The three Titled Douluo closed their eyes and carefully sensed the changes at sea, but unfortunately, none of them found anything.
The ocean was vast enough to embrace everything; it could let fishermen return with full holds, or leave them empty-handed. The three men's perception was still too weak compared to the ocean.
Moreover, Evil Spirit Orcas and Demon Soul Great White Sharks could conceal their auras to a certain extent in the sea, so all three came up empty-handed.
A moment later, Gu Rong opened his eyes and raised his hand, tracing his fingers through the empty air before him. Spatial rifts appeared before him one after another.
His perception spread outward through the spatial rifts, and soon his expression changed.
"Evil Spirit Orcas! Demon Soul Great White Sharks! Not lone individuals, but entire packs!" Gu Rong did not cry out in alarm, but as he spoke, his voice unconsciously rose a few pitches, becoming somewhat shrill.
An Evil Orca King with ninety thousand years of cultivation, capable of going head-to-head with a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast without falling behind, was already troublesome enough.
Let alone now, when the Evil Orca King had crossed the hundred-thousand-year threshold and become a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
The Demon Soul Great White Shark King, Xiao Bai, had been a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast for many years and was also an exceptionally powerful fighter among Soul Beasts.
Those two Soul Beasts alone were enough to tie down three Titled Douluo. With their respective packs added to the mix, Vast Sea City would probably face utter annihilation.
Although the three of them had lived inland for a long time and knew little about Sea Soul Beasts, there were always fleets from the mainland that traded with Sea God Island. Once shipping routes were established, information about the overlords of the sea naturally spread inland through trade.
It was just like how, despite hardly anyone ever venturing deep into the Star Dou Great Forest, the vast majority of Soul Masters knew that the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python occupied its depths.
"Kasait!" Enraged by Gu Rong's information, Yue Guan turned his gaze on Kasait, anger creeping into his voice.
"Your Eminence, there have indeed been incidents in the past where Sea Soul Beasts attacked Vast Sea City with the waves. But Evil Spirit Orcas and Demon Soul Great White Sharks are both overlords of the deep sea. Neither has ever ventured into the Shallow Sea Region, so there must be a reason for this. Please allow me to investigate the truth, Your Eminence." At this, Kasait immediately dropped to his knees before Yue Guan, his voice trembling.
Although the Soul Beasts of the Shallow Sea Region could not match those of the deep sea in overall fighting strength, there were occasional cases of Sea Soul Beasts that had just passed ten thousand years overestimating themselves and attacking the coast.
Otherwise, Vast Sea City would have had no need for a fighting force of one Soul Saint, four Soul Emperors, and a double-digit number of Soul Kings.
"There's no point saying any more." Gu Rong cut off Kasait's pleas. "What matters now is how to drive these Soul Beasts back. Let me make this clear first: I can hold off the two king-level Soul Beasts for you. In exchange, you must not lay a hand on Rongrong. If any Soul Bones drop along the way, they must also be distributed according to each person's contribution."
Gu Rong considered himself a Defense System Titled Douluo. If he devoted himself entirely to defense, he could become an insurmountable chasm before the Evil Orca King and the Demon Soul Great White Shark King, Xiao Bai, keeping both from advancing a single inch.
With the two kings held back, Yue Guan and Gui Mei would be free to kill the Evil Spirit Orcas and Demon Soul Great White Sharks.
Naturally, the two Titled Douluo had no need for these Soul Beasts' Soul Rings, but no one could guarantee that a few Soul Bones would not drop during the hunt. Since everyone was contributing, the Soul Bones could not belong solely to Spirit Hall.
Yue Guan looked at Gui Mei. Seeing that he remained silent, Yue Guan turned back and gave Gu Rong a slight nod. "I can make that decision."
"Be good, Rongrong. Watch Grandpa Gu get you a couple of Soul Bones to play with." Chuckling as he spoke, Gu Rong picked Ning Rongrong up and set her on the ground.
