Xuan Ming glanced instinctively at the Sea God Hall in the distance and transmitted his voice, "Find Tang Chen."
Bibi Dong's pupils contracted slightly, " Tang Chen?"
Since Tang Chen's disappearance, the Clear Sky Sect has been in decline, and not long after, Tang Hao's incident occurred.
However, Qian Daoliu hesitated to take action against the Clear Sky Sect because of Tang Chen. At the Elder Hall' Meeting, Golden Crocodile also expressed his opposition on behalf of Qian Daoliu regarding the Clear Sky Sect, which is why the Spirit Hall's Soul Hunting Plan did not include the Clear Sky Sect.
Unexpectedly, Tang Chen had been in the Slaughter City all along?
But she had been to the Slaughter City, and even Xuan Ming and Hu Liena had stayed Slaughter City for several years, yet they hadn't seen Tang Chen.
"Living, but worse than dead," Xuan Ming said calmly. "He was trapped in the Eighth Trial the Asura God, Parasitism by the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King, his consciousness in chaos, becoming the King of Slaughter of the Slaughter City."
He looked at Bibi Dong: "But he truly carries the full Divine Power of the first seven trials of the Asura God. It is an incomparably pure and powerful source of slaughter."
Bibi Dong instantly understood Xuan Ming's intention, her breath catching slightly. "You want me... to devour him? To seize his Asura Divine Power?"
"This is the most direct and thorough way to resolve the Rakshasa Divine Sense within you," Xuan Ming affirmed. "Using the purest Asura killing essence, we will forcibly cleanse, assimilate, and even devour the Rakshasa's evil thoughts."
"If you succeed, you will have the opportunity to inherit the position of the Asura God Position."
Bibi Dong's breathing quickened slightly, and her purple eyes flashed with disbelief.
Inheriting the Asura God Position?
When she obtained the Divine Slaughter's Domain, all she felt was the cold and eerie summons of the Rakshasa God, which was completely incompatible with the pure and domineering killing aura of the Asura God.
Her Martial Soul characteristics and her temperament at the time leaned more towards sinister and ruthless than honorable judgment and killing.
But now...
She sensed the mutated domain within her, a deep, dark purple, shrouded in spiderwebs, possessing both a chilling, soul-corroding quality and a violent, domineering power that could tear everything apart.
This is no longer simply sinister, but a more complex and dangerous new path that combines extreme ruthlessness with absolute dominance!
"My domain..." Bibi Dong murmured.
"Your domain has changed," Xuan Ming affirmed. "You are no longer a puppet of the Rakshasa, but have forged your own path. This path combines the domineering nature of slaughter with the unpredictability of death. Although it differs from the orthodox Asura path, its core essence of slaughter and judgment has already aligned with it."
He paused, then continued his analysis via telepathy, "As long as the Asura God himself doesn't deliberately obstruct you, with your talent, temperament, and the foundation of this mutated domain and the pure Asura Divine Power you're about to acquire, you are fully qualified to challenge for the Asura God Position."
Bibi Dong's eyes shone brightly, but a trace of worry quickly surfaced. " The Divine Power of two God of Evil Thoughts has met within my body..."
She was well aware of the dangers involved. The Rakshasa's venom and the Asura's tyranny clashed, and if things got out of control, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Your body can't withstand that kind of direct conflict yet," Xuan Ming said. "Therefore, before going to the Slaughter City, you need to become stronger, get into peak condition, and maximize your resilience."
He raised his hand, and a golden sphere radiating a gentle yet vast energy appeared in his palm. It was the Sea God God-Given Soul Ring that he had obtained before but had never used.
"Absorb it. This God-Given Soul Ring originates from the Sea God. The vast Divine Power and Life force it contains can further solidify your foundation and raise your potential. It's perfect as your Seventh Soul Ring for the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor."
Then, Xuan Ming turned his gaze to the distant sea, where a fierce and violent aura could be faintly heard.
"Also, near Sea God Island dwells a 100,000-year-old Evil Orca King. Its Soul Ring and Soul Bone are also yours. The energy of Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast will be a great supplement to you."
Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow slightly. "Back in the Star Dou Great Forest, you stole two of my Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. Now you're returning them to me?"
Xuan Ming's eye twitched slightly. "You still remember that incident?"
"Nonsense, those are two sets of Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone, how could I forget them?" Bibi Dong was somewhat speechless.
