Chapter 85 – The Sky-Eagle's Journey and the Million-Year Gambit
The air above Martial Soul City thrummed as the Agila ignited its core. To the masses below, it was a miracle; to the three women on the observation deck, it was the start of a conquest.
The Agila did not take flight like a bird; it rose like an ascending soul. Lakan stood on the bridge, his hand resting on the central Chaos Crystal pilot-pillar.
"Spatial Anchors released," Lakan murmured, his 8th Soul Skill: Law-Mirror activating to stabilize the ship's internal physics. "Blink."
The massive silver-and-gold dreadnought didn't move forward; it vanished. One second it was hovering over the spires of the Spirit Hall, and the next, it was ten thousand meters in the air, cruising through the thin, freezing atmosphere where the sky turns indigo. Below them, the Douluo Continent looked like a sprawling tapestry of green and brown, and to the west, the endless blue of the Great Deep beckoned.
Inside the opulent lounge of the Agila, the atmosphere was thick with the scent of refined incense and the lingering, sweet tension of their recent dual cultivation. Bibi Dong sat with a regal grace, her skin glowing with a newfound vitality that made her look ten years younger. Shui Bing'er and Zhu Zhuqing were at her side, their auras now dense and sharp, a far cry from the students they once were.
Lakan walked toward them, pouring four cups of tea infused with immortal herbs. "You've all stabilized your new ranks," he began, his voice carrying that smooth, narcissistic confidence. "But Rank 70+ is just the halfway point of the Sovereign's path. To stand beside me when I face the Gods, you need a foundation that defies the laws of the Heavens."
"You have a plan for us," Bibi Dong said, her eyes tracing the ᜊ (Ba) mark on Lakan's chest. "I can feel the hunger of your Chaos Core."
Lakan smirked. "I'm taking us to the Deep Sea. Specifically, to find the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King. He is a beast that has lived for nearly a million years, a creature that has been challenging the Sea God for eras."
The room went silent. Even the brave Zhuqing felt a shiver. A million-year-old beast was a legend, a myth of destruction.
"He isn't just a beast, he's a set of three," Lakan continued, pacing the room. "The King himself will become the Soul Spirit for your second martial soul, Bibi Dong. He will be the perfect Sacrifice that you need in order to Ascend. His wife, the Demon Whale Queen, is also nearing the million-year threshold—she will be the perfect companion for Zhuqing. And their daughter? A 400,000-year-old sapphire of the deep. She belongs to you, Bing'er."
Suddenly, a bright, chubby glow erupted from Bing'er's forehead. Tianmeng, the Million-Year Ice Silk Worm, manifested in the air, looking unusually agitated.
"A million-year-old whale?! Are you crazy, Lakan?!" Tianmeng squeaked, his little body undulating in mid-air. "Do you know how much soul power those things eat? They'll turn this ship into a snack!"
Lakan flicked Tianmeng's head with a wisp of Chaos Qi, sending the worm tumbling through the air. "Relax, silk-snack. I'm not killing them. I'm giving them an offer they can't refuse: The Path to Divinity. If they become your Soul Spirits, they don't die; they transcend. When you become Gods, they become God-Beasts."
Tianmeng stopped tumbling and rubbed his tiny head. "Well... when you put it that way, it's a good deal. I mean, look at me! I'm the smartest one here for picking Bing'er early." His little eyes suddenly turned misty. "But... if we're talking about God-Beasts... what about my Bing Bing? My beautiful Ice Jade Scorpion King? You promised me, Lakan!"
Lakan sat down and pulled the worm into his hand, squeezing him slightly. "I haven't forgotten. The Ice Scorpion King is destined for someone with Godly potential. Perhaps when we return to the North, I'll find the right host. Or maybe I'll just keep her for myself to keep you in line."
"No! You bully! You can't have my Bing Bing!" Tianmeng wailed, before turning to Shui Bing'er with a look of expert wisdom. "Bing'er, listen to me. As the First Wife, you have to be firm! This Sovereign of yours is too handsome for his own good. You need to keep the 'Shadow Cat' and the 'Empress' in their place. Always stay on his left side—that's where the heart is! I know these things, I'm an expert in the art of love!"
Shui Bing'er's face turned bright red. "Tianmeng! Stop saying embarrassing things!"
Lakan laughed, the sound echoing through the Agila. "An expert? You spent a million years sleeping in a hole, Tianmeng. The only thing you're an expert in is being a pillow."
"I'll have you know I had very romantic dreams!" Tianmeng huffed, retreating into his spiritual space while grumbling about "unappreciative mortals."
The banter was cut short by a violent lurch of the ship. The golden light of the Agila's protective barrier flared to a blinding white.
"Warning," the ship's automated Anito-Artifact voice droned. "Spatial distortion detected. Massive gravitational pull ahead."
Lakan stood up, his playful expression vanishing. He walked to the bridge window. Below them, the calm ocean had turned into a terrifying, swirling abyss. A massive shadow, easily the size of a small island, was rising from the depths.
The sea didn't just move; it was ordered to move. A single, colossal eye, the size of a palace gate, opened beneath the surface, glowing with a purple, ancient malice. This was the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King.
The pressure was so immense that it forced the Agila out of its spatial Blink. The ship groaned as the Whale King's domain locked onto them, creating a localized gravity field that tried to drag the dreadnought into the crushing depths.
"So," Lakan said, his Seven-Tone Lotus Flame igniting in his chest, sending a pulse of warmth through the ship to steady the women's nerves. "The host has come to meet his guests. He's more impatient than the stories said."
Lakan stepped onto the open-air deck, the wind howling around him. He didn't summon his weapons. He simply let the Translucent Gold 8th Ring manifest behind him. The Law-Mirror began to ripple, matching the frequency of the ocean's pressure.
"I am Lakan Diwa, the Sovereign, the Holy Son, the Lord of the Seven Songs, The ONE and Only Phoenix. I AM a man of Many Names" he spoke, his voice projected by his soul power to resonate even through the crashing waves. "Whale King! I didn't come for your life. I came to give you the one thing the Sea God has denied you for a million years: A way out of this cage!"
The water erupted as the Whale King breached the surface, its roar sounding like a mountain collapsing into the sea. The battle for the Great Calibration of the Great Deep had officially begun.