"Your Excellency Demon Empress, could you tell me about Xue Di's situation?"
The voice came from nowhere. The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's brows furrowed, and he instinctively hurled a skill toward the doorway.
"Purple light sphere."
A terrifying skill combining water and lightning soul power shot out.
Its speed was extremely fast—even an ordinary Title Douluo probably couldn't react in time.
But when the purple light sphere reached the doorway position,
it trembled slightly and then vanished. Not even a ripple remained; it completely disappeared.
"Impossible!"
Lan Fozi, who had been sitting silently to the side without interrupting, showed shock on her face.
This was her father's killing move. Though it lacked a flashy, over-the-top name, returning to simplicity was exactly what made it so powerful.
That's why it was formidable.
Now, it hadn't even raised a splash—it had simply ceased to exist.
How utterly inconceivable.
While the Demon Empress and Lan Fozi were still in shock, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King frowned and said,
"Ning Rongrong, if you've come, show yourself!"
Compared to his wife and daughter, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King reacted quickly.
To slip silently to his doorstep on the seabed without being detected—even a quasi-god Limit Douluo like Tang Chen or Bo Saixi couldn't do it.
The only one capable of this was her.
"Mm, I just came out of seclusion and received such a grand welcome. It feels a bit impolite."
Ning Rongrong's figure appeared from nothing to something. Her pink long hair gently floated, and she wore fairly luxurious attire paired with an over-the-knee skirt.
But what caught the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's attention most was the purple light sphere she held casually in her right palm.
She simply held it there, yet the skill showed no sign of exploding.
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's pupils contracted, and his expression turned cautious.
Ning Rongrong had grown stronger again.
"You've come out of seclusion?" The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King asked instinctively.
"Mm, it took a little longer than expected." Ning Rongrong nodded. The purple light sphere in her palm trembled lightly. With a "bang," a crisp sound rang through the air.
The purple light sphere turned into specks of light, losing all its power, and scattered through the gaps between her fingers.
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's pupils contracted further, a deep wariness appearing in his eyes.
No one understood the power of that purple light sphere better than he did. Yet such unstable, immense force had been so easily decomposed into the simplest soul power.
What a terrifying being. No wonder Xue Di said even now she might not be able to defeat Ning Rongrong.
"A god?"
It didn't seem quite like it. Having personally witnessed Bo Saixi's ascension to godhood, Bo Saixi knew the state of a human becoming a god—and it didn't look like this.
"Since you've finished your seclusion, then leave." The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King felt that keeping Ning Rongrong here was the most dangerous thing.
"I mean, your whole family of three—even your daughter Lan Fozi is comparable to a level 95 Title Douluo. Are you really afraid of me?" Ning Rongrong complained.
Though she hadn't spent much time with the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, most of it had been when she, Ning Rongrong, was at a disadvantage. For example, the first time she came to the Demonic Whale sea region, she was chased by the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King.
I didn't even say anything, so what are you afraid of?
"Hmph, human, what are you saying!"
"My father is invincible in the world—how could he fear a mere human?"
"Telling you to leave must have deep meaning. And do you think the Demonic Whale sea region is your house?"
"You stayed here for years."
"Tell me what happened after I went into seclusion."
Ning Rongrong spread her hands and sized up Lan Fozi. Why did this one look like a pufferfish with its tail stepped on? Even in human form, she still resembled Groudon with those puffed cheeks.
"I'm not very clear on the human world. As you know, my injuries haven't fully recovered. But not long ago, Xue Di came to find me." The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King said casually.
"Xue Di—what did she say to you?"
"Also, how much time has passed since I went into seclusion?"
Xue Di coming to find her made Ning Rongrong worry. Could something have happened in the far north?
"By human reckoning, you've been in seclusion for about two and a half years." Compared to the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, the Demon Empress was quite familiar with human timekeeping.
"What? Two and a half years!"
Holy crap!
Ning Rongrong's eyes widened.
Two and a half years was a very important number—not because of any counting method, but because of the seal. Sea God Bo Saixi's seal could only last two years. Even if it stretched one or two months, that was possible, but half a year extra?
Ning Rongrong suddenly shivered.
Half a year!
The creatures from the Abyss plane would be running rampant everywhere.
Just as Ning Rongrong was about to press for more details, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King spoke up: "About a year ago, my wife and I went to the Heaven Dou Empire. The reason was Xue Beng's rebellion..."
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King casually recounted to Ning Rongrong how Xue Beng had borrowed the Star Luo Empire's power in an attempt to usurp the throne. Ning Rongrong listened with furrowed brows.
She hadn't expected so many things to happen during her seclusion.
Ning Rongrong took a deep breath to calm her mind.
"What about Xue Di? Did she say anything when she came?"
"She only asked if you had come out of seclusion. By the way, although you said to keep your seclusion in the Demonic Whale sea region a secret, when Xue Di asked, I couldn't possibly not answer."
Xue Di was a god—what could he use to refuse her?
"That's fine, it's normal." Ning Rongrong nodded. "But she didn't disturb me."
"Logically, if Xue Di had an urgent matter, she wouldn't have indirectly told the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King instead of contacting me directly."
"By the way, human, I heard some news in Vast Sea City not long ago." Listening to her parents' account, Lan Fozi seemed to recall something after thinking.
"About half a year ago, there was a beast tide in the far north."
A beast tide?
Ning Rongrong showed disbelief.
"Was it before Xue Di came, or after?"
"Probably after." The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King took over from Lan Fozi. "Xue Di said that if you come out of seclusion, go to the far north first. If she's not there, she's most likely in the Star Dou Great Forest."
"I understand." Ning Rongrong nodded.
No matter what, the first stop next should be the far north.
A beast tide... Ning Rongrong worried that the seal on the passage had been broken, allowing the Abyss creatures inside to escape. That would be trouble.
But the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King family spoke vaguely.
Then again, asking three soul beasts about the human world—what could they possibly know clearly?
"Thanks for these days." Ning Rongrong cupped her hands toward the three, then placed a token on the nearby stone table. The token was engraved with the words "Nine Treasures."
"What's this?" Lan Fozi picked up the token and turned it over, looking suspicious.
"A small soul-communicating soul tool. We're friends now, right? If there's a problem you can't solve, you can use this to contact me."
Lan Fozi flipped the token engraved with "Nine Treasures" back and forth.
"This thing doesn't have some kind of tracking on it, does it?" Lan Fozi wore an expression of worldly experience. "You're not planning to have me carry it so you can find us to hunt for soul rings and soul bones, are you?"
"It does have positioning, so I can teleport over directly." Ning Rongrong didn't hide it and nodded.
"What do you mean by that!" The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King stood up abruptly, slamming his hand hard on the stone table in front of him. A terrifying pressure enveloped Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong chuckled as if she didn't feel the pressure that could nearly distort space. Unhurriedly, she walked to a nearby chair and sat down, her voice calm:
"I know you're anxious, but please don't rush."
"Is the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, with ninety-nine-thousand-year cultivation, really such a shallow soul beast?"
Beneath Ning Rongrong's feet, one soul ring after another slowly rose.
(End of chapter)