Chapter 230: Crisis in Spirit City

  "Damn it, this hurts like hell!"

  The Deep Sea Demon Whale King was writhing on the ground in agony.

  He was in a wretched state, with rge portions of his flesh blown away, exposing his white bones, and blood spttered all over.

  This clearly showed how powerful the Heavenly Tribution was; it wasn't something one could easily withstand. Although he hadn't died, he had lost nearly half his life.

  "But I survived, didn't I?"

  After his initial anger subsided, a sense of joy began to well up within the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.

  However, that joy sted less than three seconds.

  Boom!

  The pitch-bck clouds had not dissipated. With a fsh of lightning, countless thunderbolts began to gather once again.

  "There's another bolt of tribution?"

  "Looks like it won't rest until I'm dead."

  The Deep Sea Demon Whale King shuddered, and the joy in his heart vanished.

  At this moment, he cursed the eighteen generations of ancestors of the gods in the Divine Realm.

  Those gods were truly heartless, not even considering leaving soul beasts a way out.

  The Deep Sea Demon Whale King knew his own condition very well. Withstanding the first tribution was already his limit.

  If there was a second bolt of tribution, he would undoubtedly die!

  He looked up at the accumuting thunderbolts with a face drained of all hope.

  "Qin Xiao, can you hear me?"

  "If you can, please take my ashes back to Douluo Continent and scatter them over the Demon Mirror Sea. At least then, I can return to my roots."

  The Deep Sea Demon Whale King muttered softly.

  But in the next moment, a voice echoed in his ear, "You might be overthinking it. Given the power of this tribution, there won't even be ashes left of you."

  The Deep Sea Demon Whale King quickly looked toward the source of the voice and saw Qin Xiao standing not far away, arms crossed, with a teasing smile on his face.

  "We've been through so much together in this world, and now that I'm about to die, you're just standing there making snide remarks? Isn't that a bit unkind?"

  The Deep Sea Demon Whale King felt a surge of anger upon seeing Qin Xiao's expression.

  It was infuriating.

  "What if I told you that you don't have to die?"

  "You mean you can deal with this tribution?"

  Hope instantly filled the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's massive eyes.

  He could tell that Qin Xiao's words carried a deeper meaning.

  And really, who wouldn't choose life over death?

  "It would be a simple matter to deal with."

  Qin Xiao gnced at the thunder tribution in the sky, then curled his lip in disdain.

  The Thunder Emperor's divine technique, when cultivated to a certain level, could even repce the heavenly punishment.

  The "heaven" it referred to was the Dao of Heaven, far superior to the will of the gods.

  So even though Qin Xiao hadn't perfected the Thunder Emperor's divine technique, dealing with this small tribution was a piece of cake.

  The Deep Sea Demon Whale King, upon hearing Qin Xiao's words, became anxious. "Then why aren't you helping me already?"

  With the thunder tribution about to strike, how could he not be nervous?

  "Helping you is not a problem."

  "But there are a few small matters I'd like to discuss with you first."

  Qin Xiao's face showed a hint of reluctance.

  "No need to discuss! Whatever it is, I agree! Just help me now!"

  The Deep Sea Demon Whale King, in a state of utter panic, quickly agreed.

  "It's nothing major. I just hope to renew our ten-year contract."

  Hearing these words, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King immediately recalled the agreement he had made with Qin Xiao in the Demon Mirror Sea.

  "Brother, say no more. I agree! As long as you deal with this tribution, not only will I renew the contract, but my life will be yours!"

  The Deep Sea Demon Whale King anxiously urged Qin Xiao.

  However, things didn't always go as pnned. Just as the Deep Sea Demon Whale King finished speaking, the tribution, having gathered enough power, suddenly struck.

  "Damn it, is it still too te?"

  The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's eyes widened in terror, his heart sinking.

  Qin Xiao was right—under this kind of attack, there wouldn't even be ashes left of him.

  "Don't worry, I'm here."

  In the next instant, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King saw a blur, and Qin Xiao appeared in front of him. Qin Xiao spread his arms wide as if he intended to take the full force of the tribution.

  "Qin Xiao, if you survive this, you'll be my best brother," the Deep Sea Demon Whale King thought, deeply moved.

  "Ah, this feels good."

  Qin Xiao bathed in the lightning as if he were soaking in a hot bath.

  In the blink of an eye, the thunder tribution was absorbed by Qin Xiao.

  "Tsk, I thought it hadn't even started, but it's already over?"

  "Not satisfying at all."

  Qin Xiao licked his lips in excitement as he looked at the still-active tribution clouds in the sky. Without hesitation, he leaped into the clouds, forcibly pulling the power of the lightning into his body.

  "Uh..."

  "Is he even human?"

