The Incense Has Burned OutIn front of Poseidon Temple.
The dazzling exchange between Dai Yao and Poseidon had left the seven Saint Pillar Douluos present in shock. Now that the two had taken a short break, they could finally catch their breath.
"It's a real pity. The High Priest was able to defeat Dai Yao several times, but Dai Yao was lucky enough to dodge. However, now the High Priest has completely suppressed Dai Yao, and I'm afraid it won't be long before Dai Yao loses."
The Sea Maiden Douluo lay on the bubble, her fishtail slapping merrily, and said with a hint of schadenfreude.
Sea Dragon Douluo's gaze remained fixed on the two figures confronting each other in the sky. He didn't turn to look at Sea Maiden Douluo, and said in a deep voice:
"Sea Maiden, do you think that was luck? If it were us, we wouldn't have been able to withstand even one of Lord Poseidon's three attacks. And although Dai Yao looked a little disheveled, he wasn't hurt at all. If you're going to explain it as luck, you're seriously underestimating Lord Poseidon."
"With Lord Poseidon's strength, how could he possibly make a mistake?"
Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this.
Just as the Sea Maiden Douluo had predicted, Lord Poseidon completely held the initiative, and Dai Yao's defeat was only a matter of time. But judging from the Sea Dragon Douluo's words, there seemed to be some hidden story?
Sea Spear Douluo stepped forward, glanced at Dai Yao in the sky with some surprise and uncertainty, and then asked:
"Hailong, do you think Dai Yao is hiding his true strength and has a chance of passing the test?"
Sea Dragon Douluo shook his head. As the strongest person present, he could only vaguely sense what was contained in the battle between Dai Yao and the other person. He solemnly said:
"I have no idea."
"If Dai Yao is hiding his strength, then he's too insane. Lady Poseidon is one of the world's strongest beings. Hiding one's strength in front of her is tantamount to courting death. Both Dai Yao and Lady Poseidon are far stronger than us. Don't you think it's a bit like a frog in a well trying to judge who will win or lose?"
"Their battle is unprecedented. Even if Dai Yao loses, he is still far superior to us at his age. If we were to go up there, we probably wouldn't even last a single round."
"What we need to do is learn from this battle, not be prejudiced and think that Dai Yao is bound to lose."
At this point, Sea Dragon Douluo gave Sea Maiden Douluo a deep look, then turned back to look at the sky.
After being reminded by Hailong Douluo, everyone finally realized what was happening. They exchanged glances, all wearing wry smiles. Compared to Dai Yao, they were simply not qualified to be compared.
The Sea Maiden Douluo pursed her lips and looked up with a complicated expression.
At the foot of Poseidon Mountain.
The battle just now had Zhu Zhuqing and the others on tenterhooks.
"Brother Yao, will he be alright?"
Bai Chenxiang clenched her hands tightly, holding them to her chest, her hands trembling slightly. She turned her head anxiously and asked.
Dugu Yan, her face grave, turned around upon hearing Bai Chenxiang's question. Her brows furrowed, but she managed a smile and offered words of comfort:
"Xiangxiang, don't worry. Although Dai Yao is being suppressed, he is not injured at all. In other words, this battle is within his acceptable range, and the situation is still under his control."
Although Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Feng Wutong looked solemn, they did not have that sense of despair as if it were the end of the world.
Although they are young, their experience and insight surpass those of many Title Douluo. Therefore, they can see beyond the surface to the deeper layers of things.
Dai Yao was far less bad than he appeared.
Bai Chenxiang was somewhat suspicious. Her strength was too low to discern the hidden aspects of the battle just now; she only knew that Dai Yao had been completely overwhelmed by Poseidon. Poseidon's casual strike had actually split the sea in two; such power completely overturned her imagination of the upper limit of a Soul Master's strength.
"Sister Yan, I don't know if you're trying to comfort me, but your words have definitely calmed me down a lot."
Bai Chenxiang spoke slowly.
Just then, Feng Wutong walked to Bai Chenxiang's side and took her hand. Bai Chenxiang was somewhat surprised and turned to look, only to see Feng Wutong's noble and holy face, yet expressionless.
"Bai Chenxiang, since you came to Dai Yao's side, we've only had nodding acquaintances because I thought you had ulterior motives towards Dai Yao. But seeing how worried you are about Dai Yao now, I've changed my opinion of you."
"We are both Dai Yao's wives. We are both by your side and we can share your worries."
Feng Wutong said solemnly.
