The moment full contact was made, Tang San immediately felt his soul power draining away at a speed dozens of times faster than before. In the blink of an eye, he could already feel his overall reserves plummeting. But a faint smile appeared on Tang San's face — the real gift had only just begun.
A burst of blue-gold radiance exploded outward. A massive wave of life energy扩散ed in an instant, not only enveloping the Sea Star Sacred Pillar Platform and the Inner Sea before him, but also spreading to the vast forest along the shore. Enormous life force surged in like rivers pouring into the ocean. Everything around them transformed into an illusion of ancient forest.
Eight golden lances materialized behind Tang San, and countless golden threads intertwined gracefully with the numerous Blue Silver Emperors. It was the Blue Silver Domain's evolved skill, Myriad Manifestations, and the fusion skill of the Eight Spider Lances with the Blue Silver Domain — the Devouring Gold Threads — appearing simultaneously.
The Blue Silver Domain was the Blue Silver Emperor's innate domain. Under the amplification of the Martial Soul's own innate domain, the Blue Silver Emperors instantly grew thicker and more robust. The soul power that had been draining away at a furious pace suddenly slowed, each Blue Silver Emperor acting like a miserly noble blocking the flow. When those golden threads attached themselves to the Blue Silver Emperors, the soul power drain halted completely. The two sides devolved into a tug-of-war.
The Devouring Gold Threads could not devour the opponent's energy, and the Sea Star Douluo could not use his ability to drain Tang San's soul power through them either.
One should never underestimate the Sea Star Douluo's devouring ability. Though it was merely his third soul skill, it was actually an innate talent of his Martial Soul, the Sea Star. Combined with a soul bone he possessed that carried the same effect, this devouring power, once unleashed, was by no means inferior to the effect of an eighth soul skill. Even the previous Sea Illusion Douluo and Sea Spear Douluo would have been utterly defeated if they had been tightly bound like this.
Tang San's Devouring Gold Threads, while possessing a respectable devouring effect, still fell short when compared directly to the Sea Star Douluo, whose primary skill was devouring. However, the amplification and suppression effects of the Blue Silver Domain made up the difference. Under the domain's pressure and the majesty of the Sea God's Light, the Devouring Gold Threads clung to the Blue Silver Emperors, barely managing to hold the opponent to a draw. Yet, as the Sea Star Douluo went all-out with his devouring, this stalemate began to shift, and the scales gradually tilted toward the Sea Star Douluo.
Even so, the Sea Star Douluo was extremely startled. He could never have imagined that this young man who had earned the glory of the Sea God's Nine Trials also possessed such formidable devouring ability — and that he would dare to challenge him in a contest of devouring like this.
The enormous body writhed violently, and the Sea Star Douluo's ninth soul ring finally blazed to life. Although the Blue Silver Emperors were coiled around his body, they could not cover every inch of him. Those suction cups not yet ensnared and not participating in the devouring turned a deep blue. From within the Inner Sea, streams of seawater surged outward like arrows, injecting directly into the Sea Star Douluo's suction cups. Tang San realized that the Sea Star Douluo could actually filter seawater through his suction cups, absorbing the energy within the water into his own body. Moreover, his body began to grow slippery, and every suction cup on his surface started pulsing irregularly. The devouring continued, but Tang San's Devouring Gold Threads could no longer easily lock onto the Sea Star Douluo's body, while the Sea Star Douluo's devouring only grew stronger.
Ripples of blue light radiated outward from the Sea Star Douluo's body one after another. As more and more suction cups turned blue, his body became increasingly tough and resilient. From within the Inner Sea, tentacle after tentacle burrowed out, covering the entire range of the inner sea. Every suction cup on every tentacle blazed with dazzling blue light. It was not just the suction cups touching Tang San's Blue Silver Emperors that were devouring — even the suction cups on the tentacles standing upright in the air were devouring, and what they devoured was the energy of Tang San's Blue Silver Domain itself.
This was the Sea Star Douluo's ninth soul skill: Thousand Tendrils, Ten Thousand Suctions. It devoured energy of any form within the range reached by the devouring tentacles, domain energy being no exception. Furthermore, it injected all that energy into himself to replenish what he had consumed. Seawater was unquestionably his greatest amplifier — where seawater was present, the skill's power increased by thirty percent. A truly terrifying ninth soul skill.
The best counter for this ninth soul skill was to flee to a distance, avoid direct contact, and attack from afar. Keep the main body outside his devouring range. Wait until the soul power fueling his ninth skill was exhausted, then strike for the kill. The Sea Star Douluo was well aware of this weakness, so every time he activated this skill, it was under the precondition that his opponent was already within range and currently being devoured. In such circumstances, his ninth soul skill could unleash its maximum power, making it essentially a point-blank lethal technique. Against Tang San's Blue Silver Domain — Myriad Manifestations and Devouring Gold Threads — the cautious Sea Star Douluo did not hesitate to deploy his strongest ability. The sooner, the better, lest complications arise.
