Chapter 354: The Deep Sea Demon Whale King
Before the battle even began, the Devilkiller Whale King had already scattered its tribe, and Xiao Bai had considered chasing them down for a slaughter. But seeing Han Li's demeanor, it abandoned the idea. Han Li had no intention of interfering. To him, everything on the Douluo Continent was his private property. The conflict between the Devil Soul Great White Sharks and the Devilkiller Whales was a natural struggle in the ecosystem. He had no reason to favor one side.
Of course, in the end, he did assist the Devil Soul Great White Sharks, but the Devilkiller Whale King did not provide faith energy to him or to Ye LingLing, and he still needed a left leg bone. Killing it was simply convenient. If he had found an alternative way to obtain a suitable left leg bone, he might not have made this trip at all. In the end, it was all for his own benefit.
As for the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, it was also a crucial part of his plan.
To Han Li, the creature was a treasure trove. Its soul ring, soul bones, nearly fully converted body, and its immense soul power which had almost formed into an energy armor were all invaluable. Though its power lacked refinement, its sheer volume was unmatched. Even Di Tian, at his current stage, paled in comparison in terms of raw energy. This didn't mean the Demon Whale King was necessarily stronger than Di Tian, but in certain aspects, it had reached the pinnacle within the Douluo Continent. The heavenly tribulations it had survived had not been in vain.
Han Li lacked neither strength nor endurance what he needed was time. And the Deep Sea Demon Whale King was the ultimate power bank. Devouring it would propel Han Li to the very peak, making any attempt at recruitment unnecessary.
A Deep Sea Demon Whale King, which could potentially ascend to a First Class God upon breaking through, or his own growth? Han Li had no hesitation he chose himself. Though it was a shame, reality was reality.
Justice and evil? They were irrelevant. He only acted in his own interest.
Xiao Bai trembled slightly upon hearing Han Li's words. Even though it had already known about this plan from the beginning, the idea of facing the Deep Sea Demon Whale King was daunting.
Among sea soul beasts, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King was an unstoppable force. Even the former High Priest could only deter it within the boundaries of Sea God Island. Outside of those waters, encountering it was almost certain death. Thankfully, it rarely approached Sea God Island.
But soon, Xiao Bai calmed down. It recalled the scene of Han Li slamming the full strength High Priest into the ground like a rag doll just days ago and silently shut its mouth.
In front of Han Li, no creature seemed powerful enough. Even the Sea God himself had to address him as "young friend."
If the Deep Sea Demon Whale King were eliminated, wouldn't the Devil Soul Great White Sharks have a chance to become the true rulers of the sea?
For the first time, Xiao Bai felt a flicker of ambition.
Becoming the sea's ruler didn't matter much but at the very least, its people would be able to live better lives and roam the oceans freely.
Han Li glanced curiously at Xiao Bai beneath him. He had just felt another wisp of faith energy flowing into him. What was this dumb shark thinking? It had even stopped swimming.
However, he didn't bother asking. Individual faith didn't hold much significance for him at this point.
With a light tap of his foot, he reminded Xiao Bai to continue, snapping the shark out of its daydream. Quickly, they sped toward the most dangerous territory in the sea.
On Xiao Bai's back, Han Li didn't just relax. Casually, he pressed the newly acquired 100,000 year left leg bone against his leg.
He didn't even enter a meditative state. While chatting with the others, he fully absorbed it without much effort. A mere 100,000 year soul bone was barely an improvement for him at this point.
At the same time, he adjusted the abilities that came with it.
He kept "Devilkiller Whale Demon Axe," a skill that concentrated soul power into the leg, forming a razor thin axe blade for linear single target attacks. The power wasn't the main appeal Han Li just thought it looked cool.
However, "Devilkiller Whale Shattered Fang Slash" was discarded. As a wide area attack, it wasn't entirely useless but was too niche for his needs. Instead, he chose to keep "Devilkiller Whale Mirror of Destruction."
This ability created reflective mirrors around him, allowing him to either use them for defense or shatter them as an attack.
Han Li selected this ability because its mechanics were decent. Once integrated into his body, he could channel the Water and Space Laws through it. While the raw skill wasn't remarkable, applying Laws would make it devastating.
Frozen mirrors could shatter, or space itself could fracture the versatility was appealing. Most importantly, using the mirrors as a medium would significantly reduce his energy consumption, which was the part he found most satisfying.
Xiao Bai moved swiftly through the ocean. In terms of pure speed, its streamlined body structure gave it a major advantage among sea soul beasts.
By now, they had reached the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's domain. Han Li sensed a distinct shift unlike the previous areas, this one was eerily devoid of life. Few creatures, soul beasts or otherwise, lingered here.
