God Trial
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Despite the shadow cast over their hearts by the news that a Limit Douluo—Poseidon Douluo Poseidon—existed on Seagod Island, Tian Yue and all the senior generals who knew the inside story had no intention of backing down.
This information comes from Great Enshrined Qian Daoliu and Pope Qian Xunji, and its authenticity is beyond doubt.
A Limit Douluo signifies the pinnacle of combat power on the continent, making any military operation fraught with uncertainty and danger. Even Tian Yue, who is usually fearless, couldn't help but hesitate for a moment when she first received the order.
However, the arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be released.
More importantly, this is an order from His Holiness the Pope.
This belief has long been deeply imprinted in the souls of every core member who has followed Qian Xunji since the era of the Spirit Hall.
Even now that he has established a nation and proclaimed himself emperor, these former subordinates still habitually address him as "His Holiness the Pope." Only those who later submitted to him or came from external forces use the title "Your Majesty the Emperor." To them, "His Holiness the Pope" represents absolute correctness and unquestionable authority. Since it is his command, even if there are mountains of knives and seas of fire ahead, they only need to believe in it and then overcome them!
The next day, early morning.
The massive soul-guided fleet was arrayed in the empire's largest naval port. All the soldiers were clad in gleaming armor, their soul-guided weapons gleaming with a cold luster, and their murderous aura soared into the sky.
Qian Xunji personally went to the port to see him off.
He said nothing, simply standing high above, his bright golden eyes calmly sweeping over the entire fleet, over every resolute or fervent face. He didn't need a grand speech; his very existence was the strongest inspiration and pillar of faith.
Standing on the flagship's bridge, Tian Yue looked down at the god-like figure below, and the last trace of doubt in her heart vanished, replaced by unwavering confidence.
His Holiness the Pope's orders are never wrong!
This wasn't just her idea; it was the consensus of all the elders of the Spirit Hall. They had witnessed firsthand how this man led the Spirit Hall to glory, how he unified the continent with swift and decisive action, and how every step he planned had ultimately proven to be correct. Therefore, this sea expedition would surely be the same!
Amidst the solemn sound of horns, the fleet slowly departed the port, its massive soul-guided engines emitting a deep roar as they cleaved through the azure sea, heading towards the distant and unknown Sea God Island.
Not far from this bustling port, behind a hidden reef, a figure silently watched everything unfold.
It was Tang San.
He originally planned to find an opportunity to board a ship bound for Sea God Island and try his luck to see if he could obtain the Sea God Island's Sea God Inheritance there.
However, the massive, well-equipped, and menacing Spirit Hall Empire fleet before him left him utterly speechless.
The Spirit Hall... no, now the Spirit Hall Empire, they're actually launching an attack on Sea God Island?
Chapter 265 Divine Test
The massive fleet cleaved through the waves, the emblem of the Spirit Hall Empire on its flags gleaming in the sunlight.
Unlike ordinary navigators who wandered along the coast, relying on luck to find tales of overseas adventures, the Spirit Hall's course was clear and unwavering.
With a history spanning millennia, the Spirit Hall possesses an intimate knowledge of the secrets surrounding the continent. The location of Sea God Island has never been a secret in the Spirit Hall's highest-level archives.
The fleet did not deviate from its course at all, heading straight for Sea God Island.
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Star Dou Great Forest
Three years have quietly passed since the Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena left the Lake of Life.
For these Ferocious Beast that have lived for hundreds of thousands of years, three years is nothing more than a brief slumber, gone in the blink of an eye.
However, in these three years, a phenomenon has quietly emerged in the outer areas of the Star Dou Great Forest that has surprised human Soul Master and even the Ferocious Beast in the core area—low- and mid-level Soul Beast have begun to exhibit large-scale, organized group behavior.
This is almost contrary to the nature of Soul Beast. Low-level Soul Beast have low intelligence and mostly act on instinct, making it difficult for them to communicate effectively with each other.
More importantly, there is a naked food chain among the Soul Beast.
Carnivorous Soul Beast need to hunt, while herbivorous Soul Beast need to eat Plant-type Soul Beast or ordinary plants; they should be in a relationship of mutual predator and prey.
Even Soul Beast need to eat!
This unconventional force of Soul Beast is centered around Cai Wenji and Yao.
Three years ago, they returned to the Star Dou Great Forest. With their extremely high affinity with the forest and the amazing opportunities they obtained— Cai Wenji received the divine test of the Life Goddess, while Yao received the divine test of the Nature God —the two broke through and became Titled Douluo.
With the help of the divine test, their support abilities produced an almost heaven-defying effect among the Soul Beast horde.
Cai Wenji's Hujia Qin can provide a continuous source of life restoration, allowing injured Soul Beast to recover quickly, weak Soul Beast to receive temporary enhancements, and even help these Soul Beast reproduce. Rare, powerful Soul Beast can safely reproduce with Cai Wenji's help, and their populations can expand rapidly.
