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Meanwhile, at Sea God Island, the Ring Sea was quietly waiting. This was an inland lake located behind Sea God Mountain. It was connected to the vast ocean, yet it formed a unique world of its own. The lake water was a deep ink-blue. When it was calm, it looked like a massive sapphire embedded in the center of the island. However, a closer look revealed undercurrents surging beneath the surface, as if countless invisible behemoths were prowling in the dark depths.
The name Ring Sea came from its distinct shape. It was a nearly perfect ring with a small island standing right in the center. Positioned on that central island was a pure white Sacred Pillar. Floating atop it was a fist-sized pearl that emitted a soft, milky-white glow. That pearl was the finish line of the second trial, a Sacred Pillar guarded by the ferocious Devil Spirit Great White Shark.
The lake surface spanned over ten li in diameter, and its deepest point was said to reach a depth of a thousand zhang. The outer perimeter of the Ring Sea was formed by steep rocky cliffs, offering only a few narrow gaps for entry and exit.
It was currently early morning, and a thin layer of mist draped over the lake like a light veil. Sunlight refracted through the mist into a beautiful seven-colored halo, making the waters look like a dreamlike fairyland. But Tang Chen knew very well that beneath this fairyland lay a hidden, fatal killing intent.
The High Priestess stood on a reef at the edge of the Ring Sea. Her long red robes flapped loudly in the strong sea breeze. Her calm gaze swept over Tang Chen and the other four companions before finally landing on the quiet lake surface. She said in a steady tone, "The second Sea God trial requires you to traverse the Ring Sea, reach the central Sacred Pillar, and touch the pearl on top to pass. The rules are simple. You must not harm any Sea Spirit Beasts. No matter what method you use, as long as you do not kill or heavily injure any Sea Spirit Beast within the Ring Sea, you will be in compliance. But if you violate this rule..."
Her voice suddenly turned freezing cold as she continued, "The trial will immediately fail. You will lose the qualification to participate in the Sea God trials forever."
Ning Rongrong muttered in a low voice, "How are we supposed to pass this? If we don't harm them, what if they try to harm us?"
The High Priestess heard her complaints clearly, but she only gave a slight smile. She added, "That will depend on your own abilities." She then stepped back, yielding the lakeshore to them. "Begin."
The five companions stood together by the shore, looking at the calm yet mysterious waters, falling into silence for a long moment. The Ring Sea contained a wide variety of Sea Spirit Beasts. They ranged from the lowest-level Starfish and Sea Urchins to ten-thousand-year and hundred-thousand-year overlords. The true ruler of these treacherous waters was a Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beast, the Devil Spirit Great White Shark.
The Devil Spirit Great White Shark was once one of the Sea God Poseidon's personal mounts, so its strength was completely unfathomable. It was not an ordinary Sea Spirit Beast, but a noble guardian bound by a deep contract with Sea God Island. It possessed high intelligence and could even communicate with humans with ease. Its core duty was to guard the Sacred Pillar in the center of the Ring Sea and test every Spirit Master participating in the Sea God trials.
"We can't harm the Sea Spirit Beasts, yet we have to break through their heavy blockade," Dugu Yan frowned deeply. "Unless we can swim across silently without being discovered at all."
Xiao Rui'er shook her head firmly, her golden eyes fixed on the distant lake. She replied, "That's impossible. I can feel that the number of Sea Spirit Beasts in the lake is terrifyingly high. Moreover, that great white shark's perception covers the entire Ring Sea. Any creature entering the water will be immediately detected by it."
Ye Lengleng said softly, "Then can we try to negotiate with it?"
"Negotiate?" Ning Rongrong blinked her eyes in confusion and laughed. "Negotiate with a big shark?"
"It's no ordinary shark," Tang Chen spoke up, his gaze deep and thoughtful. "A Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beast has intelligence no less than a human's. Having guarded the Sacred Pillar for so many years, it must have seen countless challengers. Perhaps..."
He paused for a second and looked toward the High Priestess, lost in thought. There seemed to be some hidden leeway in what the High Priestess had just said to them. She said they must not harm any Sea Spirit Beasts, but she didn't state that they couldn't use other clever means. If it were just about not being discovered, it would be far too simple. The trials set by the great Sea God would never be so shallow.
