Douluo: The Unrivaled Demon Lord

Chapter 146 The High Priest's Request, The Sea God Family, and the Destroyed Faith (5k)

The magnificent palace that was previously seen from the Sea Maiden's Pillar is called the Temple of Poseidon. It is a replica of the real Temple of Poseidon, which was suppressed by the super artifact, the Trident of Poseidon, ten thousand years ago. This replica Temple of Poseidon is also located in the center of the island. At the same time, it is the highest point of the entire island, from which one can overlook the entire island and the surrounding sea.

The three flew upwards without encountering any obstacles, which proved that the Light of the Sea God was not present here.

As they flew, Shu Yan asked:
"Are the people here descendants of the inhabitants of Poseidon Island from ten thousand years ago?"

The girl nodded upon hearing this, and then said:
"Yes, thousands of years ago, when the two continents collided and merged, the original Seagod Island was destroyed. But before that, the high priest and the seven holy pillar guardians led all the residents of Seagod Island to migrate away. With the help of the Seagod family and many Sea Soul Master families, they successfully arrived here."

"However, these seven sacred pillars are not replicas. They were left behind by the first Sea God and are, in a sense, true divine artifacts."

Shu Yan caught a glimpse of a somewhat familiar word and then asked:
"Poseidon family?"

The girl nodded, then flew nimbly around Shu Yan and his companion, saying as she flew:
"Yes!"

"The Sea God Family is very powerful, even more so than the top Soul Master sects on your continent. This is because they have the bloodline of the first Sea God flowing through their veins. Their family has existed since the birth of Soul Masters. Over countless years, they have silently protected the sea and the legacy of the Sea God. After the Sea God Island was officially built, the core of the Sea God Family also moved to the island. Yes! Most of the strong people on the island come from the Sea God Family."

Shu Yan nodded, not particularly surprised. When he met Han Ruoruo's curious gaze, he simply smiled slightly, sent a telepathic message, and then led Han Ruoruo to follow the girl's steps.

The Temple of Poseidon is tall and magnificent, made entirely of a deep blue mineral from the seabed. It reflects a dazzling light under the sun, and from a distance, it seems to be bathed in divine light.

The girl led the two into the hall. After walking a few steps, a tall and majestic statue came into view. However, this statue was not of the current Sea God Tang San, but of the first Sea God Poseidon.

Beneath the statue, a woman draped in a magnificent azure dress stands quietly. She has long, wavy, light blue hair that, when viewed from above, resembles endless ocean waves, inspiring awe in those who behold her.

"Grandma, I've brought them..."

The girl's fishtail had transformed into smooth, straight legs. She walked barefoot on the crystal-like ground, her steps light and cheerful as she approached the woman.

The woman slowly raised her eyes, a fleeting glint of deep blue light passing through them. She gently patted the girl's head, then slowly turned around, a smile playing on her beautiful face. She then looked at Shu Yan and the other girl and said:
"Welcome, my two friends who have come from afar. My name is Hai Mengqin, the current High Priest of Poseidon Island, and also the highest arbiter of Poseidon Island."

Both Shu Yan and Han Ruoruo had a strange look in their eyes. The woman before them gave them a very special feeling. She had a unique temperament, and the words "graceful and noble" could not fully describe her beauty and temperament. At that moment, a word appeared in both of their minds at the same time...

That is, unparalleled beauty and talent.

"I've met senior."

Shu Yan and Han Ruoruo exchanged a glance and bowed slightly at the same time.

"Alright, no need for formalities."

Hai Mengqin waved her hand slightly, showing no hostility towards the two. Instead, her every move was filled with reassuring goodwill.

"Poseidon Island has not been visited by any land-based Soul Master for thousands of years, but today there has been an exception."

"Tell me, how did you find the location of Poseidon Island? Don't tell me it was an accident. Poseidon Island is protected by a group of demonic great white sharks, and there are also storms that never dissipate, which surround it for hundreds of miles. No ordinary person can get here, and there is no such thing as an accident."

Faced with Hai Mengqin's question, Shu Yan simply smiled and then said:

"Our primary purpose in coming here is to hunt sea spirit beasts and obtain spirit rings. We learned about the existence of this place from those sea spirit beasts, so we thought we would come and explore it."

"Oh?"

Hai Mengqin smiled gently, and then said:

"This reason is somewhat credible. After all, even among sea soul masters, apart from my granddaughter, I have never seen a soul saint in his teens or a titled Douluo in his thirties."

"The aura on this girl's body hasn't completely subsided yet. She must have just absorbed her ninth spirit ring not long ago. Judging from these wisps of lightning aura... her ninth spirit ring must have come from the Thunder Prison Ray, right? It's truly astonishing that the two of you were actually able to kill that guy."

"As for you, little guy... the aura you exude seems somewhat familiar... hmm...? This aura—"

Hai Mengqin's voice paused inexplicably. She looked at Shu Yan with some suspicion and uncertainty, then said softly:
"You wouldn't... have killed that deep-sea demon whale king that ravaged the North Sea, would you?"

