Night Talk on Sea God Island

When Nan Feng received the message from Sea God Island, he was leading Shifang and Yue Guan through the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest towards the Far North.

The message was delivered by a gray seabird with a small bamboo tube tied to its leg, inside which was a note.

The handwriting was crooked and messy; it was clearly written by Xiao Wu.

"Tower Simpleton, Third Brother's been acting strange lately. He's locked himself in the Sea God Hall for days and hasn't come out. If you have time, come check on him."

Nan Feng examined the note twice, then folded it and tucked it into his pocket. He stopped in his tracks.

"What's wrong?" Shifang asked, carrying a grilled fish rack over.

"Something's happened to Tang San."

Nan Feng glanced northwest and estimated the distance.

Sea God Island is in the northwest, not in the Far North.

Yue Guan walked over, holding the hem of his robe, and stopped upon hearing this.

"Take a detour?"

Nan Feng thought for a moment and nodded.

"Go around... Tang San's place is much more urgent than the Far North."

"Bi Ji is keeping an eye on the Abyss Sect's soul-refining matter; nothing too serious will happen for the time being."

"If something really happens to Tang San, Xiao Wu won't write a note; she'll just fly over and kick me."

Shifang swayed the grill rack over his other shoulder.

"Let's go then, I haven't been to Sea God Island yet."

The three turned northwest and hurried on their way. The Nan Feng spurred the Shrinking the Ground to an Inch to its maximum speed, allowing them to cover a hundred steps in a single stride.

Shifang, carrying the grilled fish rack, ran behind, panting heavily.

Yue Guan kept up at a steady pace. After all, he was Titled Douluo, and his speed was almost as fast as Shifang's.

The hem of my robe was scratched in several places by the bushes, which made me feel a little bad.

It was already dark when we arrived at the pier outside Sea God Island.

Xiao Wu waited at the foot of the Sea God Hall, her scorpion braid loose and her complexion not looking too good.

Seeing Nan Feng land, she came forward and said in a low voice.

"He hasn't left the temple for three days, and the food I brought in was brought out untouched."

"What did you say?"

He didn't say anything, just told me to mind my own business.

Xiao Wu clenched her fists, her eyes slightly red.

"If I could manage it, would I need to come to you?"

Nan Feng patted her on the shoulder.

"I'll go in and take a look."

There were no lights on in the Sea God Hall.

When Nan Feng pushed open the palace door and went inside, moonlight leaked through the stained glass windows of the dome, illuminating the hall in a half-light, half-dark atmosphere.

Tang San sat on the stone steps in front of the Sea God God's throne, his back against the throne base. The Sea God Trident rested on his knees, its tip pointing downwards and resting on the ground.

He was huddled in the shadows. Nan Feng could only see his face clearly when he got closer.

She'd lost weight; her cheekbones were more prominent, and her eye sockets were sunken. Only her eyes remained bright, almost excessively so.

"You're here?" Tang San looked up at him and smiled.

Her smile is pretty much the same as before, but she seems to be struggling to pull the corners of her mouth open.

Did Xiao Wu send you?

"You haven't left the house for three days, who else would she call if not me?"

Nan Feng sat down next to him, without mentioning dinner, and first scanned the item with the Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light.

His Soul Power had plummeted to the peak of Titled Douluo. The divine Divine Power of the Sea God and the Asura God were twisted into a noose in his dantian, leaking outwards as they intertwined.

The leaked Divine Power dissipated into the meridians, causing them to become full of tiny cracks.

It's deteriorated much faster than when we last met at the Lake of Life.

"Stop sweeping." Tang San moved his trident aside. "Does sweeping each time mean I'll lose a piece of my flesh?"

"It's not like you'll lose a piece of flesh, but if your divine essence keeps being twisted like this, it'll be completely shattered in less than three months."

Nan Feng took away the Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light.

"At that point, forget about reaching the peak of the Titled Douluo; just maintaining the Soul Douluo level would be a good outcome."

Tang San didn't reply.

He remained silent for a moment, looking at the half-moon peeking out from the stained-glass window in the dome, and then suddenly spoke.

"It should have broken a long time ago."

The Nan Feng remained silent.

"I've been thinking about something these past few days." Tang San's voice was flat, as if he were talking about someone else's business.

"Back in Jialing Pass, I held the positions of both the Sea God and the Asura God, and I felt invincible."

"Back then, I truly believed that no one on this continent could travel further than me."

He paused, then looked down at the trident in his hand.

"Then you came. Your first spirit ring was over nine hundred years old. At that time, I thought the Grandmaster was right, that the lifespan of Soul Ring cannot be exceeded."

"And then you kept slapping me. By the time you reached Jialing Pass, you were already able to withstand Bibi Dong's Rakshasa Demon Scythe."

Tang San.

"Let me finish." Tang San raised his hand.

"I'm not complaining. I just want to make things clear."

"I knew about the dual-divine rejection after the battle at Jialing Pass. The Goddess of Life said there was no cure, but I didn't believe it at the time, thinking there would always be a way."

"Later I tried all sorts of methods. I used the Sea God Divine Power to repair the Asura Divinity, Asura Divine Power to repair the Sea God Divinity, but the more I tried to repair it, the faster it cracked."

He slammed the trident to the ground.

"Now I know, there's no hope. Two divine positions crammed into one Soul Master are fundamentally incompatible."

"It's not that I'm not strong enough, it's that this path is blocked."

Nan Feng looked at him but didn't reply.

"I haven't left the house these past few days because I've been thinking about one thing."

Tang San looked up at him.

"You said something at Jialing Pass back then: if he gets kicked down from the Divine Realm, you catch him. I've always remembered those words."

