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... It seems... the problem is solved?
Xuan Ming nodded, "It was a misunderstanding, and it has been clarified."
Di Tian looked at the Demon Empress, a hint of complexity flashing in his dragon eyes. He could naturally sense the Demon Empress's unfathomable strength; she was definitely an extremely powerful opponent.
However, given Xuan Ming's current strength, which is unrivaled below the divine level, if they were to fight, she would surely die. After all, he had promised the Deep Sea Demon Whale King to ensure the safety of his wife and child.
The Demon Empress also looked at Di Tian and nodded slightly, acknowledging him.
Although she was arrogant, she knew Di Tian's identity and strength. Now that she had decided to follow Xuan Ming, she naturally would not maintain a hostile posture.
"Since the misunderstanding is resolved, that is good," Di Tian said, then looked at Xuan Ming, "Should we... continue our journey?"
Xuan Ming glanced at the Demon Empress, pondered for a moment, and asked, "How much do you know about the Sun Moon Continent?"
Di Tian had not been to the Sun Moon Continent for nearly ten thousand years, and his knowledge of the place was still stuck ten thousand years in the past.
The Demon Empress thought for a moment, "I know a bit about the sea, but I'm not very clear about the land."
The couple had each occupied a section of the sea. The Deep Sea Demon Whale King occupied the Demon Whale Sea Territory near the Douluo Continent, while she occupied the Demon Empress Sea Territory near the Sun Moon Continent.
They rarely spent time together, meeting only about once every thousand years. They also took turns raising the child for a thousand years each. Originally, she was supposed to come and take the child in two years, but she never expected such an incident to happen suddenly.
"Are you... going to look for that Old freak in the Evil Demon Forest?" the Demon Empress asked.
Although her cultivation had reached over 800,000 years through devouring, she had only truly cultivated for just over 200,000 years. The Evil Eye Tyrant Overlord from the Evil Demon Forest, who had lived for at least 500,000 years, was an extremely old thing in her eyes.
"Yes," Xuan Ming nodded, "I need a suitable spirit ring."
The Demon Empress was silent for a moment, seemingly recalling and weighing things, then she spoke, "That Old freak is extremely cunning and highly cautious. It almost never leaves the core area of the Evil Demon Forest, which is its absolute home turf, filled with mental force traps and spirit power fields it has set up."
"Furthermore, that Old freak seems to have a deep connection with the Sun Moon Empire royal family."
"How much do you know about the Sun Moon Empire royal family?" Xuan Ming asked.
The Demon Empress shook her head, "Not much. I only know that they call themselves Sun Moon, worship the sun and moon, and have developed many unique spirit tool technologies, which are very different from the Spirit Master system of the Douluo Continent. Their royal family's inheritance also seems special, but I haven't concerned myself deeply with the specifics. We have always kept to ourselves."
"However, the Evil Eye Tyrant Overlord can command human Titled Douluo to work for it. If you plan to target it, it might be very troublesome, perhaps even provoking the intervention of the Sun Moon Empire's human Spirit Masters."
"Quantity holds no meaning for me," Xuan Ming stated flatly.
Even a super Douluo could be exhausted by a human wave tactic, but he was different. With the absolute suppression of the Colorless Domain and the tyrannical recovery of the Abyssal Dragon Emperor Body, unless someone could directly crush him, they would be unable to pose a threat.
The Demon Empress looked at Xuan Ming's calm eyes, her heart slightly chilled, and she said nothing more. She realized that the strength of this new master was probably even more terrifying than she had imagined.
"In that case, let us depart," Di Tian said, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon. "The Sun Moon Continent is not far now."
"What about you?" Xuan Ming looked at the Demon Empress.
"Do you plan to return to the Demon Whale Sea Territory, or go to the Lake of Life to see your child?"
"I..." The Demon Empress pondered for a moment.
"I will help you deal with that old thing first."
She wanted to see just how capable this human truly was... Sea God Island.
Hu Liena, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, and the others finished their short rest and were preparing to begin the fourth test of the Sea God Test—[Clarity of Heart and Nature]. They needed to clarify their emotional ties with Xuan Ming and define their relationships.
