.

The white-robed Soul Saint did not panic at all. He remained where he was, continuing to emit cold air and deepening the ice's encroachment into the ocean.

Then, five men suddenly stepped forward behind him and shouted,

"Soul Masters who need Wind Attribute Soul Rings, gather here! Prepare to go down onto the ice and hunt Soul Rings!"

Upon hearing that, more than a dozen young people hurried forward and followed the five men off the ship.

Without exception, six Soul Rings surrounded each of those five men.

One Soul Saint and five Soul Emperors—this was the Federation's security force.

Considering the distance of this voyage, Soul Masters of this level were already more than sufficient.

Before long, perhaps unable to endure the cold any longer, or perhaps seeking revenge, seal-like Sea Soul Beasts crawled onto the ice and began fighting the humans.

The result of the battle needed no explanation. It was completely one-sided.

In less than ten minutes, the battle on the ice had ended.

There were no Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in the coastal waters, and even Millennium Soul Beasts were rare. Against five Soul Emperors and their powerful attendants, they could not hold on for long.

After using the appropriate Soul Tools to collect the Soul Rings, the Soul Masters who had participated in the battle boarded the ship one after another. The Soul-Hunting Ship set off again toward the next Soul Beast gathering area, while the Wind Attribute customers began absorbing the Soul Rings they had just acquired aboard the ship.

The entire process flowed smoothly without the slightest delay.

At this pace, they would return to land in no more than a week.

After that, the Soul-Hunting Ship repeated the process and fulfilled the needs of two more groups of customers.

During that time, Bai Chen took advantage of the lull to continue studying the Soul Spirit Ritual.

After studying for so long, he felt that he had nearly mastered it. At most, another half month would be enough for him to learn the Soul Spirit contract ritual.

However, an accident occurred just then.

"Wooo—"

"Attention! Attention! An unrecorded Sea Soul Beast attack has been encountered! All Soul Masters, prepare for battle!"

A massive alarm sounded, and every Soul Master aboard immediately became alert.

So-called unrecorded Sea Soul Beasts referred to Soul Beasts that were not listed on the Soul Beast distribution map.

They generally did not belong to this area and merely happened to be passing through. Conflict with Soul Masters only arose by chance.

No one could predict what kind of Soul Beasts they would encounter, but generally speaking, such Soul Beasts were quite powerful. For Soul Masters whose attributes matched them, they were also excellent choices.

Large numbers of Soul Rings lit up aboard the ship. The Soul-Hunting Ship came to an emergency stop, and the white-robed Soul Saint appeared again. This time, however, he did not stand at the bow. Instead, he flew above the sea.

He raised the pearl resting in his palm above his head, and his pitch-black seventh Soul Ring suddenly lit up.

Boom—

The air immediately erupted with a thunderous blast. Terrifying cold spread in an instant, and the seawater rapidly froze over second by second.

How terrifying was the cold released at full force by a Soul Saint in Martial Soul Avatar form? Although he had done his utmost to direct the cold toward the sea, a tiny portion still drifted toward the Soul-Hunting Ship. Feeling it, quite a few weaker people could not help but shiver.

Under the effects of that powerful cold, dozens of Sea Soul Beasts were instantly frozen within solid ice.

Yet just as the white-robed Soul Saint relaxed slightly, his gaze froze again.

Rings of black-red light rose up, rapidly corroding the ice trapping the seawater. Amid cracking sounds, those Sea Soul Beasts actually broke free at high speed.

As an experienced Soul Saint, he immediately made a judgment and announced his findings to every Soul Master aboard.

"At least ten Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. Around three have cultivation above thirty thousand years, and the leader is around fifty thousand years. Those Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts are the hardest to deal with. The rest are merely making up the numbers."

"The enemies we're facing this time are... Evil Tiger Sharks!"

Evil Tiger Shark Pack

"Evil Tiger Sharks?"

Xue E repeated the name quietly. He did not seem frightened at all. Instead, excitement appeared on his face as he said to Bai Chen,

"Young Master, they may be perfect for your Soul Rings!"

Xu Xiaoyan asked curiously,

"Uncle Xue, what kind of Sea Soul Beasts are Evil Tiger Sharks?"

Xue E smiled and explained,

"Evil Tiger Sharks are said to be Soul Beasts born from the crossbreeding of the ocean's overlord, the Evil Spirit Orca, and the Demon Soul Great White Shark. Though those two Soul Beast races are mortal enemies, humans discovered this new type of Sea Soul Beast around three thousand years ago for reasons unknown. They possess the strengths of both the Evil Spirit Orca and the Demon Soul Great White Shark. Even among all Sea Soul Beasts, they undoubtedly belong to the strongest tier. Yet contrary to their formidable racial gifts, they actually live rather poorly in the ocean."

Xu Xiaoyu followed up curiously,

"Why is that?"

"There are mainly two reasons."

Xue E patiently explained,

"The first reason is that neither the Evil Spirit Orcas nor the Demon Soul Great White Sharks, the races they came from, acknowledge them."

"To these two mortal enemy races, Evil Tiger Sharks are simply the greatest disgrace, a stain upon their bloodlines, an existence that must be eradicated. Therefore, whenever they find traces of Evil Tiger Sharks, Evil Spirit Orcas and Demon Soul Great White Sharks take action and slaughter the discovered Evil Tiger Shark pack to the last."