"If you remember it, then remember it. There's no need to lock yourself away and think about it," Nan Feng said.

"That's not what I was thinking." Tang San shook his head.

"What I'm thinking about is, what will happen to Xiao Wu if I really fall back to the Titled Douluo?"

Before Nan Feng could reply, footsteps sounded at the palace entrance.

Xiao Wu walked in from outside, carrying a bowl of hot soup. Steam was still rising from the surface of the soup, indicating that it had just been heated.

She walked up to Tang San, squatted down, and shoved the soup bowl into his hands.

"Drink first."

Tang San took the soup bowl and opened his mouth.

"Xiao Wu-- "

"You drink first." Xiao Wu's tone left no room for negotiation.

Tang San lowered his head and took a sip. The seaweed and pork rib soup was perfectly seasoned, just the right amount of saltiness—his favorite flavor.

He took another sip and suddenly felt a tightness in his throat.

Xiao Wu squatted down in front of him, resting her chin on her hands as she looked at him. After he finished drinking the soup, she took the bowl and placed it on the ground, then spoke.

"Third Brother, do you think you can keep this from me?"

Tang San paused, his hand holding the empty bowl still.

"I am the Asura Jade Rabbit," Xiao Wu pointed to her Martial Soul Core.

"I could tell from Jialing Pass that your Soul Power fluctuations were intertwined with two Divine Power."

"You've locked yourself in the temple these past two days, and your Soul Power is leaking out three times faster than before. I can sense it even through the temple door."

Tang San stood there, speechless for a long time.

"You were afraid I'd worry if I found out, so you kept it from me."

Xiao Wu reached out and poked his forehead.

"I'm telling you, I'm worried because you're keeping it from me. If you tell me, we can figure something out together, and then it's not a problem."

Tang San looked at her, his lips moved, and finally he managed to squeeze out a sentence.

"I may... no longer be a god."

"I know." Xiao Wu nodded, her tone flat, as if she were asking what to have for dinner.

"My Soul Power will drop to the peak of the Titled Douluo, making me no different from other Titled Douluo on the continent."

"Um."

"I probably won't be able to help you much anymore, and I can't beat those God Level powerhouses in a fight either--"

Tang San.

Xiao Wu called him by his full name, her voice not loud, but very earnest.

She waited until he looked at her before saying, "Do you think I married you because you're a god?"

Tang San opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"If that's what you think, then I'll have to have a serious talk with you."

Xiao Wu sat cross-legged on the ground and looked up at him.

"I, Xiao Wu, Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form. We've been through thick and thin together since Nuoding Academy. What do I want from you?"

"You're good at fighting? You're the Sea God? You can hold two divine positions?"

She shook her head.

"What I care about is you as a person. Whether you're a god, Titled Douluo, or Soul Douluo, you're still Tang San, and I'm still Xiao Wu."

What does this have to do with whether someone is divine or not?

Tang San's eyes immediately reddened.

Nan Feng, who was sitting nearby, felt he shouldn't be there. He shifted to the side, intending to stand up and leave.

Xiao Wu called out to him, but he stopped her.

"Tower Simpleton, stay seated. I need to talk to you later."

Nan Feng sat back down.

Xiao Wu put away the empty bowl, stood up, dusted off her skirt, and turned to Nan Feng.

"Tower Simpleton, with Third Brother's Soul Power dropping, can your Ancient Tree of Life in the tower hold up?"

Nan Feng thought for a moment.

"The Ancient Tree of Life can stabilize his foundation and minimize the drop in his Soul Power."

"But I can't interfere with the shattering of a godhood. That's a matter for the Divine Realm; no matter how strong Immortal Power is, it can't control a godhood."

"Then let's ignore the divine status." Xiao Wu clapped her hands.

"So what if he falls? Falling to the peak of the Titled Douluo is enough. There are only a handful of people on the continent who can defeat him."

Tang San chuckled beside him, his laugh sounding a little hoarse.

"You've got a better plan than I do."

"Nonsense, how can I spend my whole life with you if I'm not shrewd?"

Xiao Wu bent down and pulled his hand up.

"Get up, don't sit on the floor, it's cold. Go eat your food, and starting tomorrow, get back to work."

"So what if the divine position is shattered? It's good that it's shattered; I won't have to be bossed around by those people in the Divine Realm anymore."

Tang San was pulled up by her and stood up straight.

He paused, holding the trident in his hand, and looked down at the back of his hand.

The burn mark was still there, though it had been mostly faded by the golden light.

He slung the trident over his shoulder and glanced back at Nan Feng.

"Can I borrow your Ancient Tree of Life for a few days?"

Nan Feng stood up and patted his trouser legs.

"No need to borrow, just go there. Shifang is grilling fish outside, have a couple first."

As the three walked out, Xiao Wu, who was at the back, suddenly leaned close to Nan Feng's ear and whispered something.

"Thanks, Tower Simpleton."

Nan Feng waved his hand without turning around.

When we stepped out of the Sea God Hall, Shifang had already set up the grill for the fish outside.

The grilled fish was sizzling with oil on the rack. Yue Guan stood beside it, pinching the tear in the hem of her robe caused by the bushes, looking distressed.

"Brother Nan! Tang San! Come and eat fish!" Shifang waved to them.

Tang San walked over, sat down on the rock next to the grill, took the grilled fish handed to him by Shifang, and took a bite.

After chewing a couple of times, he suddenly said something.

"This fish is better grilled than mine."

Shifang chuckled.

"Of course, I've been baking for years."

Xiao Wu sat down beside him and leaned on his shoulder.

Tang San looked down at her, then at the moonlight reflecting on the distant sea.

The weight that had been pressing down on him for months suddenly felt lighter.

He took a bite of the fish and thought it tasted really good.