Landing on the Island

There had been no warning before Spirit Hall landed on Sea God Island, so the Sea Soul Masters had no time to organize a force to stop them.

They could only watch helplessly as ten warships drew up to the shore and two thousand Soul Masters disembarked, forming a defensive line around the ships.

Qian Jun Douluo descended from the sky, his voice carrying across the entire beach. "Rest for now. We attack Sea Ghost City in half an hour."

The Sea Soul Masters of Sea God Island all believed in the Sea God, and his representative on earth was the Great Enshrined, Bo Saixi.

But Bo Saixi spent all year in the Sea God Hall, paying no attention to worldly affairs. The guardians of the Seven Sacred Pillars managed Sea God Island in her place.

The Sea God had bestowed divine power upon the Seven Sacred Pillars and used them to spread his will, so the Soul Masters of Sea God Island had built seven cities around the seven pillars.

Aside from the Great Enshrined Bo Saixi, the strongest people on Sea God Island were the guardians of the Seven Sacred Pillars.

Five of the seven guardians had reached the Titled Douluo realm, while the other two were powerful even among Soul Douluos.

The Sacred Pillar closest to the fleet was the Sea Ghost Sacred Pillar, and its guardian was a Soul Douluo-a soft persimmon that would be easy to pinch.

"Jun Yan, where did you just go?" Bibi Dong asked as she watched him return.

Jun Yan's original body replied, "I had something to take care of."

"What was it?" Bibi Dong pressed.

You're getting a little annoying, Jun Yan thought.

But he was playing the role of a simp right now, so he certainly couldn't say that.

"I noticed a Demon Soul Great White Shark wasn't quite dead, so I went and gave it another stab."

"Another... stab?" Bibi Dong didn't understand what Jun Yan meant.

"I killed it. That's all." Jun Yan explained without a trace of impatience.

"I see!" Bibi Dong nodded. She didn't suspect that Jun Yan was lying.

Of course, Jun Yan really hadn't lied. He had gone to kill a Demon Soul Great White Shark, and had also absorbed a Soul Ring and a Soul Bone while he was at it.

The one who had left the group was his Wood Clone, while the one who had now returned was his original body.

A silence settled between them for a while before Bibi Dong spoke first again. "We'll be attacking Sea Ghost City soon. This won't be like our usual little skirmishes, so you must be extra careful."

Jun Yan nodded. "Of course I know that."

Bibi Dong continued, "To guard against any unexpected mishaps, why don't you come with us?"

Jun Yan frowned. "Us? Who else?"

"Xiao Gang!" Bibi Dong replied.

"Xiao Gang, hahaha!" Jun Yan suddenly laughed, then said coldly, "You're not afraid something will happen to me. You're clearly afraid something will happen to Yu Xiaogang!"

"No, the city lord of Sea Ghost City is a Soul Douluo, and you and I are only Soul Emperors. One careless mistake could cost us our lives, just like before in the Star Dou Great Forest."

Bibi Dong waved her hands repeatedly as she explained. To be fair, although she did want Jun Yan to help her protect Yu Xiaogang, her main reason for coming here was concern for Jun Yan's safety.

But Jun Yan pretended to be furious. "Then there's no need to trouble yourself over me, Your Highness. As for being a Soul Emperor, I stopped being one a long time ago." With that, he prepared to leave.

Bibi Dong hurriedly reached out to stop him. "Your life is at stake. You can't let your emotions get the better of you."

Jun Yan casually brushed her hand aside. "Sorry to trouble you, Saintess, but there's no need to worry." Then he left without looking back.

"Oh!" Bibi Dong stamped her foot angrily, upset with herself for saying the wrong thing.

Bibi Dong said helplessly, "Forget it. I'll just keep an eye on him when the time comes, and the elders should keep him safe too, right?"

She glanced at Jun Yan's retreating figure before leaving.

Half an hour passed quickly. Once Spirit Hall's two thousand Soul Masters had rested, they formed ranks and set off for Sea Ghost City.

Beyond the beach lay a dense jungle, filled with all kinds of plants.

"There seems to be something unusual about this forest."

Thanks to Wood Release, Jun Yan immediately noticed a peculiar force within the forest.

"You've got good perception!" a voice called out above Jun Yan's head.

Jun Yan looked up to see Gui Mei and Yue Guan descending from the sky. It was Yue Guan who had just spoken.

"Greetings, elders," the surrounding Soul Masters called in unison, bowing.

"Rise," Yue Guan said, raising a hand.

Gui Mei walked over to Jun Yan and said, "According to Elder Qian Jun, the Sea God's power exists on Sea God Island. It protects the life on the island and also blocks outsiders' perception."

"The Sea God's power?"

Yue Guan said with a smile, "It comes from the seven Sacred Pillars. Of course, it isn't being wielded by the Sea God himself, or we wouldn't have dared set foot on the island, would we?"

Gui Mei said, "Sea Ghost City is the weakest city on Sea God Island. We'll use it to get familiar with siege warfare. The cities after it will only be tougher."

Jun Yan nodded. "I know."

"We came to give you a warning." Yue Guan explained why the two of them had come, then paused and added, "You... have become a Soul Saint?"

Jun Yan wasn't surprised that the two of them knew his realm. He was more puzzled that they had only now asked.

"Yes!" He had no intention of hiding it.

When he admitted it, Yue Guan and Gui Mei seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Did something happen, or what?" Jun Yan wondered why they were looking at him like that.

"It was Elder Qian Jun who told us you'd reached the Soul Saint realm. We didn't quite believe him at first. After all, it's only been a year since you broke through to Soul Emperor."

"Oh!" Jun Yan scratched his head, then explained, "I thought you could all tell. Since you didn't ask, I didn't say anything."

Gui Mei put it succinctly. "We rarely go out of our way to check your Soul Power Level."

Yue Guan looked at him with complicated emotions. "So, did you eat an Immortal Herb? And you didn't get just one, but two?"

Jun Yan looked at Yue Guan without speaking for a long time, until Yue Guan grew terribly anxious under his gaze.

In truth, he was considering what to tell Yue Guan: whether to tell him directly about the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, or conceal it and go along with what Yue Guan had said—that he had only obtained two Immortal Herbs.

Seeing that Jun Yan remained silent, Yue Guan was terribly anxious, but he held himself back. To be honest, if it had been anyone else, he would already have made a move-and called Gui Mei to join him.

Finally, Jun Yan made up his mind. "Not two."

Yue Guan's heart sank. Before coming, he had considered what Jun Yan might say-whether he would continue to hide it or confess outright-and had prepared a response for each possibility.

"I knew Immortal Herbs weren't—"

But before Yue Guan could finish, Jun Yan spoke the rest of his sentence. "There were a lot of them!"