Chapter 686. The Word "Love" — Salvation Through Telepathy

Looking at the eight trials of the Sea God's inheritance in order, the first seven trials were most likely testing whether he could break free from the seven emotions. Yes, it had to be so.

The moment this realization dawned on him, Tang San's mind cleared in an instant. The searing pain shooting through his right leg — the agony of the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone beginning to separate — could not disturb his sudden epiphany.

Had the Sea God been able to sense the changes in Tang San's heart at that moment, he would have been deeply gratified. Because, had the Sea God's Heart been present, the hint it would have offered Tang San concerned the trial of the seven emotions. The Sea God's inheritance was originally supposed to test the six desires, corresponding to a Soul Master's six soul bones. But Tang San was an exception. As the bearer of the externally attached soul bone — the Eight Spider Lances — he possessed seven soul bones in total, which was why the trial had shifted from the six desires to the seven emotions.

Humans possessed seven emotions and six desires. These were the foundations of human feeling, unavoidable and inescapable. No one was exempt. The difficulty of such a trial could be imagined. Even with advance warnings, passing it under the interference of the Sea God's energy was extraordinarily difficult, let alone the fact that Tang San had received no warnings whatsoever and had been thrust directly into the trial. The difficulty was so immense that success was almost impossible.

But, thanks to the convenient door the Sea God had opened and a measure of luck thrown in, now that Tang San had grasped the true content of the Sea God's inheritance trials, it was no longer likely to stump him — a man whose Sea God Affinity had been raised to one hundred and fifteen percent through the Eight Trials of the Sea God. Tang San had not disappointed anyone. Starting from the third trial, his inheritance had proceeded smoothly.

The third trial tested the emotion of "sorrow," stripping away his Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone. What appeared in its place was an illusory scene — the very moment his mother, Ah Yin, had instantly chosen to sacrifice herself in order to save Tang Hao. And Tang San, with nothing more than a wave of his hand, could have saved his mother within that illusion. The atmosphere, saturated with grief, was supremely easy to sink into.

But with the experience gained from the first two trials, no matter what illusion lay before him, Tang San maintained his focus, holding firm to his mind. What delighted him even further was that his Purple Extreme Demon Eye's ability to penetrate illusions could be used here as well — after all, the Purple Extreme Demon Eye was not a power that belonged to this world. Though the illusion possessed formidable power to deceive, Tang San forced his way through regardless. He passed with ease. The Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone transformed into a stalk of Blue Silver Grass — the most ordinary Blue Silver Grass — and rested calmly upon the third small platform, bathed in a golden halo.

Immediately after, the fourth trial stripped away his left leg bone. Another illusion appeared, but this time, the central figure was Xiao Wu. It depicted the scene just after Xiao Wu had completed her sacrifice for Tang San, her soul on the verge of departing — a vision designed to ignite a profound fear deep within Tang San's heart.

With the experience and enlightenment gained from the previous three trials, Tang San's will was iron. He forcibly suppressed the emotions influenced by the Sea God's divine power and passed once more. The Evil Demon Tiger Whale left leg bone transformed into a massive tiger whale form that swam across the fourth circular platform.

At this point, Tang San had passed four of the eight trials in his Sea God inheritance. And after clearing the fourth, he suddenly felt his body begin to undergo changes. His bones, muscles, and meridians — originally gold in color — gradually reddened, taking on a crimson-gold hue similar to the color Qian Renxue manifested when attacking at full power. After undergoing four emotional transformations, the Sea God's power, while influencing his emotions, had simultaneously been subtly altering his body. At the same time, the Sea God's divinity was seeping into his body, bit by bit.

At this stage, Tang San still had three soul bones that had not been stripped away, and he knew these three were the most important.

The Eight Spider Lances had reached the divine level and were inseparable from him, remaining capable of keeping watch. Within the Azure Bull Python right arm bone, Da Ming's soul could provide him with warnings. The Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone had been left to him by his mother and was filled with love — naturally, it would pose no problems. The Evil Demon Tiger Whale left leg bone, though sourced from the hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast Evil Demon Tiger Whale King, was not particularly significant as a left leg soul bone in terms of importance, and Tang San could fully suppress the emotional influence it might exert even after separation. Therefore, the first four trials had been passed with relative ease. Of course, the prerequisite was that Tang San had been able to figure out the true nature of the Sea God's inheritance trials in a short period of time.

