97: Chapter 97: You've been my wife for a long time, what's wrong with a hug?

Under the captain's careful control, the hanhai ship slowly sailed towards Sea God Island.

However, while still several miles away from the island's shore, the ship slowly came to a halt and dropped its heavy anchor.

Even the cargo ships that transported supplies to Sea God Island all year round knew the rules here well.

That was that without permission, no foreign ship could approach the shore at will; they had to anchor in this designated outer sea area and wait for a Spirit Master from Sea God Island to come and guide or verify them.

The ship stopped steadily, the sea surface shimmering and reflecting the island in the distance, which looked like a fairyland.

The fresh air, carrying a faint scent of flowers and the saltiness of the sea, rushed towards them, refreshing their Spirits.

Wang Donger rested her hands on the ship's railing, gazing at Sea God Island, which seemed so close yet appeared to be separated by an invisible barrier. She blinked her large eyes, turned her head to look at Lu Jing, and asked: "Lu Jing, what should we do next? Should we just wait here for the people from Sea God Island to come and pick us up, or...?"

Her words carried a hint of anticipation and uncertainty.

According to the normal procedure, they should wait for guidance, but their purpose was clearly different from that of ordinary visitors.

Snow Empress, who was standing to the side, also cast her cold gaze towards Lu Jing, waiting for his decision.

During this journey, especially after experiencing the Deep Sea Demon Whale King incident, although her strength far exceeded Lu Jing's, she preferred to let Lu Jing make the calls when dealing with matters involving human faction rules and Divinity inheritance.

Lu Jing looked at Sea God Island with deep eyes, shook his head, and spoke in a calm but unquestionably decisive tone: "Wait for them to pick us up? That is too passive, and there is no need for it."

He paused and continued to explain: "Our goal is very clear: we are here for the Sea God assessment. And once an assessment like this begins, it will inevitably attract the attention of the high-level officials of Sea God Island, and it might even alarm that strongest Sea God Douluo. Since that is the case, why should we hide and start from the lowest level of guidance procedures? We will just go directly to the island and state our purpose."

Whether it was the assessment of Sea God Island or the assessment of Spirit Hall, someone needed to initiate it. The only difference was that most people could participate in the Sea God Island assessment, while only their Qian family could participate in the Spirit Hall's.

Upon hearing this, Wang Donger's eyes lit up, and she immediately understood Lu Jing's meaning.

They were "examinees" here to accept a trial, not ordinary visitors, so they naturally needed to have the "momentum" and manner that matched that.

She nodded, but then seemed to think of a practical problem. She grinned playfully and looked at Lu Jing with a bit of teasing: "You are right! However... Young Master Lu, how do you plan to get over there? My Radiant Goddess Butterfly Spirit has flight capabilities, and Senior Snow Empress has heaven-defying cultivation; short-distance flight is easy for her. What about you? Are you planning to swim over? Or are you counting on the people of Sea God Island to kindly open a small boat to pick up this prospective examinee?"

Her words carried a hint of small triumph and banter, as if she had finally found an opportunity to "give a hard time" to Lu Jing.

Lu Jing glanced at the smiling Wang Donger, his expression remaining calm, even carrying a sense of righteous confidence, as if Wang Donger had asked a question that could not be simpler.

He said calmly: "Isn't that simple? I will hold you, and you take me flying over, won't that work?"

"Ah?" Wang Donger did not expect him to be so direct. She was stunned at first, and then her pretty face instantly flushed red, like a ripe apple.

She stomped her feet a little shyly, her eyes drifting, not daring to look directly at Lu Jing, and her voice lowered a few notches: "This... is this not good? There are still so many people on the ship watching... How embarrassing..."

Although her relationship with Lu Jing had long been established, and they were even extremely intimate in some aspects, in public, especially with the cold senior Snow Empress nearby, having her, a girl, hold or be held while flying still made her feel shy.

Seeing this, Lu Jing deliberately snorted, his tone carrying a hint of unarguable strength, while also mixed with a bit of "threat": "What is wrong with it? When I, Lu Jing, act, why should I care about the eyes of others? Besides, I came to Sea God Island this time, after all, isn't it to accompany you to obtain the Divinity assessment opportunity? If you feel embarrassed, that is fine too..."

He changed his tone, his gaze drifting to the expressionless Snow Empress on the side, and said: "Then I will ask Snow Empress to go through the trouble of sending you safely to the island first. Then, Snow Empress and I will return home, and you can stay on this Sea God Island by yourself to slowly participate in the assessment. Anyway, I think the scenery here is not bad, and you shouldn't get bored staying here by yourself for eight or ten years."

