"It should be within there."
Tang Wulin and Na'er came to a stop as they found themselves in front of a gigantic door that covered most of the hallway.
It was made out of coral, with beads of light decorating and sea beast symbols all over it.
"This is the place that has been calling you?" Questioned Na'er as she gazes at the door, while Tang Wulin only narrowed his eyes.
As at the moment, he could feel the strange pull getting even stronger by the second. Even though it was already strong before, now it felt like something was gripping him.
"Let's go."
Tang Wulin and Na'er moved towards the door, with Tang Wulin easily pushing it up, even with its futile resistance.
The inner chamber was a wide-open space with no windows, yet the blue lights illuminated it well enough.
There was not much about the architecture or any unique symbols like in the halls that he and Na'er had passed by.
The only thing that was inside of this place was rows of statues that were depicting a figure with a trident.
The figure for each statue was different from the last but the trident it held was shaped the same way. Below the figure was something akin to a sacred shrine with a variety of stuff, that one would use for prayers.
'What now?' Thought Tang Wulin as he began glancing all around but he didn't see anything else.
He didn't feel anything from the statues or the shrine that was in front of him, leading him to be suspicious if something was wrong with him.
'Where are you-'
Tang Wulin's eyes widen when he felt his body shake with his blood boiling as if something was screaming out to him.
"Wulin?" Questioned Na'er when she saw him shaking before she started to move towards him.
But before she could reach him the whole room shooked before the gilded statues that were standing all around eyes glowed brilliantly.
Not only did their eyes glow but the sculpted trident glowed before the room lit up with a blinding light.
Na'er was forced to cover her eyes before she opened them when the light faded away. But to her shock, she didn't see Tang Wulin in the room.
"Wulin?"
#
The brilliant color of dazzling gold. A boundless sea of glittering gold that expanded far from the eye can see, with the gentle waves moving up and down.
Tang Wulin blinked his eyes before he saw he was in a world made out of gold, with a golden sea covering his feet.
It was beautiful, as it was something he had never seen before, something that was sacred and divine.
"Where am I..."Muttered Tang Wulin as he looked all around.
"I don't know." Zeref's voice rang out as he appeared next to Tang Wulin, alongside Sleipnir and Yggdrasil.
With the former looking around with joy in her eyes while the latter had a knowing look in her eyes as if she already knew what this place was.
Before he could respond to Zeref's questions, he was able to spot a wide path in front of him, beginning to appear.
As the sparkling water from the boundless sea began to split up, forging a golden path of steps for him to walk through.
It seemed to stretch far into the distance with no end in sight.
"The Sea God's Nine Trials. Only bypassing all of them will you be able to truly own the Golden Trident and control its powers. Proceed with courage!"
A familiar voice resounded in his ears. The warm voice caused Tang Wulin's eyes to widen in this silent world.
"Father?"Muttered Tang Wulin as he looked around before Old Tang's voice rang out.
"To think, my other self would leave you it, so you can come here. Well considering the arduous path you are traveling, I can see the wisdom in his actions."
"Old Tang, Do you know this place? And does it have something to do with Tang San?"Questioned Zeref, leading Old Tang to chuckle.
"Indeed it does. After all, this is the trial your father took to become a God."Said Old Tang as he gazed at Tang Wulin.
"The shrine of a God? No wonder, I could feel the fresh sense of divinity and life within this gorgeous world."Said Sleipnir as she felt the world bathing her in delicious warmth and a cool embrace.
"This is where he became the Sea God." Muttered Zeref in mild surprise as he glances around while Tang Wulin had his direct gaze on the open path.
"Is there a purpose for me here? Could it be he wants me to inherit something here?"Questioned Tang Wulin causing Old Tang to chuckle.
"Yes, you must climb to the top of this world, passing all of the nine trials to claim the Ultra Divine Weapon here. The Sea God Trident."Said Old Tang with pride in his voice.
Whether it be Sleipnir or Zeref, they were all surprised at the words of Old Tang. An Ultra Divine weapon was at the top of this world?
And not just any Ultra Divine but the Sea God Trident!