However, the remaining four trials would be far more difficult. Setting aside the repair of the Sea God's Trident for the moment, the last three of the seven emotions alone would not be easy to overcome. First, his torso soul bone had been obtained from the million-year Soul Beast, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King. Undoubtedly, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King harbored a deep hatred for him — his very corpse had been damaged. When Tang San faced this particular trial, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King would not only refuse to help him break through the illusion, but would very likely use whatever remained of its soul within the bone to aid the Sea God's power in confusing Tang San. This soul bone was also the most important one, so its difficulty would naturally be greatly increased.

As for the Spirit Condensation Wisdom Head Bone, that went without saying. As the soul bone housing the brain, the pain it would bring Tang San would undoubtedly be the most excruciating. Moreover, this soul bone had merged with part of the Sea God's Heart's energy. What might occur during the trial, Tang San had absolutely no idea.

Finally, there was the Titan Giant Ape left arm bone — which should not have posed a problem. As a left arm bone, it ranked lower among all soul bones, and it had come from Titan Giant Ape Er Ming. Given Er Ming's relationship with Tang San, he would never hold him back. But the crucial issue was that the Shura God's divine power now lay hidden within this left arm bone. Tang San was almost certain that extracting this soul bone from his body would be fraught with difficulty — even though the Shura God's power had already been suppressed within his Clear Sky Hammer.

And so it proved. Tang San's judgment was entirely correct. The soul bone stripped away in the fifth trial was precisely his head bone — the Spirit Condensation Wisdom Head Bone.

Almost the instant the stripping began, Tang San's mind plunged into a blank void. It was not caused by agony. It was as though the Sea God had transported him here — he simply could not control anything, and within his spiritual world, he could no longer perceive a single thing.

A faint red began to appear within the blank world. It slowly coalesced, taking the shape of a great heart that materialized before his eyes. Tang San's own body appeared within this world as well. He tried to activate his Purple Extreme Demon Eye to break through the illusion, but he could not manage it at all. He could not summon even a sliver of energy. In this realm of consciousness, he was no different from an ordinary person.

Then, in that instant, the surrounding scenery changed abruptly. The pale world burst into countless colors.

A vast green forest, a crystal-clear little lake, the sounds of insects and birds echoing in his ears, fresh air that made one instinctively take deep, repeated breaths. In this breathtaking tableau, a young woman dressed entirely in white sat upon a large stone by the lake, her long black hair trailing down into the water. In her hand she held a small wooden comb, gently running it through her tresses.

Seeing this, Tang San froze. Xiao Wu — yes. Even without looking at her face, Tang San knew. This was his Xiao Wu.

He stood no more than two meters from her. Suddenly, Xiao Wu tilted her head, gracefully sweeping her hair back behind her in a motion brimming with beauty, revealing her flawless, delicate features. She looked at Tang San and smiled sweetly. "Brother, did you know?"

"Know what?" Tang San asked instinctively.

Xiao Wu's eyes were filled with a joyful smile. "Mother told me that a girl's hair can only be combed by one man in her entire life. Would you be willing to comb my hair?"

"I'm willing. Of course I'm willing." The answer burst from Tang San's lips without hesitation. A fierce surge of love flooded his heart. In that moment, nothing else existed in his mind. To comb Xiao Wu's hair, to live happy days together with her — that was the deepest desire in Tang San's heart.

Xiao Wu's pretty cheeks flushed slightly, adding a few strokes of radiant color to her captivating face. Shyly, she lifted the wooden comb in her hand, barely daring to meet Tang San's gaze, and said softly, "Here. Take it."

Tang San raised his hand, reaching for the wooden comb — but his hand stopped in midair.

This is an illusion. Everything before me is an illusion. How could I possibly be at the lake in the center of Star Dou Forest with Xiao Wu? Even though this is the spiritual world, if I take a step forward and accept that comb, then very likely my real self will have taken that step too, leaving the center of the platform.

