In the vast deep sea, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King was far from calm.
His enormous body floated in the dark blue waters, those mountain-like muscles still slightly taut, not yet fully relaxed from the previous impact.
He could sense that divine aura rising from the Far North—cold, pure, carrying the laws of ice and snow and the rhythm of extreme cold, like an icy blue star quietly lighting up that frozen world.
A trace of unmistakable surprise flashed through the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's eyes.
How could a Soul Beast be faster than me?
He hovered in the seawater, feeling that divine aura gradually stabilize and merge into the laws of that region, like a puzzle piece finally finding its proper place.
He knew it was the aura of a Soul Beast becoming a god. There was no mistake.
The foundation of that aura belonged to a Soul Beast. It radiated a primal quality entirely different from humans, something wild and natural—the mark of a being born from nature itself.
But he was the oldest being in these waters, one of the Soul Beasts that had lived the longest and accumulated the greatest power.
He had believed that he would be the first, or at least among the first. Yet before he had taken that final step, someone in the Far North had already surpassed him.
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's gaze tightened slightly, but he quickly suppressed his surprise.
He gathered his thoughts and focused once more on the surging power within his body, beginning another round of impact.
Northern Frontier.
Dusk had fully fallen. Scattered lights lit up along the walls of Iron Gate Pass, swaying gently in the cold wind and stretching the shadows of patrolling soldiers long and short.
Eva stood