"Mm."
Snow Empress raised her head and gazed at the heavens.
"Let's look at the ranking first."
Across the Douluo Continent.
Countless Soul Masters and Soul Beasts raised their heads.
The rewards for the top places on the Powerhouse Ranking had already brought enormous changes to the entire continent.
The eighth-ranked Evil Emperor had received a god-level bloodline and the Crystal Divine Crown.
The seventh-ranked Snow Empress had received the Ice and Snow Divine Spirit Bloodline, the Heavenly Frost Sword, and the Lord of the Far North Divine Seat.
Just how powerful were the beings ranked above them?
Inside Heaven Dou City.
The Shrek group also stopped walking.
Tang San gazed at the sky.
"Sixth place is about to appear."
Dai Mubai said gravely:
"The Evil Emperor and Snow Empress already possess god-level power."
"Whoever ranks sixth must at least be stronger than them."
Yu Xiaogang looked up at the Sky Screen.
He said nothing.
Ever since Ning Xian had taken the Heaven-Earth Xuanhuang Pagoda, resentment had lingered in his heart.
But the Ning Xian shown on the Sky Screen had already made him afraid to pass judgment lightly again.
Ma Hongjun watched the sky.
"Could it be another Soul Beast?"
Oscar picked up the conversation.
"Two Soul Beasts have already appeared in a row."
"Sixth place might be a human powerhouse."
Above, on the Sky Screen.
Golden light gradually dispersed.
A boundless ocean appeared before everyone's eyes.
The sea was deep blue.
Towering waves churned.
Dark clouds gathered overhead.
Deep beneath the water, an enormous figure slowly swam.
Only part of that figure's back was exposed.
Black scales formed a mountain range.
Every movement raised waves hundreds of zhang high.
An enormous tail fin rose from the sea.
The tail fin fell.
The entire stretch of sea shook with a thunderous roar.
Golden words emerged in turn.
[Douluo Continent Powerhouse Ranking.] [Sixth place.] [Deep Sea Demonic Whale King.] [Species: Deep Sea Demon Whale.] [Cultivation: 990,000 years.]
The continent instantly fell silent.
Every Soul Master's expression changed as they read the words on the Sky Screen.
Nine hundred and ninety thousand years.
Only one final step away from a million years.
Yet they had never heard of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King.
Sea God Island.
Before the Sea God Hall.
Bo Saixi gazed at the enormous figure on the Sky Screen, her fingers slowly tightening around her scepter.
"The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King."
Naturally, she knew this Sea Soul Beast.
In the ancient records passed down on Sea God Island, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King was one of the most dangerous beings in the ocean.
He occupied the Demon Whale Sea year-round.
Few humans or Sea Soul Beasts who entered those waters ever left alive.
Sea Dragon Douluo stood behind Bo Saixi, his face filled with shock.
"Nine hundred and ninety thousand years."
"This Deep Sea Demon Whale has actually approached the million-year level."
Sea Horse Douluo looked toward the churning sea in the distance.
"We've always known the Demon Whale Sea was dangerous."
"But Sea God Island's records never mentioned his exact cultivation."
Sea Spear Douluo tightened his grip on his spear.
"Only ten thousand years short of a million."
"If he takes another step forward, wouldn't he be able to enter the god level?"
Bo Saixi did not answer immediately.
Her gaze settled on the small exposed portion of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's back.
That figure was simply too enormous.
The waters shown on the Sky Screen were already vast, yet they still could not contain his entire body.
Each black scale was the size of a house.
Deep blue seawater streamed down his scales.
With just a gentle flick of his tail fin, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King sent waves hundreds of zhang high spreading in every direction.
Such an enormous body.
Cultivation so close to a million years.
Even Bo Saixi, who commanded the power of the ocean, could not take him lightly.
"Nine hundred and ninety thousand years of cultivation doesn't mean he has already become a god-level being."
Bo Saixi watched the Sky Screen.
"But in the ocean, he is indeed qualified to fight a Peerless Douluo."
