In the inheritance of the Sea God, the crucial Sea God's Heart and the Sea God's Trident have been completely destroyed, and the Sea God's Temple in the alternate space has been damaged.
At this point, the mainline mission of this simulation should be considered completed.
At least in Su Cheng's eyes, he had pushed himself to the limit.
He wasn't planning to personally visit the Sea God's Temple, which served as the inheritance space.
The strike just now from the Sea God's main body, through the inheritance space, was enough for him to feel the gap in their strengths.
He had also witnessed the power of a third-level god before, with Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong, who were at the third-level god level when they just ascended.
Compared to the power of the Sea God just now, there was a world of difference, even greater than the gap between ordinary people and Titled Douluo.
At his current level, confronting the Sea God directly would be meaningless, wasting the perfect opportunity to comprehend his current unique state.
[Mainline mission completed, departure possible within one hour.]
At this moment, the completion notification for the mission came.
Su Cheng paid no attention, his breath converged, his eyes slightly closed, immersed in his own world.
The innate power formed by the fusion of vitality, spirit, and energy was rapidly dissipating, but the overall strength and intensity of his power, comparable to that of a god, had not decreased much.
This was completely different from the situation he had experienced before, where his vitality depleted gradually, leading to organ damage and eventual death.
The loss of vitality was a gradual process, starting with weakened energy, then declining vitality, and finally, organ failure, until life ceased to exist.
But now, it seemed like he was gradually being erased from the world, all at once. Apart from the missing soul, there wasn't much sense of weakness, as his entire being seemed to be gradually fading away, without any particular order. Besides the absence of the soul, there wasn't much weakness, and his whole being was one with the world, only his breath slipping away continuously.
Even so, he could feel how different he was at this moment.
His personal small world coexisted harmoniously with the external world, and all the changes in the external world were clearly reflected in his perception.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that even if all the Titled Douluo in the world came together to attack him, they wouldn't be able to cause him any harm.
Even without considering the disparity in strength, no one could evade his sensing, let alone break through his power cycle, and they couldn't even consume it.
However, Su Cheng's current state wasn't one of integration with the world.
On the contrary, at this moment, he seemed to be beyond the world's control.
But he wasn't a rebel against the world, nor had he been rejected by the world. Instead, it seemed like the world was jubilant, celebrating his achievements.
This was by no means the common situation for a god-level powerhouse.
Su Cheng knew the feelings of a soul master after inheriting a godly position. Qian Renxue had once said that the world was urging her to leave as soon as possible.
"Why is this..."
Su Cheng felt somewhat puzzled.
He wasn't sure if there was such a thing as world consciousness in the Douluo Continent at present.
This feedback from the world was not the same as human emotions, but rather some kind of peculiar resonance.
But regardless, his achievements were derived from the heavens and the earth.
Now that he was complete, although his state was flawed, his essence was detached from the world, focusing solely on self-cultivation. So why would he receive the world's commendation?
After pondering for a while, Su Cheng temporarily set aside this question.
The gains today were already enormous.
Even without considering the mission itself, the insights he had gained far exceeded his expectations.
Only by truly experiencing and possessing such power could he have a clearer understanding of the future path, which would greatly benefit him in the future.
Slowly descending to the ruins of the Sea God's Temple, he then walked towards the foot of the mountain.
The once majestic Sea God Mountain had already become dilapidated, and the magnificent Sea God's light, which had been enveloping it year-round, had been completely worn away by the residual power of his sword technique.
Amidst the varied gazes of the people at the foot of the mountain, Su Cheng slowly approached, then suddenly appeared in the outer sea.
The seven Holy Pillar Douluos, who had arrived here not long ago, exchanged glances, their expressions complex, containing both sorrowful hatred and helpless sighs. Even Luo Leilei couldn't help but bow her head silently, tears streaming down her cheeks.
At this moment, Su Cheng's imposing pressure wasn't strong, far from the intense and surging god-like presence he had just displayed on the mountaintop.
However, even though he appeared calm and peaceful now, like the moon in the sky, soft and restrained, who dares to compete with its brilliance?
Su Cheng paid no attention to the cries of the Holy Pillar Douluos.
He first looked at the pale-faced Bibi Dong, nodded gently, and said, "Dong'er, please wait a moment."
Seeing that he was in good condition at the moment, although his face was covered with a mask and his body was uninjured, and his vitality was exceptionally strong, Bibi Dong couldn't help but relax inwardly, although she had many questions to ask, seeing him speak, she temporarily suppressed her thoughts.
Su Cheng turned and walked to Bo Saixi's side.
