Chapter 21: The Oceanic War

Perhaps it was a matter of intuition, but the moment Dai Yun'er noticed her father staring at her, she, as the beloved princess, immediately stepped forward and spoke in her sweet, crisp voice.

"Father, do you need Yun'er to do something?"

"Hmm." Dai Tianling gently stroked his most cherished daughter's head, a trace of reluctance flashing in his eyes. However, it was soon replaced by cold resolve.

Royal marriages required careful consideration of status and influence. Political marriages had their own rules, and marriages between Soul Masters were no exception—either they involved a prodigious young girl or a female powerhouse who had already proven her talent.

A princess of mediocre talent and appearance would only displease the other party.

Dai Yun'er was not only Dai Tianling's favorite daughter, but also the most gifted among all his children. She possessed twin martial souls—Spirit Eyes and the Netherworld Spirit Cat—ensuring that her future potential reached the level of a Hyper Douluo at minimum, with the possibility of advancing to the Limit Douluo realm.

He knew about Tong Yu. Ugly? Yes, a bit. Older than Ling'er by nearly sixty years? Also true. But he had no family, and all his direct relatives were deceased. A marriage between him and Yun'er was essentially no different from him being inducted into the royal family.

Besides, for Soul Masters, Title Douluo had eternal youth. Age was hardly an issue.

With his mentor dead and the empire on the verge of turmoil, the vice leader of the Tang Sect, Amorous Douluo, had come to visit. In these uncertain times, the royal family needed a Limit Douluo to deter opportunistic threats.

Sigh… I can only wrong Yun'er for now.

"Yun'er, Father has arranged a marriage for you."

"I don't want to!" Dai Yun'er pouted in defiance.

Girls matured early, and she understood what this meant. Just like her elder sisters, she was being used as a tool for a political alliance. She hated the idea of losing her freedom.

Not daring to meet her father's stern gaze, she turned toward her mother, as if silently pleading: Mother, didn't you say that Yun'er has great talent? That I wouldn't have to be forced into marriage like my sisters? That I could be free?

The empress felt a pang in her heart at her daughter's sorrowful gaze. She was about to speak when her husband's cold eyes stopped her. He shook his head, denying her the chance to intervene.

"Yun'er, be good." The empress patted her daughter's head, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"In the imperial family, there are no personal affairs."

"This is just an engagement for now. The wedding will happen when you grow up. When that time comes, you will understand."

Dai Tianling did not look at his wife and daughter any longer. He feared that he would soften his resolve. There was still a more pressing matter he had to attend to.

Summoning his trusted aides, he issued an imperial decree:

"The past case concerning Lord Kirin Douluo was a miscarriage of justice. As of today, his grievances are redressed, and he is officially conferred the title of Imperial National Master. He shall be promoted to the head of the Imperial Worship Hall, succeeding the late Dean Enci, and will take over as the new Dean of Monster Academy."

—

While the political storm raged within the Star Luo Empire, another tempest brewed over the boundless ocean.

Di Tian did not spread his dragon wings to fly but instead treaded across the ocean waves, walking effortlessly atop the surging tides.

As he listened to Demon Emperor recount the history, he also sensed the immeasurable power of the vast ocean, which covered seven-tenths of the Douluo Plane.

By the time they neared the coastline of the Sun-Moon Federation's continent, Di Tian had finally finished hearing the full account of the oceanic soul beasts' transformation.

Ever since the first-generation Sea God, Poseidon, ascended to godhood through self-created divinity, the oceanic soul beasts had split into two factions.

One faction, led by the Demon Spirit Great White Sharks and other powerful aquatic soul beasts such as mermaids, formed the Sea God Faction.

The opposing faction, led by the Deep Sea Demon Whale King and the Demonic Orca King, became known as the Anti-Sea God Faction.

The Anti-Sea God Faction had long been used as mere sharpening stones for the Sea God's successors to hone their skills. Though they managed to persist, they gradually weakened under relentless assaults. The Deep Sea Demon Whale King and the Demonic Orca King both perished, leaving the Demon Emperor to take up the mantle of leadership.

For centuries, the oceanic soul beasts remained in this weakened state—until the disappearance of the Divine Realm.

With the Sea God no longer providing backing, those who had been oppressed took the opportunity to defect. Many aquatic soul beasts joined the Anti-Sea God Faction, launching a relentless campaign against the Sea God Faction and plunging the ocean into an all-out war.

The Demon Emperor herself led waves of attacks on Sea God Island—three-day tidal surges, five-day tsunamis—until the island was finally drowned beneath the endless sea.

With the Divine Realm severed and Sea God Island destroyed, the tides of battle had turned.

It was at this moment that the leader of the merfolk, Sea Princess, broke through the 700,000-year soul beast tribulation and successfully condensed a Yin-Yang Dual Soul Core. She became the most powerful mental force among all aquatic soul beasts—comparable to the former Evil Emperor—and was nearly invincible in the ocean.

Her formidable spiritual power allowed her to seize greater control over the ocean itself.

Just as the remaining Sea God Faction members thought they had found a savior, the Sea Princess unilaterally declared her departure from the Sea God Faction.

She gathered the oceanic soul beasts who wanted no part in the war and established a third faction, the Neutral Faction, independent of both the Sea God and Anti-Sea God factions.

To placate the Demon Emperor's fury and ensure the survival of her merfolk, the Sea Princess even personally attacked certain remnants of the Sea God Faction.

However, as the final battle between the two factions drew to a bloody close—with the Anti-Sea God Faction emerging victorious but suffering immense losses—the Sea Princess suddenly intervened.

With overwhelming might, she saved the last remaining descendant of the Demon Spirit Great White Shark Clan, Poseidon's former mount, Shark King Xiaobai, as well as the last remnants of their species.

Her reasoning? That Xiaobai was her dear friend, her sworn sister, and that the remaining Great White Sharks posed no real threat. We are all oceanic soul beasts. Why must we drive each other to extinction?

But everyone who had fought through the mountains of corpses and seas of blood could see through her deception.

By preserving the leader of the Sea God Faction—Poseidon's former mount—she secured a bargaining chip that allowed her to maneuver between both sides.

The Anti-Sea God Faction was forced to agree, or rather, had no choice but to accept. Their strength had been severely depleted, and they were in no position to challenge the Neutral Faction, now centered around the Sea Princess.

Thus, the war that had consumed nearly the entire ocean came to an end.

As a result of the catastrophic battles, the overall power of the aquatic soul beasts dropped by an entire tier.

Many Ten-Thousand-Year Beast Kings perished, and more than half of the 200,000-year-old apex soul beasts were slain. The high-end combat forces were severely diminished.

However, in terms of sheer numbers, aquatic soul beasts still far outnumbered their terrestrial counterparts.

With no strong subordinates left, and unwilling to risk further losses, the Demon Emperor ventured onto the continent alone in search of allies—ultimately aligning herself with the Holy Spirit Cult.

"That's the situation," she concluded with a helpless shrug.

"The Anti-Sea God Faction has been reduced to a mere handful."

"The Sea God Faction? Virtually annihilated—only Xiaobai, a single Hundred-Thousand-Year Beast King, remains."

"The majority of the ocean's remaining power now rests in the hands of the Sea Princess and her Neutral Faction."

"If you want her to obey orders, I'm afraid you'll have to go personally, Di Tian."