"Don't blame everything on me. Even if I hadn't killed Oscar, he wouldn't have survived."
"As for why I left without saying goodbye, I couldn't help it. It was all to pass the trial. You would have done the exact same thing if you were in my shoes."
Compared to before, Dai Mubai was as composed as a completely different person. His few words left Ma Hongjun entirely speechless.
Although he was still deeply resentful about Oscar's death, compared to his own survival, years of friendship suddenly felt meaningless.
Besides, Dai Mubai had promised to help him restore his missing manhood if he could reach Level 100 and become a god.
After a while, Ma Hongjun suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "The fifth trial has a time limit of one year. Within a year, I need to defeat the Sea Ghost Douluo. How exactly do you plan to help me?"
"Defeat the Sea Ghost Douluo?"
Hearing this trial requirement, Dai Mubai was stunned. He truly hadn't expected Ma Hongjun's fifth trial to be so ridiculously difficult.
Seeing his reaction, Ma Hongjun gave a bitter smile; Dai Mubai's reaction was even more exaggerated than his own had been.
Thinking it over carefully, he realized he had only passed the second and fourth trials by sheer luck and piggybacking off the others, which might have displeased the Sea God, leading to this massive spike in difficulty for the fifth trial.
Dai Mubai suddenly had a flash of inspiration and tentatively asked, "Are there any other conditions?"
"There is one," Ma Hongjun said, his face full of worry. "I am allowed to find a soul master whose cultivation level doesn't exceed Soul Saint to assist me in completing the test. But where am I going to find a support-type soul master here? This is clearly targeting me."
If his relationship with Tang San and the others hadn't soured so terribly, he might have been able to beg for help from Ye Lingling and Ning Rongrong.
With their supreme assistance, his strength would be greatly enhanced, and he might actually stand a chance to defeat Sea Ghost Douluo.
Hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Dai Mubai's eyes, and he said calmly, "As you said, you just need a soul master below the Soul Douluo level to assist you. But there is no restriction stating it must be a support-type soul master. I can fill that role just fine."
Upon hearing this, Ma Hongjun suddenly understood. Since Dai Mubai's cultivation level hadn't exceeded Level 80, he was perfectly within the rules, and he could indeed help him pass the fifth trial.
After a moment of hope, Ma Hongjun frowned again and said in a deep voice, "Even so, the two of us working together can't possibly defeat a Titled Douluo."
Generally speaking, a Titled Douluo could easily withstand the combined attacks of several Soul Douluos.
Even if the Sea Ghost Douluo's offensive strength wasn't the most outstanding among the Holy Pillar Guardians, with the home-field advantage of the sea-within-a-sea terrain, he was definitely much stronger than someone like the Poison Douluo.
Two Soul Saints alone absolutely couldn't defeat him, especially since Ma Hongjun hadn't even absorbed his seventh soul ring yet.
"Don't jump to conclusions so quickly. As long as you follow my arrangements, I will definitely help you pass the trial. A mere Holy Pillar Guardian is nothing to worry about."
As he said this, Dai Mubai slightly raised his chin, a familiar hint of arrogance returning to his eyes.
Seeing this, Ma Hongjun barely managed to regain some confidence. Since Dai Mubai was also the inheritor of a god, it meant his combat strength wouldn't be much weaker than Tang San's.
"I'll help you hunt for your seventh soul ring first, and then we'll go test the strength of the Sea Ghost Douluo together," Dai Mubai said with a slight smile.
Seeing this guy acting so surprisingly considerate, Ma Hongjun didn't feel particularly relieved.
He couldn't shake the feeling that Dai Mubai was scheming something dark. But right now, he had no other options; he could only choose to trust Dai Mubai.
Meanwhile, Lin Mu had already left Spirit City and was flying towards the Star Dou Great Forest at top speed. In just a few tens of minutes, he arrived at the core area.
His main purpose in returning to the continent this time wasn't to dote on Qian Renxue, but to take the Myriad Demon King to Sea God Island and have him sacrifice himself to become Tang San's ninth soul ring.
