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

Chapter 347 Battle against the Sea God Douluo
……

Xuanming carried the unconscious Bibi Dong back to his resting area.

As a special privilege for the Sea God's Nine Trials, Poseidon had a row of temporary residences built not far from the Nine Heavens Mystic Steps as their lodgings when Hu Liena and the others traversed the Sea God's Light.

He originally lived there, but since people would always sneak over to find him at night, he had no choice but to build himself an Ice Flame Castle.

The outer shell is ice, the inside is fire, and the indoor temperature is always kept at the most comfortable level.

As soon as Xuanming entered the room and settled Bibi Dong on the bed, Hu Liena rushed over, her eyes filled with worry and heartache: "Teacher!"

"She's fine, just exhausted from her soul power and needs to rest for a few days," Xuanming said calmly. "You take care of her."

Hu Liena nodded hurriedly, carefully taking Bibi Dong's hand. Looking at Bibi Dong's pale, haggard face, yet with a hint of peaceful sleepiness, she felt a mix of emotions. She looked up at Xuan Ming, hesitant to speak.

Xuanming didn't say much, but simply nodded slightly to her before turning around and disappearing again.

The next moment, he appeared atop Poseidon Mountain, in front of the magnificent Poseidon Temple.

Poseidon seemed to have sensed his arrival long ago. Dressed in a long gold and red gown, she stood quietly in front of the palace, her sea-blue eyes calmly gazing at Xuanming with a hint of complex emotion that was hard to detect.

"High Priestess." Xuanming landed in front of her and got straight to the point, "I want to ask you for a favor."

Poseidon raised an eyebrow slightly: "What matter requires my attention?"

"Practice with me." Xuanming's voice remained calm and even. "I need to master my newfound power as soon as possible, especially the skills brought by the Deep Sea Demon Whale King. In the ocean environment, you are the best opponent."

Upon hearing this, Poseidon's sea-blue eyes flashed with surprise, which quickly turned into seriousness.

She witnessed the extremely brutal "teaching" process between Xuanming and Bibi Dong, and vaguely guessed just how terrifying his so-called new power was.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King possesses terrifying strength in the sea. If she were on Seagod Island, with the help of the Seagod Temple, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King would naturally be no match for her. However, if she were to go to the Demon Whale Sea, even she might not be able to defeat the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.

Xue Di had already told Xuanming about his victory over the Deep Sea Demon Whale King. Although there was a lot of exaggeration in that battle, Xuanming, who had received a sacrifice from the Deep Sea Demon Whale King and possessed four million-year-level soul rings and a million-year-old dragon bone, probably didn't even know how strong he was at full power...

Poseidon pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "Xuanming, your fighting style... is too brutal. As the High Priest of the Sea God, it might be inappropriate for me to engage in such a life-or-death struggle with you."

She was concerned about the reputation of the sea god and her own duty, so she could not easily take risks.

Xuanming looked at her, his icy blue eyes showing no surprise or disappointment, and simply nodded: "I understand. In that case, I've disturbed you."

After saying that, he actually turned around and made a move to leave, without any entanglement or insistence.

Watching his decisive and efficient retreat, Poseidon felt a strange tightness in her heart.

She was well aware of the responsibilities and pressures Xuanming carried, and she also understood why he was so eager to improve his strength.

Moreover... his calm acceptance of the rejection just now actually made her feel a little... reluctant?
Just as Xuanming was about to take flight, Poseidon sighed softly and said, "Wait."

Xuanming stopped and turned to look at her.

Poseidon met his gaze and said slowly, "I can accompany you in your training, but only to help you become familiar with and master your skills. I will not engage in the kind of... life-or-death battle with you."

Xuanming nodded: "Okay. I just want to familiarize myself with the application and coordination of skills, and I don't plan to fight you head-on. After all... I'm not your match yet."

“Alright,” Poseidon agreed. “I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow morning.”

"Thank you." Xuanming said his thanks, and then his figure disappeared from the mountaintop.

Poseidon stood alone in front of the palace, gazing at the distant, undulating sea, a complex and unfathomable emotion flashing in her sea-blue eyes.

What's wrong with her? How could she have such feelings towards a boy in his early twenties?

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

The mirror clearly reflected Poseidon's complex and indescribable expression, as well as Xuanming's decisive and swift departure.

"Tsk tsk..." The evil god stroked his chin, a playful glint in his eyes. "It seems that our high priest's heart has been stirred up."

The gazes of the several god-kings all turned to Poseidon, the god of the sea.

Among the gods of the divine realm, only Poseidon, the god of the sea, has a special position of high priest in the mortal realm, who governs the island of Poseidon on his behalf and protects the legacy.

Other deities, even the Asura God, rely entirely on the examinee's own hard work for their inheritance, with absolutely no exceptions.

Success is success, failure is failure; even the slightest mistake is a mistake. There is no such thing as "letting things slide."

That is why, even someone as powerful as Tang Chen eventually succumbed to the Asura God's test, the Asura God never once considered interfering.

The evil god became very interested in Poseidon's changing mood at that moment.

After all, this highly anticipated "assessment" took place on Poseidon Island, and the beautiful and powerful high priestess naturally caught his attention.

“Poseidon,” the evil god suggested with a smile, “since that brat Xuanming is destined to be ineligible for your Sea God position, and Shura and Destruction are both eyeing him, even his life has been indirectly affected by the Silver Dragon King. How about we formally include Poseidon in this trial as well?” He paused, his eyes gleaming with even more mischief: “For example, let Xuanming assist Poseidon in inheriting your Sea God position? This would certainly be a completely new test for him.”

