Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends.

Her voice was a little softer than usual, but it reached Ariel's ears clearly.

The next moment, the light around her suddenly exploded, like a golden flower that was ignited at the same time, melting the phantom of the sea god and herself into a gate of crimson-gold flames.

The door slowly opened in the void, with fine wave patterns flowing along its edges. Behind the door was a space filled with golden light, exuding an ancient aura belonging to the authority of the sea god.

Ariel stood before the gate of flames, watching Poseidon's figure dissipate, watching the last trace of warmth remain in her eyes that were turning transparent.

She lifted her foot and stepped through the door.

The crimson-gold light flickered slightly as it engulfed her figure, then returned to its steady state.

After confirming her entry, the gate of flames slowly began to close, and the golden patterns at its edges began to recede inward.

Poseidon's figure, amidst the fading light, resembled a watercolor painting scattered by the wind, gradually becoming transparent from the edges.

As the door closed completely, Poseidon's figure also completely dissolved into the dissipating golden light.

The room returned to calm, with only the lingering, slowly dissipating power of the sea god remaining in the air.

……

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King had already set foot on the land.

He hovered above a desolate wilderness, his dark blue robe rustling in the wind, his long hair billowing backward in the air currents, revealing his angular, cold face.

The moment his feet stepped onto the land, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's brow furrowed slightly.

It is completely different from the ocean.

The atmosphere in the ocean is pure and singular: the seawater, the salt, the rhythm of the tides, and the energy fluctuations emanating from the soul beasts that live within it.

He could clearly distinguish the source of each undercurrent, accurately pinpoint the location of each sea spirit beast, and perceive every subtle change.

But the air above the land was like a pot of turbid soup that had been stirred up.

The scent of plants, the scent of earth, the aroma of cooking fires emanating from human settlements, the remnants of various types of soul power...

They are like countless threads of different colors intertwined and woven together into a complex network that he cannot easily penetrate.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King hovered above the wilderness, its spiritual power spreading out in all directions like an invisible mist.

He could sense the outlines of several towns in the distance, and he could also sense the soul power fluctuations emanating from the soul masters active in those towns, but he could not distinguish from those uneven fluctuations the specific traces belonging to Poseidon or the successor of the Sea God.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King was prepared for a long search. He had long anticipated that tracking on land would not be as smooth as it was in the ocean.

This land covered in dust and vegetation is not his home turf after all; he needs time and enough patience.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King did not rush to move. He hovered in place, extending his mental power as far as possible, like a fishing net slowly being spread out, taking in every city, every mountain forest, and every stream along the way into his perception range.

He was searching for that trace permeated by the ocean's breath, for that ripple related to the power of the sea god.

Those imprints are unlike any energy on land; they are like a drop of oil falling into clear water, forming a thin film on the surface that is difficult to completely dissolve.

Just as the Deep Sea Demon Whale King covered a region of several hundred miles to the southeast with his spiritual power, an extremely powerful aura of the sea god suddenly rushed into his perception.

The aura was rich and pure, as if the entire ocean had been compressed into a warm, golden light, spreading outward at a steady frequency.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's pupils contracted sharply. Then he opened his eyes.

He would never mistake the power of the sea god contained within that aura.

That is the power of the Sea God that is released only when the inheritor of the Sea God undergoes the Sea God's test. Although it is unknown which test this is, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King knows a little about it.

The divine trials will inevitably take a great deal of time. During the trials, the successor cannot move easily and must remain in one place, devoting all their energy to understanding and the trials.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's lips slowly curled into a cold arc.

He had found it. The source of that aura was exactly what he was looking for.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's figure suddenly accelerated in the air, like a dark blue beam of light compressed to its extreme, shooting towards the source of the sea god's aura.

He was moving so fast that the surrounding scenery became a blur of colors in his field of vision. Wilderness, hills, scattered villages and towns flashed past him like pages of a book being turned.

He had to arrive before the divine trial ended, and devour her before the Sea God's successor completed her trial and her divine position was secured.

