With the defeat of the Sea Witch, Zhu Zhuqing and Dugu Yan's God Trials were declared successful.
Perhaps because Li Xun's assistance had been too substantial, the two only received a one-level increase in Soul Power and an overall five-hundred-year enhancement to their Spirit Ring ages. However, none of them minded the modest rewards.
After the rewards were distributed, Zhu Zhuqing's Soul Power reached level 78, while Dugu Yan, having acquired two Soul Bones and a 100,000-Year Soul Ring in succession, advanced to level 86.
She instantly became the one with the highest Soul Power among the three women.
The God Trials continued, but aside from the Sea Dragon Douluo, the remaining challenges posed no significant threat.
The Poseidon Seven Holy Pillars were evenly distributed across Seagod Island, with the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar located closest to the center.
From the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar, one could clearly see the Sea God Mountain, highlighting its prominent status.
"You arrived here much faster than I anticipated."
Beneath the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar, the bare-chested Sea Dragon Douluo calmly observed Li Xun.
As a level-95 Titled Douluo, he could clearly sense the aura emanating from Li Xun and the danger concealed within his body.
"Thanks to the leniency of my predecessors."
Li Xun smiled and cupped his hands in salute to the Sea Dragon Douluo.
Once a Titled Expert reaches level 95, they undergo a qualitative leap. The Sea Dragon Douluo, a Super Douluo, held far greater weight compared to the other six.
Just by looking at his two-meter-tall frame and bronzed muscles, one could tell the immense power contained within his body.
Li Xun stirred the Soul Power around him, intending to use this one-on-one opportunity to gauge his capabilities without relying on his trump cards.
Neither of them spoke further, but the chaotic energy in the surrounding air indicated that their confrontation had already begun.
Just as Ning Rongrong, holding the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, channeled several Amplifications into Li Xun's body, the two moved simultaneously.
"Wood Style: Advent of a World of Trees, Wood Style: Wood Man Technique."
Li Xun clapped his hands together and stomped on the ground. A hundred-meter-tall Wood Man suddenly emerged, lifting him high into the air. Coiled around the Wood Man was a several-tens-of-meters-long Wood Dragon.
At the same time, the earth began to tremble as thick, sturdy vines burst forth from the ground, stretching skyward and forming a dense forest in the blink of an eye, trapping the Sea Dragon Douluo within.
It resembled an arena.
Without the slightest hesitation, Li Xun channeled Soul Power from his feet into the Wood Man. The Wood Man tore the coiled Wood Dragon from its body and swung it down vertically toward the Sea Dragon Douluo.
"Hah."
Having learned from the experiences of the other six Holy Pillars, the Sea Dragon Douluo felt only a slight ripple of emotion upon seeing the Spirit Rings beneath Li Xun's feet, remaining largely unaffected.
The nine standard Titled Douluo Spirit Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black—glowed brightly beneath his feet.
With a loud roar, his bronzed skin was instantly covered in layers of blue scales, and his already imposing physique grew even larger.
Ripples of blue energy radiated from the Sea Dragon Douluo's body, and his thick arms gradually transformed into a pair of sharp Dragon Claws.
The Sea Dragon Douluo's Martial Soul was the Sea Dragon, a Martial Soul whose quality was in no way inferior to that of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. The only difference lay in their attributes—one was lightning, the other water.
At that moment, Li Xun's attack arrived.
Whoosh—
The hundred-meter-tall Wood Man possessed terrifying strength. As it swung the Wood Dragon downward in a vertical slash, it generated an ear-splitting roar.
Sea Dragon Douluo looked up at the massive dark shadow and saw the fifth, sixth, and seventh Spirit Rings at his feet flash consecutively: "Martial Soul Avatar."
Boom—
The veins on Sea Dragon Douluo's legs bulged as he forcefully leaped sideways. The floor beneath him shattered, and his entire body shot out like an arrow.
Crash—
The Wood Dragon slammed heavily onto the smooth, flat floor in front of the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar, instantly creating a deep dent.
Immediately, dust and smoke billowed as the pristine jade-like stone ground around it shattered into fragments, scattering in all directions.
