Chapter 313
Spirit Bone Strip, Seagod Eight Wings
(TL by Bagelson)
“Asura, stop right there, speak clearly before you leave. You’re clearly unfair. This one doesn’t fear going to the divine realm committee either. Your method for picking successors is unconscientious to begin with, throwing a net everywhere, raising one after another. I’ve raised this one with single-hearted devotion.”
Even though the Seagod was still speaking very sternly, by now he was actually not as fierce as he seemed.
The Asura God paused, speaking without turning his head:
“Furthermore, I heard what you just said to help Tang San clear his mind. You still don’t seem to have asked my permission to have that spokesperson Bo Saixi of yours be together with my former successor. Even though Tang San’s great grandfather Tang Chen completed a divine soul, his injuries were extremely severe. I still haven’t considered whether to spend the effort to help him heal.”
Finished speaking, the Asura Godtook a step, already disappearing out the Seagod Temple gates.
“Don’t be so threatening.”
The Seagod roared indignantly,
“Asura God, you’re my big bro, we can talk things over! Wait for me.”
The Asura God’s ice cold voice drifted through the air,
“Everything will wait until the end of Tang San’s inheritance. Even if I want to have him become a divine realm enforcer, that’s a matter for ten thousand years later.”
The Seagod also charged out the Temple, yelling,
“Everything can be discussed, you’re one of the three great enforcers that can stand side by side with the two divine kings, you can’t go talking drivel to the divine realm committee!”
Divine realm enforcers had an extremely majestic status in the divine realm, they supervised everything, managed main gods, and even had the authority of god kings. Under special circumstances, they could even use special methods to surpass the divine realm and reach the mortal realm to enforce the law. And the divine realm committee was formed from the two god kings and three great divine realm enforcers. Major events in the divine realm were voted on by the five committee members. The two god kings had two votes each, and the three enforcers had one. But if the three enforcers were unanimous, their three votes could still overrule the two god kings’ decision. These five great committee members were known as the Divine Realm Five Primes, and even though the Seagod wasn’t considered one of them, he was still a main god second only to the Primes. He was extremely powerful, and therefore didn’t fear the Asura God.
Golden light made Tang San somewhat lost. He only felt like there was an enormous golden whirlpool spinning around him, and everything in his sight was gone besides gold.
Suddenly, the lost feeling disappeared in a moment, and that whirlpool-like golden light also vanished. Tang San discovered that he was now on top of a circular platform.
This platform was golden, with a faint heat radiating up under his feet. Around the circular platform was a boundless ocean, but what scared Tang San was that this water was colored gold. Golden sea, what kind of strange sight was that! Moreover, even the sky was golden, the entire area seemed to be a single color, with only different shades distinguishable.
Tang San was clever and focused. He first of all recalled the Seagod’s last expression just now, his guess was without a doubt correct, but the Seagod definitely couldn’t tell him the truth straight for some reason, and so sent him directly to the trial. As for this place, it should be a special domain, specially for passing on the Seagod’s divinity. This was all Tang San understood with his present experience.
Around the circular platform, slightly higher, were eight smaller round platforms that all seemed around two meters in diameter, with the platform where Tang San stood in the center. Eight small platforms? Previously the Seagod said that he had to complete eight Seagod trials to complete the inheritance. It seemed it should be related to these eight platforms.
As Tang San reflected, suddenly, wave-like golden light rushed out from the platform he stood on, all rushing towards Tang San. He only felt his body completely frozen by these energies, completely unable to move.
Gradually, that wave of golden energy completely enveloped Tang San’s whole body. What he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry about was that even his breathing was completely stopped. Besides being able to see, he couldn’t react in any other way. The Mysterious Heaven Skill inner strength circulated with clearly reduced speed, pulsing extremely slowly. He wanted to use his mental strength to trigger his inner strength, but both his mental strength and inner strength were suppressed by a strange energy.
