There's no doubt that both the Bright Phoenix and the Azure Flame Dragon are incredibly powerful top-tier martial souls.
In the hands of Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin'er, they truly shine with unstoppable momentum.
Yan Shaozhe relies entirely on his own overwhelming soul power. With his peak-level rank 98 soul power, even a useless individual could be elevated to the level of a peerless master.
As for Xian Lin'er, her title is Martial God Douluo. Although she's still one step away from becoming a Super Douluo, with a soul tool in hand, she exudes the aura of a true Valkyrie.
A peak Douluo and an experienced Titled Douluo working together instantly turn the surrounding waters into chaos. The sea trembles endlessly, scaring off many nearby sea soul beasts.
From the depths of the ocean, a pair of deep blue eyes suddenly snapped open.
"Be careful, it's coming up."
Hai Bodong spoke calmly, having already sensed the presence.
Hearing this, Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin'er dared not let their guard down. After all, this was a ferocious beast.
Xian Lin'er continued to stir the sea with her attacks, while Yan Shaozhe stood guard, fully prepared for any situation.
The sea continued to churn violently, while a savage aura from the depths of the ocean steadily approached.
The pressure it emitted caused even Yan Shaozhe to feel uneasy. It wasn't there yet, but its presence alone was already palpable. This beast was no ordinary opponent.
Just as everyone focused their attention, the water exploded, and a massive creature revealed itself.
It leaped into the air, opening its massive maw to bite directly at Xian Lin'er.
There was no doubt that if she were caught, Xian Lin'er would be utterly annihilated, leaving no trace behind.
"Lin'er, watch out!"
Yan Shaozhe pushed Xian Lin'er aside. Accompanied by a loud phoenix cry, endless golden light erupted.
The massive creature, emitting a faint blue glow, clashed with Yan Shaozhe in mid-air.
"Boom!"
The impact caused the surrounding sea to sink, waves rippling outward in all directions.
Hai Bodong lightly stomped his foot, neutralizing the shockwaves in the water.
"So, it's a Nine Nether Frost Shark. Judging by its size, it's close to 90 meters long. Its age must have exceeded 300,000 years. It seems like it's quite suitable for you."
Hai Bodong glanced at Zhang Lexuan and spoke calmly.
Zhang Lexuan asked curiously, "Senior Ice Emperor, do you know of such a soul beast?"
She had never heard of the Nine Nether Frost Shark before. Soul masters from the mainland had very limited knowledge about sea soul beasts.
"I wouldn't have recognized it either, but as it happens, this Nine Nether Frost Shark was one of the soul beasts that the Young Master recommended for your ninth soul ring."
"According to the Young Master's description, the Nine Nether Frost Shark has a silver-white body that radiates a faint blue glow and possesses an extremely potent yin attribute."
"The Nine Nether Frost Shark has deep blue eyes, crystal-like white fins, and a tail that emits an azure halo resembling the colors of the sea. Take a closer look. Does this soul beast match those characteristics?"
Zhang Lexuan carefully observed and found that it was indeed exactly as Hai Bodong described.
"The Young Master also mentioned that the Nine Nether Frost Shark is one of the largest shark-type soul beasts. Ordinary shark-type soul beasts with 100,000-year cultivation levels rarely exceed 30 meters in length. However, the Nine Nether Frost Shark can grow up to 50 meters long."
"For every additional 100,000 years of cultivation, its body length increases by 15 meters."
"This Nine Nether Frost Shark before us is nearly 90 meters long, meaning it's already surpassed 300,000 years of cultivation."
"Soul beasts of this level are perfect for you. Given the current strength of your body, you should have no problem absorbing the soul ring of this Nine Nether Frost Shark."
Zhang Lexuan possessed four 100,000-year soul bones, had consumed the Lunar Divine Fruit, and had already reached rank 90 in soul power.
Absorbing a soul ring from a 300,000-year ferocious beast wouldn't be an issue for her.
This Nine Nether Frost Shark was incredibly compatible with Zhang Lexuan's Lunar Cold Moon.
"I understand now. Thank you, Senior Ice Emperor."
Zhang Lexuan's eyes lit up. It seemed her luck wasn't bad after all.
"Don't thank me. You should thank the Young Master instead."
Hai Bodong waved his hand, not wanting to take credit.
Zhang Lexuan smiled faintly. Thank Su Yu?
There was no need for formalities between her and Su Yu. If Su Yu wanted, she would gladly give him her life.
She and Su Yu were one and the same. There was no need to distinguish between them.
Zhang Lexuan smiled softly, her beautiful eyes gazing ahead.
There, Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin'er were locked in an intense battle with the Nine Nether Frost Shark.