However, when they habitually tried to look for Xuan Ming, or expected him to appear by the training grounds as usual, they found his figure nowhere.
"Sister Gu Yuena," Ning Rongrong, unable to restrain herself, ran to Gu Yuena, who was standing quietly by the water, asking urgently, "Where is Brother Xuan Ming? Why is he gone?"
Gu Yuena looked at the group of young women, each with different thoughts, and stated calmly, "He left Sea God Island yesterday to find a suitable spirit ring for his Black Dragon Martial Soul."
"What?!"
At this announcement, not only was Ning Rongrong stunned, but Hu Liena, Zhu Zhuqing, and the others who had walked over also stopped, their faces filled with shock.
The test had started, but... the "test subject" himself had run away? What was this supposed to mean? Were they supposed to achieve "Clarity of Heart and Nature" while facing thin air?
Seeing their bewildered expressions, Gu Yuena added, "This trip will take him at least several months to return. You should seize the time to cultivate and not focus all your attention on waiting for him."
"But..." Ning Rongrong hesitated.
The content of their test was Xuan Ming himself.
"Use this time to think things through clearly. Don't be indecisive and unclear once he returns," Gu Yuena said.
Hearing this, the girls showed various expressions and fell silent.
Gu Yuena took in everyone's reactions and sighed inwardly. She said no more, turning to continue her "ideological work" with the Snow Empress, Ice Empress, Bi Ji, and Zi Ji. At the same time, she began subtly incorporating guidance on emotion, responsibility, and choice while Hu Liena and the others were undergoing intense training.
Although she didn't fully understand why the Sea God would bestow such a test, the difficulty itself was not high. The key lay in changing one's mindset and facing the situation honestly. Moreover, even without this test, the complex emotional entanglements surrounding Xuan Ming would need to be resolved sooner or later. Now, it was merely using the God Test to bring the issue to the surface and force everyone to confront it earlier.
Meanwhile, deep within the Sea God Temple.
Bo Saixi stood before the massive Sea God statue. The water mirror in front of her reflected the scene by the ring-shaped sea, and she naturally heard Gu Yuena's words.
An extremely complex emotion flashed across her beautiful face. Upon learning that Xuan Ming had temporarily left, she involuntarily felt a sense of relief deep down, as if she had gained a brief respite and did not immediately have to face the "explanation" that had left her heart in turmoil.
However, this relief was immediately followed by an indescribable emptiness and deeper anxiety.
He had gone to a dangerous place, his return date uncertain. And when he did return, how should she handle herself? How should she resolve that stirring emotion and the obsession she had held onto for decades?
And how should she proceed with the hidden test bestowed by the Sea God, concerning "seizing the xuan ming's heart and the Sea God's Heart"?
... Sun Moon Continent, edge of the Evil Demon Forest.
Dense miasma and twisted mental force fields formed a natural barrier, making this vast, boundless forest appear particularly gloomy and bizarre.
The branches and leaves of towering ancient trees obscured most of the sunlight, leaving only scattered patches of light projected onto the ground covered in moss and strange fungi.
Xuan Ming, Di Tian, and the Demon Empress quietly appeared on the outskirts of the forest.
"This forest is enveloped by the Evil Emperor's mental force field. The area is vast, the terrain is complex, and it is full of illusions and mental traps," Di Tian said solemnly.
"If we rush in directly, the slightest leakage of our aura will alert it immediately. Given its cunning nature, it will either use the home field advantage to set up layers of traps and wear us down, or... simply flee thousands of miles away, making it like searching for a needle in a haystack if we try to find it again."
The Demon Empress sensed the wicked mental force fluctuations in the air that made even her slightly uncomfortable, and a hint of disgust appeared on her cold, beautiful face. "This old thing certainly knows how to manage its lair."
Xuan Ming's gaze swept over the forest, which seemed to writhe like a living creature. Forcibly searching the mountains was indeed the stupidest method; trying to search the entire Evil Demon Forest for the Evil Emperor was simply unrealistic, and he didn't have that much time.
"Then let's stick to the old method."