Unlike before, Lin Mu didn't go to find Di Tian. Instead, he went directly to the dwelling place of the Demon Eyed Tree.
Upon sensing Lin Mu's aura, the Myriad Demon King immediately flew over to pay his respects.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
Facing Lin Mu, whose strength now completely surpassed even Di Tian's, the Myriad Demon King displayed exceptional subservience, lacking any of the typical arrogance seen in other great ferocious beasts.
Of course, this was only in front of Lin Mu; he wouldn't act this submissive even towards Di Tian.
There were two main reasons for this behavior.
Firstly, Lin Mu was a guaranteed future god. His status was even more noble than Di Tian's, and he possessed the power to single-handedly dictate the fate of the soul beast race.
Secondly, Lin Mu possessed the soul spirit technique, which offered a genuine opportunity to bypass the heavenly tribulations and live forever in the God Realm.
Whether for the overarching benefit of the soul beast race or strictly for his own personal gain, he absolutely couldn't afford to offend Lin Mu.
Lin Mu looked at the obsequious Myriad Demon King before him and said unequivocally, "My disciple has broken through to Level 90. You will come with me to a certain place."
Hearing this, the Myriad Demon King was startled. Although he had been mentally prepared for this day, now that he was actually facing the choice, he hesitated. If Lin Mu's disciple ultimately failed the divine trial, wouldn't his sacrifice have been entirely in vain?
The only reason he was willing to give up his life's cultivation and place himself at the mercy of a human was to become a god with an infinite lifespan.
After all, while the lifespan of a soul beast was incredibly long, it still had a hard upper limit. Moreover, for every 100,000 years of cultivation, a soul beast would undergo a heavenly tribulation, and each tribulation was exponentially more destructive than the last.
Although the Myriad Demon King had successfully survived five heavenly tribulations, he had absolutely no confidence he could withstand the sixth.
Seeing that the Myriad Demon King seemed somewhat reluctant, Lin Mu added, "In less than three years, my disciple has cultivated from a Soul Emperor to a Titled Douluo. For him, becoming a god is basically a certainty."
Upon hearing this, the Myriad Demon King fell into deep thought. Admittedly, this choice was not absolutely foolproof, but to reach the God Realm and surpass Di Tian, taking a calculated risk was worthwhile.
Since he had not received an immediate reply, Lin Mu's eyes suddenly turned cold, and he commanded, "I am only here to inform you, not to give you time to consider. You have no choice but to agree."
Instantly, the Myriad Demon King felt a suffocating pressure descend upon him. Just a single, casual glance from Lin Mu caused him agonizing mental pain. Just how terrifyingly strong had this man become?
Previously, when the main quest completion rate had reached ninety percent, the age of all of Lin Mu's soul bones had increased by 100,000 years, including the external soul bone of the Evileye Tyrant Emperor.
Now, that specific soul bone possessed an age of over 800,000 years, granting Lin Mu near-god-level mental power.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to go with you."
At this moment, the Myriad Demon King fully regained his senses. Lin Mu's previous, relatively kind words had led him to mistakenly believe the man was friendly and patient.
But how could he forget? Lin Mu used to be an unapologetic soul beast killing machine.
Giving him a choice before was most likely just a formality because Lin Mu was utterly fearless and certainly didn't lack 100,000-year-old soul beasts to choose from.
Thinking of this, the Myriad Demon King felt incredibly bitter. Why did Zi Ji get to become Lin Mu's direct soul spirit, while he was forced to be passed down as Tang San's soul spirit, even though his cultivation was significantly higher than hers?
Although he felt a trace of resentment at the unfairness, he dared not disobey Lin Mu's arrangement.
Without another word, Lin Mu led the Myriad Demon King away from the Star Dou Great Forest, heading straight for Sea God Island.
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[TL/N: Hello everyone! Good news, the Douluo Dalu: Tang San Is My Disciple raw fanfiction has come to an end. Although the main story has concluded, it is still ongoing with side story updates. Currently, we are still 60 chapters behind the raws.]