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As the destructive light gradually dissipated, everyone saw the scene at the center of the explosion.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's enormous, mountain-like body was now battered and broken, with large areas of its dark purple skin charred and torn, revealing blurred flesh beneath, and even some bones!
Its giant single eye was dim and lifeless, filled with pain and bewilderment, its aura extremely weak, like a flickering candle in the wind, floating on the re-closed sea surface, clearly having lost all ability to resist.
Xuan Ming hovered in mid-air, his aura also somewhat chaotic, his face slightly pale.
That series of precise manipulations just now had consumed an immense amount of his mental force and spirit power.
This move had no technical content; it was simply a miracle achieved through brute force.
He had created hundreds of tons of hydrogen-oxygen mixture and then detonated it, and the power far exceeded expectations. It was enough to pose a fatal threat to an existence of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's caliber.
In the magnificent temple of the God Realm.
The terrifying, world-destroying explosion reflected in the light mirror caused the several God Kings to fall into a brief silence. The dazzling white light seemed to penetrate the mirror, reflecting on their faces.
After a long while, the God of Evil slowly exhaled, a hint of incredulous astonishment in his voice: "This kid... what did he just do? Turned seawater into... a bomb?"
The Goddess of Life's emerald eyes were filled with shock and incomprehension: "That kind of power... it's not pure spirit power or law; it's more like... the substance itself being forcibly altered and then instantly releasing destructive energy... This..."
The God of Goodness's gentle gaze also held solemnity: "He combined the powers of ice, fire, lightning, and even mental force in a way we had never conceived, ultimately triggering this... almost heaven-and-earth-shattering destruction."
The God of Destruction's body flickered violently with purple lightning, and he said in a deep voice: "A very dangerous method. But undeniably, the power... is astonishing."
The Sea God Poseidon, who had been silent, now frowned deeply, his fingers rapidly tapping in the void, seemingly calculating something.
A moment later, he looked up, his face showing unprecedented seriousness, even a hint of alarm: "Everyone, I just made a rough calculation... If the yield of that explosion just now were to increase by another order of magnitude... no, even if it only increased by three to five times..."
He paused, then articulated his conclusion in a low, clear voice:
..."Its instantaneous core destructive power would be enough to... threaten the divine body of a Third-Rank Divinity! If caught in the center completely unprepared, it could even... cause severe injury!"
"What?!"
At these words, even the Asura God, who had been expressionless, had a flash of brilliant light in his blood-red eyes!
Threaten a Divinity?! A human who had not yet become a god, whose spirit power was only at the Spirit Douluo level, actually possessed destructive means capable of threatening a Divinity?!
"But this is only the theoretical maximum destructive power," Poseidon immediately added, his tone returning to calm. "In reality, it's almost impossible to achieve. You all saw how long it took him to create an explosion of that scale?
First, he used the power of ice and fire to create an extreme environment, then he used lightning to electrolyze seawater, and finally he had to forcibly compress and control it with his Domain and mental force... The entire process took nearly a quarter of an hour!"
He looked at Xuan Ming in the light mirror, whose face was slightly pale and aura somewhat chaotic, and continued: "With his current strength, if he faced a true divine opponent, he wouldn't be able to hold out for that long, let alone fully immerse himself in such a complex and precise battlefield construction. No god would foolishly stand by and watch him prepare such a big move."
The God of Evil stroked his chin, a strange light flickering in his eyes: "So, this move, while terrifying enough to touch the threshold of the divine, has too long of a wind-up time, making it almost impossible to use against opponents of the same rank... no, against any prepared strong individual in actual combat."
"Exactly," Poseidon nodded. "It can be seen as... a strategic deterrent, or a decisive kill that can only be used under specific conditions. In a direct battle, its utility is limited."
"The Deep Sea Demon Whale King was careless."
However, the Asura God's cold voice rang out at this moment, carrying a hint of profound meaning: "But this means that in the mortal world, he already possesses... destructive power that is almost unrivaled below the divine level."
"Moreover, don't forget, he is only a Spirit Douluo now. When he reaches rank ninety-nine, his total spirit power, mental force, and control over his Domain will undergo another qualitative change... By then, the preparation time for him to create such an explosion will be greatly reduced, and its power... might truly increase to a level sufficient to pose a fatal threat to a Divinity in actual combat."
Silence fell over the temple once more.
Poseidon's calculations and the Asura God's deductions all pointed to a chilling fact.
This young man named Xuan Ming not only possessed terrifying temperament and potential, but he had even prematurely grasped a nascent form of... the "destruction" authority belonging to the divine level!
