The evening glow painted the sky, casting a golden sheen over the sparkling sea.
At the Sea Horse City Lord's mansion.
Sea Horse Douluo had returned. As one of the seven Sacred Pillar Guardians of Sea God Island, their duty was to defend and uphold the safety of Sea God Island and the dignity of the Sea God.
This place was not only home to Sea Horse Douluo but also housed a special individual—Tang San. Apart from the servants attending to the mansion, Tang San resided here as the heir to the Sea God.
As the Sea God's successor, Tang San's status on Sea God Island was no less than that of Bo Saixi. Currently, it was the time for Tang San to undergo his first trial. To facilitate his daily trials, Tang San temporarily stayed at the Sea Horse City Lord's mansion.
As Sea Horse Douluo stepped into the mansion, his brows furrowed. He cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
"Why do I feel this unease? Something feels off." Sea Horse Douluo carefully made his way inside.
At that moment, the environment of the mansion underwent a drastic change.
The surroundings turned murky, pitch-black to the point where nothing was visible—only endless darkness remained.
Seeing this, Sea Horse Douluo's heart trembled. "Who dares to act so recklessly on Sea God Island?"
"Whoosh!"
The sound of a blade slicing through the air echoed as a blood-red longsword descended from above.
Gritting his teeth, Sea Horse Douluo activated his nine soul rings, and a massive sea horse phantom materialized behind him.
His fists shimmered with blue ripples, water droplets swirling around them.
"Ahhh!!!"
A hoarse scream suddenly rang out—the blood-red sword had mercilessly severed Sea Horse Douluo's left arm.
Blood gushed, and the severed limb flew through the air. Clutching his mutilated shoulder, half of Sea Horse Douluo's body was instantly drenched in red.
"What kind of martial soul is that?" Sea Horse Douluo's face paled. As he instinctively tried to connect with the sea to borrow the Sea God's power, he realized—he couldn't summon the Sea God's strength at all. Even his connection to the outside world had been completely severed.
"Who are you? Hiding in the shadows is cowardly!" Sea Horse Douluo took a deep breath, temporarily stanching the blood flow from his severed arm.
With only one arm left, he didn't dare let his guard down. His seventh soul ring lit up.
"Seventh Soul Skill, Martial Soul True Body."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a colossal sea horse appeared in the darkness—though missing its left arm, its imposing aura surged forth.
In the darkness, countless purple streaks of light flashed past.
Like arrows, countless purple spider spikes rained down from all directions, piercing straight toward Sea Horse Douluo.
"Ninth Soul Skill, Cyclone Surge Sky-Shattering Fist!"
Sea Horse Douluo's ninth soul skill—Cyclone Surge Sky-Shattering Fist—created a massive vortex of water elements during its execution, dealing devastating damage to the opponent.
Faced with imminent death, Sea Horse Douluo chose to fight with his back against the wall, unleashing his strongest ninth soul skill.
It was said that Sea Horse Douluo's ninth soul ring came from an 80,000-year-old sea soul beast, one he had searched long and hard to obtain.
Towering waves churned, and countless fists formed from seawater materialized before Sea Horse Douluo.
The blood-sucking spider spikes shot forward, but upon clashing with his ninth soul skill, they were instantly obliterated.
"As expected of a Title Douluo's ninth soul skill. Although my sixth soul ring is a 100,000-year one, my opponent is still a Title Douluo. If I remember correctly, Sea Horse Douluo's ninth soul ring is around 80,000 years—quite formidable."
In the darkness, Ye Hao couldn't help but sigh. Even Sea Horse Douluo, whom he had considered the weakest among the seven Sacred Pillar Guardians, possessed such remarkable combat prowess.
The ninth soul skill barreled toward Ye Hao head-on. Gripping the Asura Demon Sword, the dark-red mark between his eyebrows flashed crimson.
When the seawater-formed fists collided with him, they were cleanly split in two.
"This... this is impossible!" Sea Horse Douluo's eyes widened in disbelief, his breath nearly stopping.
This was a Title Douluo's ninth soul skill, amplified by the seventh soul skill, Martial Soul True Body!
The eerie, glowing red sword in the darkness grew even more sinister, filling Sea Horse Douluo with despair.
"Time is running out. I must finish this quickly."
