Join my Patreon to be 30 chapters ahead of the webnovel releases:
patreon.com/ZeroMoney
I would appreciate your help if you could join my Patreon and support me because it would keep me motivated.
For every 5 Patreon memberships I receive, I'll release 15 chapters all at once. Your support means a lot to me.
******
The Bloodthirsty Frenzied Shark was a rare, heavily mutated variant of the Megalodon. Not only did it possess overwhelming and lethal offensive capabilities, but it was also uniquely capable of devouring other Spirit Beasts to continuously strengthen itself.
This concept of enhancement through devouring was twofold: it could signify a direct, rapid enhancement of its raw cultivation base, or it could manifest as an immense physical strengthening of its own bodily toughness and foundational limits.
In other words, by relentlessly devouring other marine Spirit Beasts, it was entirely possible for the Bloodthirsty Frenzied Shark to accumulate enough raw power to push itself to a sufficiently terrifying level of strength, even while remaining strictly under the exact same cultivation age limit.
This fundamental mechanic was the precise reason why it had successfully managed to survive that horrific, catastrophic heavenly tribulation at the one hundred and one thousand-year mark.
Generally speaking, simply reaching the one hundred thousand-year cultivation mark was already the absolute, insurmountable limit for a standard Megalodon. It was highly estimated that an ordinary Megalodon wouldn't even be able to survive the initial heavenly tribulation that accompanied the one hundred thousand-year threshold. Their only real option was to gamble with the incredibly slim odds of preserving a single, fleeting trace of life force in order to successfully take on human form.
However, taking on human form came with its own dire consequences. There was absolutely no historical precedent of a transformed Spirit Beast successfully ascending to true Godhood. Furthermore, they had to endure the incredibly vulnerable state of losing all their original terrifying power, bearing the immense, life-threatening risk of entering human society to cultivate entirely from scratch. Logically speaking, as long as a Spirit Beast didn't have a fundamental defect in its brain, it would absolutely never choose to take this perilous path.
Yet, for many, this was ultimately an act of sheer, desperate helplessness. This was simply because the innate bloodlines of the vast majority of Spirit Beasts were fundamentally insufficient to allow them to endure the terrifying might of the one hundred thousand-year heavenly tribulation. Even if it wasn't the apocalyptic Great Tribulation that stood as the absolute threshold before becoming a true Savage Beast—just the initial hurdle of reaching one hundred thousand years of cultivation, which signified the monumental transition of their Spirit Ring morphing into a blood-red color—they simply could not survive it.
Because they fundamentally could not survive it, their only recourse was to go all out, desperately holding on until their cultivation base underwent a forced metamorphosis. By transforming into a human, they could effectively evade the subsequent, catastrophic damage inflicted by the heavenly tribulation.
Even after undergoing its bizarre mutation, the Bloodthirsty Frenzied Shark was not inherently stronger than a standard Megalodon at its absolute foundation. In fact, its base form was arguably even weaker and more fragile than a typical Megalodon. However, the acquisition of that terrifying devouring ability represented an almost infinitely massive, expanding ceiling for its future growth potential.
The sole reason why this specific Bloodthirsty Frenzied Shark had been able to successfully endure both the initial one hundred thousand-year heavenly tribulation and the subsequent, far more catastrophic tribulation one thousand years later, was simply because it had ruthlessly devoured far too many marine Spirit Beasts. It used their harvested essence to aggressively elevate both its physical bodily toughness and the intrinsic quality of its bloodline.
As of today, the bloodline pulsing through the veins of this particular Bloodthirsty Frenzied Shark was terrifyingly potent, even surpassing the noble bloodlines of the vast majority of Demon Spirit Great White Sharks. At the very least, Xiao Bai—who had faithfully and loyally followed the supreme Sea God for so many long years—was completely incapable of defeating it in a direct confrontation.
"This is exactly why Lord Sea God explicitly mandated you to step forward and permanently eliminate this Bloodthirsty Frenzied Shark during your divine assessment. It has ruthlessly devoured entirely too many marine Spirit Beasts, causing an immensely destructive and destabilizing impact on this entire oceanic region," Xiao Bai explained helplessly, having just finished educating everyone on the terrifying, innate characteristics of the Bloodthirsty Frenzied Shark.
She genuinely, truly could not defeat this monstrous creature.
