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...Sea God Island.
Sunlight spilled across the crystal sea, scattering into glittering ripples.
Sea God Island remained wrapped in sacred tranquility; seven towering pillars stood sentinel, shedding gentle light.
Years had passed, and under Bo Saixi's devoted tutelage—and Sea God Poseidon's discreet favor—the girls who had followed Xuan Ming to the island back then, Hu Liena, Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, had all been transformed beyond recognition.
No longer the sheltered maidens who once needed protection, they had become the island's dazzling new stars, each achieving astonishing heights on her path of Cultivation.
The greatest surprises were Hu Liena and Xiao Wu.
With her unique Nine-tailed Sky Fox Spirit and acute perception of emotional power, Hu Liena had unexpectedly won the favor of the God Realm's first-rank Divinity of Emotion, receiving his God Position Legacy!
Right now she was in secluded retreat deep within Sea God Mountain, undergoing the Divinity's final trial.
Xiao Wu, drawing on her Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beast heritage, unbreakable will, and explosive fighting style, had caught the eye of another first-rank Divinity famed for destruction—the God of Damage—and likewise gained his God Position Legacy! She, too, was locked in the tense succession trial.
Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling, though not yet chosen by a first-rank Divinity, had displayed stunning talent, drawing the attention of several second-rank Divinities; their Godly Trials progressed smoothly, their futures bright.
Yet within this serene cultivation atmosphere lingered a faint, persistent unease.
Xuan Ming.
He had been gone for many years.
Ever since that day in Spirit City when he quelled the Two Great Empires in one thunderous stroke and set off a bloody upheaval that shocked the Douluo Continent, he had vanished as though wiped from the earth.
He had not manifested miracles publicly like Qian Renxue or Bibi Dong, nor held long court over the Spirit Empire; he had simply disappeared.
At first they assumed he was somewhere in seclusion, striving for a higher Realm—his strength had long been unfathomable, after all.
But one year, two, three... time slipped by, and still no word.
He was not on Sea God Island, not in the Spirit Empire, not anywhere known on the continent.
More unsettling, the fragments they gleaned from their Godly Trials suggested the God Realm itself held no trace of him.
He possessed no God Position.
That was the crux: by the God Realm's rules, without inheriting a God Position, no matter how mighty, one could not normally ascend. So where had Xuan Ming gone?
Bo Saixi had contacted Poseidon many times for news, but the answers were always vague: Xuan Ming was undergoing a vital transformation, in fine condition, they need not worry—yet never a detail or location.
"Sea God, is he truly all right?"
Bo Saixi reached out to Poseidon once more.
Were it not for Xuan Ming's entrusting Hu Liena and the others to her care before he left, she would have flown up to the God Realm long ago.
Now that their trials were on track, she could wait no longer.
"Bo Saixi, don't fret. He is safe—though his present state is so singular even I cannot fully grasp it," Poseidon said helplessly.
"Not just me; none of the God Kings understand."
Xuan Ming's transformation was proceeding smoothly; the Dragon God Legacy likewise, and the nine-colored Universal Heavenly Tribulation that marked a Dragon God's birth had already descended in the God Forbidden Land.
By rights he should have awakened as the new Dragon God, yet he remained asleep. The enormous nine-colored cocoon had first swelled to hundreds of thousands of meters, then shrunk to mere meters.
No one could say what state he was in.
But one thing was certain: he was absolutely safe.
"Incidentally, Asura God surmises he is undergoing a deeper Fusion transformation," Poseidon added.
"Fusion transformation?" Bo Saixi faltered.
"Hasn't he already inherited the Dragon God's power?"
"The Dragon God's power is one thing; his own is another," Poseidon replied.
"Before reaching the God Realm he had condensed his own Godhood—a unique force never before seen there, a Law belonging solely to him.
"Perhaps his Godhood is now merging with the Dragon God's strength."
"What it will become once fused with the Dragon God's supreme power... even I cannot say."
Listening to Poseidon's thoughts, Bo Saixi's worry eased a fraction, yet her bewilderment deepened.
An unprecedented transformation, fusing even the Dragon God's might—it stunned her and left her more perplexed.
What sort of state could baffle even a God King?
"Bo Saixi, I know you're anxious," Poseidon's thought soothed.
"If you truly cannot wait, you may ascend now. Hu Liena and Xiao Wu's trials are in their final stages; watched over by the Divinity of Emotion and the God of Destruction, they're perfectly safe. Sea God Island can be left to the seven pillar guardians for a time."
The idea stirred her—ascend, see for herself.
But Poseidon's next words gave her pause.
"However..." his tone grew delicate, "you should know: Gu Yuena is camped at the edge of the God Forbidden Land, waiting without stirring for Xuan Ming's transformation to finish.
"She has lost her Silver Dragon King power, yet the Goddess of Life seems inclined to pass her God Position to Gu Yuena; when that happens she too will wield God King-level might. Should you arrive and both of you wait outside the same cocoon... the scene might be... awkward."
Bo Saixi fell silent; she understood.
Her bond with Xuan Ming, though firm, could not compare to what Gu Yuena and he shared.
They had both skirted the topic before, yet now, standing vigil outside a man's retreat... the air would surely turn delicate.
"Besides," Poseidon continued, recalling her to the present, "the Mortal Realm is not yet settled. Dark eddies swirl within the Spirit Empire; Bibi Dong seems ready to enforce another iron purge, and the future of the Soul Beast Clan needs guidance. Sea God Island, as an independent sanctuary, is vital to balancing every power. Your Ascension now may not be timely."
"Perhaps you should first visit the Douluo Continent and see Bibi Dong. She has completed Asura God's Legacy and, miraculously, achieved the coexistence of Asura and Rakshasa. With her current strength she likely rivals the last Asura God at his peak, and may surpass him in time.
"She will soon ascend, becoming one of the core enforcer Divinities of the God Realm. Regarding Xuan Ming's situation and the future of the Mortal Realm, you can consult her—after all, she too is one who knows Xuan Ming best and can sway the greater game."
Bo Saixi listened quietly, weighing her choice.
Ascend, and she might glimpse the cocoon—yet risk awkwardness with Gu Yuena and miss a crucial moment below.
Or seek out Bibi Dong—that formidable woman whose ties to Xuan Ming were equally complex... and discuss the future?
Troublesome. In recent years Qian Renxue had ruled the Spirit Empire, and she and the girl simply could not see eye to eye; she had avoided the place for ages.
Yet Poseidon was right: Bibi Dong now held pivotal influence over both the Mortal Realm and the coming divine order. Her stance would shape everything Xuan Ming cared about.
After long reflection Bo Saixi drew a deep breath and made her decision.
"I understand, Sea God. I will go to the Spirit Empire first and see Bibi Dong."