The weapon of the Sea God, Tang San! The weapon that Tang San was most recognized for and the weapon he used to lay his foundation as a God.
"Will he be alright without it?" Questioned Tang Wulin.
"I'm not sure as I only received the memories of why you were transported here and what was here. I am unsure about the situation with my other self."Said Old Tang causing Tang Wulin to furrow his brows but he still nodded his head after a bit.
"Is there a big-time difference between here and back at the sea palace?"
"I'm afraid not." Said Old Tang with a sigh, leading Tang Wulin to narrow his eyes but he didn't say anything.
Tang Wulin stared at the path ahead before tensing his muscles and shooting straight through the gate.
As he was doing this, the others went back inside of him with Old Tang's voice going silent again.
With the first step, he immediately felt a tremendous pressure pressing down upon him as if the sky was coming down.
He could feel it trying to forcefully squeeze his body, into the ground and through the steps under him.
Yet Tang Wulin continued, with his next step which landed on the steps causing everything around to shake.
Once again the pressure radically increased on his body, becoming ten percent stronger than before.
'Interesting, so every step it becomes harder. Will it increase the pressure, until I reach the end? Alright, let's see if you can crush this body.'
With a stomp on the step, that sent a shockwave through the golden sea around him causing some of it to rise.
Tang Wulin turned into a blur as he moved through the golden path as the relentless pressure continues increasing.
He could feel the pressure on his body rapidly changing as he continued moving higher and higher with insane speed.
It felt like a mountain was being dropped on him. Then it felt like a city was exploding and then now it felt as if he was in a raging storm.
Not only that but Tang Wulin could tell his soul power was being consumed from his body, although at a slow pace.
Yet his vigor and spiritual power seem to be untouched.
As his foot reached the two-hundredth step in a matter of seconds, the area around him changed into a desolate land. Yet above the desolate land were dark clouds that crackle with terrible fury, with lightning flashing around.
As soon as Tang Wulin's foot landed on the step, the lightning pierced through the sky before hacking down on Tang Wulin. It wasn't just one bolt but a sea of them, as they began striking down on the figure that was below them.
Yet in the next instant, Tang Wulin kept on moving even as the lightning struck him as if it was nothing more than droplets of rain.
As he passed the two-hundredth step, his figure continued flashing up the steps before he reached the next fifty.
The scene turned into a forest filled with terrifying storms that produce winds that were cutting everything apart.
Tang Wulin didn't move to evade the wind as it landed on his body which not only did not bleed but shattered the wind.
With another step, Tang Wulin shattered the scenery before continuing up.
He continued ascending the stairs, his figure being nothing but a blur as he continued shrugging off the pressure of the light.
As he reached the three-hundredth step, the golden world erupted in fury as the pressure increased ten-fold all upon Tang Wulin.
Yet that wasn't the end as the sky above began to swirl with power before an enormous pillar of golden light descends upon Tang Wulin.
It submerged his figure, making the pressure even stronger with the water around Tang Wulun turning into a raging storm.
"Pathetic."
The pillar of light was instantly shattered as Tang Wulin move up the stairs once again, unhindered and unscratched. As he was moving, multiple pillars of light started to hack down upon his figure from the sky.
Yet none of them were able to stop his stride and within the next second, he reached the three-hundred and thirty-three step.
As his foot gently touched the three-hundred and thirty-three step, a blinding light erupted from all around.
Tang Wulin had to blink his eyes as he felt himself submerged in a comfortable sensation. The steps below him were gone before he felt a body of liquid washing over him.
The liquid was very warm, nourishing his body and strengthening his body as it seeped into his flesh.
Tang Wulin saw all of the liquid being absorbed into his body before he found himself back in the vast and endless world of gold.
Everything around him became illusory with a bit of divine and sacred energy rolling around.
"That trial was easy."Mutter Tang Wulin before a voice appeared in his head.
"To ascend the steps in only ten seconds, such a thing should be impossible. Yet one has proven it true, continue moving and never giving up, as the ability you display today. Without your iron will, you wouldn't have been able to pass. Sea God's Nine Trials, First Trial, passed!"