Looking at the stunning beauty in front of him in a red robe, his expression also became more reserved. He bowed slightly and said, "Teacher, I'm sorry to have disappointed you."
Bo Saixi did not speak, just staring blankly at Su Cheng.
After a long time, she let out a bitter laugh, turned her face away to avoid eye contact.
What else could she do now, or say?
The inheritance of the Sea God was completely destroyed.
The mission of the High Priestess had come to an end.
Even the Sea God Island, the sacred place of inheritance for thousands of years, might no longer have a reason to exist.
And the cause of all this was the only disciple she was closest to and proud of.
At this moment, Bo Saixi still didn't know Su Cheng's true condition, unaware that he was on the brink of death.
Su Cheng's current performance was indeed quite confusing.
His level was too high, and his aura was as harmonious as one, even Bibi Dong and Bo Saixi, such peerless powerhouses, couldn't perceive his true situation.
"You can go, leave here, and don't call me teacher anymore," Bo Saixi said coldly without looking at him.
In the past, the two were teacher and friend, and this disciple was both her reliance and her pride.
But in the future, the two could only be mortal enemies.
Su Cheng, however, looked at her with a gentle smile and said, "I can't leave."
Bo Saixi trembled violently at his words.
Suppressing all the emotions in her heart, they erupted, her chest heaving violently.
She turned to face Su Cheng, "Can't leave? So are you planning to destroy me, the High Priestess, after destroying the Sea God Mountain?"
"Indeed, I'm going to uproot you," Su Cheng's laughter grew louder.
Although this was not the right thing to do, and shouldn't be done.
But looking at Bo Saixi's expression, he felt a subtle feeling.
Combined with the fact that everything was now finished, he felt relaxed, and his words were somewhat unrestrained.
"Teacher, are you ready?"
As he spoke, his right palm reached out, and transparent flames ignited again in his hand, extending straight toward Bo Saixi's slender neck.
Bo Saixi showed no intention of dodging or resisting, just staring coldly at him, her eyes becoming more and more painful and sad.
"Stop!"
"Su Cheng, what are you doing?!"
"She is your teacher!"
"..."
Su Cheng ignored the cries of the Holy Pillar Douluos.
In fact, those people had no other means besides verbal intervention.
Although his aura was restrained, in reality, Su Cheng had full control over the surrounding environment. If he wished, no one could approach him.
However, Su Cheng's palm brushed past Bo Saixi's seemingly delicate neck.
Then, he continued forward, his palm reaching behind her.
Bo Saixi was stunned for a moment, staring blankly at the mask that was now within arm's reach.
A faint breath emanated from beneath the mask, and a hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.
The next moment, Bo Saixi's expression abruptly changed.
Her Martial Soul uncontrollably reacted, and the phantom of a sea god clad in golden armor appeared behind her.
And Su Cheng's palm actually pierced through that illusory Martial Soul!
At the same time, blood streaks appeared around his eyes.
"You—"
"Teacher, this Martial Soul is your shackle, I suggest you let it go." A sensation of burning pain emanated from his soul, but Su Cheng's voice remained as steady as ever as he tightly clenched his fist. "I'll give you something better."
A faint burning sound could be heard as the formidable golden figure struggled and contorted within the transparent flames before slowly melting away.
Su Cheng raised his left hand and placed it on Bo Saixi's shoulder.
With the trembling of bloodlines, a new figure quickly replaced the original golden-armored one.
This new figure was none other than Bo Saixi's own image.
Su Cheng couldn't create bloodlines out of thin air, nor did he need to.
In this world, everyone had bloodlines; the difference lay only in their depth of concealment and purity.
Using his powerful soul and understanding of bloodlines and Martial Souls, Su Cheng triggered Bo Saixi's own bloodline.
Then, at a significant cost to his own strength, he reshaped Bo Saixi's Martial Soul bloodline, using the Sea God's Martial Soul as nourishment to form it.
In terms of quality alone, this newly born Martial Soul was definitely inferior to her original Sea God's Martial Soul.
Even in terms of strength, it had greatly declined due to the forced removal of divine power from the Martial Soul and soul rings.
However, this newly born Martial Soul opened up new avenues for her advancement, free from the constraints of her identity as a guardian of the gods, and possessed limitless potential.
Moreover, although her Martial Soul had changed, her original soul rings had not disappeared; Su Cheng had stabilized them as well.
Martial Souls were connected to the soul and should never be changed lightly.
If it weren't for Su Cheng's current pinnacle strength and perception abilities, coupled with his profound understanding of Martial Souls and soul rings, he wouldn't dare attempt such an operation.