Centered around Ye Hao, countless purple lights began to emerge.
"Death Domain."
The Death Domain rapidly expanded, spreading to every corner of the Death God's Heart.
Thick purple mist roiled, leaving Sea Horse Douluo with no escape.
Then, the severed part of Sea Horse Douluo's left arm began to rot, the excruciating pain causing his expression to twist.
"Poison!" Sea Horse Douluo channeled his soul power, desperately trying to expel the toxin from his body.
However, the Asura Demon Sword hidden in the darkness suddenly moved.
With a flash of red light, the sword merged with Ye Hao.
"Thud!"
Head and body separated.
The battle was over. Sea Horse Douluo's corpse collapsed to the ground—everything had ended.
Ye Hao revealed himself, stepping out of the darkness.
This time, successfully killing a Title Douluo was largely thanks to the unique environment of the Death God's Heart, which subtly suppressed Sea Horse Douluo's strength. Otherwise, eliminating him would have required much more effort.
At the same moment Sea Horse Douluo died—
The Sea God Pillar standing at the Sea Horse Sacred Pillar suddenly reacted. The blue glow gradually dimmed.
Meanwhile, atop Sea God Mountain, inside the Sea God Hall—
Bo Saixi's eyes snapped open, sharp as lightning.
"The Sea Horse Sacred Pillar... something has happened to Sea Horse Douluo."
In the next instant, her figure vanished from the spot.
At the Sea Horse City Lord's mansion, Ye Hao had already left.
Immediately after killing Sea Horse Douluo, Ye Hao knew he couldn't stay on Sea God Island any longer.
As one of the seven Sacred Pillar Guardians, Sea Horse Douluo's death would inevitably trigger a chain reaction.
Even Bo Saixi would sense it immediately. Ye Hao had to flee.
"Damn sixth trial—it's practically inhuman," Ye Hao muttered bitterly. What kind of person could come up with such a test?
At the same time, an authoritative voice echoed in Ye Hao's mind.
"Death God and Asura's Sixth Trial: Travel to Sea God Island and kill a Title Douluo within a year. Trial completed. Reward: 20% affinity with Death God and Asura, total 70%."
A red light flashed between Ye Hao's brows—his sixth trial was complete. Killing a Title Douluo on Sea God Island was far too dangerous, akin to plucking a tooth from a tiger's mouth.
"Death God and Asura's Seventh Trial: Draw out the divine weapon, the Death Scythe. Time limit: one year."
Ye Hao sighed. "Just as I expected—pulling out the divine weapon. No point dwelling on it now. I need to escape Sea God Island before Bo Saixi loses her temper. That would be worse than anything else."
"I never wanted to make an enemy of Sea God Island, but Tang San, that bastard, is already the Sea God's heir, with Bo Saixi backing him. Unless I become a god first, there's no way around it."
"At least I preserved Sea Horse Douluo's soul before leaving. I can revive him once I ascend to godhood." Ye Hao had stored Sea Horse Douluo's soul within the Death God's Heart. Becoming an enemy of Sea God Island was never his intention—killing Sea Horse Douluo was a necessity forced upon him.
As Ye Hao fled the Sea Horse City Lord's mansion, Bo Saixi soon arrived at the scene.
"What?!" Bo Saixi's eyes widened in shock as she saw Sea Horse Douluo's decapitated corpse.
"How dare they!" Rage surged through her, causing the entire island to tremble.
Killing a Title Douluo of Sea God Island was a direct insult to the Sea God—an act of war that demanded blood in return.
"Who did this?!" The phantom of the Sea God loomed behind Bo Saixi as her nine soul rings rose—eight black and one red, a terrifying sight.
The sea roared in response to her fury.
At the same time, Bo Saixi sensed Ye Hao's fleeing presence.
"There."
Before she could act further, the other six Sacred Pillar Guardians arrived.
When they saw Sea Horse Douluo's lifeless body, fury burned in their eyes.
"Stay here and guard the island. I'll handle this."
With that, Bo Saixi vanished, reappearing high above the island as she pursued Ye Hao.
The sea was her domain. With Sea Horse Douluo murdered, she, as the High Priestess of Sea God Island, would ensure the killer paid with their life.