He said half the truth and half the truth; he mainly wanted to see what the commotion was like.

Poseidon has clearly developed feelings for Xuanming that go beyond duty, while Xuanming... though seemingly cold, his protection of those around him and his clumsy concern are genuine.

Forcibly binding these two to a boat will surely result in a spectacular and exciting encounter!

Poseidon naturally saw through the evil god's mere desire to watch the spectacle. He silently gazed at the solitary figure of Poseidon before the Temple of Independence in the mirror of light, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

He watched her guard Poseidon Island for a hundred years, watched her heart flutter because of Tang Chen's appearance, and watched her fall from grace and disappear for decades because of Tang Chen. His admiration was gradually eroded by disappointment and even resentment.

The Tang Chen she once admired and waited for for decades seems to be fading from her heart, replaced by the younger, more powerful, mysterious Xuan Ming, with whom she has more "interactions".

Tang Chen was good, but he's a thing of the past, and now he's fallen into the City of Slaughter, his future uncertain. Xuan Ming, on the other hand… has unlimited potential, and more importantly, he seems to understand Poseidon's responsibilities and loneliness better, sharing more in common.

In Poseidon's heart, Poseidon was like his child. As "parents," they always hoped to find the best home for their child.

Although Tang Chen was once exceptionally talented, the current Xuan Ming, in terms of potential, temperament, and the intricate web of fate, is far superior to the fallen Tang Chen. He could see that Poseidon's defenses had already crumbled.

If... if we could take this opportunity to give it a push, perhaps...

Poseidon was torn between his inner thoughts and his own.

On the one hand, they felt that the evil god was simply trying to create chaos in the world.

On the other hand, this suggestion seems... to make some sense?
Now that his Sea God inheritance has become such a mess, and the Heart of the Sea God has been merged with Xuanming, it can't just be left unresolved.

Poseidon...

"How about it?" the God of Evil urged. "Anyway, Xuanming's assessment is already chaotic enough, one more won't make a difference. Let's just add some difficulty for him and give your child a chance, shall we? We can't really let her guard Seagod Island for the rest of her life, growing old alone, can we?"

The Asura God, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke coldly: "Alright. Xuanming's character needs more tempering. Handling complex relationships and assisting others is also a test."

The God of Destruction nodded, a hint of interest flashing in his crimson eyes: "I second that. It will be very interesting to see how he performs under multiple pressures."

The goddess of life smiled gently and did not object.

Poseidon looked at the other gods who seemed to agree, and then at Poseidon, who was leaning alone against the railing in the mirror of light, looking somewhat lonely. Finally, he sighed heavily, as if he had made up his mind.

"Okay... let's do it your way."

"However, I will set the assessment criteria."

These bastards, it's one thing to steal people, but those first and second tests were practically pushing people to their deaths!
As for that!
……

The following morning, in the icy sea.

Xuanming had been waiting there for a long time, manipulating the ocean currents and trying to use this power to control the sea.

Soon, a red streak of light descended from the sky, and Poseidon's figure appeared silently, still elegant and noble, with an extraordinary aura.

But along with her came seven powerful auras—the seven guardian Douluos of Seagod Island, all of them had arrived.

Seahorse, Sea Ghost, Starfish, Sea Illusion, Sea Spear, Sea Witch, and Sea Dragon—the seven titled Douluo floated solemnly on the sea surface not far away, their eyes fixed on Xuan Ming, filled with vigilance and worry.

They clearly guessed what Xuan Xiang was up to, and despite knowing they were no match for him, they followed him out of loyalty to Poseidon and out of a sense of duty to protect him, just in case.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the sea, the enormous head of Little White, the King of the Demon Soul Great White Shark, emerged from the water, its golden eyes gazing curiously in this direction.

Hyotei, Yuki-tei, Bi-hime, and Shi-hime also appeared one after another, watching from afar.

Gu Yuena didn't come; she was helping Bibi Dong recover and also helping Hu Liena and the others complete their assessments as quickly as possible.

Poseidon seemed unsurprised by the appearance of the seven Saint Pillar Douluos, and did not drive them away. She simply nodded slightly to Xuanming: "Let's begin."

Before she finished speaking, without waiting for Xuanming to make the first move, the Sea God's Scepter appeared in her hand, and she pointed it at Xuanming from afar!
There was no earth-shattering display, only a blue-gold beam of light, condensed to the extreme, that seemed to pierce through space and instantly appeared in front of Xuanming!

Xuanming's pupils contracted slightly, not daring to be negligent, and a deep blue-black light instantly erupted from his body!
Abyss Devour! A domain-type skill of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.

Upon release, it creates a massive, distorted deep-sea domain centered on itself, warping light and space. The water pressure within the domain is terrifying, greatly weakening the opponent's perception and speed, while simultaneously drawing all energy from within the domain, including soul power, mental power, and even life force, to replenish itself.

The range and power of the domain increase as the Xuanming Soul Power increases.

boom--! ! !
Xuanming crossed his arms to block, his blue-black domain power surging wildly, and he forcefully withstood the attack!
He was thrown backwards for hundreds of meters, the sea beneath his feet carving two deep furrows! His arms felt slightly numb, and his blood surged!
Such powerful strength! A hint of seriousness flashed in Xuan Ming's eyes.

Poseidon's attack was completely different from Bibi Dong's ferocious and fierce offensive, which was filled with extreme killing intent.

Each of her strikes seemed to carry the immeasurable power of the entire ocean—vast, magnificent, and heavy!
This is the true power of the invincible one of the ocean, the ultimate control forged through countless trials by the power of the sea god!
(End of this chapter)