In the shallows outside Vast Sea City, the carriage slowly came to a stop. The moment Tang Mo stepped out, the sight before him made the corners of his mouth twitch involuntarily.
"Wooaang~"
The Azure Sea Killer Whale lay sprawled over a massive reef rock by the shore, more than half its body still submerged in seawater. A group of Spirit Hall deacons tossed large quantities of food toward it. Seeing food delivered right to its door, the Azure Sea Killer Whale caught it decisively in its mouth and swallowed it without the slightest hesitation.
When it grew tired of lying on the rock, it slipped back into the sea, turned over, and went right back to lying on the rock, enjoying a life where it only had to open its mouth to be fed.
The entire killer whale looked utterly at ease, without the slightest panic at its impending trip to the execution grounds.
Thus, Tang Mo was not the only one who found the scene utterly absurd. Hu Liena and the other two, who climbed out of the carriage one after another, also found their brains struggling to keep up.
Soul Masters killed Soul Beasts, and Soul Beasts killed Soul Masters. This had long been the norm in the Soul Master World. Even when they did not need a Soul Beast's Soul Ring, many Soul Masters might slaughter it for amusement or food.
The same went for Soul Beasts. Those that had not undergone Awakening Intelligence might flee from Soul Masters, while those that had might treat Soul Masters as prey. Even when they did not need food, they would still choose to attack Soul Masters.
With both sides slaughtering each other like this, the Azure Sea Killer Whale's complete lack of aggression toward approaching Soul Masters undoubtedly overturned everything Hu Liena and the other two knew.
After digesting the somewhat outrageous scene before him, Tang Mo slowly walked toward the massive reef rock where the Azure Sea Killer Whale lay.
Although the Azure Sea Killer Whale had shown no aggression, Cardinal Kasait had still stationed Soul Emperors here for safety.
Having received word that Tang Mo and the others were about to arrive in Vast Sea City, Kasait himself was now on duty.
It was exactly the same superior-pleasing tactic as that of the Soul King who had welcomed them at Vast Sea City's gates. It could only be called those below following the example set above.
Even a Soul King knew to curry favor with his superiors. As a Soul Saint, how could Kasait possibly be above such things?
As a Cardinal, Kasait could oversee a city of major significance or hold a position in Pope Hall.
Since ancient times, there had been a saying that even a prime minister's gatekeeper ranked as a seventh-grade official. Cardinals serving at Spirit Hall naturally stood above Cardinals stationed in the provinces.
But Pope Hall only needed a limited number of Cardinals, and the provinces also needed Cardinals to oversee them. Thus, getting into Pope Hall required some maneuvering.
Simply put, having someone at court made things easier. At the very least, one needed a backer of one's own in Spirit City to reach Pope Hall ahead of the other Cardinals.
And there were few in Spirit City who could serve as backers for Soul Saint level Cardinals: only the four Soul Douluo-level Platinum Bishops who were close to becoming Titled Douluo, and actual Titled Douluo.
Thanks to his outstanding abilities, Kasait had practically fought his way through five passes and slain six generals before securing his position as Cardinal of Vast Sea City's Spirit Hall.
He was capable, and his strength was not lacking either, but the one thing he lacked was a backer. Thus, he could only remain confined to Vast Sea City. Barring anything unexpected, he would most likely die of old age there.
He had originally accepted his fate, but now an opportunity to change it had arrived. Two Titled Douluo were right before him. As long as he could please them both, he might be transferred to Pope Hall.
When he saw Tang Mo intending to approach the Azure Sea Killer Whale alone, Kasait, who knew nothing of Tang Mo's identity, immediately stepped into his path.
"Honored guest, that is a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Even if it has shown no hostility, you still cannot approach it so casually." Kasait gently tried to persuade Tang Mo to stop.
"Don't worry. If anything goes wrong, I'll bear the consequences myself." With that, Tang Mo walked around Kasait.
Having practiced the Observation Method, Tang Mo was particularly sensitive to emotional fluctuations such as killing intent and hostility. He had sensed no hostile emotions from the Azure Sea Killer Whale, which was why he approached it alone.
Kasait wanted to say more, but Tang Mo's gaze stopped him. He could vaguely sense that Tang Mo's Soul Power was no higher than Level 30, yet for some reason, when their eyes met, he felt an utterly terrifying pressure.
This pressure did not come from a disparity in raw strength, but from a disparity in experience.
Tang Mo was an assassin, after all. Although he had set himself the rule of only killing the most wicked and evil, the era he had lived in lacked everything except evildoers.
Villains who committed every conceivable evil because they had men and weapons at their disposal, madmen who oppressed ordinary people with supernatural means...
Long before his battle with the Bihuoshan ninja, his hands had already been drenched in blood.
Adding in the ninja and onmyoji he had killed before his death, even he did not know how many evildoers he had slain.
Kasait had certainly hunted plenty of Soul Beasts, but when it came to the number of people killed, he fell far short of Tang Mo in his previous life.
Kasait stiffened, then silently stepped aside. His eyes remained fixed on Tang Mo's back, however, ready to act swiftly and save him should he encounter danger.
As Tang Mo approached the Azure Sea Killer Whale, the Spirit Hall deacons gathered around it all had the good sense to leave.
"Who are you?"
Just as Tang Mo came within three meters of the Azure Sea Killer Whale, a rather ethereal voice suddenly rang out in his mind.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he carefully studied the Azure Sea Killer Whale before him. Clearly, the voice that had abruptly appeared in his mind had come from it.
"Mind Transmission? Or Sound Transmission?" Tang Mo asked the Azure Sea Killer Whale.
The former was an application of soul power. Ordinary methods could hardly intercept the contents of a conversation between two people, making it highly secure and something of an advanced ability.
The latter was merely an ordinary method of transmitting sound through Soul Power, hardly worth mentioning. Basically anyone whose Soul Power met the threshold could use it, and it could also be intercepted along the way.
Tang Mo felt that the Azure Sea Killer Whale's ability belonged to the former category, but the question was, why?
Even after Awakening Intelligence, Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts only had the intelligence of a child around seven years old, though exceptionally gifted ones could possess intelligence comparable to an adult's.
But even if the Azure Sea Killer Whale possessed considerable intelligence, killer whale-type Soul Beasts were not known for abilities involving the soul.
In theory, the Azure Sea Killer Whale should not have possessed such an ability.
"The sea is strengthening my power." The Azure Sea Killer Whale's voice continued to ring in Tang Mo's ears. "As long as I'm still in the sea, I can converse with others on the mind level."
"Aren't you afraid of me?" Tang Mo closed his mouth and asked in his mind.
"Why would I be afraid of you?" The Azure Sea Killer Whale looked at Tang Mo in puzzlement. "I haven't sensed any hostility from you."
"But I need a Soul Ring, a purely water-attribute Soul Ring. You're a very suitable choice," Tang Mo said truthfully in his mind.
At those words, the conversation between the human and the whale on the mind level seemed to abruptly lose its signal. The Azure Sea Killer Whale fell into a prolonged silence.
"Is there a way that doesn't involve killing me?" Only after a long silence did the Azure Sea Killer Whale ask.
"Yes, but I can't guarantee it will succeed, and I'll need your cooperation." As Tang Mo spoke, he compiled a set of information on Chuma Xian and transmitted it to the Azure Sea Killer Whale through their mental conversation.
At present, there was only one way to obtain a Soul Ring without killing a Soul Beast: Sacrifice.
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