Half a month later...
The endless ocean stretched out under the scorching sun, its waters deep and azure.
Ye Hao soared over the sea with his Six-Winged Purple Light Wings. It had taken him half a month to travel from Spirit Hall to Sea God Island.
"Sea God Island… should be in that direction." Ye Hao pulled out a map he had brought from Spirit Hall, confirming the island's location before speeding toward his destination.
"Tang San has obtained the Sea God Nine Trials and is currently undergoing the first trial. If I remember correctly, the first trial is something about traversing the Sea God's Light..."
Ye Hao recalled the contents of all nine trials. Concealing his aura with the Death God's Heart, he flew swiftly and silently across the ocean.
Sea God Island.
Tranquil, serene—a true paradise.
Far from the noise of the continent, the island was home to many sea soul masters. Their yellow and purple clothing distinguished their status on the island.
Ye Hao arrived unnoticed. As he passed by a group of Demon Spirit Great White Sharks, he spotted one that stood out—a twenty-meter-long shark, clearly different from the others.
This must be the King of the Demon Spirit Great White Sharks, Xiao Bai, as the Evil Tiger had mentioned.
"So this is Sea God Island." Ye Hao surveyed his surroundings. The island was thousands of miles from the mainland, virtually untouched by outsiders.
The inhabitants were all sea soul masters. Along the way, Ye Hao had seen many people, noticing that their martial souls were all related to the sea—conches, sea horses, starfish, and the like.
"The Seven Sacred Pillars surround Sea God Island, and that mountain at the center must be Sea God Mountain. The divine artifact, the Sea God Trident, is enshrined there. It's also the heart of the island."
Concealing his presence, Ye Hao silently made his way toward it.
The ocean was vast, its waves towering and mighty.
Ye Hao stood above the sea, gazing at the towering Sea God Mountain. There was only one path up—a staircase of 1,001 steps, the sole route to the summit and the focus of the first trial.
"Tang San is indeed here." Ye Hao frowned as he spotted Tang San climbing the mountain.
Drenched in sweat, Tang San staggered upward, each step a struggle.
"The first trial is to traverse the Sea God's Light. Tang San's goal is the 333rd step. Judging by his current progress, he's only in the thirties—still a long way to go."
"Today, I'll send you on your way." Ye Hao smirked as countless spider thorns materialized in the air.
"Wait..." Ye Hao quickly retracted the Blood-Sucking Spider Thorns before releasing them.
"The Sea God's Light… if I recall, it has the ability to reflect all attacks. If I had launched those thorns, not only would I have failed to kill Tang San, but I would've also exposed my location."
Ye Hao could feel that the closer he got to Sea God Mountain, especially within the range of the Sea God's Light, the weaker the concealment of the Death God's Heart became, eventually leaving him completely exposed.
"This trip was doomed from the start." Ye Hao shook his head. "But even if I can't kill you now, I can still make things difficult for you."
With that, the Asura's Mark on his forehead glowed, shrouding his mind in a dark-red haze.
He then fired a thin beam of dark-red light—a pure strand of Asura's divine power, costing him a significant portion of his divine energy.
The moment it penetrated the Sea God's Light, the beam shot straight into Tang San's forehead. The golden trident mark between his brows flickered briefly before dimming, a faint red glow settling deep within.
Everything returned to calm.
"Back then, the God of Slaughter interfered with Asura's chosen heir, Tang Chen, by planting a seed of evil. That's why Tang Chen failed his trial."
"Now, I've secretly embedded a strand of the Asura's killing intent into the Sea God Nine Trials. Let's see how you proceed with your trials now."
Asura God > Sea God.
Ye Hao smiled faintly. Having accomplished this, he turned and flew back toward the Douluo Continent.
Killing Tang San now was difficult, so he could only hope that the Asura's killing intent would play a crucial role at a critical moment.
"My soul power is at the 79th rank. I need to return and focus on breaking through to the 80th rank as soon as possible to complete the fifth trial."
Meanwhile, as Tang San climbed the Sea God's Light, his body suddenly shuddered as if struck by electricity, his hair standing on end.
Confused, he shook his head and continued his ascent.
"Xiao Wu, your brother will avenge you." Tang San gritted his teeth—this was his sole motivation for enduring the trial.
Half a month later...
