"Eighth Spirit Skill—Light of the Sea God!"
This is a soul skill that shares its name with one of the abilities of the Vast Sea Universe Cover, but naturally, its effects are entirely different.
It can dispel and grant temporary immunity to all control skills while simultaneously causing a wide-range attack.
With the enhancement of the Spirit Avatar, this ten-thousand-year soul skill finally surpassed the compulsion of the Light of Despair and was successfully activated.
The restrictions on soul power were lifted, and Poseidon's nine Spirit Rings began to rotate once more.
At the same time, a wave of energy, similar to the Resistance Water Ring but with a stronger impact, slightly deflected You Chen's full-force strike from the Emperor's Golden Sword for a moment.
Seizing this brief opportunity, Poseidon unhesitatingly used her teleportation skill, creating a distance of several hundred meters between herself and You Chen.
The soaring golden strike, after being deflected, slashed diagonally towards the sea surface, directly splitting the ocean into two massive waves, causing countless fish, shrimp, and sea spirit beasts to perish.
With the distance successfully widened, Poseidon looked at You Chen from afar, her expression one of lingering fear.
At this moment, a hint of retreat began to form in her heart.
The overall power of the Emperor's Golden Sword may not match the speed of a bullet, but when it comes to killing relatively small creatures like humans compared to soul beasts, the penetrating power of the Emperor's Golden Sword, along with its not-so-large attack range against soul beasts, was more than sufficient.
Of course, to kill an Ultimate Douluo, she would still need the assistance of a soul skill like the Light of Despair.
But at least, this was enough to instill fear in Poseidon.
'To possess such a forceful control soul skill, and a killing move that poses a threat to me...'
Poseidon's face turned pale and then flushed.
Even without closing the distance, under such a combination of skills, You Chen was certainly capable of severely injuring her.
Her rich combat experience quickly made Poseidon realize that facing a tricky and threatening powerhouse like You Chen was too disadvantageous in a one-on-one situation.
Even having just one more Sea Dragon Douluo by her side would have provided some margin for error in the previous situation, allowing her to avoid using the Light of the Sea God.
But in a one-on-one, it meant a drastic reduction in her margin for error.
This meant... the risk of death.
Of course, You Chen was also facing a high risk of death.
Poseidon had indeed severely injured You Chen with a single strike, but just like she had used the Pearl of the Sea, You Chen had also utilized the self-regeneration ability of the Blue Silver Emperor Spirit Bone to heal his injuries.
In contrast to You Chen's need to use the Light of Despair to restrain Poseidon's soul power and significantly reduce her defensive capabilities to inflict serious damage, Poseidon's attacks, if they hit, could at least inflict moderate injuries on You Chen. If she used her giant trident or the previous spiral high-pressure trident after teleporting close, she could potentially deal a heavy blow to You Chen!
However, compared to Poseidon, You Chen had more room for error.
That nearly indistinguishable clone skill was the greatest margin for error. Moreover, You Chen's unknown hidden Spirit Ring techniques left Poseidon uncertain about how many trump card soul skills he had yet to use to turn the tide of battle.
This information gap, along with the previous life-and-death situation, forced Poseidon to be extremely cautious, which correspondingly granted You Chen even greater leeway.
In comparing their strengths and weaknesses, Poseidon had higher base stats; as long as she hit, she could inflict definite damage on You Chen, while You Chen was very difficult to harm definitively, yet he had the potential to deliver a lethal blow.
This was a clash between numerical superiority and mechanical superiority.
At least from Poseidon's personal perspective, despite her soul power, attack, and defense being superior, the reality was... she was at a disadvantage.
However, Poseidon ultimately had the pride of being the High Priestess of the Sea God. She believed she represented the face of the Sea God and would never utter something as nonsensical as "Hehe, can we negotiate?"
She was already planning to shake off You Chen and escape.
You Chen, on the other hand, was also on high alert.
Although the previous strike had frightened Poseidon, her timely response meant that You Chen's ambush had failed to inflict effective damage.
At this point, both sides had gone through three major phases: probing, direct confrontation, and ultimate moves.
Yet neither side's condition had deteriorated to the point of affecting their combat effectiveness.
If one were to look solely at their injuries, it seemed as if both were still at the beginning of the fight.
But in reality, injuries were just one of many factors affecting combat power.
Overall, Poseidon, who appeared to be planning to flee, was in a slightly better state than You Chen.
Although Poseidon lacked a Soul Core, her soul power and recovery speed at the Ultimate Douluo level still left her with more than half of her remaining soul power.
You Chen's soul power had not yet dropped below fifty percent, which seemed more, but considering the effect of the Soul Core, if he continued to use high-consumption soul skills, his soul power recovery speed would significantly decline, putting him at a disadvantage in terms of soul power.
In terms of injuries, both were now close to full condition.
