In front of the Temple of Poseidon, incense ash fell to the ground and scattered in a ball.
In the sky, the thunder dissipated, the gale subsided, and a ray of golden sunlight shone through the impenetrable dark clouds. The raging ocean also gradually calmed down.
The whole world fell silent.
Only the gradually calming wind still whistled in my ears.
A deathly silence fell before the Temple of Poseidon. The seven Saint Pillar Douluos stared blankly at Poseidon, whose figure had parted to the side in the sky, her red dress billowing, her palms bent as she prepared to strike Dai Yao.
In their minds, Poseidon, always composed and elegant, was now somewhat disheveled, even embarrassed...
"Master High Priest..."
Seahorse Douluo uttered a few words with a dry, incredulous expression. Although he didn't finish his sentence, everyone understood what he meant.
Lord Poseidon was suppressed.
This short sentence gave them the illusion that the world was collapsing.
The peerless Douluo of level ninety-nine, the supreme Lord Poseidon in their hearts, was actually suppressed by someone else. Moreover, that person was only at the Soul Douluo level, with a huge gap of nearly twenty levels between him and Lord Poseidon!
"After unleashing his full power, Dai Yao was unable to fight any longer. If the battle had continued, Lord Poseidon would have been victorious. Moreover, the reason Lord Poseidon was suppressed was due to Dai Yao's scheming; otherwise, Lord Poseidon would have won long ago..."
Looking at Dai Yao panting in the sky, the Sea Maiden Douluo was very confident in what she had said, but her tone did not have that certainty.
The Sea Maiden Douluo's words resonated with several others. They still refused to believe that their invincible High Priestess could be suppressed by a Soul Master who had just broken through to the Soul Douluo level.
"Ama, you're wrong."
Sea Dragon Douluo swallowed hard and said with difficulty.
"Although I don't want to admit it, being suppressed is being suppressed, and that's an undeniable fact."
"We all know that if we continue fighting, Lady Poseidon will surely win. But does Lady Poseidon need us to speak up for her? Don't forget, Dai Yao's soul power is not only nearly twenty levels lower than Lady Poseidon's, but he is also much younger than her!"
"If Dai Yao were about the same age as Lord Poseidon, I think even Lord Poseidon might not be his match."
The words of the Sea Dragon Douluo silenced everyone.
Indeed, given Dai Yao's age and soul power level, even though it was only a brief suppression of Poseidon, it was still an unprecedented feat. However, because they were unwilling to accept the fact that Poseidon had been suppressed, they harbored prejudice against Dai Yao.
Now that their thoughts have been so blatantly exposed by Hailong Douluo, they are in great pain.
After a long silence, Seahorse Douluo raised his head, looked at Dai Yao in the sky with a complicated expression, and slowly said:
"Hailong, you're right. As servants of the Sea God, we cannot escape reality. Let's wait here and celebrate for the inheritor who created the miracle in the Soul Master world."
The pain in everyone's hearts lessened slightly, and they all looked up at the sky.
······
In the sky.
Poseidon stared blankly at the burnt-out incense, the wisps of smoke drifting away, just like the vanished hopes in her heart. She let out a complex sigh, her tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxing; at this moment, she felt a sense of relief.
She slowly withdrew her right palm, calming the gathered soul power, and leaning on her scepter, she regained her noble, dignified, and elegant demeanor.
"Dai Yao, you win."
She looked at Dai Yao calmly, her gentle voice still carrying a hint of complexity.
"Thank you, senior."
The Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone on his right leg continuously emitted blue light, and streams of warmth constantly nourished Dai Yao's aching meridians. After recovering slightly, Dai Yao clasped his hands in a salute.
Poseidon smiled wryly and said:
"You don't need to thank me; you should thank yourself. I didn't hold back at all; you passed the sixth test through your own abilities."
"Actually, I should be thanking you. You helped me make the decision. I have done all the effort I could. I did not defeat you in the sixth trial. As a peerless Douluo, I was unable to defeat someone who had just broken through to the Soul Douluo level within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. I have no excuse for losing."
"But it is precisely because of this that I can fulfill my mission as the High Priest without any worries."
If we're talking about whether she regrets it or not, of course she would have those feelings. After all, she's not a god; she certainly has human emotions and desires.
For example, she shouldn't have been careless and gave Dai Yao the opportunity to get close, but this can only be discovered in retrospect. After all, no one would have thought that a level 99 Peerless Douluo would be inferior to a Soul Douluo in close combat.
