The Divine Realm, inside the Sea God Temple.
Poseidon sat with his eyes closed, quietly sensing the flow of the Divine Realm's laws.
At his level, ordinary cultivation was no longer of any use.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been thinking of using Ye Qing's talent to help himself break through to the level of a God King.
It was just that gods could live forever, and since he had neither a wife nor children, he could only pass the time by cultivating.
Suddenly, his brows drew together, as though something had pricked him. He abruptly opened his eyes.
His deep, ocean-blue eyes were now filled with confusion and anger.
His gaze pierced the temple walls and fixed on the Angel God Temple nearby, which radiated a sacred glow.
"What's going on?"
He murmured, his voice laced with disbelief and irritation. "Didn't I tell that kid to go to Heaven Dou City and retrieve the Heart of the Sea God? Why has he gone to that old woman Angel God's territory? What on earth is Bo Saixi doing?"
As he spoke, Poseidon stood up. Visible blue currents swirled around him, while the phantom of the Sea God Trident flickered into view behind him.
He strode out of the temple and stopped before the tightly shut doors of the Angel God Temple. Without a second thought, he raised his huge, fan-like hand and pounded on them.
"Angel! Get out here!"
Poseidon's voice crashed like thunder, making the divine clouds around him tremble. "Damn it! You dare steal my successor? You sneaked around and lured my kid to your dump. Have you no shame?"
"You couldn't beat me when we competed for godhood, so now you're resorting to underhanded tricks? Open the door and fight me, if you've got the guts! Don't hide inside and play dead!"
"I'm telling you, that kid is the designated heir of my Sea God lineage. If you dare get any funny ideas, I'll tear down your Angel God Temple and melt that lousy Holy Sword of yours into an ornament for my trident!"
The more he cursed, the more worked up he became. His spittle nearly turned into solid jets of water. All the dignity of a god was gone; he looked just like a roughneck whose favorite toy had been snatched away.
But no matter how much he shouted, the doors of the Angel God Temple stayed firmly shut. Not a sound came from inside, as if the place were empty.
As he raged, quite a few gods turned their divine senses toward him.
Among them were, naturally, the Five God Kings, the highest authorities in the Divine Realm.
It couldn't be helped. The Divine Realm was so boring that even newcomers like the Sea God and Angel God, who had only recently ascended, were already thinking of running away.
So when they saw the Sea God going after the Angel God, everyone wanted to see what would happen next, whether they were God Kings, First-Level Gods, Second-Level Gods, or Third-Level Gods.
Put simply, nobody could resist watching the drama unfold—not even the God Kings.
As long as it didn't come to blows, they didn't care how vicious the insults got. It wouldn't affect them or the Divine Realm as a whole.
"Fine! Very well!"
Seeing that his tirade had no effect, Poseidon trembled with rage.
The next moment, the phantom trident behind him swung forward, unleashing a huge wave.
But as soon as it touched the Angel God Temple's barrier, it was silently deflected.
Seeing this, he knew that forcing his way in wouldn't work.
Suppressing his anger, Poseidon hurled his divine sense toward Sea God Island in the mortal world, pinpointing the Sea God Hall.
He was going to ask Bo Saixi just how she had assigned the mission!
How had she sent the boy to the Inheritance Ground of the Angel God?!
Sea God Island, the Sea God Hall.
Bo Saixi sat dozing beside the window, enjoying the warmth carried by the sea breeze.
Suddenly, a familiar divine sense, brimming with anger, enveloped the entire hall.
Her heart tightened. She dared not delay, and immediately stood, straightening her dress and high heels before hurrying to the center of the hall.
When she saw Poseidon's face in the water screen, so dark it looked ready to drip, her heart lurched.
What was wrong with Lord Sea God's expression?
Had he gotten into another argument with Angel God in the Divine Realm?
But that anger looked very much like it was aimed at her.
Surely... he hadn't gotten so mad at Angel God that he now wanted to take it out on her?