"According to the optimal strategy for maximizing its own benefits, the actual cultivation level of this Bloodthirsty Frenzied Shark shouldn't be excessively high. It should still be hovering just a little over the one hundred and one thousand-year mark; at the very least, it definitely won't exceed one hundred and ten thousand years," Su Wen analyzed calmly. "During this specific, crucial stage, it will enter a state of absolute frenzy, madly devouring countless marine Spirit Beasts solely to elevate its own bloodline. Only after it has completely finished gathering sufficient essence and fully completed its metamorphosis will it finally resume attempting to increase its actual cultivation level."
The Heaven-Battling Douluo silently shifted his gaze toward Su Wen, patiently waiting for the young man to continue his detailed explanation.
"It's actually a very simple concept to grasp. The lower a creature's cultivation base is, the easier it is to elevate it. It's exactly the same fundamental principle as the metamorphosis of a Martial Soul. It's not just that a weaker Martial Soul is intrinsically easier to mutate and evolve; similarly, the earlier a Martial Soul is in its developmental stage—meaning the weaker and more malleable it is—the vastly greater the possibility becomes that it can successfully undergo a metamorphosis by relying heavily on external forces."
"Currently, this Bloodthirsty Frenzied Shark possesses a cultivation of just over one hundred thousand years. At this specific stage, it might only need to violently devour a mere ten Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts to trigger a minor metamorphosis, thereby successfully pushing its bloodline strength up to an entirely new tier. However, if it blindly rushed its cultivation until it was approaching the terrifying two hundred thousand-year mark, it might suddenly find itself needing to violently devour twenty, thirty, or perhaps even forty Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts just to possess a slight chance of completing that exact same level of metamorphosis."
Although prioritizing the rapid increase of its raw cultivation base might allow its immediate combat prowess to surge much faster in the short term, doing so would make elevating the fundamental quality of its bloodline exponentially more difficult in the future.
A look of sudden, profound realization washed over the Heaven-Battling Douluo's face, and he nodded firmly to indicate that he completely understood the complex logic.
"However, the unique evolutionary path of the Bloodthirsty Frenzied Shark absolutely does not apply to the vast, overwhelming majority of standard Spirit Beasts," Su Wen continued.
"Generally speaking, after successfully surviving that initial Great Tribulation and officially stepping onto the perilous path of becoming a true Savage Beast, the most universally optimal solution is to first rapidly increase one's cultivation by seventy or eighty thousand years. Then, during those final twenty thousand years, they must strictly and ruthlessly suppress the speed of their cultivation's growth. By hovering around the one hundred and seventy or one hundred and eighty thousand-year mark, they can safely bide their time, actively searching for a miraculous opportunity to undergo a metamorphosis."
"But for a unique Spirit Beast like the Bloodthirsty Frenzied Shark, which inherently possesses this terrifying devouring ability, its clear, undeniable objective is to complete as much of its metamorphosis as physically possible well before it ever hits the one hundred and ten thousand-year mark. Once that is achieved, it intends to break through all the way to two hundred thousand years in a single, massive breath, effortlessly survive that Great Tribulation, and then immediately begin the arduous process of accumulation all over again."
"Of course, if its ambitions are truly boundlessly massive, it is entirely possible for it to stubbornly remain stagnant around the one hundred and ten thousand-year mark, relentlessly devouring until it has absolutely nowhere left to progress. Only then would it attempt to violently break through all the way to three hundred thousand, or perhaps even an apocalyptic four hundred thousand years in one single, uninterrupted breath."
"However, realistically, such a terrifying scenario should never actually come to pass. This is because the Bloodthirsty Frenzied Shark's absolute frenzy of wildly devouring every surrounding marine Spirit Beast is completely destined to invite swift, brutal sanctions. Even if it weren't a marine creature—even if it were a land-based Spirit Beast terrorizing the continent without a Sea God present to issue a divine assessment mission to stop it—other powerful, apex Spirit Beasts would inevitably step forward to assume the responsibility of sanctioning and executing it."
Other powerful Spirit Beasts? The Heaven-Battling Douluo nodded thoughtfully to himself, opting not to continue pressing the issue or asking any further questions regarding this specific point.
"Naturally, there are also incredibly rare, anomalous Spirit Beasts that similarly possess the terrifying power of devouring, yet require absolutely no slow accumulation at all. A prime example would be the dreaded Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. It possesses the absolute, unfettered capability to recklessly and unscrupulously devour its fellow Spirit Beasts to endlessly increase its own cultivation, completely free from any worrying concerns regarding the foundational quality of its own bloodline."
