An unknown amount of time passed. After Gu Xuan and Qian Renxue had finished plotting everything, the two finally walked slowly out of the cave.
"I will arrive at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan on July 7th. Before then, handle your own affairs; I will also arrange things on my end." Qian Renxue gave Gu Xuan a meaningful look, left these words, and then spread her angelic wings, soaring into the firmament and vanishing from sight.
Gu Xuan watched the direction in which she departed, his smile remaining. This time, he had not only solidified his relationship with Qian Renxue but had also secured her "sponsorship." If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't directly speak of Bibi Dong's plans, he could have started the conquest of the continent right now.
After all, from an outsider's perspective, no matter how gifted Gu Xuan was, he couldn't predict the future. Thus, he couldn't simply drag Bibi Dong out to eliminate her; he had to calculate every step carefully, waiting for the enemy to reveal their hand before delivering the decisive blow.
After Qian Renxue left, Gu Xuan headed toward Sea God Island. Because the Sword Dragon Eight Wings were severed and had not yet recovered, his flight speed was greatly reduced, so he used Spatial Portals to travel.
With his current strength, using Spatial Portals was not as fast as Gu Rong's, but it was certainly not slow. It took him only a week to reach Vast Sea City, the closest city to the ocean. After confirming the direction using a map, he headed out toward Sea God Island.
Even continuous use of Spatial Portals didn't drain much of his soul power, and because he traveled through space, he encountered no obstacles. It took him a month to reach Sea God Island—a delay caused mostly by his getting lost and searching for the right path.
Upon arrival, Gu Xuan entered the island. Sea God Island was not just a single island but an archipelago composed of several smaller islands surrounding a main one. He landed on one of the smaller islands, chosen simply because it was the closest to the mainland.
In the center of this island sat a pool of water surrounded by dense forest. The pool was roughly five hundred meters in diameter. In the middle of the water stood a triangular platform upon which rested a strange stone pillar. The pillar was shaped like a sharp cone, with a unique sculpture at the top and complex patterns engraved along its length. These appeared to be a form of script, and an invisible, bizarre energy radiated from the stone.
Gu Xuan knew instantly that this was one of the Seven Sacred Pillars described in the original records. Sitting cross-legged at the base of the pillar was a man with his eyes closed, his back to the stone, seemingly meditating to recover from injuries. He wore black clothing.
Gu Xuan recalled that the attire of Sea God Island Soul Masters was divided into five colors: white for the lowest, then yellow, purple, black, and finally the top-tier red, corresponding to the level of the trials they underwent. The man in black was naturally a Titled Douluo-level Sacred Pillar Guardian, though Gu Xuan didn't know which one yet.
The moment Gu Xuan landed in front of him, a powerful pressure surged from the Guardian. The man stood abruptly, and nine soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and five black—appeared in succession. He stared intensely at Gu Xuan.
"Outsider, intruding upon Sea God Island is a capital offense." The Guardian hadn't released his Martial Soul yet, but the pressure of a Titled Douluo was enough to exert some weight on Gu Xuan.
However, to Gu Xuan, the pressure from a Titled Douluo who wasn't yet a Super Douluo was nothing more than a trivial trick. Knowing his sudden intrusion was impolite and not wanting to waste time, Gu Xuan bowed slightly.
"I am here to find people. Two years ago, a group of Soul Masters came here to train. They are my partners."
Hearing this, Seahorse Douluo's gaze narrowed. The youth before him didn't look old—roughly the same age as the youngsters who arrived two years ago. Yet, Seahorse Douluo had exerted the full pressure of his Rank 93 strength, and the youth didn't even flinch. This meant the boy's strength was at least equal to his own.
But how? Even the heir of the Sea God, who arrived two years ago, was only in the Rank 50s back then. Could this youth already be a Titled Douluo? Even if he had achieved "rejuvenation" through high-level cultivation, he looked far too natural. And if he was truly a partner of the Sea God's heir, he couldn't be much older than twenty, which made it even more impossible!
Lying? Seahorse Douluo wasn't a fool, and the youth didn't look like one either. Only a fool would use a lie that could be so easily debunked. Still, he had to test him.
"In that case, do you know their names and origins?" Seahorse Douluo asked, maintaining his pressure.
Gu Xuan replied, "The leader is a girl named Ning Rongrong, Martial Soul: Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda..."
Gu Xuan listed their information—their genders, ages, Martial Souls, even their favorite foods. It was impossible to fake such detail. The surrounding Soul Masters, who had gathered due to the commotion, gradually lowered their guard.
