đź’– If you enjoy my work, consider supporting me on Patreon! I'm offering advanced chapters there as a thank-you to readers.
--------------------
Check out advanced chapters on : patreon.com/Veni_V
---------------
Looking at the three figures approaching from underwater, the Hundred Thousand Year Devil Spirit Great White Shark showed no hostility, only scrutiny. It said in a deep voice, "Human, the fact that you could make it here means you are qualified to speak with me."
Tang Chen stopped and hovered in front of the Great White Shark, cupping his hands in greeting. "Junior Tang Chen, successor of the Sea God, has come to accept the Second Trial."
The Great White Shark's gaze fell upon the trident brand on Tang Chen's forehead. A flash of complex emotions crossed its eyes—reminiscence, sentimentality, and even a trace of unwillingness. It snorted lightly. "Sea God successor... after more than a hundred years, someone has finally reached this step again. And stop with the 'Junior' business. Since you are the successor of the Sea God, you can just call me Xiao Bai."
Hearing this, the corner of Xiao Rui'er's mouth twitched. Dugu Yan also had a strange expression on her face. Xiao Bai... wasn't that name a bit too casual for a powerful spirit beast?
The Great White Shark seemed to see through their confusion and rolled its eyes. "Lord Sea God gave it to me. Do you have any objections?"
"None at all," the three shook their heads in unison.
"Good then." The Great White Shark put away its playful demeanor, its gaze turning serious. "You should already know the rules of the Second Trial. Without harming any Sea Spirit Beast, pass under my nose and touch the Pearl on that Sacred Pillar. If you can do that, you pass."
Tang Chen nodded politely. "I understand."
The Great White Shark looked at him with great interest. "So, what do you plan to do? Force your way through? You have the Asura Demon Sword, so killing me might not be hard. But the rules say no harming Sea Spirit Beasts. If you move against me, it counts as a violation."
Tang Chen shook his head. "I will not attack you, Senior. Instead, I wish to make a bet with you."
The Great White Shark became curious. "A bet? On what?"
"I bet that I can swim past you and touch the Pearl on the Sacred Pillar without alerting any Sea Spirit Beast," Tang Chen said calmly. "If I succeed, it counts as passing. If I fail, I will voluntarily give up the assessment and leave Sea God Island."
The Great White Shark narrowed its eyes. "Interesting. But why do you think I'll bet with you?"
"Because of this." Tang Chen raised his hand, and the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud mark on his forehead flared with bright light. A palm-sized azure light shroud floated out from his forehead, hovering right above his palm.
The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud!
The Great White Shark's pupils suddenly constricted! It stared fixedly at the light shroud, its eyes full of shock and nostalgia. "The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud... Lord Sea God's Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud... Where did you get it?"
Tang Chen fabricated a story on the spot. "It is a family heirloom. Senior should know that one of its abilities is invisibility. It hides visual form, aura, and spirit power fluctuations completely. Everything merges with the environment. If I use it to hide my form and swim past you, could you detect me?"
The Great White Shark fell silent. It naturally knew the power of the divine artifact. That was the treasure of Poseidon, a space-type Divine Artifact with concealment abilities unparalleled in the world. Never mind a Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beast; even a true god would find it hard to detect unless they were specifically searching for it.
"Fine." The Great White Shark nodded slowly, a flash of admiration in its eyes. "I'll bet with you. But on one condition: you cannot keep yourself under the shroud for too long—ten breaths at most. If you can swim past me and touch the Sacred Pillar within ten breaths, you win."
Xiao Rui'er frowned in worry. "Ten breaths? Isn't that too short?"
"It's not short." Tang Chen raised his hand to stop her and said to the Great White Shark, "Ten breaths it is."
The Great White Shark grinned, revealing a mouth full of sharp, snow-white teeth. "Straightforward! Then let us begin."
It slowly swam to the front of the Sacred Pillar, its massive body completely blocking the path. Immediately after, the Hundred Thousand Year Devil Spirit Great White Shark's perception expanded to its full extent, covering the entire inner water area. Not even the slightest movement could escape its detection.
Tang Chen took a deep breath and sent a voice transmission to Xiao Rui'er and Dugu Yan. "Stay where you are and don't move. I'll go alone."
Dugu Yan shook her head. "That's too dangerous. What if something goes wrong?"
Tang Chen interrupted her, his gaze extremely firm. "There are no 'what ifs'. Trust me."
In the next second, he held the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud in his palm. With a thought, the azure light shroud slowly expanded, enveloping his entire body within it. The moment the shroud closed, Tang Chen's form, aura, and spirit power fluctuations all vanished! It was as if he had never existed in the first place!
