After intimidating the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, Ning Rongrong directly dove into the depths of the Demonic Whale Sea Domain.
With the presence of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, the entire Demonic Whale Sea Domain was so quiet it was frightening.
At the bottom of the sea, the pressure was immense.
"This kind of pressure should be enough to temper my body." Ning Rongrong found an excellent spot with good feng shui and sat cross-legged to cultivate.
Compared to breaking through, she first needed to deal with the trouble inside the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
In the pitch-black, gloomy deep sea, a pagoda manifested.
The pagoda had nine floors, and colorful light radiated outward in all directions.
In less than a moment, Ning Rongrong's mental power took physical form and entered the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Ning Rongrong opened her eyes and saw Tokisaki Kurumi standing beside her.
"Master, this seems to be the first time we've entered the pagoda in this form after fusing."
As the artifact spirit of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, even during fusion, she could manifest an intent body within the pagoda.
"It's about time. Right now, since we're in a state of released fusion, our connection is even closer than it is outside."
The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was her martial soul, while the Dark Devilgod Tiger had signed a contract to become its artifact spirit.
In reality, they had not yet fully fused with the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
"What should we do next?"
Tokisaki Kurumi skipped over the topic and looked at Ning Rongrong. "Should we deal with the Sea God first, or that guy inside the seal?"
"The Sea God." Ning Rongrong said, "If we let a half-step God King's intent body out and he joins forces with the Sea God, it might become very troublesome."
"Heh, up to you." Tokisaki Kurumi shrugged.
Then, in both Ning Rongrong's and Tokisaki Kurumi's eyes, their pupils transformed into the same clock-like pattern.
The entire Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda trembled slightly.
Golden light began to gather.
In the blink of an eye, a middle-aged man appeared inside the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Before Ning Rongrong could even speak, a hurried and slightly furious voice came through.
"It's you, Ning Rongrong! Everything here was your doing, wasn't it?"
"Sorry, Bo Saixi." Ning Rongrong said calmly, "I can't possibly let you leave."
"Why… why!?" Bo Saixi was completely baffled. Logically, she didn't have much grudge against Ning Rongrong.
She had even helped seal the Far North's seal. The two sides were practically allies. Moreover, the other party was the inheritor of the Evil God King.
"Sea God Bo Saixi, you talk too much." Tokisaki Kurumi slowly raised her hand. A pistol condensed in her palm. "Your fall is the greatest help to me and my master."
"Damn it…" Sensing Tokisaki Kurumi's intense and completely undisguised killing intent, Bo Saixi roared in anger, "You actually want to devour me!"
"That's right."
Ning Rongrong also raised her right hand. A long-barreled weapon similar to the gun in Kurumi's hand appeared.
"No one can stand at the top from the very beginning. In this pale empty window period that is about to end, Bo Saixi, you've been checkmated."
"However, the one who killed you was Tang San. It was in the past, it is now, and it will be in the future. I'm just cleaning up the loose ends."
"You… Ning Rongrong, was everything before just an act?"
Bo Saixi wanted to struggle free from the seal, but the golden chains extending from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda bound her tightly, rendering her completely unable to move even an inch.
"An act? No, I've always been like this. You can only blame yourself for being too naive."
"Good, good, very good!" Bo Saixi gnashed her teeth, laughing in extreme fury. "Damn it, I've been away from the Douluo Continent for twenty thousand years, and you soul masters have become more cunning and scheming than ever."
"Likewise." Ning Rongrong smiled lightly. "Compared to you, a peeping tom who hung your divine sense on the Angel God statue, what I've done is far more upright."
"The matter in Vast Sea City was your instruction, wasn't it, Bo Saixi!"
"Since you dared to do it on the first day, then I'll do it on the fifteenth."
"Saying revenge might sound a bit hypocritical, but could you please die here?"
"Fire."
Two bullets fired simultaneously from different gun barrels.
In an instant, the space inside the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was filled with the intersecting power of time and space.
"Damn it!"
