Deep within the Northern Darkness Sea.
The Sea-Swallowing Soul Pearl floated above the core of a water-vein formation.
Ever since Lu Chen had taken it in, it had guarded the water veins along the edge of the Northern Darkness Sea.
The Book of Cause and Effect had left an imprint upon its soul pearl.
The water vapor of the Northern Darkness Sea had also gradually washed away its lingering ferocious Sha.
Sea Devourer of the past had been a ferocious soul that devoured water veins during the Beast Tribulation.
It had devoured countless living beings.
It had also destroyed many seas.
According to the judgment of the Book of Cause and Effect, the karmic burden of slaughter upon it was extremely heavy.
Yet it had voluntarily dispersed most of that burden and offered up the Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl, gaining in return a chance to remain in Abyss.
All these years, it had remained very quiet.
So quiet that many living beings of Abyss had nearly forgotten that a ferocious beast remnant soul still lurked within the Northern Darkness Sea.
Until today.
Youdu released Demonic Sha, contaminating Abyss Academy and even allowing it to spread toward the Northern Darkness Sea.
After sensing the aura of Demonic Sha, the Sea-Swallowing Soul Pearl suddenly reacted intensely.
Demonic Sha was exceedingly dangerous to ordinary living beings.
Yet to it, it was like a polluted current that could be devoured.
Of course, swallowing it would also bring a backlash.
Demonic Sha differed from ordinary Sha.
It contained Luohou's Demonic Dao will. If it devoured too much, it could very well fall under the control of its ferocious nature once more.
But Sea Devourer still volunteered to fight.
Lu Chen hesitated slightly upon hearing Sea Devourer's words.
"Are you sure?"
The Sea-Swallowing Soul Pearl trembled lightly within the water vein.
"I became ferocious through devouring."
"If I do not even dare swallow a few mouthfuls of Demonic Sha now, how can I speak of redemption?"
Lu Chen fell silent for a moment.
This ferocious soul had changed quite a bit.
The system also issued a prompt.
"Detected that the Sea-Swallowing Soul Pearl has requested to devour Demonic Sha. Please make your choice."
"First: Permit Sea Devourer to devour Demonic Sha and allow it to restore its ferocious beast nature. Reward: one Ferocious Beast War Spirit."
"Second: Refuse to let Sea Devourer fight, and have the Abyss Dharma Body purify the Demonic Sha. Reward: Demon-Purifying Water Talisman."
"Third: Use the Book of Cause and Effect to restrain Sea Devourer and allow it to devour Demonic Sha as redemption. Reward: Sea-Calming Beast Spirit Prototype."
Lu Chen chose the third option.
"Granted."
"The Book of Cause and Effect will restrain you."
"If you cannot endure it, retreat immediately."
Sea Devourer laughed softly.
"Old turtle... rest assured, Emperor."
Lu Chen's eyelid twitched.
Had this fellow just almost called him old turtle again?
Forget it.
This was not the time to fuss over forms of address.
Above the Northern Darkness Sea.
The radiance of the Book of Cause and Effect descended.
Black-and-white light wrapped around the Sea-Swallowing Soul Pearl, forming a chain of cause and effect.
The next moment, the soul pearl shot into the sky.
The deep-blue seawater churned in its wake.
An enormous Blackwater beastly shadow emerged from the Northern Darkness Sea.
It resembled a gigantic whale and an ancient serpent, with a mouth like an abyss and broken scales along its back.
This was the Sea Swallower Remnant Soul's current form.
It was countless times weaker than its ferocious beast body of old.
Yet it still carried an astonishing aura of devouring.
Above Abyss Academy.
Youdu was controlling the Demonic Sha to batter the Realm-Protecting Formation.
Han Jue, Ao Lie, Feng Li, and Lin Yue joined forces, barely holding back the frontal assault of Demonic Sha.
But Demonic Sha seeped through every crack.
Black mist constantly bypassed the formation, attempting to bore into the foreheads of Academy disciples.
Lan Shuang used the Book of Cause and Effect to purify it, and the pressure on her grew greater and greater.