Ye Hao returned to Spirit Hall after a long absence. His first act was to enter seclusion, preparing thoroughly for his breakthrough to the 80th rank.
Time was of the essence. Sea God Island was fraught with danger, and only by becoming a Titled Douluo could he safely venture there again.
His infiltration using the Sea God's Heart had been risky enough. The island was mysterious and unpredictable—if Bo Saixi had discovered him, the consequences for the young master of Spirit Hall would have been dire.
Three months later...
Inside a sealed chamber in Spirit Hall, a powerful aura erupted.
Ye Hao, seated in meditation, felt a shackle within him shatter—his soul power had reached the 80th rank.
"Finally, the 80th rank. These three months of effort weren't in vain." Ye Hao clenched his fist, savoring the surge of power.
"It's time." He stood and left the chamber.
Ye Hao arrived at the Elder Hall where Ah Yin was imprisoned. There, he saw her.
But Ah Yin seemed like a different person—listless, her hair disheveled as if untouched for years, her face bearing the marks of time.
"How has she changed so much?" Ye Hao was taken aback. Perhaps the death of Tang Hao and the revelation that Tang San wasn't her son had been too much to bear.
Ye Hao opened the door, locking eyes with Ah Yin.
"You're here," Ah Yin spoke, her voice lifeless.
"I am. You wanted to die, didn't you? Today, I'll grant your wish." Ye Hao shrugged and sat across from her.
After a long silence, Ah Yin whispered,
"Thank you..."
She exhaled as if relieved of a great burden. Her husband was dead, and her "son" wasn't hers.
Every day of her life had been torture. She had yearned for death, but the restraints of the Death God's Heart had left her helpless.
Like a caged bird, she had been imprisoned indefinitely, stripped of the freedom she once cherished.
"Let's begin." Ye Hao understood that completing the fifth trial was paramount.
Ah Yin nodded numbly and rose to her feet.
The area around her became overgrown with Blue Silver Grass as blue light cascaded through the room like a falling galaxy. A Yin transformed into a massive Blue Silver Emperor, her entire body crisscrossed with blue-gold veins.
"Go, Death God's Heart."
Ye Hao took out the Death God's Heart to envelop the area. The Blue Silver Emperor form Ah Yin had taken was too large - he worried the room might not withstand it, especially since this was the Elder Hall.
Next, countless points of blue light, like scattered starlight, began converging toward Ye Hao.
"The moment has finally come." Ye Hao sat cross-legged, fully aware that this sacrifice meant Ah Yin was giving her own life.
Simultaneously, the Asura's Mark appeared between his eyebrows, and the Asura Demon Sword hidden in the void stood ready.
During his previous absorption of the Sky Azure Bull Python's external soul bone, he had nearly fallen victim to the remnant soul's scheme.
Today, with Ah Yin's sacrifice, he couldn't afford to be careless.
No one wants to make the same mistake twice. Ah Yin hated him to the core - if she didn't try something during the sacrifice, Ye Hao wouldn't believe it.
After all, Tang Hao had died by Ye Hao's hand. This love-obsessed woman would certainly strike back.
Just as expected, when Ye Hao released his seven soul rings...
The radiance of Ah Yin's sacrifice suddenly intensified. The blue light condensed into a spear formed entirely from Blue Silver Emperor vines.
"Ah Yin, you're trying to kill me?" Ye Hao laughed, shaking his head. Everything was unfolding exactly as he'd anticipated.
"You murdered my husband. Today, even if I die, I'll take you down with me," Ah Yin spat venomously.
"Blue Silver Overlord Spear!"
The spear woven from Blue Silver Emperor vines shot straight toward Ye Hao.
"DIE!" Ah Yin roared with all her hatred. She was determined to avenge her husband today.
"I knew you'd do this." Ye Hao shook his head as the Asura Demon Sword hidden in the shadows suddenly struck out.
A flash of crimson sliced through the incoming Blue Silver Overlord Spear, then continued through Ah Yin's main body, cutting her in two.
"The heart of a woman is most poisonous indeed. The ancients spoke truth." Ye Hao recalled the Asura Demon Sword and guided the emerging 100,000-year soul ring toward himself.
"Wait, that's..."
Where Ah Yin had fallen, a glowing blue soul bone appeared.
"A 100,000-year Blue Silver Emperor Vertebrae Bone." Ye Hao smiled. "Not bad luck, but I don't need it."