Logically speaking, with Yan Shaozhe's cultivation level, handling a 300,000-year ferocious beast shouldn't have been a problem.
After all, not every 300,000-year ferocious beast was as formidable as the Ice Empress.
The Ice Empress could single-handedly take on Xuanzi because of its powerful attributes and overwhelming combat capabilities.
The Nine Nether Frost Shark was undoubtedly strong, but compared to the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, it was a step behind.
The problem, however, was that this was the ocean. Sea soul beasts received a massive boost in their natural habitat.
With the ocean's support, Yan Shaozhe couldn't gain any advantage in a confrontation.
Even with Xian Lin'er's assistance, they hadn't made much progress.
Seeing the battle dragging on, Chen Lao, who had been observing all this time, finally joined in.
Chen Lao's martial soul was the Earth-Splitting Bear, a super Douluo with an earth attribute and decent combat strength.
With Chen Lao's help, the trio finally gained a noticeable advantage.
However, the Nine Nether Frost Shark wasn't going down without a fight. With the ocean's boost, it managed to withstand the trio's attacks.
The three of them and the beast engaged in an intense battle on the sea's surface, occasionally creating waves over 100 meters high.
Although Yan Shaozhe's group had the upper hand, they were unable to deliver a decisive blow to the Nine Nether Frost Shark.
"Damn it!"
Frustrated by the prolonged battle, Yan Shaozhe became irritated.
If not for the unfavorable battlefield, he would've subdued the Nine Nether Frost Shark long ago.
He also understood from Hai Bodong's words that this beast was incredibly suitable for Zhang Lexuan.
Naturally, he wouldn't let it escape so easily.
But the Nine Nether Frost Shark was far more troublesome than he had expected. It thrived in the ocean while they were restricted at every turn.
Even with all three of them attacking together, they couldn't subdue it.
After exchanging a few more blows, the Nine Nether Frost Shark, realizing it was outmatched, dived into the water, attempting to escape.
The trio panicked.
If the Nine Nether Frost Shark submerged into the ocean's depths, there would be no way to stop it.
They couldn't defeat it on the surface, let alone in the depths of the sea.
"Hai Bodong, we need your help," Yan Shaozhe finally called out, unable to think of another solution.
Hai Bodong shook his head, clearly unimpressed.
Three people couldn't handle a single soul beast?
He could understand Xian Lin'er and Chen Lao struggling since their soul power was lower.
But Yan Shaozhe? A rank 98 peak-level soul master? How could he be this weak?
Hai Bodong believed that even the weakest rank 98 soul masters he'd seen, like Xuanzi, could've easily dealt with this Nine Nether Frost Shark.
Yan Shaozhe's performance was underwhelming, to say the least.
Shaking his head, Hai Bodong formed a seal with his hands. With a push, an endless wave of extreme cold swept out, freezing everything within a hundred miles. The entire sea surface was sealed in layers of ice.
The Nine Nether Frost Shark, which had been trying to escape, was frozen solid, rendered completely powerless.
Xian Lin'er's eyes widened in astonishment, Chen Lao nearly tore out his beard, and Yan Shaozhe took a deep breath.
This Ice Emperor was truly as terrifying as ever.
With one move, he had frozen a hundred miles of sea. Such power was truly fearsome.
"Drag it up. I left it with one last breath," Hai Bodong said casually.
With a wave of his hand, the distant ice shattered, and the massive Nine Nether Frost Shark floated to the surface.
Seeing this, Yan Shaozhe and Xian Lin'er exchanged glances before using their soul skills to drag the beast up.
The nearly 90-meter-long Nine Nether Frost Shark, encased in ice, resembled a small iceberg.
With a light touch from Hai Bodong, the outer layer of ice shattered, revealing the Nine Nether Frost Shark's body.
"Go ahead, girl."
Hai Bodong gestured to Zhang Lexuan.
Zhang Lexuan bowed to Hai Bodong and walked toward the Nine Nether Frost Shark.
Standing before the massive beast, Zhang Lexuan looked as tiny as an ant.
She released her martial soul, and the Lunar Cold Moon rose into the air, spreading an intense yin energy across the area.
Raising her hand, she pointed, and a silver moon rose into the sky, descending from midair.
Soul Skill: Moonfall.
It was the same Moonfall soul skill, but under the extreme yin energy of the Lunar Cold Moon, it had undergone an earth-shaking transformation. A crescent-shaped silver moon blade descended from above, piercing directly into the neck of the Nine Nether Frost Shark. In an instant, blood spurted out.
Zhang Lexuan did not hesitate. She unleashed another Moonfall, striking the bleeding neck of the Nine Nether Frost Shark once more. This time, it completely severed its central nervous system, extinguishing the last traces of life from the shark.
