Bo Saixi's troubles

Five days had passed since the Shrek Seven Devils' internal "grievance session."

Now, a pall of gloom hung over Sea God Island. As some of the liveliest and most exuberant young people there, the Shrek Seven Devils had lost their former vitality.

A strange, awkward atmosphere had quietly settled around them.

First, Tang San, who had returned before the others, had been on the brink of death. After Sea God Douluo Bo Saixi spent an entire sleepless night treating him, he was finally out of danger. Yet he had not uttered a word and had gone straight into seclusion.

To this day, the other five Devils had not seen so much as a glimpse of him.

Then Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, Oscar, and Ning Rongrong had returned with Xiao Bai, while Ma Hongjun had briefly gone missing.

It had taken Bo Saixi considerable effort to pry the story out of them. She could not help letting out a long sigh, remaining speechless for a good while.

She had never expected these once dazzling young talents, whose eyes had been set higher than the heavens, to sink into despondency under Ren Tao's blows.

Perhaps Tang San's inability to defeat Ren Tao was understandable, but to divide and unravel the Shrek Seven Devils to this extent with a single Dragon Blood Soul-Control Art-wasn't this Evil Orca King far too calculating?

At the same time, deep doubts arose in Bo Saixi's mind. If the Evil Orca King possessed such abilities, would he really have endured in silence until now?

Surely he would have stormed Sea God Island years ago? What, then, had brought about such an earth-shattering change in him?

No matter how she puzzled over it, she could not find an answer.

Next, Bai Chenxiang had gone out to sea with Xiao Bai and finally found Ma Hongjun. By then, he had been drifting at sea for an entire day and night, claiming that he had lost his way and could not find Sea God Island...

Bo Saixi no longer wanted to deal with them. It's only a black level assessment. I'm your chief examiner, not your nanny!

Ah... what a headache!

Bo Saixi looked down at Sea God Mountain beneath her feet. The sight of that dejected, listless figure below the Sea Maiden Sacred Pillar stirred another wave of bitter frustration within her.

The Sea Witch is another one who won't give me any peace. Fine, you sneaked out to see Ren Tao-I could turn a blind eye to that. But who exactly are you sulking and pulling a long face at now that you're back?

It's been several days, and you haven't spoken a word to anyone. You haven't even considered explaining what you went out to sea for. Do you think I'm just a decorative High Priest or something?

Without a sound, Bo Saixi withdrew into the Sea God Hall and sat upon the altar. She had troubles of her own to worry about-

According to Ren Tao, Tang Chen had lost himself, and the Rakshasa God's power was constantly corroding and devouring his life force. Should she go find him or not?

This whole mess on Sea God Island, and that good-for-nothing Tang San-what use is a successor who loses every battle he fights?!

Shouldn't I start giving some serious thought to my own way forward, too?

The thought that burst forth in that instant startled even Bo Saixi herself. "I'm a devout believer in the Sea God. I mustn't harbor such wavering thoughts. This is nothing short of blasphemy against the Sea God!"

Bo Saixi muttered to herself, finally managing to suppress the thought. Yet in the next second, she could not help thinking again,

What if this gets Tang Chen killed? What if I never see Tang Chen again?

What am I supposed to do???

"Fatty, could you eat a little less? Look how fat you've gotten!"

With a complicated mix of heartache, annoyance, and helplessness on his face, Dai Mubai looked at Ma Hongjun, whose eyes were almost lost in his fat, and sighed deeply. "Even if you don't care about yourself, can't you spare a thought for Chen Xiang's feelings?"

"Chen Xiang? I'm not worthy of her! I'm just a sleazy fat guy!"

Ever since Ren Tao had abducted Ma Hongjun, his Seven-Headed Fire Phoenix martial soul had regressed. As the medicinal effects of the Ten-Headed Fierce Yang Pill faded, he had begun putting on weight again at a visibly rapid pace. His demeanor, too, had reverted to its former sleaziness, now tinged with even more dejection, as though he had all but given up on himself.

Right now, he held two steamed buns in each hand, attacking from both sides as he kept stuffing them into his mouth.

"So you've lost your Seven-Headed Fire Phoenix martial soul. What's the big deal?"

Dai Mubai patiently tried to reason with him. "Didn't you manage just fine before you had the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent pill?"

"No, you don't understand!"

Ma Hongjun turned away, presenting his back to Dai Mubai, and said gloomily, "Never having been handsome is one thing. But becoming ugly again after you've been handsome-that's pure hell!"