  The Deep Sea Demon Whale King was utterly dumbfounded, feeling like his entire fishy existence was being turned upside down.

  Was Qin Xiao even human anymore?

  The very thing he desperately avoided seemed to have become food for this guy?

  No human could do something like this. At least... they shouldn't be able to.

  Rumble

  No one knew how long it took, but with the final rumble of thunder fading into the distance, Qin Xiao finally descended back to the ground, a look of satisfaction on his face.

  He gnced at the dumbfounded Deep Sea Demon Whale King and smiled. "Congratutions, you might just be the first soul beast to become a god in tens of thousands of years."

  Hearing this, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King was momentarily stunned, then sighed with a mixture of emotions. "I was too confident back then, thinking the tribution for becoming a god was nothing much. But that was just wishful thinking. If not for your help, I might have been the first beast god to be struck dead by lightning in tens of thousands of years."

  "There's no point in dwelling on 'what ifs.' Isn't the current outcome the best one?" Qin Xiao replied with a slight smile, then added, "Come on, let's head to the front lines. After a good feast, we'll return to Douluo Continent."

  With that, he gracefully nded on the head of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.

  This time, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King showed no resistance. He had already willingly submitted to Qin Xiao.

  Of course, if he ever found out that his imaginary enemy, the Sea God, was actually Qin Xiao, who knows how he would feel about that.

  Meanwhile, several hundred miles away...

  "Second Worshipper, are we going to keep surrounding this demon fortress without attacking?" Snake Spear Douluo asked Gold Crocodile Douluo seriously.

  Today was different from the past. Ever since the four great demon lords had fallen, the Demon Pne had turned into a disorganized mess.

  The humans had reversed their previous decline and unched a counterattack.

  Gold Crocodile Douluo replied in a deep voice, "This demon fortress up ahead isn't simple. Its owner is likely one of the demon lords that Qin Xiao killed. I sense that there are at least three powerful demons inside, whose cultivation levels are no weaker than mine, but they're too afraid of Qin Xiao to show themselves."

  "So, how long do we have to wait?" Snake Spear Douluo asked, puzzled.

  Gold Crocodile Douluo didn't answer immediately but looked back at the sky. Only when he saw that the dark clouds had dissipated did he speak to Snake Spear Douluo, "I think it won't be much longer."

  "How much longer?"

  Gold Crocodile Douluo smiled slightly, "Right now!"

  Snake Spear Douluo: "???"

  He was completely confused.

  But at that moment, a tearing sound suddenly echoed through the void, and a pitch-bck spatial rift appeared out of nowhere.

  It was abrupt.

  Then, under the gaze of countless eyes, a colossal figure forcefully squeezed through the spatial rift.

  It was a massive whale, several hundred meters long!

  "The Deep Sea Demon Whale King!"

  "It's the Deep Sea Demon Whale King!"

  "..."

  Countless voices filled with astonishment echoed through the air as all eyes turned to the massive creature.

  Compared to the enormous body of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, Qin Xiao's figure seemed insignificant, almost negligible. Yet in the eyes of everyone present, this tiny figure was like a towering mountain, even more imposing than the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.

  "Lord Qin Xiao!"

  "Now that Lord Qin Xiao is here, this demon fortress will be shattered with a mere flick of his finger."

  "Just wait and see!"

  "..."

  Seeing the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, everyone was surprised.

  But upon seeing Qin Xiao, they all felt a renewed sense of hope, as if all their troubles had suddenly become trivial.

  "Charge!"

  Qin Xiao directly issued an order to the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.

  Hearing the command, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King shed his massive tail in the air, producing a deafening sound as his speed increased dramatically.

  Like a meteor from the heavens, he hurled himself at the demon fortress.

  Boom!

  The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's attack was visually stunning.

  The ancient fortress crumbled, the ground trembled, and countless demons were reduced to ashes in that single strike.

  The stronger demons managed to escape into the sky, barely surviving the onsught.

  But even that was only temporary.

  "Howl!"

  "Howl!"

  "Howl!"

  Three rge demons with sharp horns on their heads let out piercing, anguished cries as they charged towards the human Soul Masters. They were ready to give it their all, determined to take as many lives with them as possible, even if it meant their own deaths.

  "Take care of them. We don't have much time," Qin Xiao ordered the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.

  In the next moment, a massive shadow darted out from the dust and smoke, moving with agility far beyond what its size would suggest. The Deep Sea Demon Whale King caught one of the rge demons in its jaws, crushing it with a crunch and swallowing it whole.

  The act might have seemed brutal, but it was incredibly effective. The wounds on the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's body, caused by the Heavenly Tribution, began to heal visibly.

  "Gold Crocodile, the remaining two rge demons are yours to handle."

