Douluo Continent: On Becoming a God Through Science

Chapter 167 Visit to Poseidon Island

The North Sea was thrown into turmoil by the changing of the Sea Princess.

Meanwhile, in the West Sea, the Sea God Douluo had been gone for a month without returning, and no news of him had come, which stirred up huge waves.

Fortunately, Poseidon usually kept to herself and few people could meet with her on ordinary days, and the news was strictly kept secret by the seven Holy Pillar Douluos.

Now that there is no leader, it is natural to choose the tallest among the short ones, and the strongest of the seven holy pillars, the Sea Dragon Douluo, has become the person in charge.

After a thorough search, information about the fierce sea battle between You Chen and Poseidon that day could not be kept secret.

With the succession of the Sea Princess in hand, and after inquiring from some sea spirit beasts about a mysterious spirit master who recently slew three 100,000-year-old spirit beasts that had attacked the mermaid clan's territory, Sea Dragon Douluo has basically confirmed the development of the situation...

The thought of that terrifying possibility made Sea Dragon Douluo tremble slightly.

but……

"I am the guardian of the Seven Pillars—Sea Dragon! How dare you retreat here!?"

A determined light flashed in Hailong Douluo's eyes.

Faith and loyalty once again became his spiritual strength.

If the high priest has truly met with misfortune, then he will be the one to support Poseidon Island and continue on its journey!

Before that...

"We must ascertain that powerful figure's current attitude towards us and Seagod Island... Besides, with such a massive upheaval in the North Sea, if we, Seagod Island, don't send someone to inquire and offer our regards, everyone will sense something is amiss. That Deep Sea Demon Whale King is probably about to break through Seagod Island's barrier. Especially at times like these, we must project an image of confidence..."

Sea Dragon Douluo had considered praying to the Sea God for another divine oracle. However, Poseidon had just performed that procedure at the Sea God's Temple not long ago. It would take a considerable amount of time for the altar to be replenished with faith power. It couldn't be performed again in the short term.

Moreover, the Sea Dragon Douluo did not succeed to the position of Grand Elder, so this practice was against the rules.

For faith, maintaining this solemnity and restraint is essential.

You could say they don't know how to be flexible, but the principles, content, and rules of a religious sect cannot be changed abruptly in a short period of time. Instead, they need a long time to evolve naturally with changes in social relations and the spread of culture.

Otherwise, believers' acceptance of the dogma could easily waver in the process, even leading to sectarian splits.

Even if the Sea Dragon Douluo wanted to inherit the position of Grand Elder, he couldn't just take it over like this. To ascend to the position without even searching for the missing former Grand Elder gives the impression of seizing power by opportunism, making it difficult to gain the trust of others.

Besides, the biggest problem is that... the succession of the High Priest is not just a nominal succession, but requires a ritual to worship the sea god to complete the transfer of the position.

Such fluctuations could not possibly have escaped the notice of the surrounding sea spirit beasts.

In the past, the change of the position of the High Priest was to deter dangerous soul beasts like the Deep Sea Demon Whale King who did not submit to the Sea God and Sea God Island, and to tell them that although the old High Priest had aged, a new and young High Priest had been born, who was enough to restrain and intimidate them.

But things are different now.

Poseidon is far from being old enough to step down, and Sea Dragon Douluo is far from being strong enough to assume the position of Grand Elder.

This will instead make the sea spirit realize that Poseidon has a problem.

Therefore, no matter what, this trip to Beihai is imperative.

Sea Dragon Douluo knew that discussing resistance in front of such a powerful figure was meaningless.

If that mysterious powerhouse decides, even they, the group of Saint Pillar Douluos, can only cower inside the Sea God Temple, and even moving around on Sea God Island is fraught with danger.

Unless they seek help from outside forces, the very survival of Poseidon Island is a huge question!

What power can Poseidon Island borrow?

The Sea Dragon Douluo immediately thought of the Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect, the only two forces on the continent that openly possessed ultimate combat power.

However, let's not even mention the relationship between the former and them. If they knew Poseidon was missing, it would be good if they didn't come and take a bite out of her.

