Beast from the Depth
Once he was certain that both the Deep Sea Devil Whale King and the Devil Soul Great White Shark King were incapable of continuing the battle, Iblis transformed the swirling shadow vortex into a shadow sphere. Within this sphere, both beasts lay unconscious and gravely injured from the relentless onslaught of Iblis's Abyssal Reckoning.
Utilizing the Space Law, Iblis swiftly teleported the shadow sphere and the injured soul beasts to a remote location far from the ongoing confrontation. Meanwhile, Elder Cai, Mu Yue, and other high-ranking soul masters assumed a defensive posture. They weren't entirely certain whether Iblis was hostile or not.
However, Iblis paid no attention to them. Instead, he fixed his gaze upon the depths of the sea, adopting a serious stance. After Nero's warning, he could also sense the approach of something highly dangerous, rapidly closing in on his position.
"ROAR!" A deep and thunderous roar echoed from the depths of the sea. Simultaneously, the once tranquil waters began to churn. With an ear-splitting rush of foamy water and a resounding splash that reverberated across the sea, a enormous being leaped out of the ocean.
Emerging before all observers was a colossal sea serpent with an undulating, serpentine body adorned in midnight blue and iridescent turquoise scales, intricately patterned with bioluminescent markings that pulse with the rhythms of the sea. Its head, crowned with bony, ridged crests, bears massive, depthless eyes that glow with an eerie light, while its cavernous maw reveals translucent, crystalline teeth that gleam with an otherworldly allure. Graceful fin-like appendages and seaweed-like limbs adorn its form, and along its underbelly, rows of soft, bioluminescent nodes create a mesmerizing display of colors and patterns. { Reference photo in comments}
The colossal sea serpent once more unleashed a deafening roar, a proclamation of its formidable presence. In response to this announcement, massive waves began to surge, and the once sunny and warm atmosphere was now shrouded in gloomy thunderclouds. The environment took on a dark and foreboding aspect. Even the ship, designed to withstand countless sea storms was now shaking signifying the immense power of the gargantuan sea beast.
'Aria, is that truly a Soul Beast?' Nero inquired inwardly with the utmost seriousness. While others might have been astonished by the beast's power, what truly astounded Nero was the creature's affinity with the surrounding sea. It appeared as though the sea itself was bowing before an emperor. With his energy-sensing abilities, Nero could observe that sea-attribute energy was continuously converging toward the massive serpent, not only from the sea but also from the sea soul beasts in the vicinity. If Nero were to compare it to Tang San's Divine Power that he had sensed from Tang Wulin's Sea of Consciousness, while Tang San might have the advantage in terms of quantity, the quality of attributes demonstrated by the sea beast far exceeded Tang San's Divine Power by a considerable margin.
[ I don't know myself. All the soul beasts We've encountered so far have some connection to the Dragon God bloodline, but even after scanning it countless times through Iblis, I can't detect a single strand of Dragon God blood in it. Judging by the avarice in its eyes, my guess is that this beast might have never emerged in front of others if it weren't for Iblis's energy, which, through your connection, was converting into Divine energy, ] Aria responded. Her words drew Nero's attention to the profound greed gleaming in the sea serpent's eyes.
'Aria, please make every effort to gather all available information about it. I have a feeling this might be the toughest battle that Iblis has encountered thus far, and with everyone present, I cannot directly assist him without raising numerous questions,' Nero requested of Aria. After a brief pause, Aria displayed the sea serpent's detailed status in front of Nero and Iblis.
[
Name: ???????
Species: Leviathorop???? Abysseluri????
Age: ?????
Energy Cultivation: 200,000+ ( Standards of True Dragon soul beasts)
Abilities:
Control Over Sea Energy: Leviathor???? is a master of manipulating the ocean's energy. It can harness the power of tides, currents, and underwater geothermal vents, channeling these forces into devastating attacks or using them to protect itself. This control over sea energy allows it to create whirlpools, generate tsunamis, or even calm turbulent waters.
Immense Regeneration: Leviathor???? possesses a remarkable regenerative ability that enables it to rapidly heal injuries and regrow damaged body parts. This makes it nearly invulnerable to conventional attacks, as even grievous wounds will heal within moments. Its regeneration is tied to the ocean's vitality, so the deeper it resides, the more potent this ability becomes.
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]
'Iblis, borrow my Separation Origin Law through the Growth Link, and remain cautious even I am not sure to defeat this soul beast without using Devil Trigger ' Nero warned Iblis. In response, Iblis solemnly replied, 'Yes, Master.' They both understood that if even Aria couldn't acquire the beast's full information, then it was far more dangerous than they had initially believed.
