DD Black White [244-245] (Patreon)

Chapter 244: The Defeat of the Sea God Clan

Faced with a barrage of corrosive acid thunder raining down, the soul tool fleet's protective shields were quickly eaten away, dissolving as if made of paper.

The metal soul tool warships were instantly engulfed by the acid thunder, sinking one after another into the sea, leaving only ripples on the water's surface, as if quietly telling of their once-glorious existence.

"Damn it! Azure Dragon's Wrath!" Chen Huijie roared, his eyes blazing with fury.

Never in the Sea God Clan's long history had they suffered such devastating losses.

Without hesitation, he unleashed the Sea God Helmet's power, infusing his soul skill with divine energy.

Though not a true god skill, with the boost of divine power, it counted as a pseudo-god skill—far more powerful than a normal hundred-thousand-year soul skill.

A massive sea dragon burst from the waves, like a beast breaking free from its cocoon.

It opened its massive maw, aiming to devour the Demon Empress in the sky, as if to swallow her whole and vent its rage.

"Hmph!" The Demon Empress snorted coldly, her body instantly cloaked in crackling lightning, like a shooting star.

She transformed into a lightning whale and shot into the clouds like an arrow.

The lightning whale's body crackled with electric currents, turning the sky a glowing purple.

It then descended with overwhelming force, slamming into the sea dragon.

The collision sent the sea dragon crashing into the ocean, and the sea itself instantly became a storm of lightning.

The seawater flickered with a strange glow, as if transformed into flowing plasma.

With a screech like glass scraping, a lightning orb shot forth like a bullet, heading straight for Chen Huijie.

In a blink, it was upon him.

A lightning-clad arm shot out, a blade of dazzling electricity piercing through the sea giant's chest.

A huge hole appeared in the chest, lightning coursing around it, preventing the seawater from closing the wound—the wild lightning seemed alive, keeping the injury from healing.

The sea giant's body trembled, wracked with agony.

Chen Huijie was terrified, realizing this was a life-or-death crisis.

He swung his fist, drawing on the endless power of the sea, temporarily forcing the Demon Empress back.

He then shouted desperately to the surviving clan members, "Go! Rush to Douluo Continent! Tell the Clear Sky Sect and Shrek Academy—the Deep Sea Demonic Whale has emerged, seeking revenge against the Sea God lineage!"

He had realized something was terribly wrong.

The Demon Empress's strength was monstrous—her power far surpassed that of any ordinary Deep Sea Demonic Whale.

Even with the Sea God Helmet, he could only barely fight her to a standstill while she was already injured, and was mostly on the defensive.

He could not let the Sea God Clan be wiped out before his eyes.

Though other members remained in hiding, this fleet represented the clan's elite.

If all these elites fell, even the well-established Sea God Clan would be crippled, unlikely to recover.

The surviving clan members, already grief-stricken at their losses, felt a chill in their hearts at what sounded like their chief's last words.

They understood: their clan leader was no longer confident he could survive this battle.

The Demon Empress had no intention of letting any Sea God followers escape.

In her mind, any follower of the Sea God had to die.

Her control over the storm grew more fearsome, and she fought more skillfully as the battle went on.

After all, she had not long held the power of the Herrscher of Thunder, and had used it only a few times.

This battle with Chen Huijie, a peer equal in rank, was rapidly familiarizing her with her power, making her grow ever stronger.

In contrast, the divine light of the Sea God Helmet atop Chen Huijie's head was now dim and fading.

Unlike the Demon Empress, who had the Honkai Gem to provide endless energy, Chen Huijie used the divine power the Sea God Clan had gathered over millennia.

Once that power ran out, he would have to sacrifice his own life to use the helmet again.

But he had no choice. To control the sea and protect his people, he had to use the helmet.

After all, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale could also command the sea's power.

Without the helmet's help, he could not contest the Demon Empress for dominance over the ocean—without it, none of the Sea God Clan could escape, and this sea would become their grave.

