Whether the Evil Spirit Tiger Whale Group defiled the ocean, Li Xun didn't know, but this species was indeed bloodthirsty.
Whenever they caught the scent of blood, they would frenziedly attack regardless of friend or foe.
Tang San had passed this trial using the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well Spring and the Zhuge Divine Crossbow.
But Li Xun typically relied on brute force or brought along a Title Douluo, so he hadn't made such preparations.
Li Xun's powerful spiritual energy slowly spread out, carefully noting the position of every Evil Spirit Tiger Whale. One particular thirty-meter-long Evil Spirit Tiger Whale became his primary focus.
Since he wasn't using his second Martial Soul's Soul Skills—only crude applications of spiritual energy—and with Ning Rongrong holding the Vast Sea Cosmos Cover, Li Xun could conceal his form but couldn't mask the fluctuations of his spiritual energy.
The massive spiritual energy continuously pouring out immediately alerted the Evil Spirit Tiger Whale Group.
The previously calm waters began to boil as Evil Spirit Tiger Whales, far larger than great white sharks, grew restless and started frantically patrolling their surroundings.
The three hundred Evil Spirit Tiger Whales spread out like a giant net, constantly crisscrossing beneath the water.
Xiao Bai watched the massive figures continuously passing by her, feeling her heart nearly leap out of her chest. Her clan members were waiting in the distance, and if discovered, she wouldn't even have a chance to call for help.
"Seventh Soul Skill, Spirit Avatar."
Unaware of Xiao Bai's concerns, Li Xun's seventh Spirit Ring lit up beneath his feet. A colossal figure abruptly appeared in the water, its shadow instantly enveloping every living creature.
The 500-meter depth of these waters couldn't accommodate the massive True Several Thousand Hands. Countless enormous hands broke through the water's surface into the air.
Stunned.
Every creature in these waters was shocked, looking up at the 500-meter-tall behemoth. Even Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but gasp in amazement.
Xiao Bai trembled with fear as she was lifted by a pair of giant hands: "What... what is this?!"
Li Xun had no time to answer her question. Unlike other Soul Masters, his Spirit Avatar's enormous size consumed a staggering amount of Soul Power.
The ocean's resistance was immense, making fists far less effective than sharp weapons. Countless pre-prepared Azure Spears were picked up by the Martial Soul's thousands of hands like chopsticks, instantly piercing toward previously locked targets.
The Martial Soul's massive hands stirred the currents, churning the entire sea area. Evil Spirit Tiger Whales were impaled by the spears, while others were pushed away by the turbulent waters.
Blood spread everywhere, instantly clouding the seawater.
The remaining Evil Spirit Tiger Whales, smelling blood, immediately lost all reason. Ignoring the colossal being above them, they began frantically tearing at their kin's wounds and corpses.
Madness was this species' only descriptor—even some Evil Spirit Tiger Whales with bloodstained teeth became targets of attack.
Although the Evil Orca King was the strongest among them, it possessed intelligence.
After evading attacks by riding the currents, it observed the chaos within its group and let out a low roar.
Ripples spread out, calming some of the deranged Evil Spirit Tiger Whales, while those who disobeyed were immediately killed with a single bite.
Roar—
The Evil Orca King gazed upon his remaining clan of less than a hundred members, his fury boiling over. An enraged roar erupted from beneath the water, its rolling soundwaves causing the entire sea to tremble.
A torrent of immense energy surged from within him, sealing off the surrounding space, while his powerful spiritual force transmitted like ripples to every Evil Spirit Tiger Whale present.
"Be careful! The Evil Orca King is rallying his entire clan, preparing to launch a full-force assault against you!"
Xiao Bai cautiously glanced at Li Xun standing atop her head. She now understood that the colossal being holding her in its palm was Li Xun's Spirit Avatar.
"No matter. I only fear it won't dare face me directly." Li Xun smiled faintly as the Eighth Soul Ring at his feet began to glow. Threads of cold energy slowly spread outward.
His Eighth Soul Ring came from a two-hundred-thousand-year Titan Snow Demon Ape, granting two Soul Skills: Strength Amplification and Ice Manipulation.
