Shui Bing'er stepped forward, ready to rush in.
Blood seeped from the corner of Shui Yue'er's mouth, and her body swayed violently.
The black vapor seeping through the cracks in the stone platform tightened around her, climbing from her ankles until it engulfed her waist and abdomen in the blink of an eye.
"Yue'er!"
Shui Bing'er cried out, cold air spilling uncontrollably from her body.
Ning Rongrong panicked too, reaching out to summon her Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda.
"Don't panic yet."
Su Bai placed a hand on Shui Bing'er's shoulder and gently pulled her back to his side.
He took half a step forward, the silver mark between his brows glowing faintly.
Pure plane origin mingled with divine thought spread through the air, enveloping the entire Sea God Main Hall.
Though the black vapor in the center of the hall writhed menacingly, it held none of the violence of an outside invasion. It consisted entirely of Shui Yue'er's own soul power fluctuations and surging divine thought.
Su Bai flicked a golden streak of light from his finger. It stopped three inches above Shui Yue'er's crown and formed a thin barrier of light.
The barrier did not interfere with the moving black vapor. It merely protected Shui Yue'er's heart meridians and the deepest reaches of her sea of consciousness.
Shui Yue'er's rapid breathing eased considerably. Her brows remained knitted, but the pain on her face faded.
"She's fine. Don't scare yourselves."
Su Bai turned and explained to the anxious Shui Bing'er.
"This is an unavoidable stage of the Sea God's Ninth Trial—the heart-questioning tribulation."
"The seven emotions and six desires, love, hate, greed, and anger—every one of them has to churn through this pool."
"You can't become a god just by having divine power poured into you. If you can't