Not far away, Lan Fozi watched the fierce battle from a distance.

The sea's surface was littered with the warship's fragments, scattered like fallen leaves.

Her clear eyes revealed a trace of sympathy.

Following the Demon Empress, she had already witnessed the horrific massacre of the Devil Soul Great White Shark clan.

Though they were enemies, her kind nature made her uneasy at such brutality.

After all, the annihilation of a clan was unbearably cruel.

Yet, she was powerless to change anything.

Now, seeing the Sea God Clan also on the brink of destruction, her worry only deepened.

The Demon Empress's actions were too flagrant—her open conflict with humans would surely draw the attention of powerful human cultivators, and even gods, placing her in grave danger.

As Lan Fozi fretted, the battle suddenly changed.

With a final dazzling Magnetic Storm Slash, like a bolt from the heavens, the attack slammed into the Sea God Helmet.

A hairline crack appeared, spiderwebbing rapidly outward.

With a crisp snap, the helmet shattered, its fragments scattering.

This divine artifact, left by Tang San, carrying the Sea God Clan's glory and mission, was destroyed forever in this battle.

Chen Huijie, too, was unrecognizable—having sacrificed his life force to power the helmet, his hair turned white, his skin wrinkled and withered.

Even if he survived the fight, his days were numbered.

He had once been a peak-level Title Douluo, with the Sea God Helmet's aid capable of suppressing even Di Tian, the Beast God.

But fate was cruel—he died unknown in a remote sea, his name and strength lost to history.

"Wasting my time—why insist on courting death?" The Demon Empress, though victorious, had used all her trump cards and was badly injured.

Her face was grim and exhausted.

She flicked her hand, and Chen Huijie's body turned to ash in a flash of lightning.

She tossed the broken helmet into the sea and dove into the depths.

She needed to devour some sea soul beasts to recover.

After all, her hatred, built up over millennia, would not be quelled by simply wiping out the Devil Soul Great White Shark and Sea God Clans.

Her path of vengeance had only just begun.

Before leaving, she sent the Sea God Clan's intel to World Serpent.

World Serpent had given her power and hope—she had no wish to fall out with them, as she still needed their strength.

…

"Sea God Clan, huh? I remember that ten thousand years later, Boundless Sea Douluo Chen Xinjie also came from the Sea God Clan."

Lu Jingming looked at the information about the Demon Empress's fight on his phone, feeling a ripple of surprise.

He hadn't expected the Demon Empress to run into the Sea God Clan by accident.

This clan had always been mysterious, barely leaving a trace in this era.

It wasn't until ten thousand years later that they reappeared, still keeping a low profile.

They were one of Tang San's contingencies on Douluo Continent.

Tang San considered Douluo Continent his chessboard, with hidden plans everywhere.

The Demon Empress's unintentional crippling of the Sea God Clan could be considered a good thing, preventing future trouble from this mysterious family.

Chapter 245: Forming the Soul Core

Lu Jingming's movements accidentally woke Keqing, who slept beside him.

Half-awake, Keqing remembered what had happened earlier.

Though they hadn't gone all the way, their intimacy still left her blushing deeply.

"Why are you still here? I'm not fooling around with you today—I have work to do."

Keqing tried to sound calm and natural, pretending nothing had happened, but her flushed ears betrayed her embarrassment.

Lu Jingming found her act amusing, but knew better than to tease her for fear she'd ignore him for days.

He simply smiled and said nothing.

Soon, the sound of running water came from the bathroom—Keqing had gone to shower.

Lu Jingming closed his eyes, focusing on the surging soul power within him.

He could feel that he was close to breaking through the bottleneck to rank seventy, and was preparing to form his first soul core.

Of all his powers, he was most familiar with Black Abyss, so he chose to make his first soul core one of destruction.

As a soul master with an ultimate attribute, his soul power was far purer and denser than others.

Forming a soul core meant gradually liquefying his soul power, then compressing it into a crystal—the soul core.

In this era, soul masters usually only formed a soul core when on the verge of becoming a Title Douluo.

