The explosion vastly surpassed any attack that the Dragon Emperor had unleashed against Rui prior to the battle. The sheer intensity of the attack crushed any hopes that the environmental damage done to the ocean floor was something that would be temporary.

RUMBLE!!!!!

The tsunamis that the explosion released created greater torrents of water than any other that the Dragon Emperor had ever created in the battle. Titanic tsunamis that reached the skies emerged from the Great Void Ocean, threatening to destroy everything.

If not for the most powerful pathwalkers and an already prepared oceanographic containment technological system, the tsunamis had the power to wipe out all life in the world. The shockwaves that spread through the ocean were so intense that even the Great Serpent Jormungandr had to use his authority to deploy his quasi-Transcendent monsters to stop the shockwaves from destroying everything.

The sheer power of the attack was one that had already reached the Transcendent Realm. One that nobody could have survived, not even Rui.

That was why he teleported away from Lord Shenlong in the very final moment.

His Enlightenment of Water, as he came to call it, allowed him to gain a profound understanding and mastery of the oceanic environment, allowing him to do things that he couldn't do beneath the surface of the water.

Including teleportation.

WHOOSH

He teleported to the Great Nam Ocean that surrounded the Panama Continent, heaving a sigh of relief as he gazed at the giant head of Jormungandr before him.

Its head alone was the size of a planet, giving it a tremendous gravitational field that drew all things towards it. As if to compensate, the serpent pushed against everything that drew closer to it with a gravitational force, just enough to cancel out the gravitational field of its body.

Each of the scales that covered its body was wide enough to cover the surface of a planet if wrapped around it, while its eyes were the size of moons each.

These bore deep into the blood-red suns of Rui's eyes with a hint of approval.

'You have adhered to my warning and instruction not to return until you mastered water as an environment and a Martial Art.' Jormungandr was clearly pleased by this development. 'And it has allowed you to become a Transcendent Candidate.'

The blood-red suns in the eyes grew curious.

"Did you know? Did you know that I would become a Martial Transcendent? I can't help but wonder if that was why you were particular about getting me to do this if not for the fact that you knew that it would make me a Transcendent Candidate."

'I did not know that it would make you a Transcendent Candidate,' Jormungandr clarified. 'However, I knew that it was a necessary condition that you would have to fulfill if you were to become a Martial Transcendent. And you have fulfilled my wishes for you marvelously. Your battle with the Dragon Emperor was glorious. Even if civilizations of the surface never learn the truth of what exactly transpired, we, the aquatic life beneath the surface of the waters, have recorded it.'

"…You have my gratitude," Rui replied. "Your words definitely steered me in the right direction. Now I am just one step away from Transcendence."

Rui couldn't help but feel excited and thrilled at the notion that he was finally going to become a Martial Transcendent. It was a dream that every Martial Artist had dreamed. To possess untold godly power that no force in the world could possibly resist.

Perhaps then he would finally be able to achieve Project Water and put an end to his long, long voyage to achieving his dream. A dream he had harbored across two lifetimes.

'Do not underestimate just how difficult the final step is.' Jormungandr warned him with a serious tone. 'There is a reason that there have only been fourteen Martial Transcendents in all of human history. This final step alone is even more difficult than breaking through to the Upper Realms. Do not mistakenly assume that just because you are a Candidate, you are now just a single foot away from the Realm of Transcendence. You are not.'

Rui nodded as he closed his eyes, finding himself on his Martial Path.

He found himself on a long, perilous path, passing through all kinds of disasters and monsters impeding his path. And yet, in the far distance, he could see the Transcendent Realm beckoning him to it.

He was not close.

Not yet.

'The storm has calmed down.' Jormungandr informed Rui. 'You can get going now. I'm afraid the changes brought about by the Dragon Emperor's rampage will… change this world forever, whether we like it or not.'

A small smile emerged on Rui's face. "I would love to go, but I'm afraid I can't."

He took his classic stance against the great serpent as the blood-red suns in his eyes flared with power. "In this state of mind, I am entranced to adaptively evolve to anything, I'm afraid. The reason I teleported to you is to request that you stop me and knock me out. All this time…"

He charged at the World Serpent with tremendous speed.

"…I have been stalling."

Jormungandr flicked his tongue with a single motion in Rui's general direction, unleashing just the tiniest morsel of his power focused on Rui.

It was greater than any attack Rui had been hit with in his entire life.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!

It overwhelmed all the defenses that Rui could muster, converging on him from all directions while World Serpent prevented Rui from teleporting by tightening his grip on the very fabric of space and time.

And just like that, Rui was defeated.

The blood-red suns in his eyes faded as his eyes closed.

His body floated in the depths of water as he lost consciousness, and yet he continued breathing without any problems. Jormungandr simply gazed at him before instructing several monsters to carry his body to the coasts of the Kandrian Empire.

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