Suddenly, without any warning, a scorching hot feeling suddenly came from behind. Immediately after, before Tang San could react, an intense ripping feeling turned into sharp pain, such that it made his vision darken. As if his body was being shaved open. Ear-piercing sounds of friction echoed behind him. Even though Tang San’s mental strength was sealed, at the moment his senses were still exceptionally sharp. However, the sharper his senses, the clearer the pain was.
That scorching pain was like someone was cutting his back with a saw. After skin, muscles and arteries were cut open, it kept cutting the ribs of his back, aiming specially at the cracks between bones. With a crunching sound, it was as if a bone was forcefully torn from Tang San.
Slicing skin and muscle, tearing bones, this kind of pain was suffered with enhanced senses. If it was someone else, they might have died from the pain. And even Tang San with his staunch willpower, in such pain, every blood vessel all over his body twitched, the violent pain making every nerve tremble.
Meanwhile, of the eight small platforms surrounding the one where Tang San stood, one flew out, hovering a meter in front of him. Charming wave patterns sparkled on the platform, but unfortunately Tang San wasn’t in the mood to appreciate it.
A line of golden light shone from behind Tang San to in front of him, hitting that round little platform. It didn’t attack, but rather floated fifty centimeters above it. It was in fact a rib. Tang San’s rib. What Tang San felt wasn’t wrong, it was a rib torn from his body.
If Tang San’s Seagod’s Heart wasn’t broken, then even though his bones would still be torn away, he could have relied on the Seagod Trident to reduce the pain considerably. The Seagod’s Heart would have used the Seagod’s power to shield his senses, reducing the pain as much as possible. But now, Tang San didn’t have the Seagod’s Heart’s help, and just like a patient undergoing surgery without anesthetic, his bones were directly torn out of him. That kind of feeling…...
Ribs, golden ribs. Tang San forced down the fear. In such pain, he still told himself he had to stay calm. The rib torn from him seemed to be one of his Eight Spider Lances. In fact, his Eight Spider Lances had already reached the god level, but was actually still torn off. Then how powerful was the energy restraining him?
As if proving Tang San’s conjecture, after that rib stabilized over the little platform, it immediately radiated light and expanded, turning into a three meter long spider leg. Precisely one of the Eight Spider Lances.
The pain was heavy like waves. WIth another crunch, Tang San felt another of his ribs being forcefully separated and went limp for a moment. The Mysterious Heaven Skill inner strength within him was completely suppressed, unable to dull the pain. What Tang San felt now could only be imagined.
Just at this moment, the cold voice Tang San heard before entering the Seagod Temple suddenly echoed,
“Undoing restraints. If spirit bone removal is stopped, the inheritance will be forcefully interrupted. The consequences of interrupting the inheritance is at worst erasure. You may not leave the two meter range of the platform, you may not change the spirit bone removal posture. Otherwise, it will be viewed as abandoning the inheritance.”
As the voice fell, all the restraints immediately disappeared. Tang San recovered the ability to move, and almost immediately heaved a sigh of relief, doing his utmost to urge his Mysterious Heaven Skill inner strength, not towards his back, but rather straight at his chest, using it to form a layer of sensation, doing his best to block his aching nerves.
But, his senses were strengthened at least fivefold, so how easy would it be to isolate the violent pain? Amidst intense pain, a second golden light shone, as another spider leg appeared above the platform in front of Tang San. Two of the ribs where the Eight Spider Lances attached had been forcibly torn off.
But this time, Tang San suddenly became aware that being able to move was worse than being completely sealed. At least with his body sealed he could focus all his attention on dealing with the pain. But now that his movements were restored, in such brutal pain, he practically subconsciously wanted to rush out, or launch attacks behind him. But if he did so, his Seagod inheritance would naturally also be interrupted. Consequently, he had to use all his heart and soul to control himself, doing his best to maintain his present posture without moving. Even if the pain was already making his skin distort, he still had to persist in not moving. This kind of feeling was even more painful than before. Passively enduring the pain turned into actively fighting it.