Tang Chen made up his mind and spoke seriously, "Let's observe first. Lengleng, use the Life Perception of your Nine Heart Begonia to scout the distribution of the Sea Spirit Beasts in the lake. Rongrong, use the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's amplification to help Lengleng expand her perception range. Yan Zi, release some poison mist onto the lake surface to see how the Sea Spirit Beasts react. Ruier, come into the water with me to test the actual depths."
"Into the water?" Xiao Rui'er raised an eyebrow, feeling quite puzzled.
"Can't you breathe underwater?" Tang Chen smiled slightly, using Voice Transmission to speak directly into her mind. "A Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beast in human form should have at least this much ability, right?"
Xiao Rui'er's lips curled into a confident smirk as she replied, "Of course I do."
The five companions quickly divided the tasks and acted without delay. Ye Lengleng sat cross-legged on the ground, her Nine Heart Begonia Spirit emerging as bright emerald light spread toward the lake like gentle ripples. Ning Rongrong stood right behind her, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda shining brightly in her hands as four rays of amplification light fell directly upon Ye Lengleng. With Ning Rongrong's strong support, Ye Lengleng's Life Perception range expanded by a full three times.
Her consciousness acted like an invisible net, covering the entire Ring Sea, feeding back the distribution, total number, and strength levels of the Sea Spirit Beasts in the lake one by one.
"There are so many..." Ye Lengleng's face turned pale as she said worriedly. "The number of Sea Spirit Beasts in the lake exceeds a hundred thousand. There are over a thousand just at the ten-thousand-year level or above. In the deepest part, there is an extremely powerful life fluctuation. That should be the Devil Spirit Great White Shark."
"What about their overall distribution?" Tang Chen pressed for more details.
"It's a circular distribution," Ye Lengleng replied with her eyes closed, her brow slightly furrowed. "The outer ring has the highest density, mostly consisting of small Sea Spirit Beasts of the hundred-year and thousand-year levels. The middle ring consists of ten-thousand-year Sea Spirit Beasts. Their density is lower, but their individual strength is much higher. The inner ring has almost no ordinary Sea Spirit Beasts, only that giant white shark and the central Sacred Pillar."
"In other words, as long as we break through the blockade of the outer and middle rings to reach the inner ring, we only need to face one enemy, which is the great white shark," Dugu Yan analyzed carefully.
Xiao Rui'er frowned and said, "But the real problem is how to break through. The Sea Spirit Beasts in the outer ring are packed so tightly that there's almost no gap. Their perception is very strong, so any unusual movement will alert them right away. Once alerted, the ten-thousand-year Sea Spirit Beasts in the middle ring will swarm over together. When that happens..."
She didn't continue her sentence, but everyone clearly understood the severe consequences. A hundred thousand Sea Spirit Beasts, over a thousand ten-thousand-year ones, plus a Hundred Thousand Year Devil Spirit Great White Shark—this was simply not something that could be forced through by human power alone. Even if Tang Chen had achieved a level ninety-six Titled Douluo cultivation, it would still be completely impossible to force a way through without harming a single one of them.
"Try the poison mist," Tang Chen suggested to Dugu Yan.
Dugu Yan nodded in understanding and waved her slender hand. A faint purple poison mist drifted directly from her palm, slowly floating over the lake surface. The concentration of this mist was kept very low so it wouldn't harm the Sea Spirit Beasts, but it was just enough to provoke a natural reaction.
The second the poison mist made contact with the lake surface, the originally calm water suddenly boiled with fury. Countless Sea Spirit Beasts surged out from underwater, so numerous that they seemed to blot out the morning sky. There were sharp-toothed Deep-sea Rays, dense schools of spiky Sea Urchins, and giant octopuses with long, snake-like tentacles. They lunged frantically at the drifting poison mist as if trying to drive out an unwelcome intruder.
Ning Rongrong gasped in shock, "Oh no!"
Just a tiny wisp of poison mist had already triggered such a violent response from the lake. If a real person went into the water, the results would be unthinkable.
The poison mist was quickly dispersed by the collective attacks of the angry Sea Spirit Beasts, and the lake surface slowly returned to its calm state. However, those Sea Spirit Beasts did not scatter away. Instead, they continued to prowl underwater, staring warily at the nearby shore.
Dugu Yan frowned tightly and said, "Their alertness is extremely high. They are very sensitive to unusual auras, so trying to cross over silently is nearly impossible."
