This subtle movement and response acted as a signal, causing the stagnant air to begin flowing again.
Ning Rongrong took a deep breath, suppressing the strange feeling in her heart, and smiled, "Brother Xuan Ming, it's been a long time. How are you...?"
Xuan Ming's gaze swept across their faces, taking in their changes, but he offered no comment, simply nodding slightly. "Not bad. It seems you haven't wasted these past three years."
Gu Yuena slowly stepped forward. "How is the situation?"
Xuan Ming was silent for a moment. "It's a bit troublesome, but nothing too serious. We can't stay here long. Next, I'll take you somewhere."
Gu Yuena was slightly taken aback. "Where to?"
" Sea God Island," Xuan Ming said.
Undeniably, Sea God Poseidon, has no prejudice against the Soul Beast Clan, and given the current situation, there's no need to hide it anymore.
In fact, he never felt there was anything to hide.
Since he didn't die in the Slaughter City, it means that the Asura God won't make a move against him for the time being. Otherwise, with the dragon souls of the two first-generation dragon kings so obviously displayed on his body, it's impossible that the Asura wouldn't have made any move.
"When?" Gu Yuena asked.
"As soon as possible," Xuan Ming said.
"Time is a bit tight, let's go to Sea God Island and check out the situation first."
Gu Yuena nodded slightly, then said, "Then they can prepare first. We'll go back to the Star Dou Great Forest. That insect..."
Xuan Ming was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "No, let's go to Sea God Island first."
Gu Yuena was slightly taken aback. "Why?"
"Let's see how things go first," Xuan Ming said.
There's no rush.
Gu Yuena was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I'll listen to you."
" Sea God Island... Shall we go there too?" Shui Bing'er and Huo Wu slowly walked over.
After the founding of the Spirit Hall Empire, Gu Yuena brought the two of them here, ostensibly for special training, but also to protect their safety.
The Martial Spirit Hall Empire is expanding rapidly, and their families have been forced into the war. They are well aware that their ability to remain uninvolved is due to Xuan Ming.
Xuan Ming glanced at Shui Bing'er and the other person, then looked at Gu Yuena, "You..."
"Since you're unwilling to give it up, I'll help you maintain it as much as possible," Gu Yuena said.
Xuan Ming was silent for a moment, then sighed, "Let's go together. She's probably got her eye on you too."
Everyone turned around to pack their belongings, and soon only Xuan Ming and Gu Yuena remained in the valley.
The misty steam from the spring flowed slowly between the two, creating a moment of quietude.
Xuan Ming raised his hand, and a faint light flashed in his palm. The strange spear, dark red in color and seemingly forged from solidified blood, quietly appeared.
It hovered silently in his palm, emitting no fluctuations of Soul Power, yet a chilling aura of ferocity and death permeated the air, as if countless souls were silently wailing within the spear.
"Take a look at this." Xuan Ming handed the Blood Spear to Gu Yuena, his voice calm. "After leaving the Slaughter City, its condition became somewhat... special."
Gu Yuena's silver-purple eyes fell on the Blood Spear, and her gaze narrowed slightly.
She extended her slender fingers, the tips of which were surrounded by a very faint nine-colored halo, and gently touched the dark red spear shaft.
Buzz--
The Blood Spear trembled very slightly, emitting a barely audible hum, as if it felt both close to the nine-colored halo and a touch of instinctive awe.
Gu Yuena closed her eyes, and a wisp of pure, incomparably superior Dragon God Origin Power, far exceeding the level of Soul Power, carefully probed into the Blood Spear through her fingertips.
A moment later, she slowly opened her eyes, a hint of surprise and seriousness flashing in them.
"It... has already touched the limits of the mortal realm." Gu Yuena's voice carried a hint of disbelief.
"The accumulation of power in the Slaughter City, coupled with the transformation of your own strength, has allowed it to begin its leap towards the God Level ahead of schedule. Its inherent material and the slaughter rules it contains are sufficient to support its transformation into a true divine artifact."
Xuan Ming listened quietly, his face showing little surprise.
"However," Gu Yuena's tone shifted, becoming serious, "It lacks the most crucial element—divinity. Without the infusion of divinity, it can never complete its final transformation, remaining stuck in its current awkward predicament, possessing power but lacking a divine soul."
