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Tang Chen looked at the giant Sea God phantom, his expression remaining calm. He did not use the Ten Thousand Currents Returning to Silence, nor did he use the Evil Spirit Orca King Spirit Bone. He knew that the High Priestess was not an enemy. This was not a life-or-death battle, but a trial.
He slowly raised his right hand. Among his nine spirit rings, the seventh spirit ring lit up. That was a white-gold spirit ring, a million year spirit ring from the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm.
An invisible spiritual ripple spread out. The Life Domain behind Tang Chen suddenly condensed. It stopped expanding outward and instead focused entirely on his own body. The next moment, his ninth spirit ring lit up as well.
The million year spirit ring of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King erupted with deep blue-gold light.
"Ninth Spirit Skill, Abyss, Sea-Fixing."
Sea God Mountain beneath Tang Chen's feet shook violently. The violent and boiling seawater instantly calmed down. It was not frozen, but completely suppressed. The Ring Sea, the outer sea, and the endless ocean in the distance all seemed to hear a new command at this moment. They no longer responded to the High Priestess. Instead, they returned to calm together.
The High Priestess's expression finally changed. The trident in the Sea God phantom's hand was already falling, but without the support of the ocean's power, its strength instantly dropped by thirty percent.
Tang Chen raised his hand. The Blue Silver Grass in his palm transformed into a cyan-gold longsword. He slashed forward with a single strike. There was no earth-shattering momentum, only a beam of pure cyan-gold sword light.
The sword light streaked across the sky and collided with the trident in the Sea God phantom's hand.
A crisp shattering sound rang out. The trident began to crumble inch by inch from the tip. Immediately after, the entire phantom was split in two by the cyan-gold sword light. Blue-gold light scattered across the sky.
The High Priestess let out a low groan, her figure falling from mid-air. Tang Chen took a step forward and raised his hand to help. A vine of Blue Silver Grass sprouted from the ground, softly catching her falling body.
The High Priestess landed on the ground, her face pale. She was not seriously injured because Tang Chen had held back at the last moment, but she knew that she had lost completely. Even with the help of Sea God Island's power, she could not block the current Tang Chen.
The High Priestess looked at the young man in front of her, her eyes filled with shock and relief. After a long while, she spoke slowly. "You won."
As her words fell, a magnificent blue-gold pillar of light descended from above the Sea God Temple, enveloping Tang Chen's entire body. A majestic voice resounded between heaven and earth.
"Sea God's Sixth Trial: Defeat Sea God Island High Priest, High Priestess, completed. Reward: Sea God affinity increased by 15%. Current Sea God affinity: 90%. All spirit ring age limits increased. Sea God's Seventh Trial initiated."
The moment the voice stopped, the nine spirit rings around Tang Chen lit up at the same time. The light of each spirit ring became deeper. The million year spirit rings shone even brighter, looking like divine rings behind him. The Sea God mark on Tang Chen's forehead transformed from pale gold to a brilliant blue-gold. With a 90% Sea God affinity, only the final step remained to inherit the Sea God Position.
Before anyone could process this, the majestic voice sounded again.
"Sea God's Seventh Trial: Divine Artifact Recognition. Trial content: Go to Sea God Temple and pull out the Sea God Trident. He who pulls out the Sea God Trident will gain the Divine Artifact's recognition and officially possess the qualification to inherit the Sea God Position. If you fail, the Sea God Legacy will be terminated."
Hearing those words, the Seven Sacred Pillar Douluo raised their heads in shock. The Sea God Trident was the true divine weapon left behind by Sea God Poseidon. For countless years, it had slept inside the Sea God Temple. No one could pull it out without gaining its recognition, not even the High Priestess.
The High Priestess looked at Tang Chen with a solemn expression. "The seventh trial has finally arrived. The Sea God Trident weighs 108,000 catties, but its true power comes from its Divine Will. If you can't gain its recognition, no amount of raw strength will pull it out. When pulling it, you can't rely on external forces, Spirit Bones, or other people. You can't even rely solely on spirit power. You can only rely on yourself and your understanding of the Sea God Legacy."
Tang Chen nodded calm. "I understand."
He turned and walked toward the Sea God Temple. The long stone steps led to the highest point of the mountain. With every step, a heavy pressure landed on his body. It was not spirit power, but a pressure coming from belief itself.
The Sea God Legacy was asking him why he wanted to become a god. Was it for power, authority, or to stand above all living beings? Or was it to protect others?
As Tang Chen walked forward, memories flashed in his mind. He remembered the people in Saint Spirit Village who looked down on the Blue Silver Grass. He thought of Yu Xiaogang's self-righteous theories in Notting Academy.
He recalled the unwilling cries of Spirit Beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest, and the innocent people destroyed by war across the continent. Finally, he thought of Tang San, who also possessed the Blue Silver Grass but chose the path of madness.