Just then.
A deep roar came from the direction of the Northern Darkness Sea.
Sea Devourer's beastly shadow burst from the water.
It opened its enormous maw and savagely inhaled the Demonic Sha filling the skies.
Boom!
A vast amount of Demonic Sha was sucked directly into its mouth.
The pressure above the Academy instantly eased.
Youdu's expression changed drastically.
"A ferocious beast remnant soul?"
After sensing Sea Devourer's aura, he was startled at first, then revealed an incredulous expression.
"You actually serve Abyss?"
Sea Devourer's enormous pupils fixed upon Youdu.
"Abyss gave me a path to live anew."
"The Demonic Dao would only turn me back into a mad dog."
Youdu sneered.
"A ferocious beast speaks of redemption?"
"You have devoured more living beings than I have ever killed."
Sea Devourer fell silent for a moment.
Those words had indeed struck it.
It had devoured far too many.
That was why it wanted all the more to seize this chance.
The chains upon the Book of Cause and Effect lit up, suppressing the surging ferocity within its soul pearl.
Sea Devourer opened its mouth again.
"That is why I will devour your Demonic Sha today."
"Whatever I can repay, I will repay."
It inhaled fiercely.
More Demonic Sha was swallowed down.
Youdu's face darkened.
This Demonic Sha was made from resentment, killing intent, and Heart Demon fragments that he had painstakingly gathered from the Three-Clan Battlefield.
He had originally intended to use it to contaminate Abyss Academy and the Northern Darkness Sea.
Yet it had now become nourishment for Sea Devourer's redemption.
He formed a seal with both hands.
"Demonic Sha, enter the soul."
"Ferocity, reignite!"
The swallowed Demonic Sha erupted violently within Sea Devourer's body.
Sea Devourer's beastly shadow shuddered intensely.
The deep-blue light in its eyes began to turn black.
Countless memories from the Beast Tribulation flooded its mind.
Devouring.
Tearing.
Destruction.
Madness.
It seemed to return to that chaotic age.
All living beings were food.
All water veins should be devoured.
Sea Devourer let out a pained roar.
"No..."
"I will not go back..."
"I struggled so hard to crawl out of that sea of madness..."
The Book of Cause and Effect shone brilliantly.
Lan Shuang gritted her teeth and drove the Book of Cause and Effect.
"Sea Devourer!"
"Hold fast to your mind!"
"You are now Abyss's Sea-Swallowing Soul Pearl, no longer a ferocious beast of the Great Tribulation!"
The black aura in Sea Devourer's eyes was suppressed by another fraction.
Seeing this, Han Jue thrust his spear and forced back the Demonic Sha before roaring at Sea Devourer, "Hey! Old ferocious soul!"
"Didn't you say you wanted redemption?"
"Don't let a few pathetic wisps from a demonic cultivator knock you flat!"
Sea Devourer's eyes shifted slightly toward Han Jue.
"You brat..."
Ao Lie also said coldly, "You swallowed so many water veins, yet now you cannot even swallow a little Demonic Sha?"
Feng Li's Frostflame fell around Sea Devourer, helping it freeze the outer layer of Demonic Sha.
Lin Yue used the power of the earth veins to stabilize the Northern Darkness Sea's water veins, preventing Demonic Sha from surging back.
Abyss's younger generation was actually protecting Sea Devourer instead.
Sea Devourer fell silent for a moment.
Then it suddenly laughed loudly.
"Good."
"If I cannot even compare to a few juniors today, then I have guarded the Northern Darkness Sea all these years for nothing!"
Deep within its soul pearl, its final trace of clarity stabilized completely.
Its enormous maw opened once more.
This time, Sea Devourer did not passively devour.
Instead, it used the power of the Book of Cause and Effect to break down the Demonic Sha.
The resentment returned to the Book of Cause and Effect.
The killing intent returned to the Realm-Protecting Formation.
The polluted demonic qi returned to the depths of the Northern Darkness Sea, where it was suppressed by the Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl.