It wasn't that Poseidon was careless, but rather that Dai Yao was too cautious.
Since arriving at Seagod Island, he had never displayed his close-combat skills. Therefore, he unleashed his divine power during the sixth trial, achieving godhood in a single battle.
If given another chance, Poseidon believed he would fall into the trap again, allowing Dai Yao to get close, and the result would be the same.
Unlike in the original novel where Poseidon was jealous of Tang San, in the original novel, Poseidon was resentful that the Sea God had chosen Tang San as his successor because Tang San's cultivation talent was similar to her own. However, in front of Dai Yao, she was not arrogant enough to compare herself to Dai Yao.
Now that Dai Yao has broken through the sixth test, it means that the subsequent tests will be relatively easy.
Becoming a true sea god is only a matter of time.
As a servant of the sea god, she also needs to change her mindset.
"Dai Yao, you already know the content of your seventh test, right?"
Poseidon asked wistfully.
Dai Yao nodded, feeling a mix of emotions.
The seventh trial involved drawing the Sea God's divine weapon, the Trident. After completing the seventh trial, Dai Yao could leave Sea God Island and return to Douluo Continent. Having been away for so many years, he was starting to miss home.
More importantly, during his years on Poseidon Island, his soul power level broke through from level 70 to level 86, and after absorbing the soul bone of the Demon Orca, he was almost at level 87. After today's all-out battle with Poseidon, he felt the existence of that bottleneck even more keenly.
If he goes back, his relatives will be very surprised when they see him.
Let me tell you a story...
Poseidon was about to explain the origins of the sea god to Dai Yao when she suddenly remembered that the evil Dai Yao had already revealed that he knew these secrets. She chuckled and shook her head, saying:
"You're really getting old. I just realized you knew all this all along. By the way, Dai Yao, what's your Sea God affinity level?"
Poseidon's affinity with the sea god is crucial to the success rate of the sea god's inheritance, and Poseidon must be clear about Dai Yao's affinity with the sea god at this moment.
The golden trident mark on Dai Yao's forehead emitted a golden light. After sensing it for a moment, Dai Yao replied:
"Senior, my current affinity with the Sea God is 95%."
Except for the second test, Dai Yao completed every test perfectly, thus achieving a much higher affinity with the Sea God than Tang San in the original novel, reaching an exaggerated 95% affinity.
"Ninety-five percent, not bad... Wait, how much did you say?"
Poseidon suddenly froze, only then realizing the meaning of the number. Her beautiful eyes widened in shock as she stared at Dai Yao, unable to believe her.
"Senior, ninety-five percent."
Dai Yao repeated it once.
Poseidon paused for a moment, then smiled helplessly and said:
"As expected of the successor chosen by the Sea God, he truly is a miracle worker. With a 95% affinity with the Sea God, I have nothing to worry about."
As Poseidon spoke, she suddenly remembered the inexplicable soul skill that Dai Yao had used during the battle, which had made her feel restricted, and asked:
"By the way, Dai Yao. If I'm not mistaken, you used a spirit detection type soul skill during the sixth test just now. Can you tell me what it was?"
Dai Yao's body stiffened.
"Omniscience" is the soul skill of the Chaos Green Lotus. Although it is a constant state attached to Dai Yao's body, Dai Yao must nip any risk of revealing the Chaos Green Lotus in the bud. However, facing Poseidon, Dai Yao has no choice but to reveal some of his trump cards.
Compared to the other soul skills of the Chaos Green Lotus Martial Soul, 'Omniscience' is the least remarkable one.
Moreover, the effect of omniscience is too overpowered. If you try to fool Poseidon with lies, she will see through it and it will backfire.
"I'm sorry, senior, I can't talk about this."
Poseidon's beautiful eyes narrowed. She had a feeling that she had never really seen Dai Yao clearly. There were still countless layers of mystery hidden in front of Dai Yao.
Even though he has already embarked on the path to becoming the Sea God, Dai Yao still chooses to hide it, which can only mean that Dai Yao's secret involves the gods! However, Dai Yao will become the Sea God in the future, and she is the Sea God's servant. No matter what Dai Yao is hiding, she must choose to cover it up for him.
He gave Dai Yao a deep look, stretched out his hand, and used his soul power to form a soundproof barrier, solemnly saying:
"Dai Yao, since you don't want to talk about it, I won't force you. However, you must remember that you should not use this soul skill in front of anyone other than me, especially the top experts on the continent. They may notice the existence of this soul skill and will definitely ask questions about it."