The Seven Sacred Pillars Guardian Douluo all fell silent.
Sea God Island enjoyed the Sea God's protection.
Bo Saixi could also unleash greater strength in the ocean.
But the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King likewise lived in the sea.
If the two sides fought, the entire stretch of sea would be affected.
The Demon Whale Sea.
Countless Sea Soul Beasts had already fled.
A black back slowly surfaced.
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King opened his only remaining eye.
Purplish-red light surged from the depths of his pupil.
He looked at sixth place on the Powerhouse Ranking, his whale cry resounding through the nearby waters.
"Sixth?"
"This king has nine hundred and ninety thousand years of cultivation, only one step away from a million."
"Snow Empress only has eight hundred thousand years."
"The Evil Emperor has a mere seven hundred and eighty thousand."
"They both received such lavish rewards, yet this king only ranks sixth?"
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King raised his head.
His enormous body rose from the sea.
Seawater cascaded down both sides, forming dozens of waterfalls.
"This king should have ranked in the top three."
"Even if I competed for first place, I might well have a chance."
"What right does the Heavenly Dao have to give this king only sixth place?"
Countless Sea Soul Beasts hid far away.
They dared not approach the Demon Whale Sea and could only gaze at that enormous figure from hundreds of li away.
The Powerhouse Ranking would not change because of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's objections.
Sixth place still hung above his name.
This displeased the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King even more.
He had cultivated for long ages.
He had devoured more Sea Soul Beasts than could be counted.
In his eyes, throughout the entire ocean, no one except Bo Saixi of Sea God Island deserved to be taken seriously.
Now, he was only one final step away from a million years.
Yet five names ahead of him remained unrevealed.
This meant that at least five beings stronger than him existed on the Douluo Continent.
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King could not accept it.
"This king would like to see for himself."
"Just what creatures occupy those five places ahead of me."
The Sun Moon Empire.
Countless Soul Masters gazed up at the Sky Screen.
The crowds who had been cheering for the Evil Emperor's eighth-place ranking had now all fallen silent.
"Nine hundred and ninety thousand years?"
"A Sea Soul Beast can actually cultivate to such a level?"
"He's only ten thousand years away from becoming a true million-year Soul Beast!"
"Lord Evil Emperor's cultivation is only seven hundred and eighty thousand years."
"This demonic whale has two hundred and ten thousand years more than Lord Evil Emperor!"
Deep within the Evil Demon Forest.
The Crystal Divine Crown hovered above the Evil Emperor's true body.
Silver divine runes slowly revolved along the enormous eye.
"A million years?"
The Evil Emperor extended a strand of spiritual power.
That strand of spiritual power crossed the Sun Moon Empire's border and spread toward the ocean.
Before it even approached the Demon Whale Sea, a powerful devouring force spread out from the image on the Sky Screen.
The Evil Emperor immediately withdrew its spiritual power.
It examined the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King anew.
"Nine hundred and ninety thousand years of cultivation."
"This emperor had thought Di Tian was the only Soul Beast on the Douluo Continent closest to the million-year level."
"To think such a being was hiding in the ocean."
An Evil Eye Tyrant lay prostrate below.
"Lord Evil Emperor, this demonic whale's cultivation is higher than Di Tian's."
"Could he be stronger than Di Tian?"
The silver divine runes within the Evil Emperor's pupil flickered gently.
"Cultivation isn't everything."
"Di Tian possesses the Black-Eyed Golden Dragon King Bloodline, as well as the Dragon God Claw."
"Just how powerful the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King is will depend on the Heavenly Dao's next assessment."
The Star Dou Great Forest.
Beside the Lake of Life.
Xiong Jun looked at the nine hundred and ninety thousand years displayed on the Sky Screen and stood straight up from his boulder.
"Nine hundred and ninety thousand years?"
"His cultivation is actually higher than Di Tian's?"
The Myriad Demon King's branches and leaves stopped swaying.
Bi Ji also raised her head to study that boundless sea.
