Unlike the cheers of the humans, as Chen Xinjie's voice echoed across the vast ocean, an eerie silence fell upon the sea.
All the sea soul beasts instinctively lowered their heads.
The Octupos had already been slain by Chen Xinjie the previous day.
Some powerful sea soul beasts had sensed what was happening when Chen Xinjie killed the Octupos, but none of them had stepped in to help.
That was because Chen Xinjie had only found the Demon Kraken King under the guidance of the Sea God's mount—the Demon Soul Great White Shark King, Xiaobai.
The moment the Demon Octupos saw how Xiaobai had turned and left without hesitation upon hearing the name "Shrek Academy," he had already guessed his fate.
After parting ways with Xiaobai, he had immediately found a hidden trench in the ocean to hide. Yet, despite this, he was still found by Xiaobai, who led Chen Xinjie straight to him.
Chen Xinjie had a reason to kill the Demon Octupos.
With the increasing power of humanity, sea soul beasts no longer dared to recklessly attack passing ships.
This time, the Demon Octupos had only attacked the Star Luo and Far Ocean ships because Xiaobai had personally asked him to, invoking her status as the Sea God's mount.
Regardless of the reason, Chen Xinjie knew very well that he had to respond.
If he did nothing, similar sea soul beast attacks on ships could happen again in the future.
No matter what, he had to make an example out of someone.
There was also another reason—Chen Xinjie wanted to atone on behalf of Long Yeyue.
By killing the Demon Octupos, the victims of the attack would see their vengeance fulfilled and would no longer harbor such deep resentment toward Shrek Academy and Long Yeyue.
With these two factors in mind, Chen Xinjie had sought out Xiaobai early on.
He asked her to help him locate the Demon Kraken King's hiding place.
Using her status as the Sea God's mount, Xiaobai quickly found the Demon Octupos in hiding
"You are the Sea God's most faithful believer. After your death, I will care for your wife and children."
This was the last sentence the Devil Spirit Great White Shark King said to the Demon Octupos.
"Damn it! You btch!"*
These were the Demon Octupos's last words as he roared at Xiaobai before his death.
After all, he had only attacked the Xingluo and Yuanyang ships to avenge the Devil Spirit Great White Shark clan—he had only acted because Xiaobai had asked him to.
Yet, in the end, Xiaobai had betrayed him without the slightest hesitation.
Now, as Chen Xinjie's voice resounded, all the sea soul beasts fell into silence.
"That's exactly what I wanted! I want to see just how many sea soul beasts still dare to devote themselves wholeheartedly to the Sea God after this incident."
On the deck of the Xingluo ship, the Demon Empress swirled a glass of red wine, which was about one-third full, a faint smile playing at her lips.
She did not feel the least bit sorry for the Octupos's death.
Chen Xinjie had killed him, which saved her the trouble of doing it herself.
The Demon Octupos was one of the Sea God's most devout believers, second only to Xiaobai.
At least in death, he had some value.
"Lady Hai Jun!"
A voice called from behind the Demon Empress.
She turned to see the person who had gifted her flowers during the social event.
"Young Master Jiang, what is it?" the Demon Empress asked with a smile.
This soul master's name was Jiang Yuan. His martial soul was the Sea Lion, and he was a Rank 53 Soul King.
"Lady Hai Jun, my home is in the coastal city up ahead. I would like to invite you to be a guest at my residence." Jiang Yuan said.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible. I'm just a merchant, and I must follow the delegation to Xingluo City to register my business, survey the market, and sell the goods I brought from the Douluo Continent. I don't have the time at the moment," the Demon Empress replied, shaking her head.
"Selling goods? May I ask what kind of goods? Perhaps I could be of some assistance," Jiang Yuan inquired.
"Oh, it's nothing special, just some historical artifacts. If Young Master Jiang is interested, you may take a look."
The Demon Empress handed him a storage soul tool.
Jiang Yuan sent a trace of spiritual power inside to check and was immediately puzzled by what he saw.
The storage tool contained antiques, calligraphy, ancient books with a strong sense of age, and even old seals and jade pieces. While exquisitely crafted and made of precious materials, none of them were soul tools.
