Inside the Valley of the Two Elements of Ice and Fire, the air seemed to have solidified into heavy amber.
The Deep Sea Whale King's enormous single eye stared intently at the boy before him, whose aura was as deep and unfathomable as the sea.
His eyes were incredibly complex, containing the pride and resentment of having roamed the oceans for nearly a million years, the concern and entrustment for the future of his wife and daughters, and even more so, a final sense of relief and resolute acceptance of his predetermined fate.
The silence lasted for a brief moment, yet felt as long as an eternity.
Finally, the Deep Sea Whale King slowly and solemnly nodded his mountain-like head. His deep, powerful voice, carrying a martyr-like solemnity, echoed throughout the heavens and earth:
"I... am ready."
" Jiang Zhen, remember your promise..."
...
At the foot of the mountain.
The enormous body of the Deep Sea Whale King suddenly erupted with a dazzling light that defied description!
It was a divine radiance that burned intensely, a mixture of dark red, deep purple, and dazzling gold!
"roar--!!!"
A whale song, seemingly from the primordial past and piercing through endless time and space, suddenly rang out. It was no longer the deep ocean, but a roar filled with determination, sacrifice, and boundless energy!
Boom!
A massive beam of light, over a hundred meters in diameter, burst forth from the Deep Sea Whale King, a mixture of unimaginable terrifying energy and the essence of the soul, shooting straight into the sky!
In an instant, the entire sky above Sunset Forest was dyed a vast expanse of blood gold!
It was as if the entire sky had turned into a boiling sea of blood, which was then ignited by supreme divine fire. The clouds rolled and streaks of golden-red lightning darted through the sea of clouds like dragons and snakes, radiating a pressure that made all things tremble!
An indescribable aura of tragic grandeur, desolation, yet sacred vastness enveloped the area for hundreds of miles around!
"What...what is that?!"
In the Sunset Forest, all the Soul Masters who were hunting Soul Beasts or seeking opportunities, regardless of their level, stared in horror toward the direction of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Some of the weaker Soul Masters were so overwhelmed by the terrifying pressure that their legs went weak and they almost knelt down!
"A miracle...is this a miracle?!"
"Wow...what terrifying energy fluctuations! Is a treasure about to be born?!"
"Get out of here! This is not something we can spy on!"
Meanwhile, the myriad soul beasts in the forest reacted even more directly.
Whether they were ten-year-old, hundred-year-old, thousand-year-old, or ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts, without exception, they all trembled and prostrated themselves on the ground, emitting low moans, facing the direction of that blood-gold pillar of light.
It was as if they were seeing off a king, or welcoming the birth of some higher being.
Inside the Valley of the Two Elements of Ice and Fire, Lan Fuzi clenched his fists tightly.
Bing Di and Xue Di had extremely solemn expressions. They could clearly feel that the energy contained in the pillar of light was approaching, and even faintly surpassing, the limit of a million-year-old soul beast!
This is a true half-god level sacrifice!
At the very center of the energy storm, Jiang Zhen's face was solemn, his long hair dancing wildly in the raging energy currents.
He activated his dual soul cores with all his might, his body becoming like a bottomless pit, frantically absorbing the surging, purest soul power.
He could sense that the massive soul of the Deep Sea Whale King, guided by the laws of sacrifice, was about to merge into the soul ring that was forming, following the rules of the world.
"Now!"
Jiang Zhen's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and his powerful mental energy, like the most intricate net, instantly reached out, not to stop, but to guide!
He had already prepared a blank pure water phantom spirit, constructed of pure water and sharing the same origin as the Demon Emperor's phantom spirit, which he instantly summoned to his front.
"Senior Deep Sea Whale King, please enter this body!"
Under his mental guidance, the massive soul of the Deep Sea Whale King, which was originally about to merge with the soul ring, let out a soft cry of liberation and suddenly changed direction, flowing into the Pure Water Illusionary Spirit like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea!
The originally formless and intangible phantom spirit instantly burst forth with dazzling divine light, its form began to change drastically and solidify, and finally transformed into a crystal demon whale phantom spirit that was shrunk countless times, but whose form was exactly the same as the Deep Sea Whale King's original body, and whose entire body was like a dark golden crystal carving!
It hovered in mid-air, emitting a powerful soul fluctuation, and gently touched the Demon Emperor's Phantom Spirit beside it, conveying a longing that transcended life and death.
With the core steps of the sacrifice completed, what remains is the distribution and absorption of energy!
The vast, star-like torrent of energy automatically split into three streams.
The largest one suddenly condensed, transforming into an enormous golden-red soul ring!
On that spirit ring, countless tiny phantoms of demonic whales seemed to be swimming and roaring, and the pressure they emitted caused the entire space to distort and tremble!
Its age is a staggering 990,000 years! It's incredibly close to the legendary million-year god-level age!
The second energy quickly condensed and solidified, forming a torso soul bone that emitted a dark golden luster and was covered with mysterious whale patterns!
The power contained in this soul bone is enough to drive any soul master mad!
And finally, the most peculiar change!
Two fist-sized whale pearls, radiating a chaotic glow and seemingly containing a condensed ocean within, flew out from the energy core!
They did not merge into the spirit ring or spirit bone, but instead flew behind Jiang Zhen as if they had a life of their own, hovering on his left and right shoulders behind his shoulder blades.
Buzz—!
The whale pearl suddenly began to spin rapidly, and three smooth, ethereal, aquamarine wings, resembling fish fins, extended from its body!
Six fin-like wings slowly flapped behind Jiang Zhen, cutting through the air and emitting a low hum, exuding an incomparably sharp aura that seemed capable of tearing apart everything!
At this moment, the enormous golden-red 990,000-year soul ring slowly descended and enveloped Jiang Zhen's body.
Just as the spirit ring was about to be bestowed upon him—
Anomalies are brewing once more!
High above, at the very center of the cloud vortex stained with blood gold, without warning, a pure, gentle, yet imbued with supreme majesty and the aura of creation, golden beam of light suddenly pierced through layers of space and shone down with unparalleled precision!
Ignoring all obstacles, it gently enveloped the soon-to-be-formed 990,000-year soul ring, while also completely covering Jiang Zhen!
"This is?!"
Bing Di , Xue Di, and Lan Fuzi, standing in the distance, all widened their eyes, their faces filled with disbelief and shock!
Under the gentle golden light, the originally golden-red and extremely violent 990,000-year soul ring seemed to be baptized, tempered, and sublimated by supreme power!
The crimson color on it quickly faded, the violent energy became docile and sacred, and the color transformed into a purer, more brilliant, and more noble crimson gold at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The fluctuations it emitted instantly crossed the chasm between mortals and gods!
Millions of years!
That was a true million-year soul ring!
The golden light not only baptized the soul rings but also bathed Jiang Zhen.
He felt a warm, vast, and vibrant energy surge into his limbs and bones, nourishing his meridians, soul core, and soul. The minor damage caused by absorbing the massive energy was instantly restored, and his condition was even elevated to an unprecedented peak of perfection.
He didn't open his eyes and was unaware that his spirit ring had changed. He was simply focusing all his efforts on guiding the spirit ring to achieve its final fusion with himself.
And that sudden golden beam of light, after completing all of this, vanished as silently as it had appeared.
The blood-gold spectacle in the sky began to slowly fade away.
All that remained in the valley was the million-year-old crimson-gold soul ring that hovered behind Jiang Zhen, slowly rotating and radiating an aura that would move even the gods, and the six gently flapping fins that recounted the miraculous events that had just occurred.
The members of Bing Di stood there, speechless for a long time, their eyes filled with shock that lingered for a long time...