Tang Chen's eyes remained calm. He was not becoming a god to prove he was superior or to be worshipped. He simply wanted to show the world that the weak should not be sacrificed, that the Blue Silver Grass was not a useless spirit, and that life should not be trampled on by the strong.
When he reached the top step, the heavy doors of the Sea God Temple opened on their own. An ancient aura rushed out. Inside, there was only a giant Sea God statue, and beneath it, a pitch-black trident was stuck in the ground. In the center of the trident, a diamond-shaped gemstone emitted a soft blue-gold light that seemed to hold the weight of the entire ocean.
Tang Chen stepped into the temple, and everything went silent. The Seven Sacred Pillar Douluo stayed outside, and the High Priestess watched from the doorway. No one could help him now.
As Tang Chen approached the trident, he felt its massive weight of 108,000 catties, backed by the will of the Sea God and the faith of Sea God Island. He reached out and grasped the handle. It was cold, heavy, and vast.
An ancient voice rang in his mind. "Latecomer, do you know what pulling out this trident means?"
Tang Chen closed his eyes and answered in his heart. "It means I will truly step onto the Sea God's path."
"The Sea God governs the ocean," the voice continued. "The ocean gives life, but it also destroys life. If you take this position, will you use your power to suppress all living beings, or to protect them?"
Tang Chen opened his eyes and summoned the Blue Silver Grass. Its roots touched the cold floor. "The ocean isn't meant to suppress life, and life isn't meant to be ruled by gods. The ocean can judge and punish evil, but a true Sea God should give people hope in desperate situations."
The voice went quiet. The blue-gold gemstone lit up brightly, and a massive pressure crashed down on Tang Chen. The ground beneath his feet cracked, and his arm sank slightly under the 108,000 catty weight.
At the same time, the divine will from the trident rushed into his mind. Tang Chen found himself standing in a stormy ocean under a collapsing sky. A vague divine shadow held the trident and looked down at him.
"Prove to me that you are qualified to master the ocean," the shadow demanded as massive waves crashed down, filled with divine power.
Tang Chen did not back down. The Blue Silver Grass grew rapidly behind him, spreading across the seabed and taking root in the waves.
Tang Chen looked up at the shadow. "I don't need to conquer the ocean. Life comes from the ocean in the first place."
A bright cyan-gold light erupted as the Blue Silver Grass merged with the sea, calming the wild waves. The divine shadow seemed to smile before the illusion shattered.
Back inside the temple, Tang Chen opened his eyes. The trident in his hands felt warm now, and the gemstone shone with incredible light.
Tang Chen gripped the handle with both hands and slowly pulled upward. One inch. Two inches. Three inches.
The ancient trident began to rise. The entire island shook, the Ring Sea surged, and the Seven Sacred Pillars lit up. Sea Spirit Beasts bowed toward the mountain.
Tears filled the High Priestess's eyes. "The Sea God Trident... he actually pulled it out."
Tang Chen gave a low shout. "Rise!"
The Sea God Trident came completely free from the ground, flooding the temple with blue-gold light.
The majestic voice returned. "Sea God's Seventh Trial, completed. Reward: Sea God Trident recognition. Sea God affinity increased by 5%. Current Sea God affinity: 95%. Sea God's Eighth Trial initiated. Trial content: Cut off worldly obsessions and condense the Sea God's Heart."
Tang Chen looked at the trident in his hand. Suddenly, through the connection of the Blue Silver Grass network, he felt a dark, foul Rakshasa aura coming from the continent far away. He saw a city covered in black mist, lost lives, and seven undead puppets standing behind Tang San.
His face turned cold. "Tang San."
Outside, the High Priestess felt the sudden chill in the air and asked, "What happened?"
Tang Chen gripped the trident tightly. "Something terrible has happened on the continent."
Meanwhile, in Spirit City, the mood was heavy. Even though the city was usually peaceful, tonight the gates were locked tight and soldiers guarded the walls. Families were ordered to stay indoors and avoid the Hall of Worship.
Deep inside the Hall of Worship, candlelight flickered around the giant Angel God statue. Qian Daoliu sat on the main seat with a dark expression, holding a damaged urgent report in his hand.
Qian Renxue stood nearby. Having recently completed her eighth trial, her power was stronger than ever. She looked at her grandfather and asked softly, "Is the news true?"
Qian Daoliu handed her the letter. "See for yourself."
Qian Renxue read the panicked message.
"Yunluo City, Fengling City, Heishui City, Luoxia City, and Baishi City are all destroyed. No one survived. Their souls were taken by Tang San using the Rakshasa Demonic Scythe to create undead puppets. Xiao Wu, Bibi Dong, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Tai Long, Chrysanthemum Douluo, and Ghost Douluo have been brought back as mindless Titled Douluo level puppets. Tang San is moving deeper into the continent. Spirit City must decide what to do immediately."
Golden flames flared from Qian Renxue's hand, burning the letter to ash as silence filled the hall.