The remaining purest Sha power was gradually refined by Sea Devourer into its soul pearl.
Youdu's gaze changed completely.
"You can actually refine Demonic Sha?"
Sea Devourer sneered.
"Back then, I even dared devour the water veins of the Northern Sea."
"This little Demonic Sha of yours is far from enough."
As its words fell, it inhaled sharply.
The vast amount of Demonic Sha released by Youdu was swept into its enormous maw.
The darkness above the Academy rapidly faded.
The pressure upon the Realm-Protecting Formation plummeted.
Han Jue's eyes lit up.
"An opportunity!"
Ao Lie's Blackwater dragon qi surged explosively.
Feng Li's Frostflame sealed off the flanks.
Lin Yue's earth-vein chains wrapped around Youdu once more.
Han Jue charged head-on with the Realm Guard.
The four-person formation's phantom coalesced once more.
This time, more than half of the Demonic Sha was gone, and Youdu could no longer easily create countless avatars.
Han Jue thrust out with his spear.
Ao Lie's dragon claw pressed down alongside the spearpoint.
Feng Li's Frostflame burned into the demonic shadow.
Lin Yue's earth-vein chains locked Youdu's feet in place.
Boom!
Youdu's Taiyi Demon Body was blasted backward.
A massive gash appeared across his chest.
Black demonic blood scattered, only to be swiftly purified by the radiance of the Book of Cause and Effect.
Youdu's expression turned incomparably grim.
He had never expected that the Demonic Sha he had so carefully prepared would be devoured by more than half by the remnant soul of a ferocious beast within Abyss.
Nor had he expected that the Dragon, Phoenix, Qilin, and Abyss Guardian Team working together could truly suppress his Taiyi Demon Body.
"Good."
"Very good."
Youdu looked coldly toward the depths of Abyss.
"Black Tortoise, I'll remember you."
"The Demon Ancestor will remember Abyss as well."
Lan Shuang's expression changed slightly.
The Demon Ancestor.
Luohou.
That name had already begun to cast a terrifying shadow across the Primordial World.
Lu Chen's heart sank when he heard those words.
So it really did lead back to Luohou.
Youdu did not continue the fight.
He tore apart half of his demonic body, turning it into a blood-red demonic shadow that forcibly broke through the formation patterns around the Academy's perimeter.
Han Jue wanted to pursue him.
Lan Shuang immediately stopped him with a shout.
"Don't chase!"
"The Emperor has ordered that Abyss is not to leave lightly in pursuit!"
Han Jue paused and forcibly stopped.
Watching Youdu's fading shadow vanish into the distance, he gritted his teeth. "He got off easy."
Ao Lie said, "His demonic body has already shattered. He won't be able to cause trouble anytime soon."
Feng Li looked toward the Northern Darkness Sea.
"Check on Sea Devourer first."
Sea Devourer's beastly apparition was slowly shrinking.
After devouring too much Demonic Sha, the black ferocious markings on his body flickered without end.
The Book of Cause and Effect, the Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl, the Frostflame Parasol Tree, and the earth veins of Mysterious Peak Mountain released their power at once, helping him stabilize the soul pearl.
After a long while.
Sea Devourer's Soul Pearl changed from pitch-black to deep blue.
A Sea-Calming Beast Mark emerged on the pearl's outer layer.
The system's voice rang beside Lu Chen's ear.
"Sea Devourer's Soul Pearl has devoured Demonic Sha, atoning for part of its karmic slaughter." "Sea Devourer's Soul Pearl has advanced into a Sea-Calming Beast Spirit Prototype." "The Northern Darkness Sea's stability has increased."
Lu Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief.
This battle had ended without real danger, despite the scares.
The Academy had been preserved.
The younger generation had completed their combined formation.
Sea Devourer had also undergone a redemptive transformation.
The only problem was that Luohou might truly have taken notice of Abyss.
Lu Chen fell silent for a moment.
"How about adding another thirty layers of formations around the Academy later?"
The more he thought about it, the more necessary it seemed.
This Primordial World really gave him no peace, not even when sleeping.