Divine Power was slightly in You Chen's favor.
Overall, You Chen's relative state was somewhat worse.
But just as Poseidon felt, You Chen's chances of victory were actually higher.
You Chen observed the state of Poseidon's eighth Spirit Ring; such a forcibly dispelling control skill was rare and unique. Considering it was merely a black Spirit Ring, it likely could not be used again in a short time.
Regardless, its usage would definitely not exceed the number of You Chen's control skills.
However...
Having lost that previous opportunity, You Chen might not be able to seize a better control chance again.
The maximum duration of the Light of Despair is 5 seconds, while the maximum duration of the Stardust Magic Capture is 3 seconds.
But maximum means that this time is hard to achieve.
Especially when there is a significant soul power gap between the two.
Currently, You Chen's first body has a soul power level of 90, and the second body has a soul power level of 70. Through the borrowing of soul power, the second body's soul power intensity can also reach level 90.
But the difference between level 90 and level 90.001 is the difference in soul power intensity between a Soul Douluo and a Titled Douluo. Even absorbing a ten-year Spirit Ring, the latter is stronger than the former by a level.
Even if the first body uses soul power borrowing, it still only has the soul power intensity of a Titled Douluo.
There is still a layer of Super Douluo between Titled Douluo and Ultimate Douluo.
This greatly shortens You Chen's control time.
Taking the Light of Despair as an example, while the binding effect is decent, the effect of sealing soul power, as a mechanism, exceeds even the invincible golden body's super strong mechanism effect, and it is likely to be released in less than a second. Moreover, before it is completely released, Poseidon can regain some ability to use soul power, although she still cannot use any soul skills other than the Light of the Sea God.
Given Poseidon's current situation, she likely would not easily approach and would not easily give herself a chance to get close.
Considering that Poseidon might have other life-saving skills, capturing the perfect moment for a killing blow would be extremely difficult.
Poseidon had come alone from Seagod Island, inexplicably showing hostility towards him, and now had completely torn off the mask.
You Chen could no longer let Poseidon go.
However, in a certain sense, this was a good thing.
If Poseidon stayed on Seagod Island, with the support of the Seagod Temple, her strength would increase even further. While on the ocean, her strength was indeed stronger than on land, but she was not yet at an unbeatable level.
Moreover, whether it was her overconfidence or arrogance, she had brought no one else to assist her in battle.
Here, there was only Poseidon alone; even You Chen himself had not prepared at all for this encounter. Unless the shameless Sea God personally intervened, no one could interfere in this battle.
If he could successfully defeat Poseidon here, You Chen might gain control over the sea area ahead of time.
After that, he would no longer lack resources on the sea.
Thinking of this, You Chen was determined to go all out.
At that moment, Poseidon was also turning to leave the battlefield.
She manipulated the ocean domain, tearing apart the wind domain created by You Chen, intending to charge out before You Chen could repair it.
However, the remaining seven Stardust Phantoms, along with You Chen's true self, arrived simultaneously.
Surrounded by the Stardust Phantoms from all directions, Poseidon was instantly filled with rage.
She thought the odds were fifty-fifty at worst, maybe forty-sixty in her favor. She did not want to gamble her life here, disregarding her dignity to escape. She assumed You Chen would not fight to the death with her, so they would tacitly avoid each other and go their separate ways.
But it seemed... You Chen was not appreciative of her intentions and truly intended to fight to the death.
"Do you really think I'm afraid of you!?"
The ocean domain shook violently as the eight clones gathered together; no matter what, they could take out one or two!
Having lost one clone earlier without replenishing it, Poseidon had already realized that these special clones were not easily created. Taking out one would weaken the opponent's strength!
Poseidon directly used all her power, activating her blood-red hundred-thousand-year Spirit Ring, disregarding the drain on her soul power, enveloping herself within, and unleashing the most intense tsunami she had ever created!
This was not the ordinary ninth spirit skill "Wrath of the Sea God," but a perfect combination of soul skill, domain, and Divine Power!
The towering waves, over a thousand meters high, seemed as if the Sea God was in a rage, crashing down!
You Chen looked at the towering waves with a hint of regret.
This was an attack that mixed soul power and domain utilization of the ocean, not a pure energy attack.
And with the remaining soul power he had, if he were to unleash the composite soul skill Heart of the Stars and Ocean, even if he could defeat Poseidon, his soul power would be exhausted. If he failed to defeat Poseidon or if this killing move was dodged, there would be no room for error.
As for using control soul skills to stop Poseidon?
Not to mention that these control skills do not have the locking effect like the Holy Separation, nor are they guaranteed to hit. Given Poseidon's heightened vigilance after the previous lesson, it would be difficult to hit without creating an opening.
More importantly, once such a move is executed, it has already left the hands of the Soul Master and entered the realm of nature's great power.
