Dugu Yan pondered deeply as she approached the corpse of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King. Soon, a purple bone floated out from the whale's remains and ascended into the air.
It resembled a vertebra, with other bones still attached to it—a torso-type soul bone. The entire thing shimmered with a crystalline purple hue, like it was forged from amethyst. Most peculiarly, the energy it emitted formed a small purple vortex beneath it, supporting its weight.
A golden-azure glow emanated from Dugu Yan's body, drawing the soul bone into her form.
Dugu Yan quickly sat cross-legged atop the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's corpse to absorb the soul bone. Naturally, she had to confront the lingering consciousness of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King during the absorption process.
However, under the combined might of Dugu Yan's dragon aura and the Light of the Sea God, all the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's remaining defenses and techniques proved futile.
Time passed swiftly. By the time Dugu Yan completed the absorption of the soul bone, three days had elapsed. The sheer amount of soul power contained within the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's soul bone was immense, propelling Dugu Yan directly to Level 99.
She then proceeded to condense a dual-soul core system that complemented yin and yang energies. Dugu Yan's soul cores were a Spiritual Soul Core and a Spatial Soul Core.
As for Qian Renxue, upon breaking through to Limit Douluo, she would condense a Resonance Soul Core system consisting of a Spiritual Soul Core and a Light Soul Core.
The type of soul core condensed reflected one's mastery over their own attributes. For instance, Li Luochen's soul core consisted of multiple attribute cores combined with a Spiritual Soul Core.
Golden Crocodile Douluo's Resonance Soul Core, on the other hand, was composed of a Strength Soul Core and a Spatial Soul Core. Each Limit Douluo's method of condensing soul cores varied.
This was part of the allure of soul cores. It was truly remarkable to consider just how brilliant the genius who created the soul core system must have been.
After adjusting her physical, mental, and spiritual state to its peak, Dugu Yan opened her eyes and once again activated her heightened spiritual perception.
With keen awareness, she detected a new scent of blood in the ocean. Upon closer inspection, she noticed two additional whale carcasses floating in the Demon Whale Sea. Qian Renxue was seated on one of the corpses, deep in cultivation.
Guarding her were Zhu Zhuqing, Ye Lingling, and Xiao Bai, the Demon Soul Great White Shark.
"Ah, Yan Yan, you're awake! Let me tell you—turns out there wasn't just one Deep Sea Demon Whale King. That one over there is the female Deep Sea Demon Whale Queen, known as the Demon Empress.
She's probably around three hundred thousand years old, stronger than both me and that Tiger Whale combined. But she was killed by Qian Renxue. And that smaller whale? Their daughter. Qian Renxue thought it'd be best to keep the family together, so she took care of her too.
I ate the Demon Empress's whale glue, and I feel like I can now handle my first Heavenly Tribulation. After that, I'll advance to become a ferocious beast, fulfilling the long-held dream of my Demon Soul Great White Shark lineage!"
Xiao Bai rattled on excitedly. So the two new whales were the family of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King. Unfortunate for them, they crossed paths with Qian Renxue.
Dugu Yan sensed that Qian Renxue's aura was unstable—she was likely on the verge of a breakthrough. After all, the Sea God had infused the energy of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's soul rings into both of their bodies.
While their soul ring age had increased, their soul power had also surged. Qian Renxue was now poised to break through. Afterward, she would need time to condense her soul cores.
Dugu Yan stood up and extracted the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's whale glue. With a flick of the now-dim Sea God Trident, she pried open the whale's skull. Instantly, golden light flooded the sea surface. The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's body was enormous, and its head alone spanned several dozen square meters. Once the skull was lifted, the whale brain inside was revealed.
The whale brain was a pure golden color, resembling molten gold in a creamy paste-like form. Its rich aroma was incredibly enticing. At the center of the brain lay a fist-sized bead, glowing with a purplish-golden light. While the whale brain itself was already captivating, the sight of this bead utterly captivated Dugu Yan's attention.
This whale glue far surpassed any she had ever encountered.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's whale glue was gem-like, far superior to even the Evil Demon Tiger Whale King's.
Xiao Bai's voice drifted from behind. "Sea soul beasts older than hundred thousand years undergo evolution in their brains, transforming them into a special kind of medicinal substance. This substance is an incredible nourishment for any living being and contains vast amounts of energy, serving many purposes.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King cultivated for a million years, so its whale brain is naturally extraordinary. Though it may not bring the dead back to life or regrow flesh over bones, it's undoubtedly a treasure.
Hehe, after eating the brains of two ninety-thousand-year Evil Demon Tiger Whales and the Demon Empress's whale brain, my strength skyrocketed. I'm now confident I can handle my first Heavenly Tribulation, and even the second won't be a problem.
As for future tribulations… who knows? If I were to eat this Deep Sea Demon Whale King's whale brain, perhaps I could survive seven or eight tribulations. Yan Yan, am I being too greedy?"
Dugu Yan chuckled. "Of course you are. You're not just greedy—you're outrageously greedy. Eating all my food and still wanting my whale glue? Don't even think about it! Teehee, this whale glue has great significance for me!"
As she spoke, Dugu Yan placed the whale glue onto the dimmed Sea God Trident, inserting it into the position where the Sea God Core had been. Instantly, the Sea God Trident erupted with radiant golden light...
---
Several unknown days later, Slaughter City
"We've finally arrived. The entrance to Slaughter City is right here. We've been traveling nonstop these past days, crossing mountains and seas, navigating through crowds and chaos," Qian Renxue remarked wearily.
"All right, let's get your eighth trial done. You need to hunt down two Limit Douluo-level evil soul masters. It'll be tricky, but I'll have your back," Dugu Yan reassured her, patting Qian Renxue on the shoulder.
Qian Renxue had only recently awakened after condensing her second soul core following her breakthrough to Limit Douluo.
Together, Dugu Yan and Qian Renxue ventured into the Slaughter City. Their objectives were twofold: to help Qian Renxue complete her eighth trial and to locate Li Luochen.
Slaughter City was said to be the inheritance site of two gods, a place of decadence and freedom. Both women had some understanding of the Slaughter City, though this was their first visit.
The eighth trial required slaying two fallen soul masters—evil soul masters—who were at the Limit Douluo level. Generally speaking, evil soul masters were far more formidable than ordinary soul masters.
They employed forbidden techniques that violated the natural order, granting them immense combat power. However, since the founding of the Spirit Hall, fallen soul masters had no foothold on the continent.
The Spirit Hall's Six-Winged Angel martial soul was specifically designed to suppress fallen soul masters. Back then, the Angel God eradicated evil soul masters and repelled the beast tide, earning the faith of the entire continent and ascending to godhood.
The first Angel God left a decree for the Angel Family of the Spirit Hall: to mercilessly exterminate fallen soul masters and guide those with evil martial souls toward righteousness.
Throughout generations, the Great Elder and Pope of the Spirit Hall prioritized eradicating evil soul masters—not just out of obedience to tradition, but because killing evil soul masters significantly boosted the strength of the Six-Winged Angel martial soul.
This was a divine blessing bestowed upon their descendants by the Angel God.
By the time of Qian Daoliu's father's generation, evil soul masters had become negligible on the continent. Outside of Slaughter City, few remained.
As for evil martial souls, the Spirit Hall sought to guide them appropriately. For example, Ghost Douluo and Bibi Dong both possessed evil martial souls, yet they held high positions within the Spirit Hall.
The Spirit Hall's mission was clear: to punish wrongdoing while guiding those born with evil martial souls toward the righteous path, leading all soul masters on the continent toward proper cultivation.
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