Above the ocean, Zhu Zhuqing, Ma Hongjun, and Yu Tianxin sensed a massive surge of soul power emanating from beneath the waves.
They knew Dugu Yan had begun her assault. All three flew toward the spot where the Evil Demon Tiger Whale clan was surfacing.
"Phoenix True Form! Fifth Soul Skill, Phoenix Meteor Shower! Eighth Soul Skill, Phoenix Heart-Piercing Chains!"
Ma Hongjun transformed into a colossal fiery phoenix, raining down fire meteors in a wide-area attack. The flaming meteors struck the Evil Demon Tiger Whale clan like a torrential downpour.
The seawater instantly heated to scalding temperatures, causing the whales unbearable pain.
Then, the fiery phoenix's feathers transformed into countless crimson chains, piercing through the bodies of the Evil Demon Tiger Whales. Each chain was imbued with intense phoenix flames.
As sea soul beasts, the Evil Demon Tiger Whales had relatively low resistance to fire—especially against Ma Hongjun's flames, which had reached the pinnacle of fire mastery, making him the "Emperor of Flames."
Seeing Ma Hongjun unleash his full power, Yu Tianxin also stepped up to showcase his abilities.
"Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon True Form!"
Yu Tianxin transformed into a blue-purple dragon dozens of meters long, crackling with explosive lightning.
"Third Soul Skill, Thunder God's Fury! Sixth Soul Skill, Thunder Dragon Coil! Eighth Soul Skill, Thunder Dragon Roar!"
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon radiated with overwhelming electricity. The effects of Yu Tianxin's Thunder God's Fury amplified his lightning capabilities by 100% and his soul power by 100%. His Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul demonstrated its dominance. The intense blue glow shifted to a bluish-purple hue, resembling an armor of lightning enveloping his body. His dragon claws grew significantly larger.
The Thunder Dragon Coil unleashed two phantom Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragons from his arms, entangling and crushing his opponents before detonating in a devastating thunderous explosion.
The Thunder Dragon Roar, Yu Tianxin's eighth soul skill, originated from a ninety-thousand-year-old Sea Thunder-Maned Lizard that the Sea Dragon Douluo had painstakingly hunted. This lizard's most potent ability was its lightning breath.
Yu Tianxin's eighth soul skill inherited this ability. As he unleashed it, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon form he had assumed gathered an explosive surge of lightning in its mouth and unleashed it toward the Evil Demon Tiger Whale clan.
The bluish-purple lightning breath wreaked havoc on the whales' bodies. Weaker thousand-year Evil Demon Tiger Whales were outright killed, their thousand-year soul rings already manifesting.
Ma Hongjun and Yu Tianxin—one phoenix, one dragon—worked seamlessly together, dealing another devastating blow to the Evil Demon Tiger Whales as they surfaced.
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing carefully observed the battlefield. This time, she wasn't just here to complete her trial. Her greatest opportunity lay in slaying the Evil Demon Tiger Whale King.
Unlike the other Black Rank Trial or Red Rank Seven Trials participants, Zhu Zhuqing's fourth trial specifically involved assisting Dugu Yan and Xiao Bai in hunting the Evil Demon Tiger Whale King.
This could be seen as special attention from the Sea God. After all, Dugu Yan's soul rings were already full, and among all members, only Zhu Zhuqing had reached the peak of Level 89. Through six months of intense cultivation, she had broken through to Level 90.
She placed great importance on this final soul ring—the last ring for a Title Douluo, symbolizing her ascension to the highest echelons of the soul master world.
*Boom!*
Suddenly, a massive Evil Demon Tiger Whale erupted out of the water. Upon closer inspection, a green-golden figure was perched on its belly.
The green-golden figure was none other than Dugu Yan, who had transformed into her dragon-human form. She unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks on the Evil Demon Tiger Whale King. Under the dual suppression of the Sea God's Light (unlocked at 30% Sea God Affinity) and the Azure Dragon Domain, the already gravely injured Evil Demon Tiger Whale King was left utterly defenseless.
Even attempting to detonate his soul power proved futile, as Dugu Yan's overwhelming soul power completely suppressed his own, leaving him unable to self-destruct.
