The Final Hunt at Sea
Tang San was pushed back to the bottom of the ship by the sea, his Trident held horizontally in front of his chest, the hilt striking the ground with a dull thud. Ning Rongrong's tower light fell from above, and only then did the Blue Silver Emperor manage to wrap around the edge of the ship and pull him out of the sinking water.
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King was still further away. It merely flicked its tail once, and all three hunting ships simultaneously veered off course from their designated positions.
Xiao Bai led the group to retreat to the outer edge, blocking the current that was about to be swept away from the stern. Zhu Zhuqing pulled off the foremost mooring line, and the ship broke free from the water that the Whale King had pulled away from. Tang San also fell back into the deep sea along with the extended Blue Silver Emperor.
This time, he didn't point the halberd directly at the whale's head.
The Sea God's Light traveled along the long handle into the water, and a golden line first lit up the deep sea to the right of the whale king. He used the golden line to see the outline of the huge body, and with his left hand he spread out the Clear Sky True Body, and the hammer shadow smashed towards the whale king's lower abdomen, forcing it to turn around. The whale tail then pulled back, shattering the edge of the hammer shadow. Tang San, close to the whale's belly, was able to get the Eight Spider Lances to penetrate that thick layer of skin.
The whale king flipped its body, pressing the entire seawater upwards.
One of Tang San's Eight Spider Lances broke off, and his body flipped backward. His Eighth Soul Ring made the Blue Silver Emperor incredibly resilient, but he didn't tie the vines to his companion. One end of the vine was fastened to the damaged skin of the whale's belly, while the other end wrapped around his waist, sending him to the whale king's right eye before the immense force could tear the skin apart.
The halberd's edge sliced open a bloody gash, preventing the golden light from fully penetrating. The Soul Power accumulated within the Whale King surged back into the wound, pushing the blade out inch by inch. The seawater right before its eyes was already scalding hot.
Tang San immediately released the taut vine and slid off the whale's side. Any later, and he would have been crushed along with his halberd by the surging force.
The hunting boat above also began to leak.
Dai Mubai braced himself against the cracked deck, while Zhu Zhuqing carried the two boatmen to the stern. Ma Hongjun did not breathe fire at the Whale King; instead, the heat from his wings was directed at the wall of water about to fall onto the deck. Steam created a gap, and Xiao Wu, carrying the last wounded soldier, passed through it and landed in the cabin guarded by Oscar.
Ning Rongrong remained standing on the outermost edge. Once the light from the tower fell on Tang San, it could no longer sway with the current. She used the Blue Silver Emperor to stabilize her waist and bear the turbulence of the boat herself. Her Nine Treasures True Body had already made her hair wet and stick to her forehead.
Tang San surfaced for the second time, only to sink again after Recovery Big Sausage.
The whale king has already set its sights on the hunting ship.
He swung his halberd to the side and back, the golden blade carving an arc in the water. The Sea God's Light sliced through the outermost wave along the arc, drawing the force that had sent the whale king toward the side of the ship back to him. Clear Sky True Body then retracted, and his Blue Silver True Body unfolded against his back, all seven of his remaining Eight Spider Lances piercing the same damaged patch of skin on the whale's belly.
The wounds left by the previous attack were finally reopened.
The whale king's blood soaked the seawater, yet its immense Soul Power still pressed down on Tang San. The Eight Spider Lances began to absorb the Life Force close to the wounds, and too much of the Origin surged into his chest and back, causing Tang San's shoulders to split open on the spot. He couldn't keep all that power inside his body, so he quickly released it outwards with the Blue Silver Emperor. Large roots grew on the sea surface, temporarily slowing down the whale king's overturning motion.
The whale king opened its massive jaws and lunged to bite its own belly.
Tang San released the five Spider Spear, leaving the bottom two to hold the wound in place, and fell backward. The giant mouth grazed the top of his head, its sharp teeth severing the two Blue Silver Emperor Trident was thrust in horizontally, its long handle pressing between the upper and lower jaws, and the Sea God's Light shone from its mouth.
This weapon was still held by someone who had not yet become a god. The Whale King tightened its jaws, and the golden light followed suit, causing blood to seep from Tang San's right palm again, and the edges of the old scar were torn open by the immense force.
Ning Rongrong unleashed her final power boost.
Tang San gripped the long handle firmly with his left hand, straightened all the Blue Silver Emperor under his feet, and thrust his body into the side of the Whale King's mouth. The halberd's edge avoided the hardest part of the forehead bone and pierced diagonally into the previous bloody mouth. With this strike, the power from the Eight Spider Lances was released in full, and the Soul Power surging up from the Whale King was also cut off in one part by the golden light.
The seawater collapsed into the depths.
