Douluo: Qian Xunji's Joyful Life

Chapter 11: Sea God Island

Hanhai City was the only coastal port city in the western part of the Heaven Dou Empire, built by the sea.

A massive metropolis rose along the shore—or perhaps it was built upon the coastal cliffs—utterly unshaken by the ebb and flow of the tides. Its thick city walls were on par with those of a main city. Before one even approached, there was already a faint salty tang in the air.

Passing through the gates and entering Hanhai City, that salty aroma intensified. At a single glance, Qian Xunji noted that the residents here differed somewhat from inland folk. People tended to be shorter on average, and their skin was darker.

Countless shops and stalls lined both sides of the road, most selling items related to the sea; busy pedestrians bustled up and down.

Qian Xunji quickly arrived at the Wuhun branch hall in Hanhai City. Since the Wuhun Hall was the largest power on the Douluo Continent, from the capitals of the two great empires down to even the smallest city, there would be a Wuhun branch hall. The news about Sea God Island had come from the branch hall of Hanhai City.

After reaching the Hanhai branch hall, Qian Xunji promptly requested information about whale gelatin and instructed its hall master to send the letter he had written regarding Sea God Island to Qian Daoliu as quickly as possible.

During the time the staff of the Wuhun Main Hall went out to buy whale gelatin, there was no melodramatic situation of rival powers fighting over it and escalating to the destruction of households. The staff soon returned with a chunk of golden whale gelatin.

Golden whale gelatin was produced by thousand-year soul beasts; if one wanted a ten-thousand-year-grade gelatin, it would be quite difficult unless they hunted it themselves. Along with the gelatin, however, they also brought two young twin sisters, both without the slightest trace of soul power, but with pleasing appearances.

"What is the meaning of this?" Holding the whale gelatin, Qian Xunji cast a doubtful look toward the two pretty twins, who in turn stared at him with apparent anticipation.

To this, one of the Soul Emperor subordinates seemed rather perplexed. Whale gelatin was an aphrodisiac, so wasn't it obvious why His Holiness wanted it?

"Your Holiness, these two are virgins. We've settled arrangements with them, and they won't speak of this matter."

"I don't need that! Leave now!"

Qian Xunji waved them away angrily. He realized what this subordinate was implying—that because thousand-year whale gelatin had aphrodisiac qualities, he might need some form of relief. But how desperate did they think he was? As Pope, he needed to maintain at least a measure of dignity.

"Understood, Your Holiness."

Sheepishly, the Soul Emperor's subordinate took the two girls away.

Whale gelatin was a rare culinary ingredient that had to be softened with intense heat before it could be ingested. Once softened, it had potent aphrodisiac effects. In the original story, Huo Yuhao consumed a piece of ten-thousand-year whale gelatin and ended up entirely stripped in front of Ma Xiaotao, later causing an awkward scene and being mocked as "Bean Sprout."

Soul power surged in Qian Xunji's palm, surrounding the whale gelatin with searing Angel Fire. Though it wasn't an extreme flame, the Angel Martial Soul's flame attribute was still very high in potency. Along with Qian Xunji's rank-84 soul power, the gelatin soon melted into golden liquid, which he drank down in one go.

The gelatin settled in his stomach, and a fierce heat surged in Qian Xunji's chest. In mere moments, he was fully aroused. He hurriedly channeled angelic soul power to suppress it, and with the soul power's circulation, the fiery effect in his body was purified away. Unbeknownst to him, this left him slightly stronger than before—about the difference in pressure one might experience with a few hundred extra years on a soul ring.

"So this is how it is," he murmured.

Once the lustful heat had dispersed, Qian Xunji let out a turbid breath. Now he understood how Qian Daoliu had managed to remain celibate until the age of seventy. Ordinary soul masters often married at around twelve, but the holy power of the Angel Martial Soul automatically dispelled evil urges and desires. Plus, Qian Daoliu had never found true love and was stuck at the pinnacle with no way to inherit the Angelic Godhood, so he had no choice but to procreate, wed, and have children.

"I guess I'll have to hunt a ten-thousand-year whale myself."

Three days later, in the Worship Hall—

Qian Daoliu received a letter from Qian Xunji. It spoke of Sea God Island and the rumored deity it worshipped.

Golden Crocodile Douluo asked, "Big Brother, do you think what the Pope wrote is true?"

"Even if it's not, I have to investigate," Qian Daoliu replied gravely. In his mind, gods were the pinnacle of existence. As a servant of a god, he revered Angel God above all. Any other deity would naturally rank below the Angel God.

"That brat Qian Xunji is really becoming more useless." Qian Daoliu sighed. "He's only been in Hanhai City for three days—counting the travel time, he must've written that letter not long after arriving. How could he possibly have investigated so quickly that Sea God Island might actually worship a legendary sea god? I'm already regretting handing over the Papal throne to him so soon."

"Golden Crocodile, safeguard the Wuhun Hall."

"Don't worry, Big Brother. If the Hall stands, I stand; if it falls, I fall."

With that, two yellow, two purple, and five black soul rings—nine in total—appeared beneath Qian Daoliu's feet. He had yet to pass the Angelic Eight Trials and receive the ten-thousand-year ring enhancement; it wasn't that he couldn't pass it, but that he was deliberately holding off. He wanted a fair fight against Tang Chen. If he fought with eight black and one red, winning wouldn't be as honorable.

(Author's note: There are too many plot holes. If Qian Daoliu had eight black and one red, it wouldn't make sense for the Clear Sky Clan not to know about the god's inheritance in the Wuhun Hall. This is the only explanation we have.)

A colossal Six-Winged Angel rose behind him, several times larger than Qian Xunji's. In a flash of gold, Qian Daoliu vanished from the Wuhun Hall. Those in the sky saw only a golden orb heading off into the distance.

Meanwhile, in the Clear Sky Clan's main hall—

A man with long gray hair, standing over two meters tall, bronze-skinned and heavily muscled, looking about thirty years old, with a somewhat handsome face and a dominating presence, stood there. This man was Tang Chen, Sect Master of the Clear Sky Clan, the world's foremost sect.

Sensing something, Tang Chen gazed westward. "That direction… where's that old codger Qian Daoliu off to now?"

Across the open sea tens of thousands of meters beyond Hanhai City, the enormous corpse of a whale-type soul beast emerged, over ten meters tall. A circle of inky-black soul rings still glimmered around it.

"Finally found one. My three days of searching weren't in vain."

Qian Xunji tore open the beast's skull and retrieved a piece of black crystal—ten-thousand-year whale gelatin. The Hall-Guardian Douluo trailing behind him looked even more disheartened at Qian Xunji's behavior. Was all this effort—drifting around at sea for three days—just for a piece of so-called aphrodisiac? Truly, Wuhun Hall was doomed.

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