Had Tang San been able to unleash even a single soul skill, he would have been confident in taking the comb. But in this spiritual realm, he was utterly powerless.

Even so, Tang San's heart was overflowing with love for Xiao Wu. Among his seven emotions, the word "love" was the hardest to suppress. In his heart, it was also the most vulnerable. It could be said that this was his greatest weakness.

Even knowing full well that everything before him was an illusion, Tang San could not harden his heart and refuse Xiao Wu. He could only stare at her, motionless.

After a long silence, Xiao Wu slowly raised her head and looked at Tang San. Her gaze had grown somewhat vacant. Glistening tears were forming around the rims of her eyes. She was not looking at Tang San — only at the small wooden comb she was extending. Her voice trembled through a choked sob. "Brother, you don't want to comb my hair?"

"No, I do. I do." A torrent of love overwhelmed his reason, and Tang San cried out in an outpouring of emotion. How could he bear to watch his Xiao Wu suffer? Even if it was a Xiao Wu within an illusion, he could not bring himself to refuse her.

...

Sea God Island. Sea God Mountain. The Sea God's Temple.

It was the Sea God Douluo, Bo Saixi, who had sacrificed her own life to open the gateway to the place of inheritance for Tang San. The Shrek Seven Devils had witnessed every moment of it.

Their bodies were being bathed in golden light. They could clearly sense dense energy continuously pouring forth from the gate, seeping through the platform where they stood and nourishing their bodies. At the same time, their six minds had fused into one, connected to the blazing crimson-gold flame of the gateway, serving as the anchor that kept the gate sustained.

The Sea God's Temple was not like the Angel God's Temple, which possessed a dedicated passageway to the place of inheritance. Qian Daoliu's sacrifice had also been different from Bo Saixi's. Qian Daoliu's sacrifice had merely opened the gateway for Qian Renxue, and once she completed the Angel God's inheritance, she could naturally open the gate and return on her own strength.

But Bo Saixi not only had to open the gateway to the place of inheritance — she had to use her own power to create it. If the gate closed, then even if Tang San became the Sea God, he would never be able to return to the human world and would remain forever in the place of inheritance.

Therefore, during the Sea God's inheritance, six people were needed to maintain the gate. Under the Sea God's arrangement, this should have been handled by the Seven Sacred Pillar Guardian Douluo. But Bo Saixi knew that the Shrek Seven Devils were of one heart with Tang San, and they had all passed the Sea God's trials at least at the Black rank. Though their strength was somewhat inferior, their spiritual power was in no way weaker than that of the Seven Sacred Pillar Guardian Douluo. Having them serve as guardians would actually yield better results.

From the moment Tang San entered the place of inheritance, the Shrek Seven Devils could see every action he took. Their field of vision had entered alongside Tang San into the place of inheritance — they could even perceive the changes within his mind. This was one of the benefits of maintaining the gate to the place of inheritance. Being able to witness a god's inheritance would prove of immense benefit to their own futures.

They watched Tang San break through the barriers outside the Sea God's Temple and enter its interior, and they saw the true Sea God. Of course, once Tang San began the inheritance, their vision followed into that golden world as well, making it impossible to remain within the Sea God's Temple observing the conversation between the two gods.

When Tang San faced the first trial, everyone had broken into a cold sweat on his behalf. But once he figured out the key to passing and cleared four trials in succession, they gradually relaxed.

The only one still held in emotional tension was Xiao Wu. Not because she doubted Tang San, but because Da Ming's warning to him had stirred a deep sorrow in her heart, keeping her on edge.

At this moment, the six of them were immersed in the spiritual illusion that Tang San found himself in, able to see and hear every word exchanged between Tang San and Xiao Wu within it.

To Dai Mubai, Oscar, and the others, this illusion posed no difficulty whatsoever for Tang San. He had passed the earlier trials with ease — how could he possibly fail to recognize that everything before him was not real, that this Xiao Wu was nothing more than a phantom?

When Tang San cried out, everyone save Xiao Wu — Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing — stared in stunned disbelief. None of them could have imagined that Tang San, brilliant and sharp beyond compare, would lose his composure at a time like this and fail to pass the fifth of the seven emotions.