On the ship, everyone except Nero and Yuanen Yehui was profoundly shocked by the sudden appearance of the sea behemoth. To Nero's surprise, it was Gu Yue who displayed the most intense reaction. Her hands trembled, and her eyes held a look as if something forbidden had manifested before her. This reaction further substantiated the uniqueness of the sea beast, as even Gu Yue, who was Silver Dragon King was deeply shocked by its appearance.
The thunderous roar of the Leviathor jolted everyone back to their senses. Rolling its serpentine body, the sea beast swiftly advanced toward Iblis at an astonishing speed, its razor-sharp teeth poised to bite into him.
A massive sea wave radiated out as Iblis used his Shadow manifested Greatsword which now had a blue ethereal aura surrounding it to confront the Leviathor. Not giving it a chance to take any action further Iblis immediately raised his legs and kicked at the beast's lower jaws sending it further away from ship.
As everyone's attention was focused on the intense battle between Iblis and the Leviathor, Nero whispered a few words to Yuanen Yehui. He then quietly slipped away after substituting himself with an illusion-disguised clone, leaving the others unaware of his departure.
On Iblis's side, the battle against the Sea Beast raged on. Despite lacking the combat experience of Iblis, the Leviathor was proving to be a tough nut to crack as although Iblis, with his superior battle intelligence, managed to inflict continuous injuries upon the Leviathor but the beast's regenerative abilities and the continuous supply of sea energy from the surrounding ocean and sea soul beasts made it difficult for Iblis to gain the upper hand, making their fight reach a stalemate.
"Shadows of Desolation," Iblis's emotionless voice resonated through the air. In response, a vast shroud of darkness enveloped both him and the Leviathor, along with the surrounding area. This oppressive darkness not only restricted and harmed the sea beast continuously but also made it extremely challenging for the onlookers aboard the ship to discern what was happening. Even the higher-ranked soul masters could only make out the vague outlines of Iblis and the Leviathor within the pitch-black shroud.
Hidden from everyone's sight within the enveloping darkness, Iblis discarded the illusion and assumed his true Demonic humanoid form. Now, he could unleash his full capabilities. Fixing his sights upon the sea beast, Iblis swung his Greatsword, causing it to elongate like a centipede and strike at the Leviathor. In response, the Leviathor, utilizing its serpentine body, attempted to evade the whip-like attacks.
However, Iblis wasn't finished. He surrounded the remaining area with Shadow Lances, imbuing them not only with his sword intent but also with Nero's Separation Law
Perceiving the threat posed by the blue ethereal aura enveloping the Shadow Lances, the Leviathor released a thunderous roar, shrouding itself in a swirling vortex of water. As Iblis's attack and the Shadow Lances made contact with the barrier, their trajectories were immediately altered. Iblis also detected that, in that brief moment, some of the energy from the Shadow Lances had been absorbed.
With his keen observation, Iblis discerned that the bioluminescent markings adorning the Leviathor's body had faintly illuminated, and with this occurrence, spiritual power began to permeate the surrounding environment. In an instant, numerous illusory Leviathors materialized, encircling Iblis. Though he was well aware that all of these were mere illusions, Iblis pretended not to notice them as to defeat a beast with regenerative abilities like the Leviathor, a single, decisive strike was needed.
Iblis, feigning a shocked expression, initially directed his attacks toward the illusions, gradually making his way closer to the Leviathor's actual location. As he neared the beast, he gathered the power of Nero's Separation Law at the edges of his Greatsword and thrust it toward the Leviathor's head. However, instead of panicking, the Leviathor displayed a beastly sneer and unleashed an attack it had been preparing all this time. The beast had already discerned that Iblis was feigning his reactions, and it was prepared to counter his assault.
A colossal tidal wave surged from behind the Leviathor and enveloped Iblis. Despite exerting his full strength to resist, Iblis found himself gradually succumbing to the overwhelming pressure of the wave. He became sluggish and vulnerable, unable to react effectively. Seizing this opportunity, the Leviathor widened its jaws and lunged at Iblis, intent on swallowing him whole in a single gulp.
With excitement gleaming in its eyes, the Leviathor attempted to swallow Iblis whole. However, the beast was taken aback when, in the very moment it tried to bite Iblis, he dispersed into a mist of spirit energy. Before the Leviathor could react further, a powerful punch landed on top of its head, sending it plummeting toward the depths of the sea.
The one who had launched the powerful punch was none other than Iblis. He had cleverly used the dispersed mist from the Leviathor's illusions to replace himself with a clone, and then positioned himself strategically, waiting for the perfect moment to launch his surprise attack.
Once more employing his illusion abilities, Iblis crafted a convincing illusion of himself engaged in combat with the Leviathor, allowing everyone aboard the ship to witness the apparent battle. While this illusion played out, Iblis quietly descended into the depths of the sea.
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