The Witch's Schemes

"Ha!"

Ma Hongjun rubbed his hands excitedly. "That's our third brother for you! With all seven of us working together this time, we'll definitely catch the Evil Orca King off guard!"

Dai Mubai smiled faintly. Though he said nothing, he gently took Zhu Zhuqing's hand.

The Hell White Tiger transformation was the Shrek Seven Devils' most powerful offensive skill. He had to be ready to unleash their fusion skill for a killing blow the moment Tang San gave the order.

Oscar had already begun preparing various sausages. Enveloped in the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud's white light, they slipped silently toward Ren Tao, the Evil Orca King.

Throughout the entire process, none of the Shrek Seven Devils raised any objections.

Just as Xiao Bai had said, the Evil Orca King was a scourge of the seas. What reason was there to show mercy?

Besides, Tang San had always been decisive and ruthless when it came to killing. He hadn't even blinked when wiping out dozens of people at the Spirit Hall Branch in Gengxin City, and destroying Slaughter City had been no great difficulty either. What did a mere Evil Orca King amount to?

"Remember, don't hurt the other Evil Spirit Orcas. I gave Ren Tao my word. Once we've killed him, let the other orcas leave!"

As Tang San spoke, he squeezed Xiao Wu's hand.

They slowly drew closer to the Evil Spirit Orcas.

Ren Tao and the Evil Spirit Orcas naturally had no idea that danger was creeping toward them. They were still enthusiastically discussing their earlier topic.

"Boss, I don't mean to run my mouth, but are you really planning to swallow the Sea Witch?"

After asking this, Hu Dong suddenly noticed the grave look in his boss's eyes and hurried to explain. "It was Tae Hee! That brat Tae Hee said you had a thing for the Sea Witch, Boss. He said even the way you looked at her was different!"

Ren Tao drew a breath and slowly turned his head toward Tae Hee. "Is that really what you're wondering?"

At that moment, all the Orca Bros felt their bodies grow heavy, as though a mountain were pressing down on their heads. At the same time, Ren Tao's tail rose dangerously.

"Boss, it's not like that... Boss, let me explain!"

Boom!

An enormous wave slammed past, instantly flinging the massive bodies of nine Evil Spirit Orcas out of the water, scattering them in every direction like spray.

Red light had already flared in Ren Tao's eyes. That strike hadn't been intended to punish his underlings for their loose tongues. Rather, he had suddenly sensed a terrifying danger.

It felt as though someone had stabbed him. Inside his body, the thread-thin "black trident" left by the Evil Soul Master had begun to heat up.

"Who's there?"

A warning like this wouldn't appear without reason. Ren Tao immediately thought of Tang San.

Only Tang San possessed the means to conceal himself, and only he would launch a killing strike against him.

"Whooo..."

The distant note of a flute drifted over, stirring a long ripple across the water. It seemed slow but moved swiftly, reaching Ren Tao in the blink of an eye.

At first, there was only a single ripple. Once it approached Ren Tao, however, it abruptly shuddered and expanded into a vast ring of waves. Those waves stirred up an energy domain, bringing the seawater for dozens of meters around him to a boil almost instantly.

Whoosh!

Ren Tao's enormous body shot into the sky. His form rapidly changed as he rose, and after several spins, a young man appeared before everyone's eyes, with wings on his back, a gold-thread headband around his head, and red-trimmed cuffs.

"What is that?!"

Xiao Bai cried out in shock.

The Evil Orca King's transformed appearance immediately made her feel pressured. Her instincts as a sea soul beast instantly sensed the oppressive force of his bloodline.

The Shrek Seven Devils were still dozens of meters away from Ren Tao. They could have launched their attack within a single breath, but none of them had expected him to become alert, much less for someone to suddenly appear and disrupt their plans.

"Why is it... her?"

Tang San's expression shifted slightly. His hand, poised to dispel the Vast Sea Protective Shroud, suddenly stopped.

"Well? Are we still attacking?"

Ma Hongjun had been ready to unleash his Martial Soul Avatar, but now he, too, halted, waiting for Tang San's opinion.

Just then, the lingering notes of the flute began to sound.

"Retreat!"

Tang San gave the order decisively, without the slightest hesitation. Xiao Bai and the other great white sharks reacted at once, turning and speeding away.

This was Sea Maiden Douluo's ninth soul skill. Though he didn't know exactly what it was, it was undoubtedly an indiscriminate area attack. If Tang San and the others didn't withdraw, they would inevitably be caught in it.

Besides, Ren Tao was already on his guard. A sneak attack was no longer meaningful.

