99: Chapter 99: You're the stupid shark, your whole family are stupid sharks!

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Above the sea surface, the frozen attacks of the seven Titled Douluo of the Sacred Pillars were like seven strange works of art, suspended in mid-air.

The black ice covering their surfaces reflected dazzling light under the sun, yet inside, energy was still struggling violently, emitting subtle but heart-palpitating "crack" sounds, as if they would break out of the ice at any moment.

However, they were ultimately forcibly imprisoned, failing to harm the white-clad woman in the slightest.

In the air above the shore, the seven guardians of Sea God Island, the seven Titled Douluo who shook the four seas, had faces full of undisguisable shock and horror.

Their combined strike, while not their strongest fusion technique, was enough to severely injure or even kill the vast majority of the world's powerhouses, yet it was blocked by this woman before them who hadn't even released her Spirit, relying solely on a pair of bare palms and that strange, extreme chill!

What kind of terrifying strength did this require? Level 95? Level 96? Or... even higher?

They dared not imagine.

Among the sea Spirit Beasts, when did such a peerless powerhouse appear, and a woman at that?

Also feeling incredulous was the Devil Spirit Great White Shark King, Xiao Bai, who had just escaped a calamity under the Snow Empress's palm.

Its huge blue eyes were filled with lingering fear and suspicion.

It felt the terror of that palm strike more clearly than the seven Titled Douluo of the Sacred Pillars; it was an absolute cold capable of freezing its very life essence.

If not for the seven people intervening in time, it would likely be in grave danger right now.

It stared fixedly at the Snow Empress, its heart churning with stormy waves: What is the origin of this woman? When did such a monster appear on the vast sea?

As the focus of the entire scene, the Snow Empress hovered in mid-air, her white dress and silver hair fluttering gently in the slightly chilly sea breeze.

Her stunningly beautiful face was calm, like eternal black ice, and her ice-blue eyes were as deep as a cold pool, without the slightest ripple.

Taking the attacks of seven Titled Douluo head-on seemed to her like a trivial matter; not even her aura showed any obvious disorder.

Only the chill around her, which had become more solid and biting, silently declared her strength and inviolability.

She finally understood now why Lu Jing chose to have her act as the muscle; it turned out that her extreme cold power had an effect on the sea that far exceeded anyone else's.

Her gaze swept indifferently over the seven Titled Douluo of the Sacred Pillars who were facing a formidable enemy, and the shaken Xiao Bai.

Her cold, clear voice sounded again, carrying a trace of faint mockery, clearly reaching everyone's ears: "This Empress has already said why I am here."

Her tone was plain, yet it contained immense confidence and arrogance, as she said: "Even that big guy in the deep sea who is approaching a million years does not have a hundred percent certainty of taking down this Empress. You... want to stop me?"

Her words were like a heavy hammer, striking the hearts of the seven Titled Douluo of the Sacred Pillars.

They instantly understood that the "big guy in the deep sea" the other party mentioned was highly likely referring to the absolute taboo of that sea area—the Deep Sea Demon Whale King!

Even that existence could not easily do anything to her?

This woman's strength had likely reached a realm they could not comprehend! For instance, like the High Priest, a level 99 super Douluo.

Sea Dragon Douluo, as the head of the seven Sacred Pillars, had the highest cultivation and the broadest knowledge.

He suppressed the shock in his heart, took a deep breath, and stepped forward.

The tone, which had originally carried questioning and hostility, became much more respectful as he cupped his hands and said: "Senior, please calm your anger! It was our recklessness to act rashly without understanding the reason. May I ask the purpose of your visit to our Sea God Island? If you have any needs, Sea God Island will do its best."

Facing absolute strength, one's attitude must change.

He was now convinced that if the other party truly had malicious intent, it would not be as simple as just blocking their attacks.

This was likely the reason why the High Priest, Poseidon, had not appeared.

Seeing the other party's softened attitude, the Snow Empress also reined in some of her chill, but her tone remained cold: "This Empress already stated just now that I am bringing someone to participate in the Sea God's assessment. Before this, I had already received the approval of your Sea God. However, this stupid shark..."

Her gaze glanced at Xiao Bai, carrying a trace of undisguised disdain and mockery, as she said: "Without asking right from wrong, you wanted to drive us away, only inviting trouble."

"You are the stupid shark! Your whole family are stupid sharks!"

Xiao Bai had already been holding back a belly full of fire, and now being called a stupid shark by the Snow Empress in public, it was instantly furious.

Ignoring the fact that the other party's strength was terrifying, its huge body slapped the sea surface, creating towering waves as it roared in rebuttal.

