"Seven as One!" Tang San practically screamed those four words, activating the flight skill of his Right Leg Bone of the Blue Silver Emperor and immediately flashing to the very front.
Unless you faced one head-on, you could never truly comprehend the terror of a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast. He had seen more than one such creature — Da Ming, Er Ming, and even Xiao Wu. He had never witnessed Xiao Wu's hundred-thousand-year-level power, but regardless, Xiao Wu herself was never an overwhelmingly dominant Soul Beast. Da Ming and Er Ming's strength, however, he had seen with his own eyes. Even a Martial Soul Fusion Technique formed by two Titled Douluo had failed to wound them.
And yet, in this very moment, the incomprehensibly massive Deep Sea Demon Whale below brought him a far more profound sense of dread. Heidel had not lied — this hundred-thousand-year Demon Whale's power absolutely surpassed both Da Ming and Er Ming's. It was the true overlord of the ocean.
With a shout, seven Blue Silver Emperors burst from Tang San's body, tightly lashing around his seven companions and forcefully flinging them behind him.
The Shrek Seven Devils had been together for so many years that, despite their still-dazed minds, every one of them reacted with lightning speed to Tang San's desperate roar.
Flame wings abruptly spread from Ma Hongjun's back. Stabilizing himself while simultaneously pulling the unconscious Bai Chenxiang into his embrace — with not a single improper thought in that moment — he beat his wings to rapidly straighten out Tang San's Blue Silver Emperors, keeping the seven ensnared people in a neat straight line.
Oscar only had time to craft two Flying Mushroom Sausages. He swallowed one himself and tossed the other to Dai Mubai, who followed Ma Hongjun's lead and grabbed onto a Blue Silver Emperor as well. With his free hand, he pulled Ning Rongrong close. Ning Rongrong, in turn, held Xiao Wu tightly against herself.
By now, the seven had no chance to brace against one another's bodies and could only barely maintain their linear formation. Even so, every one of them could clearly feel the crushing, mountain-collapsing, tsunami-raging pressure bearing down on them. This pressure was even more terrifying than what the Sword Douluo had unleashed before.
The overwhelming blue swallowed their entire field of vision, as though they had been plunged into another world. Distorted space, inconceivably powerful attacks — they were like fragile little boats shattered on the open sea, liable to capsize at any moment. What put them in even greater peril was that among the seven, Tang San was the only one who had released his Martial Soul. Although Oscar could release his instantly, his ability was to produce sausages — even if he wanted to eat a Mirror Sausage, there was no time. That curtain of blue light would reach them before anyone else could manifest their Martial Soul.
In moments like these, what mattered was not merely the team's coordination, but above all the role of the team's leader. At the very front, Tang San's eyes blazed with fierce light. At this life-or-death juncture, he bore the heaviest pressure — and from that pressure, he erupted with his greatest hidden potential.
Six Soul Rings circled Tang San's body, strikingly visible against the sky, each one radiating dazzling brilliance. The Eight Spider Spears on his back folded tight, his right hand clenched into a fist, pulling his right arm upright before his chest as light surged back and forth within his eyes. With a low roar, a layer of intense golden light suddenly burst from his right arm — the Invincible Golden Body soul skill that came with Xiao Wu's Soul Bone.
This time, the Invincible Golden Body Tang San unleashed was not the kind that enveloped his entire body. Through sheer force of mental power, he had compelled the effect outward from within himself, forming a brilliant golden light shield two meters in diameter.
One must not underestimate this change. This seemingly simple modification caused the light in Tang San's eyes to dim abruptly as his mental power plummeted. But it was the only way to fully protect the companions behind him.
Sounds like rain pattering on banana leaves rang out before him — the absolute defense of the Invincible Golden Body had forcefully blocked that deluge of blue light arrows. But the tremendous impact still sent all eight of them hurtling high into the air. The instant the light rain was deflected — before the three seconds of invincibility had even elapsed — the golden light radiating from Tang San's right arm shattered into countless glittering motes and scattered into nothing.
This shield defense was, after all, not the true Invincible Golden Body, and Tang San had no way to fully control it. But regardless, it had managed to deflect that lethal strike.
Seizing that brief window, Oscar rapidly finished crafting several Flying Mushroom Sausages and handed one to each of the others who could not fly.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale seemed to be enraged. A massive sphere of blue light exceeding five meters in diameter coalesced at the front of its mountain-like back. That terrifying blue glow condensed for but a single instant before it shot forth, straight toward Tang San.
Tang San could sense with perfect clarity that this beam of blue light was the same attack that had surged from beneath the water and destroyed the Sea Demon. Compared to the earlier rain of light, this was the Deep Sea Demon Whale's true offensive capability.
The dark night sky suddenly turned strange. Everyone could clearly feel that though they were airborne, they might as well have been submerged in the ocean — the surrounding air rippled in a bizarre, wavering pattern, and invisible resistance enveloped them as though they were soaking in the depths of the sea. But this ocean of air imposed an even greater resistance, an even more insurmountable drag.