Sea Dragon Douluo waved his hand to disperse the flying debris and dust, bending his legs to generate force, preparing to launch an assault toward Li Xun atop the Wood Man's head.
But just then, his body suddenly grew heavy, as if carrying a mountain on his back, while an almost transparent shockwave surged toward him.
These were precisely the two skills from Li Xun's Titan Giant Ape Left Arm Spirit Bone: Gravity Swamp and Titan Sky Rift.
As a Titled Douluo and a Battle Soul Master specializing in assault, Li Xun had no intention of giving him any opportunity to attack.
Channeling Soul Power, Li Xun drove the surrounding vines to encircle Sea Dragon Douluo, while the Wood Dragon seized the moment to arc around, trapping him within its range.
"Demon Breaking Domain."
Sea Dragon Douluo caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye, his heart sinking. He hastily activated his own Domain, and the pressure on him abruptly eased.
His Domain didn't offer him significant advantages, but it could neutralize his opponent's Domain, rendering it ineffective.
Faced with vines surging from all directions and the over twenty-meter-thick Wood Dragon, Sea Dragon Douluo's ninth Spirit Ring lit up at his feet. His sharp Dragon Claws slashed repeatedly, releasing dozens of razor-sharp water blades, each over ten meters long, shooting out in all directions.
Ssshh— Ssshh— Ssshh—
Due to the age of the Spirit Rings and the nature of the attacks, the branches and vines continuously shattered. Each water blade cleared a large area, and the massive Wood Dragon soon became riddled with wounds, nearly torn apart in a single encounter.
However, the strength of Li Xun's Advent of a World of Trees had never lain in the quality of the trees themselves, but in their quantity.
Lightly tapping the Wood Man's head with his toe, Li Xun channeled Soul Power through the Wood Man into the earth. The rapidly dwindling vines and branches were instantly replenished, with even more plants emerging from the ground.
"Extreme Cold Spread, Ice Emperor's Wrath."
Li Xun's eighth Spirit Ring lit up at his feet, and sharp ice spears abruptly extended from the spinal region of his back.
Once these ice spears fully emerged into the air, they slowly unfolded, forming shapes resembling scorpion limbs, accompanied by an exquisite scorpion tail.
As the diamond-like stinger gleamed, the surrounding temperature plummeted. Bolstered by the eighth Soul Skill, the Ring Sea froze over almost instantly.
These two skills were not Domain skills and thus remained unaffected by Sea Dragon Douluo's Domain.
Feeling the faint chill seeping into his body, Sea Dragon Douluo grew wary. Water attributes were suppressed by ice attributes, and fighting in such an environment would place him at a severe disadvantage.
Knowing he had to break through quickly, Sea Dragon Douluo activated his seventh and eighth Spirit Rings. Amplified, his body instantly swelled several sizes, and the number of water blades he released increased with each swipe of his claws.
Simultaneously, waves dozens of meters high surged outward from him in all directions, attempting to submerge the surrounding plants in water and exploit the low temperature to freeze them solid.
Meanwhile, he himself began treading the waves, advancing swiftly.
But how could Li Xun's attack be so easily countered?
Just as the tidal wave was about to submerge the vines, those originally unremarkable plants instantly stretched upward, swiftly surpassing the height of the seawater.
Immediately after, countless vines began to shimmer with faint electric currents. These currents grew from weak to intense, and due to their sheer number, instantly conducted into the seawater.
Seadragon Douluo shuddered violently as he moved, electrocuted by the charge.
At that moment, a chilling breeze swept through, and the seawater began to freeze. Countless vines, now devoid of Li Xun's Soul Power, were also encased in ice.
In that instant, the perpetually spring-like Seagod Island saw its central area transform into a vast, snow-white frozen forest, astonishing all onlookers.
Standing atop the Wood Man's head, Li Xun looked down at the scene below and smiled.
He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers lightly: "Ice Burst Technique."
Boom, boom, boom—
With his command, the once beautiful ice and snow world shattered abruptly, sending waves of ice and snow soaring dozens of meters high.
(End of Chapter)