And to achieve this, he had paid a considerable price.
His soul was once again missing a significant portion.
At this moment, even maintaining internal balance was somewhat difficult due to the intense fluctuations in his breath.
Because of this fluctuation, everyone present finally felt his true condition.
"Cheng Xue!" Bibi Dong's exclaimed from behind.
"What's wrong with you?!" Bo Saixi's eyes widened, grabbing Su Cheng's arm, unable to care about anything else.
The extinction of the Sea God's inheritance, the end of the High Priestess's mission, made her feel hopeless about the future.
But in reality, she still had concerns. Though she didn't want to admit it, she couldn't easily let go of Su Cheng, after so many years of feelings, how could she easily let go?
Su Cheng didn't speak immediately, first assessing Martial Soul of Bo Saixi before him.
With the change in her Martial Soul, her temperament had undergone a slight change.
No longer did she always carry a faint solemnity, she appeared more relaxed and lively.
This was just the beginning; after some time, her changes would likely become even more pronounced.
After a moment of silence, Su Cheng sighed lightly and pulled his arm away from her grasp.
"Teacher, you're still so young and beautiful. You should have your own life." Su Cheng smiled gently, retracting his right hand and removing her slender hand from his arm.
"What's a Sea God? Is it worthy of you to serve it? You're my teacher, after all."
With that, he turned and looked at another woman dressed in a radiant golden pontifical gown.
"Cheng Xue!" Bibi Dong's face grew even paler, tears uncontrollably flowing from her eyes.
She had just felt that terrifying sense of death.
"No, you call yourself Su Cheng, right? Not only do you not show me your face, you don't even want to tell me your real name. What am I to you..."
Su Cheng sighed lightly. "Whether you know my appearance or name, at this point, what difference does it make?"
"You promised me before," Bibi Dong murmured, "You clearly promised me..."
Su Cheng remained silent for a moment, realizing he had nothing to explain.
With a sigh, he stepped forward, "I'm sorry, Dong'er. Let this last gift serve as compensation for deceiving you."
Without waiting for Bibi Dong to resist, transparent flames ignited once again.
"Cheng'er!"
Behind him, Bo Saixi's voice trembled slightly.
By now, she had realized what the burning flames meant.
"No, I don't want this!" Bibi Dong shook her head helplessly, trying to step back, but Su Cheng held her in place, unable to move.
"Please, don't do this!"
Su Cheng remained silent, placing his hand on her shoulder, disregarding her struggles and cries, as flames of the same color ignited on her.
At the same time, the sinister green spider behind Bibi Dong materialized, rippling like water.
A transparent light shone within the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor.
"Don't worry, this isn't about overreaching. It's just clearing away some hidden dangers for you. But I can't completely erase them; after all, it involves the essence of your Martial Soul." Su Cheng's calm voice resounded.
"This soul light will increase your soul foundation. In the future, suppressing evil thoughts will be much easier for you. This will be a power entirely your own."
As he spoke, the transparent light began to cleanse the deep green hue from the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor Martial Soul.
Soon, the heavy inkiness on the Martial Soul gradually faded with time, transforming into a pure emerald green.
Exhaling deeply after completing everything, Su Cheng's breath finally began to decline rapidly like a leaking balloon.
The intense consumption of his soul's essence made it impossible for him to maintain internal balance.
At this point, maintaining his previous level of strength was out of the question.
Su Cheng didn't mind; he admired the increasingly beautiful Bibi Dong for a moment.
"Be a good pope, and I believe you can do it now," he said, turning away.
He still had one last thing to do.
"Today, I impart the Three Volumes of Innate Techniques to the people of the world.
"With these techniques, you can supplement innate abilities with acquired skills.
"Regardless of your background, talent, status, from this day forth, everyone has the potential to practice..."
As Su Cheng spoke, his voice echoed across the entire sea.
All the seafolk, no matter where they were or what they were doing, heard his voice.
Whether this world was real or false, it didn't matter to him.
Doing this was just about his belief.
As for the nature of this world, it was irrelevant to him.
He was not stingy with these teachings, and even after returning to the real world, if conditions allowed, he hadn't thought to keep them to himself.
After explaining the entirety of the innate techniques, Su Cheng paused for a moment before continuing:
"I also want to tell you, being human is not a bad thing. Where do these so-called gods come from? They're just a group of self-proclaimed noble oddities!
"I am no sage, and my actions are based solely on my own will. I neither believe in others nor need anyone to worship me. So, you don't need to be grateful, let alone praise my name.
"As for slander and insults, calling me a source of calamity, labeling me a demon, it's all up to you; that's your freedom.