Upon hearing Feng Wutong's words, Bai Chenxiang felt somewhat embarrassed, as she had no designs on Dai Yao. However, Feng Wutong's next words warmed her heart. Glancing around, she noticed that all the women were looking at her with concern, and she suddenly felt like she was part of a large family.
"Thank you, sisters."
Bai Chenxiang expressed her gratitude.
Dugu Yan's expression was somewhat strange. On the one hand, she hadn't expected Feng Wutong to think of Bai Chenxiang in this way, and that it wasn't Bai Chenxiang who had ulterior motives, but rather Dai Yao. On the other hand, she also gained a more direct understanding of Feng Wutong's straightforward nature.
To put it bluntly, being "straightforward" is just being too naive.
Looking back at Zhu Zhuqing, who was intently staring at the sky, and Ning Rongrong, who was comforting Bai Chenxiang, Dugu Yan sighed softly and thought to herself:
"Alright, apart from Zhu Zhuqing who knows everything but disdains to do anything, the rest of Feng Wutong and Ning Rongrong are quite naive. Sigh, I'll just have to play the role of the cunning, treacherous, and venomous woman beside Dai Yao."
Just then, a strange sound came from the sky, and everyone looked up at the same time.
······
"Is this what you wanted to say?"
Upon hearing Dai Yao's words, a look of surprise flashed across Poseidon's beautiful eyes, then she smiled slightly and said:
"I'd also like to see what other surprises you can bring me."
As soon as he finished speaking, nine soul rings slowly rose from beneath Poseidon's feet. The appearance of this breathtaking configuration of nine black and one red soul rings immediately increased the pressure on Dai Yao.
"So strong!"
Veins bulged on Dai Yao's forehead. The pressure from Poseidon was unprecedented. Even Bibi Dong had never put him under such pressure, making him feel as if he were looking up at a true god.
Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat.
In her 'omniscient' state, the soul power in the world surged towards Poseidon like a vortex. Poseidon was like a black hole, devouring all this massive amount of soul power.
Moreover, above the sea surface, within Dai Yao's perception range, almost all the water elements began to boil.
Dai Yao already sensed that an extremely terrifying soul skill was rapidly forming in Poseidon's hands. No, not just one soul skill, but several!
"Escape? Can I even escape? Although my 'omniscience' allows me to foresee Poseidon's movements, the difference in strength is too great. Under Poseidon's all-out attack, I simply won't have time to escape. Since that's the case..."
As he continuously calculated the evolution of the battle, Dai Yao's eyes narrowed, and his fourth, sixth, and eighth soul rings lit up simultaneously. The Demonic Tiger Whale Soul Bone on his left leg also began to emit a dark red light.
The sky was slowly enveloped by dark clouds, lightning flashed continuously, and thunder filled the air.
Amidst the howling wind, Poseidon's white hair danced in the air, her beautiful eyes coldly fixed on Dai Yao. Seeing Dai Yao's actions, a slight smile played on her lips as she said:
"A head-on confrontation? Ha, Dai Yao, I don't know whether to call you confident or foolish?"
Poseidon's third spirit ring lit up.
"Third Soul Skill, Sea God's Gaze."
Poseidon said softly.
A golden beam of light shot straight into the sky from Poseidon's forehead, and the water elements in the sky seemed to be summoned, condensing into a majestic figure behind Poseidon—the phantom of the sea god!
Poseidon's starry eyes had turned golden. She slowly extended her right hand, and the towering phantom of the sea god behind her also slowly extended a hand as large as a mountain, reaching out to grab Dai Yao.
"Damn, that suction is so strong!"
Dai Yao's eight wings flapped wildly, creating powerful air currents that whipped up high waves in the ocean below as he desperately tried to evade the pursuit of 'Sea God's Gaze'.
The effectiveness of the 'omniscience' state is greatly diminished in this situation. This is because Poseidon's Gaze is a tracking soul skill; through mental control, Poseidon can capture anyone she desires. Even with the most powerful 'omniscience,' she cannot evade a soul skill that is guaranteed to hit.
Watching Dai Yao dart and weave across the sea, Poseidon's gaze nearly caught him several times, but he always managed to escape. Poseidon was somewhat amazed:
"Even Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu back then couldn't dodge my third soul skill and could only choose to face it head-on. Dai Yao, you've already done a great job of holding out for so long. But I won't give you any chance."
Immediately afterwards, Poseidon's fifth spirit ring lit up!
"Fifth Soul Skill, Sea God's Summoning, All Beasts Join Us."
Poseidon spread out her long, slender arms, the red trident mark on her forehead gleaming brilliantly. Four walls of water rose from the four directions of Dai Yao, like a prison, firmly trapping him.