Although currently severely limited, that potential, that "possibility" of utilizing multiple powers to their extreme, even leveraging the essence of matter to cause destruction, had made it impossible for the Divinities to dismiss him any longer.
"It seems," the God of Goodness's gentle voice broke the silence, carrying a complex meaning, "the trials we give him need to be more... cautious."
The future of such a mortal, who possessed the nascent potential to "slay gods," was already filled with infinite possibilities and... uncertainties.
The God of Evil suddenly grinned, breaking the somewhat heavy atmosphere: "Heh heh, but speaking of which, if we really had a showdown with this kid, giving him time to prepare the venue... Tsk tsk, just thinking about that scene is exciting!"
His words made a strange thought arise in the minds of the Divinities: in a direct fight, there might still be existences in the mortal world that could suppress him.
But if they agreed on a time and place and let him act freely... the consequences, even a god would probably have to weigh carefully!
This kid was an out-and-out "Humanoid Natural Disaster"!
...In the mortal world, above the Demon Whale Sea Domain.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's broken body floated on the sea surface, its giant single eye struggling to turn, looking at Xuan Ming who was slowly descending before him.
His eyes were filled with pain, unwillingness, and a deep sense of confusion.
It opened its mouth, emitting a weak and hoarse mental thought: "Human... you... since you possess such... world-destroying power... why... did you make it so troublesome before?"
It couldn't understand. If Xuan Ming had used this level of attack from the start, it would have been completely helpless. Why bother with capturing cubs, negotiating, or even proposing a sacrifice?
Xuan Ming looked at it, his ice-blue eyes showing no pride or showmanship, only a calm honesty.
"Before I acted, I didn't know myself how much power this half-step divine sense level mental force, combined with my current strength, could unleash," Xuan Ming said.
"The million-year spirit ring and Spirit Abilities given to me by the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm were also used with full power for the first time in actual combat; I needed to test their effects."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's miserable appearance, and continued: "Moreover, you and I both know that a large part of the reason you lost so terribly is that you were careless."
"You didn't treat me as a true life-and-death enemy from the beginning. Your underestimation gave me the opportunity to calmly set up the battlefield. You also didn't burst out with full power at the start, trying to escape my Domain and control range."
Xuan Ming's tone carried a calm analysis: "More importantly, your abilities were precisely countered by mine.
A hegemon who relies on the power of the sea to fight was restricted in movement by my ice seal, had its home ground evaporated by my high temperature, and had its perception and power circulation disrupted by my lightning.
Your greatest advantages were progressively weakened in front of me, making it impossible for you to exert your true strength."
He concluded: "This move of mine, while indeed effective, requires the premise of surprise and your cooperation in staying within the attack range.
If you had known my intentions from the start and burst out with full power to escape at all costs, I might not have been able to keep you, let alone achieve such a battle result."
"Therefore," Xuan Ming looked into the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's eyes and said candidly, "this time, my victory largely depended on luck. In terms of true hard strength, in a direct confrontation, I am currently... indeed not your match."
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King was stunned.
It hadn't expected that this human, known for his ruthlessness and cunning, would so calmly, even "humbly," analyze his victory after achieving such a brilliant, almost crushing, result, attributing most of the reasons to luck, the opponent's carelessness, and elemental counter-attributes.
There was no flaunting, no getting carried away, only an absolutely rational review and honest self-awareness.
This attitude, on the contrary, dissipated much of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's last trace of unwillingness and resentment.
Losing to a madman or a schemer would fill it with humiliation.
But losing to an opponent who possessed terrifying power yet could maintain absolute calm and clear self-awareness... it seemed, was not entirely unacceptable.
Its giant single eye slowly closed, emitting a long and complex sigh, a sigh that seemed to convey much relief.
In the distance, the Snow Empress and Ice Empress clearly heard the conversation between Xuan Ming and the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.
The shock and complexity in the eyes of the two women had now reached their peak.
They had personally witnessed that world-destroying power, and they had personally heard Xuan Ming's calm, almost cold, self-analysis.
Powerful, yet not arrogant. Victorious, yet able to clearly recognize the element of luck and cunning involved.
This temperament, even more than that terrifying power, made them feel a profound depth.
In the Snow Empress's ethereal eyes, for the first time, a hint of... true scrutiny and consideration appeared towards Xuan Ming. Perhaps, the Lord's choice of this person was not merely due to his potential...
This kid is an out-and-out "Humanoid Natural Disaster"!