For the first time since awakening, his expression became serious.
"Who are you?"
The girl met his gaze without fear.
Her golden hair drifted softly in the water, her expression tranquil, almost gentle.
"My name is Eve."
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King nodded slowly, committing the name to memory.
"Thank you," he said solemnly.
"I will remember your name."
His lips curved into a cruel smile.
"After all, you've helped me break through."
Then—
His voice thundered across the sea.
"DEVOUR!!"
In an instant, his human form dissolved.
His mouth expanded violently, returning to its true, terrifying size—an abyssal maw capable of swallowing mountains. A horrifying suction erupted from within, twisting seawater into a massive whirlpool that tore everything toward its center.
The ocean screamed.
Water spiraled downward like a collapsing sky, forming a gigantic vortex. Even the distant ship was affected—the hull groaned as it was dragged forward inch by inch.
"WE'RE BEING PULLED IN—!"
"ROW! ROW FASTER!"
The sailors panicked, faces pale with terror, desperately fighting against the overwhelming pull.
Then—
The whirlpool vanished as the sea stilled.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King reappeared in his human form, hovering above the water once more. He smacked his lips slowly, satisfaction flickering across his face.
"Now…" he muttered, voice low and heavy,
"I can attempt a breakthrough to the next level."
A glint of ambition burned in his eye.
"Perhaps… even step into the realm of a God."
When he had first laid eyes on her, he had sensed it— that terrifying, unfathomable energy within her body, was no less then a ultimate douluo.
Such nourishment was rare ,so he wasted no time.
In his arrogance, the tyrant of the sea believed himself victorious.
After all—
What could a mere human girl possibly do inside the stomach of a million-year Demon Whale King?
Unfortunately for him, the being standing before the Deep Sea Demon Whale King was—
far more terrifying than any god worshipped in this world.
"Tch… tch… tch… tch…"
A soft clicking sound echoed through the water, filled with unmistakable disdain.
"I knew there was a term called fish brain," the girl's voice rang out calmly,
"but seeing it with my own eyes today truly makes me believe it."
The Demon Whale King's pupils contracted violently.
He spun around in shock.
The golden-haired girl was standing in midair behind him, completely unscathed, her clothes spotless, her aura still restrained.
"He! He! He!"
A low, hoarse laugh crawled out of the Demon Whale King's throat, heavy with killing intent.
"It doesn't matter," he snarled.
"I'll just cut you into pieces before eating you."
With a violent roar, he surged forward.
Dark oceanic power condensed instantly in his hand, forming a massive harpoon forged from compressed seawater and abyssal energy.
"Sea Pincer!"
The harpoon tore through space itself, dragging a screaming current behind it as it thrust toward her heart.
Clang!
Qian Renxue raised her sword 'Caliburn' casually.
With a single clean motion, she deflected the attack, the harpoon shattering into scattered droplets that vanished before they could even touch the sea.
She sighed softly.
"…Now I truly feel that Di Tian and his companions are much smarter."
She raised her hand, measuring a gap with her fingers.
"Though," she added lightly, "only by this much more than you."
The humiliation ignited something feral inside the Demon Whale King.
His aura exploded and the surrounding sea howled.
Roaring furiously, he launched himself forward again, unleashing a storm of attacks—slashes, thrusts, crushing tidal waves, spatial distortions formed from abyssal pressure.
The battle continued for half an hour.
The Demon Whale King fought with everything he had.
He summoned whirlpools that swallowed entire sections of the sea.
He even attempted his all-consuming vortex multiple times, hoping to tear her into his stomach once more.
Yet— Each time, Qian Renxue avoided them.
She stepped through space with minimal movement, her sword tracing simple arcs—parrying, deflecting, redirecting. Every motion was precise and controlled.
Not once did she appear panicked nor did her breathing change.
She fought as if… indulging a child which only increased Demon Whale King's anger.
Finally, the Demon Whale King roared and forced her backward, pressing her into a narrow pocket of turbulent water.
A savage grin spread across his face.
He opened his mouth wide, preparing to bite her in half while attacking simultaneously—
At that exact moment, her voice sounded again.
A sigh."So tiresome."
"What kind of idiocy is this?" she said calmly.
"I gave you so much leeway."
Her eyes lifted slightly, gazing beyond him—toward something far deeper than the sea.
"You could have attempted your breakthrough long ago."
She shook her head faintly.
"I think…both Sea Gods will be very angry about this."
Suddenly—
The scene before the Deep Sea Demon Whale King shifted violently.
The blue of the ocean vanished.
What filled his vision instead was a vast stretch of crimson sea, thick and heavy, the water no longer flowing freely but choked by blood.
Countless massive corpses floated everywhere.
Broken fins and shattered skulls. Torn bodies drifting lifelessly with the currents.
They were—
The Demon Soul Great White Shark Clan.
The Demon Whale King's breath stalled.
"These… these are—"
They were all dead, every last one.
He slowly turned his head.
Not far away, the golden-haired girl hovered calmly above the blood-soaked sea, her posture relaxed, her expression unmistakably bored.