"Asura outranks the Sea God."
This was no lie.
Ye Hao stood between the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King and Bo Saixi—both intent on killing him.
"Bo Saixi, don't push your luck!" The Demonic Whale King roared, its massive body twisting as towering waves erupted from the sea.
"He killed one of the Sea God's guardians. I must capture him." Bo Saixi stood firm, the phantom of the Sea God behind her growing more tangible, wielding a golden trident with divine radiance.
In an instant, the two clashed.
One was the overlord of the ocean, the other the High Priestess of Sea God Island—both stood at the pinnacle of power in this world.
The sky darkened, the sea churning violently.
The Demonic Whale King unleashed several thick blue energy beams, but Bo Saixi waved her hand, and the Sea God's phantom dispersed them into ripples.
The next moment, the Sea God raised his trident, Bo Saixi standing before him as his chosen vessel. Her nine soul rings blazed brighter than the sun.
...
The battle raged fiercely, neither side yielding.
After several exchanges, both the Demonic Whale King and Bo Saixi were panting, their energy drained, each shocked by the other's strength.
Ye Hao glanced between the two and sighed.
"I understand your feelings, but there's only one of me. Unless you plan to split me in half, one of you will have to back down."
Bo Saixi and the Demonic Whale King exchanged glances.
Then, Bo Saixi sent a mental transmission:
"You killed the Sea God's guardian. He will never forgive you. Come with me to Sea God Island and face his judgment."
"The Sea God? He has no right to judge me." Ye Hao smirked.
"What did you say?!" Bo Saixi's expression darkened. To her, the Sea God was supreme—without him, she would not exist.
"Am I wrong?" Ye Hao raised the Asura Demon Sword, its bloodthirsty aura saturating the air.
The Demonic Whale King inhaled sharply, its single eye locked onto the blade.
"Bo Saixi, to be honest, I only killed Sea Horse Douluo to complete a divine trial. That's all."
"Your trial was to…?" Bo Saixi was stunned. What kind of god was this person inheriting?
"Kill a Title Douluo from Sea God Island. That was my mission." Ye Hao then turned to the Demonic Whale King and summoned the Death God's Heart.
"Do you recognize this?"
The moment the Demonic Whale King saw the Death God's Heart, it froze—then immediately dove into the depths and vanished.
The trauma inflicted by that dog was still fresh in its mind.
"Hah, still works like a charm." Ye Hao chuckled, reattaching the Death God's Heart to his hair.
Then, he looked at Bo Saixi.
"The whale's gone. Do you really think you can stop me now?"
After such an intense battle, Bo Saixi's energy was nearly depleted.
"Oh?" She planted her staff into the sea, and the waters surged around her, replenishing her strength.
"The ocean is my domain. Here, I am limitless."
Within moments, she was back at full power.
Ye Hao: "..."
Damn, I forgot about that.
"Come with me." Her voice was icy.
"What if I refuse?"
"Then die."
Her staff gleamed gold, releasing a devastating blast of energy.
"Pathetic."
Ye Hao smirked and vanished into the Death God's Heart.
"Gone?" Bo Saixi frowned, scanning the eerily calm sea.
Then—
"Found you."
The Sea God's eyes shot out twin beams of light, piercing through Ye Hao's concealment.
"Tch." Ye Hao clicked his tongue. "The High Priestess lives up to her reputation."
He raised the Asura Demon Sword, its power resonating with the dark-red mark on his forehead.
The Death God's Heart hovered in his palm as two divine phantoms materialized behind him—one cloaked in black, wielding a scythe, its face shrouded in mist save for two crimson eyes; the other clad in dark-red armor, carrying the Asura Demon Sword.
Death God and Asura.
"You can't keep me here today, Bo Saixi."
"We'll see."
She would not let him leave. If he could kill Sea Horse Douluo, who was next? Her? The entire island?
Protecting Sea God Island was her duty.
The Sea God's trident gleamed as three divine auras clashed.
Beneath the waves, sea creatures fled in terror.
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King had already buried itself in the seabed, shivering.
"Can't see me, can't see me…"
It never expected three gods to descend today. If it had known, it would've stayed hidden.
After its last beating by Little Red, it had temporarily relocated—only to stumble into this nightmare.
"Death's Descent! Asura's Judgment!"
Ye Hao unleashed two divine techniques, plunging the sky into darkness.
"Sea God's Twilight!"
Bo Saixi's trident transformed into a blazing sun.
...
The collision of their attacks created a massive whirlpool, the seafloor briefly exposed as shockwaves rippled outward.
On Sea God Island, the six remaining guardians watched with grim expressions.
"The High Priestess has met a formidable enemy."
"She won't lose. She'll avenge Sea Horse."
"Pray for her safe return."
They knelt before the Sea God's shrine, silently begging for divine protection.
....
At the Sea God Mountain, Tang San looked puzzled in the distance.
"What's going on?" He scratched his head before continuing his climb under the Sea God's Light.
Meanwhile, at the battlefield—
The sea churned violently, dark clouds blotting out the sky.
