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"I remember now. So, what is this gift?" Davis asked with a chuckle.
"Hehe, it's this!" As she spoke, Anna withdrew a scepter from her soul guide. Davis recognized it immediately; it was the very same scepter once held by Bo Saixi, the High Priestess of Sea God Island.
"Senior Bo Saixi sacrificed herself to help me achieve the Sea God's throne. Now that the position of High Priestess is vacant, I've reclaimed the scepter that symbolizes that authority."
After all, as the current Sea God, everything on Sea God Island was hers to command.
"So... Nana, you aren't thinking of giving that scepter to me and making me the High Priestess, are you?" Davis gave a wry smile. "I'm stating this for the record: I'm not doing it!"
"Giggle! I never said that. The gift I'm giving you is this!" As soon as she finished speaking, Anna infused her Divine Power into the scepter. The staff erupted with a magnificent radiance, shooting a beam of gentle energy directly into Davis's body.
"Is this... Sea God energy?" Davis's expression lit up with joy. He quickly sat cross-legged to begin absorbing and refining the energy.
"Exactly! It's the reward for helping me complete the Sea God's Ninth Trial!"
The content of Davis's Red Level One Trial was to assist Anna in inheriting the Sea God's position. For every trial Anna completed, he received a corresponding reward. He had already claimed the rewards for the first eight trials, but because he wasn't on Sea God Island when Anna finished the ninth, he hadn't received his compensation until now.
The potent energy surged into each of Davis's nine soul rings, further augmenting their cultivation age. Every single ring was bolstered by an additional fifty thousand years!
Now, Davis's first seven soul rings were all crimson hundred-thousand-year rings. His eighth soul ring had gained a golden grain, reaching the two-hundred-thousand-year level, while his ninth soul ring's age now exceeded three hundred and fifty thousand years.
Though his outward appearance remained unchanged, the massive leap in soul ring years caused Davis's internal soul power to surge significantly.
"Thank you, Nana! Your brother's strength has reached a whole new level!" Davis laughed with excitement. With his current power, while he might still fall slightly short of a fully ascended god like Qian Renxue, he at least had the capital to fight her head-on. If luck was on his side, he might even be able to force a desperate "one-for-one" exchange.
"Hehe, it's only right," Anna replied with a smile. Her expression then turned serious. "But Brother, what are your plans now? As you said, Bibi Dong is likely undergoing her own God Trials. If she ascends as well, we'll truly be backed into a corner!"
Faced with her concern, Davis revealed his intentions. "I plan to head to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well first to transform my spinal bone into a Dragon Bone, and then..."
After hearing Davis's plan, Anna's face grew even more somber. "Brother, I support you in wanting to get stronger, but the territory of the former Heaven Dou Empire is now the Spirit Empire's land. Isn't it too dangerous for you to go to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well alone? Why don't I go with you? I can use the Hanhai Shrouding Barrier skill to mask our presence."
"No! Nana, you can't go!" Davis shook his head immediately, stopping her. "Qian Renxue is heavily injured. The Spirit Empire will undoubtedly send spies and scouts to monitor our every move. If they discover we have both left the Star Luo Empire, they might assume we've gone to the Spirit Empire on an assassination mission. You must stay here to act as a deterrent against Qian Renxue!"
Pausing, Davis added, "As for my end, I'll have Zhuyun and Zhuqing accompany me. With our current strength, it's unlikely we'll encounter any real danger."
Hearing Davis's reasoning, Anna finally felt at ease. Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing, of course, had no objections.
Under the cover of night, the trio departed immediately. They traveled with extreme caution, evading the eyes and ears of the Spirit Empire. It took a full week of careful maneuvering before they finally reached the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Although the Sunset Forest had been claimed by the Spirit Empire, they clearly hadn't discovered the hidden treasure that was the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
Upon arrival, Davis leapt directly into the spring waters. He began circulating his Mysterious Heaven Skill, absorbing the dual energies of extreme ice and fire.
The moment he entered the water, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth seemed to be drawn to him like a magnet. It surged toward him aggressively, almost competing to pour into his body through every pore.
After absorbing the ice and fire energy, Davis performed an internal inspection. To his delight, he found that the red and blue hues within his spinal bone were deepening. He was confident that it wouldn't be long before his spine completely transformed into the Ice and Fire Dragon Bone.
Time flew by, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Just as Davis had predicted, the Spirit Hall frequently dispatched spies to gather intelligence during this month. After learning that Anna was personally stationed in Star Luo City and showed no intention of attacking the Spirit Empire, Qian Renxue breathed a sigh of relief.
However, Anna's recent actions also made her feel uneasy. Reports from the scouts indicated that the Star Luo Empire had begun massive construction in front of Jincheng Fortress. They were digging a moat ten miles long and twenty meters deep to defend against the Spirit Empire.
Qian Renxue was worried because she suspected the moat was a facade; she believed the true purpose was to enhance Anna's combat capabilities. Anna was the Sea God; the more water there was in her vicinity, the stronger she became. In their previous battle, Anna had fought Qian Renxue to a standstill without even utilizing the power of the sea.
Now, with the moat acting as a massive reservoir, her combat power would surely rise. Attacking her then would be a nightmare. Furthermore, the existence of such a moat would indeed frustrate any ground assault by the Spirit Empire's armies.
As for the reports mentioning that Davis hadn't appeared in a month, Qian Renxue didn't give it much thought. In her mind, while Davis was formidable, he was nowhere near the threat level Anna posed. If she wasn't careful, she could very well die at Anna's hands.
She had no idea that the Star Luo Empire's sudden decision to build the moat was actually a diversion to cover for Davis, drawing the Spirit Empire's attention away from his absence.
Thus, Davis spent the month in peace. Soaked within the spring, he absorbed the vast majority of the ice and fire energy. On this day, his spinal bone finally completed its total transformation into the Ice and Fire Dragon Bone, and the strength in his back exploded.
Boom!
Suddenly, Davis infused his soul power into the Dragon Bone. Immediately, a pair of Ice and Fire Dragon Wings erupted from his back. One wing was a searing red and the other a frigid blue, as starkly divided as the two halves of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
"A pair of Ice and Fire Dragon Wings... so this is what the spinal bone looks like after evolving into a Dragon Bone?" Just as Davis was immersing himself in the joy of his new power, an earth-shattering dragon roar suddenly resonated through the heavens!
(End of Chapter)