She looked at Xuan Ming: "Theoretically, the fastest way is for you to obtain Divine Power yourself, and then use that Divine Power to temper and nurture it day and night, guiding it to develop sentience and condense divine runes. With your current foundation, once you become a god, this process will be very quick."
"However," she frowned slightly, "This method... is very unsafe. I can sense that its internal will is extremely chaotic and incomplete; it's a pseudo-soul forcibly fused together from countless fragments of slaughter."
"Once you infuse it with Divine Power, this pseudo-soul is likely to go out of control under the stimulation of the Divine Power, turning against its master at the crucial moment of your ascension to godhood. With your current God Realm, you may not be able to completely suppress a newly born divine artifact soul filled with bloodlust."
Xuan Ming frowned slightly.
This is indeed a hidden danger. The accumulation of the Slaughter City is too complex. The Blood Spear is based on endless death, and its core "soul" is itself a synonym for chaos and violence.
Not to mention, the Blood Spear has been trying to devour him ever since it was born, and has never given up.
It stopped devouring him as before, not because the thing didn't want to eat, but because it was already full.
But once it completes its transformation and reaches God Level, Blood Spear might want to devour it again.
"Then, what's the safest approach?" Xuan Ming asked.
Gu Yuena remained silent for a moment, seemingly considering her words, before finally speaking slowly, "Give it a completely new, stable core will that is absolutely loyal to you."
"The simplest and most effective method... is the Sacrifice of Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."
Xuan Ming was slightly taken aback.
Gu Yuena continued, "When Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast survives its Heavenly Tribulation, a faint but pure seed of divinity will be nurtured within its soul essence. This wisp of divinity is the recognition of its long Life by the rules of heaven and earth, and it is the key for it to step into a higher level."
"Let a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Sacrifice itself to you, infusing its soul, power, and that most precious seed of divinity into this Blood Spear without reservation. Using that seed of divinity as a guide, and with the complete soul and will of the Soul Beast as the core, reshape the soul of the Blood Spear."
Her tone became extremely serious. "Moreover, the Sacrifice Soul Beast must harbor extremely special and profound feelings for you. Only in this way can it, after the Sacrifice, transform its attachment, protection, and even love for you into absolute control over the Blood Spear and absolute loyalty to you. Only a spirit born in this way will be in perfect harmony with you, as at your fingertips, and will never turn against you."
"Only the will bestowed upon it by attaching Soul Ring is sufficient... for safety."
Silence fell over the valley.
The tinkling sound of the spring water was exceptionally clear.
Xuan Ming stared intently at the dark Blood Spear in his hand, his eyes unfathomable.
The Sacrifice of Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast...
A complete soul, possessing the seed of divinity, and an emotion profound enough to distort the rules of Sacrifice...
These conditions are extremely demanding.
This is not just about finding a powerful sacrifice, but about finding someone... willing to give everything for him, including their Life and eternal soul.
Gu Yuena looked at him quietly, without saying another word.
She knew what this proposal meant, and she also knew the emotions and costs that might be involved.
But this was the safest and most reliable method she knew, one that could guarantee Xuan Ming's future safety.
A divine weapon that is completely loyal to him and in harmony with his soul is crucial to his future path.
Spirit City, Pope's Palace.
A solemn and oppressive atmosphere enveloped this core hall of power.
Xuan Ming told Bibi Dong about his next plan and said he intended to take Hu Liena with him.
"But her Divine Slaughter's Domain is still unstable," Bibi Dong said.
"With me here and Gu Yuena here, nothing will happen," Xuan Ming said.
Bibi Dong remained silent for a moment.
Taking Hu Liena along... away from the power vortex of Spirit City, away from the impending all-out war, would be a form of protection for her.
Especially given Qian Renxue's astonishing progress in the God's Trial, Hu Liena's presence in Spirit City makes her an even easier target.
However, Sea God Island has a long-standing feud with the Spirit Hall.
Look at this.
Seeing that Bibi Dong had reservations, Xuan Ming immediately took out the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud that had been bound to him.
"What's wrong?" Bibi Dong asked, puzzled.
