"Let's go."
Su Wen considered.
"I'll go with you!" Ju Zi, still in her diving suit, lifted her hood, revealing her fair forehead and wet hair, her eyes serious.
"Alright…"
Su Wen didn't refuse.
The two slipped out the hatch again.
"Tsk tsk, a perfect couple," Ke Ke giggled. "Zi mu, don't they look like a pair of mermaids?"
Zi mu: "..."
Su Wen took Ju Zi's hand as they swam toward their destination.
But the soul tool for detecting sea ore didn't light up. They exchanged glances in confusion. Only when they got closer did Electrolux's voice ring in Su Wen's mind: "What a strange lifeform, as if made entirely of spiritual power."
Su Wen was startled.
"Deep sea coral cluster, consuming it helps increase spiritual power," Snow Empress explained softly.
"I visited the Sea Princess's clan once—they had a lot of these. I suspect their powerful spiritual power is related. Most deep sea coral clusters in the ocean gather in their territory."
"That's truly a treasure," Su Wen's eyes lit up.
Everyone knows that before Douluo Continent 3, there were many ways to increase soul power—elixirs, herbs, countless cultivation methods. But ways to improve spiritual power were few—aside from rare immortal herbs, only meditation and rare special techniques...
Only after ten thousand years did unified standards and methods for spiritual power emerge.
Now, treasures that could increase pure spiritual power were priceless anywhere.
"Let's get to work!"
Su Wen's eyes shone.
His own spiritual power, boosted by the Evil Emperor, already surpassed Super Douluo level and was close to Elder Mu. So these coral clusters weren't that important to him, but for the future forging department and others, they were invaluable.
With a wave of his hand.
Gale appeared in the water, nodded at Su Wen, then a vortex swept up the black mass of coral, collecting everything into a spirit ball.
"Done!"
With that, he pulled Ju Zi back.
"Buzz…"
But in the next second.
The sea, which had just calmed, churned violently again. Ju Zi's eyes were full of panic, while Su Wen frowned, watching several huge sea beasts charging toward them—all hundred-thousand-year-old creatures.
"Deep Sea Demon Whale?!"
As expected, there's no such thing as an unguarded treasure.
In the cockpit.
Xuan Ziwen's pupils contracted.
His breathing quickened.
This was one of the fiercest species ruling the seas, said to share dominion with the Sea Princess's clan. The most feared encounter for humans at sea is these monsters, more notorious than even the Sea Princesses. Few ever escape them alive.
And...
There seemed to be a hundred-thousand-year-old among them.
"Gulp~"
Ke Ke swallowed.
Everyone wanted to flee, but forced themselves to stay put, anxiously waiting for Su Wen and Ju Zi to return.
But, to everyone's shock, Su Wen didn't flee. Instead, he waved his hand, sending a wave that swept Ju Zi back toward the submarine.
"It's hard to outrun these things underwater…" Su Wen clicked his tongue in resignation.
"In that case, Snow Empress, Little Gold, Gale—block them!"
In the silent deep sea—
A massive creature slowly revealed itself.
Blue flames flickered over its body. Its claws parted the waves, its tail lashed, and its eyes seemed to burn with fire. Its hundred-meter-long body stunned the demon whales.
But Little Gold was expressionless. With a swipe of her golden left arm, claws outstretched, she unleashed a terrifying force straight at the demon whales.
The leading hundred-thousand-year-old demon whale panicked, desperately trying to flee, but it was too late… Three claws slashed, leaving bone-deep wounds. With a mournful wail, the demon whales fled.
Land soul beasts lose 20–30% of their strength in the deep sea, Little Gold included. Even so, bullying a just-hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast was easy for her.
At least the demon whale was smart enough not to fight to the death.
Especially with Snow Empress waiting behind...
"Deep Sea Demon Whale…"
Su Wen frowned.
This species really was fierce—two million-year soul beasts came from them, both relying on their own cultivation. If not for the Dragon God's rules barring soul beasts from the God Realm, both husband and wife would've been gods by now.
I wonder if, thousands of years later, the Demon Empress who became the Holy Spirit Cult leader has awakened...
"Let's go back," Su Wen waved.
With the treasure in hand, time to head back!
…
Yet, when they boarded the submarine, everyone was staring at them in shock.
"That big guy… was your soul beast too??" Ke Ke asked in disbelief.
"Mm." Su Wen nodded.
Apart from showing herself to humans ten thousand years ago, Little Gold had never appeared since, so most couldn't connect her to the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear.
"A nearly hundred-meter-tall beast… That pressure, it must be at least a hundred thousand years old!" Xuan Ziwen exclaimed.
"Yup." Su Wen smiled.
"You have more than one soul beast at that level?" Only now did Ju Zi realize what Su Wen meant earlier… If someone wanted to kill him, even the Holy Spirit Cult would be interested!
No wonder the Sun Moon Empire would risk offending Jing Hongchen and even provoking war to kill Su Wen—it all made sense now!
She'd wondered how Su Wen could make so many enemies with just his own strength.
Now she understood.
Su Wen's status couldn't be measured by the younger generation anymore. Not only did he have future potential, but his current strength likely already surpassed most of the old guard...
If they ever let a genius like Su Wen go back—
Then the Sun Moon Empire and Holy Spirit Cult would find it hard to sleep at night...
Zi mu, meanwhile, was a little terrified.
Would they be silenced to keep the secret?!
…
The next day.
The sea was calm.
Everyone continued north on the Deep Abyss Submarine.
Su Wen sat atop the vessel, watching the waves, bored.
But then—
He saw an unidentified creature about twenty meters long floating ahead, its body stark white, birds and seaweed resting atop it.
Su Wen's expression turned odd.
His spiritual detection told him—
It was… a dying Devil Soul Great White Shark??
…