Yao can soothe the violent emotions of Soul Beast, increase Soul Beast cultivation speed, to some extent reconcile the innate hostility between different Soul Beast Soul Beast races, prolong their lifespan, and even sense and guide their destiny.
Under the combined influence of their two support domains, the rudimentary form of an army composed of low- to mid-level Soul Beast emerged.
Tang San, who had previously attempted to hunt and devour Soul Beast in the forest to evolve, ran into this formidable opponent. He was chased for a long time by this well-coordinated and indestructible team of Soul Beast, ending up in a sorry state and eventually having to retreat from the Star Dou Great Forest.
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At this moment, in a clearing in the forest, Yao stood quietly in the form of a divine deer.
Her entire body was pure white, and her fur reflected a dreamy nine-colored halo in the sunlight. Her antlers resembled flourishing plum branches, blooming with crystal-clear white plum blossoms.
She exuded an aura of tranquility and peace, like a forest spirit.
On the open ground below the divine deer, various kinds of Soul Beast coexisted peacefully, lying on the ground and quietly absorbing natural energy to cultivate.
Meanwhile, on the shore of the Lake of Life, not far away, Cai Wenji sat cross-legged with her eyes closed.
She cultivated by harnessing the abundant and pure life force naturally emanating from the lake. Her Life Goddess resonated strongly with the life essence here, making her cultivation twice as effective with half the effort.
The lake surface rippled slightly, and the next moment, an enormous bull's head slowly rose from the clear water. Water slid down its bluish-black skin, making a soft, gurgling sound. Beneath the bull's head was a robust python body covered in dense scales, exuding an ancient and powerful aura.
It was indeed the Sky Azure Bull Python.
Its enormous, lantern-like eyes looked down at Cai Wenji, a petite human girl who was meditating by the lake. Normally, any human who dared to approach the core area of Lake of Life would be mercilessly driven away or even killed by it.
But at this moment, it simply watched quietly, without showing any hostility.
The reason is simple: not long ago, the terrifying beings who truly rule over everything beneath the Lake of Life reached some kind of consensus with this special human girl. It doesn't know the specifics, but it knows that this girl exists with the tacit approval of those "above".
Now that the leaders have given their approval, it, which is responsible for guarding the perimeter, naturally has no reason to drive it away.
The reason it appeared was because it was attracted by the rich, pure, and gentle life force surrounding Cai Wenji. That aura had an indescribable attraction for Soul Beast; it was as if being near her could wash away fatigue, accelerate growth, and make it feel more comfortable than ever before, making it unable to resist wanting to get closer.
Its gaze unconsciously drifted to the white divine deer, Yao, radiating auspicious nine-colored light in the sunlight on the distant open ground.
If it weren't for its duty to guard the entrance to the Lake of Life, and the fact that its enormous body was too conspicuous, it would have loved to shrink down like those other creatures and join the "Auspicious Beast" in its cultivation. Under the protection of Yao's natural domain, its cultivation efficiency would definitely increase several times over.
Thinking of this, a clear hint of envy appeared in the enormous eyes of the Sky Azure Bull Python. It looked at the shrunk-sized, docile beasts like the Myriad Demon King and the Scarlet King Ferocious Beast, who lay peacefully beneath Yao, absorbing the pure natural energy, and felt a pang of resentment.
We're all Ferocious Beast, so why do you get to bask in the glory alongside the "Auspicious Beast," while I have to miserably guard this gate?
It sullenly exhaled a white breath mixed with water vapor, and its huge head slowly sank into the lake, leaving only ripples in its wake. Out of sight, out of mind; it's better to just honestly absorb the life energy dissipating from the lake. Although the effect is not as good as that of those two "gods," it's still much better than outside.
In the core area of Star Dou Great Forest, the atmosphere gradually becomes somewhat... strange due to the presence of Cai Wenji and Yao.
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The Extreme North Icefield, a perpetually bitterly cold land.
This is a place that even Soul Master rarely venture into, but it is a natural paradise for those ice and snow-type Soul Beast.
The biting wind whipped up ice shards, like countless tiny blades scraping across the sky and earth.
As far as the eye could see, there was only a deathly still and pure white expanse, like the chaos at the beginning of the world. In this forbidden zone of life, two figures were walking against the wind and snow.
Leading the way was a silver-haired youth, tall and graceful. Even in such harsh conditions, his steps remained composed, as if he were walking on snow without leaving a trace, like a banished immortal descending to earth. It was none other than Li Bai.
Beside him was an elegant young woman. Despite the wind and snow, she still exuded an innate nobility in every gesture. She was Ning Rongrong.
After Ning Fengzhi recognized the situation and led the remaining sect forces to surrender to the Spirit Hall Empire, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was considered to have received "forgiveness".