A Domain. Only the power of a Domain could control the entire sky over such a vast area. This was the Domain belonging to the hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast, the Deep Sea Demon Whale. Even though the Shrek Seven Devils already possessed the ability to fly, at this moment they could not possibly escape at speed.
There was no room to dodge or to catch a breath. That incomprehensibly terrifying beam of blue light surged toward the heavens.
Just as Tang San prepared to unleash the Invincible Golden Body once more to intercept it, two figures suddenly appeared before him.
"Phantom White Tiger!"
Zhu Zhuqing dove into Dai Mubai's embrace like a fledgling bird returning to its nest. In the next instant, an overwhelmingly intense white light illuminated the horizon. Bathed in that radiance, Tang San felt his entire body lighten as the pressure from the Domain lessened significantly.
The massive White Tiger, over twelve meters in length, materialized from thin air. Its twin wings unfurled, and just before its colossal body met the giant beam of blue light, it turned its head to glance at Tang San. The enormous tiger eyes were filled with a tyrannical air, as if telling Tang San: "We are one. How could we let you bear this alone?"
Unreserved streams of six-colored light poured into the back of the massive White Tiger. Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda finally completed its release. All six layers of amplification landed on the Netherwhite Tiger, while an additional layer of defensive amplification also appeared on the others.
A blinding silver light spewed from the Netherwhite Tiger's mouth. This "Netherwhite Tiger Break" was the strongest attack they could currently unleash. Its power was immense, sufficient to rival a fully erupting Soul Douluo. In the past, even Zhao Wuji's eighth Soul Skill had only managed a draw.
However, within the great sea, this hundred-thousand-year Deep Sea Demon Whale, two hundred meters long, taught the Shrek Seven Devils a profound lesson: before absolute strength, everything else is but fleeting clouds.
The full-force eruption of the Martial Soul Fusion Technique, the Netherwhite Tiger, combined with Ning Rongrong's complete amplification using her six powerful enhancement skills, meant that in that instant of explosive power, the Netherwhite Tiger had already reached extremely close to the Titled Douluo level. Any Soul Douluo-level Soul Master facing them at this moment would undoubtedly be easily dispatched.
But the Deep Sea Demon Whale was not a Titled Douluo. In the instant before the colossal pillar of blue water struck the Netherwhite Tiger's body, a vague sense of foreboding suddenly blossomed in Tang San's mind.
"Not good. Everyone, be careful!" Even as he spoke, he had already flashed to the very front again, positioning himself directly in front of the Netherwhite Tiger's enormous head. Intense golden light erupted once more as Tang San used his body to shield Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing head-on.
BOOM—!
In the next instant, every member of the Shrek Seven Devils felt their bodies plunge into a blue world. They lost their sense of direction, lost control; everything around them seemed to become illusory. An unparalleled force left each of them filled with utter helplessness, and the terrifying aura spawned an unprecedented intensity of fear within their hearts.
Whether it was Tang San, or Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing who had transformed into the Netherwhite Tiger, or the other members of the Shrek Seven Devils shielded behind them, all were sent hurtling skyward in different directions like cannonballs in that single instant.
The worst situation befell Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing. Their Netherwhite Tiger was almost instantly disintegrated by that terrifying pillar of blue light, the two of them spraying blood wildly as they were flung backward. Had Tang San not appeared precisely at that moment, blocking the center of the blue light pillar, they would likely have been completely decomposed by it.
Fortunately, the Netherwhite Tiger's massive body, combined with Tang San's second use of the Invincible Golden Body, barely managed to withstand the attack of that blue light pillar. The others only bore the immense impact force, not that explosive, terrifying decomposing power.
At this moment, Tang San was in the best condition. The Invincible Golden Body skill bestowed by Xiao Wu's hundred-thousand-year soul bone was truly monstrous. Even under such a terrifying attack, he had only been carried into the high sky by the force, yet remained fully conscious.
In this critical moment, years of combat experience and bodily instinct allowed Tang San to clearly grasp the situation around him. He sharply drew in a deep breath and flung out two Blue Silver Emperor vines. Pushing beyond their limits, they extended a hundred meters, wrapping around the completely unconscious Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing. He then abruptly swung their bodies up, sending them flying toward Oscar and Ma Hongjun not far away, and roared, "Take them, and get out of here!"
Following that unparalleled strike, the distorted fluctuations in the air had noticeably weakened, and the restriction on their bodies was no longer as terrifying.
After shouting this, Tang San turned resolutely and dove straight downward, hurtling toward the Deep Sea Demon Whale below. Purple-golden light shot from his eyes as his Purple Extreme Demon Eye erupted, its target the Deep Sea Demon Whale's sole remaining right eye.