"Hongjun, signal!" Dugu Yan's voice echoed in Ma Hongjun's mind, though she hadn't spoken aloud—telepathic communication!
Ma Hongjun immediately shot a fireball into the sky. Upon reaching a certain height, it exploded into a dazzling fireworks display.
Far away…
Xiao Bai, the King of the Demon Soul Great White Sharks, and Oscar had been closely monitoring the situation. Upon seeing the distant fireworks, they prepared for battle.
"My kin, the time for vengeance has come! Follow me and exterminate these parasites of the sea!" Xiao Bai roared and surged forward.
The rest of the Demon Soul Great White Sharks followed closely behind her, while the members of Shrek Academy readied themselves to fight at their peak condition.
Within minutes, the Demon Soul Great White Shark clan arrived. Just as the battered Evil Demon Tiger Whale clan began regrouping under the relentless assaults of Ma Hongjun and Yu Tianxin, their newly rallied morale crumbled once more.
First, they endured Dugu Yan's devastating opening barrage, then faced fire and lightning attacks.
Even their leader had been beaten into submission, and now they faced their mortal enemies—the Demon Soul Great White Sharks.
Already exhausted, the Evil Demon Tiger Whale clan was utterly shattered. Some whales began fleeing in panic, even biting their own kin in a desperate bid to escape.
Upon arriving at the battlefield, Xiao Bai swam directly toward the area where the Evil Demon Tiger Whale King was being pummeled by Dugu Yan. Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing was gathering strength, preparing to deliver a killing blow to the Evil Demon Tiger Whale King.
Feeling she couldn't leave empty-handed, Xiao Bai charged forward, tore off a chunk of the Evil Demon Tiger Whale King's flesh, and retreated.
Since she'd come all this way, why not take a bite? This clumsy tiger whale wouldn't last much longer anyway.
"Xiao Bai! You traitor! How dare you ally with humans to hunt us down!"
The Evil Demon Tiger Whale King's enraged roar went unheeded by Xiao Bai. The angrier he became, the happier she felt. "You're getting what you deserve!"
"Eighth Soul Skill, Netherworld Sacrifice Strike!"
Zhu Zhuqing activated her eighth soul skill, and a blood-red hundred-thousand-year soul ring flashed brightly.
This was the divine-bestowed soul ring Zhu Zhuqing had obtained. Though divine-bestowed soul skills were perfectly suited to the soul master, they came with a limitation: each divine-bestowed soul ring granted only one skill.
Even at the hundred-thousand-year level, only one skill was bestowed. However, the effectiveness of these skills was unparalleled.
For instance, Zhu Zhuqing's eighth soul skill, Netherworld Sacrifice Strike, sacrificed all defenses, increasing her speed by 500% and her attack power by 200%.
It unleashed a single sacrificial strike. If attacked during the move, she would suffer double damage.
A 500% speed boost was unprecedented—at least among agility-focused Title Douluos.
Zhu Zhuqing understood a fundamental principle: speed equaled power. Sufficient speed guaranteed overwhelming attack power.
After activating her eighth soul skill, Zhu Zhuqing transformed into a streak of black light, charging straight toward the Evil Demon Tiger Whale King's abdomen.
"Vast Sea Demonic Breaker!" Sensing Zhu Zhuqing's attack, Dugu Yan unleashed the Vast Sea Skull's ability, sending the Evil Demon Tiger Whale King into paralysis.
*Rip—*
A streak of black light pierced through the Evil Demon Tiger Whale King's abdomen, emerging from its back. Zhu Zhuqing's attack had completely penetrated its body.
"It's… impossible… I can't die… I refuse…"
Before the Evil Demon Tiger Whale King could finish his last words, he collapsed, belly-up, as a blood-red hundred-thousand-year soul ring coalesced above his corpse.
Regarding why Zhu Zhuqing's attack entered through the Evil Demon Tiger Whale King's abdomen and exited through its back, the explanation is simple: Dugu Yan had launched him into the air. While still airborne, he was paralyzed, allowing Zhu Zhuqing to pierce through him cleanly.
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