Tang Lan spoke solemnly—
"Xi-jie, I have a bad feeling about this."
"Perhaps we need to rescue Great Ancestor Tang Chen sooner than planned!"
Huh?
Bo Saixi flashed forward in an instant, appearing directly before Tang Lan, her gaze locking onto him.
"Why do you say that?"
Tang Lan frowned, deep in thought.
"I can't quite explain it."
"My Soul Spirit Domain has fused with the divine artifact Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, and after evolving, it gained a new ability called Danger Precognition."
"After absorbing the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's head soul bone, this ability was greatly amplified—I can now glimpse fragments of the future."
"Just now, it warned me that we must rescue Great Ancestor as soon as possible, or unforeseen changes will arise."
So mystical?
Bo Saixi was well aware of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion—an ancient auspicious beast.
With its blessing, Tang Lan's domain abilities were indeed credible.
But—
Even if Tang Lan passed tomorrow's assessment, he would at most achieve a 35% Sea God Affinity.
That meant he wouldn't be able to wield the divine technique Sea God's Light.
Yet, that technique was crucial to protecting and awakening Tang Chen's soul!
It was like performing surgery without anesthesia.
It might not seem like a big deal at first glance—
But once it was gone, you'd realize what true agony felt like!
This put Bo Saixi in a dilemma.
"Xi-jie, it's not like there's no solution," Tang Lan said, his eyes drifting upward.
—Wasn't there still Sea God's Divine Sense?
Bo Saixi's spirit jolted!
Let Lord Sea God intervene?
No way!
The Sea God's Divine Sense existed to select a worthy inheritor—
It was also a safety net for the successor, meant to protect them in times of peril.
How could they use it for personal matters, wasting Lord Sea God's divine essence?
Absolutely not!
But then, there was Tang Chen...
As Bo Saixi wavered, Tang Lan casually tapped his forehead.
"Sea God, your most devoted follower needs your help now—what do you say?"
Bo Saixi tensed, awaiting a response.
The next moment—
Strands of golden light emerged, coalescing into the Sea God's spectral form.
The divine sense of the Sea God glanced at Tang Lan helplessly.
"Think carefully—if I act, it will deplete my stored divine essence. Should you require my aid again in the future, I may no longer have the strength to assist."
Tang Lan grinned.
—That's exactly what I want!
Always nagging about this Vast Sea Soul-Sealing and that Vast Sea Soul-Sealing—
What a hassle.
Now that he could protect himself, even gods would have to take a detour if they wanted to kill him.
Besides, once Tang Chen was rescued, he'd have two Rank 99 Limit Douluos guarding him.
At that point, Sea God's Divine Sense was more of a luxury than a necessity.
Might as well put this "waste" to good use.
But of course, he couldn't just say it outright—he had to take the moral high ground.
Tang Lan spoke sincerely—
"Tang Chen is my great ancestor. As a descendant, withholding my ability to save him would be an act of filial disgrace."
"Xi-jie has cared for me as if I were her own kin. If I stand by and do nothing, I would be betraying her kindness."
"My father, Tang Hao, has repeatedly urged me to restore the glory of the Clear Sky Sect. Now, the chance to save our great ancestor is right before us—letting it slip away would be an act of disloyalty."
"Moreover, Slaughter City harbors the world's most wicked souls, yet it is ruled by a vicious beast that uses blood as poison to control them. What are its true intentions?"
"If I allow this threat to fester, and disaster strikes in the future, would that not make me inhumane?"
"Surely, you wouldn't want your successor to be a person who is disloyal, unfilial, heartless, and unrighteous, would you?"
Bo Saixi: "..."
Sea God's Divine Sense: "..."
Damn, you really know how to spin a tale!
What else could the Sea God say?
All it could do was nod and agree.
"In that case, I shall intervene when the time comes."
"But I will not kill—"
It suddenly paused.
Looking toward the sky, it seemed to sense something.
Its expression turned unreadable.
"A storm is coming. You must act swiftly."
Then, it receded into the Sea God's imprint.
Leaving behind two grinning figures.
"Excellent!" Bo Saixi sighed in relief. "With Lord Sea God willing to help, rescuing Tang Chen is as good as done! Nothing will go wrong!"
Tang Lan smiled, nodding repeatedly.
—Next time, he'd find another crisis to burn through the Destruction God's Divine Sense too.
With the God Realm still sealed off by the Asura God King,
This vast mortal world…
Was now his playground.
Then, He Could Finally Execute His Plan with Peace of Mind!
The next day.
Fully rested and in peak condition, the group stood before the Sea God's Hall Steps.
Bo Saixi stood at the top of the staircase, gazing down at them, eyes filled with anticipation.
As soon as this assessment ended, they would depart for Slaughter City.
To rescue Tang Chen!
Would she finally get to see the one she had longed for all these years?
Excitement surged through her!
Below.
Tang Lan stood at the front.
He reiterated once more, "Sea God's Light descends from above, so during the process, we must maintain formation integrity!"
"And one more thing!"
"Today, we are here to challenge our limits!"
"So I don't want anyone just quitting after reaching their target—push yourselves until you collapse!"
"Understood?"
A resounding battle cry echoed in response.
The team's morale was soaring.
Tang Lan took the lead, stepping onto the Sea God's Steps.
Using his own body, he absorbed the majority of the Sea God's Light.
Jing Ling followed closely behind.
His assessment requirement was the lowest—he only needed to reach the 36th step.
Though his spirit power rank was the weakest—
But!
Didn't he have Mirror Copy Intestine?
He summoned his Crimson Flame White Tiger and immediately activated a triple combo:
White Tiger Body Barrier, White Tiger Crimson Flame Transformation, and Crimson Flame Demon God Transformation!
Sustaining three soul skills at once would normally be a huge drain.
But he wasn't worried—
Because his Life Soul Core at his chest continuously supplied spiritual power, keeping him in a perpetual full-energy state.
His enlarged physique, coupled with his spread Crimson Flame Wings,
Intercepted most of the Sea God's Light that Tang Lan left behind.
This made it so that Dai Mubai, who followed behind him, didn't even need to activate his martial soul—
He simply walked forward using pure physical strength.
Once again, a huge chunk of the Sea God's Light was blocked.
Leaving only a small portion for Tang San, who took care of the rest.
Behind Tang San, Oscar felt almost zero pressure.
As for Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Shui Bing'er, the three girls in the rear?
They strolled along like they were on a casual walk.
At the very end, Ning Rongrong was utterly dumbfounded.
"Wait… why don't I feel anything at all?"
She had never imagined it would be this easy!
Tang Lan glanced back.
After confirming that everyone had entered the Sea God's Light,
He commanded, "As planned—activate the True Martial Seven-Step Formation!"
"Yes!"
With Tang Lan at the lead and Zhu Zhuqing at the tail,
The seven of them combined their strength to activate the True Martial Seven-Step Formation,
Fusing into one unified force.
They transformed into a spearhead,
Carrying the isolated Shui Bing'er and Ning Rongrong as they charged toward the summit!
In a single breath, they surpassed the 36th step, completing Jing Ling's assessment.
But those within the True Martial Seven-Step Formation did not stop.
They continued charging upward!
However, upon reaching the 45th step,
Even with the formation distributing the pressure,
Jing Ling's face turned completely red—
—He was reaching his absolute limit!
Just as he was about to be eliminated—
Tang Lan suddenly made a move—
At that moment—
"Buzz—"
(Chapter End)