  At this moment, Qin Xiao looked down from above at Gold Crocodile Douluo and said calmly, "Absorb the life essence of these two demons, and you should be able to break through the bottleneck of level 98 and reach level 99."

  Hearing this, Gold Crocodile Douluo's eyes lit up with joy and excitement.

  Level 99—that had been his lifelong obsession, and now it was within his reach?

  For a moment, his mind was in a daze, filled with a surreal feeling.

  "Hey, what are you standing there for? Aren't you going to thank him?" The Deep Sea Demon Whale King snorted impatiently.

  "Ah, yes, yes, of course!"

  Gold Crocodile Douluo snapped out of his reverie and quickly bowed deeply toward Qin Xiao from a distance. "Thank you, Lord Qin Xiao, for your great generosity. Gold Crocodile will never forget this kindness!"

  "Go on," Qin Xiao responded with a slight nod.

  Without wasting any more time, Gold Crocodile Douluo charged toward the remaining two rge demons.

  At this point, the two demons had lost all their previous arrogance. The invisible pressure emanating from Qin Xiao had them pinned to the ground, making it easy for Gold Crocodile Douluo to dispatch them without much effort.

  As he watched Gold Crocodile Douluo prepare to break through, Qin Xiao waited calmly, silently reviewing his thoughts.

  The destruction of the spatial passageway to the Demon Pne indicated that another powerful enemy had invaded. Even though he had become a god, his experience was still limited, and having more powerful allies on Douluo Continent could only be beneficial.

  Besides, both he and the Deep Sea Demon Whale King had already reached godhood. Absorbing a few more rge demons wouldn't make much of a difference for them.

  Gold Crocodile Douluo, however, was indeed making progress. After absorbing the life essence of the two rge demons, he successfully broke through the bottleneck that had pgued him for years, reaching level 99.

  "Hahaha."

  Gold Crocodile Douluo ughed heartily, but as he ughed, he began to cry. "How many years have I waited for this day! I've lost count of how long I've been hoping for this!"

  The Deep Sea Demon Whale King, however, coldly poured water on his excitement. "Enough with the emotional nonsense. Hurry up and finish up here so we can return to Douluo Continent."

  Meanwhile, on Douluo Continent...

  The once-glorious Spirit City, known as the holy nd of Soul Masters, no longer resembled anything like a holy nd.

  Two-thirds of the tall, thick city walls had already crumbled.

  Inside the city, at least one-third of the buildings had colpsed into ruins, with thick smoke and dust filling the air.

  Battles were raging everywhere, with people and Abyssal creatures dying every minute, even every second.

  The battles on the ground were relentless, and the sky above was also filled with fierce combat.

  Qian Daoliu, Bibi Dong, Sword Douluo, and many of the Spirit Hall's worshippers were fighting against the top five Abyssal Emperors: Spirit Emperor, Bze Emperor, Demon Emperor, Scythe Emperor, and Wisdom Emperor.

  Even with the suppression of the pne's will, each of these emperors had power not inferior to a level 99 Titled Douluo.

  Bibi Dong had ceased holding back, unleashing her peak cultivation, combining her level 99 strength with the power of the Rakshasa God, just to maintain the current stalemate.

  Of course, there was one small blessing: according to historical records, the Abyssal Pne's invasion was supposed to happen tens of thousands of years ter.

  Had the Abyssal Emperors invaded at their full power, the stronghold gathered by the Spirit Hall would have been easily defeated long ago.

  Suddenly, Qian Daoliu's gaze fell on the Spirit Emperor. "So, it was you who destroyed the spatial passageway, wasn't it?"

  "Haha, only now you realize?" the Spirit Emperor sneered with a satisfied smile. "I can only say you humans were too careless. How could you leave such an important thing out in broad daylight?"

  Hearing this, Qian Daoliu's face turned ashen.

  If even the Spirit Hall wasn't safe, where could possibly be safe?

  "Tang San, how long do you pn to keep lurking in the shadows? Are you really going to wait until we and these Spirit Hall people are both heavily injured before you make your move?"

  The Spirit Emperor ignored Qian Daoliu's expression and suddenly shouted loudly.

  Tang San!

  At the mention of Tang San, Qian Daoliu and the others' faces changed drastically once more.

  The Abyssal Emperors from the top ten yers were already more than they could handle. If Tang San, who had already become a god, joined the fray, would there be any hope left for them?

  "Hmph."

  At that moment, with a cold snort, ripples spread through the air, and Tang San stepped out from the waves.

  He first gnced at the Abyssal Emperors, his expression sour.

  After observing for a while, he had seen through their tactics. These guys were all sly, holding back just enough to avoid pushing Qian Daoliu and the others into a corner, afraid of getting hurt themselves.

  It was simir to how he had been hiding in the shadows, each party having its own calcutions.

  (End of the Chapter)

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