After seeing the energy armor formed on Shui Wuhen's body, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King was filled with shock.
He had spent twenty thousand years studying this move, refining the energy armor to its current level of perfection. Yet Shui Wuhen had only taken a single glance and already reached this stage.
Moreover, with the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's eyesight, he could naturally see the effect of the seven-colored glow on Shui Wuhen's armor—it was equivalent to forming a second layer of defense. In contrast, he could only rely on his own tyrannical physical body to withstand attacks.
Although he did not believe that anyone on the Douluo Continent could threaten him now or break through his god-level defensive energy armor technique, there was no doubt that Shui Wuhen's armor was even more perfect than his proud energy armor transformation.
Immediately, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King laughed loudly: "Good! Good! Good! It seems I really underestimated you."
For him, Shui Wuhen's method had undoubtedly opened a brand-new door, pointing out the next direction for his evolution.
After laughing for a while, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King said to Shui Wuhen: "Speak. What is your request?"
"Do you dare stand still and take my strongest attack?" Shui Wuhen looked straight at the Deep Sea Demon Whale King without the slightest fear.
Upon hearing this, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King was slightly startled, then quickly burst into contemptuous laughter: "Not to mention one attack—even ten, so what?"
After speaking, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King waved his hand at Shui Wuhen and the Ice Freeze Bird, signaling them to attack.
Seeing this, Shui Wuhen's lips curled slightly as he and the Ice Freeze Bird shared a telepathic connection.
"Woo~~"
After hearing Shui Wuhen's plan, the Ice Freeze Bird nodded slightly, and its aura suddenly changed.
Originally, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King did not care at all. But when the Ice Freeze Bird's eyes turned icy cold, and the surrounding temperature dropped at a terrifying speed while an extremely frightening aura erupted from its body, his expression suddenly changed.
"Not good!"
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King abandoned his earlier arrogance. While throwing out several lightning spheres, he rapidly retreated.
"WOO!!!"
Along with a clear yet earth-shaking bird cry, the temperature in the surroundings finally dropped to its absolute limit, and an extreme cold filled the air.
At that moment, the wind within the domain abruptly stopped. The purple lightning spheres frozen midair, as if the entire space had turned into a massive painting scroll.
In this frozen world, the only thing still moving was the Ice Freeze Bird at the center of the painting.
"That is… the Deep Sea Demon Whale King?"
This scene was witnessed by Bibi Dong and the Seven Sacred Pillar Douluo dozens of li away, leaving them stunned in place.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King had actually taken human form—and was fighting another soul beast. From the current situation, that soul beast did not seem inferior to him at all.
"No, that's not a soul beast!"
At that moment, Bo Saixi suddenly noticed Shui Wuhen standing on the Ice Freeze Bird, her pupils narrowing slightly.
That was not a soul beast, but the Martial Soul True Body of a Soul Master.
In this world, there actually existed a Soul Master stronger than her, Tang Chen, and Qian Daoliu—and this Soul Master looked extremely young.
For a moment, Bo Saixi felt complicated. She once said to Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu that whoever became a god first would be the one she would marry.
This was actually leaning toward Tang Chen, because both she and Qian Daoliu, as god's attendants, had almost no chance of becoming gods.
Qian Daoliu saw through this and withdrew on his own.
"I wonder how Tang Chen is doing now…"
Bo Saixi murmured inwardly. After she made her request to ascend to godhood, Tang Chen left Sea God Island and had not returned since.
These thoughts passed in an instant, and Bo Saixi refocused on the battlefield.
At the same time, among the Seven Sacred Pillar Douluo beside her, the leader, Sea Dragon Douluo, crossed his arms and said in confusion: "Why aren't they pressing the advantage? The Deep Sea Demon Whale King has already retreated so far. Is he really so confident in his attack range?"
Hearing this, everyone was slightly stunned.
Indeed, a Soul Master's attack range was not usually very large. Even Bo Saixi, who could borrow the power of the sea, still had limits.
After all, the larger the range, the greater the consumption.
However, what happened next left Bo Saixi and the Seven Sacred Pillar Douluo completely stunned.
After forcing back the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, the Ice Freeze Bird—who had clearly been preparing a decisive attack—suddenly had its icy-blue flames dissipate. Without hesitation, its body turned into a streak of blue light and fled into the distance, disappearing instantly beyond the horizon.
This completely exceeded everyone's expectations—and also sent the recovering Deep Sea Demon Whale King into a furious rage.
"That little brat! Trying to run?!"
He immediately tried to pursue.
At that moment, a golden light suddenly rose from Bo Saixi's chest.
The instant that light appeared, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's hair stood on end.
"Sea God… impossible! You've already ascended to the God Realm! You can't descend!"
But what answered him was an overwhelming pressure beyond comprehension. A massive blue-golden net descended from the sky, directly binding his body.
"ROAR——!"
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King let out an unwilling roar, but his body still transformed back into his true form and was dragged toward the deep ocean.
In the end, despite his resistance, he was forcibly suppressed and sealed deep beneath the sea.
Seeing this, Bo Saixi finally breathed a sigh of relief. The Sea God's power had indeed resolved this hidden danger.
She immediately knelt toward the direction of Sea God Island in reverence. The Seven Sacred Pillar Douluo followed without hesitation, their eyes filled with fanatic devotion.
In the God Realm, within a grand blue-golden palace, a burly man frowned as he looked at the scene in a water mirror.
"I didn't expect that in just twenty thousand years, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King has grown this much… It seems the assessment needs adjustment."
Sea God Poseidon tapped the armrest of his throne and said in a low voice:
"Raise the difficulty of the earlier trials. If he cannot pass even this, he is not qualified to inherit my position."
…
On Douluo Continent, at ten thousand meters in the sky, the Ice Freeze Bird flew at full speed, turning into a streak of blue light.
Shui Wuhen stared behind them warily, afraid the Deep Sea Demon Whale King would catch up.
After a long while—until the Martial Soul True Body duration ended—the Ice Freeze Bird finally stopped, panting heavily.
Only then did Shui Wuhen relax slightly.
"It seems the Deep Sea Demon Whale King didn't follow. Either he cannot fly this high, or his speed is not as fast as the Ice Freeze Bird in its Martial Soul True Body state…"
After resting briefly, Shui Wuhen said to the Ice Freeze Bird: "Let's fly further. Conceal our aura this time so he cannot track us."
"Alright," the Ice Freeze Bird replied weakly.
It then reined in its aura and slowly flew in another direction.
Shui Wuhen sat down and entered meditation.
A quarter of an hour later, his soul power fully recovered. Perhaps due to the earlier crisis, he even broke through to level 77.
"Right now, the most important thing is still to increase my soul power…"
Shui Wuhen murmured inwardly as he opened his eyes.
"Alright, Ice Freeze Bird, let's descend and find an island to rest."
Soon, they found a small island with simple houses—clearly inhabited.
As they descended, panic erupted below.
"Soul beast is coming! Run!"
Seeing this, Shui Wuhen twitched his mouth.
"Hmph! I am not some lowly soul beast!" the Ice Freeze Bird huffed coldly.
Shui Wuhen sighed helplessly and patted its head.
After calming it, he recalled it and slowly descended alone toward the village below.