This was still just the beginning! If he couldn’t endure now, then how would the inheritance progress later? Tang San focused all his efforts, stubbornly clenching his teeth without moving, his muscles and nerves trembling uncontrollably, but he still stood there like nailed to the ground, maintaining the posture as the muscles of his upper body twitched.
Crunch, another rib was torn off, the pain turning Tang San’s vision dark. But his mind was still stubbornly clear, so much that it could even analyse the painful process. Tang San’s heart was pounding violently at triple speed. So much so that he even worried that his heart would give out from the pain. Even more strangely, even though his ribs were ripped off, there was no blood hitting the ground, and moreover, after the ribs were ripped off, there was only a burst of weakness at their position. Besides more pain, there was no feeling of emptiness.
Tang San understood very soon. In fact, it wasn’t that his ribs were being torn off, it should be his Eight Spider Lances ribs, while his real ribs were still there. What the unknown force behind him was doing, was forcefully separating his spirit bones from his body.
In fact, Tang San had dones so himself once, but at that time he only severed his arm and forcing out the spirit bone, and not ripping them from his bones. Anyway, his Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone could also regenerate his limbs. Besides, by choosing to remove a spirit bone, even Title Douluo level powers would lose ten ranks of spirit power as a consequence, in the past he had learned this from his father Tang Hao. But even though the present process of separating spirit bones was painful, Tang San spirit power wasn’t influenced in the slightest. This was the power of gods! What could accomplish this besides gods?
With this understanding, Tang San didn’t feel the pain on his back was so terrible. Truly experiencing the effect of divine power this time, and such a miracle, allowed his mind to accept the pain. Tang San’s willpower was extremely strong, even more than his god level physique. Further adding that his intelligence let him understand the principle of the pain, he grew even more tenacious when enduring.
Of course, the exhaustion from such violent pain was immense. Frothy with sweat, big drops constantly dripping to the ground. Tang San didn’t gasp for breath, that would increase the drain on his strength. He knew that outside powers might not have any effect during a god’s inheritance, so he didn’t try eating the sausages Oscar prepared. His brain only constantly told him that each time he suffered, his strength would advance a bit. Under such strong mental suggestion, Tang San stiffly endured.
Crunch, crunch, with each tooth ache-inducing sound, one rib flew over to the platform in front of Tang San, transforming into an Eight Spider Lance.
Finally, after the last rib belonging to the Eight Spider Lances produced that painful fracturing sound, the violent pain finally ceased. Tang San immediately heaved a huge sigh of relief.
When people were normal, they would never feel so blessed, but as a someone escaped violent pain, they would still enjoy an enormously happy feeling as they recovered. Right now Tang San was just enjoying such a happy feeling. At the same time, the happiness also produced some strange changes.
The Eight Spider Lances connected together, forming the complete Eight Spider Lances form. Glittering gold flowed across them, even the draining gold threats pulsed visibly. With this external spirit bone he had gotten more than ten years ago stripped off like this, even though the pain was gone, Tang San felt an intense sense of loss.
Just at this moment, the Eight Spider Lances in front of him began to change.
In the golden sea, eight pillars of water flew out, each the same thickness as the Eight Spider Lances, hitting the Eight Spider Lances simultaneously. Immediately, that golden seawater completely enveloped the Eight Spider Lances, and was also bit by bit absorbed by them.
His pain already gone, with that sense of happiness as well as loss from losing the Eight Spider Lances, Tang San focused all his attention on the scene in front of him. He didn’t think of giving up on the once in a lifetime chance for divine inheritance.
Golden patterns like waves began to appear on the Eight Spider Lances one after one, gradually covering every corner. The pattern was both bold and succinct, perfectly combining strength and beauty, making the originally already beautiful Eight Spider Lances even more so. And Tang San moreover vaguely felt that after these eight streams of seawater were poured inside, the Eight Spider Lances in front of him seemed to expand. Not growing, but rather gradually growing thicker. Along with their change. The wave and cloud patterns on the surface also gradually grew larger.