Shu Yan simply smiled at Hai Mengqin without saying a word.

After a moment of silence in the Temple of Poseidon, Hai Mengqin gave Shu Yan a deep look. Her brows were tightly furrowed, but after staring at Shu Yan for a while, they slowly relaxed, and a somewhat relieved smile returned to her face.

“That creature was a menace if left in the ocean. You were able to kill her, which is a meritorious deed. In any case, I have to thank you on behalf of all the ocean creatures.”

As she spoke, Hai Mengqin bowed slightly to Shu Yan. The girl beside her stared blankly at this scene, but then she also bowed sharply.

Shu Yan smiled and then said:

"My only goal is to obtain the seventh spirit ring, so there's no need for you to be so polite, senior."

Hai Mengqin shook her head slightly, then said:

"It's different; the meaning of something changes depending on the perspective from which it is viewed."

“You were able to slay the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, which is no ordinary thing in itself. Moreover… I saw the marks left by more than one god on you. You… are the chosen successor of the gods.”

At this point, Hai Mengqin's gaze suddenly became intense, giving Shu Yan the inexplicable feeling that she might pounce on him at any moment.

Han Ruoruo and the girl stared at Shu Yan in a daze upon hearing Hai Mengqin's last sentence. A hint of surprise flashed in Shu Yan's eyes, but then he spoke:
“For a genius like me, being chosen by the gods is only a matter of time. Compared to that, I am more curious about why you summoned us here, senior.”

Hai Mengqin paused slightly, but then she quickly understood what Shu Yan meant.

“I called you here not just to say these meaningless nonsense.”

"Here's the thing, I've made my decision. I'll soon step down as High Priest and return to my family. And naturally, Xunxun won't stay on Seagod Island either. But as you've seen..."

"This girl isn't young anymore, but her mentality..."

As she spoke, Hai Mengqin glanced at Hai Xunxun, whose face was clear and foolish, then rubbed her forehead and said:
"Anyway, that's the situation as you see it. So I plan to send her out to travel and see if she can mature a bit. Otherwise, as she is, forget about taking over the position of clan leader in the future. It would be a miracle if she doesn't cause trouble for the clan..."

"You see... could you take Xunxun to the mainland for a visit, let her experience the real human world, and see if that can help her mature a bit, and incidentally teach her the principles and rules of conduct..." Shu Yan looked at Hai Xunxun, who resembled a clear-eyed college student, and then said helplessly:
"Senior, I think if you want your granddaughter to mature, there are better ways than sending her to the human world to learn, right?"

Hai Mengqin smiled and then said:
“I have countless ways to help her mature quickly, but I can’t bear to do it. Those methods are too cruel and could easily cause her already fragile mind to break down or be traumatized.”

"This is something I can't bear to see. I feel that since we were able to meet, it is a destiny bestowed upon us by God, and I won't let you work for nothing."

As she spoke, Hai Mengqin suddenly looked at Han Ruoruo.

"If I'm not mistaken, this girl shouldn't have a head soul bone yet. Coincidentally, I have a 100,000-year-old head soul bone from a sea soul beast. If you're willing to help, this soul bone is the reward I can offer."

As she spoke, Hai Mengqin took out a deep blue head soul bone. This soul bone was very strange. Its entire body seemed to be made of seawater. Even a light touch could stir up countless ripples, and even the surrounding space seemed to fluctuate with those ripples, which was very magical.

"Pleasant to work with."

A hint of surprise flashed in Shu Yan's eyes, but he readily agreed without any hesitation.

Hai Mengqin nodded in satisfaction, then continued:

"Xunxun is a tough girl, she can do any kind of work. Apart from eating a lot, being a little silly, and being overly naive, she's basically all good. You can treat her like a donkey, don't hesitate, and don't feel sorry for her. This is also a way to train her."

“You don’t need to worry about anything else. She can maintain her human leg form for a long time, and we mermaids are half-human and half-soul beasts. Our soul beast aura is not strong. I will help her conceal it a bit more. In this way, even if you Limit Douluo can’t easily find out her true identity.”

Shu Yan listened to Hai Mengqin's arrangements, which seemed to have been prepared in advance, and said with some amusement:
"Senior, do you really trust us that much?"

Hai Mengqin simply smiled indifferently upon hearing this.

"Perhaps, but following a future god would definitely be beneficial to Xunxun herself. Moreover, Xunxun is already a Super Douluo. Even if you kill her, you won't get anything."

“Young man, I have high hopes for you. I think it’s the right thing to let Xunxun follow you, just like when the Demon Soul Great White Shark King chose to accompany the Sea God to conquer the entire ocean.”

"To be honest, my plan is actually very simple. I hope that you two can develop feelings for each other over time and that Xunxun can become your lover. That way, even if you become a god and ascend to the divine realm in the future, your lover will definitely accompany you into the divine realm and become a god as well. In addition, I also have my own selfish reasons."