Even so, according to Xuan Ming's calculations, after absorbing the God-Given Soul Ring and the Soul Ring and Soul Bone of the Evil Orca King, she still needed one more Soul Ring to adjust her body and Divine Power to their peak state.
The Rakshasa Divine Power alone required her to exert all her strength, and now with the addition of the Asura Divine Power, she didn't know if her body could withstand that kind of impact.
"As for the last Soul Ring..." Xuan Ming thought for a moment.
"You absorb this first, I'll go ask around."
"Ask?" Bibi Dong was taken aback.
"Ask whom?"
Xuan Ming turned to look at the Sea God Hall, "Of course, we should ask the Sea God."
"Let's see if he can let me get a God-Given Soul Ring on credit."
Bibi Dong looked at Xuan Ming's matter-of-fact expression, and her eye twitched again involuntarily.
Can I borrow a God-Given Soul Ring?
What does this guy think the Sea God is? A street vendor you can haggle over?!
"You..." Bibi Dong opened her mouth, momentarily at a loss for words to comment on such audacious ideas.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Xuan Ming seemed to sense her speechlessness and calmly added, "You should absorb this God-Given Soul Ring first to solidify your foundation. I'll be right back."
After saying that, without waiting for Bibi Dong to say anything more, he flashed and transformed into a streak of light, flying straight towards the magnificent Sea God Hall atop Sea God Mountain.
In the Sea God Hall.
Xuan Ming's figure landed silently, standing in front of the solemn and magnificent hall.
Bo Saixi seemed to have sensed his arrival beforehand; dressed in a long, gold-red gown, she stood quietly before the palace. "Is there something you need?"
"I need to discuss something with the Sea God," Xuan Ming said.
Bo Saixi's lips twitched slightly.
Discuss? Discuss with the gods?
But she didn't ask any more questions. After all, according to the rules, apart from her, the High Priestess, even the seven Sacred Pillar Douluo could not enter the Sea God Hall at will. But Xuan Ming's situation was special. He even took the Sea God Trident and hadn't returned it yet. The Lord Sea God's attitude towards him was inexplicably accommodating.
"Come with me." Bo Saixi turned around and led Xuan Ming toward the Sea God statue deep within the Sea God Hall.
Deep within the Sea God Hall, the colossal statue of Sea God radiates a soft yet majestic golden aura.
Before Bo Saixi could kneel down and pray as per procedure, Xuan Ming directly stimulated the Sea God's Heart. Immediately afterward, the golden light on the statue intensified, and a blurry phantom containing the pressure of the endless ocean slowly condensed, which was the divine projection of the Sea God Poseidon.
"Boy, what do you want now?" Poseidon's voice rang directly in Xuan Ming's mind, carrying a hint of barely perceptible helplessness.
He gets a headache just looking at this kid, but he can't help being curious about what he's up to.
Xuan Ming looked up at the golden phantom and got straight to the point. "I want to borrow a God-Given Soul Ring."
The air froze instantly.
For the first time, a look of obvious astonishment appeared on Bo Saixi's stunningly beautiful face; she even wondered if she had misheard.
On credit... a God-Given Soul Ring on credit?!
Even the divine projection of Sea God Poseidon, visibly trembled, clearly taken aback by this request.
"... What did you say?" Poseidon's voice was filled with disbelief. "On credit? What do you take this place for? A general store?!"
"Your Sea God Trident is still at the entrance of the Angel Temple," Xuan Ming said.
"If Qian Renxue were to become a god ahead of time, and then come to Sea God Island with your trident to cause trouble..."
Xuan Ming shook his head and sighed, "It's embarrassing just thinking about it."
"..."
The moment Xuan Ming uttered those words, the air in the entire Sea God Hall seemed to freeze.
Bo Saixi looked at Xuan Ming in disbelief, then at the statue of the Sea God, feeling that her centuries of cultivation had been challenged at this moment.
He's actually... using the whereabouts of Sea God Trident as leverage in negotiating terms?!
The Lord Sea God kindly lent you this divine artifact, and you're using it to threaten him?!
In addition, regarding the progress of this book, there are at least 300,000 words left, and it should be completed in January, or possibly longer. The exact number of words left depends on the situation.
Finally, thank you all for your support until now...