……

Bright Moon City.

Eva stood outside the wall of the villa in the east of the city, her gaze fixed on the crimson-gold light that was spreading from the wall into the sky.

She could clearly sense that the power of the sea god contained in that light was steadily rising, like a river being slowly filled, with the water level rising irreversibly.

Ariel's sea god legacy is still ongoing, and it has reached its most crucial moment.

Eva's brow furrowed slightly as she sensed an extremely powerful aura rapidly approaching from the southeastern sky.

The aura carried the unique saltiness and vastness of the ocean, yet as it swept across the land, it exhibited a sense of stagnation, as if it had been forcibly squeezed into a foreign container, completely out of place with the continent.

The King of Deep Sea Whales.

Eva's gaze darkened slightly. He had indeed come looking for her.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King should still be quite a distance from Bright Moon City at this time. At his current speed, he should arrive in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

This amount of time was neither too much nor too little, enough for her to do a lot of things.

Eva didn't hesitate for long. She raised her right hand, fingers spread, palm facing the sky.

As she moved, an invisible force spread outwards from her in all directions.

The force was not fierce; in fact, it could be described as gentle, like a thin veil being slowly pushed open, silently covering every inch of the entire Bright Moon City.

The rules of beauty.

A realistic illusion.

The aura of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King is getting closer and closer.

Eva opened her eyes, her gaze falling on the rapidly approaching dark blue dot of light, a faint smile slowly curving her lips.

That's the expression a hunter has when watching his prey step into a trap.

The deep-sea whale's attention was entirely focused on the rising aura of the sea god. His mental power was like a fully drawn bowstring, intently locking onto the source of the golden light.

In this situation, it is difficult for him to notice the subtle changes hidden in the surrounding environment, the air, light, and airflow that are gently covered by the rules of beauty, and the illusions that are like a gentle rain.

They don't attack proactively, they don't make a sound, and they don't arouse alarm. They simply exist quietly there, like the omnipresent air, waiting for the right opportunity.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's figure suddenly stopped in the sky above Bright Moon City.

He hovered high in the sky, his dark blue robes fluttering in the wind, his gaze fixed on the rising aura of the sea god in the east of the city.

That aura was right next to me.

He could feel that power pulsating at an extremely steady rhythm.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King neither looked down at the city below nor noticed the subtle changes in the surrounding air.

His entire attention was focused on the aura of the sea god.

He said in a deep voice, "Found it."

He raised his right hand, fingers spread, palm facing the direction of the villa in the east of the city.

Dark blue divine power condensed in his palm, like a deep blue ball of light compressed to its limit, with fine golden arc patterns winding around its edge.

Then he extended his palm forward.

However, the dark blue divine power did not bombard the villa in the east of the city as he had expected.

It silently blended into the surrounding space, like a stone thrown into deep water, without causing any ripples or leaving any trace.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King frowned slightly. Something was wrong.

His spiritual power suddenly spread outwards, this time even more violently than before, like a shockwave that had been blasted open, precisely covering every inch of the entire Bright Moon City.

The moment his senses touched those spaces, he noticed something amiss. The buildings, streets, and trees that looked exactly like reality all showed subtle shifts when his mental power swept over them.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's pupils suddenly contracted.

fake.

The whole city is fake.

He suddenly raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the surrounding sky.

Those areas that were once covered by the aura of the sea god are now empty. The golden light that was once as clear as a lighthouse seems to have never existed, leaving not even a trace of its lingering presence.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's brow furrowed slightly, and his voice, like muffled thunder rising from the deepest part of the sea, said: "Illusion."

“Your Highness, Deep Sea Demon Whale King,” a calm and smiling voice came from behind him, “Since you’re here, why not sit down and have a chat? When you rashly intrude into someone else’s territory, you should at least give them a greeting.”

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King suddenly turned around, his gaze piercing like a knife towards the source of the sound.

Eva stood a few feet behind him in the void, her deep purple robes swaying gently in the wind, her emerald eyes reflecting his tense profile.

She looked at the Deep Sea Whale King's cold, hard face, which was slightly tense from being teased, and the calm smile on her lips deepened a little more.

The Deep Sea Whale King's gaze lingered on Eva for a moment, then his brow furrowed even more.

He could sense the divine aura emanating from this woman, an authority unlike that of the ocean, gentle yet omnipresent, unlike the sharpness of his anger, but possessing a pervasive power like spring water soaking into the sand.

"You are a god of the land." The voice of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King was as cold as icy seawater. "This is a feud between me and the Sea God, and it has nothing to do with you. Hand over the successor of the Sea God, and I may spare your city."

Eva tilted her head slightly: "Your Highness has come from afar. Even if you want something, you should ask the master's opinion first. Asking for a distinguished guest from the territory right off the bat seems a bit improper."

The Deep Sea Whale King's patience was running out.

He raised his right hand, fingers spread, palm facing Eva.

Dark blue divine power rapidly condensed in his palm, the golden arcs of electricity at the edges becoming even denser than before, like a bolt of lightning compressed to its limit waiting to be released.

"Since you don't want to pay, then I'll take it myself."

The moment he finished speaking, a thick, dark blue beam of light shot out from his palm, carrying a violent divine power capable of leveling an entire city, and blasted straight toward Eva's location.

The dark blue beam of light tore a fine crack in the void, and the golden arcs of electricity swirling around its edges emitted continuous and dense crackling sounds as they passed through the air.

Eva didn't move.

She stood still, letting the dark blue beam of light hurtle towards her face.

Just as the beam of light was about to touch her body, her aura suddenly changed.

A semi-transparent barrier, shimmering with fine silver light, silently appeared before her, like a piece of silk that had been crumpled and then unfolded again, completely catching the dark blue beam of light.

Chapter 596 Illusion

The explosion that the Deep Sea Whale King had anticipated did not occur the instant the beam of light struck the silver barrier.

The dark blue divine power, powerful enough to shatter an entire mountain into pieces, vanished the moment it touched the barrier's surface, like a flame thrown into deep water, silently, slowly, and irreversibly dissipating.

It didn't shatter, it didn't bounce back, and it didn't even generate any shockwave.

It begins to become transparent from the edges, like melting ice, peeling away and diluting layer by layer, eventually turning into countless tiny silver specks of light that blend into the surrounding space.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's expression changed slightly.

His attack was still violent and savage before it touched the barrier, carrying the destructive aura unique to the Law of Wrath, and containing the power of thunder that could tear everything apart.

But at this moment, those lights are being reshaped in a way that is beyond his comprehension, as if they are being repeatedly combed, smoothed, and polished by an unseen hand, ultimately presenting a form that he has never seen before.

Calm and gentle, like the surface of a lake on a spring afternoon when a breeze blows across it, without even a ripple.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's gaze fell on the slowly dissipating silver halo, and for the first time, genuine astonishment appeared in his golden eyes.

He was used to head-on combat. When fighting against those sea spirit beasts in the deep sea, he always crushed them with his strength and overwhelmed everything with his anger.

But the power of the woman before him was unlike any of the opponents he had ever encountered.

She wasn't defending herself, she wasn't resisting, she was transforming herself.

Eva stood behind the dissipating barrier, her emerald eyes calm as an ancient well, a serene smile still playing on her lips.

“Your Highness, Deep Sea Demon Whale King,” Eva said softly, “your attack just now was quite in line with your temperament. However, if that’s all you’re capable of, you’ll probably have to leave disappointed today.”

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's gaze lingered on her smile for a moment, then a cold, sharp curve slowly appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He said no more, and dark blue divine power surged wildly around him, like a deep-sea volcano slowly awakening.

He suddenly raised both hands, palms together, and then pulled them apart sharply.

A torrent of violent energy, interwoven with dark blue and gold, surged from his palm, like an ancient beast unleashed, carrying a terrifying power capable of tearing space apart, and crushed towards Eva.

This attack was more intense and more focused than the previous one.