Seahorse Douluo retracted his pressure and returned a bow, his tone softening. "Since you are a friend of the Sea God's heir, please forgive my earlier offense."
Gu Xuan waved it off. "May I ask your Title? It was my intrusion that was abrupt; I hope you can overlook it."
"My Name is Ou Ya, and my title is Seahorse, one of the Seven Sacred Pillars of Sea God Island," Seahorse Douluo replied. "May I ask why you have come? Your friends are currently undergoing the Sea God's trials; you may not have the chance to see them immediately, but I can convey a message."
Gu Xuan didn't hide his intent. "Rongrong and the others have a wedding date approaching. The invitations have already been sent out. Since the brides are missing, I've come to take them home."
Seahorse Douluo was stunned. A wedding? How could the heir of the Sea God get married? Why would the heir crave the mortal world? For two years, he had seen that group work together with seamless intimacy, yet the heir had never shown romantic interest in any of them.
'Ah,' Seahorse thought, 'Perhaps that is exactly why she never accepted the advances of others? She already had a man.' This youth's talent was unheard of—even the High Priestess was only a Soul Emperor at this age.
"Please wait here, young friend. I will go and return," Seahorse Douluo said.
Gu Xuan nodded calmly. "I appreciate it, Seahorse Douluo."
Seahorse Douluo left to find Ning Rongrong and the others, who had just completed their Fifth Trial: challenging the Titled Douluos. When Ou Ya arrived, Sea Dragon Douluo still had a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth!
The moment the girls saw Gu Xuan, they dashed forward. Ning Rongrong practically leaped into his arms, completely ignoring the onlookers. Ye Lingling, Li Li, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xue Ke gathered around him, their faces glowing with joy. They never expected Gu Xuan to actually come to the island!
With the wedding date nearing, they had been pushing themselves to pass the Fifth Trial just to make it back in time. Passing the trial and seeing Gu Xuan on the same day was a double blessing.
Gu Xuan was equally surprised to hear they had already passed the Fifth Trial and that everyone had reached the Soul Saint level. Even with Tang San's lead in the original story, the speed wouldn't have been much faster. Without Tang San, would they have actually progressed more quickly? Gu Xuan realized it made sense; this group had more potential and better equipment than the original Shrek Seven Devils—everyone had at least one soul bone!
In a room prepared by Seahorse Douluo, Gu Xuan rubbed Ning Rongrong's head and smiled. "Two years apart, and everyone has made such huge strides."
Ning Rongrong beamed. "Of course. I am now the heir of the Great Sea God. My soul power is already Rank 77!"
Gu Xuan was genuinely shocked. He had hoped she would inherit the Sea God's position, but for it to happen so smoothly? She was already the heir?
Ye Lingling and the others reported their ranks as well. Ye Lingling was the highest at Rank 79, the same as Gu Xuan. Since she was already a Soul Emperor when she left, this was logical. They were all undergoing Black-level trials, which produced results comparable to the Seven Sacred Pillars. Li Li was Rank 75, Zhu Zhuqing Rank 74, Ma Bao Rank 76, while Zhan Yu, Yang Pojun, and Zuo Yan were all Rank 75. Shui Bing'er was Rank 74, and Xue Ke was Rank 71.
Gu Xuan smiled. "It seems the training here has served you well. Lingling has almost caught up to me."
The group froze. 'Almost caught up?' They had reached Soul Saint from the Rank 50s through life-and-death trials, and yet they were only *almost* catching up? Did Gu Xuan receive a Godly inheritance, too?
But Gu Xuan revealed he had no Godly trial; his Rank 80 power was entirely self-cultivated. The group was incredulous. They had nearly died multiple times to reach this level; how did Gu Xuan just... breeze past them?
Actually, Gu Xuan was now Rank 80. His battle with Qian Renxue had yielded many insights, and during his month-long journey to the island, he naturally broke through. He only needed one more soul ring to become a Soul Douluo. It was a good thing Seahorse Douluo wasn't in the room, or he might have tried to dissect Gu Xuan for study. How could a Rank 80 Soul Saint without a soul ring ignore the pressure of a Titled Douluo so easily?
Gu Xuan shared his experiences with them, and they realized his path hadn't been easy either. The "Soul Spirit" method fascinated them, and he summoned the Azure Sky Bull Python for them to see. Aside from Ning Rongrong, the others were incredibly envious of his two red rings.
Unexpectedly, Ning Rongrong's seventh ring was also a hundred-thousand-year ring! In the original story, even a genius like her only got a red ring at the eighth position. This was a testament to her current talent and the fact that she had perfectly fused with the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud—the Sea God's Heart!
(End of Chapter)
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