To the many ferocious beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest, Di Tian represented the pinnacle of soul beast cultivation.
Eight hundred and ninety thousand years of cultivation.
The Black-Eyed Golden Dragon King bloodline.
The Dragon God Claw bestowed by the Dragon God himself.
Di Tian had not become the foremost of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts through cultivation age alone.
Yet the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King appearing on the Sky Screen possessed nine hundred and ninety thousand years of cultivation.
Judging by the numbers alone, he surpassed Di Tian by a hundred thousand years.
Xiong Jun turned to look at Di Tian.
"Di Tian."
"Has this demonic whale really cultivated a hundred thousand years longer than you?"
Di Tian stood on the surface of the lake.
His black robes fluttered gently in the breeze off the lake.
"I've never heard of him."
"The oceans cover a far greater area than the land."
"It's nothing unusual for a soul beast approaching a million years to appear there."
The Myriad Demon King looked at the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's enormous body.
"If he entered the Star Dou Great Forest, few soul beasts would likely be able to stop him."
"That depends on whether he has the nerve."
Di Tian raised his golden eyes.
A black-gold light flashed deep within his pupils.
Having higher cultivation than him did not mean having a stronger bloodline.
The Black-Eyed Golden Dragon King bloodline was one of the most powerful among dragons.
Di Tian also retained the Dragon God's gifted power within his body.
Even if the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King truly possessed nine hundred and ninety thousand years of cultivation, he would not back down.
Gu Yuena stood in the center of the Lake of Life.
Her purple eyes looked through the Sky Screen and settled on the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's body.
She saw more clearly than the other ferocious beasts.
The energy within that demonic whale was indeed immense.
But that power was distributed in utter disorder.
There were many inconsistencies between his flesh, bones, soul power, and devouring origin.
"There's something wrong with his nine hundred and ninety thousand years."
Gu Yuena spoke those words.
Xiong Jun looked back at the Sky Screen.
"My lord, what does that mean?"
"Keep watching."
Gu Yuena offered no explanation in advance.
The Heavenly Dao had already begun revealing the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's true circumstances.
Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
The Shrek group stopped on the mountain path.
Ma Hongjun's mouth hung open for a long time.
"Nine hundred and ninety thousand years."
"Is that even a soul beast anymore?"
Oscar looked at the enormous tail fin on the Sky Screen.
"The Titan Giant Ape and Sky Azure Bull Python have only a hundred thousand years of cultivation, and humans already call them emperors of the forest."
"This Deep Sea Demonic Whale King is worth nine hundred-thousand-year soul beasts."
Dai Mubai said gravely, "You can't calculate it that way."
"Every additional hundred thousand years of cultivation brings a tremendous change in a soul beast's strength."
"Nine hundred-thousand-year soul beasts are absolutely no match for a nine-hundred-and-ninety-thousand-year soul beast."
Xiao Wu did not join the discussion.
She, too, was a soul beast who had taken human form.
Naturally, she understood better than the others how difficult cultivation became after a hundred thousand years.
Each time a soul beast survived a heavenly tribulation, the next one would be even more powerful.
For the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King to approach a million years, there was no telling how many tribulations he had survived.
Tang San turned to Yu Xiaogang.
"Teacher."
"Has a million-year soul beast ever appeared in the Soul Master World before?"
Yu Xiaogang clasped his hands behind his back.
He opened his mouth but did not answer immediately.
He had indeed studied a great deal of material on hundred-thousand-year soul beasts.
But ferocious beasts beyond a hundred thousand years rarely appeared in human records to begin with.
The successive appearances of the Evil Emperor, Snow Empress, and Di Tian had already overturned much of the Soul Master World's previous understanding.
Now, the appearance of a nine-hundred-and-ninety-thousand-year Deep Sea Demonic Whale King went even further beyond the scope of the theories he knew.
"The ancient texts in Spirit Hall's collection contain no clear records of million-year soul beasts."
Yu Xiaogang raised his head to look at the Sky Screen.
