After a long wait, Zhu Zhuqing and the others finally completed the absorption of their soul rings.
By the time Zhu Zhuqing and the others finished absorbing their rings, the battlefield had already been cleared. There were some soul bones dropped—on Ma Hongjun and Bai Chenxiang's side, the fifty-three-thousand-year Evil Demon Tiger Whale had dropped a head soul bone.
Ma Hongjun had already helped Bai Chenxiang absorb it. Aside from Zhu Zhuqing's hundred-thousand-year soul bone and Bai Chenxiang's head soul bone, no other soul bones had dropped.
As for the corpses of the Evil Demon Tiger Whales, they were all devoured by the Demon Soul Great White Sharks, who specifically feasted on the whale brains—the location of the whale glue.
The whale glue from the Evil Demon Tiger Whale King was in Dugu Yan's possession. However, she had other plans for it. She still had two children to lay the foundation for, and this hundred-thousand-year-level whale glue was perfect for that purpose.
As for Xiao Bai, she directly consumed the whale glue from the two ninety-thousand-year-level Evil Demon Tiger Whales. For Xiao Bai, the whale glue from the Evil Demon Tiger Whale King would naturally have been the best nourishment.
But since she had only bitten the Evil Demon Tiger Whale King once and his death had little to do with her, she didn't feel the need to consume the hundred-thousand-year whale glue.
As for the whale glue from the two ninety-thousand-year-level whales, it wasn't far behind in quality either. It would be enough to push her further. With another fifty thousand years of cultivation, she might even step into the ranks of ferocious beasts.
Consuming the whale glue from the Evil Demon Tiger Whale King would have only accelerated her progress by about ten thousand years—a negligible difference for her.
After all, as the guardian of Sea God Island, she didn't need to worry about her safety. This trial had made her realize that she still held a place in the eyes of the Sea God—at least for now, her life wasn't in danger.
If Dugu Yan were to become the Sea God, perhaps she would be even safer. Back when the Sea God Poseidon had made her his mount, it was through sheer strength that he had conquered her.
As for Dugu Yan, Xiao Bai felt that they were good sisters. Dugu Yan would surely never ride her in the future.
As long as they maintained a good relationship, perhaps after Dugu Yan became a god, she might even bring Xiao Bai along and make her a divine beast.
The more Xiao Bai thought about it, the wider her smile grew.
"Xiao Bai, why are you grinning like that? Did you bite your tongue while eating?" Oscar's cheeky voice suddenly piped up.
This startled Xiao Bai out of her daydream, and she promptly slapped Oscar into the sea with her tail.
Oscar: "She's mad, she's really mad!"
After tidying up, everyone followed the Demon Soul Great White Shark clan back to Sea God Island.
Only Xiao Bai, Dugu Yan, and Zhu Zhuqing remained behind. Why? Zhu Zhuqing was still absorbing the hundred-thousand-year soul bone—after all, soul bones should be absorbed as soon as possible.
Xiao Bai stayed behind to wait for Zhu Zhuqing to finish absorbing the soul bone so she could quickly catch up with the group.
As for the others, they had already returned to Sea God Island to rest. This battle had consumed a significant amount of their soul power, and they needed to recuperate.
"Yan Yan, this is for you," Xiao Bai suddenly said, spitting out a dark red bone. The only downside was that it was covered in Xiao Bai's saliva.
"Xiao Bai, what is this?" Dugu Yan caught the bone and immediately sensed an intense fluctuation of soul power—it was a high-quality soul bone! Judging by its appearance, it seemed to be a head soul bone.
"This is one of the head soul bones dropped by the two ninety-thousand-year-level Evil Demon Tiger Whales. When I ate their whale glue, I bit off their heads along with it.
No one noticed, so you should quickly absorb it. Consider it a thank-you gift for helping me take revenge. In human terms, it's called reciprocity, or mutual assistance? Hmm, something like that."
Xiao Bai spoke sincerely.