Once on the ground, Ning Rongrong glanced at Qian Renxue and Tang Mo nearby. After a moment's hesitation, perhaps because of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's innate treasure-seeking function, she did not choose to follow Qian Renxue, whom she knew reasonably well. Instead, she walked up to Tang Mo and tugged at the hem of his clothes.
"Big brother, can I stay with you?" Ning Rongrong asked.
Tang Mo glanced at Qian Renxue and the old man accompanying her, privately wondering whether Ning Rongrong had awakened some ability to sense goodwill.
After all, in a certain sense, Qian Renxue also belonged to a force hostile to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. They simply had not torn away the veil of civility yet.
"You're not afraid of me?" Tang Mo asked in return.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because you're good-looking. You don't look like a bad person."
Ning Rongrong's answer left Tang Mo unsure whether to laugh or cry. That reasoning was quite a stretch. The Douluo Continent really was a world that judged by appearances.
With that thought, Tang Mo took Ning Rongrong's hand and led her away from the shoreline. "Come on. I'll show you something fun."
Gu Rong watched the two leave, his face ashen. Worried that Tang Mo might deceive Ning Rongrong, he could only look toward Qian Renxue.
Sensing Gu Rong's gaze, Qian Renxue left She Long behind and followed the pair with an odd expression.
Though they had gone some distance away, their destination was merely the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's carriage. The sect's carriage emphasized luxury and size: its interior was nearly four meters wide, over three meters high, and six meters long.
The carriage was so large because powerful people on the Douluo Continent generally were not short, and Gu Rong stood over two meters tall.
Had the carriage been any lower or narrower, sitting inside it would have been as uncomfortable for Gu Rong as lying in a coffin.
Ning Rongrong was also the restless sort. Inside the carriage, she would stand up and treat the compartment as a running track, scampering and leaping about.
Even if Ning Fengzhi taught Ning Rongrong rules and etiquette, those were for dealing with outsiders. In front of her elders, Ning Rongrong was a little monkey running wild.
"Big brother, have some water."
"Big brother, have a pastry."
Watching the chattering Ning Rongrong, Tang Mo held a cup in one hand and a pastry in the other, his eyes somewhat helpless.
"You really are popular, Brother Tang Mo." At the sight, Qian Renxue smiled and teased him.
"I'm no match for Crown Prince Xue Qinghe. With such elegant bearing, you'll surely charm countless young ladies in the future." Catching the flicker of amusement in Qian Renxue's eyes, Tang Mo immediately reached out and draped an arm around her shoulders, acting as though they were the best of brothers.
Qian Renxue watched Tang Mo's movements and silently cursed, You little brat.
As far as she was concerned, Tang Mo already knew her true identity. Putting his arm around her shoulders despite knowing who she really was meant he was deliberately being mischievous.
She quietly reached out and gave the soft flesh at Tang Mo's waist a token pinch. She did not use much force; she only wanted to warn him.
Seeming to sense something strange about the atmosphere between the two before her, Ning Rongrong turned the cup in her hands and began searching for something to say.
"Big brother, Crown Prince, my Martial Soul is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda." As she spoke, Ning Rongrong raised her hand and summoned the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. When the brilliant little seven-story pagoda appeared in her hand, it actually lent her a measure of solemnity. "What are your Martial Souls?"
"Rongrong, have you forgotten? My Martial Soul is the hereditary Swan Martial Soul." Rather than reveal her Martial Soul, Qian Renxue quietly shifted the subject. "But what about you, Brother Tang Mo? What is your Martial Soul?"
"My first Martial Soul has never appeared in any records. I named it the Tang Sect Grandmaster." As Tang Mo spoke, his first Martial Soul appeared behind him, and two black Soul Rings emerged beneath his feet. "As for my second Martial Soul, it's the Fish Intestine Sword."
The black Soul Rings vanished, replaced by a short sword with its keen edge fully exposed.
Before you continue