Tang San wasn't trying to flee. With his strength and the charging skill of his Killing God Domain, he had a real chance to break through the Deep Sea Demon Whale's domain and escape. However, he was very clear: this Deep Sea Demon Whale would absolutely not rest until it had annihilated them all. They no longer had the ability to unleash a powerful technique like the Netherwhite Tiger. If everyone tried to flee together, the likely outcome would be total annihilation. As the soul and strongest of the Seven Devils, at a time like this, he would not give himself a second option. He would sacrifice himself to create an escape opportunity for his companions. In this very moment, he harbored no thought that he might survive. There was only the resolute resolve to buy the others a chance to live. There were his brothers, his companions, and his beloved. This was also why Tang San hadn't immediately recalled Xiao Wu into his Myriad Treasure Pouch. He could die, but he couldn't bear for Xiao Wu to perish alongside him—even if it was only her body left. As he dove downward, Tang San's spiritual power struggled with all its might to suppress the fluctuations of Xiao Wu's soul within his sixth Soul Ring, refusing under any circumstances to let her soul leave the ring and manifest her body to aid him.
BOOM—! The radiance of the Purple Extreme Demon Eye hammered heavily into the Deep Sea Demon Whale's right eye. However, it only struck a layer of blue water-light. This concentrated, strongest strike of Tang San's spiritual power only managed to make the Deep Sea Demon Whale blink. Of course, it was precisely this strike that thoroughly enraged the whale. Within the colossal black hole behind it, blue light gathered once more, and a terrifying sphere of blue energy manifested again.
In mid-air, Ma Hongjun caught Dai Mubai. By now, he was holding both Dai Mubai and Bai Chenxiang in his arms. He screamed hoarsely, "Third Brother—!"
"Xiao San!" Oscar shouted hoarsely as well. Two grown men, yet tears streamed down their faces like a torrential downpour. However, neither followed after him, because Oscar had caught Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong held Xiao Wu in her arms, and Ma Hongjun was carrying two people. They could disregard their own lives, but they could not disregard those of their companions.
"Go!" With Dai Mubai unconscious and Tang San gone, Oscar became the leader. Using nearly all the strength left in his body, he forced out that single word. Tang San had given them the chance to live. In the end, Oscar's rationality prevailed over his emotions, the lives of more partners forcing him to make the most correct yet agonizing decision.
"Third Brother..." Ning Rongrong, urged by Oscar and aided by the effects of a Flying Mushroom Sausage, rose into the air, tears flowing uncontrollably. She hadn't even had a chance to cast a single auxiliary skill on Tang San, because he had already flown far, far away.
By now, Tang San felt no fear whatsoever. No matter how powerful the opponent facing him, once a person had set life and death aside, they would no longer be swayed by emotional fluctuations. He activated Instant Transfer. Tang San executed the longest-distance Instant Transfer of his life. Simultaneously, he also activated the final Invincible Golden Body effect contained within his right arm bone.
When his body vanished and then reappeared, he was already atop the massive blue whale, directly above the black hole condensing terrifying power, his entire body submerged in that blue light. Leveraging the effect of the Invincible Golden Body, he was positioned right at the epicenter of power sufficient to destroy heaven and earth.
Had Tang San gone mad? No, he had not. To buy his companions the opportunity to withdraw, he had to block this strike from the Deep Sea Demon Whale. Otherwise, his partners would still not be able to escape. Therefore, he had chosen the path that meant certain death.
The Eight Spider Lances, carrying the golden glow of the Invincible Golden Body, plunged savagely into the area surrounding the black hole—just long enough to reach. The bright red spider lances suspended Tang San's body directly at the very center of the black hole. From each lance, an unprecedented crimson light erupted.
Unreserved output of lethal poison, unreserved absorption. "Come on, bastard. Even if I die, I'll still drain some of your life essence."
Tang San's eyes held more than coldness and killing intent—they blazed with an incomparable fury. Convinced of his own death, he no longer cared about what his body could endure. He drove every last shred of his Mysterious Heaven Skill into the Eight Spider Lances, pushing their absorption ability to heights never before achieved.
Three seconds. Tang San knew he had only a fleeting three seconds of absorption time. How much he could drain in those three seconds would determine whether his companions could escape—whether his Xiao Wu could escape.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale's strength was indeed immense, but it harbored an irremediable flaw: the sheer size of its body. Had Tang San used this technique against Da Ming or Er Ming—two one-hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts whose power still fell short of the Deep Sea Demon Whale's—he would have been knocked flying even with the Invincible Golden Body active. Though the Invincible Golden Body could not be harmed by physical attacks, it could still be pushed by them. That was why the Deep Sea Demon Whale's previous strike had sent him hurtling—it carried a massive volume of water alongside its energy shockwave.
But right now, what had coalesced behind the Deep Sea Demon Whale was nothing more than intense blue light; the water inside its body had already been exhausted by the two consecutive blasts. This meant that although the blue radiance gathering behind it possessed truly terrifying power, it could not knock Tang San away.
The Eight Spider Lances had not merely plunged deep into the Deep Sea Demon Whale's body—every barb on each lance had fully deployed, locking Tang San's body firmly in place within that black hole.