Xiao Rui'er and Dugu Yan's eyes widened in disbelief. Even though Tang Chen was right before their eyes a moment ago, their senses now perceived nothing! This feeling was extremely bizarre, making their skin crawl!
The Great White Shark's pupils also slightly constricted. Its perception swept across the entire water area, yet it could find no trace of Tang Chen at all!
"One breath."
Tang Chen moved. He was like a silent ghost, quietly swimming through the deep water. The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud perfectly merged his form with the lake water, so even the currents did not produce the slightest ripple.
"Two breaths." He swam past the Great White Shark's tail.
"Three breaths." He swam past the Great White Shark's belly.
"Four breaths." He swam under the Great White Shark's head.
The Great White Shark's perception swept frantically, yet it remained unable to lock onto him. Its eyes looked around, but it saw nothing.
"Five breaths." Tang Chen emerged from under the Great White Shark's head; he could already see the bright Sacred Pillar.
"Six breaths." He reached out his hand toward the Pearl at the top of the Sacred Pillar.
"Seven breaths." His fingertips were only three feet away from the Pearl.
"Eight breaths." Two feet away.
"Nine breaths." One foot away.
"Ten breaths!"
Tang Chen's fingertips touched that milky-white Pearl! At the exact same moment, the light of the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud dissipated. Tang Chen's figure appeared out of thin air beside the Sacred Pillar, his fingertip touching the Pearl, a faint smile on his lips. "Xiao Bai, I won."
The Great White Shark turned around and looked at Tang Chen, who had already bypassed its defense line at some point. Its eyes were filled with complex emotions—shock, admiration, and a hint of relief. "Good. Quite the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud. Quite the Sea God successor."
It tilted its head back and let out a low shark song. That sound echoed throughout the entire Ring Sea and across all of Sea God Island. "Second Trial, passed!"
On the lake surface, Ye Lengleng and Ning Rongrong jumped with excitement upon hearing the sound!
"He passed! Brother Tang Chen passed!"
"That's wonderful!"
Xiao Rui'er and Dugu Yan also emerged from the water, looking at Tang Chen's back with eyes full of pride.
On the shore, the High Priestess smiled slightly, her eyes full of deep gratification. "Lord Sea God indeed did not choose the wrong person." She turned toward the distant Sea God Temple and whispered to herself, "Chen, your great-grandson is stronger than both of us."
Over the Ring Sea, the thick mist gradually dispersed. Sunlight fell, making the lake surface shimmer softly.
The mist on the Ring Sea cleared completely, and bright sunlight spilled over the shimmering surface of the water. Tang Chen had just returned to the shore from the Sacred Pillar. The trident brand on his forehead was still glowing faintly as Ye Lengleng, Ning Rongrong, and the others gathered around to congratulate him.
The High Priestess stood not far away, her red clothes as bright as blood, a gratified smile on her elegant face.
Just then, a deep blue figure sped over from the horizon at extreme speed, creating a sharp whistle as it broke through the air.
It was Sea Dragon Douluo. He was the leader of the seven Sacred Pillar Guardians. Normally, he guarded the Sea Dragon Pillar and rarely left his post. At this moment, his face was filled with anxiety. He didn't even care for proper etiquette, landing directly in front of the High Priestess and dropping to one knee, his voice trembling heavily.
"High Priestess, something terrible has happened! Senior Tang Chen's injuries have suddenly worsened. His breath is failing fast; I'm afraid he won't last through the day!"
Hearing this, the gentle smile on the High Priestess's face instantly froze. Her body swayed as if struck in the chest by a heavy hammer. The bright light in her deep eyes quickly dimmed, replaced by total disbelief and fear.
"What did you say? Chen... he was fine this morning..."
"High Priestess, please return to the Sea God Temple immediately!" Sea Dragon Douluo lowered his head, not daring to look at her tearful face.
The High Priestess didn't ask anything else. She turned to take flight but stumbled badly, her whole body falling forward!
"High Priestess!" Tang Chen was quick to react, stepping forward to catch and steady her.
The High Priestess's hands were ice-cold, and her body was trembling slightly. She grabbed Tang Chen's arm tightly, her knuckles turning white, as if he were the only support she had left in a raging storm. "Go... take me there..." Her voice was almost squeezed out of her throat.
Tang Chen didn't say much. Supporting her with one hand, he used a burst of spirit power to lift them both into the air, racing toward the Sea God Temple. Ye Lengleng, Ning Rongrong, and the other two women looked at each other nervously and quickly followed behind.
Inside the sleeping quarters of the Sea God Temple, the doors were wide open. Several Sacred Pillar Guardians stood outside, their expressions heavy and grim. Seeing the High Priestess and Tang Chen arrive, they silently stepped aside to make a clear path.