Little rascal, he was actually playing tricks on her!

"You...!" Wang Donger immediately became anxious upon hearing this.

How could she be willing to stay in this strange place by herself?

Moreover, she had long been accustomed to the days with Lu Jing by her side.

She glared at Lu Jing coquettishly, her white teeth lightly biting her lower lip, and finally compromised, whispering with a blushing face: "Alright, alright! You are really taking advantage of me! Fine, hold me then... But... you are not allowed to move around!"

The corners of Lu Jing's mouth hooked into a triumphant smile. Without saying more, he stepped forward, stretched out his sturdy arm, and naturally wrapped it around Wang Donger's slim waist that could barely be grasped, pulling her light body close to him.

Although Wang Donger was shy, she still obediently released her Spirit, and the gorgeous Radiant Goddess Butterfly wings unfolded from behind her, emitting a soft and holy light.

At the moment the wings spread and were about to lift them into the air, Lu Jing's arm tightened slightly. Taking advantage of Wang Donger's attention being on controlling her Spirit, his palm, from an angle that no one could see, extremely quickly and with a hint of intimacy, gently patted her perky, rounded buttocks.

At the same time, he leaned close to Wang Donger's already crimson ear, and whispered in a magnetic voice that only the two of them could hear: "Don't forget, you have already been my wife, so what is wrong with a hug?"

This sudden intimate gesture and the whisper in her ear made Wang Donger's delicate body tremble slightly. Her ears turned completely red, and a tingling sensation surged from her tailbone.

She was both shy and annoyed, yet she could not lash out. She could only glare fiercely at Lu Jing, but deep in her eyes, there was not much real anger; instead, a trace of sweetness that she herself had not even noticed rippled out.

She no longer retorted, but just tried hard to calm her somewhat chaotic breathing and heartbeat, concentrating on controlling her Spirit.

On the other side, Snow Empress seemed to not see the interaction between this young couple, or rather, she simply did not care.

Seeing they were ready, she just said calmly: "Let's go."

Immediately, she lightly tapped her toes on the deck, and a cold aura surged slightly around her. Her graceful figure floated lightly into the air, like a snow lotus on the waves, and she flew towards the direction of Sea God Island at a leisurely pace.

"Let's go too," Lu Jing said to Wang Donger in his arms.

Wang Donger nodded, the wings on her back flapped once, and she took off into the air with Lu Jing, following closely behind Snow Empress.

Some sailors on the ship saw this scene. Although they were surprised that they dared to fly directly to Sea God Island without waiting for guidance, they only discussed it among themselves and did not try to stop them.

Those who could take this ship to get here were not ordinary people, and they had their own sense of propriety.

Moreover, they did not have the ability to stop them, did they?

One had to know that before this, if it weren't for them, let alone arriving safely at Sea God Island, not dying there would already be considered a stroke of great luck.

The three of them turned into two streams of light, skimming over the calm sea, and flew towards that vibrant island shrouded in a holy halo.

The sea breeze brushed against their faces, carrying humid water vapor and the fresh fragrance of flowers and plants from the island, which was refreshing and heart-gladdening.

However, this seemingly peaceful sea area, acting as a barrier for Sea God Island, was it really so easy to pass through?

Just when the three of them had flown about half the distance and could already clearly see the white sandy beaches and lush forests on the island, a sudden change occurred!

"Splash!" "Splash!"

The sea surface below, which had been as calm as a mirror, suddenly exploded with countless huge splashes!

Huge, streamlined white figures shot out from the deep sea like sharp arrows, opening their bloody mouths filled with white, sharp teeth, and with a fierce sound of breaking through the air, they bit viciously at the three people flying in the air!

Those were white sharks that were huge in size and exceptionally ferocious!

Their skin was smooth, presenting a tough texture, and their eyes flashed with wild, ferocious light. They were one of the guardian Spirit Beasts of Sea God Island, the Devil Spirit Great White Sharks, known for their fierceness and speed!

Their numbers were so large that they almost formed a giant net covering from the sea surface to the air!

Snow Empress was flying in the front. Facing this sudden attack, a hint of coldness instantly flashed in her ice-blue beautiful eyes.

As the Ruler of the Far North, how could her majesty be provoked by these sea Spirit Beasts?

Almost as an instinctive reaction, the extreme cold power around her instantly condensed. She slightly raised her jade hand, intending to release a terrifying power sufficient to instantly freeze these Devil Spirit Great White Sharks into ice sculptures.

