High-grade ingredients often needed only the simplest preparation. For fresh prawns like these, a simple roasting and a sprinkle of salt were all it took before they could be served. Their fresh tenderness was the whole point.
"Hah, hah..."
The two who caught the prawn meat did not immediately notice the heat it carried. Only when they tried to bring it to their mouths did the scalding meat make them suck in sharp breaths.
They tossed the prawn meat from one hand to the other, blowing on it constantly in an attempt to cool it down.
After enjoying the spectacle for a while, Tang Mo took some Blue Silver Grass out of Eight Thousand Miles of Clouds and Moon, which he had collected in passing during his earlier battle with Tang San.
Using the Fish Intestine Sword, he easily whittled the bamboo-like Blue Silver Grass into skewers and skewered the still-warm prawn meat in their hands.
After accepting the skewers, the two suddenly stared at Tang Mo with rather resentful eyes. They had figured it out: Tang Mo had simply wanted to watch them make fools of themselves.
"If I said I didn't do it on purpose, would you believe me?" Tang Mo asked, sounding a little guilty.
Both of them answered him with eye rolls. Qian Renxue had forgotten that she was still disguised as Xue Qinghe and actually made a gesture similar to Ning Rongrong's.
"Ahem, ahem..." Tang Mo coughed a few times as a reminder to Qian Renxue.
Qian Renxue blushed, then could not help raising a hand to pat her face lightly. She told herself, The Nation-Stealing Plan comes first. I can't let Tang Mo affect my state of mind so easily again and make me forget my disguise.
But some things could not be completely resolved through self-suggestion. The way Tang Mo stirred her emotions, for instance, was entirely beyond the control of her own will.
Just as the atmosphere inside the carriage grew somewhat awkward, the three Titled Douluos each activated their Martial Soul Avatar, preparing to interrupt the Evil Spirit Orca Clan's preparations to unleash a tsunami.
"Roar!"
Following a dragon's cry, Gu Rong transformed into a giant Bone Dragon over forty meters long, not counting its tail, and soared through the sky.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei stood quietly atop the Bone Dragon. A singular velvet sky chrysanthemum dozens of meters tall appeared behind Yue Guan, while Gui Mei showed no obvious change after activating his Martial Soul Avatar, save for a somewhat stronger aura.
Gui Mei's Martial Soul was equivalent to his own soul. After activating his Martial Soul Avatar, he could freely control its size. To remain hidden in the shadows and deliver a fatal blow to the Evil Orca King, he did not enlarge his Martial Soul. Instead, he reined in his Soul Power and Martial Soul, quietly waiting for his opportunity.
"Sixth Soul Skill: Bone Spikes Descend!"
"Sixth Soul Skill: Golden Pistils Bathed in Rosy Clouds!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
With sharp cries from Yue Guan and Gu Rong, countless spear-like bone spikes condensed on the Bone Dragon, while petals glowing with golden light flew from the singular velvet sky chrysanthemum.
The bone spikes and petals fell from the sky like a meteor shower, smashing toward the Evil Spirit Orca Clan as they gathered the ocean's power in the sea.
Sensing the immensely powerful attacks descending from above, the Evil Orca King had no choice but to pause his efforts to raise a tsunami and rally the strength of his entire clan to counterattack.
"Orca Demon Axe!"
The Evil Orca King roared, gathering his entire clan's strength to form a giant battle-axe above his head, radiating black and red energy and looking decidedly sinister.
This move had originally been a powerful single-target slash launched from an Evil Spirit Orca's tail. Now, as every Evil Spirit Orca concentrated its power on the Evil Orca King, they actually forced a battle-axe to take shape in midair.
Boom!
Once the battle-axe had fully formed, it flew straight toward the descending petals and bone spikes as the Evil Orca King's roar rang out.
The battle-axe cut through the air with thunderous booms. Yue Guan's and Gu Rong's expressions shifted slightly. They could sense how powerful this strike was; their sixth Soul Skills alone were nowhere near enough to stop it.
