Douluo Continent: My Martial Soul is the Black Dragon, I am the Lord of the Gods

Chapter 317 One Month, Three Years
……

Taking a deep breath, Xuanming clearly sensed that the Ice and Fire Crown was resonating with the surrounding light of the Sea God.

The originally violent golden energy became slightly docile, no longer crushing everything in its path. Instead, it could be guided slightly, and even absorbed a wisp of purifying power to cleanse the restless blood spear within the body.

But just as he was trying to guide this new power, his body suddenly felt empty, and the enhancement brought by the dragon soul and dragon bones rapidly diminished.

In order to help Xuanming complete the fusion with the Heart of the Sea God, the Ice Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King consumed too much of their dragon soul power. At this moment, they have also fallen into a deep sleep. The power of the dragon bones has also been depleted again in the past few days of recovery and consumption.

"puff--!"

Xuanming had no time to react; as if struck by an invisible giant hammer, blood and fragments of internal organs gushed out. The faint energy around him instantly dissipated, his soul power collapsed, and his consciousness went blank.

He was flung away like a kite with a broken string, plummeting downwards.

Just then, a magnificent red figure appeared as if teleported, enveloping him with a vast and gentle aura.

Poseidon reached out and caught him.

Her vast, ocean-like soul power acted as the gentlest barrier, completely enveloping Xuanming. It not only isolated him from the lingering, suffocating power of the Sea God's Light, but also transformed into a pure and gentle energy, carefully nourishing his almost completely shattered body and protecting his last glimmer of life.

Poseidon looked down at the young man in her arms, who was once again covered in blood and gore, his breath so weak that he seemed about to die at any moment. In her deep eyes, which had seen the vicissitudes of life and should have been calm and undisturbed, an extremely subtle ripple appeared, one that even she herself did not fully notice.

Shock, confusion, worry, admiration... all sorts of complex emotions intertwined, ultimately transforming into an indescribable surge of emotion.

This young man repeatedly charged into desperate situations, creating miracles and carving out a path through the impossible. His tenacity, madness, determination, and deep-seated pride far exceeded her expectations and touched her long-dormant heart.

But only for a moment, a hint of sadness flashed in Poseidon's eyes, and the tremor subsided. She held Xuanming and slowly landed back on the ground.

Ning Rongrong, Hu Liena, and the others immediately surrounded him. Seeing Xuan Ming's more miserable state than ever before, they all turned pale and had tears in their eyes, but dared not make a sound, for fear of disturbing Poseidon's treatment.

Poseidon ignored everyone and focused all her attention on Xuanming. Vast soul power poured into him, carefully repairing his riddled body. The Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone, replenished by this energy, began to function again.

This time, Xuanming was unconscious for five days and five nights.

With Poseidon's help, nurtured by the self-regulating Ice and Fire Crown, and with the incredible vitality of the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone and the slow recovery of the Dragon Bone energy, Xuanming's shattered body was finally pulled back from the brink of death once again.

His eyelashes trembled slightly as he struggled to open his eyes.

What came into view was Poseidon's face, so close yet so beautiful, tinged with an undeniable weariness.

A very subtle hint of surprise flashed in Xuanming's icy blue eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

He struggled to sit up, but Poseidon gently pressed him down.

"Don't move," her voice was ethereal, yet gentler, "your body still needs to be stabilized."

Xuanming paused for a moment, then did not move as instructed.

He could clearly feel the terrible state of his body. Every time he pushed his limits before, at the last moment before his soul power was completely exhausted and he was about to be thrown back, the Ice Dragon King would always leave a thin layer of protective energy for him, barely resisting the most ferocious backlash from the Blood Spear at that moment.

But this time, in order to help him forcibly fuse with the Heart of the Sea God, the dragon soul power of the Ice Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King was excessively consumed, and they have fallen into a deep slumber. The energy of the dragon bones is also nearly exhausted.

He was caught completely off guard and directly faced the Blood Spear's long-suppressed, even more ferocious and violent counterattack after his soul power was instantly depleted!

Although the final repulsive impact of the Sea God's Light was not the strongest due to the presence of the Ice and Fire Crown, the Blood Spear's frenzied backlash, originating from his soul's instinct, almost truly tore apart his core consciousness.

Poseidon's vast and gentle soul power was firmly protecting his heart and spiritual origin, resisting the impact of the remaining malevolent energy of the blood spear, and guiding the life force of the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone to slowly repair the wounds.

Xuanming looked up at Poseidon and said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you."

Poseidon shook her head slightly, her gaze falling on the now drastically altered ice and fire crown on his forehead, her expression complex: "Was it worth it?"

So close! Just a hair's breadth away!
If the fusion had been completed even a fraction slower, Xuanming would have faced the full force of the Sea God's Light and the backlash from the Blood Spear. The former would have shattered his body, while the latter could have truly killed him!

“It’s always been like this, there’s no question of whether it’s worth it or not,” Xuanming said calmly.

Poseidon was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

Looking into his calm, unwavering eyes and listening to his seemingly casual yet weighty words, the subtle ripples that had just subsided in her heart began to ripple uncontrollably again, even more clearly than before.

This has always been how it's been...

Behind this statement lies unimaginable cruelty and hardship.

She remained silent for a moment, then slowly withdrew her gaze, saying nothing more. However, the soul power she continued to transmit seemed to have become gentler.