For existences that dared to offend her, she had never shown mercy.

"Snow Empress, wait!"

Just at this critical moment, Lu Jing, who was being carried by Wang Donger, spoke up in time to stop her.

His voice was clear and calm, as he reminded: "Do not kill them! Repelling them is enough! This is Sea God Island, these should be guardian Spirit Beasts, try not to form a death feud!"

Lu Jing saw it clearly; these Devil Spirit Great White Sharks were clearly a part of the defense force of Sea God Island. Their purpose was to come to accept the assessment, not to kick down the door and create grudges.

If Snow Empress were to slaughter a large number of guardian Spirit Beasts as soon as she made a move, then perhaps before even landing on the island, they would have already broken into a conflict with Sea God Island, which was definitely not what he wished for.

By then, even if Wang Donger took out the Sea God's Heart and indicated that she was the person chosen by the Sea God, she would not be able to calm the anger in the other party's heart.

Of course, this would only be internal anger; it was impossible for them to openly attack them or play dirty tricks.

However, this was only for Wang Donger. As for Lu Jing and Snow Empress, that was a bit hard to say, after all, neither of them was from Sea God Island, and neither had received the Sea God's recognition.

Upon hearing this, Snow Empress's movements paused slightly.

Although she had a cold and arrogant personality, she was not unreasonable or a person who only loved to kill.

She understood Lu Jing's concerns instantly.

She snorted coldly, and that destructive extreme cold power that was about to erupt suddenly retracted, instead turning into a soft yet majestic invisible force, which spread out from her as the center like water ripples.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Those Devil Spirit Great White Sharks that jumped out of the water and bit with bloody mouths, as soon as they touched this seemingly soft force, were like crashing into an invisible and elastic wall. They were all shaken and flew back, smashed back into the sea, splashing sky-high water.

They were not severely injured, but they were also hit by this force until they were dizzy and confused, losing the ability to attack again in a short time.

Snow Empress's control over power could be said to be exquisite to the pinnacle; she only repelled them without taking their lives.

However, the number of Devil Spirit Great White Sharks seemed endless, and even more ferocious attacks followed one after another.

But Snow Empress still relied only on her exquisite Soul Power control, either condensing water into ice walls to block or releasing soft impacts to repel them, always protecting Wang Donger and Lu Jing with ease as they pushed forward.

Watching the three of them about to break through the blockade of the Devil Spirit Great White Sharks and reach the shore of the island.

Just at this moment, another change occurred!

"Hum—!"

A massive pressure, far more powerful than ordinary Devil Spirit Great White Sharks by hundreds or even thousands of times, suddenly erupted from the deep sea below!

Immediately after, a huge white shadow broke through the sea surface, shot up into the sky, and stopped steadily in mid-air, just blocking the front of Snow Empress and the other two, completely blocking their way forward.

The size of this white shadow far exceeded the previous Devil Spirit Great White Sharks, with a length close to thirty meters. Its whole body presented a crystal white color, as if carved from the finest jade, and its streamlined body was full of a sense of power.

What was most amazing was that it did not stay completely in the sea, but was hovering in the air several meters above the sea surface!

Although it could not soar freely like Snow Empress, this short-term ability to hover in the air already showed that it was definitely not comparable to ordinary 100,000-year Spirit Beasts.

Its huge eyes, like two blue gemstones, were full of wisdom and vicissitudes, and at this moment, they were carrying scrutiny, vigilance, and a hint of inviolable majesty, firmly locked onto Snow Empress, Lu Jing, and Wang Donger.

The powerful aura pressed over like a substance, and even the surrounding air seemed to have solidified.

Snow Empress's eyes instantly became serious. She could clearly feel that the huge Devil Spirit Great White Shark in front of her had cultivation that had definitely reached the 100,000-year level, and it was by no means as simple as just entering the 100,000-year level. Its strength was so strong that it was probably not inferior to an ordinary Super Douluo!

Wang Donger's expression also became serious.

Sea God Island was worthy of being the place of inheritance for the Sea God; it actually had a 100,000-year Spirit Beast as protection!

Looking at the Spirit Beast in front of him, Lu Jing also guessed the identity of this powerful Spirit Beast.

That was the guardian god who had followed the Sea God in battle ten thousand years ago and now guarded the waters of Sea God Island, the Devil Spirit Great White Shark King!

The real test seemed to have already begun before landing on the island. After all, if they didn't have some strength, many things would have already been explained, and Sea God Island did not welcome foreign Spirit Masters, so if they died here, no one would care.