Crack, crack, crack—
A series of dense sounds erupted from the seabed as white frost traces rapidly spread around the Martial Soul, following thousands of giant hands as they assaulted the Evil Spirit Tiger Whale group.
Seeing this, the Evil Orca King's eyes blazed with crimson light, continuously spewing red energy blades from its mouth that severed the wooden hands one after another.
Meanwhile, the other Evil Spirit Tiger Whales either launched water arrows from their dorsal fins or frantically bit at the hands in defense.
Crack, crack, crack—
Constant cracking sounds emerged from the seabed as hands were continuously broken and Evil Spirit Tiger Whales steadily perished.
Facing nearly a thousand giant hands, the remaining less-than-hundred Evil Spirit Tiger Whales couldn't mount an effective defense. Repeatedly, those who failed to dodge in time were either crushed by the giant hands or frozen by the chilling cold.
The Evil Spirit Tiger Whale group suffered devastating losses.
In almost a single encounter, only about thirty clan members remained around the Evil Orca King. Although both sides sustained losses, each reduction in Evil Spirit Tiger Whales increased pressure elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the colossal wooden hands still numbered over four to five hundred.
Water arrows shot from the Evil Orca King's dorsal fin while crimson moon blades spewed from its mouth. Though each strike achieved results, its clan members kept diminishing, and the pressure mounted relentlessly.
Roar—!
The Evil Orca King roared furiously and began retreating slowly, with the remaining Evil Spirit Tiger Whales quickly following upon receiving the command.
"Trying to escape?" Li Xun frowned. When Soul Beasts cultivated beyond a hundred thousand years, their intelligence matched humans', so choosing temporary retreat was understandable.
Although he held the advantage, maintaining his Spirit Avatar consumed tremendous Soul Power. At this stage, prolonged combat was impossible, let alone sustained pursuit.
"Titan Snow Demon King Left Leg Soul Bone Skill, Extreme Cold Spread.Threads of cold energy combined with the Eighth Soul Ring continuously spread outward, near-absolute cold instantly freezing the seawater.
Ceasing to control the Martial Soul for attacks, he utilized the reach advantage of the hands to cut off the Evil Orca King's escape route.
Countless hands abruptly extended, plunging into the seabed ahead to form a crude but wide cage.
Though rough with large gaps, this cage sufficed to trap the twenty-to-thirty-meter-long Evil Spirit Tiger Whales.
The Evil Orca King panicked, frantically launching attacks to break through the blockade. However, the numerous hands emanated chilling cold that gradually froze the surrounding seawater.
Constant shattering of ice and destruction of giant hands ensued until gradually, the Evil Orca King felt its energy reserves depleting.
It suddenly realized it was becoming overwhelmed.
Just as it weakened, continuous giant hammer-like blows struck its body, and spears pierced into its flesh.
Wave after wave of chilling cold surged forth, instantly trapping it within, forming a massive ice sculpture.
A sense of despair welled up in its heart. The Evil Orca King thrashed wildly, but the ice encasing it grew thicker and colder, gradually sapping the vitality from its body.
A venomous glint flashed in the Evil Orca King's eyes. It contemplated self-destruction but gave up the idea upon seeing Li Xun's intention to capture it alive and the distance between them.
Slowly, it closed its dark red eyes, biding its time.
Xiao Bai stared in astonishment at the scene.
She had already prepared herself for death, never expecting Li Xun to single-handedly crush the Evil Spirit Tiger Whale Group and even capture the Evil Orca King.
"Send the signal. Let your clansmen come and clean up the mess."
Li Xun dispelled his Spirit Avatar and immediately felt a wave of emptiness within. He gently tapped Xiao Bai's head with his foot.
Only about a dozen Evil Spirit Tiger Whales remained, and their cultivation levels were low, posing no further threat.
"Ah! Right!" Xiao Bai snapped back to reality and quickly agreed.
"Wait, drag the Evil Orca King ashore."
Li Xun manipulated vines to wrap around the Ice Sphere encasing the Evil Orca King and hung it on Xiao Bai's back.
Though it didn't look particularly elegant, Xiao Bai happily complied with the request, excitedly pulling the ice block as she surfaced.
She never imagined the Evil Spirit Tiger Whale Group, which had long plagued her clan, would vanish just like that.
(End of Chapter)