The two channeled their Soul Power again, unleashing their ninth Soul Skills simultaneously.
"Ninth Soul Skill: Bone-Transforming Divine Dragon!"
"Ninth Soul Skill: Chrysanthemums Wither, Wounds Cover the Ground, Fallen Flowers Break the Heart!"
Vast Soul Power spread in every direction with the two at its center, forcibly scattering the clouds closest to them.
Brilliant sunlight, carrying even a hint of scorching heat, fell on the singular velvet sky chrysanthemum, gilding the entire flower in gold.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Countless petals flew from the singular velvet sky chrysanthemum, forming a tornado-shaped storm that swept toward the battle-axe below.
The Bone Dragon Gu Rong had become swelled furiously. In the blink of an eye, he transformed all his bones into a gigantic divine dragon a thousand meters long and dived downward.
Boom, boom, boom...
The bone spikes and petals formed by their sixth Soul Skills offered no resistance whatsoever against the battle-axe the Evil Orca King had condensed with his entire clan's strength. The axe cleaved them apart, turning them into countless motes of Soul Power that dissipated in midair.
Immediately afterward, the giant battle-axe collided with Yue Guan's ninth Soul Skill. The storm formed from singular velvet sky chrysanthemum petals instantly enveloped the axe in a tight grip.
Clang, clang, clang...
The petal storm tore furiously at the battle-axe. As the petals collided with the giant axe, they actually produced a string of metallic clashes.
As the seconds ticked by, the petal storm gradually faded into an illusory image and vanished, its Soul Power evidently exhausted.
Meanwhile, the phantom battle-axe condensed by the Evil Orca King flickered constantly, as though it might dissolve into smoke at any moment.
Boom!
At the sight, the Evil Orca King immediately sent Soul Power toward the battle-axe from afar. Unfortunately, his reaction was still a step too slow.
The thousand-meter Bone Dragon descended from the sky and slammed into the battle-axe, shattering it on the spot. The oppressive force carried by the Bone Dragon's dive then fell upon the group of Evil Spirit Orcas.
Every Evil Spirit Orca except the Evil Orca King sank some distance, their bodies beyond their control.
Splash...
The Evil Spirit Orcas that had only just passed ten thousand years sank entirely beneath the seawater, stirring up waves.
The Evil Orca King had yet to notice that Gui Mei, who should have been standing atop the Bone Dragon, had disappeared at some unknown point.
Gui Mei quietly bobbed in the seawater, using the concealment ability granted by his Martial Soul to gradually approach the Evil Orca King.
The Evil Orca King did not notice Gui Mei's approach, but the ocean pact and the fortune that had not yet fully dispersed were warning him, in a way he could not understand, that danger was drawing closer.
Feeling a bone-piercing chill run through his entire body, the Evil Orca King once again joined forces with his clansmen and unleashed Evil Spirit Orca's Intimidation.
Beams of light shot from the Evil Spirit Orcas' eyes, sweeping across the sea for several li around the Evil Spirit Orca Clan in the blink of an eye.
This was an ability of the Evil Spirit Orca Clan. They could release light through their eyes to intimidate enemies, ignoring defenses and stunning them for three seconds.
Gui Mei was unfortunate enough to be swept by one of the beams. Although the move did not intimidate him, the skill's absurd inherent effect still left him frozen in place.
The Evil Orca King naturally spotted Gui Mei bobbing in the seawater like a piece of black driftwood.
"Form the mirrors!" At the Evil Orca King's command, the Evil Spirit Orcas released their Soul Power, forming black-and-red mirrors beside themselves.
Click, click, click...
Once formed, the mirrors automatically joined together, becoming a spherical barrier that enveloped all the Evil Spirit Orcas.
Evil Spirit Orca Mirror was another ability of the Evil Spirit Orca Clan, allowing them to condense mirrors beside themselves with Soul Power for defense and attack.
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