Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sounds of Ice Bursts echoed incessantly, and for a moment, the Ring Sea was obscured by a sky filled with snowflakes and ice shards, draping the surrounding vegetation in a layer of silver-white.
If an ordinary person were to witness this scene, they might marvel at the beautiful scenery, but the gathered Titled Experts only sensed immense energy and destructive power within it.
The raging energy continued to overflow, momentarily obscuring Sea Dragon Douluo's figure, leaving everyone to speculate on the condition of this powerful Super Title after enduring such an attack.
Li Xun's mental energy spread out, and within moments, he locked onto Sea Dragon Douluo within the Ice Burst range.
At this moment, Sea Dragon Douluo was in a sorry state—his tough scales had largely fallen off, and traces of blood continuously trickled out. His third, fourth, and fifth Spirit Rings shimmered with light, as though he was using Soul Skills to bolster himself and resist the explosion's force.
Without hesitation, Li Xun lightly stepped on the Wood Man's head with his left foot, and the nearly hundred-meter-tall Wood Man instantly sprang into action.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Amidst a series of creaking sounds, the Wood Man's two nearly twenty-meter-long hands stirred up a fierce gale, carrying an unstoppable force as they slammed toward Sea Dragon Douluo.
Boom!
The Wood Man's massive hands closed together like swatting a mosquito, the tremendous force compressing the surrounding air in all directions and whipping up violent gusts that cleared the ice and snow within a thirty-meter radius around the hands, revealing a vacuum zone.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Titled Experts watching from the periphery quickly acted, dispersing the ice and snow rushing toward them, their eyes fixed intently on the center of the Ring Sea.
"How is this possible!"
Upon seeing the situation inside, Seahorse Douluo and the other six Sacred Pillar Elders exclaimed in astonishment.
The layout of Seagod Island's seven Sacred Pillars was largely similar—each had an island erected in the center of the Ring Sea to enshrine the Sacred Pillar.
But now, Sea Dragon Holy Pillar's island had vanished, the seawater had disappeared, revealing the pitted and uneven terrain of the seabed below, with only the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar standing alone in its original spot.
A thought suddenly crossed their minds:
If not for the Sacred Pillar being protected by the God of the Sea's Power, it likely wouldn't have survived the explosion unscathed.
Li Xun stood atop the Wood Man's head, sensing Sea Dragon Douluo's condition through the Wood Man's hands, gradually calming the surging Soul Power within him.
During the attack, he had held back, controlling the Wood Man to leave a certain curvature in the center of its palms to avoid crushing Sea Dragon Douluo into pulp with a single strike.
However, the powerful wind pressure and shockwaves had still rendered Sea Dragon Douluo incapable of resistance.
He appeared dazed, his head swaying slightly involuntarily, his entire body in a state of dizziness.
Li Xun manipulated the Wood Man to open its palms, carefully placing Sea Dragon Douluo on the ground with its other hand. It was challenging for such a colossal entity, nearly twenty meters tall, to perform such precise actions, but he managed it through his formidable mental energy.
With a poof, the Wood Man transformed into a cloud of white mist and vanished, while Li Xun slowly flew to Sea Dragon Douluo's side.
Sea Dragon Douluo was strong, but not strong enough. Li Xun still had many skills he hadn't used. Nevertheless, this battle had clearly shown him the level of his normal combat prowess.
At that moment, the other six Sacred Pillar guardians gathered around. After carefully observing Sea Dragon Douluo's condition, they all breathed sighs of relief before turning complex expressions toward Li Xun.
Having witnessed this battle, they understood clearly that Li Xun had held back against all six of them during what seemed like playful ambushes in their previous encounters.
Everyone stood on the solid seabed of the Ring Sea, momentarily sinking into silence.
Due to being in a dazed state, Sea Dragon Douluo couldn't currently carve his mark on the Sacred Pillar.
It was only when Ning Rongrong and the other two girls approached to lighten the atmosphere that the Titled Douluos were spared from further awkwardness.
After a long while
Sea Dragon Douluo's consciousness gradually returned. Only then did the aftereffects of the concussion become apparent - when he tried to support himself to stand, he suddenly vomited sour fluid with a retching sound.
Seeing this, Li Xun quickly stepped forward and placed his hand on Sea Dragon Douluo's shoulder, using his Soul Power to heal the internal injuries and discomfort.
"Thank you, I feel much better."
Sea Dragon Douluo turned his pale face toward Li Xun and managed a weak smile: "The new generation indeed surpasses the old. You nearly crushed me to death with that wave."
His ancient features combined with bronze-like muscles made his joke somehow render him more approachable.
"This victory came only because Senior underestimated me and I seized the initiative. If we were to fight again, the outcome would certainly be different," Li Xun said with a smile.
Sea Dragon Douluo shook his head with a laugh: "No need to spare my dignity. Loss is loss."
Supporting himself on the ground, he slowly stood up, staggering unsteadily: "Pardon me, my head is still somewhat dizzy."
Sea Dragon Douluo waved off Li Xun and the other Titled Douluos who moved to assist him, slowly making his way to the base of the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar where he laboriously carved a symbol.
[Challenge against Titled Douluo, Sea Dragon Holy Pillar passed]
As the voice resonated, the marks on Li Xun and Ning Rongrong's foreheads flashed golden light, instantly restoring all their depleted Soul Power.
[Sea God's Fifth Trial completed. Due to employing tricks to help others pass, rewards are reduced - only 5% Sea God Affinity obtained. However, as the trial was completed in less than one-third of the allotted time, reward tripled - Sea God Affinity increased by 10%. Sixth Trial difficulty increased.]
As the voice faded, a golden pillar of light descended from the sky, enveloping Li Xun and Ning Rongrong.
Both immediately felt warm energy flowing from all directions into their limbs and bones, as if continuously improving their physical constitutions.
The marks on their foreheads also began to subtly transform.
However, since the reward was split between Li Xun and Ning Rongrong, each now possessed 25% Sea God Affinity, making this enhancement process relatively brief.
Meanwhile, Poseidon who had been strolling along the shore of Seagod Island suddenly sensed something: "So soon..."
After a moment, he raised his head, taking in the surrounding scenery before his figure abruptly vanished from the spot.
Before the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar, Sea Dragon Douluo looked at Li Xun and Ning Rongrong with complicated emotions. He couldn't quite comprehend their current situation.
If Li Xun alone were undergoing the God Trial, his Sea God Affinity should have reached 50% by now - meaning he would only need to pass the final four trials to touch the legendary Godhood.
But now... everything would depend on the God's will.
"Brother, look at the sixth trial..."
Ning Rongrong's face was pale as she tugged at Li Xun's sleeve, having been frightened the moment she learned about the trial.
Even Zhu Zhuqing and Dugu Yan didn't look too well.
Limit Douluo represented the pinnacle of the continent, and with Poseidon backed by the Seagod Hall and able to harness the power of the ocean, her strength was immeasurable.
Enduring a full incense stick's worth of time under such a powerhouse going all out was practically no different from courting death.
"It's fine, I already knew about this." Li Xun patted Ning Rongrong's head and reassured Zhu Zhuqing and Dugu Yan as well.
"It seems you're quite confident about passing my trial."
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