It was, after all, a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast, the guardian king of Sea God Island; when had it ever suffered such an insult?

The Snow Empress merely snorted lightly, too lazy to argue with it further.

She gracefully crossed her arms in front of her chest, with an expression of "I do not lower myself to the level of an idiot," which made Xiao Bai so angry it almost charged up to fight to the death again, but fortunately, it was strictly stopped by Sea Dragon Douluo's gaze.

Just at this moment, Lu Jing, who had been protected behind the Snow Empress and carried by Wang Donger as they flew, knew the opportunity had arrived, so he whispered: "Donger, take that out."

Hearing this, Wang Donger was slightly stunned, but still followed instructions and took out the Sea God's Heart that emitted a soft blue halo from her bosom.

Lu Jing cleared his throat. His voice was not loud, but it was enough for the Sea Dragon Douluo and the others opposite to hear clearly.

With a calm expression on his face, he pointed at the diamond-shaped object in Wang Donger's hand and said: "Seniors, this is the proof. The token of the Sea God—the Sea God's Heart. If we had not received the Sea God's guidance and consent, how could we know of the existence of Sea God Island and the assessment? And how would we possess such a divine object?"

As soon as these words came out, Wang Donger widened her beautiful eyes, her stunningly beautiful face instantly filled with shock and disbelief.

She subconsciously turned her head to look at Lu Jing, who was right next to her, her eyes seeming to say: "Are you kidding me, big brother? How do you come up with these lies so easily? You clearly brought me here, when did it become the Sea God's guidance? And this Sea God's Heart... didn't you find a way to get Qian Renxue to bring it to me yourself? How did it become a token of the Sea God consenting to our arrival??"

Even the Snow Empress, standing to the side with her arms crossed and a cold temperament, had her ice-blue eyes turn slightly, glancing at Lu Jing, with a trace of extremely faint surprise and speechlessness flashing in her eyes.

Although she did not care much about the twists and turns between humans, she felt that Lu Jing's rhetoric of "grafting" cause and effect was truly a bit... thick-skinned.

This kid's ability to use a tiger's skin as a banner was truly first-class.

However, Lu Jing did not change his expression, nor did his heart skip a beat, as if what he said was an iron-clad fact.

He knew deep down that sometimes, a sufficiently "high-end" reason was far easier for people to accept than the complex truth, especially when facing these guardians of Sea God Island who were full of piety towards the Sea God.

Attributing the reason to the will of the Sea God himself was undoubtedly the most direct and effective pass.

As expected, the attention of Sea Dragon Douluo and the others was instantly attracted to the Sea God's Heart in Wang Donger's hand.

They concentrated and felt it; the soft blue light emitted from the diamond-shaped object, and the pure, vast, and sacred aura containing supreme majesty contained within it, were of the same origin as the Sea God's Divine Power they guarded day and night, and it could absolutely not be fake!

"This... this is indeed the power of the Sea God! So pure!" Sea Horse Douluo could not help but exclaim.

The last trace of doubt on Sea Dragon Douluo's face also completely dissipated, replaced by incomparable solemnity and even... a trace of excitement?

The reappearance of the Sea God's Heart, perhaps this meant that a new era for Sea God Island was about to arrive?

He turned around immediately and said in a deep voice to the still furious Xiao Bai: "Xiao Bai, stand down! This is indeed the token of the Sea God, and these few are the distinguished guests chosen by the Sea God; you must not be rude!"

"What? What the f*ck?!" Xiao Bai shook its huge head, its eyes filled with confusion: "This... this is really someone chosen by the Sea God?"

Although it had a violent temper, its loyalty to the Sea God was unquestionable.

Hearing Sea Dragon Douluo's confirmation, its full-blown anger was instantly extinguished, replaced by a sense of lingering fear and embarrassment for "almost ruining the Sea God's good deed."

Its huge body quickly moved aside, and it said in a muffled voice: "Uh... about that, sorry about just now, I didn't know it was the Sea God's intention... please, please go ahead..." Its attitude had undergone a 180-degree turn.

The crisis was resolved, and the biting chill around the Snow Empress quietly receded.

Lu Jing gave Wang Donger a wink. Only then did Wang Donger recover from the shock of Lu Jing's "thick skin."

The Radiant Goddess Butterfly wings on her back flapped, carrying Lu Jing, and together with the Snow Empress, they flew steadily across the last stretch of the sea and landed lightly on the white, soft sand of Sea God Island.

With her feet on the solid ground, Wang Donger retracted her Spirit, and the butterfly wings dissipated into points of light.