Most importantly, Tang San had keenly noticed the changes in Ren Tao-not merely in his appearance, but also in the aura radiating from his entire body, which was more sinister and unfathomable than before.

Clearly, after devouring his Eight Spider Lances, the Evil Orca King's strength had increased again. Revealing themselves now might not allow them to kill him in a single strike.

"Forget it!"

Withdrawing his gaze, Tang San said mildly, "Let's get our soul rings first!"

The Demon Soul Great White Sharks hurried away with the Shrek Seven Devils, coming and going without a trace. Ren Tao and Sea Maiden Douluo, out on the sea, seemed never to have noticed their presence.

"Sea Maiden Douluo, since when could you leave Sea God Island?"

The ninth soul ring on Xin Luo, the Sea Witch, lit up as she unleashed her Martial Soul Avatar. Her entire body grew to over ten meters tall, and she sat on the sea, floating with the waves.

Hearing Ren Tao's words, she merely smiled and moved the black flute away from her lips.

"This is my ninth soul skill, Sea-Calming Divine Melody. I'm giving you a chance to let your kin leave. If there are any more casualties after that, you can't accuse Sea God Island of breaking its word!"

Ren Tao chuckled and swept his gaze around, only to find that his underlings had long since retreated far away. They were now poking their heads above the water, watching him with wide eyes.

"These fellows aren't worried about their boss's safety at all!"

"Boss, you're amazing!"

Tae Hee wore a sly look and even exchanged a meaningful glance with Hu Dong beside him. "See? I told you the boss and the Sea Witch had something special going on!"

Sea Maiden Douluo's sharp ears caught Tae Hee's words, and her pretty face darkened. "What did you tell them?"

"What I told them-does that matter? Didn't you want a fight? As it happens, I want to swallow you too. Come on, let me see what a mermaid princess can do!"

After seeing the Sea Witch, Ren Tao's instinct to devour began acting up again. Much of what he said now sounded frivolous under dopamine's influence, but there was nothing he could do. This was simply a side effect of the Devour skill.

"Fighting isn't really my forte."

The Sea Witch's eyes shifted, seemingly noticing something unusual about Ren Tao. Her manner suddenly changed, becoming a little playful, with a faint trace of melancholy. "I was just getting bored on the island and looking for an excuse to come out for some fresh air. What I'm really curious about is what exactly you said to Lady Bo Saixi."

After saying this, she fixed her large eyes on Ren Tao. Those pure, unclouded, sky-blue eyes seemed intent on looking straight into his heart.

She really is a mermaid princess. She's gorgeous, and her hair falls in big, curling waves. Clearly, she has European or American ancestry...

Smack!

Ren Tao slapped himself across the face. What am I even thinking?

Just as he slipped into that slightly tipsy state, he discovered something: while he was distracted, the Sea Witch had peeked into his mind.

Yes! Peeked.

Although Sea Maiden Douluo's combat strength ranked only in the middle among the guardian Douluos of the Seven Sacred Pillars, she possessed a special skill: Mind Reading.

It didn't work on anyone whose spiritual power surpassed hers, but Ren Tao had just been dazed, and she had seized the opening.

"So it's true. You're up to no good either! You're plotting against Lady Bo Saixi, aren't you?"

Ren Tao didn't know whether Sea Maiden Douluo had read his thoughts or was simply making her own deductions. But this was no secret, and he had no intention of hiding it.

"As you said, I'm using her. But I hope lovers can finally be together. Would you rather Bo Saixi grow old alone on the island?"

"Well... why don't we take turns asking questions?"

The Sea Witch put away her black flute and dismissed her Martial Soul Avatar, returning to her original appearance. After a brief moment of thought, she offered a suggestion that took Ren Tao quite by surprise.

"You ask a question, and I'll answer. Then I'll ask a question, and you'll answer. That way, we can both get the information we want."

Oh.

Ren Tao understood. The Sea Witch wanted to draw information out of him, and she wasn't worried about him lying because she could read minds. Even if she couldn't necessarily read his thoughts, she presumably had a knack for telling truth from falsehood.

"I'll ask first, then. How were you able to leave Sea God Island?"

The original Douluo Continent had clearly stated that the guardian Douluos of the Seven Sacred Pillars couldn't leave Sea God Island. Ren Tao needed to confirm whether the Sea God's Light was the sole condition for leaving the island. This would be crucial to his later plan to trap the Shrek Seven Devils there.

Today's update was late. Please forgive me!

Also, a few trolls have been going around insulting people on Qidian lately, so I've temporarily closed the comments section there. It'll reopen in a few days!

Thank you, everyone!