Chapter 93: The Sea Dragon
On Douluo Star, the ocean's area far exceeds that of the continent, resulting in the population of sea soul beasts surpassing that of land soul beasts by hundreds of times. Humanity's near total lack of development on the high seas leaves much of the ocean unexplored and filled with creatures of rare lineage not found on land.
Among the rare beasts are dragon type sea soul beasts, which are numerous in the ocean yet remain out of reach for most soul masters due to the deep sea environment. Only sea soul masters, with their unique aquatic adaptations, have a chance to hunt them. Even then, it remains the domain of these powerful sea beasts, as sea soul masters except for those who have achieved the true spirit avatar level are not their equals.
These dragon type sea beasts are extremely proud, and if captured, they will resist fiercely, often attempting self destruction rather than die at the hands of a weaker opponent. In this era, belief in the Sea God has developed among coastal communities, much like the worship of Mazu in ancient times, stemming from humanity's deep rooted fear of the ocean and a need for divine protection.
Three young figures stood in midair over a vast stretch of open ocean.
"Master, is that our target, the Sea Dragon?" Huo Rui asked.
Ye Wen nodded slightly. "Yes, although Sea Dragons aren't true dragons, they are among the strongest of the subdragon species. Given their enormous size, their abilities mainly amplify their physical power, making them an excellent match for your body based martial souls."
Huo Quan scratched his head, frowning. "But Master, they're all underwater. How are we supposed to catch them?"
Ye Wen sighed, giving his straightforward but not overly bright disciple an exasperated look. "We've been here on the coast for a while now. Have you not learned about sea soul beasts? Although the Sea Dragons are ocean dwellers, they're mammals, not fish. They don't have gills, so they can't stay underwater indefinitely. They need to surface periodically for air."
Huo Quan perked up and tapped his fist into his palm. "Ah, I get it! So, we're supposed to ambush them when they surface to breathe!"
Ye Wen smiled indulgently. "That's the standard method, yes. But since I'm here, we can make this a bit easier. Watch carefully."
Ye Wen extended both hands, summoning two square nets, each about a meter wide, and tossed them into the sea. It looked as if an invisible hand guided them, positioning each net directly beneath two Sea Dragons a smaller one about twelve meters in length and a larger one nearly thirteen meters long. Based on Ye Wen's research, they were likely around 25,000 and 30,000 years old, respectively.
"They're coming!" Ye Wen called out.
The nets suddenly expanded into dark voids, creating powerful vacuums that sucked the two dragons and a huge volume of seawater upward. Above them, two portals appeared in the air, and the massive Sea Dragons dropped down through them.
Huo Quan and Huo Rui exchanged glances, calling upon their golden awakened martial souls and channeling their power. In an instant, they activated their enhanced attributes, unleashing a force that far surpassed that of typical Soul Emperors.
"Steel Fist: Explosive Diamond Punch! Ora ora ora !"
"Steel Fist: Dual Burst Punch! Hyaaah!"
The siblings pushed their martial souls to the limit, reinforcing their strikes with their Steel Fist technique to ignore the Sea Dragons' formidable defenses. Huo Rui's Heart of Diamond surged with incredible force, while Huo Quan's dual attributes of ultimate ice and fire coursed through his fists, delivering both scorching heat and biting cold with every strike. Within seconds, the once mighty Sea Dragons were covered in burns and frostbite, visibly weakening under the relentless assault.
The dragon tribe below had quickly noticed the commotion. Led by their leader, an eighty thousand year old Sea Dragon King, several other dragons emerged from the depths, drawn by the disturbance. Their angry roars filled the air, their massive forms barely visible in the distance as they swam toward the source of the noise.
Standing on a small, nearby islet, Ye Wen, along with the Huo siblings, observed the gathering of Sea Dragons from a safe distance.
Seeing their battered kin, the Sea Dragon King massive, furious, and impossibly powerful stared at them with a mix of anger and frustration. Yet, due to its enormous size, it could not venture into the shallows.
"Rooooaaaar!" Its rage filled howl echoed across the sea.
Ye Wen remained unfazed; he understood that the natural world was indifferent to notions of right and wrong. Only the strong prevailed. For these Sea Dragons, their only mistake was being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and encountering him today.
However, Ye Wen suddenly sensed a powerful surge of spirit energy gathering in the distance. Led by the Sea Dragon King, a dozen or so dragons opened their jaws wide, gathering blue spheres of energy in their mouths.
"Oh no, that's a long range energy attack! I never read about Sea Dragons having this ability!" Ye Wen muttered to himself. But considering how few powerful soul masters ventured into the deep ocean, it made sense that these rare abilities went unrecorded. Sea soul masters rarely reached levels beyond Soul Sage, and the most formidable among them resided on Sea God Island.
These Sea Dragons were lords of this part of the sea, with strength that could rival weaker Title Douluos. A direct confrontation was rare likely, no other land soul masters had ever attempted to hunt them before.
In just a few seconds, a barrage of blue energy beams shot toward them.
Ye Wen quickly composed himself. For most soul masters, an attack like this would require either escape or a defensive barrier. But Ye Wen wasn't an ordinary soul master.
Having dispatched the two captured Sea Dragons, which now floated as black spirit rings nearby, Ye Wen pulled the Huo siblings behind him and transported them upward. He activated his third spirit skill, sending them all to a safe height in midair.
Blocking the beams was out of the question; the skill's spatial shield had a limit, and the barrage would overwhelm it. Attempting to absorb and deflect the entire attack would likely damage his martial soul and leave him vulnerable to backlash.
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