Even the perpetually calm Tang San had not expected the Sea Star Douluo's ninth soul skill to be so monstrous, completely abandoning offensive power to pour everything into devouring. For any non-flying Soul Master who entered his attack zone, survival was extremely difficult. Every attack you launched would have its energy devoured by his countless tentacles, and even if it hit his body, most of the destructive force would be absorbed first. Combined with his thick hide and powerful recovery ability, even someone stronger than him could easily be worn down to death.
There was no other option. Tang San made his judgment in an instant. Even if he unleashed his most powerful attack right now, it would be impossible to break free. Using instantaneous teleportation to escape the battlefield was not out of the question, but it would mean abandoning all the Blue Silver Emperors he had already deployed. The soul power loss and the backlash on his own body would be devastating — defeat in the following battle would be certain. Therefore, he had only one choice: continue matching devouring against devouring.
He consumed the Excitement Pink Sausage. Under the powerful stimulation, the Blue Silver Emperors blazed with brilliant light. At the same time, Tang San ate a Resilient Golden Fly. Facing such a grotesque opponent, he had to add an extra layer of insurance to his next move.
His eighth soul ring blazed. Dark crimson ripples surged outward like crashing waves, instantly spreading to every part of the Sea Star Douluo's Martial Soul True Body. That massive, squirming form froze in place. But his ninth soul skill showed no signs of dissipating.
The Blue Silver Emperor's eighth soul skill, first form — Blue Silver Orca Demon's Grip, activated. A preemptive restriction, an absolute-hit ability. Three seconds of眩晕 already landed on the Sea Star Douluo, halting his body's movement. But Tang San's Blue Silver Emperors and the Sea Star Douluo's tentacles were inextricably tangled, and he was being held by the suction cups — there was absolutely no way to use these three seconds to break free.
And Tang San had never intended to break free. He lunged forward, hurtling toward the Sea Star Douluo like a meteor chasing the moon. Xiao Wu's silhouette materialized behind him. For this strike, Tang San could no longer use the Vast Sea Protective Shield to keep Xiao Wu hidden. The Blue Silver Emperor coiled around Xiao Wu's waist released simultaneously, flinging her body through the gaps in the Sea Star Douluo's tentacles and into the air. The Sea Star Douluo was currently stunned and naturally could not block her.
With a soft thud, Tang San's body landed right at the center of the Sea Star Douluo's main form. His body did not make direct contact with the Sea Star Douluo's body, but even so, he could feel the pressure from the enormous suction cup below. The Eight Spider Lances plunged deep into the Sea Star Douluo's main body, and a blinding golden light erupted.
The Sea Star Douluo had his ninth soul skill for devouring. Similarly, Tang San had his Eight Spider Lances — an external soul bone. The Eight Spider Lances were his true powerful devouring tool. As an external soul bone, up to this point, aside from the Devouring Gold Threads and being used directly as spears, the Eight Spider Lances essentially had only one skill: devouring. The toxins they carried came primarily from the two extreme-tier spirit herbs Tang San had consumed.
This was Tang San's all-or-nothing gamble. Under the effect of the Resilient Golden Fly, the devouring power of the Eight Spider Lances was directly boosted to one hundred and fifty percent.
Terrorizing devouring energy erupted in a single instant. Three seconds was brief, but for Tang San it was enough. In the first second, he lunged onto the Sea Star Douluo's body. During the next two seconds, under the horrifying devouring force of the Eight Spider Lances, one could clearly see the Sea Star Douluo's main body rapidly deflating. Tang San poured every ounce of energy into the devouring before him. And the lethal poison within the Eight Spider Lances was mercilessly injected into the Sea Star Douluo's Martial Soul True Body as well.
Back when facing the Deep Sea Magic Whale, Tang San had managed to inflict significant damage on it using the Eight Spider Lances. Now, his strength had grown by two additional soul rings, and he had consumed the Resilient Golden Fly. The devouring power of the Eight Spider Lances could be imagined.
In terms of area-of-effect devouring, the Eight Spider Lances naturally could not compare to the Sea Star Douluo. But in close-range, single-target devouring, unless the Sea Star Douluo's suction cups could stack their effects, there was simply no comparison.
In just two brief seconds, Tang San devoured from the stunned Sea Star Douluo an amount of soul power equivalent to what he had expended on his eighth soul skill, the Blue Silver Orca Demon's Grip. Moreover, the lethal toxins successfully entered the Sea Star Douluo's main body. Tang San knew the Sea Star Douluo himself possessed poison-related abilities, had strong resistance to toxins, and was a Titled Douluo to boot. Even the poison on the Eight Spider Lances would not kill him in one blow. That was why Tang San had released his attack without the slightest hesitation.
With the Eight Spider Lances' entry points as the epicenter, the center of the massive sea star rapidly deflated amid violent spasms. When the Sea Star Douluo snapped out of his stupor, he was horrified. Soul power and life force were draining through the eight wounds at an alarming rate. At the same time, extreme cold and extreme heat — two forms of maddening pain — spread rapidly through his body, leaving his "five limbs" numb. His soul power circulation was sluggish, and even maintaining his ninth soul skill had become difficult.