Countless phantoms of sea spirit beasts swam out from the water wall, their dense numbers seemingly filling the space formed by the water wall.
A milky white ripple shot out from Dai Yao's body—it was the White Tiger Domain!
Light waves shot out, claws flashed coldly, and thunder surged.
Dai Yao relentlessly hunted down the surrounding phantoms of soul beasts, but there were simply too many of them, and each one was no less than 30,000 years old. Although Dai Yao cut through the countless phantoms of sea soul beasts as easily as chopping vegetables, he was still slowed down from his escape.
The Hand of the Sea God seized the opportunity to grasp Dai Yao.
Knowing he had reached his limit, Dai Yao had no choice but to wrap himself in his eight wings before being grasped by the hand of the sea god.
Golden chains surged from the hand of the sea god, tightly sealing the 'cocoon' formed by Dai Yao's eight wings of a white tiger.
Poseidon smiled with satisfaction, and with a thought, the Hand of the Sea God slowly retracted.
"The outcome is decided, Dai Yao."
Poseidon said coldly.
She felt a pang of sadness. Dai Yao's defeat meant failure in the sixth trial, and from then on, she could survive. But it also meant that the Sea God's legacy had failed...
Before the Temple of Poseidon, the seven Saint Pillar Douluos fell silent. The High Priest's strength was terrifying. Just by watching, they could feel the suffocating power. Even if all seven of them attacked together, they probably couldn't withstand a single blow from Lord Poseidon.
At the foot of Poseidon Mountain, Zhu Zhuqing and the others remained motionless with tense expressions on their beautiful faces, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.
Even though they had no doubt about Dai Yao's strength, the dangerous situation still made them waver.
Zhu Zhuqing stared at the sky, and suddenly, as if she had noticed something, her tense expression immediately relaxed. The dark clouds had not yet dissipated, and lightning, like silver snakes, struck down from the sky—a scene she was all too familiar with.
This is Dai Yao gathering his strength!
"Dai Yao, is there anything else you'd like to say?"
Poseidon lightly tapped her scepter, and the Hand of the Sea God slowly opened. Gazing at the 'cocoon' bound by several golden chains, Poseidon calmly asked...
The air fell silent, with only the rumble of thunder in the sky remaining.
The onlookers held their breath, eager to hear what Dai Yao was about to say.
"What did you say? Ha, Poseidon, do you think you have victory in your grasp?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a golden beam of light shot straight into the sky, and the golden trident mark on Dai Yao's forehead shone brightly. The golden chains formed by the gaze of the sea god trembled wildly under the interference of the sea god's mark between Dai Yao's brows.
"not good!"
Poseidon's pupils contracted sharply, and she wanted to wave her scepter to stop Dai Yao from escaping, but she did not expect Dai Yao's decisiveness!
Sizzle!
Nearly half of Dai Yao's eight wings were broken, giving him a fleeting opportunity. Ignoring the excruciating pain in his back, Dai Yao escaped from the golden chains binding him. Gazing at Poseidon not far away, Dai Yao's golden hair danced wildly, a sinister smile spreading across his face.
He is a power-attack type Soul Master!
His specialty is close-quarters combat, and Poseidon understands this and will not give Dai Yao a chance to get close.
Therefore, he planned to get closer to Poseidon from the very beginning. After Poseidon used her third soul skill, Dai Yao knew he was no match for her, so he turned the tables and pretended to be captured by Poseidon.
Only now have his bloodthirsty fangs been exposed to everyone.
"The eighth soul skill - Divine Fall!"
Dai Yao roared.
The eighth soul skill, which had been prepared long ago, fell from the sky.
A beam of light pierced through the dark clouds and struck Poseidon directly.
Poseidon's expression changed slightly. Dai Yao's eighth soul skill was so terrifyingly powerful, comparable to the strongest attack of some level 98 Title Douluos. Even she had to deal with it with all her might.
Layers of water shields continuously condensed above Poseidon's head, and a water wall formed by water elements was also summoned by Poseidon.
The energy beam struck mercilessly, blinding everyone with its blinding light and filling their ears with a buzzing sound.
Moments later, as the smoke cleared, a huge hole suddenly appeared on the flat sea surface.
Everyone stared in horror at the hole before them, speechless with shock. But before they could even recover, the sky changed dramatically once more!
The instant 'God's Fall' was unleashed, Dai Yao summoned the wings of his Sacred White Tiger Martial Soul. Although he only had one pair of wings, it was better than nothing. With a burst of speed, his wings flapped, and Dai Yao, like a bolt of lightning, sped towards Poseidon's direction.
