The demigod of the ocean met the inheritance of the Sea God. Cerydra did not believe that the Sea God had no intentions whatsoever.
The reality was as she predicted. The Sea God had indeed taken a liking to Helektra and intended to pass the Divine Seat to her.
Cerydra, as a former Empress who had governed a realm and deeply understood the nature of power, instantly recognized the opportunity and necessity contained within this prospect.
They were foreign visitors, memory constructs condensed from negative energy, sustained by the Holy Grail and their Master.
While powerful, they were ultimately constrained by others, and their form of existence was imperfect.
And achieving godhood—condensing a Divine Seat according to this world's rules and reshaping a divine body with vast divine power—what did this signify?
It signified complete independence.
It meant breaking free from all external restraints, existing truly in a complete, immortal life form.
Furthermore, the Sea God's Divine Seat in this world wielded the authority of the ocean, a near-perfect match for Helektra's fundamental power.
Once successful, Helektra could also recover her power as an Ocean Demigod. Even if the Sea God was only a Rank 1 God, Helektra should quickly be able to elevate it to the God-King level.
With this, they would have the capital to survive in this world.
Cerydra met Helektra's questioning gaze and gave a barely perceptible nod.
Receiving Cerydra's affirmation, Helektra looked back at Poseidon, who maintained her bowing posture, her eyes filled with anticipation and determination.
"Very well, I accept the Sea God's Nine Trials."
In front of the Sea God Temple, the sun was bright, and the sea breeze carried the sound of the distant tide, as if foreshadowing the birth of a new Sea God.
In the afternoon in Heaven Dou City, the sunlight filtered through the slightly sparse clouds, lazily scattering across the flagstone streets.
Despite undergoing the upheaval of dynastic change, the face of this ancient capital did not appear overly desolate. Instead, in a strange calm, it revealed a sluggish vitality peculiar to the transition between old and new eras.
The Spirit Hall Empire's time in charge was still short, but its consistently touted policy of favoring commoners had begun to show initial results.
On the streets, the shouts of vendors, the clatter of carriage wheels, and the chatter of pedestrians continued. There was less of the apprehension from the days when noble carriages ran rampant, and more cautious observation and testing.
For the vast majority of commoners, the change of the banner overhead from a swan to a six-winged angel was far less tangible than whether there would be an extra piece of meat on tomorrow's dinner table.
The prestige Spirit Hall had accumulated among the populace over hundreds of years now served as the most effective stabilizer, making the transition of power at the grassroots level remarkably smooth.
The real undercurrents and resistance mostly lurked within the tightly shut gates of former noble residences and the shadows of certain sects.
Within this seemingly ordinary market scene, an unusually eye-catching crimson figure was darting through the crowd like a leaping flame sprite—out of place yet perfectly at ease.
It was a young girl, dressed in a singular, fire-red outfit, whose style was unlike any common attire on the Douluo Continent.
Her steps were light, even bouncy, and her black hair danced lively with her movements.
Her expressive eyes were filled with curiosity and excitement. She looked left and right, everything from the sugar figures made by street vendors to the sparks flying in the blacksmith's shop, and even an interesting accessory on a passerby, seemed to pique her intense interest.
A cunning yet joyful smile constantly played on her lips, and she hummed an off-key yet incredibly cheerful tune. Anyone could tell she was in excellent spirits.
However, the most unsettling thing was not her unique attire or behavior, but the sightless attitude of the surrounding passersby.
She was clearly and openly present in the flow of people, yet an invisible barrier seemed to separate her from her surroundings.
Hasty pedestrians subconsciously steered around her, yet no one cast a surprised glance. Vendors' eyes swept over her, but moved on naturally, as if seeing air.
It wasn't deliberate disregard, but some power caused their brains to automatically filter out this overly bright red presence, making her a logically present being in the collective blind spot.
At this moment, atop a high building not far from the street, a tall, slender figure stood silently.
Lu Jingming was dressed in black, his robes gently fluttering in the breeze.
His deep gaze pierced through the noise, precisely locking onto that joyful splash of red in the crowd below. A very faint smile slowly curved on his otherwise calm face.
"I finally found you, Sparkle."
He muttered to himself, his voice so low that only he could hear it.