Dai Yao was somewhat stunned. He hadn't expected Poseidon to care about him, and even to cover for him.
This, on the contrary, made him feel a little guilty. If Poseidon had continued to threaten and kill him, he would not have felt any guilt about Poseidon's sacrifice.
"Thank you, senior."
Dai Yao bowed and thanked him.
"No need. You are badly injured. Take a few days to rest. Once you've recovered, bring your wives to the Temple of the Sea God for the seventh trial."
Poseidon gave the instructions.
Immediately, with a gentle tap of the scepter, Poseidon vanished, leaving only ripples in the space that slowly echoed.
Looking at the place where Poseidon had disappeared, Dai Yao felt a little emotional. He turned around, looked at his wives at the foot of Poseidon Mountain, whose faces were full of relief as if they had survived a disaster, smiled slightly, flapped his wings, and flew towards the foot of Poseidon Mountain.
A whooshing sound rang out across the vast sea, the surface whipped up by a strong wind, and two long waves surged to the left and right. The black dot in the sky grew larger and larger as it approached the shore, its speed gradually decreasing until it gently landed on the ground.
"My darlings, I'm home!"
Dai Yao excitedly opened his arms, wanting to hug his wives.
The expected soft and fragrant embrace did not materialize. Somewhat surprised, he glanced around and found that his five wives blushed upon hearing the word "darling," but their bodies stiffened as they carefully observed the movements of the others.
Dugu Yan rolled her eyes at Dai Yao.
She understood why this scene occurred. Everyone deeply loved Dai Yao, but Dai Yao's embrace was only so big. No matter what, there would always be someone who couldn't be held by Dai Yao immediately. Seeing their husbands holding someone else, it was inevitable that some people would feel resentful.
Everyone was wary of this situation, so no one stepped forward.
"Hmph, never serious."
Dugu Yan thought to himself.
Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong, however, sensed something and tacitly walked behind Dai Yao. When they saw the bloody and mangled flesh on Dai Yao's back, their expressions changed. They blamed themselves for not being able to share Dai Yao's burden, and felt even more heartbroken.
As Ning Rongrong's soul power surged, the Ten Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul appeared in her palm. As the soul rings lit up, streaks of rainbow light fell on Dai Yao.
"Brother Yao, are you... still in pain?"
Ning Rongrong asked, her voice trembling.
Dai Yao felt Zhu Zhuqing's trembling hand and sighed softly. The reason he had acted so nonchalantly when he landed was to distract his wives from his injuries. But it seemed that the effect wasn't very good.
"It's alright, Rongrong. I've been through too many injuries like this. You'll be fine after a few days of rest."
Dai Yao comforted him.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda truly lives up to its reputation as the strongest support-type martial soul; its healing effects are not to be underestimated. Under Ning Rongrong's treatment, Dai Yao clearly felt that his aching meridians had eased considerably.
Dugu Yan, Feng Wutong, and Bai Chenxiang only belatedly came up behind Dai Yao. Seeing the injuries on Dai Yao's back, they were also heartbroken.
"That woman was really ruthless..."
Dugu Yan's face was ashen.
Dai Yao pinched Dugu Yan's tense cheek, then comforted Feng Wutong and Bai Chenxiang with his eyes before saying:
"There's nothing I can do about it. It's Poseidon's duty, and I can't hold back. You don't need to feel sorry for me. I suppressed a level 99 Peerless Douluo, and I only suffered this minor injury. You should be happy for me!"
Dugu Yan rolled her eyes and said:
"Look at you, so capable. Hurry back, apply the medicine, and then rest and recuperate for a while."
Seeing that Dai Yao still looked completely indifferent, Zhu Zhuqing's expression darkened. She glanced at Feng Wutong, then took Dai Yao's arms on either side and started to walk back.
With both hands restrained, Dai Yao could only smile helplessly. Zhu Zhuqing didn't even bother to say anything and just attacked. What could he say?
However, the injuries sustained during the seventh test will only be more severe.
A week later, Dai Yao's body had almost fully recovered; the scars on his back had scabbed over and much of the wound had fallen off.
After completing the sixth trial, the broken eight wings of the White Tiger received the blessing of the Sea God and have now been restored to their original state, becoming even more resilient and possessing many additional functions, as if it had evolved.
The sun rises at the foot of Poseidon Mountain.
Looking up, the towering and majestic Temple of Poseidon appears even more sacred and solemn under the sunlight.
"Let's go, let's complete the seventh test."
Dai Yao said slowly. (End of this chapter)