Boom!
As You Chen felt regret, the towering waves had already fallen, about to crash down on You Chen's eight clones along with Poseidon, sending them beneath the sea!
The natural disaster generated by an Ultimate Douluo, even if it was a wide-range attack, would still deal significant damage if taken head-on, leaving one not dead but severely injured.
Ignoring the waste of soul power and primal energy, You Chen dissolved all his clones and activated the Emperor's Golden Body for the second time in this battle.
Counting the previous battle where he subdued Lina, he had already used up all the times he could activate the Emperor's Golden Body in one day.
However, this time he had no time to utilize the additional boosts from the Emperor's Golden Body and could only rely on it to withstand the terrifying tsunami.
Although the Emperor's Golden Body fully withstood the impact of the tsunami, it still sent You Chen and Poseidon crashing into the depths of the sea.
You Chen's body shone with golden light, appearing like a massive lamp in the dark depths of the ocean.
And Poseidon had once again launched an attack on You Chen.
Under the sea, both sides' speeds were weakened, but as the Sea God Douluo with the ocean domain, Poseidon was weakened by less than half compared to You Chen.
At this moment, Poseidon's speed truly surpassed You Chen's, and not just by a little.
In the dark seabed, Poseidon did not approach directly but continuously used her soul power to create high-pressure water waves shooting towards You Chen, aiming to prevent him from flying back to the surface!
At this point, Poseidon had completely abandoned any thoughts of a truce, vowing to keep You Chen in this deep sea.
The situation took a sudden turn.
You Chen's eyes were cold, yet he maintained clarity of mind.
He truly did not expect Poseidon to gamble everything, attacking him along with herself.
He was immune to the damage through the Emperor's Golden Body, but if Poseidon did not have a similar skill, even with the high affinity of the Seagod Spirit to the ocean, she would likely have sustained considerable injuries.
His speed slowed, and the gap in speed between them widened. He could not dodge half of the high-pressure water waves, which struck him directly.
Poseidon's attack and defense speed, along with her three main attributes, were undeniable. Gaining the advantage of terrain, she easily inflicted significant injuries on You Chen after successfully hitting him.
However, Poseidon's condition was also clearly weakened.
Otherwise, in the ocean, such an attack, calculated at the previous intensity, would have been enough to severely injure You Chen.
It was evident that the reckless move she had just made had greatly reduced Poseidon's soul power.
Although she had fallen into the sea, entering the enemy's main battlefield, You Chen still had a chance of victory.
If he wanted to escape, it was very simple; he just needed to turn around and maximize the activation of his Spirit Bone skill to accelerate, and he could successfully escape.
To be honest, if it weren't for the lack of options, getting entangled with Poseidon and activating the Seagod Island instance was not a very good decision.
The Soul Masters of Seagod Island were not a concern; what You Chen worried about was attracting the attention of the Sea God, leading the situation to spiral completely out of control...
Whether it was killing or defeating and capturing Poseidon, You Chen had over fifty percent confidence that this matter would definitely be discovered by Sea God Poseidon.
This meant he had to consider the possibility of a deity, and a first-level god, intervening in the conflicts of Douluo Continent.
Whether it was personally obstructing him in disregard of divine rules or, as if under a curse, inexplicably discovering Tang San and selecting him as a candidate for the divine test... although the probability was extremely low, considering the existence of fate, You Chen could not be certain that such things would not happen!
But, did he really have a choice?
It was not that he wanted to seek trouble with Poseidon; rather, she had come looking for him! Perhaps the trajectory of fate had already reached a path he could not comprehend!
Since that was the case, there was no point in hesitating any longer!
You Chen's eyes sparkled with starlight as he quietly switched to his first body and then used the Spirit Bone skill he had never used in formal combat—Acceleration!
The Starry Road had already spread across the entire battlefield, with starlight drifting above the ocean, illuminating You Chen beneath the sea. Even when You Chen switched to his first body, it had no effect.
In an instant, You Chen's speed skyrocketed, surpassing even his speed on the surface!
But after being weakened by the ocean, this speed was still within You Chen's control.
'What!?'
Seeing You Chen flash past her again, rapidly approaching against the resistance of the ocean, Poseidon was astonished: 'Wasn't the speed he displayed before his limit!?'
The invincibility time of the Emperor's Golden Body had ended, but the power boost remained.
You Chen intended to determine the outcome during this period.
His gaze was calm as he flew towards Poseidon, resisting the ocean's resistance, and directly activated his seventh Spirit Ring, using Spirit Avatar!
Spirit Avatar was precisely the reason for switching to his first body!
If the previous You Chen was merely an ordinary 98-level combat power, then after using Spirit Avatar, it had at least doubled, reaching the so-called peak 98 level, a peak Super Douluo combat power just a hair's breadth away from Ultimate Douluo!