As for the Haotian Sect? That sect has closed itself off, and Tang Chen has long since disappeared.

So in reality, they couldn't leverage any external support.

That's how it is.

The Sea Dragon Douluo gathered the remaining six Saint Pillar Douluos and solemnly shared all the information, speculations, and thoughts he had.

"You mean the High Priest has been defeated by that mysterious powerful figure who killed the Demon Orca King!?"

The Sea Maiden Douluo, who deeply respected and admired Poseidon, a fellow woman, was enraged. She slammed her hand on the table and retorted, "The High Priestess is invincible in the ocean! In this Douluo Continent, apart from the great gods, how could anyone defeat her silently?!"

The other Saint Pillar Douluos remained silent, but also displayed similar expressions.

Hailong Douluo's expression darkened slightly.

In fact, he had not been unprepared for this situation.

As the strongest Pillar Douluo, he is the one who can best understand Poseidon's power.

He himself wouldn't have easily believed it if he hadn't personally investigated and deduced all the information and intelligence along the way.

The Sea Spear Douluo, whose strength was firmly ranked second, glanced at the Sea Dragon Douluo and said calmly, "Alright, although it is indeed hard to believe, the Sea Dragon is not one to speak without reason. If even this premise cannot be confirmed, then there is no need for this meeting to continue."

Starfish Douluo echoed in a deep voice, "If Lord Sea Dragon's prediction is correct, then now is a matter of life and death for us. Sea Maiden, now is not the time for you to throw a tantrum."

"Tsk."

The Sea Maiden Douluo smacked her lips, but seeing that everyone nodded slightly after the two Holy Pillar Douluos spoke, she remained silent.

Sea Dragon Douluo nodded and said in a deep voice, "Based on the intelligence from the Sea Soul Masters and Sea Soul Beasts, that mysterious powerhouse has most likely already taken control of the Merfolk and the North Sea. We must find out the Merfolk's current attitude."

He turned to look at the Sea Maiden Douluo: "The situation is unclear right now. I must go to the North Sea to find out what the mermaid clan, or rather that mysterious powerful figure, is thinking about our Seagod Island. I need you, with your mermaid bloodline, to help me contact the mermaid clan."

"I see."

The Sea Maiden Douluo nodded solemnly.

Although the journey to the North Sea is extremely dangerous, the people present are all strong individuals with unwavering faith and loyalty, and they will not retreat here.

Especially when it comes to the revered Grand Master, the Sea Maiden Douluo feels a strong sense of duty.

"Sea Dragon".

Sea Spear Douluo said, "This journey is fraught with danger and we may very well face a powerful figure capable of defeating the Grand Elder. You are the strongest among us, so you should stay on Seagod Island and I will go instead."

After speaking, he glanced at the others, his expression cold, and said, "No objections, right?"

"I have an objection."

Sea Ghost Douluo coldly said, "If that mysterious powerhouse really makes a move, it won't matter who goes; it will all end the same way. I think Sea Maiden Douluo alone is enough. There's no need for anyone to mediate or come back to report. As long as she doesn't return within the stipulated time, that fact alone is enough for us to confirm the situation."

Even though the Sea Maiden Douluo was already prepared to die, hearing the Sea Ghost Douluo's words, which completely treated her as a tool, still made her face turn pale and then red with anger: "Old Ghost, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?! I really do want you to come with me!"

"Quiet!"

With a low shout, Sea Dragon Douluo stopped the impending argument and said in a deep voice, "Let me explain my thoughts. First of all, it's impossible for the Sea Maiden to go alone this time. At this stage, every Saint Pillar Douluo is crucial and cannot be easily abandoned. If one day we truly need to retreat to Seagod Island, and that mysterious powerhouse or the Deep Sea Demon Whale King comes, only by combining the strength of all seven of us can we put up a fight. You should all understand this."

This is no exaggeration.

The area surrounding Poseidon Island, having accumulated the collective power of all living beings over a long period, has developed a home-field effect similar to the Sanctuary in Saint Seiya.