The High Priestess almost stumbled into the quiet hall.
Tang Chen was lying on the large bed. The once iron-willed and powerful Clear Sky Douluo was now so thin he was almost unrecognizable. His face was as gray as paper, his eyes deep-set, and his lips parched and cracked. Black energy faintly seeped from the old wound on his chest. His breathing was weak and rapid, every single breath taking all his remaining strength.
But his eyes were still open. Those eyes that once looked down on the entire world were now cloudy and dim, yet they still held a trace of stubborn light. When he saw the High Priestess stumble to his bedside, a hint of softness surfaced in his eyes.
"Xi Xi..." his voice was so raspy it was almost inaudible, "you're here..."
The High Priestess knelt by the bed, her trembling hands cradling Tang Chen's weak hand and pressing it against her face. Tears fell silently, dripping onto the back of his withered hand.
"Chen... didn't you say you could hold on for a long time?" the High Priestess choked out, her voice breaking. "You promised me that you would stay with me..."
Tang Chen struggled to move his mouth, seemingly wanting to smile, but he could only make a pained expression. "I'm sorry... this time... I'm afraid I have to break my promise..."
"No!" The High Priestess shook her head wildly, her tears flowing without stopping. "I won't allow you to die! Do you hear me? Tang Chen, I won't allow you to die!"
She turned toward the door and shouted hoarsely, "Someone bring all the healing medicines! Call all the physicians on Sea God Island right now!"
No one moved. It wasn't that they didn't want to obey her orders, but everyone knew that Tang Chen's injuries were far beyond the help of medicine or doctors. Having been a host for the Nine Headed Bloody Crimson Bat King for decades, his spirit and body were already ruined. He had only lasted this long by sheer willpower. Now that his energy was spent, even a god could not save him.
Tang Chen stood near the doorway, watching this scene and making a pained expression as if his heart were hurting. He walked slowly to the bedside, knelt before his Great-Grandfather, and said softly, "Great-Grandfather, your grandson is unfilial for coming so late..."
Tang Chen's gaze turned toward him, and a small spark of light lit up in his cloudy eyes. "Chen'..." He struggled to raise his hand, and Tang Chen quickly grabbed it.
"Did you... pass the Second Trial?" Tang Chen asked weakly.
"Yes, Great-Grandfather. I passed."
"Good... good..." Tang Chen smiled. This time it was a genuine smile; though weak, it was full of pride. "My great-grandson... is indeed the best..."
His breathing became rapid, and he coughed up a bit of dark blood from the corner of his mouth. The High Priestess hurriedly used her sleeve to wipe it away, her tears falling onto his face.
"Xi Xi," Tang Chen held her hand, looking at her with a gentle gaze. "Don't cry... I hate seeing your tears..."
The High Priestess cried out in grief, "Then don't die! If you die, what am I supposed to do alone?!"
Tang Chen fell silent for a moment. After a long pause, he said softly, "I'm sorry... Xi Xi... in this life... I owe you too much..." He paused, gathering his remaining strength to continue. "Back then... to become a god... I left you and went to Slaughter City... we were separated for decades... leaving you to guard this island alone... waiting for me all this time..."
"Don't say it... please don't say it..." The High Priestess shook her head, weeping uncontrollably.
"Let me speak," Tang Chen shook his head stubbornly. "If I don't say it now... I won't have another chance..."
He took a slow breath, his voice cutting in and out. "In this life... the person I hurt the most... was you... If I could do it all over again... I would rather not chase any God Position... I would just stay with you for a lifetime..."
The High Priestess leaned against his chest, crying loudly. Her sobbing was heart-wrenching, making even the tough Sacred Pillar Guardians outside red-eyed with sorrow.
Tang Chen knelt beside them, his head lowered, his fists clenched so hard that his nails dug deep into his palms.
Tang Chen looked at him once more, his eyes full of trust. "Chen'... after I am gone... take good care of Xi Xi for me. She... she has suffered too much..."
"Don't worry, Great-Grandfather." Tang Chen looked up, his eyes bloodshot. "I will definitely take care of her."
Tang Chen's voice grew weaker and weaker. "And... the Clear Sky Sect... I let them down..."
"Great-Grandfather, you didn't let anyone down." Tang Chen held his cold hand, his voice choked with emotion. "You are the greatest pride of our Clear Sky Sect."
Tang Chen shook his head slightly and looked back at the High Priestess. He reached out his withered hand one last time, gently touching her face to wipe away her tears. "Xi Xi... in the next life... I will definitely find you earlier... I won't make you wait so long..."
The High Priestess nodded frantically, but her tears kept falling.
A moment later, Tang Chen's hand slowly slipped down and fell still. His eyes closed completely, while a faint, peaceful smile remained on his face.