The red-clad girl below, frolicking like an unbridled mustang, was the Masked Fool who had audaciously blown open a space-time tunnel in Mingdu and single-handedly shattered the meticulously planned chess game of countless people—Sparkle.
The method she was currently using to lower her presence and blind the perception of mortals and even ordinary Soul Masters was her signature trick, originating from the Path of Elation.
This power played tricks with cognition and confused perception, allowing her to move through most places as if she were entering a land without people.
Unfortunately, this ingenious trick, in Lu Jingming's eyes, was like a bubble in the sunlight—clearly visible and impossible to hide.
Lu Jingming's gaze constantly followed the red figure.
The troublesome girl, whom he mentally labeled a "brat," operated on a logic completely outside the bounds of common sense.
She reveled in the collapse of others' plans, with the highest goal being to create chaos and surprise.
Allowing her to wander for another moment carried an extra minute of unpredictable risk.
Who knew if she might suddenly get bored and casually throw another surprise at this world, blowing up his or someone else's arrangement along with it?
To be safe, bringing this most unstable variable under control as early as possible was undoubtedly the wisest choice right now.
Capturing this mischievous director, Sparkle, was imperative.
Sparkle below seemed utterly unaware of this.
Her humming tune grew even happier. Changing her steps, she deviated from the main road and turned into a relatively quiet alley.
The alley was flanked by high walls, casting large shadows and isolating the noise.
The moment she entered this relatively contained space, the look of pure curiosity instantly faded from Sparkle's face, replaced by a radiant smile mixed with irrepressible smugness and excitement.
Recalling the potential shock of the mastermind when the space-time tunnel was forcefully blown open by her in Mingdu, and the anger that might have appeared on Celenova's ice-block face, an indescribable thrill shot straight up her spine.
Destruction, especially the destruction of carefully planned, seemingly flawless, serious schemes, brought an unparalleled sense of accomplishment.
Smashing all predetermined tracks to pieces and watching everyone scramble and fume with rage—
"Pfft..."
She couldn't help but giggle, then quickly covered her mouth, her shoulders trembling from suppressing her laughter.
Her beautiful eyes curved into crescent moons, twinkling with a light of extreme elation.
Truly, high as hell!
Sparkle was still immersed in the ultimate pleasure brought by the space-time chaos she had orchestrated, her lips irresistibly curled upward, as if she could already see countless faces turning red with fury from their shattered plans.
She didn't even pay much attention to the slight dimming of the light at the alley entrance, where a figure had silently blocked her way.
Or perhaps, given her foxy nature, she had already noticed, but simply... didn't care.
"Masked Fool."
A firm, crisp female voice broke the silence of the alley.
Firefly stood there, tightly gripping her strangely shaped wingshield transformer. Her expression was serious, her eyes sharp, locked firmly onto Sparkle.
"Surrender now, or you will die."
It was only then that Sparkle seemed to notice the other's existence, dramatically patting her chest, adopting the pose of a startled rabbit, but her tone was full of mockery:
"Oh my, who do we have here? It's the Stellaron Hunter's tin can—Sam, is it? How terrifying~ This little one is faint-hearted and can't take a fright, you know."
Firefly frowned, and Lu Jingming's instruction instantly flashed through her mind.
"When facing her, do not speak much, capture her directly."
Well aware that this Masked Fool excelled at using words to disrupt the mind, Firefly no longer hesitated.
"Boom—!"
Blazing flames and surging energy instantly engulfed her body. Mechanical structures unfolded and assembled layer by layer. In a blink of an eye, the small girl had transformed into the humanoid mecha, Sam.
Without the slightest warning, a metal heavy punch, wrapped in crimson energy, ruthlessly smashed towards Sparkle's location, carrying a roar that tore the air.
Where the punch passed, the alley walls were scoured bare by the scorching heatwave.
However, that punch, powerful enough to cleave mountains and split stones, passed straight through the "Sparkle" figure.
The red-clad girl's image rippled like a reflection struck by a pebble, then shattered like glass.
With a "kacha" sound, it dissolved into scattered points of light, vanishing without a trace.
In its place, only a faint, subtly mocking scent of elation remained.
An illusion.
Firefly stopped her punch, her eyes behind the mecha's visor showing no surprise.