Xuan Ming narrowed his eyes slightly and released his Divine Slaughter's Domain towards the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.
Stimulated, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud suddenly emitted a burst of blue light, enveloping the entire side hall.
Bibi Dong's eyes narrowed, and she instantly became alert.
Mind scan?
"Don't be nervous, successor of the Rakshasa God."
A gentle yet supremely majestic voice seemed to come from the endless depths of the sea, resounding directly in the minds of Bibi Dong and Xuan Ming.
The sound did not travel through the air, but acted directly on the soul, carrying an aura of vastness, antiquity, and all-encompassing nature.
Bibi Dong's pupils suddenly contracted, and the purple-black Rakshasa Divine Power around her surged instinctively, protecting her within it. She looked warily at the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud 'Xuan Ming hand, which was radiating azure light.
"Just a fleeting thought, no need for such vigilance." The gentle voice rang out again, tinged with a faint smile. "As for you, successor of the Rakshasa, your state... is quite interesting."
Bibi Dong's expression changed slightly, but she remained silent.
Xuan Ming calmly looked at the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud and asked directly, "You are the Sea God, do you know why her Rakshasa God Trial has stalled?"
"Young man, you are very direct. However, prying into the secrets of another deity's legacy comes at a price." The Sea God paused, seemingly sensing something.
" The Rakshasa's Divine Power is filled with resentment, hatred, and Destruction; her lineage is inherently extreme and dangerous."
"The stagnation... there are many reasons for it. Perhaps it's an irreconcilable conflict between the successor's temperament and the Godhood, or perhaps it's a change in the Rakshasa's own divine will..."
Bibi Dong frowned deeply. She had considered all these possibilities, but couldn't be certain.
"Which one specifically?" Xuan Ming pressed.
The Sea God's divine thoughts remained silent for a moment, then the azure light rippled slightly. "Hehe, the answer lies in the depths of the sea."
Young man, when you officially embark on my assessment journey and demonstrate your qualifications and sincerity under the Sea God's Light, I will naturally tell you more.
Now... it's not the right time.
Xuan Ming narrowed his eyes slightly. " Sea God Island, I will go."
"Very good." The Sea God's divine sense seemed quite satisfied. "I look forward to your arrival. As for this successor of the Rakshasa... perhaps some clues can be found in the vast ocean regarding her questions."
As soon as he finished speaking, the azure divine light on the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud quickly receded, and the immense pressure and divine sense also vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed.
Silence returned to the side hall.
Chapter 305 Going to Sea
Vast Sea City, the largest port city in the western border of the Heaven Dou Empire, is filled with the salty sea breeze and the hustle and bustle of people, and the air is filled with the atmosphere of ocean and trade.
With the full support of Empress Bibi Dong of the Spirit Hall Empire, preparations for the journey to Sea God Island were completed with astonishing efficiency.
A sturdy and magnificent large soul-guided power ship, flying the flag of the Spirit Hall Empire, is already docked at the pier, ready to set sail.
The group of people on this trip is quite eye-catching, led by Xuan Ming and Gu Yuena, and including Hu Liena, Ah Rou, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing Ye Lingling, and Dugu Yan.
Although Shui Bing'er and Huo Wu didn't fully understand the deeper reasons, they knew that this trip concerned their own safety and that of their families, so they silently followed the group.
This group of women, each with their own unique temperament and extraordinary qualities, gathered together, undoubtedly created a beautiful scene, attracting the attention of passersby on the dock.
Before parting, Ning Fengzhi, who was in charge of coordinating the supplies and ships for this long journey, found Xuan Ming alone at the dock, gazing at the sea from the railing.
The sea breeze rustled Xuan Ming's black robes.
The sect leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect no longer possessed his former composure and elegance; his brows betrayed an undeniable weariness and worry.
Ning Fengzhi walked to his side, gazing at the distant horizon where the sea and sky met, her tone tinged with an indescribable complexity, and softly asked, " Xuan Ming, did you ever imagine that such a day would come?"
Xuan Ming remained silent, his gaze still fixed on the deep blue expanse.
He couldn't answer that question.
He had long foreseen the inevitability of conflict and change, but he had not anticipated that it would unfold in such a violent manner and so quickly.