Chapter 353 Extortion
Sea God Poseidon's divine projection trembled violently, clearly having been touched on a sore spot.
That divine artifact that represented him was indeed casually placed at the entrance of the Angel Temple by Xuan Ming as a decoration. If the successor of the Angel God were to use it to provoke Sea God Island... the scene would be unimaginable!
"You..." Poseidon's voice was filled with suppressed anger, "Are you threatening me?"
"No, if you don't want to give it to me, I won't force you. I can take your trident back and return it to you immediately," Xuan Ming said.
"However, I've recently gained new insights into my Dragon Emperor's Tyrannical Sea Break and want to try it out. I wonder... if the Sea God's Light can block it?"
He paused, then added, "Of course, I'll try to control the power; I won't actually blow through Sea God Island. After all, the scenery here is quite nice."
"..."
Bo Saixi's stunningly beautiful face froze completely; she felt as if she were about to stop breathing.
This guy... this guy is actually using the safety of Sea God Island to bargain?!
And try to control the power?
The scenery is actually quite nice!
This isn't just audacious, this is downright... insane!
The projection of Sea God Poseidon's consciousness flickered violently, its golden light flashing erratically, revealing the extreme turmoil within its master.
Anger? Frustration? Helplessness? And even a hint of... absurdity and absurdity?
He, the mighty Sea God, who rules the ocean and is supreme, is actually being "extorted" by a mere mortal using his own divine artifacts and his ancestral land?!
If word gets out, what will become of Sea God's reputation?!
"Boy!" Poseidon's voice was practically forced out through gritted teeth, "Do you know what you're saying?!"
"I know." Xuan Ming nodded, his face calm. "I'm discussing this with you. A God-Given Soul Ring in exchange for the peace of Sea God Island, plus the stability of your trident. A very fair trade."
"A deal?!" Poseidon's voice rose several octaves. "You call this a deal?!"
"Otherwise what?" Xuan Ming retorted, "Forced buying and selling? That's not good. I always value fairness."
"Don't forget, I helped you deal with the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, and next I'll help you deal with the Evil Orca King, which is equivalent to indirectly helping you maintain order in the ocean."
"Besides, I even brought the Sea God's Heart back for you. People from your Sea God Island are so forgetful, and I kindly brought it back for you. Shouldn't you thank me?"
Xuan Ming's "justified" addition completely froze the divine projection of Sea God Poseidon god.
Bo Saixi listened in stunned silence, feeling her worldview being repeatedly challenged.
They solved the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's problem, maintained ocean order, obtained the Sea God's Heart, helped bring it back, and now they should thank him?
This... this can all be considered his achievement and a favor?!
Bo Saixi watched in horror, fearing that the Lord Sea God might unleash divine punishment in a fit of rage.
However, to her surprise, after the intense emotional turmoil, Sea God Poseidon, actually... slowly calmed down.
The golden projection stopped flashing and instead emitted an extremely complex emotional fluctuation, a mixture of annoyance, helplessness, and even a hint of appreciation.
After a long silence, Poseidon's voice rang out again, carrying a deep, almost resigned helplessness. "... Good lad! You've got some nerve!"
He truly hadn't expected that this kid, who seemed to have the same personality as Asura, would be such a master at being a rogue!
That's more shameless than Evil!
"So be it..." Poseidon sighed, his voice filled with helplessness, "It's just a God-Given Soul Ring, you can have it!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a golden sphere of light, even more refined and with purer and more abundant energy than the one in Xuan Ming's hand, appeared out of thin air in front of Xuan Ming and slowly floated up.
Within the sphere of light, it seemed as if a vast ocean was surging, brimming with boundless Life.
"Take it!" Poseidon's voice carried a hint of annoyance. "Quickly put away your pathetic moves! Don't try them out in front of my house!"
"Is this God-Given Soul Ring of yours... expensive?" Xuan Ming couldn't help but ask.
"..." Poseidon.
"What do you mean?"
"If it's not too expensive, how about you... buy a few more on credit?" Xuan Ming said.
"As you've seen, Nana and the others are cultivating at an incredibly fast pace, and their need for Soul Ring will be huge going forward, but..."
Xuan Ming paused for a moment, "Well, Heaven has a virtue of cherishing life, right?"
"Those Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast don't have it easy to cultivate. There are so many of them, and their needs are so great. As the Sea God..."