"A time-space skill—capable of shattering souls." Feeling her soul body being ground away bit by bit, Bo Saixi's face showed terror.
"No, stop it!" Bo Saixi roared. In her soul-body state, she twisted desperately, trying to unleash her own power.
But under the restraint of the golden chains, Bo Saixi couldn't do anything. She only caused the chains to clash with crisp "bang bang bang" sounds.
Unable to break free, Bo Saixi's rage burned hotter. Her features twisted in fury.
"You bastards! If you want to kill me, don't think you'll get away with it either!"
A beam of blue light shot out from her forehead, attempting to pierce through the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's barrier and fly out.
"Useless. Who told you my Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is just a martial soul?"
The blue light that touched the pagoda's barrier made a sound like metal clashing. The ball of blue light landed in Ning Rongrong's hand.
"Oh? Trying to transmit information out?"
Ning Rongrong looked at the half-devoured Bo Saixi. "If you were still at your peak, with your physical body intact, I might still fear you."
"But now you're just a soul after self-detonation—not even in a complete state. Right now, you can't do anything."
"Moreover, when it comes to comprehending martial souls, my understanding surpasses yours."
"You bastard, you evil soul master!" The Sea God cursed loudly. Her soul body was melting bit by bit. The fear this brought was like watching herself being executed—though for some reason, she felt no pain.
But he, Bo Saixi, didn't want to die!
The earlier self-detonation had only blown up the Sea God Trident. But that old schemer Tang San had taken advantage of the moment when her god position and the Sea God Trident resonated, forcibly extracting her Sea God god position.
By the time she discovered it and tried to stop him, it was too late. She could only forcibly amplify the self-detonation power onto the god position.
First blow up the weapon, then the body, and finally the god position.
She had thought that with just her soul body, she could return to the Divine Realm. In eighteen years, she'd be a strong man again.
As for the god position—honestly, Bo Saixi no longer cared. It wasn't that only those with god positions were gods; after becoming a god, one could choose to carry a god position.
"Ning Rongrong, don't think your actions are hidden from the gods."
"The Divine Realm will definitely discover your scheme." As she spoke, Bo Saixi suddenly burst into wild laughter, as if she had thought of something delightful.
"Keep acting arrogant! Once the Golden Dragon King's seal is broken, the Divine Realm will investigate Douluo Star."
"At that time, not just you—your parents, your clansmen, even the entire Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect won't escape."
"You're finished. All of you are doomed."
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
Amid the frenzied, shrill laughter, the Sea God's soul was completely disintegrated.
Tokisaki Kurumi beside Ning Rongrong opened her mouth. With a roar like a dragon, the pure soul energy turned into specks of light and was swallowed whole in one gulp.
"Ugh, burp~"
Tokisaki Kurumi let out a burp, then gave Ning Rongrong an OK gesture.
Ning Rongrong finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed that not only second-level gods—even first-level god souls could be devoured.
Moments later, Tokisaki Kurumi turned her gaze to Ning Rongrong and spoke:
"Even after devouring the Sea God, I'm afraid I still won't reach the so-called Extreme of Qi. I'm merely borrowing your power."
"I know, but there's no time left." Ning Rongrong sighed.
"Just like what the Sea God said earlier, judging from the scope of the previous battle, once the Golden Dragon King seal incident ends, the Divine Realm might send even stronger gods down to the lower realm."
If there were any other way, she wouldn't want to rush like this.
"Do as you wish. If you die anyway, I'll die too."
"I'll fully fuse with the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. But doing so will touch that sealed thing inside you."
"The Evil God King?" Ning Rongrong thought for a moment. "Don't worry about him. You just need to break through."
Tokisaki Kurumi nodded without speaking. The two figures vanished and reappeared in a more open space.
Here, dense chains sealed the area. Interwoven chains formed the space, binding a fiery red light orb inside.
The flames gently flickered. The oppressive aura it gave off faintly surpassed that of Sea God Bo Saixi.
(End of chapter)