"A dead fish doesn't need to know so much."
Ning Rongrong's calm words instantly enraged the Evil Spirit Orca King, its blood-red eyes erupting with surging fury.
"Good, good, good! Aside from the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, you're the first to dare speak to me like this!"
The Evil Spirit Orca King flapped its massive fins, and a wave of oppressive pressure radiated outward from its soul form.
"Uh…" Ning Rongrong blinked, somewhat speechless.
Well, well. So someone else has called you a dead fish before? And it was the Deep Sea Demon Whale King?
Seems like you've not only crossed paths with the Deep Sea Demon Whale King but also carry deep trauma from it, bringing it up at every turn.
"Human, I will tear your soul to shreds!" The space before the Evil Spirit Orca King trembled slightly as a soul-based energy, distinct from soul power, surged toward Ning Rongrong.
Evil Spirit Orca's Hypnosis?
This was an attack that ignored physical defenses and forcibly controlled the enemy for three seconds. The Evil Spirit Orca King's unabsorbed torso bone in Ning Fengzhi's possession contained this very skill.
"A boring attack. Aside from wasting your own soul energy, it's useless against me."
The space inside the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda trembled violently, and in an instant, the Evil Spirit Orca King's assault vanished without a trace.
"Th-This… This can't be!" The Evil Spirit Orca King's eyes widened, its face twisting in disbelief. "A mere human brat, how can you possess such powerful soul energy?!"
"Do you think I came here unprepared, just to serve myself up on a platter?" Ning Rongrong raised her right hand, the space beside her palm vibrating faintly as a somewhat miniature-looking sword materialized in her grip.
"This is my domain, Evil Spirit Orca King. Checkmate." She lowered her voice and uttered two soft words.
" Wú hén."
A faint resonance echoed through the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda, and Ning Rongrong's figure abruptly disappeared.
The Evil Spirit Orca King's expression twisted in alarm as it twisted its body to evade.
"Sshhhhk !"
A streak of white light flashed.
"AAAAARGH !" The Evil Spirit Orca King roared in agony as one of its massive fins was severed, falling to the ground.
Once detached from its main body, the fin lost the will of the Evil Spirit Orca King and dissolved into pure energy, merging into the barriers of the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda.
"You dodged it?"
Ning Rongrong's tone carried a hint of surprise. "As expected of a 100,000-year soul beast. A beast's instincts are sharper than I anticipated."
The Evil Spirit Orca King glared furiously at the brown-haired girl before it.
"An auxiliary soul master? You expect me to believe that?" It no longer dared to underestimate her. Though it was now a spiritual entity, this little brat was proving far more troublesome than expected.
The moment that blade had grazed its body, it had felt an overwhelming, suffocating pressure on its soul stronger than its own.
Perhaps even comparable to its peak physical form's soul.
What was even more baffling was the purity of her soul energy. Unlike ordinary soul masters who stole power from soul beasts by absorbing their rings, this girl's soul carried no trace of external influence.
"Let me tell you something, Evil Spirit Orca King. Whether it's Ring Fusion or Ring Explosion, soul masters are merely releasing their stored power in a special way forcing out energy they normally can't wield all at once."
"But I'm different. My power has always been mine."
Ning Rongrong glanced up at the towering form of the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda.
Her soul had reached the Grandmaster realm, but she had yet to touch the domain of rules that was a threshold only the Perfected could cross.
"By this world's standards…"
"Brat! Stop spouting nonsense and face your death!" The Evil Spirit Orca King's maw gaped open, rows of jagged teeth ready to swallow Ning Rongrong whole.
"Useless. Your soul is nothing but a rootless wisp now." She leaped gracefully, evading the attack.
"Don't get cocky, you arrogant brat!" The Evil Spirit Orca King roared, and a terrifying pressure erupted from its body.
"DIE!"
Energy rapidly condensed in its mouth before a devastating black beam shot forth.
"Evil Spirit Orca's Wrath!"
The sheer force of the attack plunged the entire Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda's interior into a shadowy gloom, as if the world itself were ending.
"It's been a while since I last used a sword. Guess I'll play with you a bit wouldn't want to get rusty."
Here, she could wield her full strength without worrying about the restrictions of her martial soul or the world's laws.
She had now cultivated to the Five Aperture Dispersed Heart.
While the Douluo Continent had its limitations, the space inside the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda was her domain.
In her past life, she had encountered a once-in-a-century avalanche, buried beneath the snow just moments from death.
In that fleeting intersection of life and demise, she had glimpsed the essence of nature itself.
Combined with the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda's laws, perhaps… she could now fully unleash it.
"Trace less."
Like a flash, Ning Rongrong reappeared a short distance away, narrowly avoiding the Evil Spirit Orca King's assault.
The dark beam struck the pagoda's barriers, shattering them but within mere seconds, the broken seals rapidly regenerated.
"As I thought, dragging this out isn't ideal."
Though her soul was strong, her physical body still had its limits.
If the Evil Spirit Orca King kept attacking like this, her body might collapse first.
Ning Rongrong leveled the sword she had formed using the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda's rules.
A razor-sharp soul pressure erupted.
"N-No… impossible!" Sensing the terrifying energy, the Evil Spirit Orca King's face twisted in horror. This pressure resonated eerily with the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda itself.
"A domain?! This tower… is your domain?!"
"But you're not even a Titled Douluo!" It couldn't comprehend this.
"Figured it out, did you?" Ning Rongrong compressed all her energy, and the space within the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda instantly froze.
A blinding white light flooded the interior, the air permeated with a chilling sword intent.
"Using the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda's laws is a bit of a cheat, but… I think I finally understand what lies beyond the Grandmaster realm the Perfected."
"It's time to end this, Evil Spirit Orca King."
The sword trembled faintly, and the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda resonated violently.
The Evil Spirit Orca King instinctively recoiled, its face contorted in fear and rage.
"No! Human, I surrender! I'll even become your martial soul!" it bellowed, its body erupting with crimson flames an aura so intense it rivaled the profound mysteries of the pagoda's space.
This was the Evil Spirit Orca King's domain the Orca's Fury Domain.
A presence brimming with savagery and madness, capable of corrupting souls and minds.
"I refuse your surrender. I don't need a martial soul." Ning Rongrong's voice was icy.
A soul beast that had survived a heavenly tribulation could condense its origin into a human's martial soul. The Evil Spirit Orca King, with its 150,000 years of cultivation, had endured one such trial.
But so what?
Even if it could become a martial soul, who knew what schemes it might hide?
Her group had slaughtered its entire kind. Did it honestly expect forgiveness?
I wouldn't even believe that myself!
When survival's at stake, you think I'd trust the Evil Spirit Orca King?
This wasn't like some blue slime named Rimuru, who could massacre the Direwolf Tribe and still recruit their leader's son, Ranga, as a subordinate.
Ning Rongrong wasn't that naive.
If the Evil Spirit Orca King used the chance to merge as a martial soul to pull a suicidal last stand, trading its life for hers
Wouldn't I be the one losing out?
Besides, she needed the Evil Spirit Orca King to die completely to confirm something.
So even if Jesus himself came, this fish would not be saved.