Wang Zhong, however, could not retreat.
Soul beasts were stubborn creatures. If Wang Zhong retreated from this strike, even if he managed to defeat the other party afterward, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King would never be convinced.
Constant harassment would follow.
For the sake of a peaceful cultivation environment in the future, Wang Zhong had to decisively defeat the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, in every aspect!
"Human, state your purpose!"
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King surfaced, its madness gradually receding from its eyes and transforming into solemnity. It looked at Wang Zhong, who stood with his hands behind his back on the sea's surface, and boomed, "This stretch of sea you govern, from this moment on, belongs to me!"
"You shall seek another dwelling place in the deeper parts of the ocean!"
Its colossal blue eyes suddenly widened, and rage surged forth once more.
For a supreme ruler, what was most important? Dignity and territory!
The former could not be offended, and the latter was a symbol of status.
Now, a mere human dared to challenge it so openly, to seize its territory. How could it possibly tolerate such an insult?
"Die!"
Deep blue light erupted from the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's body, creating a tangible, transparent blue ice shield spanning a thousand li. Space seemed to warp at that moment, and a pressure, almost solidified, descended upon Wang Zhong like a mountain.
Its massive tail fin struck the sea's surface, launching hundreds, even thousands, of water arrows with a whistling sound towards Wang Zhong.
The sharp energy that came at him was enough to pierce solid iron!
Such an attack, even if faced head-on by a Soul Douluo or a Titled Douluo, would undoubtedly leave them dead or crippled. However, the skin-like wood armor on Wang Zhong's body was immune to all elemental damage.
The water arrows struck, only to be absorbed by the wood armor. Apart from the dull thuds as the force within the arrows impacted his body, Wang Zhong was completely unharmed.
"How can this be!"
What unfolded before its eyes was incredibly bizarre. In its hundreds of thousands of years of existence, it had never encountered such a phenomenon.
"Deep Sea Demon Whale King, I repeat, cede this sea to me!"
"With your strength, you can find a suitable dwelling place anywhere in the ocean."
Wang Zhong stood with his hands behind his back, letting the continuous rain of arrows strike him, his voice calm.
Each arrow was absorbed by the wood armor, and the armor's defensive capabilities silently grew stronger.
"You are dreaming!"
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King roared like thunder. Directly in front of it, a colossal deep blue sphere of light, tens of meters in diameter, materialized out of thin air. The chilling cold in the air intensified exponentially.
As the frigid air spread, the sea beneath its feet began to freeze, and the air it exhaled turned into wisps of white mist.
"This attack is no trifle!"
Sensing the constantly dropping temperature and the astonishing power emanating from the blue sphere, Wang Zhong changed his stance from hands behind his back to his hands lowered, standing in a serious posture.
"Perish!"
Starting from the blue sphere, a violent blast of chilling energy, several meters in diameter, slammed into Wang Zhong in an instant, its speed akin to lightning.
An incredible chill permeated his entire body. Even with the wood armor's immunity, Wang Zhong could clearly feel the terrifying, bone-chilling cold.
While his body was unharmed, a thick layer of frost began to form on his surface, and it continued to accumulate visibly.
"This won't do. If this continues, even though I'm not injured, being frozen in solid ice would still be quite troublesome."
His soul power surged, shattering the ice layer on his body. Wang Zhong extended his right hand, blocking the relentless stream of chilling energy.
His steps began to move forward, from a slow advance to a rapid sprint across the ice.
The surging chilling energy was forcefully split apart, diverting to the sides.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King was not far from Wang Zhong. In mere breaths, Wang Zhong not only broke through the oncoming pillar of chilling energy but also sliced through the colossal blue sphere of light that originated it.
Chilling energy raged, sweeping across the heavens and earth. A fine, light snow began to fall from the sky.
Even though the deep blue sphere had been cut apart, Wang Zhong's charge did not stop. He directly approached the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's colossal head and, under its utterly astonished gaze, punched down!
BOOM!
Like a volcanic eruption, like thunder splitting the sky, the violent impact made even the sea tremble.
"Roar!"
Accompanied by a pained, mournful roar, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's massive body, as large as a continent, was sent flying back tens of meters by Wang Zhong's punch!
The sheer force of that punch was unimaginable!
"Damn human, damn human..."
"This king has not felt such pain in nearly ten thousand years."
"I will make you suffer torment and die without a burial place."
Its colossal tail fin thrashed the sea surface, churning up endless winds and waves. Myriad water arrows shot out, densely filling the sky and earth.
Simultaneously, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King submerged itself, diving nearly a thousand meters. Then, it abruptly opened its massive maw, and the deep blue sphere of light reappeared, but this time it seemed different.
Wang Zhong's spiritual power closely monitored the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's movements. Upon seeing this, his brow furrowed. His concentration became absolute, his body tensed to the extreme.
He had a premonition that this strike would be the opponent's strongest and most terrifying attack.
As this thought arose and dissipated in his mind, the sea beneath Wang Zhong's feet suddenly churned, as if something was bursting forth from the depths.
Within Wang Zhong's spiritual perception, the thing emerging from the sea was water!
It was an immeasurable and incalculable amount of seawater!
It was a colossal water pillar, hundreds of meters in diameter!
"Not good!"
"It can control such a massive quantity of seawater!"
Wang Zhong's steps shifted, intending to evade itsιθ, but the speed and scope of the water's eruption were truly astonishing.
The water pillar shot skyward, attempting to pierce the heavens!
The suffocatingly powerful impact blasted Wang Zhong a thousand meters into the sky. The wood armor on his body, like skin or limbs, began to crack and shatter, as if trying to tear him apart.
Facing such immense force, Wang Zhong's Six-Winged Violet Light Wings unfurled from his back. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, his soul power boiling, and all the muscles in his body tensed.
Emerald green vital energy flames burned fiercely around him. The Eight Inner Gates were opened simultaneously, and his Six-Winged Violet Light Wings flapped with all their might!
"Return!"
Wang Zhong's roar shook the heavens. In the trembling colossal eyes of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, the towering water pillar was pushed back into the sea by human strength and surged towards it like a furious dragon.
The two collided. The Deep Sea Demon Whale King was flipped over in the waves, carried along by the current.
Waves hundreds of meters high rolled and spread out in all directions, resembling a scene of world destruction.
If not for Wang Zhong's Forest Domain on his right arm isolating everything in this area, the towns on the distant coast would have faced devastating destruction.
Everything would have been swallowed by the sea!