Since the intercontinental exchange event, both the Star Luo and Far Ocean ships had returned to a state of calm.
Everyone went back to their routines—those who needed to cultivate focused on their training, and those who wanted to interact with people from the other continent continued their exchanges.
Although occasional small incidents occurred, they were all trivial matters.
Everyone was filled with anticipation for the journey ahead.
Everyone except Pan Wen, Secretary-General of the Sun-Moon Federation, who was on edge every single day.
A timed soul tool bomb had been discovered in the control system of the Oceanic ship.
Although it had been successfully defused, the culprit had yet to be caught.
This left Pan Wen constantly anxious.
Who knew if the perpetrator would plant another bomb in some other inconspicuous place?
If anything happened to the Far Ocean ship, that would mean thousands of lives lost.
However, despite knowing that there might be a "terrorist" onboard, Pan Wen did not make this information public. He didn't even report it to the Federation or request reinforcements.
The timed soul tool bomb had been found within the Far Ocean ship's power system.
That meant the perpetrator had to have seen the ship's power system.
The Far Ocean ship's power system was a military secret, something the Federation had spent immense manpower, resources, and wealth to develop.
It absolutely could not be compromised.
Yet, the culprit seemed to have specifically targeted the ship's power system.
By now, it was almost certain that the Far Ocean ship's power system had already been leaked.
Pan Wen had taken on the role of overseeing the diplomatic exchange with the Star Luo Continent.
His original intention was to use this opportunity to build a foundation for his future campaign to become Speaker of the Parliament.
But if news of the power system leak got out, not only would his political ambitions be crushed, he might even be put on trial in the Federation's courts.
For the sake of his own future,
Pan Wen decided to silence both the crew member who had discovered the timed soul tool bomb and the technician who had defused it.
"Perhaps the perpetrator was only after the power system. Now that they've obtained what they wanted, they've probably left the ship already."
Pan Wen tried to reassure himself with this thought.
He ordered the crew to increase patrols and to conduct thorough inspections of all areas where another bomb might be hidden.
To put his own mind at ease, he even led a personal inspection every day.
"As expected of the Sun-Moon Federation's Secretary-General! Just look at his diligence and dedication—none of us could ever compare!"
Many people were moved as they watched Pan Wen perform his duties so "earnestly."
"With so many outstanding individuals from both continents aboard the Far Ocean ship, I have to do everything I can to ensure their safety, no matter how much effort it takes."
Pan Wen spoke with a smile, earning another round of applause.
Just like that, fifty days passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, Pan Wen had just finished his daily inspection. His nerves finally relaxed, and he picked up a cup of water to calm himself.
But just as he was about to take a sip—
BOOM!
A violent tremor shook the Far Ocean ship.
"What happened?!"
Pan Wen, already on edge, was nearly scared out of his wits. He immediately put down his cup and rushed outside.
BOOM!
Another deafening explosion echoed—
But this time, the sound came from the Star Luo ship.
As soon as Pan Wen stepped out, he saw the entire Star Luo ship violently rocking.
On the Star Luo ship, Tang Wulin quickly rushed to the balcony, gripping the railing as he peered outward.
His expression instantly turned to one of shock.
The once blue ocean had, at some point, transformed into a deep, eerie shade of purple.
A massive waterspout, tens of meters in diameter, erupted from the distant sea, slamming against the Star Luo ship's activated soul barrier. The impact sent powerful ripples and tremors across the protective shield.
"A purple sea? What kind of phenomenon is this?"
At that moment, a figure descended from the sky and landed on the balcony beside Tang Wulin.
It was Mu Ye, Sect Master of the Body Sect.
Mu Ye glanced at Tang Wulin and the others standing nearby, then said in a deep voice,
"A powerful sea soul beast is attacking. This sea region is extremely dangerous. You all must stay here and not move."
Mu Ye was actually feeling quite frustrated.
He had been observing Tang Wulin for a long time. Sensing the immense power hidden within the boy's bloodline, he initially assumed that Tang Wulin's bloodline was his second martial soul.
And a bloodline-based martial soul was a body martial soul.
That was why Mu Ye had been so determined to help awaken Tang Wulin's bloodline martial soul for a second time.
And Tang Wulin had undergone a second awakening.
