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"What's he planning..."
Xuan Ming was a bit confused by this trial, but he didn't dwell on it. He took a step, once again ascending the familiar white jade steps.
The moment his foot landed, he clearly felt that the dragon bone energy, which had been surging like a river within him, and the faint connection with the Ice and Fire Dragon Soul deep within his consciousness, seemed to be isolated by an invisible barrier!
All that remained was his Level 80 spirit power, along with the Slaughter Domain, Blood Spear, Spirit Bone, and other powers that completely belonged to him!
Xuan Ming took a deep breath, pushing his speed to the limit.
Without the augmentation of the dragon bone energy, his speed was still astonishingly fast, like a crimson bolt of lightning, streaking up the white jade steps.
For the first three hundred steps, relying on his formidable physique and the burst of his Level 80 spirit power, he practically sprinted, his footsteps leaving faint afterimages on the steps.
After three hundred steps, the pressure intensified dramatically, and his speed visibly slowed, but his steps remained firm. The Slaughter Domain automatically expanded, its dark red aura colliding fiercely with the golden divine light, emitting an ear-piercing crackling sound.
Five hundred steps! Six hundred steps!
Until the six hundred eighty-eighth step!
Here, the immense pressure of the Seagod's Light finally became heavy, like solid mercury, squeezing his body and soul from all directions. Each step he took felt like treading in a viscous swamp, requiring immense effort.
His three Domains fully activated once more!
A dark red aura erupted around him, coloring the surrounding golden light with a layer of crimson.
The expansion of the Domain barely carved out a Slaughter Domain for him within the vast Seagod's Light, offsetting some of the pressure.
But this was still far from enough to support him to reach the summit!
"Seventh Soul Skill, slaughter battle soul!"
The dark red five-hundred-thousand-year spirit ring suddenly lit up, but its light didn't burst outwards to form a giant battle soul; instead, it surged back into Xuan Ming's body like a tide!
His body instantly swelled by a size, muscles bulging, dark red battle patterns appearing on his skin, his eyes completely turning blood-red, and a more condensed, more terrifying aura of slaughter emanating from him than before!
This was applying the power of the slaughter battle soul to himself, pursuing the ultimate in single-target combat power!
Transformed into a slaughter battle soul, Xuan Ming's strength, speed, and defense instantly surged! He moved his feet again, pushing against the overwhelming pressure, and charged towards the higher steps!
Seven hundred fifty steps! Eight hundred steps! Eight hundred fifty steps!
With each step, the white jade steps beneath his feet groaned under the strain, as if they could shatter at any moment. His spirit power was being consumed at an astonishing rate, and the Slaughter Domain fluctuated violently under the impact of the Seagod's Light, flickering on and off.
Eight hundred eighty steps!
The moment he stepped onto this level, a terrifying pressure, far exceeding anything before, poured down like the Nine Heavens Milky Way, crashing onto his body!
"Pfft––"
Xuan Ming's body was as if struck by an invisible giant hammer, blood gushing from his mouth, and he was violently flung back like a kite with a broken string by that irresistible force, plummeting rapidly towards the foot of the mountain!
Just then, a noble red figure happened to fly over from the direction of the Sea God Hall. It was Bo Saixi, who, sensing the start of the second trial, felt an inexplicable concern and couldn't help but come out to check.
As she stepped out of the Sea God Hall, she witnessed Xuan Ming being flung back by the golden light, blood splattering in the air!
With hardly any hesitation, without even time to think, Bo Saixi's figure flickered, transforming into a streak of light, instantly appearing beneath Xuan Ming's falling body.
She extended her arms, and vast yet gentle blue spirit power, like the warmest seawater, softly supported Xuan Ming's descending body, catching him steadily and slowly lowering him to the ground.
Xuan Ming felt a gentle yet immense force enveloping him, dissipating the impact of the fall, while a pure energy surged into his body, alleviating the severe pain and weakness caused by his depleted spirit power.
He gasped, exhausted, and looked up, meeting Bo Saixi's deep eyes, which held a mix of shock, worry, and a hint of complex emotions.
Their eyes met.
The atmosphere instantly became somewhat... subtle and stagnant.
Xuan Ming's ice-blue eyes still held the sharpness and a trace of unwillingness from his full-power burst, while Bo Saixi's beautiful face showed surprise, worry, and a hint of... emotion that even she hadn't noticed.
She hadn't expected that Xuan Ming, after sealing his dragon bone and dragon soul power, could still, by his own strength, charge all the way to the height of eight hundred eighty steps!
The sea breeze blew, stirring a few strands of hair on Bo Saixi's forehead, and also rustling Xuan Ming's blood-stained robes.
The surrounding air seemed to quiet down, leaving only the gentle lapping of the waves and Xuan Ming's slightly hurried breathing.
An indescribable atmosphere, mixed with shock, admiration, curiosity, and a hint of subtle awkwardness, quietly permeated between the two of them.
Below, Hu Liena, Ning Rongrong, and the others also saw this scene, stopping their cultivation and looking over in surprise.