No surprise. The Deep Sea Demon Whale King was essentially the apex predator, a devourer of all life.
Han Li sighed. A true oceanic nightmare.
Big fish eat small fish. Small fish eat shrimp. That was the way of nature.
You couldn't blame it for eating but damn, this thing ate a lot.
But wasn't that precisely why he had come here today to "feast"? No real difference.
After moving forward for a while longer, there were no more soul beasts in sight only some unintelligent fish still swimming about, carefree and oblivious. Xiao Bai's speed also slowed down unconsciously.
"Forget it, let's stop here."
Han Li frowned and signaled for Xiao Bai to halt abruptly.
The Devil Soul Great White Shark complied without a sound. It wasn't that it didn't want to move faster, but its body instinctively resisted going any further. Even as it tried to force itself forward, it couldn't maintain its previous speed.
"You stay here and wait for us."
Han Li casually reassured it.
Xiao Bai breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he wasn't blamed, that was fine. It didn't want to end up suffering the same fate as the High Priest.
"Shibo, LingLing, you two don't need to make a move. Just stay back and make sure you don't get hurt."
Han Li took both of them into the sky.
"Oh, right LingLing, before the fight starts, give me a healing spell. Just for a second will do."
Han Li turned and gave another instruction, and Ye LingLing nodded.
This was to ensure she completed her trial. Though she had absorbed a small portion of divine power, it was truly just a sliver. Her trials had been completed so quickly that there was no time for proper integration.
The gap between her and Han Li was far too great. Even a second of healing would almost drain most of her soul power. As long as she participated, it would be enough.
As for attacking with the Golden Thirteen Halberds? Don't be ridiculous. While she held a divine weapon, it was fine for fighting humans, but against the Deep Sea Demon Whale King? Without sufficient divine power, she might as well be tickling it.
The power gap between the Devilkiller Whale King and the Deep Sea Demon Whale King wasn't just a little it was enormous. The former would be lucky to survive even a casual water attack from the latter.
In this situation, with Han Li's cautious nature, how could he possibly let Ye LingLing take unnecessary risks?
After all, his motto in life had always been stability first.
"Go ahead, don't worry. I will keep her safe."
Qian Daoliu patted the small angel statue on his chest and solemnly declared. With Han Li's modifications, he essentially carried the Angel Shrine with him at all times, ready to enter his strongest combat state at a moment's notice. Protecting someone wasn't difficult at all.
"Alright, then I'll have to trouble you, Shibo."
Han Li smiled. The Holy Temple's Qian Daoliu, combined with his own character, made for the perfect bodyguard.
As they spoke, the three had already arrived above a particular sea region.
This area was distinctly different from the surrounding ocean. The most striking feature was the deep, ominous color of the water, as if it were swallowing all the light around it.
Moreover, the sea here was completely still. Unlike the waves in the surrounding ocean, the water in this area remained eerily calm.
It was unnervingly quiet. Even the air felt heavy. That was the most immediate sensation this part of the ocean gave.
The Demon Whale Sea this was what the sea soul beasts called it.
As the three hovered in the sky, thick dark clouds began gathering above them. Below, the sea darkened even further, turning black as ink at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Sky and sea merged into one color.
Boom!
The clouds above churned violently, and suddenly, a five meter wide bolt of lightning, shaped like a blue white pillar of energy, shot toward Ye LingLing.
But it didn't fall from the sky it erupted upward from the depths of the ocean without warning.
Feigning an attack from the east while striking from the west? This whale was cultured.
Han Li chuckled to himself but reacted instantly. With a swift movement, he shifted into position, intercepting the lightning strike. His wings spread forward, stabIce Empressrectly into the blue white energy column.
Lightning? As if I don't have that too.
Such an attack? Han Li welcomed it. He was also curious to see just how proficient this so called near god tier Deep Sea Demon Whale King was with the lightning element.
"Shibo, take LingLing higher. Seems like our host isn't too pleased to see us."
Han Li's voice echoed from within the lightning. The blue white glow gradually dimmed, while his wings absorbed the energy, amplifying their stormy presence even further.
"A successor of the Sea God? What an infuriating presence… And who are you?"
From beneath the sea, a voice suddenly resonated. The water trembled violently, and strange sound waves rippled through the air.
Han Li frowned. Damn, that voice is awful. How long has it been since this thing last spoke? Sounds like it's got rocks stuck in its throat.
"Me? I'm just the guy who's here to kill you."
Han Li had no interest in further conversation. This was nothing more than a pre prepared meal. What was the point of talking to food?
"Hahaha!"
As if it had heard the funniest joke in the world, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King let out a booming laugh from the depths, causing the ocean's surface to surge.
The horrendous sound made Han Li seriously consider putting it out of its misery right then and there.
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