A soul core was the key to entering the Title Douluo realm; without it, one could never truly progress.

But Lu Jingming knew deeper secrets.

In fact, a soul master could refine their soul power before rank seventy, compressing it at rank sixty-nine to form a soul core upon breaking through—greatly extending lifespan and enhancing the true form's effects.

Forming a soul core before rank seventy brought huge advantages, and made breaking into Title Douluo easier.

That was why Title Douluos had grown more common in later generations.

Ultimate attribute soul masters had an even greater advantage in this process—their soul power was naturally purer, making not only the first but also the second and third soul cores easier to form.

Thus, ultimate attribute soul masters were still highly valued on Douluo Continent.

Lu Jingming now met all the requirements.

His soul power was almost fully liquefied; just a little push would crystallize it into his first soul core.

He could achieve this with his own talent, without rare treasures—such was the power of talent.

On Douluo Continent, bloodline was everything.

Martial spirits were inherited, and the strength of one's spirit determined one's potential, progress, and achievements.

In a sense, bloodline decided everything.

Lu Jingming was no exception—had he not started with the god-level Black Abyss White Flower martial soul, even with cheats, he could never be as strong as he was now.

Even if he could still become stronger, his speed and ultimate potential would never have matched his current level.

Soon, Keqing finished her shower, wrapped in a towel, drying her hair as she walked out.

Her pale skin glowed softly, droplets tracing down her neck.

"Turn around!" Keqing pointed at Lu Jingming, signaling him to look away as she changed.

Lu Jingming twitched his lips—after all their intimacy, was there still need for shyness?

But this was his beloved wife, so he indulged her.

He turned around as told, thinking there would be many more chances to see her in the future.

Seeing him so obedient, Keqing looked satisfied.

She changed clothes, not worried he'd peek—she trusted him.

"Good, you're pretty well-behaved. Since you're so good, I'll grant you a wish next time," Keqing said, even replacing her stockings with a new pair of black ones—her favorite, and also Lu Jingming's.

"That's a promise—you can't take it back!" Lu Jingming was delighted by the surprise.

Keqing's wardrobe was simple; though she looked good in anything, she rarely varied her outfits or wore jewelry, and only liked black stockings.

Lu Jingming had always wanted to see her in white stockings, and now, with her promise, he could look forward to it.

Of course, everyone has their own style.

Keqing suited black stockings—mysterious and sexy.

Jinhsi and Firefly, on the other hand, suited white stockings, as did March 7th and Castorice, who looked especially sweet and charming in them.

Still, pretty girls could look good in anything—gorgeous clothes needed beautiful people to do them justice.

"I, Keqing, never go back on my word!"

Keqing put her hands on her hips, giving Lu Jingming a cute, slightly proud look.

"Alright, alright, I trust you!" Lu Jingming raised his hands in mock surrender, smiling flatteringly.

"That's better. I'm going back to the office. Who knows if they've fixed my office yet. It's your fault—I'll have to come up with an explanation!"

Keqing glared at Lu Jingming, then left.

Lu Jingming shrugged, then once again connected to Key of Infinity.

He planned to find a quiet place to form his soul core, and Herta's domain was perfect.

It was quiet and full of energy.

Inside, Herta herself was away, off to create a black hole in space.

Lu Jingming wanted to watch, but that was far beyond his current soul emperor level.

He found a spot near a few Honkai energy reactors Herta had set up, where the energy was most active—perfect for forming a soul core.

As he began channeling the world's energy into himself, he entered a unique state.

His consciousness seemed to leave his body, expanding outward and merging with the vast world.

It was as if he floated in a sea of energy particles, all surging toward him.

Death, destruction, life, and thunder energies were especially active, eager to be absorbed.

Other energies also gathered, but none were as compatible with him as those.

All this energy surged into him, making his body tremble; each vibration warped the air around him as the energy condensed.

As he absorbed, the soul power in his dantian grew brighter, shining like a constellation.