A fantastic understanding appeared in Tang San’s mind. Vaguely, he seemed to sense a trace of reluctance to leave from his Eight Spider Lances. The spirit bone was sending him its feelings? Could the Eight Spider Lances already have its own intelligence?
Before Tang San could think further, suddenly, with incredible shock, an extremely elegant scene played out in front of him.
Those eight slender Spider Lances suddenly contracted and turned thinner, but also grew thicker. Each one became roughly two meters long, and the next instant, the Eight Spider Lances covered with wave patterns suddenly unfurled, like butterflies breaking out of their cocoons, eight giant golden wings unfolding simultaneously.
“Ah——”
At this scene, Tang San couldn’t help shouting.
Each of those wings was more than two meters long, and across the wings, the wave pattern was its feathers. With each soft movement, that wave pattern would also move, transforming into resplendent golden light. The tips of the wings were extremely sharp, just like sword points. That brilliant light was so touching, as if calling out to Tang San with each movement.
These, these are my Eight Spider Lances? First feeling violently shocked, an indescribably ecstatic feeling rushed from his heart. That intense joy swallowed his heart in practically an instant, his soul. Tang San nearly couldn’t hold back, he wanted to rush over, to gently caress those touching wings. And the Eight Spider Lances transformed into eight wings also seemed to beckon to him, sending strong joy as well as intense feelings of attachment. Those were his! Tang San had already raised his hands, as if a voice in his heart told him that as long as he took one step forward, went to caress those resplendent wings, he could possess them immediately, possess this true divine tool above even spirit bones, a divine tool not inferior to the Seagod Trident. A divine tool that was part of him.
Tang San’s left foot was already raised. One short step, it would only take this one short step and he could possess these Seagod Eight Wings fused with the Seagod’s power. With even two more wings than Qian Renxue’s Angel Six Wings, this was such a beautiful feeling.
But at this moment, suddenly, an intense feeling of danger came from the eight wings in front of him, rigidly stopping Tang San’s already raised foot in midair.
The feeling of danger was transmitted by the Seagod Eight Wings, but could also be said to be from the Eight Spider Lances. The previous happiness turned to nothing in this true danger. Tang San maintained his previous posture, his whole body freezing in place, even his expression turning rigid.
A fear from the depths of his soul made cold sweat run down his face.
How could he take this step? The instructions by the ice cold voice from before still rang in his ears, if he left his current position, then the Seagod inheritance would fail! Such a terrifying inheritance.
Shivering, Tang San immediately withdrew his outstretched leg and hands, forcibly scattering the excitement he felt.
Tang San had already come to his senses. First was intense pain, and when he had endured it, the pain was followed by intensely contrasting happiness, and after the happiness was ecstasy from seeing the Eight Spider Lances transform into such glorious Seagod Eight Wings. A person, even someone with extremely firm will, even if they might be able to endure intense pain without any warning, how would they endure intense happiness? Tang San was one case, if not for the Eight Spider Lances transformed into the Seagod Eight Wings sending a feeling of danger at the last moment, dispelling his ecstasy, he might already have failed the inheritance.
Compared to Qian Renxue’s Angel inheritance, Tang San’s Seagod inheritance seemed too difficult. This was after all only one of the eight trials in the process, it shouldn’t be the most difficult one. But don’t forget that Tang San had lost the Seagod’s Heart. If he had the Seagod’s Heart here, then when he now started the inheritance, the Seagod’s Heart would give him an extremely useful prompt. With Tang San’s intelligence, if he had that prompt, he naturally wouldn’t be fooled so easily.