After a long while, with Poseidon's help, Xuanming's condition finally stabilized. He slowly closed his eyes again and began to actively guide the remaining power within his body, cooperating with the external assistance to carry out a deeper level of healing and recovery.

Poseidon slowly walked out of the room, looking at the girls not far away who were being stimulated by Xuanming and frantically trying to break through to the Nine Heavens Mystic Rank, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

"It's great to be young..."

A sea breeze swept by, carrying the soft murmur of distant waves, yet it couldn't dispel the silent solemnity and... that quietly brewing, complex and indescribable stirring within this place.

After another day and night of deep meditation, and with the continuous nourishment of Poseidon's soul power and the powerful life force repairing the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone, Xuanming's nearly shattered body miraculously recovered once again.

When he stood up again and walked towards the towering staircase, Ning Rongrong and the others looked at him with expressions that were beyond description.

Worry, admiration, and even a touch of numbness.

They could say nothing, do nothing, and could only watch.

Xuanming once again pushed himself to his current limit. The familiar, terrifying pressure, enough to crush fine steel, surged from all directions, squeezing his body and sluggishing the flow of his soul power.

The pressure has not lessened in the slightest.

However, when Xuanming tried to circulate his soul power and guide the golden energy to wash over the restless blood spear within his body, the situation changed dramatically.

Om-!
The Ice and Fire Crown on his forehead glowed faintly, with red, blue, and gold light swirling around it. The originally violent and untamed light of the sea god, upon coming into contact with the subtle aura emanating from the Ice and Fire Crown, which was fused with the essence of the heart of the sea god, seemed to encounter a power of the same origin, and its resistance was greatly reduced.

More importantly, Xuanming could clearly perceive that an unprecedented and extremely weak "connection" seemed to have been established between himself and the light of the sea god.

It is no longer simply a matter of being oppressed and rejected, but rather a clearer perception of the vast purifying power contained within, and even the ability to guide the pure energy within to more precisely and efficiently flush towards the core of the Blood Spear.

laugh--!
The moment that carefully guided, highly condensed golden purifying energy touched the blood spear, the spear trembled violently and emitted a sharp buzzing sound!
The chaotic and roaring pseudo-soul inside seemed to be burned by a red-hot iron, emitting an even more shrill and frenzied howl. But in contrast, the ferocious aura that had gathered countless killings and resentments was quickly melted and purified, like ice and snow meeting the sun!
Efficiency far surpasses anything seen before!

If the previous external pressure and tempering with the Light of Poseidon was like polishing a piece of hard, stubborn iron with rough sandpaper, it was laborious and slow.

Now, it's like having a precise carving knife, capable of sending the power of purification directly into the most vulnerable and chaotic nodes inside the stubborn iron, disintegrating it from the inside!
The progress is several times faster!
Xuanming no longer hesitated, and fully activated his soul power, carefully maintaining the resonance with the Ice and Fire God Crown, precisely guiding wisps of sea god light to continuously cleanse and purify the blood spear.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Xuanming was immersed in this highly efficient purification process. He could feel the resistance of the blood spear weakening, and the chaotic core of its will was being purified and weakened bit by bit.

but……

A day later, when Xuanming was exhausted again and forced to withdraw from the Light of the Sea God, he carefully sensed the state of the Blood Spear, his brows furrowed tightly.

At this rate, to completely purify and reshape the chaotic will of the Blood Spear, and achieve true "absolute control"...

It will take at least three years!
He, however, only had one month left.

Time is still far from enough.

The enormous gap, like an insurmountable chasm, looms before us.

One month, compared to three years.

This is a despairing proportion.

Xuanming sat silently on the beach, recovering his soul power. His icy blue eyes gazed at the towering staircase, his deep gaze showing no discouragement or giving up, only cold calculation and... an even more resolute madness.

Conventional methods have reached their limit.

He needs...faster! More ruthless! More extreme methods!
Even if... there is no chance of survival.

……

In the realm of the gods, within a magnificent temple.

Within the light mirror, Xuanming's tightly furrowed brows were clearly reflected as he carefully sensed the state of the Blood Spear after exiting the Sea God's Light, along with the fleeting, cold, calculating solemnity between his brows.

The atmosphere inside the temple became somewhat subtle.

"..."

The God of Evil abandoned his usual playful smile, lightly tapping his fingers on the armrest of his throne, breaking the silence. "I say... everyone, shouldn't we reassess the difficulty of this first test?"

His gaze swept over the other god-kings, finally settling on the cold profile of the Asura God.

"This kid has already proven himself in his own way; he's a piece of cake, and a piece of cake that's harder than anyone could imagine." The God of Evil's tone carried a rare hint of seriousness.

"He found a way to utilize the light of the sea god, and even forcibly borrowed some of the power of the heart of the sea god, increasing the purification efficiency several times over. This has far exceeded our initial expectations."

He paused, his voice lowering slightly: "But the problem is, the starting point of this mission is impossible. Three months to purify a ferocious weapon that has devoured the accumulated essence of the Slaughter City over a thousand years? Even if the efficiency is increased several times, turning it from completely impossible into a theoretically slim hope, that hope... is still almost nonexistent."

Time is the greatest barrier.

Xuanming wasn't powerless to solve the problem; it was just that the restrictions they imposed were too harsh.

This matter was not something Xuanming could solve from the beginning, and the one Shura wanted to test was not Xuanming, but Gu Yuena!
(End of this chapter)