He had assumed those eight lances, previously used only to release the Devouring Gold Threads, were simply piercing him. He had never expected them to bring such a terrifying sensation. Panic seized the Sea Star Douluo. He thrashed desperately, trying to use body undulation to fling Tang San away. But Tang San clung to him like a maggot to bone, immovable, his limbs bound tight by the Blue Silver Emperors. The more he struggled, the faster his soul power and life force drained away.
The situation was the complete opposite for Tang San. As the devouring continued, the blue-gold radiance around his body grew ever brighter. As vast amounts of energy flooded in, his earlier expenditure was recovering at a remarkable pace. Even the Devouring Gold Threads gradually gained the upper hand over the weakening sea star tentacles. Against an opponent who was, to a degree, countered by him, Tang San had chosen the most correct fighting strategy. At last, relying on the external soul bone that had evolved multiple times — the Eight Spider Lances — he had seized the initiative, holding the entire battle firmly in his grasp.
The Sea Star Douluo's body gradually became half scorching, half freezing. His defensive power and self-repair ability were formidable, but against this insidious internal poison, he was utterly helpless. He could only try to slow its spread, but he could not prevent his energy from being devoured at a frightening rate. At this point, the outcome of the challenge was beyond doubt. Xiao Wu descended slowly from midair. Tang San even had the leisure to flick a Blue Silver Emperor to coil around her waist, supporting her body as she hovered. This time, he did not even have Xiao Wu's soul merge with his. There were still two more challenges ahead — it was always wise to save some trump cards.
The Eight Spider Lances, empowered by the Resilient Golden Fly, were simply too terrifying. The Sea Star Douluo's ninth soul skill collapsed. The tentacles rising from the ocean began to rapidly retract, the blue glow on the suction cups quickly faded, and even his main body shrank rapidly, drawing energy inward to try to resist Tang San's devouring and poison spread.
"Senior, please concede." Just then, Tang San suddenly stopped devouring and did not continue further. He had clearly detected the Sea Star Douluo's heartbeat. Finding the opponent's heartbeat meant the Sea Star Douluo no longer had the strength to protect himself. To continue would inflict irreversible, devastating injuries.
"I concede." A weak voice came through. Though unwilling, the Sea Star Douluo was not overly distressed. After all, four of his companions had met the same fate before him.
The Eight Spider Lances did not immediately leave the Sea Star Douluo's body. Instead, they rapidly withdrew the ice-fire toxins they had injected, and returned the life force they had absorbed back into his body. The soul power that had been drained, of course, Tang San would not return. The Sea Star Douluo could recover it through cultivation eventually, and Tang San, who still needed to continue his trials, required that soul power as replenishment.
With a soft hissing sound, the Eight Spider Lances withdrew from the Sea Star Douluo's body. The massive sea star rapidly writhed and contracted, reverting to human form — the strange-looking man Tang San had first encountered.
"That power you used to attack me at the end — was that an external soul bone?" The Sea Star Douluo's voice was hoarse, somewhat uncomfortable to hear.
Pulling Xiao Wu close, Tang San nodded. "It is my external soul bone, the Eight Spider Lances."
The Sea Star Douluo sighed and murmured, "As expected of an external soul bone. My proudest devouring skill lost to you. I concede with full conviction. You win." Tang San had already shown him mercy, not inflicting any real lasting harm. The Sea Star Douluo would not make things difficult any further. As he spoke, his left hand shot out, rapidly elongating, and struck the Sea Star Sacred Pillar. Immediately, star-shaped lights drifted out and landed on Tang San and Xiao Wu. The fifth Sacred Pillar trial had finally been passed.
After thanking the Sea Star Douluo, Tang San carried Xiao Wu on his back and returned to the shore. Without resting, he reunited with his companions and immediately set off for the next station. The last two challenges ahead were, without question, the most difficult of all seven. Tang San's final opponent would be the Sea Dragon Douluo, the strongest among the Sea God's Seven Sacred Pillar guardian Douluo. And Zhu Zhuqing, who was undergoing the Black Level Five Trials, also faced her final test. It was easy to imagine that as the last trial, its difficulty would be beyond the other Black Level tests. If she passed, she would essentially earn the Sea God's recognition and become a member of Sea God Island — holding the same Black Level authority as the Sacred Pillar guardian Douluo.
Walking through the forest, Tang San said to Zhu Zhuqing, "Zhu Qing, during your challenge, don't push yourself too hard. If things aren't going well, conserve your strength and concede. After I defeat the Sea Demoness, you can challenge again and win in one go."
Zhu Zhuqing naturally understood Tang San's good intentions. Glancing at Dai Mubai, who was nodding vigorously beside her, a faint smile appeared on her normally icy face. "Thank you, Third Brother. But I believe I can succeed. In the earlier trials, you've already done so much for all of us. This time, it's my turn to give something back. Don't forget — apart from you and Mubai, I have the highest soul power among us."