Douluo World, the gathering grounds of the Evil Spirit Orcas.
Schools of Evil Spirit Orcas were resting.
Their enormous bodies formed concentric circles, like layers of fortifications guarding the noble presence at the very center, near the surface.
Through the rippling water, a massive creature thirty meters long was dimly visible. A faint metallic sheen gleamed on his gray-black skin. Not only was he half again as large as his brethren in the circles below, but everything from his coloring and posture to the domineering aura radiating from his body marked him as different.
Of course, the most important thing was his bearing.
At that moment, his eyes, which could not close, held a faint bewilderment, dejection, and a trace of resignation.
His enormous tail fin swayed listlessly in the water as he assumed a textbook "Ge You Slump," looking exactly like an office drone sunk into a couch after working late into the night.
Dropping all his defenses, Ren Tao sighed helplessly.
It had been a month since he transmigrated into Douluo World. Although he reigned supreme as the Evil Orca King among these "brethren" who ate flesh raw and drank blood, only he knew how he truly felt.
Food that did not suit his taste was one thing. The real problem was his impending fate, hanging over his head like a sharp sword, keeping his heart pounding and denying him a single moment of peaceful sleep.
As everyone knew, in the original Douluo Continent story, the Evil Orca King was a key part of the Fourth Trial of Tang San's "Sea God’s Nine Trials." He ultimately became the Eighth Soul Ring, making an indispensable contribution to the protagonist's full set of Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings.
This was practically his destiny. The trouble was, he had no idea when Tang San would arrive. After initially jumping at every gust of wind and cry of a crane, Ren Tao had gradually begun to relax, though he was actually monitoring every disturbance within ten li at all times...
In the distance, two Evil Spirit Orcas were flirting, constantly bumping their bodies together and displaying a powerful desire to mate...
Below him, in the second ring of the Evil Spirit Orca Group, several orca underlings were whispering among themselves.
"Shh! Everyone, be careful. His Majesty's in a bad mood. Anyone who gets on his bad side will have more trouble than they can carry!"
"Yeah, spread out. Give him some room... Number Eighteen, what part of His Majesty are you looking at? Careful he doesn't gouge your eyes out!"
You ignorant fools. What do you know about the crisis coming our way?
Looking around, he saw two or three hundred enormous creatures, yet all of them together would not survive a single bottle of "Ice and Fire Yin Yang Spring Water."
This is so fucking exhausting!
Ren Tao helplessly furrowed his nonexistent brows, then suppressed the urge to press a hand to his head.
There's no escaping. This vast ocean is all the Sea God's domain. Where could I possibly hide from his scrutiny?
Why did I have to transmigrate into the Evil Orca King, stuck halfway up the ladder? If I'd become the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, I might at least have a fighting chance.
And that so-called Deep Sea Overlord is a thoughtless fool, too. If he had even a little ambition, he would've stormed Sea God Island and cut off the Sea God Inheritance. Would any of this later trouble have happened then?
At that thought, Ren Tao gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind. He lashed his tail, slamming it hard against the water and giving the orcas below a terrible fright.
"I'm going out for a bit. No one follows me!"
The Evil Orca King vanished from his spot, leaving behind a school of Evil Spirit Orcas with their enormous mouths hanging open in bewilderment.
Ren Tao swam swiftly, the scenery around him blurring into shadows. Moving at full power, bolstered by his domain, he raced like the wind and lightning.
"I have to bind my fate to the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's. Even if I have to use myself as bait, I must drag him into the Sea God’s Fourth Trial!"
This was the only conclusion Ren Tao had reached over the past month. Only by muddying the waters could he gain a thread of hope for survival.
The Evil Orca King had visited the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's territory once before and returned with only half his life remaining. Naturally, Ren Tao would not repeat that mistake this time.
He chose to approach from the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's blind side, where he would be less likely to provoke his wrath. Moreover, while still far away, Ren Tao began greeting him through his thoughts.
"Lord Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, Lord Deep Sea Demonic Whale King... are you home?"
What Ren Tao really wanted to ask was whether he had transmigrated here, too. That would make things much easier!
"Hmm!"
A thunderous sound abruptly exploded inside Ren Tao's mind. His entire body jolted, and he quickly stopped where he was, refusing to swim any farther.
Has this oaf's cultivation improved again?
"My lord, do you know that the deep sea faces an unprecedented crisis? If we're to weather it successfully, you and I must join forces!"
Ren Tao wasted no words and laid out his point directly. This was a habit formed during his business career in his previous life. The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King was not particularly bright and had limited patience, so he had to pique his interest as quickly as possible.