There was even a skull inside.
Beside the skull was an enormous tombstone, at least ten meters tall.
The inscriptions on it had faded with time, making the text difficult to decipher. Though some characters were still faintly recognizable, Jiang Yuan did not recognize the script.
Unbeknownst to him, it was the script of Douluo Continent from twenty thousand years ago.
Among the lines of filial inscriptions on the tombstone, there was one name that stood out—Dai Mubai, the legendary War God and ancestor of the Xingluo Empire.
"What price are you looking to sell these for?" Jiang Yuan asked.
"I'm not sure if the people of Xingluo Continent will be interested in these items, nor do I know their market value. That's why I need to conduct some research before setting a price," the Demon Empress replied with a smile.
"I don't have much expertise in this field. But Lady Hai Jun, if you trust me, how about this—I can keep some of these items with me. Once you finish your market survey, you can send me a soul communicator message, and I'll help sell them in the coastal city and surrounding areas. That way, we can sell them faster. What do you think?" Jiang Yuan looked at the Demon Empress with anticipation and excitement. If she agreed, he would obtain her soul communicator number.
"Then I must trouble Young Master Jiang." The Demon Empress did not refuse.
Under Jiang Yuan's delighted gaze, they exchanged soul communicator numbers.
"Don't worry, Lady Hai Jun! I will definitely get you a great price!" Jiang Yuan patted his chest in assurance.
"Then I shall thank Young Master Jiang in advance," the Demon Empress responded with a bright smile.
This was her main purpose in joining the delegation.
As for Xiaobai's attack on the Star Luo and Far Ocean ships? That was merely an unexpected bonus.
The Demon Empress glanced at Xia Yi in the crowd.
She could already imagine how furious the Satr Luo Empire's royal family would be when they saw these artifacts.
She truly had no idea how a transformed soul beast like Xia Yi had come up with the idea of digging up someone's ancestors' graves—a completely despicable and depraved act.
"What a pity... If only he weren't such a womanizer, perhaps he and Lan Fuozi could have had a beautiful romance."
The Demon Empress sighed softly, feeling somewhat regretful.
For some time now, she had been silently observing Xia Yi aboard the Star Luo ship.
His talent was truly astonishing.
Everything about him was excellent—except for his flirtatious nature.
Otherwise, he would have been the perfect candidate for her daughter.
But…
The Demon Empress shook her head. She knew better than anyone what kind of person her daughter liked.
And it was her own fault.
Had she not filled Lan Fuozi's mind with certain ideas, she would not be the way she was now.
"I live only for revenge. But Fuozi is different—she doesn't belong in the Holy Spirit Cult. Letting her follow Star Dou Forest might be the best choice."
The Demon Empress knew very well what kind of people made up the Holy Spirit Cult.
For now, her presence kept Lan Fuozi safe.
But if something happened to her...
Then Lan Fuozi would be in danger.
She might even be forced to surrender her soul rings and soul bones.
And now, the Star Dou Forest was no longer what it once was.
If what Bi Ji said was true, and the Star Dou Forest was truly preparing to create its own God Realm, then letting Lan Fuozi join them would be an excellent choice.
If the Star Dou Forest succeeded, Lan Fuozi's future achievements might far surpass hers.
Even if they failed, she could at least obtain a set of four-word battle armor.
But the question was—how could she convince Lan Fuozi?
Lan Fozi hated men, especially those like Xia Yi, who were unfaithful.
Having Gu Yue wasn't enough for him—he was also involved with Gu Yue's teacher, Leng Yaozhu.
A man as "evil" as that...
Lan Fozi would likely despise him from the bottom of her heart.
Even for her, convincing Lan Fozi to follow Xia Yi would be extremely difficult.
"Forget it. Once things in the Star Luo Empire are settled, I'll figure out a way to convince Fozi," Mo Huang shook her head, dismissing the thought.
Right now, her top priority was to incite a war between the Star Luo Empire and the Sun Moon Federation.
Only then could she reap the benefits as the fisherman in troubled waters.
(End of Chapter)