Sea God's Descent, a Pearl Veiled in Dust

Mu En did not know whether he had imagined that trace of warmth, but he was certain this little fellow was anything but simple.

After all, Huang Jinxu had taken him as a disciple. There had to be a special reason.

There were few people in the world Mu En could not see through—vanishingly few.

Huang Jinxu was one of them.

It was not Huang Jinxu's cultivation that eluded him, but what he sought in his heart.

Everyone wanted something.

Mu En had even understood what his old friend Long Xiaoyao wanted. Yet with Huang Jinxu, he could never reach a firm conclusion.

At first, he had thought Little Xu sought an answer to the peculiarity of his Martial Soul. But after meeting Huo Yuhao today, he remembered the warmth he had felt when he was near death, and doubt rose in his heart once more.

Mu En did not dwell on it, however.

Whatever Huang Jinxu sought, Mu En had watched him grow up. He was one of their own at Shrek Academy. Even if he sought to become a Deity, a feat unseen for ten thousand years, that would not change it.

"Grandpa Mu!"

Huo Yuhao was shocked that the old man before him not only knew his teacher but addressed him so familiarly. He hurriedly bowed with respect.

"Young Yuhao, is there anything about cultivation that puzzles you? This old man has time on his hands. I can help clear up a thing or two."

Mu En acted as though he had merely happened by. He did not immediately enter Dormitory 203 to inspect it.

The moment he arrived, he had sensed the Sea God's Power inside the room.

Whatever had happened, Lord Sea God had already intervened. Surely all would be well.

He might as well chat with Huo Yuhao and learn more about the disciple Lord Sea God had taken.

"Grandpa Mu, thank you. My cultivation is still shallow, and nothing is troubling me for now."

Huo Yuhao did have questions about cultivation, of course, but he had no intention of asking someone even more senior than his teacher.

Why? Because he was saving those questions for his teacher.

Huo Yuhao had a little scheme of his own: he would use cultivation as an excuse to seek his teacher out.

That was all.

Whether his teacher scolded or praised him, it gave him a chance to be close, listen to his guidance, and stay a little longer.

To Huo Yuhao, that alone was a happy thing.

Meanwhile, in the Divine Realm, Tang San jolted awake from his cultivation.

"How could this happen?"

Tang San's expression changed sharply. He knew at once that something had gone wrong.

There was no time to think or hesitate. He had to act quickly, or his plan would fail.

He had never expected Xiao Qi to awaken early.

Because Xiao Qi had awakened ahead of time, the measure he had left deep within Wang Dong's soul to protect her had instead become a killing blow that would erase her.

It was a rule he had established earlier. When his daughter Tang Wutong fully awakened, it would shatter Wang Dong's original consciousness, turn it into the essence of her divine soul, strengthen Tang Wutong's soul, and merge it with her original power to make her soul whole again.

The power also served another purpose: if Wang Dong met with danger before Xiao Qi awakened, it could protect her.

He had never imagined that protection would become a killing blow now.

At that thought, Tang San moved immediately.

He knew he could not hesitate. Time flowed at the same rate in the Divine Realm and Douluo Continent; if he was even a moment too slow, Wang Dong's soul would be utterly extinguished.

He could not allow that now.

No one knew his daughter's temperament better than Tang San. Tang Wutong could never get along with the Child of Fortune. If she could not win his heart, she could not bring him under her sway.

Thus, the Wang Dong he had fashioned could not disappear before she had bound the Child of Fortune to her completely.

If the timing was wrong, then even doing everything else right would end in failure.

Fortunately, Wang Dong was at Shrek Academy, where he had left a contingency.

Tang San immediately contacted the current Sea God Pavilion Master of Shrek Academy.

Just as Huang Jinxu had guessed, the Sea God Pavilion Master was a lesser version of Sea God Island's High Priest.

Tang San had not wanted the Sea God Pavilion Master to be able to contact him at will and disturb his cultivation.

It was merely a contingency he had left behind while carrying out his other plans.

"Sea God... Lord Sea God..."

Mu En, who was chatting with Huo Yuhao, suddenly felt his heart stir. A moment later, he sensed Lord Sea God calling to him.

Without hesitation, Mu En answered.

As soon as he did, dark blue light poured into his body. A towering, powerful Sea God Phantom appeared behind him.

It was Sea God Tang San's Sea God's Descent, performed through Mu En's body.

"Xiao Qi, it is not time for you to awaken."

Under Tang San's guidance, Mu En wielded the Sea God's Power and drew Tang Wutong straight out of the dormitory. He then suppressed the force deep within Wang Dong's soul that was about to shatter her.

He had arrived in time. Wang Dong's soul had not been destroyed, and Xiao Qi had not fully awakened.

But under the influence of that power, Wang Dong had fallen into a deep sleep. She was willing to die and unwilling to wake.

Tang San truly could not resolve this quickly.

For one thing, the contingency he had left at Shrek Academy was only a projection of his consciousness combined with the power of the Sea God's Light; it could not wield his full strength. For another, the delicate work involved in handling a soul could not be completed overnight.

With the difference in time between the two realms, he would have to move her to the Clear Sky Sect to repair everything and make new arrangements.

"Is sending her back to the Clear Sky Sect my only choice?"

Tang San knew that doing so would force him to rearrange his plan, perhaps even start over from scratch. But for now, he had no other choice.

"Xiao Qi is my daughter. She was too fond of play, so I sealed her memories and sent her to the lower realm to temper herself. I did not expect a wicked Deity's divine consciousness to invade her. Fortunately, I arrived in time."

"Before long, someone from the Clear Sky Sect will come to take her back. Once she has recovered, she will return to Shrek Academy for further training. Take good care of her."

"Also, this boy is the Sea God's successor I have chosen. Nurture him well, and he can help Shrek Academy's glory endure for another ten thousand years."

As Tang San's voice sounded in Mu En's mind, Tang San turned his gaze toward Huo Yuhao.

The next instant, Tang San froze.

Huo Yuhao should have been soaring with Fortune, sheltered by the Plane Will. Instead, he was dim and lightless, like a bright pearl veiled in dust.

It was nothing like Tang San had expected.

(Something came up. One chapter is still missing; I'll post it in the early hours of the morning. Sorry.)