"What do you mean?"
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King seemed to pause, leaving his rebuke unspoken. As he transmitted his thoughts, an enormous silhouette slowly drifted closer like a small mountain.
That immense body exuded a crushing pressure. Before the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's length of over two hundred meters, the Evil Orca King was nothing but a little brother.
"The Sea God’s Nine Trials have already begun. You know that, right?"
Ren Tao was not sure whether Tang San had visited Sea God Island yet, but he finished speaking anyway. "The Fourth Trial is to wipe out the Evil Spirit Orca Group. The Eighth Trial concerns you, Lord Deep Sea Demonic Whale King. Given your relationship with the Sea God, you should know he won't spare you, correct?"
There was too much information in those words. The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King sank into thought.
Ren Tao waited patiently. This big fellow had a small brain; he would probably need a while to process it.
Five minutes later, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King spoke.
"He's only an insignificant human. If the Sea God hadn't intervened, I would have torn him apart long ago. Do you think he could threaten me?"
Oh... so that's how it is!
Tang San has already fought the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, but the Fourth Trial hasn't begun yet. Does that mean the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King still has a chance to conquer Sea God Island?
"My lord, you have two choices before you. First, storm Sea God Island, seize the trident, and sever the Sea God Inheritance. In another hundred years, you will become the ocean's sole overlord and attain the position of Sea God Dragon!"
Ren Tao's thinking was exceptionally clear. For the past month, he had done nothing but recall the relevant plot of Douluo Continent. He had already worked out these strategies, and even if the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King refused, he still had a plan B.
"Do you take me for an idiot?"
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's immense form had now entered Ren Tao's field of vision. He stared at Ren Tao with his enormous lone eye, his expression disdainful. "Bo Saixi, that Peerless Douluo, guards Sea God Island, and the Sea God has all manner of arrangements there. Do you think I can just storm it whenever I please?"
I knew you wouldn't dare!
Still, conquering Sea God Island truly was a difficult task. Although it offered the greatest rewards, the risks were also enormous. Ren Tao promptly offered his alternative.
"Or, when Tang San attacks the Evil Spirit Orca Group, you can intervene from the sidelines. As long as you disrupt his plan, he won't be able to complete his Fourth Trial, and you can rest easy!"
"Hmm?"
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King tilted his body slightly. A few breaths later, a dangerous light flared in his lone eye like an enormous lantern, and a tremendous pressure almost instantly enveloped Ren Tao.
"What Tang San wants is your Soul Ring, isn't it? If I swallow you, he won't get it. Wouldn't that be safer for me?"
Idiot!
I knew you'd think that!
Ren Tao bared his teeth in a silent sneer. "If you kill me now, the Sea God’s Nine Trials will naturally change. Then no one will know what the Fourth Trial entails! Are you sure you want to do that, my lord?"
He relaxed his entire body, not even releasing his domain to resist the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King. He simply met the other's gaze firmly, without retreating. "As a Soul Beast, dying at your hands would still be better than being reduced to a human's Soul Ring! But even if you kill me, can you really stay out of this? As a million-year Soul Beast and a thorn in the Sea God's eye, you'll be the first one they refuse to spare before the new god takes his place! Even if you don't fear death yourself, won't you think of your wife and daughter?"
Indeed, it was not that Ren Tao did not fear death. But having read the Douluo series thoroughly, he knew the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King had a wife-the Demon Empress, who was likewise a million-year Demon Whale King-and a daughter. This was the trump card that had given him the courage to come here.
"Hsss..."
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King drew a deep breath. The invisible force suppressing this stretch of ocean rapidly receded like an ebbing tide. For the first time, complex emotions such as wariness and apprehension flashed in his eye.
"How do you know... how do you know the contents of the Sea God’s Nine Trials? And how can I be sure everything you've said is true?"
"Whether it's true will become clear when the time comes. You only need to keep watch, my lord. If one day a Green Signal Flare rises over the sea, that will mark the beginning of Tang San and the Demon Soul Great White Shark Group's hunt for the Evil Spirit Orca Group!"
Only after saying this did Ren Tao truly breathe a sigh of relief.
By now, he could almost be certain that the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King had entered the game. Even if he could not kill Tang San, how could he stand idly by when Ren Tao and Tang San fought until both were badly wounded?
If things truly became hopeless, dying in the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's jaws would still be better than becoming Tang San's Soul Ring.
As for surrounding and killing the Demon Soul Great White Sharks now, that would only intensify the conflict with Sea God Island. Besides, it would treat the symptoms, not the root.
Only after a head-on battle with Tang San would the curtain truly fall on this fated confrontation.
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