After releasing his grip, Mu Ye observed Huo Yuhao's movements, ready to assist if the young man faltered.
After all, this was no ordinary sea. Once soul power was exhausted, life force would be next. He didn't want his disciple to perish for such a reason.
But Mu Ye waited and waited, one minute, two minutes, ten minutes… until Huo Yuhao finally broke through the surface of the sea. The opportunity to intervene never came.
"..."
Mu Ye clicked his tongue, looking at Huo Yuhao's pale yet calm expression, silently marveling.
At this level of soul power, a genius who could break through this sea on his own was something their Body Sect hadn't seen in a millennium.
The training of the Body Sect required immense perseverance because the process was excruciating. Without sufficient willpower, it was impossible to endure. Huo Yuhao's determination was among the top of the soul masters he had seen.
It was worth it to set aside sectarian biases for him.
"Snap!"
Mu Ye stepped forward, using his soul power to stabilize Huo Yuhao, who had lost a significant amount of vitality, and reminded him in a deep voice, "Meditate, cultivate the innate secret technique, and further stimulate and strengthen your innate qi."
Huo Yuhao nodded, closed his eyes, and began to meditate and cultivate, while also pondering the information he had just obtained and the conjectures of Elder Yi and the others.
From the current situation, it seemed Tang San's Sea God divine position was gone. It couldn't have been the work of the God of Destruction, as reducing the divine realm's foundation by eliminating a divine position wasn't his style. That meant… it was Old Jin? (Golden Dragon King)
Huo Yuhao inwardly clicked his tongue.
Old Jin had gone mad, even stripping away the Sea God's position. Ultimate wisdom had ultimately been defeated by ultimate power.
Did he and Gu Yuena just win by default?
Well… not exactly. When the various divine realms merged into the Great Divine Realm, the chaotic forces would elevate the God Kings, half-step God Kings, and divine artifacts, presenting a great opportunity.
Tang San, the Sea God and Asura God, was only temporarily downcast. He was still alive.
Moreover, judging from Tang Wulin's condition, Tang San had only lost his divine position, not his cultivation. As long as Tang San mastered the Sea God's power, even without the divine position, he would retain some of its essence. The comprehension of laws and skills wouldn't disappear.
Just like Rong Nianbing, who had handed over his divine position to someone else, he could still use the power of emotions.
The Great Divine Realm's seven emotions and six desires, as well as emotional changes, were still bestowed by him.
Tang Wulin had also learned several spear techniques derived from the Golden Thirteen Halberds, including the Unfixed Storm, which Tang San's divine consciousness had personally taught…
Surely, the Sea God himself didn't need the Sea God's position to use the Unfixed Storm, right?
Huo Yuhao's expression turned strange for a moment, and he shook his head inwardly.
Don't overthink it. He's a God King. His power shouldn't be underestimated.
"However, the destruction of the Sea God's position, the return of the ocean's authority to the plane, and the continued existence of the plane's consciousness… these are all good news."
The Douluo Plane had treated him well, so he naturally wished it well. However, he couldn't observe that level, and he wasn't entirely sure whether the arrangements he had made were beneficial or harmful to the plane's consciousness.
From the looks of it, they seemed to have some effect.
---Huo Yuhao multitasked, running through the innate secret technique while pondering. When he opened his eyes, a flash of gray light flickered within them.
Mu Ye noticed this, his gaze instantly sharpening as he stared intently at Huo Yuhao's eyes, a hint of surprise and confusion flashing within them.
He naturally understood what the fleeting gray light in Huo Yuhao's eyes signified, it was the external manifestation of innate qi.
However, what surprised him was that the aura's fluctuation seemed different from anything recorded in their Body Sect's annals.
"Perhaps there will be unexpected changes," Mu Ye thought to himself.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao looked at the endless whirlpool before him, his eyes flickering.
According to Snow Empress's speculation, the rules here had been rewritten by Tang San's divine power. However, this place had been thoroughly explored by many powerful individuals, including Limit Douluo, and the divine power fragments had all been taken away.
Those fragments didn't carry much power. According to Elder Yi's conjecture, it was likely that the battle had been so intense that Tang San had voluntarily relinquished the Sea God's position.
By igniting the divine flame, he had sacrificed the Sea God's position to enhance his own power.
Only in this way would those fragments become mere energy shards, devoid of significant power, and after rewriting the rules of this place, they would be nothing more than ordinary energy fragments, useless to the strong.
So, what was the ocean repulsed by?
The Sea God's aura in the divine power fragments had already vanished.
What else was here?
The answers to these two questions came to Huo Yuhao on the fifteenth day, when he descended 2,000 meters into the Deep Sea Abyss and stood on the ocean floor.
"The thing it dislikes… is here."
Huo Yuhao's boots sank deep into the seabed's mud, the surrounding water pressure almost crushing his bones. But his bloodline power and soul power condensed into a protective layer on his body, barely withstanding the terrifying pressure.
Huo Yuhao steeled his spirit, enduring the relentless pressure and pain, his spiritual detection fully activated. The dark, lifeless world of the seabed took shape in his mind, jagged reefs, seabed gravel, and… a faint blue glow.
"Is that it?"
Huo Yuhao took a few steps forward, using his soul power to disperse the mud, revealing an object inside that resembled a blue gemstone, emitting no energy fluctuations. He narrowed his eyes.
In recent days, he had been communicating with the ocean, asking it to reveal the source of its aversion to the Deep Sea Abyss. After much inquiry, he found that this was the only place he could reach.
The water pressure at the center of the Deep Sea Abyss was dozens of times that of ordinary seas, reaching depths of over ten thousand meters. There was no natural energy, and soul power would dissipate upon use. Even a Title Douluo would be in mortal danger entering it. He couldn't go there now, and he didn't want to venture there until he understood the true nature of this place.
Fortunately, what he was looking for was in the outer area, which saved him some trouble.
After consulting with Elder Yi and receiving confirmation that it was safe, Huo Yuhao was about to use his soul power to envelop the gemstone and take it away when a blinding light suddenly erupted from the depths of the trench, followed by a deafening roar. The powerful shockwave from the explosion surged outward like a tidal wave.
"Roar!" A low growl came from the depths of the ocean as a massive shadow shot upward from the abyss, the seawater torn apart by its brute force. Gleaming white fangs flashed with a cold light in the dark waters.
A ten-thousand-year Demon Spirit Great White Shark!
Not just that, in the distance, a colossal figure slowly rose from the trench, its body shimmering with a dazzling blue light like a gemstone, its massive head adorned with a pair of awe-inspiring eyes.
A ten-thousand-year Deep Sea Demon Whale!
Both sea soul beasts bore injuries, as if they had clashed before, but now they seemed to have a more important target, setting aside their conflict and charging forward together.
The former's crimson eyes were locked onto Huo Yuhao, boiling with killing intent, while the latter's gaze was fixed on the blue gemstone near him, its purpose clear.
Hidden in the shadows, Mu Ye, seeing these two soul beasts, moved closer to Huo Yuhao's position to prevent any mishaps.
The lesson of the Death God's Messenger was something their Body Sect also remembered well.
The Deep Sea Demon Whale let out a long, resonant call, and the surrounding seawater suddenly became viscous.
Huo Yuhao felt his body grow heavy, the water pressure around him increasing severalfold, turning his face pale and slowing his movements significantly.
This was the innate domain of a super soul beast like the Deep Sea Demon Whale!