"Sorry, Xiao Bai, but I already have a head soul bone. I can't absorb this one. I'm only missing a torso bone now. Chen mentioned that the torso bone slot should be reserved for later—after we hunt the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, we'll use its torso bone," Dugu Yan explained with a smile as she looked at the head soul bone.
"That despicable ugly man? That bastard does have good judgment. The Deep Sea Demon Whale King will indeed drop powerful soul bones. Don't worry about wasting this one—it's the Sea God's great enemy before his ascension.
Not killing it would be disrespectful to you, the inheritor. Anyway, this soul bone is yours now. Do with it as you please. We soul beasts can't use soul bones, so to me, it's just a bone." Xiao Bai flicked her tail as she spoke.
It was clear that she still harbored a grudge against the punch Li Luochen had given her all those years ago.
"Give this soul bone to Zhu Zhuqing. She's still missing two soul bones, one of which is a head soul bone. This bone suits her perfectly, and she'll absorb it without any issues."
With that, Dugu Yan pressed the ninety-thousand-year-level Evil Demon Tiger Whale head soul bone to Zhu Zhuqing's forehead.
Upon contact with Zhu Zhuqing's skin, the soul bone immediately entered her body.
Absorbing a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, a hundred-thousand-year soul bone, and now a ninety-thousand-year-level head soul bone, Zhu Zhuqing's path to becoming a Title Douluo was guaranteed—and not just any ordinary Title Douluo.
After finishing this, Dugu Yan began reviewing the content of her next trial.
[Sea God Nine Trials, Fifth Trial: Challenge the Holy Pillar Guardians. Starting from the first Holy Pillar Guardian, complete all challenges within thirty-six hours. Defeating all seven Holy Pillar Guardians is required to pass.]
Of course, the Sea God had left an additional note.
[If one defeats all seven Holy Pillar Guardians together, the rewards will double, and the victor will gain the authority to nominate a new High Priest (after Bo Saixi's retirement). Two divine-bestowed soul rings will also be awarded.]
Dugu Yan found this stipulation intriguing. Her current strength had reached Level 94, and she was already at the peak of Level 94. In a few days, she would likely break through to Level 95.
This would mark her entry into the Super Douluo tier.
The idea of challenging all seven Holy Pillar Douluos intrigued her. Fighting them one by one was fairly simple—aside from the Sea Dragon Douluo, whose soul power slightly surpassed hers.
As for the other Holy Pillar Douluos, Dugu Yan was more concerned about accidentally killing them.
"Yan Yan, why are you spacing out? Are you reading the content of the next trial?" Xiao Bai noticed Dugu Yan's absent-mindedness and asked.
"Yes, it's about defeating the seven Holy Pillar Douluos. But the Sea God added a note—if I defeat all seven Holy Pillar Douluos together, the rewards will double.
I imagine the others' trials are also related to the seven Holy Pillar Douluos."
Dugu Yan shared the details with Xiao Bai.
"Yan Yan, do you need my help?" Xiao Bai's voice rang out clearly from below.
"Help?" Dugu Yan looked at Xiao Bai in confusion. "Do you mean assisting us with combat training like during the second trial?"
Xiao Bai replied, "It's different now. During your second trial, I was constrained by the trial conditions and couldn't fully unleash my attacks. But now, I can freely control how much of my power I release.
Don't forget, I'm a sea soul beast. And I'm quite familiar with the abilities of the seven Holy Pillar Sea Douluos. Theoretically, I can simulate their various powers to serve as your sparring partner.
That way, when you face them in battle, it'll naturally be easier."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Little Bai." Dugu Yan suddenly smiled.
"Hehe, just treat me to a few meals of your cooking. I want that sweet-and-sour pork ribs!" Xiao Bai chuckled.
"No problem, no problem. As long as you come to eat, I'll make sure you're well-fed. I'm very confident in my culinary skills." Dugu Yan assured her. After all, she had mastered the art of cooking well enough to win over Li Luochen's stomach!
------------------------------------------------------
This novel has been finished on Patreon! I sincerely thank everyone for being part of this journey, as a fan and avid reader, it's a privilege to be able to see the wonderful worlds that others have created. See you in other novels!
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)
Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow