Chapter 111 - 98: Giant Whale Exotic Beast

Chapter 111: Chapter 98: Giant Whale Exotic Beast

After another dozen minutes, a large cluster of reefs jutted out from the sea, and Valua suddenly slowed down.

His feet churned the water as he gestured to Zhang Ji.

He was indicating that this was the area where he had encountered the big fish.

Zhang Ji sent out his Spirit. His spirit particles perceived everything within a radius of over one hundred meters, allowing him to grasp every minute detail.

But he didn’t sense any unusual auras in the area.

"How big was the fish?" Zhang Ji asked.

"Very big!"

Valua ran in a circle around Zhang Ji, tracing a large loop roughly ten meters in diameter.

’That big? A giant whale?’ Zhang Ji mused. Then he added, "Didn’t you say you encountered it in other places? Take me to see them too!"

Valua didn’t want to go, but faced with Zhang Ji’s threat, he had no choice but to nod.

At the same time, a few ideas were secretly brewing in his mind.

’If Zhang Ji manages to kill the great fish, then I won’t have to worry about being eaten anymore. I’ll be able to return to my island and leave whenever I want.’

’If the great fish kills Zhang Ji, I can be king again.’

’It’s a win-win situation for me.’

Valua quickly led Zhang Ji to the second location, which also had a few protruding reefs.

Zhang Ji noticed scrape marks near the reefs, and they looked very recent.

A realization dawned on him.

’It looks like the whale is infested with some kind of parasite. It probably seeks out reefs like this to rub against and scrape them off.’

’That would explain why Valua encountered it near reefs on both occasions.’

’Still, Valua’s luck was something else, running into that whale Exotic Beast multiple times from different directions.’

"It’s not here either! Any other places?" Zhang Ji asked after closing his eyes and scanning the area for a moment.

Valua had no choice but to lead Zhang Ji off in another direction.

This time, however, Zhang Ji sensed something before they even reached the spot.

Valua was still speeding ahead when Zhang Ji abruptly manipulated the water, unleashing [Waterfall Drop] to shove Valua to the side.

As a wave sent Valua flying, a colossal figure burst from the sea in the exact spot he had just occupied.

WHOOOOOM!

K-BOOM! SPLASH!

The sea churned and massive waves crashed down. Zhang Ji’s expression grew solemn.

’What immense life force... and what powerful Spirit!’

’This thing is at least fifty or sixty meters long, with a head over ten meters in diameter. It has to weigh at least two or three hundred tons!’

Terrified, Valua bolted without a second glance, while Zhang Ji charged straight for the giant whale.

The moment he moved, Zhang Ji felt a turbulence in the water beneath him. The portion of the sea he controlled with his Spirit was, at that very instant, slipping from his grasp.

’What?’

FWOOOSH!!

A huge pillar of water shot out from the bottom of the sea, heading straight for Zhang Ji.

Zhang Ji had no chance to dodge. The pillar of water, easily a dozen meters thick, slammed into him and blasted him into the sky.

’This Exotic Beast has instinctively learned to use techniques with the water currents. That immense Spirit of its isn’t just for show.’

HMMMMMM!

The muscles on Zhang Ji’s body hummed as his Yuan Qi flared, absorbing the entirety of the massive impact.

’The power of that water cannon was incredible. If it had hit a mountainside, it probably would have blasted a huge crater in it.’

Fortunately, his physical defenses were formidable; only his clothes were slightly torn.

WHOOOOMMM!

A sound like a mocking cry echoed across the sea. A hundred meters in the air, Zhang Ji stabilized himself, located the giant whale, and instantly retracted his spirit particles into his body.

[Pseudo-Spiritualization]!

The next moment, Zhang Ji plummeted from the sky, smashing downward with his fist.

The seawater below surged once more, and a second pillar of water shot skyward.

This pillar of water was far more condensed than the last. The stream was only two meters in diameter, and so little light reflected from within that the water itself appeared dark and deep.

In response, Zhang Ji unleashed his "Spirit Strike."

BOOM!

GUSH!

The force of his fist tore through the pillar of water, continuing its descent until it slammed into the surface of the sea.

The sea exploded, sending a massive spray over a hundred meters wide. Though the impact absorbed most of the punch’s kinetic energy, the remainder was enough to carry Zhang Ji through the water to the giant whale’s blowhole.

The pillar of water had, in fact, been blasted from its blowhole.

SQUELCH!

POP!

With a dull thud, flesh and blood flew. A bloody hole had been punched clean through the giant whale’s head.

This time, because the water had dispersed and absorbed so much of the kinetic energy, Zhang Ji wasn’t thrown back by the force of the recoil.

GRROOOAN! ROAR!

The giant whale began to struggle and thrash wildly, churning the surrounding sea.

The five fingers of Zhang Ji’s left hand dug deep into the whale’s hide, holding on as it thrashed about beneath the waves. In his right palm, blue Yuan Qi light gathered, and he shoved the resulting ball of Yuan Qi directly into the bloody hole he had created.

The next moment, the compressed Yuan Qi ball exploded inside its head.

KABOOM!

With a deafening explosion, a huge amount of flesh and blood burst outward, and even Zhang Ji was thrown aside by the shockwave.

The giant whale’s body gave one final twitch, then fell still, sinking naturally to the seabed.

Zhang Ji quickly swam beneath it and raised his left hand. The next moment, the [Ark of Hope] opened a spatial portal, pulling in the giant whale along with a massive volume of seawater.

Zhang Ji then immediately closed the gate to the [Ark of Hope] to prevent too much seawater from pouring in and flooding the interior.

With that done, a mere thought sent the seawater surging beneath him, pushing him directly to the surface.

There was no sign of Valua anywhere. He had no idea where the creature had run off to.

However, Zhang Ji wasn’t particularly worried or concerned.

’Valua’s strength seems decent for now, and he could be worth cultivating as a subordinate.’

’But at my rate of growth, it won’t be difficult to find another expert of his caliber to serve under me.’

’If Valua uses this chance to escape, I won’t go out of my way to find him.’

Floating on the surface of the sea and gazing into the distance, Zhang Ji said aloud, "I have the [Great Eater Technique] now. Once I master this skill, I can return to the Eastern Extreme Country and eliminate my final weakness!"

What Zhang Ji planned to do wasn’t as simple as launching a mere coup.

If he wanted a coup, his current strength was more than enough.

He could lead a force to kill the top leadership, seize control of key organizations, and with a single rallying cry, gain the support of the martial arts world and other influential figures. He could become the new leader of the Eastern Extreme Country in an instant.

But that wasn’t what he wanted.

What he wanted was to stand against the entire nation alone. He wanted to drive those who believed they controlled everything into utter despair.

Armored vehicles, planes and tanks, missiles, nuclear weapons—he would confront them all head-on.

He would fight until those mortals trembled, their hearts filled with hopelessness. And then, while they were trapped in that state of despair, he would destroy them, piece by piece.

Only then would his hatred be quenched. Only then could he do right by the members of the Five Elements Sect. Only then would it justify the suffering he had endured and make his journey to this world worthwhile!