A blue pillar of light shot out from Sea God Island, blocking the blood-colored soul power. The force of heaven and earth added to Bo Saixi's body, further amplifying her strength.
Although she could not fully control the Sea God's Trident, due to the divine power and will of the Sea God residing within it, Bo Saixi could still unleash tremendous power with this super divine weapon—one of the top-tier artifacts in the divine realm.
Within a certain range around Sea God Island, Bo Saixi, wielding the Sea God's Trident, was indeed capable of killing a third-level god. Even the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, the strongest among sea soul beasts, dared not approach Sea God Island carelessly, for fear of being struck down by Bo Saixi under the Sea God's divine descent.
Bo Saixi did not strike immediately. She stood in midair, vigilant, watching the figure cloaked in blood-colored soul power. Though the figure was shrouded in an aura of slaughter, Bo Saixi still sensed that the person within might be someone she knew.
As she hesitated, the blood-colored soul power surrounding the figure dissipated, revealing Tang Chen's face—one that had changed little over the past decades.
"I've returned," Tang Chen said.
"You've returned? You actually came back?!" Bo Saixi stared at Tang Chen in disbelief. Sensing the unique yet familiar aura emanating from him, she quickly realized that Tang Chen had likely become a high priest of a god, just like her.
"I once thought you would ascend to godhood," Bo Saixi said, her expression dimming as she thought of the fate of a high priest. Even the divine will within the Sea God's Trident sighed.
However, the two sighed for different reasons. Bo Saixi lamented her fate, while the Sea God lamented how incomprehensible mortal love remained. Even after nearly ten thousand years of ascension, mortals still fell in love so easily—love that could drive even a composed Ultimate Douluo to risk life and death.
To be honest, the Sea God had once considered giving Tang Chen his divine trials and inheriting his godhood. In the Sea God's eyes, Tang Chen's talent was more than enough to inherit his legacy. If Tang Chen had focused on accumulating faith, he might have ascended to godhood independently.
In that case, Bo Saixi could have accompanied Tang Chen to the divine realm as a loving couple. This arrangement would have secured the future of Sea God Island, ensuring it would never again be abandoned by the next Sea God.
But just as the Sea God was pondering how to intervene without compromising his dignity, Tang Chen suddenly disappeared, seemingly snatched away by someone else. This unresolved matter had been a thorn in the Sea God's side ever since.
If it weren't so embarrassing to admit, the Sea God would have investigated which sly entity in the Douluo Plane had snatched away his chosen heir.
Now, staring at his once-chosen inheritor, who was marked by the divine power of the Asura God as a high priest, the Sea God couldn't help but feel a twinge of resentment. This even made Tang Chen instinctively shrink back, glancing nervously at the Sea God's Trident, which glowed with blue-gold light.
However, with his old flame standing before him, Tang Chen didn't dare to voice the Sea God's complaints. Instead, he forced a bitter smile and ignored the Trident entirely, turning his attention to Bo Saixi.
"I had completed eight of the Asura God's nine trials and was on the brink of success. However, I ultimately failed the final test due to my flawed state of mind. If not for an external force, I might never have had the chance to see you again in this lifetime."
"Now, although I've returned to the mortal world, I've lost my freedom and can no longer become a god. I can only serve as a high priest."
"Bo Saixi, will you still accept me as I am?"
Tang Chen looked deeply into Bo Saixi's eyes, his gaze filled with longing but also tinged with fear.
As a man, he hoped the one he loved would accept him. Yet, he had once vowed before her that he would not return unless he ascended to godhood. If Bo Saixi accepted him now, wouldn't that invalidate all his years of effort? Would that make him, a high priest who fell short due to impatience, appear like a fool?
As a man, Tang Chen was hopeful. But as a proud man, he was also terrified.
Though he had always considered himself straightforward, his emotions were a tangled mess in this moment.
Bo Saixi gazed at Tang Chen, wanting to speak the words she had held in her heart for so long. But as she felt the divine aura on him—a power completely mismatched with her own—and thought of their current statuses, she eventually closed her eyes and remained silent.
She was a descendant of the Sea God, the current high priest of Sea God Island. She could fall in love with anyone, but not with the high priest of another god.
She couldn't think only of herself. She had to consider the legacy of Sea God Island, the dignity of the Sea God, and the continuity of its millennia-long tradition.
This was also why, years ago, she had never considered Qian Daoliu, who had pursued her alongside Tang Chen, as a viable partner.
The divine will within the Sea God's Trident sensed Bo Saixi's thoughts and felt a deep complexity.
This fragment of the Sea God's will had resided in the Trident for generations, witnessing one high priest after another grow. Bo Saixi was not only his descendant but also someone he had watched grow from a little girl into the pillar of Sea God Island.
The Sea God valued his divine dignity, but he was also fiercely protective of his own.
Watching Bo Saixi struggle with her dilemma, the fragment of the Sea God's will pushed the problem to his true self in the divine realm.
In the Sea God Temple, the Sea God scratched his head, estimated the weight of a high priest in the Asura God's plans, and sighed. He then stepped out of his temple and headed toward the Asura God's domain, preparing to bargain over Tang Chen's fate.
The Sea God's plan was simple: after Tang Chen completed his duties as a high priest and passed away as a mortal, he would negotiate with the Asura God to elevate Tang Chen's soul to an immortal divine soul, allowing him to join the divine realm as a divine officer. Then, he could bring Bo Saixi to the divine realm as well, letting the two serve together as enforcers.
What the Sea God didn't know was that the moment he approached the Asura God's temple, a sly smile appeared on the Asura God's face.
The Asura God concealed his complicated aura, replacing it with one of pure slaughter and judgment. Seated on his godly throne, he adopted a stiff expression, exuding an air of displeasure.