"As for the second reason, that concerns their innate abilities."

At this point, Xue E paused and gave Bai Chen a meaningful look.

"The primary attribute of the Evil Tiger Shark race is evil. They can accelerate their cultivation by devouring other Sea Soul Beasts, so they are almost universally hated by Sea Soul Beasts throughout the ocean."

"I see." Xu Xiaoyu suddenly understood. "No wonder that Soul Saint said the leading Evil Tiger Shark had fifty thousand years of cultivation. I was wondering how a race that had only existed for three thousand years could have so many Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts."

Xue E nodded gently.

"That's right. Because the Evil Tiger Shark race is hated by nearly all Sea Soul Beasts, they have no fixed territory and their movements are extremely unpredictable. I didn't expect us to run into them this time."

Hearing that, Bai Chen looked at the Evil Tiger Sharks fighting the Soul Masters, and his expression turned somewhat strange.

A fifty-thousand-year individual had emerged in only three thousand years. It was clear just how terrifying the advancement speed of devouring-based cultivation was.

Thinking of how both the Dark Blood Demon and the Nether Emperor within the Holy Spirit Cult had become Title Douluos before the age of twenty, Bai Chen felt that he could understand why they were so obsessed with cultivating through slaughter.

But the more he understood, the less he dared to imitate them.

Bai Chen knew himself well. He did not possess particularly strong self-control. If he tasted the benefits of rapid cultivation, he could not guarantee that he would not become an Evil Soul Master.

The best way to prevent becoming a gambler was never to gamble. Likewise, the best way to prevent becoming an Evil Soul Master was never to cultivate through killing.

Still, if everything Xue E said was true, Evil Tiger Sharks really were suitable Soul Rings for his Dark Demon Evil God Tiger Martial Soul.

Bai Chen exchanged a glance with Xue E. Both understood what the other was thinking.

Xue E said to Bai Chen and the others,

"You kids wait here for a moment. I'll go speak with the person in charge of this operation."

With that, he quickly headed toward the bow to negotiate with the powerful Soul Masters fighting the Evil Tiger Shark pack.

Before long, he ran back and said to Bai Chen,

"Young Master, they agreed. Be ready to absorb the Soul Ring at any time!"

Xu Xiaoyan curiously interrupted,

"Why are you telling Brother Bai Chen to prepare to absorb a Soul Ring right now? Shouldn't you first have to hunt one?"

Soul Masters could only absorb Soul Rings obtained from Soul Beasts they had personally killed. This had been made very clear in the previous Soul Beast gathering areas.

Skipping the hunt and going straight to absorbing a Soul Ring did not seem right no matter how she looked at it.

Bai Chen and Xue E exchanged glances at that question, then both laughed.

Bai Chen said to Xu Xiaoyan,

"Xiaoyan, I suggest you cover your ears. Na'er, you too."

"Hmm?"

The two little girls tilted their heads in confusion together.

Boom—

Before Xu Xiaoyan could ask further, a violent explosion rang out and startled her.

Everyone looked toward the blast. A Ten-Thousand-Year Evil Tiger Shark had been charred black all over and lay motionless. A black Soul Ring slowly rose above it, signaling the loss of its life.

And that was only the beginning.

As explosions rang out one after another, countless shells swept toward the Sea Soul Beasts, instantly reversing the previously precarious situation.

Of course. How could the Federation possibly not equip the ship with Soul Guide Shells for an operation where lives might be endangered?

Wasn't the emergence of Soul Tools the most important reason humans had managed to suppress Soul Beasts so thoroughly?

They had not used those Soul Guide Shells while hunting Soul Beasts earlier simply because there had been no need. Work that could be handled by people did not need to be handled by shells.

But things were different now. The Evil Tiger Shark pack had genuinely posed a threat to those aboard the ship. Since that was the case, it was time for these high-tech weapons to take the stage.

Countless fiery explosions erupted, and Soul Ring after Soul Ring rose. The Evil Tiger Shark pack, which had faintly held the advantage moments ago, instantly collapsed. In the end, it seemed that the leading Evil Tiger Shark gave some command, and the remaining Evil Tiger Sharks all dove into the water and fled into the distance.

Seeing them retreat, the white-robed Soul Saint hurriedly ordered the artillery fire to stop.

Do not pursue a desperate enemy. He did not think they would lose in a fight to the death, but casualties would be unavoidable during such a battle. For people responsible for security, that was something they had to avoid at all costs.

Only three customers on this trip required Evil Tiger Shark Soul Rings, and the ones on the sea surface were already enough.

Under his command, the Soul Emperors disembarked one after another and collected the Evil Tiger Shark corpses and Soul Rings.

As top-tier Sea Soul Beasts, Evil Tiger Shark corpses had many uses as well. If the corpses and Soul Rings were sold on land, they could make up for much of the expenditure on the shells.

Soon, the Soul Ring Bai Chen wanted was brought before him by Xue E.

Watching Bai Chen take the Soul Tool storing the Soul Rings, Xue E could not help asking,

"Young Master, why did you buy two Soul Rings?"

Only Bai Chen and Xu Xiaoyan needed to absorb Soul Rings this time, and Xu Xiaoyan did not need an Evil Tiger Shark Soul Ring. Bai Chen was simply wasting one.