From the lifeless body of the Nine Nether Frost Shark, a blood-red soul ring slowly rose. On the blood-red soul ring, three distinct golden patterns shimmered, exuding an air of nobility.
Zhang Lexuan sat cross-legged, raised her hand, and summoned the blood-red soul ring, which floated above her head. A vast, overwhelming, and chilling energy surged from the soul ring into her body. She closed her eyes, her soul power surging as she began the refining process.
The absorption of a soul ring from a fierce beast was destined to be time-consuming. It wasn't until the morning of the second day that Zhang Lexuan completed the absorption of the soul ring. With a single gesture, a soul bone emitting a ghostly blue light flew out from the body of the Nine Nether Frost Shark and entered her body.
It was a torso bone.
A torso bone from a fierce beast over 300,000 years old.
The absorption of the soul bone was much faster than the soul ring. Within just two hours, the refinement was complete. At the moment the fierce beast's soul bone was fully refined, Zhang Lexuan's aura skyrocketed dramatically.
In the blink of an eye, her power surged:
Level 95.
Level 95 peak.
Level 96.
Level 96 peak.
Her aura stabilized only after reaching the peak of Level 96, signifying that Zhang Lexuan had now become a Level 96 Super Douluo.
Yan Shaozhe stared in a daze, unable to believe his eyes. Xian Lin'er and Elder Chen were equally stunned.
"Can the soul ring and soul bone of a fierce beast provide such a massive boost? To allow someone to directly leap from Level 90 to Level 96 Super Douluo? How outrageous is this?"
The three Shrek members felt as though their worldview had been completely upended.
Noticing their expressions, Haibodong sneered. "What are you thinking? The soul ring and soul bone of a fierce beast aren't that ridiculous. The girl's enormous improvement is all thanks to the Young Master's efforts."
The Lunar Divine Fruit and the 100,000-year soul bone gifted by Su Yu were the real reasons Zhang Lexuan was able to reach the peak of Level 96. Especially the Lunar Divine Fruit, an item comparable to the Rebirth Ice Lotus Seed—a treasure capable of pushing a Level 96 Super Douluo to the peak of Level 98.
The medicinal properties of the Lunar Divine Fruit alone were enough to elevate Zhang Lexuan from Level 89 to Level 95. The contributions of the fierce beast's soul ring and soul bone were relatively minor.
That said, Zhang Lexuan had likely suppressed her power intentionally. Otherwise, she might have broken through to Level 97. It seemed she understood that her foundation wasn't solid enough and refrained from recklessly advancing. This alone made Zhang Lexuan far superior to Yan Shaozhe, who was a classic example of someone whose strength outpaced their cultivation level.
Such was the flaw of having power imparted to you—it was difficult to make up for the gap in cultivation.
Yan Shaozhe couldn't help but admit he felt envious. "I don't know what Young Master Su Yu gave Lexuan, but the improvement is incredible. To achieve such a massive leap at the Titled Douluo level, it's unbelievable."
Haibodong squinted at him coldly. "That's not something you should ask about. What, are you trying to pry into the secrets of our Ice God Palace?"
Startled by Haibodong's glare, Yan Shaozhe nearly felt his soul leave his body. For a moment, he thought he could see his great-grandmother. The Ice Emperor's power was terrifying—just one glance was enough to make his heart tremble.
Xian Lin'er rolled her eyes at Yan Shaozhe, clearly unimpressed. "What a disgrace, getting scared by a single glance." She lost interest in him and walked directly toward Zhang Lexuan.
"Lexuan, how are you feeling?" Xian Lin'er asked with a smile.
Zhang Lexuan, sensing the powerful soul force surging within her, smiled faintly. "Dean Xian, I feel great."
Xian Lin'er grinned. "How about a sparring match? Let's see what your current strength is like."
Zhang Lexuan hesitated briefly before smiling. "Then I must apologize in advance."
It was the perfect opportunity—someone to showcase her newfound power. By defeating Xian Lin'er, the doubts about her when she took over the Sea God Pavilion would diminish significantly.
The two walked to a spacious icy plain and quickly began their duel.
Two minutes later, accompanied by a faint and weak dragon's roar, Xian Lin'er, like a bird with broken wings, was struck down from the sky by Zhang Lexuan.
"Lin'er!" Yan Shaozhe exclaimed in alarm, rushing forward to catch Xian Lin'er.
"Dean Xian, you're not hurt, are you?" Zhang Lexuan descended gracefully, looking concerned as she approached Xian Lin'er.
Xian Lin'er coughed lightly, her face pale. From the very beginning of the match, she had been utterly suppressed and completely overwhelmed, unable to mount any resistance.