That would be incredibly petty!
Steadying herself, Bo Saixi cautiously bowed. Her voice was gentle but respectful. "Lord Sea God, you summoned me. What are your orders?"
Poseidon forced down his anger and tried to keep his voice steady, but the tension in it still gave him away. "Bo Saixi, tell me: what did you say to that child, Ye Qing? How exactly did you arrange the mission?"
"Huh?"
Bo Saixi froze, her beautiful face full of bewilderment. She answered honestly, "I... I just asked him to go to Heaven Dou City and retrieve the Heart of the Sea God. I also told Sea Dragon to go with him and keep him safe. What's wrong? Did... something happen to him?"
A note of concern crept into her voice.
Had they run into a powerful enemy on the mainland?
But Sea Dragon was a Rank 94 Titled Douluo. Ordinary forces couldn't hurt either of them.
Wait...
Bo Saixi suddenly thought of something, and her expression shifted slightly.
If they hadn't run into danger, then why was Lord Sea God so furious? Could it be...
Ye Qing and the others had been spotted by people from Spirit Hall?
But even if they had, given Qian Daoliu's shrewdness, he shouldn't lightly attack the Sea God's successor.
After all, if the Angel God's successor showed up on Sea God Island, she would simply keep a closer eye on him, not recklessly make a move.
Neither she nor Qian Daoliu would be willing to completely antagonize the other.
Looking at Bo Saixi's utterly clueless, dumbfounded expression, Poseidon couldn't hold back any longer.
His pent-up anger erupted like a volcano. He roared at Bo Saixi through the water screen, "What's wrong?! They've gone to the Inheritance Ground of the Angel God! You tell me what's wrong!"
"What?!"
Bo Saixi was struck as if by lightning. She went rigid, her bewilderment instantly replaced by shock.
They'd gone to the Inheritance Ground of the Angel God?
How was that possible?!
Hadn't they gone to Heaven Dou City to look for the Heart of the Sea God?
How had they ended up in Spirit Hall's Core Forbidden Land?
How was Sea Dragon supposed to be keeping watch over them?
Bo Saixi felt a headache coming on.
At last, she understood why Lord Sea God was so furious.
Sending the Sea God's successor to Angel God's territory—and to the place of her inheritance, no less—was simply... outrageously absurd!
Most importantly, Angel God and the Sea God were competing for a successor.
Ye Qing was still so young. If he couldn't resist Angel God's honeyed words and chose her inheritance, abandoning the Sea God's, wouldn't that make the Sea God blow his top?
"Then... then what should we do now, Lord Sea God?"
Bo Saixi lowered her head, not daring to look at the Sea God before her.
On top of that, she cursed Sea Dragon Douluo fiercely in her heart.
If she'd known this would happen, she would have gone with Ye Qing herself.
"Wait! What else can we do?!"
Poseidon ground out each word through clenched teeth. "They're already in her territory. We can't just snatch him away—the old woman's barrier is thicker than anything! All we can do is wait and see what terms she offers to poach him!"
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but the irritation in his voice remained. "If she goes too far... hmph, then we'll meet force with force. If she raises her offer, we'll raise ours too! I refuse to believe that the resources of my Sea God lineage can't outbid hers!"
Hearing this, Bo Saixi cautiously lifted her head.
A trace of uncertainty still lingered on her beautiful face, but her eyes had regained some clarity.
She pressed her lips together, hesitated for a moment, then voiced her concern quietly. "Lord Sea God... Sea God Island is isolated overseas. In terms of accumulated resources and influence on the mainland, I'm afraid... we really can't compete with Spirit Hall, which has existed for ten thousand years and has deep roots. If we're simply competing over the support and benefits we can offer Ye Qing, can we really win?"
Her words were like a basin of cold water poured over Poseidon's blazing anger, bringing him to his senses.
But in its wake came an even deeper sense of frustration and irritation.