"But there's one thing I hope you can do.
"Don't kneel to anyone anymore because you once stood shoulder to shoulder with me."
After finishing, Su Cheng prepared to exit the simulation.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, he clapped his hands. "Almost forgot."
He turned back to look at Bibi Dong. "Although you might not remember..."
The next moment, intense flames erupted.
In an instant, his spirit left this world, and his body dissipated into nothingness under the full outbreak of innate power.
"No—"
"Cheng'er!"
"Su Cheng!"
"..."
Bo Saixi was finally unable to hold on any longer, her body slumping weakly to the ground, hands covering her face.
"High Priest..."
The Sacred pillar Douluos hurriedly gathered around, their eyes filled with concern and emotion.
The innate techniques Su Cheng had just imparted sounded extremely profound, and their insights were endless.
If they were to practice them now, they could easily advance further.
But with the spread of this method, whether it would be a blessing or a curse was unknown...
Only Bibi Dong remained standing in place, staring blankly at the spot where Su Cheng's presence vanished.
Until this moment, she felt like everything that had happened today was like a dream.
It was hard for her to understand, hard to accept.
But the warm feeling emanating from the depths of her soul, and the powerful and pure energy fluctuations from the evil second martial soul, made her realize that everything that had just happened was real, not a dream.
"Because he knew he would die for sure, to prevent me from having any worries, he didn't want me to know his true face, even willing to destroy himself for it..."
At the same time, all the members of the Bright Church felt a pang in their hearts.
They inexplicably gained a kind of enlightenment: Su Cheng was dead.
Whether in body or spirit, he had completely disappeared from this world.
Perhaps everything Su Cheng had done today was in vain.
The disparity in talent between each other still remained like an insurmountable chasm between ordinary people and geniuses.
It was also possible that with the spread of the Three Volumes of Innate Techniques, countless people would defy fate and have a new future.
Of course, it might be as Bo Saixi had said, that this was a demonic path that disrupted order and rules, and would eventually lead to chaos in the world.
But at this moment, everyone felt grateful to him.
He broke the shackles of innate destiny for everyone.
He allowed ordinary people to strive for a glimpse of a possible future through their own efforts.
Dots of light appeared on the souls of billions of seafolk.
That was their soul light.
In the eyes of the divine beings in this world, these powers were the embryo of the power of faith.
With such a scale of soul power, it could even be the foundation for becoming a god.
Endless points of light dripped into the sea, converging into a torrent of soul fluctuations rushing towards the Sea God Island.
In this extraordinary world, the power generated by the soul was extremely mysterious, and the power of faith was just one manifestation of it.
However, ordinary people found it difficult to access and use it, and it was almost instinctive.
Like the true bodies of soul masters, the formation of externally attached soul bones, or even the impact of soul remnants after the death of soul beasts, and even the special nature of hundred-thousand-year soul rings were all manifestations of soul power.
At this moment, the strong belief condensed in the air was even capable of resurrecting the person who had just died.
But unfortunately, Su Cheng not only burned his soul, but even his body and bloodline condensed into innate power.
Moreover, with the completion of his task, his consciousness had completely left, so there was no possibility of resurrection.
The lingering tide of souls continued to flicker.
Then, everyone saw countless intricate scenes flashing in the sky above the sea.
These were the traces Su Cheng had left in this sea.
Awakening his martial soul at the age of six, refusing the high priest's apprenticeship, and starting to preach everywhere...
At the age of seven, apprenticing to the high priest but not indulging in cultivation, instead wandering around Sea God Island, answering questions for the people...
At eight, leaving the mountain with the high priest and traveling among the people...
At nine, excavating the pure-willed sea folk and then teaching them, together with them, spreading the teachings...
At ten, founding the Bright Church, compiling doctrines, and guiding countless lost sea people to find their future...
At eleven, twelve, thirteen...
At seventeen, refusing to undergo the Sea God's Trial, leaving Sea God Island on his own initiative, teaching the methods of cultivation to the members of the Bright Church, helping ordinary people become soul masters, and then going to the mainland...
Five years ago, returning to the sea, spreading the techniques more widely, helping countless ordinary people cultivate soul power, and promising to break fate with them...
Everything Su Cheng had done in this sea, everything he had said, was replayed in the sky.
This was the seafolk's mourning for him.
Bibi Dong stared blankly at the scenes flashing overhead.
Until now, she finally knew Su Cheng's true face, which was not as ugly and repulsive as he had said before.
But what use was that now?
...
Hello, everyone! How's it going? I'll be taking a leave for 3-4 days. Hope you've enjoyed the story so far. See you soon!