Sea Dragon Douluo, defying the pressure of Guixu, forced himself to his feet.
Veins bulged in his legs, his eyes gleaming with fighting spirit.
"Even if you can cast a domain, so what?
I'm a level ninety-fifth Titled Douluo!"
Sea Dragon Douluo charged Lan again, his terrifying power ignoring the pressure of the deep sea domain!
Lan's expression remained calm,for this had been part of his plan.
He wasn't so arrogant as to think he could defeat a level ninety-fifth Titled Douluo with just Guixu.
Then, Lan's left leg flashed red.
"Evil Demon Left Leg Soul Bone Skill: Killer Whale Evil Demon Axe!"
Lan leaped forward, his left leg swung out a rapidly spinning blood-red tusk axe, slamming into Sea Dragon Douluo.
Sea Dragon Douluo, enduring the excruciating pain, grasped the Evil Demon Axe with both hands, and his body retreated continuously.
Combined with the continued pressure of Guixu, his internal organs felt as if they were about to shatter!
"Ninth Soul Skill, Dragon
Roars the Nine Heavens!"
A dragon roar resounded through the heavens and earth!
Sea Dragon Douluo forcefully ripped the Demonic Axe in two!
"Lan, it's over!"
Sea Dragon Douluo reached out to grab Lan.
But the next moment,Lan showed no sign of fleeing.
Instead, he instantly appeared before Sea Dragon Douluo.
The breeze between heaven and earth gradually died.
The surging waves around him also stopped in mid-air.
The world seemed to have hit the pause button.
Sea Dragon Douluo locked eyes with Lan.
Lan's lips moved slightly.
"Heart Sea, open."
Sea Dragon Douluo's expression instantly froze, his eyes becoming empty and lifeless.
His consciousness was drawn into a void of darkness.
When he opened his eyes again,within the vast darkness, a pair of murderous, brutal eyes stared back at him from the abyss...
Boom!
Sea Dragon Douluo's body fell heavily to the ground.
Then,a voice suddenly echoed in Lan's mind.
"Lan, you've passed the seventh special assessment.
Reward: Speak with the Sea God."
Lan was slightly surprised.
Speak with the Sea God?
What kind of reward was that?
If you were to give it to the Seven Sac
red Pillar Guardians, Poseidon, Xiaobai, and the people of Seagod Island, it would be a respectable reward.
But since he wasn't from Seagod Island and didn't believe in the Seagod, what good would such a reward do him?
It would be more practical than just increasing one level of Spirit Power.
Of course, Lan didn't really think so.
The opportunity to practice with such powerful individuals as the Seven Sacred Pillar Guardians was a tremendous reward in itself, and it wasn't simply proportional to a few Spirit Power levels.
For the past six years, Lan had devoted almost all of his time to the trials, rarely practicing, relying solely on rewards to improve his Spirit Power.
Yet, Lan's strength had skyrocketed.
This was all thanks to the experience gained from actual combat,especially from fighting at sea.
This was crucial to Lan.
After the battle,Lan dispelled the Deep Sea Domain, and Sea Dragon Douluo's consciousness left the depths.
However,
Sea Dragon Douluo was sweating profusely, breathing heavily, and feeling a sense of loss.
Was that just an illusion?
Sea Dragon Douluo looked at Lan with awe.
From the very beginning, all of this was part of Lan's plan.
First, he deliberately concealed his domain, tricking Sea Dragon Douluo into thinking Lan was afraid of his Demon-Breaking Domain and was deliberately not using it.
Second, Lan used a materialized killing intent to trick Sea Dragon Douluo into mistaking it for his domain, effectively forcing him to expend most of his mental energy to resist the killing intent.
Later, under the dual pressure of the Orca Demonic Axe and the Returning Ruins, Sea Dragon Douluo was forced to unleash his ninth spirit skill, expending his entire soul and mental power.
By then, Sea Dragon Douluo was powerless to resist the utter terror raging within him.
One thing led to another.
This time, he was defeated with conviction.
After completing the assessment, Lan immediately went to the Sea God Temple to inform Poseidon of the reward.
Poseidon nodded.
However, she was shocked that the Sea God would proactively meet with a single person multiple times!
The assessments were all bestowed by the Sea God.
Therefore, this reward wasn't for Lan to see the Sea God, but rather that the Sea God wanted to see Lan!
After receiving Poseidon's consent, Lan once again approached the Sea God's trident.
Immediately, the trident emanated a divine light, enveloping Lan's body.
In an instant,
Lan's consciousness was transported to a vast ocean.
Lan looked around.
Flocks of soul beasts swarmed the azure sea, seagulls soared in the sky.
Everything here was tranquil and harmonious.
Lan quietly took in everything around him.
This... was what freedom looked like.
"Lan, we meet again."
A sacred, ethereal voice echoed silently throughout the world.
Countless soul beasts immediately bowed their heads in worship!
The majestic figure overlooked the human world.
Lan looked at the Sea God and slowly said, "Senior, what do you want from me?"
Lan knew that the Sea God wanted to see him and had deliberately bestowed this reward.
Upon hearing this, the Sea God smiled faintly.
"Lan, do you remember the test I once gave you?"
"How to manage the ocean,"
Lan nodded.
"Of course I remember."
Lan's answer was simple and blunt.
Inaction.
The ocean and spirit beasts each have their own laws of survival: the survival of the fittest, the strong preying on the weak.
Even that Evil Demon Killer Whale King, Lan didn't consider him evil or wrong.
He helped the Demon Soul Great White Shark clan kill the Evil Demon Killer Whale King; this was also the survival of the fittest.
Lan was a spirit master, and he had his eye on the Evil Demon Killer Whale King's spirit ring.
Killing the beast to obtain the ring was perfectly natural.
Otherwise, before killing a spirit beast, a spirit master would have to first confirm whether it had any grudge against them.
Otherwise, it would be an evil and immoral act.
Of course, inaction was inaction.
Existences like Sea God Island were necessary.
The ocean had its own laws of survival, but if external factors disrupted the order of the ocean, institutions like Sea God Island were needed to protect it.
The Sea God agreed
with Lan's answer .
The Sea God opened his arms.
"Lan, what do you think of our ocean?"
"Very good."
"Do you want to protect it?"
"No."
"Okay... wait?!"
The Sea God was stunned for a moment.
"I'm not from Sea God Island, why should I protect the ocean?"
"I'd rather practice,"
Lan answered truthfully.
His freedom had been restricted for so many years.
Now, freedom was right before his eyes.
He didn't want to repeat the same mistakes and be burdened with responsibilities for no reason.
The Sea God didn't show any emotion at Lan's answer.
"Lan, have you ever wondered why your spirit can suppress all sea spirits?"
The Sea God suddenly asked.
This question really stumped Lan.
Lan himself was puzzled.
His spirit was indeed somewhat abnormal.
Not only could it grow, it could even suppress the spirits of Titled Douluo.
Unprecedented.
The Sea God raised his hand gently, and the seawater transformed into a tornado that soared into the sky, gradually condensing into the shape of the breath of the deep sea.
"Because, this is the true appearance of your spirit." (End of this chapter)