Bo Saixi was the first to regain her composure, her beautiful face quickly returning to its usual calm and graceful demeanor, but her earlobes subtly flushed a faint, almost imperceptible red.
She gently placed Xuan Ming on the soft sand, withdrew her hands, and spoke in a voice she tried to keep ethereal and calm, but which was a few shades faster than usual: "You are too impatient. Reaching the summit of the nine heavens profound steps is by no means easy; it requires gradual progress. Your spirit power consumption is too severe; your foundation will be damaged."
Xuan Ming stood firm, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and his ice-blue eyes regained their calmness, "I have a sense of proportion."
Bo Saixi looked at him like this, and that unusual emotion stirred within her again. She couldn't help but gently admonish him, her tone involuntarily softening: "Haste makes waste. Both your body and your soul need time. Next time... don't be so reckless."
Xuan Ming was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Understood. Thank you."
Bo Saixi nodded slightly, said no more, turned and transformed into a red light, flying back towards the Sea God Hall. However, her departing back seemed a bit more hurried than usual, even somewhat... like she was fleeing in disarray.
Xuan Ming watched Bo Saixi's somewhat hasty retreating figure, a flicker of imperceptible doubt in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a review of his recent ascent. He closed his eyes, beginning to regulate his breath and recover, his mind constantly replaying the terrifying pressure that suddenly erupted on the eight hundred eighty-step platform.
"The succubus is starting to make her move again." Ning Rongrong withdrew her gaze, muttering softly, her tone carrying a hint of resigned familiarity and teasing.
Beside her, Zhuqing's cool face also rarely showed a look of agreement, nodding slightly.
Xiao Wu even directly pouted: "He's sometimes really... terribly dense."
Hu Liena's clear eyes held a complex expression. Looking at Xuan Ming, who was completely immersed in his own World, oblivious to the subtle atmosphere just now, she felt both annoyed and amused, eventually letting out a soft sigh.
Xuan Ming possessed astonishing keenness and insight in certain areas, especially in combat and power.
But in terms of interpersonal relationships, especially when it came to certain subtle emotions, he was practically an uncomprehending block of wood, or rather, he simply didn't put his mind to that aspect.
Or perhaps, he was extremely suspicious; without absolute tangible evidence, he wouldn't believe it, so trying to use tactics to flirt with this guy would inevitably backfire!
He would only think that person had a screw loose!
Yet, he himself carried a unique and powerful attraction—that kind of single-minded focus on a goal, that desperate madness, that resilience and responsibility hidden beneath a cold exterior, always inadvertently stirred people's hearts, while he himself remained completely unaware.
They had clearly seen Bo Saixi, the High Priest, lose her composure and panic in that instant.
This wasn't the first time; over the past three months, Xuan Ming had become crazier by the day, especially after he merged with the Sea God's Heart. Bo Saixi, the High Priest, had basically been by his side every day, providing spirit power support and catching him whenever he was knocked back by the Seagod's Light.
It was as if she were the one assisting Xuan Ming in completing his trial.
"Forget it, forget it. Expecting him to wise up is like expecting the sun to rise in the west." Dugu Yan waved her hand, refocusing her gaze on the steps before her, "Let's keep working hard."
Hearing this, the other girls also collected their thoughts and once again threw themselves into the arduous climb. However, their occasional glances at Xuan Ming still carried a hint of indescribable complexity.
Even Ning Rongrong, who used to always cling to Xuan Ming, was no longer the same after coming to Sea God Island.
Because they clearly saw the immense pressure Xuan Ming was facing, and they, let alone helping, didn't even have the qualifications to stand by his side.
In the past, although they knew there was a huge gap between themselves and Xuan Ming, they didn't have a practical concept of this gap.
But now, the Seagod's Light and the nine heavens profound steps presented this enormous gap clearly before their eyes in the form of the number of steps.
To strive forward, to get as close to Xuan Ming as possible—this was the only thing they could do now.
"Little brother, you won't be able to go up like this," the Ice Dragon King said.
She had already roughly sensed the intensity of the Seagod's Light. To reach the summit of the nine heavens profound steps, one had to reach Bo Saixi's level, not just in terms of strength, but also with an immense reserve of spirit power.
Now that this divine trial had sealed the dragon bone's energy, Xuan Ming's power was simply insufficient to support him in going that far.
"Do you have any ideas?" Xuan Ming asked.
"Towards the later stages, the Seagod's Light isn't just physical pressure; it's also a mental impact. Your current body can't withstand higher pressure, so you need to upgrade it, and your spirit as well," the Ice Dragon King said.
Xuan Ming was silent for a moment, "You mean, acquire new spirit rings and Spirit Bones first?"
"That's the only way," the Ice Dragon King said.
This divine trial was full of peculiarities, absolutely not solely controlled by Sea God Poseidon. At the very least, the Asura God was already involved.
If the first trial was to make Gu Yuena take action, then now, with this second trial, she had a rough guess of the God Realm's objective.