Both the Seven Sacred Pillars and the Grand Elder can gain a certain amount of power around Seagod Island. The Sacred Pillar Douluo relies on the Sacred Pillars, while the Grand Elder relies on the Seagod Island itself and the Seagod Temple for support.

The Seven Pillars receive far less blessing than the High Priest, and they cannot directly draw upon the divine power of the Temple of Poseidon like the High Priest. However, they can connect their powers with each other by relying on the pillars of the same origin, forming a special battle formation.

The seven Holy Pillar Douluos, united by the Holy Pillars, were not as powerful as the Grand Priest under the blessing of Seagod Island, but they were still able to rival ordinary Limit Douluos.

Of course, this only applies to direct combat.

The reason why the Sea Dragon Douluo was more wary of the mysterious powerhouse was because the Limit Douluo was more agile than a giant monster like the Deep Sea Demon Whale King. Moreover, judging from the opponent's ability to conceal himself, he could completely avoid direct combat and instead defeat them one by one.

Therefore, if we consider the issue of opposing the mysterious powerful being, then they basically have no means of countermeasures other than relying on the Sea God.

Whether or not we make this trip, it doesn't make any difference.

Sea Dragon Douluo continued, "Moreover, we are only visiting the Mermaid Clan on this trip. Judging from that mysterious powerhouse's previous behavior, he may not necessarily show himself. But even if that mysterious powerhouse doesn't take action, the Mermaid Clan's strength should not be underestimated. If any conflict arises, only I, with my strongest strength, am confident that I can bring the Mermaid back safely."

Ultimately, it was decided that Sea Dragon Douluo and Sea Maiden Douluo, along with a group of Sea Soul Masters, would form a formal diplomatic delegation to visit the North Sea.

……

"That's how it is, Your Majesty. I'm very sorry to have disturbed your cultivation."

In response to Liya's apology, You Chen waved his hand, indicating that it was nothing to worry about, and said, "It is indeed not a small matter for a Sea Soul Master from Seagod Island to come and visit. Reporting this to me was exactly what I asked you to do from the beginning."

"Thank you for the divine grace of the Lord."

Liya still dared not overstep her bounds, maintaining her expressionless face, which had gradually become almost blank from the pressure, and said, "My Lord, the spies of the Sea Knife Fish Clan have been confirmed. This time, the team is led by Sea Dragon Douluo and Sea Maiden Douluo. With the current strength of the Mermaid Clan, defeating them is not difficult, but if we want to kill or capture them, we cannot guarantee the success rate."

You Chen glanced at Liya speechlessly. When did this new sea princess become so ruthless?

He shook his head and said, "Liya, what kind of image do I have in your heart? Since they came to visit in accordance with proper etiquette, killing them like this will not only fail to serve as a warning to others, but will also cause turmoil among the tribes that originally depended on the mermaids."

In fact, given You Chen's personality, he wouldn't care whether the vassal groups of the merfolk were in turmoil.

Soul beasts devouring each other to cultivate is one of the laws of the world; however, soul beasts that are more benevolent and law-abiding tend to absorb the essence of heaven and earth to cultivate.

The merfolk have no need to devour soul beasts. During this period, You Chen's cultivation resources mainly came from the hunting quotas of the seven vassal clans.

Maintaining stability for these ethnic groups naturally becomes necessary.

Moreover, during this period, in addition to consuming the ocean's cultivation resources to refine his body and digesting the experiences and insights from Poseidon, You Chen also began to secretly do something in the North Sea—spread faith.

He used the North Sea as a testing ground in order to truly unite the faith of the people of Douluo Continent in the future.

However, he was unsure of the specifics of the divine laws, and whether his spreading of faith in the ocean would give Poseidon a reason to intervene.

Therefore, he did not spread the word widely, but instead first got a portion of the Crystal Palace's sea spirit beasts to believe in him.

You Chen doesn't dare to do most things that involve plundering the sea god's faith for the time being.

His current goal is simply to see if he can sense the existence of the so-called power of sentient beings' thoughts.

After many attempts, You Chen has discovered a good solution—building a statue.