And in fact, the Eight Spider Lances being able to warn Tang San was actually a backdoor given him by the Seagod. Of course, it wasn’t that the Seagod had the Eight Spider Lances warn him, the Seagod definitely wouldn’t violate any laws of the divine realm. But he changed the order of the eight trials Tang San would experience in the inheritance. With the god level spirit bone Eight Spider Lances coming first, with the Eight Spider Lances degree of familiarity with Tang San, with its intelligence, it forcibly broke through the bewildering barrier and gave Tang San such a warning. And with the warning from this first trial, Tang San would inevitably be much more cautious later in the process. The Seagod couldn’t be accused of not putting thought into it.
Along with Tang San waking from the ecstasy, restabilising his mind, a rich golden blue mist rose on the little platform in front of him, enveloping the Seagod Eight Wings like it was permeating them. Amidst glittering light, this platform representing the first trial slowly flew away, flying back to its original position. Only, on it, already incredibly brilliant, were the wave patterned Seagod Eight Wings.
At the same time as it left, the second round platform quietly arrived in front of Tang San. With the experience from the first trial, Tang San hurriedly focused. Just as he expected, violent pain arrived once again. This time at his right arm.
A clearly visible palm of holden energy appeared at Tang San’s right arm, making a grabbing motion, at which the violent pain also began. Tang San tightly grabbed the muscles at his waist with his right hand, resisting the rending pain, allowing that golden palm shaped energy to start stripping his right arm spirit bone.
Having passed the first trial, Tang San already roughly understood that in these Seagod trials, he would constantly experience this pain. Maybe his seven spirit bones would all be stripped off one after another, and that last trial should be to restore the Seagod Trident. Eight trials in total. But even though the pain was constant in these trials, it wasn’t the true content of the trials. Like the first trial, even though he had experienced powerful pain, what almost lost him the trial in the end was the heartfelt joy. Very clearly, there would be mood changes in later trials, it was basically going to use all kinds of ways to influence him, to make him leave the central platform. As long as he did, the inheritance would fail.
With this knowledge, Tang San was naturally intelligent enough to prepare. The process of stripping the right arm spirit bone was a bit faster than the Eight Spider Lances, and the pain he suffered naturally also a bit less. This was also something Tang San observed himself. He vaguely understood that the longer the spirit bone removal took, the higher the quality of the spirit bone was, and the better the effect would be from soaking in Seagod energy. Although the Sky Blue Bull Python right arm bone was good, it was still some way from the Eight Spider Lances that had already reached god level. As a result, when it was stripped off, the process was a bit faster, and it could be assumed that the effects would also be a bit worse.
What Tang San was curious over was, after he once again endured the pain, after seeing the Eight Spider Lances turn into the Seagod Eight Wings, he very much wanted to know what this Sky Blue Bull Python right arm bone would turn into?
The answer was very soon announced. Only this answer still made Tang San enormously amazed. Yes, not surprise, but amazement, so much that he was simultaneously shocked and furious.
The stripped off Sky Blue Bull Python right arm bone quietly landed on that round platform, and a golden wave washed over it, swallowing it up. Very soon, the golden wave energy, the Seagod’s energy, merged into the Sky Blue Bull Python right arm bone, and the bone showed bizarre changes.
The spirit bone grew larger, becoming the size of Tang San’s right arm, but no longer bent, standing straight on the platform. At the top, there was a circular mushroom top forming, looking like something any man would find very familiar. If it was smaller, it would be a bit like Oscar’s flying mushroom sausage. What was most difficult to endure was that in the center of that mushroom head, a golden liquid spurted out, flying in an arc through the air and spraying over Tang San. He even vaguely smelled a fishy smell.
Rage instantly burned, violent fury once again making Tang San raise his right hand. But at this moment, in the world’s most vulgar event, a voice like that of the vulgar Spirit Master Bu Le Tang San once met echoed,
“How embarrassing, transformation failed.”
Boom—— Tang San felt his brain seem to explode from fury. The insult didn’t matter to him, but the entire insult used the spirit bone created through Da Ming’s sacrifice, through his life! He couldn’t produce spirit power, but at the same time, it only took one step and he could instantly crush this incredibly nauseating thing.