As Ning Fengzhi's daughter and Sword Douluo's disciple, Ning Rongrong and Li Bai also regained their freedom. However, instead of joining the Spirit Hall Empire's system, they went out together and began their own training journey.
When Ning Rongrong's Martial Soul Evolution into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, she had already attracted the attention of the Nine-Colored Goddess. However, at that time, her level was too low, and the divine trial had not officially begun. Later, with the assistance of various efficient soul guidance cultivation equipment and pills provided by the Spirit Hall, Ning Rongrong, as the most difficult support-type weapon Soul Master to cultivate, actually broke through all the way to reach the Soul Saint realm.
Only then did the Nine-Colored Goddess's divine test officially begin.
While the support-type Divine Exam isn't as life-or-death as the combat-type, it relies heavily on teammates. Only with strong teammates can support abilities have a stage to be displayed.
The First Trial that the Nine-Colored Goddess gave Ning Rongrong was to assist her teammates in successfully hunting down a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
This task would be considered hellish for an ordinary successor to a divine position, but the Nine-Colored Goddess was not worried at all.
She could see clearly that Ning Rongrong not only had Li Bai, a peerless genius who was already Titled Douluo and was also undergoing the Divine Trial, by her side, but also Sword and Bone Douluo standing behind her.
For Ning Rongrong, completing this test was a piece of cake.
Guided by the divine oracle, the two trekked for a long time and finally found their target deep in the boundless ice plains—a 100,000-year-old Extreme North Blizzard Bear as large as a small mountain and exuding a terrifying chill!
"That's it, Brother Li Bai!" Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up and she immediately spoke up. At the same time, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in her palm shone brightly, and the power, agility, Soul Power, defense... all increased instantly and enveloped Li Bai.
"Alright, leave it to me!" Li Bai nodded slightly, his silver hair dancing wildly in the wind and snow. He didn't even draw his sword, but his fingers were like swords, and the powerful sword energy around him had already transformed into a phantom that pierced through the heavens and earth, with a sharpness that could tear everything apart, heading straight for the Blizzard Bear!
The Extreme North Blizzard Bear roared and swung its massive paws, powerful enough to shatter mountains, while a layer of frost gathered on its already thick fur.
However, its resistance was futile against Li Bai, whose strength had skyrocketed after receiving Ning Rongrong's ultimate amplification. Wherever the sword light passed, its defenses shattered like fragile glass, and its huge bear paws were torn apart by the sharp sword energy, leaving deep, bone-revealing wounds on its massive body.
In just a few moves, accompanied by a mournful cry of unwillingness, this once-dominant Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast crashed to the ground, its heavy body kicking up clouds of snow dust.
Li Bai deliberately controlled his strength, leaving it with a breath. This was Soul Beast chosen by the Nine-Colored Goddess for Ning Rongrong, and its Soul Ring must have something special about it, so it was only right that Ning Rongrong should end it herself.
Ning Rongrong jogged forward, took out a small pistol from her Space Soul Tool, and fired three shots into the giant bear's eyes, completing the final kill.
Carrying the bear carcass, the two found a safe cave, where Ning Rongrong began absorbing the Soul Ring.
Absorbing this Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring was no easy process, as extreme icy energy surged wildly within her body.
However, with the protection of the Nine-Colored Goddess and Li Bai's assistance, the process, though thrilling but ultimately safe, took more than a month.
When the Soul Ring was finally successfully absorbed, Ning Rongrong's Soul Power broke through two levels, reaching level seventy-two!
And the Seventh Soul Skill she acquired was indeed extraordinary— the Seventh Soul Skill, Frost Guard.
It can affect any number of people. When cast, all teammates being supported will have their defense increased by 50% on top of their original defense, and a layer of crystal-clear frost shield will appear on their bodies.
This shield not only possesses extremely strong defensive capabilities, but more importantly, when attacked, it triggers a counter-effect. Frost power instantly spreads, freezing the attacker and significantly slowing their movements or even temporarily immobilizing them.
This is an extremely rare, top-tier support Soul Skill that combines group defense with group control and countermeasures! It can be considered a strategic-level ability.
Having successfully completed the First Trial of the Divine Trial and obtained such a powerful Soul Skill, Ning Rongrong's face was filled with joy.
However, the surprises didn't end there. Ning Rongrong looked at an object in front of her that emitted a soft light—a Soul Bone!
What made Ning Rongrong's heart race even faster was that this was not a common limb bone or torso bone, but an extremely rare Head Soul Bone!
The Soul Bone is a deep ice blue color, with a shimmering light seemingly flowing inside. It has a complete shape and beautiful lines. Rather than a treasure of a Soul Master, it is more like a masterpiece of art.
Compared to the long and perilous process of absorbing Soul Ring, absorbing Soul Bone was much easier and smoother for Ning Rongrong. After all, her Martial Soul, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, inherently possessed Mental Attribute, making it highly compatible with this Head Soul Bone.