Tang Chen didn't reply immediately. Instead, he walked slowly to the lakeside, crouched down, and gently reached his hand into the cool water. The lake water felt icy and carried a distinct hint of saltiness. On his forehead, the golden mark of the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud glowed faintly. A soft sense of natural affinity spread from his palm, creating a sweet resonance with the surrounding lake water. As the designated Sea God's successor, he was naturally close to all ocean life.
He closed his eyes peacefully, sensing everything hidden in the water—the distinct auras of the Sea Spirit Beasts, the fast trajectory of the undercurrents, and the hidden reefs resting at the bottom. Gradually, a clever idea began to take shape in his mind. Perhaps a brute-force breakthrough wasn't needed at all.
"I have an idea," Tang Chen said as he stood up and turned back to face the four women.
"What's your idea?" the four women asked together in curiosity.
Tang Chen didn't answer them directly. Instead, he turned his head toward the High Priestess and called out loudly, "High Priestess, may I ask if 'not harming any Sea Spirit Beasts' includes letting them fall into a deep sleep?"
The High Priestess was slightly taken aback by the question, but she soon shook her head calmly and replied, "It does not count as harm. As long as no real physical damage is caused, any control-type Spirit Ability can be used freely."
A subtle smile appeared at the corner of Tang Chen's mouth. "Then this will be much easier to handle."
He turned his focus back to Dugu Yan and asked, "Yan Zi, does your Jade Phosphor Serpent poison have a specific variant that can induce unconsciousness without being fatal at all?"
Dugu Yan's bright eyes lit up instantly. "Yes! I have a move called Jade Phosphor Miasma that can release a hallucinogenic poison mist. It puts living creatures into a brief, deep sleep. The overall toxicity is extremely light and won't cause any real harm, but the duration isn't very long—at most fifteen minutes."
"Fifteen minutes is more than enough for us," Tang Chen nodded in satisfaction.
He then looked over at Ye Lengleng and asked, "Lengleng, can your Nine Heart Begonia enhance a creature's natural resistance in a short time? I don't want to weaken them, but rather make them sleep much better."
Ye Lengleng was stunned for a brief moment before she quickly understood his underlying strategy. She asked, "You want to make them fall asleep voluntarily?"
"Not entirely voluntarily, but peacefully soothed," Tang Chen clarified. "Since we can't harm them, we'll let them comfortably allow us to pass through. Lengleng will use the Nine Heart Begonia to release pure life energy to soothe the Sea Spirit Beasts' nervous emotions. Yan Zi will release a low concentration of miasma to put them into a light sleep. Combining both methods should successfully paralyze the Sea Spirit Beasts in the outer and middle rings."
"What about the great white shark guarding the inner ring?" Xiao Rui'er questioned promptly.
A sharp light flashed through Tang Chen's deep eyes. "The great white shark... I will handle it personally. It is no ordinary Spirit Beast. It possesses high intelligence and can easily communicate with us. I'll go forward and talk directly to it."
Ning Rongrong's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "Talk? Negotiate directly with a Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beast?"
"My special status as the Sea God's successor should be of some use here," Tang Chen said as he touched the trident brand resting on his forehead. "Besides, I possess something that it is deeply interested in."
He didn't explicitly reveal what it was, but the four women could vaguely guess that it was the precious Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud. As the Sea God's divine artifact, it possessed a strong natural affinity and absolute authority over all the Spirit Beasts guarding Sea God Island.
"Fine by me," Xiao Rui'er was the very first to agree. "I'll go into the water with you. In case the negotiations suddenly break down, I can still help you block its attacks for a while."
Dugu Yan added immediately, "I'll come along too. My poison mist needs to be released at close range to maintain precise control."
"I... I'll just stay on the shore and cheer for you guys," Ning Rongrong shrank her neck back awkwardly and said softly. "I would only end up being a burden underwater."
Ye Lengleng gave a soft, reassuring smile. "I'll stay right here on the shore to maintain the Nine Heart Begonia's soothing range, aiming to cover as much of the middle ring as possible. Rongrong, please help support me with your amplification."
"It's settled then," Tang Chen declared decisively.
Once their preparation was fully complete, the group acted without delay. Ye Lengleng sat cross-legged on the grassy shore, her Nine Heart Begonia Spirit fully activated as bright emerald life energy spread out toward the lake like gentle water ripples. Ning Rongrong stood right behind her, focusing all four amplification rays of her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda onto Ye Lengleng, stretching the total coverage of the soothing life energy to its absolute maximum limit.