Bo Saixi's body plummeted into the depths with a splash, vanishing without a trace.
Ye Hao, having exhausted himself from unleashing two divine skills, also collapsed.
At this critical moment, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, who had been hiding all along, suddenly emerged. It opened its massive maw, ready to swallow both Bo Saixi and Ye Hao whole.
"Awooo—!"
In the nick of time, Xiao Hong burst out from the Death God's Heart. Its body rapidly expanded, and with a mighty swing of its paw—
"Ahhh—!"
With just one slap, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King was sent flying like a shooting star, disappearing into the horizon.
"Trash never changes its ways. Pah!" Xiao Hong shook its head in disdain.
"What a hassle." It sighed, then hoisted Ye Hao and Bo Saixi onto its back before darting toward a nearby island.
…...
Night fell on the desolate, chilly island.
A campfire flickered to life as Xiao Hong curled up comfortably for a nap.
Ye Hao groggily opened his eyes, his entire body wracked with excruciating pain.
"Tsk tsk tsk…" He sucked in sharp breaths. "That woman Bo Saixi is insane."
"Where am I? Heaven?" He glanced around—he was on a small island, no larger than a football field.
A few other barren islets dotted the surroundings, their trees shattered and lifeless.
"You've got a death wish, using both Death's Descent and Asura's Judgment back-to-back." Xiao Hong muttered without opening its eyes.
"I had no choice." Ye Hao shrugged. "If I hadn't gone all out, Bo Saixi would've captured me. Speaking of which… where is she? Dead?"
"Over there." Xiao Hong pointed lazily.
Bo Saixi lay unconscious on a rocky outcrop, her staff resting quietly beside her.
Ye Hao tiptoed over and poked her with a stick.
"What's wrong with her?"
"She overexerted herself fighting you. Death's Descent and Asura's Judgment are divine skills—ordinary Title Douluo would've died instantly upon contact. But Bo Saixi is different. As the Sea God's vessel, her status equals Qian Daoliu's. The reason she's unconscious is because she forcibly channeled the Sea God's Twilight, a power far beyond her limits."
"Then why did I wake up so fast?" Ye Hao scratched his head. Sea God's Twilight was one of the Sea God's ultimate techniques.
"Dumbass!" Xiao Hong rolled its eyes. "You have the Death God's Heart and the Asura Demon Sword as conduits. Using divine skills only drains your energy and divine power. But Bo Saixi is just a mortal. Sea God's Twilight wasn't meant for her—it was the Sea God himself clashing with the Death God and Asura through her."
"Got it now?" It glanced at Bo Saixi. "She won't wake up anytime soon."
"So… what do we do? Just leave her here?"
"I estimate she'll be out for a month. The backlash from Sea God's Twilight is too severe—the Sea God drained her completely."
"Send her back to Sea God Island?" Ye Hao pondered, then shook his head. "No way. That's walking into a trap."
"Why not take her with us?" Xiao Hong suggested. "Without Bo Saixi, Tang San's trials will stall indefinitely."
"Take her?!" Ye Hao was stunned. Bringing Bo Saixi to the Spirit Hall would cause an uproar.
"What's there to fear? With Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong around, what trouble can she stir?"
Xiao Hong grinned. "Bo Saixi is invincible at sea, but away from it, her power plummets. Let's take her. She might come in handy later."
"Fine." Ye Hao sighed helplessly.
This trip had yielded far greater gains—and complications—than he'd ever imagined.
After a night of rest and recovering most of his spirit power, Ye Hao carried Bo Saixi at dawn and flew straight back to the Douluo Continent.
After a long journey…
Half a month later, Spirit City.
"Finally home." Ye Hao nearly wept with relief.
"Your turn to carry her." He shot a glare at Xiao Hong. Bo Saixi had been on his back the entire way—it was exhausting.
"Nope." Xiao Hong refused flatly. "We're almost there. Hang in there."
"Where should we put Bo Saixi?" Ye Hao glanced at the unconscious woman.
"The Elder Hall. Dump her on Qian Daoliu—let him deal with her."
"Huh? Isn't that… inappropriate?"
"Why? Rumor has it Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen both pursued her back in the day, but Tang Chen won. Now that he's dead… hehehe…"
"You damn dog. Always scheming." Ye Hao sighed but ultimately headed straight for the Elder Hall.
Along the way, countless Spirit Hall disciples gaped as their Young Master carried a woman on his back.
Ye Hao and Xiao Hong breezed through the hall's defenses.
"Old man!" Ye Hao bellowed.
"Hmm?" Qian Daoliu turned slightly.
"Grandpa, I brought someone. She's all yours." Ye Hao dumped Bo Saixi on the floor and bolted.
"Huh?" Qian Daoliu stepped forward, stunned.
"Bo Saixi?!"
He stared at the unconscious woman, utterly bewildered.
"Don't look at me. I know nothing." Xiao Hong trotted away, humming cheerfully before vanishing.
Qian Daoliu: "???"