Sea God Island.
Bo Saixi watched the White Tiger in the sky screen, her expression growing increasingly grave.
Two hundred thousand years of cultivation.
The bloodline of an ancient divine beast.
No distinction in order among the top four.
Taken individually, none of this information posed any problem.
But set alongside the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, it seemed very strange.
"Could the sky screen's rankings not be based on years of cultivation?"
Sea Dragon Douluo asked with a frown beside her.
"Bloodline, fighting style, and attributes could all affect the rankings."
Bo Saixi spoke as though explaining it to herself.
"But the gap between two hundred thousand years and a million years is too great."
She knew very well how terrifying the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's strength was.
If the White Tiger on the sky screen could truly stand alongside the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King.
Then its bloodline and combat strength must already have exceeded human Soul Masters' understanding of Soul Beasts.
"No distinction in order among the top four."
Bo Saixi watched that line of text. As a Limit Douluo, she increasingly felt that something was wrong with these rankings.
"In other words, the three Soul Beasts ahead of it might not be ranked by their years of cultivation at all."
"Then what exactly do they have in common?"
Just then, Tang San suddenly spoke up beside her:
"Could the sky screen simply have made a mistake?"
"A million-year Soul Beast ranked fifth, and a two-hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast ranked fourth. These rankings make no sense however you look at them."
"If the sky screen really ranks them by strength, then all of the top four should at least have over a million years of cultivation."
The Shrek members nodded one after another. They could not understand these rankings either.
Bo Saixi recalled what the sky screen had said at the very beginning:
"When the sky screen first appeared, it said everything it revealed was true."
"An existence with this kind of power probably wouldn't make a mistake."
"Perhaps we simply don't know the White Tiger's true strength yet."
Just as the entire continent was discussing the White Tiger's ranking.
The images on the sky screen suddenly changed again.
The scenery of White Tiger Canyon gradually disappeared, replaced once more by a stretch of deep blue seawater.
Everyone was growing somewhat numb. They had already seen the sea so many times during the ranking of the ten greatest Soul Beasts.
The images continued to change.
An enormous creature resembling both a tortoise and a snake was slowly advancing.
Its back was covered in a thick, heavy black tortoise shell, with mysterious patterns running across its surface.
Its limbs were thick and powerful, its claws like four enormous iron pillars.
Behind it, a long snake tail slowly swayed.
Each sweep could propel a great volume of seawater forward.
It did not look as ferocious as the Demon Soul Great White Shark King, nor was it large enough to blot out the sky and sun like the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King.
Even its swimming speed seemed somewhat slow.
Many Soul Masters looked puzzled as they watched this scene.
This was their first time seeing what the Black Tortoise looked like.
"What kind of Soul Beast is this?"
"Why does it look like a tortoise and a snake tangled together?"
"It must be a mutated Soul Beast, right?"
Amid everyone's discussions, golden text appeared on the sky screen.
[The ten greatest Soul Beasts of Douluo Continent, third place!] [Black Tortoise!] [Soul Beast level: two hundred thousand years.] [Current state: juvenile.] [Location: waters north of Sea God Island, heading toward Sea God Island.] [Species description: the Black Tortoise possesses extremely powerful defenses and water-attribute power, allowing it to manipulate seawater and withstand the vast majority of attacks.] [The Black Tortoise's shell possesses extremely strong defensive capabilities, while its snake tail can release toxins and mental attacks.] [Special note: the Black Tortoise bloodline originates from an ancient divine beast and possesses extremely high growth potential.] [Ranking note: the Black Tortoise has not yet reached adulthood, and its strength is restricted by its stage of growth.]
After reading the Black Tortoise's introduction, the many Soul Masters immediately erupted into heated discussion.
"Two hundred thousand years? And it's still a juvenile Soul Beast?"
"This is third place?"
"What a joke!"
"It doesn't even look as big as one of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's eyes, does it?"
"How exactly are the top four ranked?"
"The White Tiger has two hundred thousand years, the Black Tortoise has two hundred thousand years, and there's a million-year Soul Beast behind them. Did the sky screen reverse the rankings?"
Quite a few Soul Masters could no longer make any sense of it at all.
They had originally thought the fourth-place White Tiger was merely an exception.
But now another two-hundred-thousand-year beast, the Black Tortoise, had appeared in third place.
And it was still a juvenile.
How could they believe there was no distinction in order among the top four?
"A Soul Beast like this should rank below Xiao Wu!"
"I'd say even sixth place is too high. Eighth at most!"
"The same goes for the White Tiger. Seventh or eighth at most!"
"All of the top four should be moved down!"
"The sky screen's rankings aren't accurate at all!"
The voices in the crowd grew louder and louder.
Many Soul Masters who had already stopped in their tracks changed their minds again.
They had still been hesitating over whether to head to the Far North.
Now, after seeing the Black Tortoise, the last trace of apprehension in their hearts vanished.
"The White Tiger only has two hundred thousand years, and so does the Black Tortoise."
"Even if they possess ancient bloodlines, how strong could they possibly be?"
"There's definitely something wrong with the top four's rankings."
"Go catch the White Tiger first!"
"As long as we succeed, we'll have a Soul Ring and Soul Bone over a hundred thousand years old!"
Among Spirit Hall's party.
Bibi Dong watched the Black Tortoise on the sky screen, her brows tightly furrowed.
She did not let her guard down because of the Black Tortoise's appearance.
The sky screen had already revealed three highly ranked Soul Beasts in succession.
The White Tiger and the Black Tortoise did indeed have far fewer years of cultivation than the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King.
Yet they ranked ahead of him.
There had to be some reason for this that she did not yet know.
"Your Holiness, should we stop for now? The more I look at these top four, the more something seems off," Chrysanthemum Douluo asked.
Bibi Dong shot him a cold glance.
"Why should we stop?"
"The Black Tortoise doesn't look strong, and it's near Sea God Island."
"Even if it really is hiding its strength, that won't affect our hunt for the White Tiger."
"But..." Chrysanthemum Douluo still wanted to dissuade her, but Bibi Dong cut him off.
"No buts."
"This can only show that the bloodlines of ancient divine beasts are special. It doesn't prove that the White Tiger is necessarily powerful."
"It probably has some kind of special power."
Right now, the White Tiger had already become the target of countless Soul Masters across the continent.
If Spirit Hall stopped now, the other factions would arrive first.
Seizing the Soul Ring and Soul Bone would be even more difficult then.
"Pick up the pace," Bibi Dong ordered.
"Whatever the White Tiger's true strength is, find it first!"
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Ning Fengzhi had not changed direction either.
"The sky screen's rankings are becoming harder and harder to understand," Bone Douluo said gravely.
"Two two-hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts actually both rank ahead of the million-year Deep Sea Demonic Whale King."
"That's as absurd as a rank ninety-five Douluo ranking ahead of us."
Hearing this, Sword Douluo looked at the Black Tortoise without agreeing with Bone Douluo:
"I, for one, don't think the sky screen would put it in third place for no reason."
"The sky screen's power is extremely terrifying. I doubt it would do something misleading."
"But they really do look ordinary." Bone Douluo simply could not stand the sight of the White Tiger and the Black Tortoise.
The parties from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the Heaven Dou Empire, and the Star Luo Empire also continued on their way.
At this very moment.
White Tiger Canyon had already become the focus of the entire continent.