Wherever the soft emerald light touched, the restless Sea Spirit Beasts within the lake water began to quiet down one after another. They instinctively felt the deep goodwill and comforting life force contained within this unique aura, and their naturally violent emotions were smoothly washed away.
Dugu Yan stood firmly by the lakeside, her hands forming quick seals. Thin wisps of faint purple miasma drifted out from her palms, merging quietly into the deep lake water. The concentration of the miasma was kept extremely low, rendering it almost invisible to the naked eye. Yet every single wisp accurately drifted toward those Sea Spirit Beasts that had already been soothed by the life force. Their original alertness quickly turned into heavy drowsiness, and that drowsiness soon dragged them into a peaceful, deep sleep.
The vast majority of the Sea Spirit Beasts in the outer ring began sinking toward the bottom of the lake in large numbers, falling fast asleep without any struggle.
"Go now!" Tang Chen called out and immediately leaped into the lake.
Xiao Rui'er followed right behind him, a brilliant golden light enveloping her entire body like a sharp sword piercing cleanly through the cool lake water. Dugu Yan rode atop a phantom of a venomous snake condensed entirely from her Bi Lin Snake Poison, following silently right behind them.
The three of them moved forward at an incredible speed, yet they barely kicked up any water spray along their path. The mark of the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud on Tang Chen's forehead glowed faintly, seamlessly blending the trio's natural aura with the surrounding lake water. Because of this, even those few Sea Spirit Beasts that hadn't completely fallen asleep could not detect their presence at all.
Soon, they reached the middle ring, which served as the primary gathering place for the powerful ten-thousand-year Sea Spirit Beasts. The Spirit Beasts residing here were far larger, much stronger, and possessed significantly higher mental resilience. Ye Lengleng's soothing life energy had already weakened by the time it reached this distance, meaning Dugu Yan's sleeping miasma would take a much longer time to take full effect.
Just as they entered, a giant ten-thousand-year Tiger-striped Shark prowled right in front of the three companions. Its massive body resembled a small warship moving through the water. Its dark eyes were half-open and half-closed, showing that it was clearly affected by the miasma but had not yet fallen completely asleep.
Seeing this dangerous sight, Xiao Rui'er instantly gripped her golden dragon spear tightly, preparing to strike the beast at a moment's notice.
"Don't move," Tang Chen reached out to gently hold her hand back, sending a quick Voice Transmission to her. "Let me handle this."
In the next second, the mark of the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud on his forehead shone with brilliant gold light. An absolute, majestic pressure belonging to the true Sea God radiated outward, completely enveloping the large Tiger-striped Shark.
The Tiger-striped Shark's entire body jolted violently under the sudden pressure, its massive eyes snapping wide open to stare directly at Tang Chen. But very quickly, the natural hostility and wariness in its eyes completely transformed into deep awe and reverence.
It clearly sensed the familiar aura emanating from Tang Chen—an aura that shared the exact same noble source as the supreme Sea God. It was the absolute presence of the divine Lord of the Ocean, the supreme majesty to which every single Sea Spirit Beast must willingly submit.
The massive Tiger-striped Shark slowly lowered its head in respect, sinking down toward the lake bottom to yield the path forward for them.
Tang Chen's group of three continued their journey toward the center. Along the way, they encountered over a hundred ten-thousand-year Sea Spirit Beasts. Every single one of them took the initiative to move aside and clear the path after sensing Tang Chen's divine Sea God aura. Meanwhile, the strategic cooperation between Ye Lengleng and Dugu Yan became increasingly seamless on the shore. Their life energy and sleeping miasma intertwined perfectly to send all the remaining Sea Spirit Beasts along the path straight into a deep dreamland.
In less than fifteen minutes, the three successfully broke through the entire middle ring and stepped directly into the inner ring.
Within the inner ring, the deep lake water was as calm and clear as a giant mirror. Not a single ordinary Sea Spirit Beast could be seen swimming around.
There was only a single creature resting in the quiet depths.
It was a giant shark, glowing silver-white all over its massive body that stretched over thirty meters long. It floated gracefully in the very center of the lake, directly facing the white Sacred Pillar. Its body lines were sleek and smooth, with every single scale emitting a gleaming metallic luster. Its massive eyes resembled two dark, flawless pearls—reflecting a deep, ancient wisdom.
This was the legendary ruler of the sea, the Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beast, the Devil Spirit Great White Shark.