He could sense that although 'God's Fall' had hit Poseidon, Poseidon's aura had not weakened in the slightest!
"Faster, faster!"
Dai Yao roared inwardly.
In his omniscient state, he discovered that Poseidon had recovered, and if Poseidon had disengaged from the battle, he would never have had such an opportunity again.
"Orca Fang Smash!"
At the critical moment, Dai Yao unleashed his left leg strike. This was the Soul Bone Skill of the Demonic Orca. Although it couldn't compare to Divine Fall, it was still a skill from a 100,000-year-old Soul Bone, and it could buy some time for Poseidon.
This period of time was enough for Dai Yao to get closer to Poseidon.
Poseidon had just survived the 'God's Fall' and recovered from the dizziness when she found countless blood-red moon blades shooting towards her.
"A 100,000-year-old soul bone skill?"
Poseidon's beautiful eyes narrowed, and she extended her slender, white fingers, conjuring water shields that blocked her path. The crimson moon blades clashed with the water shields, sending sprays of water everywhere. The aftershocks surged, forming waves that rippled outwards across the sea.
"Your soul skill is not bad, but you think you can defeat me with this kind of skill? You're being far too naive... What?"
Poseidon's eyes widened suddenly.
Amidst the billowing mist, as the last crescent blade vanished, a figure had already charged in.
Blood streamed down Dai Yao's back, his clothes torn, yet he showed no fear. His body slightly bent, power gathered in his right fist at his waist, lightning crackling around him. His eyes flashed like lightning, his golden hair danced wildly—this unrestrained, desperate, and domineering demeanor startled even Poseidon.
"Fourth Soul Skill, White Tiger Thunder God Strike!"
With a roar from Dai Yao, countless bolts of lightning struck down from the sky and converged on Dai Yao's right fist.
Dai Yao's fourth soul skill had been with him for far too long. For many years, it had served as one of his trump cards. Although it was only a ten-thousand-year soul skill, due to the influence of the Thunderous Hell Vine, its power increased day by day as Dai Yao's soul power grew!
It's not much inferior to Shenluo!
Dai Yao's fist slammed into Poseidon, but Poseidon was no longer able to conjure a water shield to block it!
That fist, crackling with lightning, shattered the defensive force field of the level 99 peerless Douluo surrounding Poseidon in an instant. Left with no other choice, Poseidon shifted her body to the side, making her first attempt to dodge since the start of the battle!
No, it should be said that this is the first time in so many years that I have made a gesture of avoidance!
"A great opportunity!"
Dai Yao's eyes gleamed with a sharp light! If Poseidon dodges once, she'll dodge a second time! He would never give Poseidon any breathing room!
Dai Yao's right hand kept changing shape, like a long spear, and thrust at Poseidon one after another!
Poseidon had to evade again.
But Dai Yao was relentless, giving Poseidon no time to gather his soul power. Each of his attacks was like a madman's, leaving Poseidon no room to think. While dodging, Poseidon could only retreat far away, escaping Dai Yao's attack range.
But how could Dai Yao let her have her way?
With explosive steps, White Tiger Wings, and the flight skills of the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone, Dai Yao exerted all his strength to relentlessly pursue Poseidon, who was trying to escape.
Poseidon has no way to escape!
But Poseidon was, after all, a level 99 Peerless Douluo. Her years of experience gave her a chance to catch her breath. She gathered her soul power in her palm and struck forward. If she could hit Dai Yao, all danger would be averted!
However, Dai Yao managed to dodge her attack at the last second, and not only that, the frenzied attack continued.
"It's that mysterious soul skill!"
Poseidon immediately understood why Dai Yao was able to dodge her attacks; it was that inexplicable precognitive soul skill that allowed Dai Yao to know what she wanted to do.
Dai Yao's marksmanship was honed through life-and-death experiences; no one on the entire continent possessed superior marksmanship. When Dai Yao held a gun, the method of attack was ingrained in his very bones, requiring no thought whatsoever.
The combination of 'Omniscience' and Dai Yao's marksmanship completely blocked Poseidon's chance of escape!
Under Dai Yao's relentless attack, Poseidon didn't know how much time had passed before she finally discovered a weakness in Dai Yao's defenses. She gathered her soul power, her soul rings lit up, and was about to unleash her soul skill when she heard a voice coming from Dai Yao's heavy breathing.
"The incense has burned out."
Poseidon suddenly turned around.
In front of the Temple of Poseidon, the incense sticks stuck in the ground had burned to the very end, the orange-red highlights slowly extinguished, and the ash fell to the ground.
The sixth test, passed.