She still couldn't help but sneak a glare at Lu Jing, but in her heart, she understood that in the situation just now, Lu Jing's method of handling it was undoubtedly the best choice.

Sea Dragon Douluo and the other six Sacred Pillar Douluo also landed, their attitude having become very polite.

His gaze swept over the three of them and finally landed on Wang Donger, and he asked in a gentle tone: "I wonder which one of you has received the favor of the Sea God and holds the Sea God's Heart?"

Lu Jing pointed without hesitation at the graceful Wang Donger beside him and said calmly: "It is her."

Sea Dragon Douluo looked at Wang Donger, a trace of appreciation flashing in his eyes, and nodded.

He did not ask further why the token was in her hands, while the seemingly dominant Lu Jing and the terrifyingly powerful Snow Empress were not the chosen ones.

The will of a Divinity is not something they can fathom.

He turned and said to a Sacred Pillar Douluo beside him: "Sea Horse, this place is closest to your Sacred Pillar, so you will be the one to awaken the Seagod's Light for this young lady and guide her assessment."

Sea Horse Douluo, that dark-skinned strong man, stepped forward upon hearing this, made a "please" gesture towards Wang Donger, and said in a booming voice: "Young lady, please follow me to the Sea Horse Sacred Pillar."

Wang Donger took a deep breath, looked at Lu Jing and the Snow Empress, and seeing Lu Jing cast an encouraging look at her, she steadied herself and followed Sea Horse Douluo towards the interior of the island, towards that vaguely visible, massive sea-horse-shaped stone pillar emitting majestic energy.

The scenery inside the island was even more charming than viewed from afar.

Towering ancient trees stood in great numbers; the branches and leaves of many trees presented a faint blue or gold color, emitting a soft halo and abundant life energy.

Strange flowers and exotic herbs were everywhere, and the air was filled with a refreshing fragrance.

Occasionally, one could see some docile ten-year or hundred-year Spirit Beasts weaving through the forest, not fearing humans at all.

The entire island was shrouded in an atmosphere of peace, tranquility, and spirituality.

Lu Jing and the Snow Empress walked side by side slightly behind the group.

The Snow Empress still maintained a cold appearance, but towards the vibrant environment around her, her ice-blue eyes would occasionally flash with an imperceptible curiosity.

She slightly tilted her head, bringing her stunningly beautiful cheek closer to Lu Jing, and muttered in a faint voice that only the two could hear: "Hey, Lu Jing. Do you think this girl can really obtain the Sea God's inheritance recognition?"

Her gaze glanced at Wang Donger, who was walking in front, looking around with a mix of nervousness and curiosity.

Hearing this, Lu Jing hooked the corner of his mouth into a confident arc and replied in a similarly lowered voice: "What else? If I didn't have a hundred percent certainty, why would I drag her all the way to this isolated island overseas to go through all this trouble."

His tone was taken for granted, as if Wang Donger obtaining the divine assessment was a sure thing.

Just then, Wang Donger, who was walking in front, seemed to feel something.

Perhaps she heard the faint conversation behind her, or perhaps it was a woman's natural intuition, but she turned her head back abruptly.

She happened to see the Snow Empress whispering close to Lu Jing's ear, and Lu Jing also turned his head to respond, the two appearing quite intimate.

Wang Donger's pretty face instantly sank, small flames ignited in her beautiful eyes, and her cheeks puffed up slightly.

Although she knew it was unlikely there was anything between Lu Jing and the Snow Empress, seeing the boy she liked and another woman whose appearance, temperament, and strength were all top-notch being so "intimate" while "discussing her behind her back," her heart felt like a vinegar jar had been knocked over, very uncomfortable.

The look in her eyes clearly said: "You two, you must be gossiping about me behind my back!"

Being caught red-handed, Lu Jing was not the least bit guilty; instead, he grinned at Wang Donger, revealing two rows of white teeth.

His open and frank, even slightly punchable attitude, instead left Wang Donger with a breath stuck in her chest, unable to vent.

She could only glare at him angrily, turn her head away, quicken her pace, and present the back of her head to them.

The Snow Empress saw this scene, straightened her posture expressionlessly as if nothing had just happened, though a faint, almost non-existent smile seemed to flash deep in her eyes.

This small interlude did not affect the journey.

Not long after, everyone arrived at the core area where the Sea Horse Sacred Pillar was located.

It was a huge circular platform, and in the center of the platform stood a massive stone pillar one hundred meters high.

The stone pillar was crystalline blue throughout, carved with countless complex and mysterious patterns, and at the very top was a lifelike sea horse statue, emitting majestic and dignified energy fluctuations, closely connected to the aura of the entire Sea God Island.