"Come on, look at Oscar. His face was disfigured, but isn't he still getting on with his life?"

"That's different. Even without that pretty-boy face, he's still Oscar. Without my figure, all I have left is sleaziness!"

Well...

Dai Mubai's heart sank. Fatty's current condition did not seem as simple as his martial soul regressing. It seemed more like he had been wounded in both body and mind. Could Ren Tao have... done something unspeakable to him?

"Fatty, tell me the truth. Ren Tao didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"He didn't, but he did!"

"I experienced every bit of panic and terror. He could have killed me then, but instead he said he would send me to hell. So he took me through the massacre at the Spirit Hall Branch in Gengxin City all over again. Only this time, I was a Spirit Hall soul master-the one being slaughtered."

As Ma Hongjun spoke, he finally stopped eating and raised his head to look at Dai Mubai. "Being butchered like livestock, roasted in raging flames, and finally burned to charcoal-I got to experience what that felt like, too."

"The Spirit Hall Branch in Gengxin City..." Dai Mubai mechanically repeated Ma Hongjun's words, utterly astonished. "But the Dragon Blood Soul-Control Art can take you back into the past? He can actually do that?"

"Because it was already my nightmare!"

Mockery lay on Ma Hongjun's face, but his eyes brimmed with fear. "That's my hell. He also said he would send all the Shrek Seven Devils to hell!"

"That demon!"

Dai Mubai clenched both fists and roared.

"He said the same thing about Tang San. He said we should all thank Tang San, because he's the one who sent us to hell single-handedly!"

Dai Mubai: ...

Inside the Sea God Hall, Bo Saixi was startled from her reverie by a burst of hurried footsteps.

She was distressed and unsettled, and she did not want to see the Shrek Seven Devils' dejected faces. Thus, she had withdrawn all her spiritual power and even deliberately shut out the activity beyond her surroundings, effectively sealing herself away.

But now Sea Horse Douluo had arrived, standing at the entrance and calling loudly,

"Lady Bo Saixi! Lady Bo Saixi!"

"What is it now?"

Bo Saixi was somewhat impatient. There had not been a single piece of good news these past few days.

Tang San had failed again... the Human-Faced Sea Anemone had been lost... Tang San was dying... Ma Hongjun had gone missing. All these things had nearly driven her into depression.

"The Hundred-Thousand-Year Sea Soul Beast Alliance is here, just outside the island! They say they have something important to discuss with the High Priest!"

The Hundred-Thousand-Year Sea Soul Beast Alliance? What's that?

Something stirred in Bo Saixi's mind, and she immediately understood. "The Evil Orca King, Ren Tao?"

"Yes, but it isn't just Ren Tao. There are five other hundred-thousand-year sea soul beasts, including Jin Hai, Yin Zhang... ah, that isn't important. What matters is that they intend to declare self-rule for sea soul beasts. From now on, they will no longer be subject to Sea God Island's authority, nor will they worship the Sea God. They also said that sea soul beasts would handle their own affairs!"

Sea Horse Douluo's voice was somewhat dry and unsteady, perfectly reflecting his current state of mind.

Sea God Island had stood upon the sea for so long, a sacred place in the hearts of sea soul beasts and sea soul masters alike. Yet this was the first time he had witnessed anything so absurd, so utterly unreasonable!

Bo Saixi's lips curled slightly. She did not move, nor did her expression change noticeably. "I knew this Ren Tao wouldn't be content to stay quiet... must you report even such a trivial matter to me? Just tell them to leave!"

"No, they said they won't leave unless... unless..."

"Unless what?"

Bo Saixi finally opened her eyes, ready to take a proper look at what tricks these hundred-thousand-year sea soul beasts were playing.

But the moment her divine sense reached the shore, she heard a booming voice shout,

"Bo Saixi! High Priest! Unless you mark us with the Sea God's Abhorrence, we will not leave Sea God Island!"

What?

Bo Saixi trembled and shot to her feet. "Are you here to challenge the Sea God's majesty?"

I'd never written fanfiction before, so I honestly didn't know how to write it.

My editor gave me guidance. But as the author, I still haven't quite found the right balance.

I added some inner thoughts, hoping to make the characters more rounded, and introduced some plot developments and mysteries beyond the original story. I'm trying not to stray outside its bounds, while also hoping to give both this book and its protagonist souls of their own.