"Ah..." Cai Yue'er's miserable scream echoed across the sea.
Many people with lower cultivation or no cultivation at all were left with ringing ears, and some even had their eardrums ruptured, blood flowing freely.
The corrosive power of the beastly octopus's ink was too strong. In just moments, Cai Yue'er's skin was completely dissolved.
But the ink didn't stop there; it continued to erode her flesh.
In many places, even her white bones were exposed.
Such pain was unbearable, even for a Hyper Douluo like Cai Yue'er.
"Hand over the murderer!" The massive octopus beast ceased its attacks and paused.
It had survived four tribulations of heavenly punishment.
In the ocean, its strength was easily within the top ten.
To have cultivated to this level, it was no fool.
It knew better than to slaughter indiscriminately.
Humanity was advancing too quickly now.
Just attacking these two massive ocean liners had been so difficult—what would happen if human warships intervened?
It had only acted today because of Demon Soul Great White Shark King Xiaobai's status as the Sea God's mount.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have wanted to provoke humanity.
"Hand over the murderer, and I will let you go. Otherwise, we will perish together." The massive octopus's main head had eight glowing, sinister eyes that fixated on the two ships.
It lifted a giant tentacle, and a terrifying tsunami immediately sent the ships swaying violently.
The octopus beast did not wish to wipe them all out, so it needed to exert pressure, forcing the humans to surrender.
That way, both sides would have a way out.
Otherwise, if the fight continued, it would be a battle to the death.
Seeing that the overwhelmingly powerful sea soul beasts were still offering them a way out, Pan Wen and Sima Lanxiao were moved to tears and quickly asked, "At least tell us who the murderer is!"
The octopus beast looked toward Demon Soul Great White Shark King Xiaobai.
Even it did not know who the culprit was.
Xiaobai lifted her head and looked at Tang Wulin.
But before she could speak, a calm voice suddenly rang through the air.
"The murderer is here. What can you do about it?"
A flash of light, and suddenly, a new figure appeared beside Cai Yue'er. He wore a pristine white chef's hat and uniform, looking no different from an ordinary cook.
His hands were behind his back, and a dark gold aura surrounded him. His spirit rings displayed an exaggerated combination—five black, four red.
His terrifying presence made even the octopus beast's gaze sharpen.
Mu Ye extended a finger and tapped Cai Yue'er's forehead, instantly rendering her unconscious. Then, with a casual wave of his hand, he forcibly dispelled the corrosive ink from her body.
Mu Ye sighed softly and handed the unconscious Cai Yue'er over to Lan Muzi.
"Secretary Pan Wen has already requested reinforcements from the Sun-Moon Federation. The Federation will surely notify your academy. Silver Moon Douluo is badly injured, but she can hold on until Holy Spirit Douluo arrives," Mu Ye said indifferently.
He had long sensed it—an invisible force was manipulating the battlefield.
Even he couldn't discern its origins, which made him deeply wary.
The Body Sect had always been neither truly righteous nor evil.
Their name, "Body Sect," was not only because of their innate body martial souls but also because of their philosophy: they always acted based on their own interests, with no regard for the lives of others.
Sensing the danger, Mu Ye had originally planned not to interfere.
Even if everyone on board died, it had nothing to do with him.
Except for Tang Wulin.
Everything he did was for Tang Wulin.
Right now, the sea soul beasts held an absolute advantage.
If Xiaobai were to point out Tang Wulin as the murderer, Pan Wen and Sima Lanxiao would likely hand him over immediately.
Moreover, the deaths that had just occurred would definitely be blamed on Tang Wulin.
That was something Mu Ye would never allow.
"It's you!" The octopus beast's eight eyes narrowed. It did not know that Xiaobai's target was Tang Wulin.
Seeing Mu Ye claim responsibility, it immediately launched an attack—if it could take Mu Ye down, the battle would be over.
Eight beams of blue light shot from its eyes, blasting toward Mu Ye.
"Is that all?" Mu Ye sneered, stepping forward into the void without dodging. Instead, he simply punched forward.
His dark gold fist shot out, distorting the sky itself. The blue beams dissipated instantly as Mu Ye threw back his head and let out a resounding roar. His dark gold battle armor materialized in an instant, completely covering his body. His aura skyrocketed exponentially.
A pair of enormous dark gold wings spread from his back, and a dark gold halo emerged behind him. At the same time, his body rapidly expanded, transforming into a towering giant, hundreds of meters tall, like a pillar holding up the sky and pressing down upon the ocean.
The sky trembled. The earth trembled. Space trembled.
Mu Ye, now a giant, threw another devastating punch straight at the beast's chest.
"Four-word battle armor master!" The exclamation rang out among the onlookers, their hearts filled with fury.
Mu Ye had admitted to killing the Demon Soul Great White Sharks.
So the sea soul beasts were actually after him?
They had come for revenge, yet Mu Ye—despite his overwhelming power—had hidden in the background while they died for him?
"Boom—"
The octopus beast and Mu Ye clashed head-on. But unlike before, this was now a contest of sheer brute force.
The ocean's power had no effect on Mu Ye's titan-like form. The octopus's massive tentacles struck his body repeatedly, while his fists left deep dark gold marks on the beast.
It was clear—the octopus's attacks could not truly harm Mu Ye, whereas Mu Ye's punches left lasting damage.
"I don't need spirit rings or spirit bones, and I know how hard cultivation is. Get lost. If you want revenge, bring someone stronger next time," Mu Ye's disdainful voice thundered across the sky.
"Roar—! Human, do you really think I have no way to deal with you?" The octopus, enraged, lowered its eight tentacles. Huge waves of blue energy surged toward it from the ocean, and its entire body took on an eerie olive-green hue. Its aura soared to terrifying levels.
"If you want to die, I'll grant your wish. A little gift for my disciple," Mu Ye said coldly. His eyes sharpened as he extended his right hand into the void.
A crimson light tore through the sky and appeared beside him. Under everyone's shocked gazes, the six-meter-tall red mecha rapidly transformed into a massive, blood-red greatsword.
Mu Ye's body shrank down to around ten meters, and as he grasped the sword's hilt, a terrifying blood-red aura burst forth.
"Four-word battle armor and god-tier mecha!" The octopus beast was clearly knowledgeable enough to recognize them. Its eyes filled with unwillingness.
But just as it prepared to flee, an overwhelming will emerged from the ocean, brimming with murderous intent.
"A mecha and battle armor? The ocean is not your playground. Slaughtering the Sea God's mount lineage… you must die."
"Hiding in the shadows—if you have the guts, show yourself!" Mu Ye roared, scanning his surroundings warily.
"Prove yourself first," a disdainful voice echoed from the sea, omnipresent and impossible to pinpoint.
Mu Ye had no time to respond before countless water chains shot up from the ocean, wrapping around him.
"Fine," Mu Ye roared, gripping his blood-red sword and swinging it down.
The slash tore through the air, leaving a dark, ominous crack.
But the water chains instantly reformed.
"Impossible!" Mu Ye's expression changed. His power could cut through anything—even spirits—so why not water?
"Not impossible—just your ignorance. Ask the Demon Soul Great White Sharks you killed," the voice sneered.
In the next moment, the chains tightened.
Then—
A scream.
Before anyone could react, Mu Ye, wielding four ten-thousand-year spirit rings, a red mecha, and four-word battle armor, was torn apart.
The chains wrapped around his shattered remains and his mecha before vanishing into the ocean.
Even the soul beasts were envious—four-word battle armor and a god-tier mecha? Even if they couldn't use them, they could at least study them.
(End of Chapter)