Whether it's because his strength is still insufficient, or for some other reason, he is not yet able to condense the thoughts of all living beings, or perhaps he has condensed them but cannot directly observe them with his naked eyes and divine sense.

However, through objects such as statues, one can indeed discover the concentrated power of the collective thoughts of all beings.

The reason he was able to confirm that this energy was the power of the thoughts of all living beings was because he possessed pure divine power and could use it as a reference.

A single drop of pure divine power can be divided into 10081 strands of divine power; a single strand is the smallest unit of divine power.

Under You Chen's divine observation, the collective thoughts of all living beings that had been condensing on the sculpture during this period of time were roughly similar to the feeling he got from a wisp of divine power.

The pure divine power sent by the system can be used directly by him or distributed to others.

But the spiritual power of the beings in this sculpture is different; only he himself can access it.

This means that the thoughts of these sentient beings are directly directed at him.

Although he didn't intend to waste his pure divine power for the time being, after discovering that there was a way to gather the thoughts of all living beings, You Chen no longer cherished the thoughts of all living beings on this sculpture.

However, even though it was the collective spiritual power of these powerful sea spirit beasts, which were basically over ten thousand years old, it amounted to only a few strands.

Of course, there were only a few possible reasons. You Chen didn't care much. Since he could already regenerate, it didn't matter if it was a little slower.

You Chen only used a wisp of pure divine power as a reference, but he had no scruples about the power of all living beings' thoughts and used it all for testing.

After trying it out briefly, he quickly discovered that although the energy properties of this collective will power were similar to those of a wisp of divine power, they were actually quite different.

The most significant difference is... intensity.

With just a wisp of divine power, You Chen didn't expect to achieve the omnipotence of divine power, such as adding a time limit to his soul rings.

His main experiment was to use divine power and the power of sentient beings' thoughts to replace or amplify the effect of soul power, and this resulted in a significant difference.

What followed involved simply using the mental power of all living beings to perform soul skills, or as cultivation resources to improve soul power and physique.

After completing these experiments, You Chen's curiosity was satisfied for the time being, and he temporarily put aside his research on divine power and focused only on collecting the thoughts of all living beings.

He's now very curious about the situation where there are multiple statues. For example, would the collective power of the thoughts of all beings cause a convergence, or would the range of his direct manipulation of the thoughts of all beings expand as a result?

For the time being, he only wanted to take good care of this small plot of land and did not want to attract unnecessary attention from the sea god, so he could develop it in peace for a while longer.

After all, the angel god who collected the faith of the continent is not still alive like the sea god. He can plunder the faith power that was originally occupied by the Spirit Hall without any scruples, and even achieve a more exaggerated radiation range than the angel god of the past.

Therefore, what he said to Liya was his true thought.

It's one thing for Poseidon to come after him, but he has no intention of launching a direct attack on Poseidon Island right now.

"So the Overlord had such deep considerations?"

Hearing You Chen's words, Liya's eyes lit up, and she nodded, saying, "In that case, how should I deal with them? Should I show a tough attitude, or pretend to be as I have in the past, feigning compliance?"

You Chen smiled and walked towards the door of the secluded cultivation room, saying, "Since my cultivation has been interrupted, I might as well come out and take a stroll. Liya, this time, I will personally entertain these two distinguished guests."

As he said this, a hint of malice flashed in You Chen's eyes.

……

"Lord Sea Dragon, things might not be as you think?"

Having already entered the waters controlled by the mermaid race, the Sea Maiden Douluo laughed, "Look, didn't the mermaid race welcome us very generously? They even specially chose an island as the meeting place, instead of their more comfortable underwater palace. It may seem less solemn and formal, but as someone with mermaid blood, I know that this is actually a manifestation of their willingness to consider our needs!"

"Is that really the case?" Sea Dragon Douluo had a bad feeling.

The Sea Maiden Douluo looked helpless and said, "Sigh, you're exaggerating too much. I knew it! How could the High Priest possibly be defeated at sea? I reckon it's just that the enemy was indeed quite capable, so he was injured and temporarily stayed with the Mermaid Clan to recuperate! The reason the Mermaid Clan is treating us so warmly is probably because the High Priest arrived before us! See, doesn't that make sense?"