Such power was enough to make even an Ultimate Douluo pay full attention to counter it.
"To think you can even use Spirit Avatar!?"
Poseidon's eyes widened in shock.
What astonished her was not that You Chen had reached the seventh ring, which she considered natural, but that after You Chen used Spirit Avatar, two identical blue-and-white giant dragons split from him, transformed into Stardust Phantoms!
Undoubtedly, these two Stardust Phantoms had also entered the state of Spirit Avatar!
The Spiritual Realm Burst combined with Spirit Avatar and the consumption of two Stardust Phantoms! Even without using any other soul skills, just maintaining this state, You Chen's current soul power could not last for three minutes.
If he truly faced a strong enemy and unleashed his ultimate move, he would likely run out of soul power in just a few seconds!
And the consumption of the Acceleration Spirit Bone skill was self-evident...
This state was undoubtedly You Chen's strongest state now, and it was a desperate state!
Each Stardust Phantom exhibited peak speed.
This sudden change far exceeded Poseidon's expectations. Before she could change her strategy, the Stardust Phantoms were already rushing towards her, the distance rapidly closing.
'I can't let him get close!'
Having learned from the previous lesson, Poseidon immediately confirmed the most important matter.
You Chen's speed surpassed her own, sealing off many of Poseidon's methods. She once again raised a giant trident in the ocean.
Three giant tridents in succession!
Veins bulged on Poseidon's forehead, her complexion pale. Even with her strength, achieving this was already pushing her to her limits, exhausting her Divine Power.
The three great tridents swept out with a thunderous roar.
However, the speed of the Stardust Phantoms was incredibly fast. They nimbly dodged the tridents like light butterflies.
'Why is it still so agile despite its massive size!? Damn it, if I aim at three, the result will be that I can't take down any of them! In that case—'
The approaching threat made Poseidon feel her adrenaline surge. A glint of coldness flashed in her eyes as she directly abandoned two targets, choosing to gamble and aim all three tridents at one Stardust Phantom.
Unlike before, the one-third chance of hitting the true body was enough for Poseidon to take the gamble!
The attack range of three tridents compared to one was not even on the same level. By only aiming at one Stardust Phantom, she directly blocked all escape routes for that Stardust Phantom.
As there was no way to evade, the Stardust Phantom chose to bypass the blockade of two large halberds, with its massive dragon claws confronting the halberds head-on!
Boom!
In an instant, the enormous dragon claws were crushed by the water pressure and terrifying impact from the halberds, leaving them a bloody mess, while the remaining unabsorbed force drove the Stardust Phantom down into the seabed.
A glimmer of joy flashed in Poseidon's eyes: 'I bet right!'
As the Stardust Phantom resisted the halberds, the lingering golden light on its body became apparent.
Poseidon was then convinced that this Stardust Phantom was indeed the true body!
And it was indeed the case.
If it weren't for the Emperor's Golden Body, even in the Spirit Avatar state, You Chen wouldn't have the strength to withstand such a world-destroying blow head-on.
Poseidon simultaneously controlled three halberds, slamming them down towards the spot where You Chen was falling.
The other two Spirit Avatar transformed Stardust Phantoms seemed eager to provide assistance, slightly slowing their flight speed, and together unleashed a stardust breath towards Poseidon, intending to conduct a rescue operation.
This was not a sonic attack that would cause significant backlash to themselves, but a more simplified energy attack from Stardust Power.
However, the power they unleashed was already comparable to the previous sonic attack, and perhaps even exceeded it.
Poseidon gritted her teeth, unwilling to let this excellent opportunity slip away. The Spirit Bone on her body flickered, and she unleashed a seven-colored water curtain Spirit Ring soul skill to defend.
Boom!
The three halberds struck down simultaneously, causing the seabed to tremble, the underwater hills to collapse, and countless sands and dust to swirl.
'Success!'
Feeling the tangible sensation of a hit, joy flashed across Poseidon's face.
However, before she could revel in her victory for even a second.
The sound of a rapid whirlpool echoed in her ears.
Poseidon's Divine Power saw that it had not dissipated; instead, it erupted with even greater speed, flying towards her like a white streak of light, the Stardust Phantom's eyes wide with rage: 'Did I make a mistake!? That just now was only a decoy!? The golden light on him was merely an illusion to deceive me!?'
As the distance closed in, Poseidon recalled the fear of being on the brink of death earlier, disregarding the consumption of soul power, and once again used teleportation to create a distance of a thousand meters.
However, a piercing sound of something breaking through the air rang out.
As if saying, "Just wait for your teleportation," another Stardust Phantom's dragon mouth slightly opened, bubbles surged towards the sea surface, and a sonic attack was suddenly unleashed.
A silver-white streak of light filled Poseidon's vision, and feeling the recoil from the repeated teleportation, she had no time to evade.
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