Hai Mengqin turned to look at the sea god statue behind her, then whispered:
“Every Limit Douluo is a person standing at the very top of this world. They can vaguely contact another world, but that world is too ethereal, so no one can grasp it at all.”

“In the past, the sea god we worshipped protected the sea and kept it calm all year round, but after that belief changed ten thousand years ago, the sea seemed to have changed.”

At this point, Hai Mengqin suddenly became somewhat agitated.

"No...! It's not just the sea that's changed, but the entire world. This world is gradually becoming chaotic. Through the sea, I heard the world's cries and calls, as if someone had vaguely inserted a sharp blade into the depths of this world. And this blade is also coated with a deadly poison. Slowly, this poison will penetrate into the bone marrow, and eventually become incurable."

“I kneel before the statue of the Sea God every day and pray, but my heart can never find peace in the past…”

The three listened quietly as Hai Mengqin's voice echoed in the hall and slowly faded away. After a moment, Xie Ji's somewhat deep voice resounded within their spiritual sea:
"Shu Yan, I don't know if I should say this, but this woman is indeed very strong, especially in the mental realm."

"Her mental strength has at least reached the demigod realm, or rather, her mental strength is infinitely close to the true god level. In Elder Yi's words, her spiritual origin already contains half of divinity. Although this seems to have been achieved with the help of some external forces, it is still extremely terrifying."

As the Evil Princess finished speaking, Electrolux, who hadn't spoken for a long time, also spoke up:

"Yes, Little Spider is right. She possesses a divine artifact, a mental artifact, which resides within her spiritual sea."

"She must have fused with this artifact when her spiritual power broke through to demigod level. Because of this, her spiritual power surged to a level infinitely close to that of a god at that time. In other words, her spiritual power briefly broke through to the true god level, but was immediately suppressed by the laws of the plane. The voices she heard were most likely from the plane spirit of your plane, that is, the so-called plane consciousness,"

"Old Master Yi..."

Shu Yan murmured softly, and then a guess began to form in his mind.

After pondering for a moment, Shu Yan spoke again:

"In that case, I will accept your request, senior."

"However, I still have a question. Judging from your condition and cultivation level, you should have at least another hundred years left to live. Your early retirement from the position of High Priest must have some complicated reasons behind it..."

Hai Mengqin turned her head and gave Shu Yan a deep look, then said:

"Let me tell you the truth. In recent years, the Sea God family has been ostracizing our mermaid clan. Their clan inherits a divine artifact bestowed by the second Sea God, and thousands of years ago, when the two continents were about to collide, they were going to intervene. But at that time, the second Sea God issued a divine decree to stop their actions. Later, the Sea God family migrated to Sea God Island, which seems to have been partly due to the second Sea God's intentions."

"Perhaps, as I said before, we mermaids are ultimately not purely human. No matter how peace-loving we are, we can never truly integrate into the human world, and some beings among humans will never be able to accept our existence..."

At this point, Hai Mengqin sighed softly before continuing:

"At the same time, the Demon Soul Great White Shark clan, which is responsible for protecting Seagod Island, is also more inclined to support the Seagod family. After all, they have the bloodline of the first Seagod in their veins, and they are also highly valued and treated with special favor by the second Seagod, which makes the Demon Soul Great White Shark King particularly friendly and respectful towards them."

"There's another difference, and that's our beliefs."

"Their faith is too blind... or rather, they have forgotten the original purpose of their faith. The reason why our mermaid clan worships the first Sea God is because the Sea God pacified the entire sea and brought all marine creatures into an unprecedented era of prosperity... laying a solid foundation for the prosperity of the ocean afterwards..."

"The Sea God was the common ruler of all the marine races in that era, and no one can deny that. Even after the Sea God entered the realm of gods, the ocean was still considered peaceful and prosperous."

"But after the Sea God's position changed, things didn't turn out so well."

"To put it bluntly, the second Sea God merely enjoyed the power of faith from the marine races, without offering any of the expected contributions or taking any real action. He even ignored the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, a scourge that plagued all marine life. I inquired about it several times, but never received a clear response. In fact, he even hinted that he hoped I would stop interfering in that matter... I think, to him, the ocean was merely a tool to be constantly used and to provide him with the power of faith..."

"Such a sea god is not worthy to be the god of all the sea creatures, much less worthy to enjoy our faith. But the sea god family and the Demon Soul Great White Shark family have not realized this. They are like people under a spell, believing in that person without a doubt and regarding his words as truth, without considering the impact and harm that their inaction will cause."

“I am confused, but at the same time I am also very clear-headed… Poseidon Island is no longer a sacred place worth protecting. The sea is my home, and I must go back to protect my people…”

Hai Mengqin's voice was tinged with deep weariness.

The feeling of being able to see and feel the problems yet being powerless to change them once caused her to suffer from mental health issues. But now, she has figured it out. If everything really does develop as she suspects, then she might as well leave and lead her race away from the center of the vortex to see if they can escape the impending doom...

……

(End of this chapter)