With the arrival of the Fire God's reward, Yan's nine soul rings seemed to be injected with new vitality.
The soul power consumed during the battle with the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King was instantly restored significantly.
The fall of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King caused the originally turbulent sea surface to gradually return to calm.
Floating on the surface was the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's massive body. Its gigantic corpse had been split in two, and a golden mist slowly rose from it.
Beneath the sea, a strange power was silently surging.
Yan's brows furrowed slightly, and his spiritual power spread out like an invisible net, instantly covering the surrounding seawater layers, reaching the source of that power.
It was coming from the soul bone beneath the sea, radiating a deep purple light.
With a gentle wave of his right hand, an invisible force guided the soul bone to slowly float up, eventually landing steadily in his hand.
This was the torso bone left behind after the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's death.
Sensing the immense energy contained within it, Yan was overjoyed.
After all, this was a million-year-level soul bone and would bring him tremendous improvements.
Yan's sharp gaze fell on the massive body of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, locking precisely onto the treasures hidden within its skull.
He knew that the head of this soul beast held two treasures its whale pearl and whale brain, condensed from the essence of its entire being.
Yan stepped closer for a better look.
That mass emitting a rich fragrance and appearing as a golden paste was the whale brain.
What surprised Yan was that in the center of the whale brain, there were actually two fist-sized pearls glowing with a violet-gold hue—these were the whale pearls.
Yan speculated that this pair of yin-yang complementary dual soul cores (dual whale pearls) might be one of the key reasons why the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's cultivation had approached the million-year level.
He had originally thought there would only be one whale pearl inside, believing the other had been given to the Demonic Empress, the king's wife. Unexpectedly, both were still here.
It seemed he had come at the right time and obtained an unexpected reward.
Without hesitation, Yan stored all those treasures into his soul tool.
At this moment, the golden mist rising slowly from the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's corpse was gradually condensing into a radiantly glowing soul ring.
Yan already had nine soul rings and could no longer absorb it.
However, he wanted to attempt using the Nihility Devouring Flame to consume it.
After obtaining divine power, Yan's soul power recovery speed had greatly increased. In just over ten minutes, he was back at peak condition.
Then, he released the Nihility Devouring Flame, and a massive black-golden vortex instantly enveloped that radiantly glowing million-year-level soul ring.
The process of devouring that soul ring was far more difficult than Yan had anticipated.
That million-year-level soul ring not only contained the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's lifetime energy, but also its will and obsession approaching the level of a deity.
The violent energy released from the golden soul ring struggled madly within the black-golden vortex formed by the Nihility Devouring Flame, trying to break free from this terrifying devouring force.
Golden light and the black-gold vortex intertwined, and the sky above the sea resembled an apocalyptic scene lightning flashed, thunder roared, and the weather changed drastically.
Yan clenched his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead.
Facing that violent force, he had to stay fully focused without the slightest distraction, or else if he were backlashed, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Under the suppression of his demi-god-level spiritual power, as time passed, the light of the golden soul ring began to dim, and its struggle gradually weakened.
In the end, it was completely devoured by the Nihility Devouring Flame and transformed into a pure energy, merging into Yan's body.
The immensity of this energy made Yan's body tremble.
He immediately operated the Tai Chi Form cultivation method, guiding this energy through all his meridians, strengthening every cell and enhancing every bone and muscle.
After fully absorbing the energy of that soul ring, Yan also used the Nihility Devouring Flame to swallow the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's corpse.
The sea surface returned to complete calm, leaving only Yan standing above it.
Yan slowly opened his eyes, a glow of unprecedented confidence flashing in his eyes.
"So this is the power of a million-year-level soul ring?"
Yan murmured to himself.
He felt that the soul power within his body had undergone a qualitative leap not only had its total amount greatly increased, but even its quality had reached a new height.
Feeling this unparalleled energy, Yan couldn't help but release his martial soul and soul rings.
The energy of the million-year-level soul ring seemed to have been distributed perfectly, without the slightest waste, among Yan's nine soul rings.
The colors of those nine soul rings changed once more, from their original black, black, black, black, black, red, red, red, orange-red to black, black, black, red, red, red, red, red, crimson-gold.
His fourth and fifth rings had both evolved into the hundred-thousand-year level, while the ninth ring had evolved into the million-year level.
Yan's devouring ability was further enhanced, reaching an unprecedented realm.
Immediately after, he took out the torso bone from his soul tool and directly pressed it into his chest.
In just a moment, he completely absorbed the soul bone.
At this moment, he could clearly sense that his soul power had broken through to Level ninety-eight.
Yan was very satisfied with this gamble.
Hunting the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King had yielded tremendous gains. Not only had his strength been greatly enhanced, but he had also directly passed the sixth trial of the God of Fire.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly sensed a powerful spiritual probe coming from the distance.
Immediately after, a woman and two men appeared before him.
The woman wore a long, bright red robe. Her sea-blue long hair cascaded down her back, and her pair of blue eyes were deeper than the ocean. Her gentle, beautiful face looked to be around thirty years old.
In her right hand, she held a three-meter-long golden scepter, engraved all over with magical patterns.
With her noble and elegant demeanor, even Spirit Hall's Supreme Pontiff Bibi Dong would pale in comparison before her.
The two men beside the woman were both Title Douluo-level powerhouses.
Sensing the auras of those three, Yan guessed that they were from Sea God Island, and that the woman was none other than the High Priestess of Sea God Island—Bo Saixi.
The three of them stared intently at Yan, their expressions grave.
They all felt the extraordinary and powerful aura coming from Yan's body.
"This young man actually survived in the Demonic Whale Sea. There's no trace of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's aura here. Could it be that it…"
Bo Saixi's gaze was sharp as lightning, both shocked and puzzled.
The two Title Douluo exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with doubt and surprise. They hadn't expected this young soul master before them to possess such a terrifying aura.
"High Priestess, could this young man be…"
One of the Title Douluo trailed off, clearly curious and apprehensive about Yan's identity and strength.
Bo Saixi gently raised her hand, interrupting the man's words.
She stepped forward slowly, causing gentle ripples to spread across the sea's surface.
"Young man, did you just battle the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King?"
Yan's gaze met Bo Saixi's, and he instantly sensed the unfathomable power and majesty radiating from her.
But he showed no fear, his expression calm as he said:
"That's right. It's already been killed by me. This sea region no longer has the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King."