"In the past, the Soul Master World didn't even know that soul beasts over seven hundred thousand years truly existed."
"As for what changes would occur at the million-year level, I can't say either."
Ma Hongjun froze for a moment.
"Even Grandmaster doesn't know?"
Yu Xiaogang's expression darkened slightly.
"The continent has done very little research on sea soul beasts to begin with."
"The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King lives in the depths of the ocean year-round. It's perfectly normal for humans to have no records of him."
Tang San looked back at the Sky Screen.
He asked no further questions.
Ning Rongrong stood at the rear of the group.
The Ancient Bronze Small Tower in her palm emitted mystic yellow radiance.
Despite the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's high cultivation on the Sky Screen, he elicited no reaction from the Ancient Bronze Small Tower.
Ning Rongrong lightly touched the tower.
What she wanted to know more was this.
Did Ning Xian also know this sea soul beast who was approaching a million years?
Sunset Forest.
Above the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
The Ice and Fire Dragon Kings' fragmented origins were still being reconstructed within the mystic yellow radiance.
Ning Xian looked up at the Powerhouse Ranking.
Dugu Bo stood behind him.
"Senior."
"Does a nine-hundred-and-ninety-thousand-year soul beast already possess power approaching that of a god?"
"Far from it."
Ning Xian glanced at the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King.
"His cultivation isn't pure."
Dugu Bo's expression shifted.
"Can nine hundred and ninety thousand years of cultivation be genuine or false?"
"Keep watching, and you'll know."
Ning Xian withdrew his gaze.
The Heaven-Earth Xuanhuang Pagoda continued to rotate.
The Ice and Fire Dragon Kings' soul origins were also slowly condensing under the power of creation.
Dugu Yan stood beside the medicinal garden.
She looked up at the Sky Screen.
He was likewise a nine-hundred-and-ninety-thousand-year soul beast.
Yet the pressure the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King exerted on her was not as strong as when the Snow Empress had obtained her divine position.
She could not clearly explain that difference.
She could only wait for the Heavenly Dao to provide an answer.
Above the Firmament.
The golden text began to change.
The boundless sea rapidly shrank.
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's entire body appeared in the center of the Sky Screen.
He was over two hundred meters long.
His enormous head occupied a quarter of his entire body.
His sole remaining eye was purplish red.
His other eye was already gone, leaving only a scar running through the socket.
Rings of purple-black energy spread from within the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's body.
The Heavenly Dao's golden light separated the soul power within his body layer by layer.
The outermost layer was dense black energy.
In the middle were the origin auras of countless sea soul beasts.
Only the deepest layer belonged to the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King himself.
Lines of golden text emerged one after another.
[Deep Sea Demonic Whale King.] [Outwardly displayed cultivation: nine hundred and ninety thousand years.] [True cultivation age: over three hundred thousand years.] [The remaining cultivation came from devouring heavenly materials and earthly treasures and sea soul beasts.] [The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King possesses the devouring attribute.] [He can convert the flesh, soul power, and life origins of other living beings into his own power.] [After devouring over a long period, the energy accumulated within his body has approached that of a million-year soul beast.] [He is therefore called a million-year soul beast by the creatures of the sea.]
Beneath the Sky Screen.
Countless living beings froze at the same time.
A moment later.
A dense barrage of comments blanketed the Firmament.
[His true cultivation age is only a little over three hundred thousand years?]
[Then where did the remaining six hundred thousand-plus years come from?]
[He ate his way through all of it!]
[Devouring sea soul beasts can increase cultivation too?]
[No wonder he could approach a million years!]
[Other soul beasts struggle through tribulations, while he only needs to keep devouring!]
[Does this count as bypassing soul beast tribulations?]
[Catching up to the eight-hundred-and-ninety-thousand-year Di Tian in just over three hundred thousand years-now that's truly overtaking on a bend!]
[If I had the devouring attribute, could I become a million-year soul beast too?]
[With so many sea soul beasts in the ocean, just how many has he eaten?]
Before you continue