Even though already on guard, deep in his heart what was most important to him was his friends and relatives. If he was personally humiliated, Tang San would definitely be alert, but when Da Ming who had given his life for Xiao Wu was humiliated, how could Tang San endure?
This step, would finally still be sold! Tang San lifted his leg, already aware that this was a trap, but even so, even if he couldn’t continue the inheritance, he still couldn’t let Da Ming bear such humiliation.
But, the instant Tang San was about to take this step, a familiar faint voice reached his mind,
“Don’t be fooled, my brother. I feel your respect for me in your anger, to me, that’s enough. To become part of a god, is my honor.”
This…… Tang San forcibly stopped the half finished step. Stopping him, was the stinky liquid that sprayed from the mushroom head. The liquid actually changed direction.
“Da Ming……”
Tang San’s vision grew a bit hazy. He knew that this was the effect of Da Ming’s soul within the spirit bone!
“Nothing need be said. Don’t tell me you want to let Xiao Wu grieve when you die failing the inheritance?”
Da Ming’s soul was extremely faint, these were the last words he could speak. But these words had enormously destructive power on Tang San.
The spirit bones ordinary spirit masters possessed were obtained through hunting spirit beasts, naturally filled with hostility towards the spirit master. Only when, like the Eight Spider Lances, they reached the god level and another level of merging with Tang San, would their feelings change.
But Tang San was different, Da Ming was happy to sacrifice himself to be Tang San’s Sky Blue Bull Python right arm bone, and his soul was always within the spirit bone, watching Tang San revive Xiao Wu, he was only grateful. Under such circumstances, even though this spirit bone wasn’t god level, Da Ming still used burned the power of his soul to warn Tang San, preferring to be humiliated than to let Tang San ruin the inheritance.
This time it was no longer the Seagod’s arrangement, nor could it be called luck, it was Da Ming who saved Tang San’s inheritance.
Tang San’s eyes were moist. He blinked away the tears and withdrew his raised leg,
“Da Ming, I definitely won’t disappoint you.”
Turning grief into strength, Tang San roared fiercely, stiffly pushing down the anger he felt. But his fists were already tightly clenched, trying hard to control his emotions.
As Tang San finally stabilized his mood, recovering his calm, everything in front of him transformed. That mushroom shaped thing suddenly burst, hiding what was below in a large golden cloud, where a resonant dragon cry echoed. Tang San seemed to see Da Ming again, but the shrunken size. But Da Ming also quickly transformed in that golden mist, Sky Blue Bull Python, bull head and python body, although Da Ming’s soul wasn’t there. But at this moment, he seemed to complete the step the Deep Sea Demon Whale King couldn’t in a million years.
In the blink of an eye, Da Ming transformed into a golden dragon, soaring up over that round platform. Even though his body was very small, he still gave a feeling like soaring to the ninth heaven, spiraling in that golden mist. The round little platform flew back to its original position.
Yes! This should be the true evolved effect of the Sky Blue Bull Python arm bone Da Ming turned into! Tang San wiped away the tears in his eyes, his heart also completely calming down.
First it was ecstasy that influenced him, but in the second trial of the inheritance he was actually influenced by anger. Such terrifying trials. With the humiliation of Da Ming infuriating him, plus the imperceptible effect of the trial on his emotions producing the change, even fully aware that it might be a trap he still almost stepped into it. Passing the Seagod’s challenges was actually so difficult?
Through the two trials, Tang San had also gained an even deeper understanding of this Seagod inheritance. Inferring three from one, with Tang San’s intelligence he immediately brought to mind a line from the Confucian educational text 《Three Character Classic》from his previous world: We speak of joy, anger, we speak of grief, fear, love hate desire, these are the seven emotions.[1]
[1] Three Character Classic - Translation from here: https://www.yellowbridge.com/onlinelit/sanzijing.php