Faced with a barrage of corrosive acid thunder raining down, the soul tool fleet's protective shields were quickly eaten away, dissolving as if made of paper.
The metal soul tool warships were instantly engulfed by the acid thunder, sinking one after another into the sea, leaving only ripples on the water's surface, as if quietly telling of their once-glorious existence.
"Damn it! Azure Dragon's Wrath!" Chen Huijie roared, his eyes blazing with fury.
Never in the Sea God Clan's long history had they suffered such devastating losses.
Without hesitation, he unleashed the Sea God Helmet's power, infusing his soul skill with divine energy.
Though not a true god skill, with the boost of divine power, it counted as a pseudo-god skill—far more powerful than a normal hundred-thousand-year soul skill.
A massive sea dragon burst from the waves, like a beast breaking free from its cocoon.
It opened its massive maw, aiming to devour the Demon Empress in the sky, as if to swallow her whole and vent its rage.
"Hmph!" The Demon Empress snorted coldly, her body instantly cloaked in crackling lightning, like a shooting star.
She transformed into a lightning whale and shot into the clouds like an arrow.
The lightning whale's body crackled with electric currents, turning the sky a glowing purple.
It then descended with overwhelming force, slamming into the sea dragon.
The collision sent the sea dragon crashing into the ocean, and the sea itself instantly became a storm of lightning.
The seawater flickered with a strange glow, as if transformed into flowing plasma.
With a screech like glass scraping, a lightning orb shot forth like a bullet, heading straight for Chen Huijie.
In a blink, it was upon him.
A lightning-clad arm shot out, a blade of dazzling electricity piercing through the sea giant's chest.
A huge hole appeared in the chest, lightning coursing around it, preventing the seawater from closing the wound—the wild lightning seemed alive, keeping the injury from healing.
The sea giant's body trembled, wracked with agony.
Chen Huijie was terrified, realizing this was a life-or-death crisis.
He swung his fist, drawing on the endless power of the sea, temporarily forcing the Demon Empress back.
He then shouted desperately to the surviving clan members, "Go! Rush to Douluo Continent! Tell the Clear Sky Sect and Shrek Academy—the Deep Sea Demonic Whale has emerged, seeking revenge against the Sea God lineage!"
He had realized something was terribly wrong.
The Demon Empress's strength was monstrous—her power far surpassed that of any ordinary Deep Sea Demonic Whale.
Even with the Sea God Helmet, he could only barely fight her to a standstill while she was already injured, and was mostly on the defensive.
He could not let the Sea God Clan be wiped out before his eyes.
Though other members remained in hiding, this fleet represented the clan's elite.
If all these elites fell, even the well-established Sea God Clan would be crippled, unlikely to recover.
The surviving clan members, already grief-stricken at their losses, felt a chill in their hearts at what sounded like their chief's last words.
They understood: their clan leader was no longer confident he could survive this battle.
The Demon Empress had no intention of letting any Sea God followers escape.
In her mind, any follower of the Sea God had to die.
Her control over the storm grew more fearsome, and she fought more skillfully as the battle went on.
After all, she had not long held the power of the Herrscher of Thunder, and had used it only a few times.
This battle with Chen Huijie, a peer equal in rank, was rapidly familiarizing her with her power, making her grow ever stronger.
In contrast, the divine light of the Sea God Helmet atop Chen Huijie's head was now dim and fading.
Unlike the Demon Empress, who had the Honkai Gem to provide endless energy, Chen Huijie used the divine power the Sea God Clan had gathered over millennia.
Once that power ran out, he would have to sacrifice his own life to use the helmet again.
But he had no choice. To control the sea and protect his people, he had to use the helmet.
After all, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale could also command the sea's power.
Without the helmet's help, he could not contest the Demon Empress for dominance over the ocean—without it, none of the Sea God Clan could escape, and this sea would become their grave.
Not far away, Lan Fozi watched the fierce battle from a distance.
The sea's surface was littered with the warship's fragments, scattered like fallen leaves.
Her clear eyes revealed a trace of sympathy.
Following the Demon Empress, she had already witnessed the horrific massacre of the Devil Soul Great White Shark clan.
Though they were enemies, her kind nature made her uneasy at such brutality.
After all, the annihilation of a clan was unbearably cruel.
Yet, she was powerless to change anything.
Now, seeing the Sea God Clan also on the brink of destruction, her worry only deepened.
The Demon Empress's actions were too flagrant—her open conflict with humans would surely draw the attention of powerful human cultivators, and even gods, placing her in grave danger.
As Lan Fozi fretted, the battle suddenly changed.
With a final dazzling Magnetic Storm Slash, like a bolt from the heavens, the attack slammed into the Sea God Helmet.
A hairline crack appeared, spiderwebbing rapidly outward.
With a crisp snap, the helmet shattered, its fragments scattering.
This divine artifact, left by Tang San, carrying the Sea God Clan's glory and mission, was destroyed forever in this battle.
Chen Huijie, too, was unrecognizable—having sacrificed his life force to power the helmet, his hair turned white, his skin wrinkled and withered.
Even if he survived the fight, his days were numbered.
He had once been a peak-level Title Douluo, with the Sea God Helmet's aid capable of suppressing even Di Tian, the Beast God.
But fate was cruel—he died unknown in a remote sea, his name and strength lost to history.
"Wasting my time—why insist on courting death?" The Demon Empress, though victorious, had used all her trump cards and was badly injured.
Her face was grim and exhausted.
She flicked her hand, and Chen Huijie's body turned to ash in a flash of lightning.
She tossed the broken helmet into the sea and dove into the depths.
She needed to devour some sea soul beasts to recover.
After all, her hatred, built up over millennia, would not be quelled by simply wiping out the Devil Soul Great White Shark and Sea God Clans.
Her path of vengeance had only just begun.
Before leaving, she sent the Sea God Clan's intel to World Serpent.
World Serpent had given her power and hope—she had no wish to fall out with them, as she still needed their strength.
…
"Sea God Clan, huh? I remember that ten thousand years later, Boundless Sea Douluo Chen Xinjie also came from the Sea God Clan."
Lu Jingming looked at the information about the Demon Empress's fight on his phone, feeling a ripple of surprise.
He hadn't expected the Demon Empress to run into the Sea God Clan by accident.
This clan had always been mysterious, barely leaving a trace in this era.
It wasn't until ten thousand years later that they reappeared, still keeping a low profile.
They were one of Tang San's contingencies on Douluo Continent.
Tang San considered Douluo Continent his chessboard, with hidden plans everywhere.
The Demon Empress's unintentional crippling of the Sea God Clan could be considered a good thing, preventing future trouble from this mysterious family.