A terrifying aura surged from Su Cheng's body, then spread outwards.
The azure sky cleared, and waves rolled on the sea.
At this moment, standing on the edge of the coast, Su Cheng even gave Luo Leilei a feeling of illusion.
It was not just a person, but a towering mountain, like the Sea God Mountain standing in the center of Sea God Island, unshakable.
And this was just the outward display of his momentum; at this moment, he hadn't even released his martial soul yet.
Luo Leilei turned in astonishment, looking at Su Cheng's figure. "He really..."
At the same time, many strong people on Sea God Island felt a palpitation.
"Such a powerful energy fluctuation!" Sea Dragon Douluo frowned and stood up under the Sea Dragon Sacred Pillar.
"Who is it?"
"Is someone coming to attack Sea God Island?"
...
At this moment, a distant and gentle female voice sounded in their ears, "No need to worry."
Next moment, a figure in red, Bo Saixi, appeared in the sky above Sea God Island, looking into the distance. There was a faint surprise and joy on her face, mixed with a hint of dissatisfaction.
Obviously, she had already known who the person coming was when she sensed that aura.
After speaking to the other Sacred Pillar Douluos, she turned into a red light and flew towards that direction.
Seeing Bo Saixi leave, the other Sacred Pillar Douluos also relaxed.
The High Priestess Bo Saixi was invincible in their eyes.
As long as Bo Saixi was there, Sea God Island would not face any danger.
On an island not far from Sea God Island, Su Cheng watched the figure in red crossing the sea and then landing not far from him.
More than ten years had passed, and if Luo Leilei's appearance hadn't changed at all, then Bo Saixi's changes were quite obvious.
She didn't age with time, on the contrary, she seemed even younger than before.
To be precise, it was her eyes that had become younger.
In addition to the maturity, gentleness, confidence, and intelligence of an adult woman, there was also a hint of innocence and purity of a young girl, but without the slightest hint of the past sense of vicissitudes.
Su Cheng sighed in his heart, his face showing genuine joy. "Teacher, it's been a long time."
Bo Saixi walked slowly forward, looking Su Cheng up and down, her heart surging.
The man in front of her could be said to have grown up under her watch.
Although they had little contact when he was young, after he was seven years old, he followed her in cultivation.
From a young age, he had shown extraordinary qualities in various aspects.
Moreover, for her sake, he gave up opportunities that were easily available and chose to leave Sea God Island.
Now, more than ten years had passed, the child had grown into a man, looking much more mature and restrained, even from the outside.
If he hadn't just released his aura, he would have seemed like an ordinary person. Even with her keen eyesight and perception, it would have been difficult to detect his actual strength.
"Cheng'er, I didn't expect your cultivation progress to be so rapid, even more astonishing than my strength after accepting the top eight examinations back then."
Just in his thirties, he had already cultivated to the level of a Title Douluo.
And not just an ordinary Title Douluo.
Although she couldn't see Su Cheng's specific strength at the moment, just from the aura he emitted, Bo Saixi knew he was definitely not weaker than an ordinary peak Douluo.
While feeling emotional, she felt even more regretful.
Seeing it now, if Su Cheng had chosen to accept the Sea God Test back then, he might have had a chance to receive the ninth test of the Sea God.
And now, she was willing to sacrifice her life to achieve the new Sea God.
"But you really have an iron will," Bo Saixi's voice became colder, seeming a little angry, "So many years have passed, and you haven't come back even once. For you, crossing the sea is not a difficult task, nor does it take much time, right?"
Su Cheng was surprised by her words.
This teacher had really changed, to say such things.
But this change was obviously not a bad thing.
"I didn't dare to come back before I achieved something, to avoid embarrassing you, teacher," Su Cheng smiled, "Fortunately, it didn't take too long."
"You always have excuses," Bo Saixi snorted, a little annoyed. "If you stay outside for a few more years, you might become an old man."
"Teacher seems even younger and more beautiful than before."
"You flatterer!" Bo Saixi's face reddened, a little angry.
"Teacher, you know, I always speak my mind," Su Cheng said with a smile.
He really meant it.
In the past, Bo Saixi's mentality was too aloof.
Sitting on Sea God Mountain year after year, overlooking all beings, she thought she had seen all aspects of life, but in reality, they were all illusory.
It was like watching many movies, could that really enlighten one about life?
Only by truly entering the world could she be a living person.
With this liveliness, she naturally appeared much younger.
The heavy sense of falseness in the past had now been completely wiped away.
Bo Saixi snorted lightly, not caring too much about Su Cheng's disrespectful words.
In fact, the way they interacted was like friends rather than a master and disciple.
After a round of laughter, the sense of unfamiliarity from not seeing each other for many years disappeared.
"What are your plans for coming back this time?" Bo Saixi asked first.
Then, a hint of hesitation appeared on her face, "Do you want to come back to Sea God Island?"
The rule that one must leave Sea God Island if they fail the test was maintained by humans, and there were no strict exclusion rules. She was willing to make an exception for Su Cheng.
In fact, Bo Saixi also wanted Su Cheng to try again and see if there was a chance to take the test again, but she estimated that the other party would not agree.
"Let's forget about it," Su Cheng shook his head, "Don't break the rules for me, teacher."
Bo Saixi sighed inwardly, the answer was almost as she expected.
She then became serious, her eyes slightly narrowed, and a hint of inquiry appeared in her sea-blue eyes. "The Bright Church you've established seems to be gaining considerable momentum."