"She's terrifying when angry..." Sea Spear Douluo shuddered.
"Who could have killed Sea Horse?" Sea Star Douluo muttered in confusion.
"Doesn't matter. With Bo Saixi herself chasing them, they won't last long." Sea Dragon Douluo cracked his knuckles, itching to join the hunt.
"Let's at least give Sea Horse a proper burial." Sea Witch Douluo sighed. The news had struck like a bolt from the blue.
The death of one of the seven Sacred Pillar Guardians sent an uneasy ripple through the remaining six, a foreboding sense of danger creeping into their hearts.
Night fell, the sea eerily calm.
A streak of purple light cut through the sky as Ye Hao fled Sea God Island at full speed, now beyond its borders.
"Bo Saixi's catching up." Ye Hao glanced back—just as he had expected.
"If I keep running, she'll catch me anyway. Might as well face her head-on." He halted mid-air, turning to confront her.
"You killed Sea Horse Douluo." Bo Saixi's voice was icy, her gaze filled with murderous intent.
"I did." Ye Hao admitted without hesitation.
"Why?"
"It was part of my trial. I had no choice." He shrugged, his identity still concealed from her.
"Then you will die." Bo Saixi raised her hand, and the sea surged violently. A massive hand formed from seawater shot toward Ye Hao.
"Incredible power... Bo Saixi truly is the strongest beneath godhood."
The sea resonated with her, the phantom of the Sea God looming behind her as her nine soul rings ignited—eight black and one red.
"Not the time to admire her. I really dug my own grave this time."
Ye Hao dodged at the last second, narrowly avoiding her attack.
"Xiao Hong! Xiao Hong! Where the hell are you?!"
Inside the Death God's Heart, the crimson dog was fast asleep.
"Useless mutt..." Ye Hao cursed under his breath.
With Bo Saixi closing in, he had only one option left.
"The Demon Whale Sea. Deep Sea Demonic Whale King might be able to stall her."
He immediately changed course, speeding toward the treacherous waters.
"Trying to escape to the Demon Whale Sea?" Bo Saixi sneered. "You're not leaving."
She clasped her hands together, and thick chains of seawater erupted beneath Ye Hao, attempting to ensnare him.
"Damn it!" Gritting his teeth, Ye Hao summoned the Asura Demon Sword.
"A divine weapon?!" Bo Saixi's eyes widened. "You're a god's heir? No—this sword surpasses even the Sea God's Trident!"
She wasted no time, summoning a massive trident forged from seawater and hurling it at him.
"Slash!" Ye Hao swung the Asura Demon Sword, severing the chains one after another.
Just as the trident was about to strike—
The sea beneath him turned black.
An abyssal maw opened.
"Deep Sea Demonic Whale King?!" Ye Hao's heart pounded. "Why is it here?!"
Bo Saixi was equally stunned. The Demonic Whale King never left its territory—what brought it here?
"Too close..." Ye Hao wiped cold sweat from his brow.
"You... reek of a god's aura." The Demonic Whale King's single eye locked onto him. "If I devour you, perhaps I can finally break through... and ascend!"
It laughed manically, now seeing Ye Hao as its primary target.
"Bo Saixi, this human is mine. Step aside!"
"He killed one of the Sea God's guardians. He belongs to me."
The two titans faced off, neither willing to back down.
"Stupid dog! Wake up! I'm about to be eaten alive!" Ye Hao mentally screamed.
Inside the Death God's Heart, the crimson dog lazily stretched.
"Morning already?"
Ye Hao: "..."
"Hurry up! We need to get out of here—this place is a death trap!"
"Oh? Isn't that the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King?" The dog yawned. "What's it doing here?"
"How should I know?!"
"Relax. The eighth trial of Death God and Asura—interception. Target: this big whale. He's strong, but with me here, you've got nothing to worry about. Right now, that woman wants you dead, and this whale wants to eat you. Since soul beasts can't become gods—except for me, of course." The dog puffed its chest proudly.
"So you're saying... let them fight until they're both weakened?"
"Exactly. Bo Saixi is no weaker than the Demonic Whale King, and she can draw power from the sea. You've got the Death God's Heart and the Asura Demon Sword—what's there to fear?"
The dog grinned.
"After all... Asura outranks the Sea God."