Tang San sank with the whale's head, but he held onto the Trident the whole time. As the huge body twitched for the last time, he withdrew the Spider Spear and swam out of the wound along the direction illuminated by the Soul Power on the halberd's handle. The Blue Silver Emperor descended from above and dragged him out of the water.
Xiao Wu caught him and carried him into the cabin. He coughed up seawater and his first cry was for the boat to move further out. Although the Whale King had stopped struggling, the power emanating from its death still pressed down on the sea.
Xiao Bai circled around the enormous corpse, confirmed that the eye was lifeless, and then floated back to the side of the boat.
Red Soul Ring, nearly a million years old, rose from the sea.
Tang San sat down on the most stable ship, first restoring his Meridians, then receiving the ring. Red light pressed down on his forehead, and the Trident mark also burned. The Whale King's anger before his death crashed into his spirit along the Soul Ring. He saw the sunken ship in the deep sea, and the next moment he was pulled to the other side by that anger.
He placed the Blue Silver Emperor on his lap, touched the edge of the Wrist Guard he had been holding, and only then did his mind return to his body. Xiao Wu stood guard at the cabin door, while his companions took turns stabilizing the ship for him, but he bore the full weight of the ring himself.
When the Whale King's resentment struck for the second time, red veins had already seeped from the Blue Silver Emperor on Tang San's knees. That force attempted to suppress the first eight rings along with the Ninth Soul Ring, and the Sea Vine Demon Octopus Soul Ring, which he had obtained first, became unstable first, and the resilience of the vine tendrils also broke off. He did not allow the Eight Spider Lances to continue to greedily absorb external power, but first withdrew the Spider Spear, leaving only the Ninth Soul Ring connected with the Mysterious Heaven Skill he was circulating.
Xiao Wu called his name through the hatch. Tang San followed the sound and pressed his consciousness back to his chest. The whale king's giant mouth was still closing in his mind, but he could already tell that his body had not actually been bitten off. As the red stripes passed through his Meridians, he guided them back to the Blue Silver Emperor by segment, no longer letting the remaining anger decide his next destination.
On the second night, Ning Rongrong could no longer withstand the tower's light, and Oscar moved her to the back of the boat to rest. Tang San did not stop guiding others, and it wasn't until dawn on the third day that the Red Soul Ring completely landed outside the remaining eight rings. The Ninth Soul Ring of the Blue Silver Emperor was completed, and his Soul Power stabilized at level ninety-six. The Torso Soul Bone left by the Whale King was also truly absorbed by him in the following days. The vast Origin of energy within the bone allowed the Meridians in his chest and back to be reconnected, and the old scar on his Right Arm remained, not disappearing as a result.
The Wisdom Skull and the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone remained in their original positions. The newly acquired Left Leg and Two Arm Bones responded accordingly. After the torso bones were connected, the six regular Soul Bone were finally complete. The Eight Spider Lances remained on his back, not used to fill any gaps.
When he finished the Eighth Trial, he was already able to stand at the bow of the ship holding a halberd, but Xiao Wu still told him to put his Right Hand down.
The hunting ships began returning to the island, and the Papal Hall on the mainland also opened its Inner Courtyard in the same season.
Bibi Dong stood in the courtyard, her nine Soul Ring fully unfurled. Her Level 99 Soul Power forced Yue Guan and Gui Mei to retreat to the corridor. She no longer used the power sealed within the Rakshasa Trial to conceal her true cultivation level, and the flagpole outside the courtyard also bent to the same side under the pressure.
Bai Jin Limitless blocked the falling stone chips, then looked up to see the purplish-black aura unfolding behind her.
"Are you going to make it public this time?" he asked.
Upon hearing Yue Guan first ordered the Deacon to remove the servants from the courtyard. However, Bibi Dong stopped the old Deacon who was about to leave, withdrew the Soul Power that had cracked the stone surface beneath her feet, and let him leave through the original door. Her Level 99 aura was still present, and the people in the Outer Courtyard were finally able to stand firm.
Bai Jin also withdrew the Cang that was protecting the corridor pillar. His Soul Power was still at Level 98. He could see the high-level power that his mother and daughter had changed one after the other with his Six Eyes. The sluggishness caused by the pressure of sealing off all sides did not disappear. He did not reach out to the purple-black aura to take a bit of power. Instead, he turned around and told the Golden Trio to guard the path where the crowd was walking outside the hall.
The final exam has arrived.
Qian Renxue stood in the Outer Courtyard, her golden Divine Outfit tucked under her robes, and did not enter her mother's assessment. Bibi Dong glanced at her, then placed her Scepter beside the palace steps.
You stay outside. I will bear the core myself.
She walked towards the Inner Courtyard. The purplish-black aura receded as she did so, the heavy doors closed again, Scepter remained outside.