He stored the soul bone away and began absorbing Ah Yin's 100,000-year soul ring...
...
"Fifth Trial of Death and Asura: Obtain a 100,000-year soul ring when reaching the eighth soul ring at level 80. Trial officially begins when reaching level 80 with a one-year time limit. Trial completed. Reward: 20% affinity with Death and Asura gods. Total affinity reaches 50%."
As sunset approached and twilight descended,
Ye Hao walked out of the Elder Hall. After half a day of absorption, he had finally completed integrating his eighth soul ring, breaking through to level 80. Because the eighth ring was a 100,000-year soul ring, Ye Hao's final soul power settled at halfway through level 83.
Just half a step from reaching level 84.
"This sixth trial is quite something." Ye Hao laughed at himself.
"Sixth Trial of Death and Asura: Travel to Sea God Island and kill one Titled Douluo. Time limit: one year."
Ye Hao sighed. "This is basically asking me to thoroughly offend the Sea God. Going to Sea God Island to kill a Titled Douluo - the island has seven Titled Douluo and one Limit Douluo. If I kill one, it's absolutely spitting in the Sea God's face. These trials keep getting more outrageous."
"Killing one Titled Douluo would definitely implicate several others, maybe even draw out Bo Saixi and her wrath. This trial is truly difficult."
The seven Sacred Pillar Douluo of Sea God Island could borrow the Sea God's power from their pillars. With the ocean at their backs, the sea was their greatest advantage.
"If I want to avoid detection, I'll have to be completely stealthy and take one out from the shadows."
For Ye Hao, stealth was second nature.
To complete this absurd sixth trial, he prepared carefully before setting out for Sea God Island again.
Before leaving, Ye Hao left the 100,000-year Blue Silver Emperor Torso Bone from Ah Yin's sacrifice with Bibi Dong, letting his mother decide its distribution. The bone didn't suit him.
Ye Hao already possessed a Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone, so this would be redundant.
Before departing Spirit Hall, Ye Hao specifically brought Xiao Hong along.
"Why drag me to Sea God Island?" Xiao Hong asked, confused.
"This sixth trial is beyond ridiculous - ordering me to kill a Sea God Island Titled Douluo is basically throwing me into the fire. So..."
"So you're bringing me along?" Xiao Hong rolled her eyes.
"You're my ultimate trump card. Who else would I bring?"
Ye Hao grinned slyly, tucked Xiao Hong under his arm, and flew straight toward Sea God Island.
...
Half a month later...
Sea God Island.
Ye Hao returned, now dressed in yellow islander robes marking his status.
Meanwhile, Xiao Hong hid within the Death God's Heart as his final backup.
"Back at Sea God Island. After completing the sixth trial, the seventh should be about drawing the divine weapon," Ye Hao mused to himself.
Sea Dragon, Sea Spear, Sea Illusion, Sea Horse, Sea Devil, Sea Star, Sea Maiden.
"The seven Sacred Pillar Douluo of Sea God Island. Sea Dragon Douluo is the strongest, the other six slightly weaker. So Sea Dragon is impossible. That leaves the other six..."
"Sea Maiden is weakest, but her sonic attacks would trouble me; Sea Star is out - too many tentacles, and I have trypophobia; Sea Spear is second only to Sea Dragon - no good; Sea Illusion specializes in illusions - pass; which leaves Sea Horse and Sea Devil..."
Ye Hao decided to target either Sea Horse or Sea Devil Douluo.
"Made up your mind yet?" Xiao Hong's voice echoed in his mind. "Sea God Island has Bo Saixi who controls the ocean's power. If you kill one of their Titled Douluo, she'll spare no effort to keep you on the island permanently."
"Troublesome." Ye Hao scratched his head. "It has to be completely undetectable. If Bo Saixi finds out, I'm in real danger."
"Decision made - Sea Horse Douluo it is."
With his target selected, Ye Hao began preparations.
Sea Horse Douluo was one of the seven guardians, a 92nd-rank Titled Douluo with the Seahorse martial soul. His soul rings: Two Yellow, Two Purple, Five Black.
During the day, Sea Horse Douluo cultivated at the Sea Horse Sacred Pillar. At night, he returned to the Sea Horse City Lord's residence.
That would be Ye Hao's only opportunity - strike fast and leave immediately...