As the two talked, they arrived at the agreed-upon island.

Led by a team of mermaid guards, and with two Saint Pillar Douluos leading the way, followed closely by a group of Seagod Island Soul Masters, they officially arrived at the meeting place, an open-air courtyard in a huge manor that had been prepared in advance.

This island is not far from the Crystal Palace, so naturally, it is the place where You Chen lives and cultivates on a daily basis.

The open-air courtyard is as large as the area of ​​an ordinary mansion. In the huge, deep pond, several beautiful mermaids are swimming happily, displaying their graceful water dance.

A few meters away from the pool, a mermaid wearing a golden crown, whose scales were even more beautiful and exquisite than those of the mermaids in the pond, stood silently with her back to them, in a posture similar to that of a snake woman.

The Sea Maiden Douluo's gaze quietly drifted to the mermaids performing like dancers in the pond.

The Sea Maiden Douluo has half mermaid blood flowing through her veins. Seeing these mermaids posing in the water like actors on a stage, she was not in a good mood.

I even felt somewhat offended.

Even if it's to welcome guests from Poseidon Island, there's no reason to perform such a show that demeans the dignity of one's own kind.

She wanted to question the newly appointed empress about how she had become a sea princess, and if she couldn't do it, she should replace her.

However, considering the purpose of this trip and the hidden dangers, the Sea Maiden Douluo did not make a move, but silently glanced at the Sea Dragon Douluo.

Although the Sea Dragon Douluo couldn't fully grasp the hidden meaning of the mermaid dance like the Sea Maiden Douluo, he vaguely sensed that it was a bit strange for the Sea Princess to have her own kind posing and flaunting themselves here.

But more than anything else, he was concerned about the mysterious powerful figure. Seeing that it was the Sea Princess who appeared here, he breathed a sigh of relief.

As the leader of this trip, it was naturally not up to the Sea Maiden Douluo to speak. After giving the Sea Maiden Douluo an affirmative look, he stepped forward and solemnly said, "Your Highness, whenever the position of Sea Princess changes, Seagod Island will reaffirm the agreement with the Sea Princess and the Mermaid Clan. We have come for this purpose."

rustle.

The fish tail wriggled on the soft, damp grass, its scales rubbing against the tender green blades, making a soft sound.

Liya turned around, revealing a stunningly beautiful face that seemed to confirm her identity as a sea princess.

Her calm face, seemingly devoid of emotion, showed no fluctuations, but instead exuded an empress-like majesty.

"The agreement between the mermaid race and Seagod Island is hereby destroyed."

She spoke in a calm tone, uttering words that shocked everyone on Poseidon Island.

"this……"

Although the Sea Dragon Douluo was taken aback, he managed to regain his composure. He soothed the Sea Maiden Douluo, whose agitation was now barely concealed, with a look, and asked in a deep voice, "If this is Princess Sea's will, then although it's regrettable, we have no choice but to accept it. But before that, may I ask what the reason is?"

Ring ring ring~

Liya did not answer, but remained silent. Suddenly, a clear bell sound came from the direction of the passageway connecting the courtyard to the manor houses.

The group from Poseidon Island entered in a grand procession through the side gate that connects the island directly to the courtyard, without passing through the main gate of the manor. The owner of the voice clearly came from inside the manor.

Hailong Douluo frowned immediately, wanting to see which member of the mermaid clan was so impolite as to suddenly intrude at such an important meeting between the two forces. Perhaps he could use this to question the Sea Princess and gain some room for negotiation.

Then... Sea Dragon Douluo's body trembled, cold sweat poured out uncontrollably, and his anger boiled and surged uncontrollably.

Having learned from yesterday's experience, I have a feeling the next chapter will be rejected too... My writing skills are just awful. I'm wondering if I should rearrange the order of the text, since, as everyone knows, the order of the text doesn't affect reading.

(End of this chapter)