But instead of awakening a Body Sect-related bloodline martial soul, he had awakened his Blue Silver Grass martial soul instead.
To trigger Tang Wulin's second awakening, Mu Ye had gone to great lengths.
Just yesterday, he had deliberately provoked a large group of Demon Soul Great White Sharks to attack Tang Wulin.
Originally, Mu Ye had planned to hunt down a Deep Sea Demon Whale or an Evil Demon Tiger Whale. Using the blood of a mortal enemy would have been the best way to provoke the Demon Soul Great White Sharks.
He had searched for over half a month, but hadn't been able to find a single whale-type soul beast.
In the end, he had no choice but to kill a ten-thousand-year Demon Soul Great White Shark and pour its blood all over Tang Wulin.
Demon Soul Great White Sharks had an extremely keen sense of smell, especially when it came to blood.
Even across ten miles of ocean, they could detect the scent of blood in the water.
Moreover, they were highly aggressive and bloodthirsty, attacking anything made of flesh—even their own kind.
Tang Wulin had been covered in the blood of their kin.
The combination of hatred and bloodlust instantly drove all the Demon Soul Great White Sharks into a frenzy.
Tang Wulin fought with everything he had.
In total, Mu Ye had lured forty-seven thousand-year Demon Soul Great White Sharks, along with a single ten-thousand-year Demon Soul Great White Shark.
By the end of the battle, the ten-thousand-year shark was dead, and more than half of the thousand-year sharks had been slaughtered.
These Demon Soul Great White Sharks ranged in age from one thousand to nearly ten thousand years old.
But they had all been the future of their species.
The Demon Soul Great White Shark population was already small, and now so many of their young had been killed in one go.
How could the Demon Soul Great White Shark clan possibly accept this?
And now—
Their king had personally come to seek vengeance, bringing an entire army of sea soul beasts.
But despite leading her clan here for revenge, the Demon Soul Great White Shark King did not send her own kind to attack first.
Instead, she had brought other sea soul beasts to the front lines.
The entire ocean had turned purple.
Tang Wulin couldn't clearly see what kind of soul beasts were attacking.
"Teacher, what are they?"
Tang Wulin turned to Mu Ye for answers.
The term "teacher" made the others around him freeze in surprise.
However, this was obviously not the right time to ask questions.
Mu Ye frowned deeply.
"It looks like a massive horde of Demon Soul Great White Sharks, led by a ten-thousand-year king. But there are also other powerful sea soul beasts among them."
Tang Wulin's heart stirred.
He turned to look at Mu Ye—
Mu Ye's eye twitched, but he said nothing.
Yet his expression was enough to confirm that the current crisis was directly related to what had happened yesterday.
Mu Ye's hand glowed, and a white porcelain jar appeared. He handed it to Tang Wulin.
"Eat this."
Tang Wulin opened the jar, and a salty, fishy smell immediately wafted out.
Inside was a thick, golden-colored paste.
"What is this?"
"The fish oil extracted from the head of a ten-thousand-year Demon Soul Great White Shark. It's extremely nourishing."
Tang Wulin's eyes lit up.
Without hesitation, he tilted his head back and swallowed the entire jar of deep-sea fish oil in one gulp.
"Ahh, delicious!"
Mu Ye ignored Tang Wulin and looked up at the sea.
"I never imagined such a vast and formidable soul beast force still existed in the deep ocean... and their power is extraordinary. That last water attack—its strength suggests at least a hundred-thousand-year cultivation level. The Demon Soul Great White Shark King... what an incredible force she's brought."
As Mu Ye spoke, one expert after another took to the skies from both the Oceanic and Star Luo ships, ready to battle the sea soul beasts.
Suddenly, a deep and imposing voice echoed across the sea:
"Humans, you have trespassed upon our territory and slaughtered my kin. Hand over the culprit, or we will bury you all in this ocean!"
A massive figure slowly emerged from beneath the waves.
Its silver-white back was like a small island, and its enormous dorsal fin stood upright like a razor-sharp blade, exuding a chilling killing intent.
Not far from it, a gigantic octopus surfaced—its immense body stretching hundreds of meters long.
The moment these two formidable beings appeared, an overwhelming aura surged forth.
And from the depths of the ocean, even more terrifying existences began to rise