She knew long ago that if the infamous Masked Fool could be caught so easily, they wouldn't have left behind so many headache-inducing legends across the universe.
This attack was always intended as a probe and a force.
Almost at the exact moment the phantom shattered, in another narrow alley several blocks away, the real Sparkle just reappeared, a triumphant smile still lingering on her face for successfully fooling her opponent.
But before the smile could fully blossom, it froze at the corner of her mouth.
In front, another figure stood quietly waiting.
It was a girl holding a massive purple scythe, its curved blade describing an arc of death, emitting an ominous, faint glow.
Her figure was graceful, her face hidden in a faint shadow, yet a pair of calm, clear eyes, as if reflecting the River Styx, were distinctly visible—it was the demigod who wielded death, Castorice.
Castorice did not speak, nor did she make any threatening gesture.
She merely raised her eyelids slightly, and a deep, viscous purple domain silently spread from her feet.
Where the purple touched, even light seemed to be swallowed. Moss on the walls instantly withered, and the air turned icy cold, carrying the chilling power of absolute stillness that stripped away all life, surging towards Sparkle.
"Tsk!"
Sparkle's mouth twitched. She cursed inwardly, "I hate these reckless people who go straight for the ultimate move without saying a word."
Castorice was naturally not reckless, but she was faithfully executing Lu Jingming's command—when facing Sparkle, attack directly, no need for words.
Seeing the domain of death about to reach her, Sparkle's figure once again dispersed like a dandelion blown by the wind, dissolving into points of light.
Her real body had escaped yet again through the Cicada Shedding its Shell trick.
Twice in a row, using sophisticated illusions and spatial techniques to escape, was not insignificant, even for Sparkle.
She dared not linger, her figure rapidly flickering in the shadows of the city, attempting to completely move away from this area.
However, just as she thought she was temporarily safe and prepared to take a breather, a heart-stopping, terrifying pressure descended like an invisible mountain.
The space ahead slightly distorted, and a beautiful figure with silver hair and purple eyes quietly materialized.
Gu Yuena hovered a foot above the ground, seven colored spheres representing different fundamental elements slowly rotating around her, emitting a massive energy capable of making heaven and earth lose their color.
Gold, green, blue, red, yellow, black, and silver light intertwined, making her appear like a goddess holding the authority of the elements.
Just by standing there, the pervasive dragon might and elemental tide made Sparkle feel the surrounding air solidify, and the circulation of energy within her body became sluggish.
The muscles on Sparkle's face twitched again uncontrollably.
Earlier, facing Firefly and Castorice, she had the mind to maneuver and even counterattack, but simply avoided them because it was troublesome.
But the person before her... she genuinely couldn't win against this one.
"Time to bail, time to bail."
Sparkle was extremely pragmatic, and without hesitation, she once again activated the power of the Path of Elation, trying to create an illusion while her real body slipped into a spatial rift to escape.
Her illusion technique was indeed exquisite. The moment her true body merged into the spatial rift, even the elemental spheres around Gu Yuena paused slightly, seemingly losing their target.
But, in that very instant—
"Zheng!"
A clear sword chime, as if from the deepest abyss, an icy chill instantly permeated every inch of space.
A beam of icy sword energy, condensed to the extreme, seemingly capable of freezing the soul, precisely and unerringly sliced into the spatial rift where Sparkle's real body was hidden, as if it had a life of its own.
"Ugh!"
Sparkle let out a muffled groan. She felt the surrounding space instantly frozen, and the all-pervasive, bitter cold sword intent forcefully interrupted her escape process, hard-forcing her out of the void spatial seam, where she stumbled upon landing.
She raised her head in shock, only to see Jingliu, with her silver hair like a waterfall, holding an ice crystal longsword, its tip angled towards the ground. An aura of ultimate cold, like ten thousand years of profound ice, emanated from her.
Her blood-red eyes locked onto Sparkle without a trace of emotion. The chilling killing intent and sword stance acted as invisible shackles, causing Sparkle's body to suddenly stiffen, making it difficult for even her fingers to move.
Locked by Jingliu's sword energy in front, and suppressed by Gu Yuena's elements behind, the sides seemed impassable... no, they were not impassable.
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