"Yes," Su Cheng replied calmly. "I just found out recently. Now, the vast majority of seafolk have joined Bright Church."
"Why... did you establish this Bright Church?" Bo Saixi hesitated as she looked at Su Cheng.
"Naturally, it's to make life better for those living on the sea," Su Cheng replied lightly. "I'm sure Teacher is also aware of the specifics of
Bright Church, right? Those people are living much better lives now."
Bo Saixi was initially silent, then sighed lightly. "Indeed, much better. In the past, it was my failure to fulfill my duties, failing the expectations of the Sea God."
She naturally delved into the specifics of Bright Church and gathered a large amount of relevant information.
The sudden emergence of such a massive force at sea, coupled with her current role as the High Priestess of Sea God Island, meant she couldn't turn a blind eye after hearing about it, and naturally, she had to investigate.
If there were any problems within this force, even if Su Cheng was its founder, she wouldn't hesitate to shut it down.
"Don't say that, Teacher," Su Cheng smiled at Bo Saixi. "I wouldn't have come this far without your guidance."
"You don't need to praise me; I never taught you anything," Bo Saixi shook her head. "But that set of techniques you've spread seems to have astonishing effects, actually enabling ordinary people to become soul masters."
As she spoke, her expression was slightly hesitant, and she felt a rare sense of unease in her heart.
In fact, the technique widely circulated within Bright Church was the most puzzling and worrying thing for her.
How did Su Cheng manage it? What was the purpose of selflessly spreading these techniques? And if Su Cheng had other intentions, how should she deal with it?
The idea of people with zero innate soul power cultivating soul power was inevitably dubious to her.
At this point, it was obvious that a few words of guidance from the Sea God couldn't explain everything.
Although it was somewhat disrespectful, she really doubted whether even the Sea God could make ordinary people defy fate and gain soul master talents through their own cultivation.
With a slight pursing of her lips, Bo Saixi hesitated before saying, "Do you know what the consequences will be with an increase in soul masters?"
"What consequences?" Su Cheng looked at her, his jet-black eyes meeting her deep blue ones.
"It will cause chaos in the world," Bo Saixi said softly.
Soul master talents were extremely rare in the world, with perhaps not even one in a hundred people possessing it.
Yet, despite this, the chaos caused by soul masters was countless, earning them the title of "the source of disaster and chaos."
If everyone became a soul master, it was hard to imagine what the world would become.
Resources that were once abundant would become scarce, leading to much conflict and bloodshed.
"...," Su Cheng remained silent for a moment before suddenly smiling. "So what if there's chaos?"
Bo Saixi was stunned.
It seemed unbelievable that Su Cheng would give such an answer.
"Can you bear the consequences?" she asked after a moment of silence.
"Why should it be up to me?" Su Cheng replied calmly.
He turned away and walked slowly to the edge of the coast, gazing out at the undulating sea.
"The affairs of the world should be borne by the people of the world. I'm giving them an opportunity, whether the world becomes better or worse because of it, shouldn't be my concern."
Su Cheng turned to look at Bo Saixi.
"Teacher, you don't have the right to decide others' lives, and neither do I. Even if they gain powers beyond ordinary people because of me, I don't think I have the right to restrict them. If they die in strife, it's not my fault. It's their choice and their freedom."
"Just like spreading this set of techniques, it's my freedom."
"This..." Bo Saixi stared at Su Cheng, murmuring, "This is... heresy."
"Does Teacher think I shouldn't do this?" Su Cheng didn't want to dwell on this matter any longer, so he spoke frankly. "But those ordinary people, survival on the vast sea is extremely difficult for them. Should they naturally be inferior? Do ordinary people not have the right to pursue their dreams?"
After a long silence, Bo Saixi sighed. "I've never been able to argue with you."
She didn't say those words out of selfishness.
In fact, even if there were tens or hundreds of times more soul masters, they wouldn't pose any threat to her.
She truly believed there were many hidden dangers in this.
Such techniques shouldn't exist.
But what Su Cheng said at this moment seemed reasonable, leaving her conflicted and unable to decide.
"Whether it's good or bad, let time be the judge," Su Cheng said, trying to console her again.
Bo Saixi opened her mouth but ultimately remained silent.
Things had come to this point, and there was no other choice.
As for the source of the techniques, there was no need to dwell on it further.
Even if Su Cheng had developed it himself, what could be done? The other party had already left Sea God Island.
At this point, Su Cheng suddenly changed the subject and his expression became relaxed. He asked casually, "Teacher, do you have any regrets?"
"Regrets?" Bo Saixi blinked, feeling a slight tremor in her heart.
After a moment of contemplation, she shook her head. "None."
Su Cheng glanced at her, scrutinizing her. "Really?"
"Of course," Bo Saixi laughed lightly. "What? Do you want Teacher to have regrets?"
"Of course not," Su Cheng also smiled, his expression full of joy.
He knew that Bo Saixi originally had regrets.
The unresolved affection between her and Tang Chen was her regret.
Now that this regret was gone, logically it seemed like it wasn't good news.
Originally, Bo Saixi had an attachment to life, and even in the original timeline, she had done her best to assist Tang Chen in becoming a god, which indicated this.
But now it was different.
Since Bo Saixi had just said those words, it meant that in these years of mingling among the people, she had truly found solace for her soul.
Although he didn't know how important this solace was, it would definitely play a crucial role in the end.