Master Scholar Su Wen's impromptu mini-lecture had only made it about halfway through its intended curriculum when Xiao Bai's sharp, urgent voice suddenly rang out, abruptly interrupting Su Wen from continuing his detailed explanation.
"The aura of fresh blood lingering in this specific area is simply far too thick and cloying! It is highly, highly probable that the Bloodthirsty Frenzied Shark has been brutally devouring other marine Spirit Beasts right here—and based on this stench, it was an absolutely massive, unhinged massacre!" Xiao Bai's voice trembled noticeably as she spoke, heavily laced with a profound, overwhelming anger.
Similarly, the other two Demon Spirit Great White Sharks of Xiao Bai's own clan were equally consumed by an incomparable, blazing fury. From the intensely pungent, sickeningly sweet metallic stench of fresh blood completely saturating the surrounding seawater, they could vividly sense the horrific, tragic sheer scale of the brutality that had occurred here.
At the very, very least, an estimated four-digit number of marine Spirit Beasts had been wildly and mercilessly devoured. While their individual cultivation ages might not have been particularly high, the sheer scale of the slaughter was incredibly cruel and utterly barbaric.
Standing securely upon Xiao Bai's broad back, Su Wen also furrowed his brows deeply in disgust. A faint, natural fishy stench was always inherently present within the vast ocean, but the vile stench permeating this specific vicinity was far, far too concentrated. It was so overwhelmingly thick that it was actively nausea-inducing. There were even faint, wispy crimson threads of a bloody aura visibly diffusing across the surface of the sea, completely agitating and triggering that fierce, dormant murderous aura buried deep within Su Wen's own body.
This murderous aura is actually capable of actively absorbing the ambient blood aura in this environment to forcibly elevate itself! Su Wen immediately mobilized his internal Soul Power to ruthlessly suppress the restless murderous aura. At the exact same time, he did everything in his power to actively grind down and obliterate its surging strength, completely determined to prevent the rapid breeding and expansion of this murderous intent from exerting any negative, corrupting influence over his own mind and body.
However, right in the midst of this intense internal suppression process, Su Wen astutely noticed a very distinct, profound difference.
The overall effectiveness of using the murderous aura to temper and refine my physical body has actually undergone a significantly noticeable improvement! Su Wen's eyes narrowed sharply into slits as he acutely sensed this highly specific, unexpected shift in dynamics.
His absolute degree of control over his own physical body was incredibly, terrifyingly high; it could easily be described as a flawless, comprehensive, all-encompassing mastery. He was intimately familiar with the exact, precise effects of using the murderous aura for body tempering, so he naturally perceived this sudden deviation with crystal clarity.
Furthermore, the stark difference this time was not solely limited to the raw improvement in the body tempering effects; there was also a distinct, undeniable transformation occurring within the fundamental levels of his own vital Qi and blood.
Su Wen could distinctly feel his internal Qi and blood becoming significantly denser and far more solidified. While it perhaps had not quite reached the exalted, legendary stage of fully condensing raw Qi and Blood Power, it was undeniably inching much, much closer to that monumental threshold.
Violently devouring the ambient blood aura in order to feed back and nourish my own physical form? Su Wen was genuinely surprised by the shockingly potent effects of this particular strand of murderous aura. However, what concerned him far more deeply was attempting to discern the true, underlying purpose behind the very existence of this murderous intent.
There was absolutely no room for doubt; the original master and true source of this terrifying strand of murderous aura was none other than the mighty Asura God.
Is he actively trying to cultivate and groom me to become the next generation's Asura God? It wasn't as if Su Wen hadn't previously considered this highly terrifying possibility.
But, he was a grand, dignified Master Scholar! He was the destined, future God of Knowledge! As a mere man of letters, a refined intellectual, how in the world could he ever possibly inherit the bloody, violence-obsessed Divine Seat of the Asura God—a deity whose entire existence thrived completely on endless slaughter?
Do I honestly look that much like some crazed, homicidal maniac? Su Wen felt a distinct wave of profound displeasure wash over his heart, harboring a deep, lingering dissatisfaction toward the Asura God's seemingly terrible taste and profound lack of judgment.
Of course, if this was merely intended as an early, speculative divine investment, then that was an entirely different matter altogether.
Regardless of the true intent, the continuous presence of this strand of murderous aura was definitively a highly beneficial thing for Su Wen at this current moment, so Su Wen decided he would simply endure it and reap the rewards for the time being.
"I've finally found that wretched beast!" Xiao Bai's incredibly furious roar violently shattered Su Wen's deep, internal contemplation.
(End of chapter)