Thanks to the divine might emanating from the Sea God's Trident, the following days saw no fearless spirit beasts dare to approach.
Tang Hao and Xiao Wu could not see what was happening within the black mist.
Tang San, now the legitimate heir to the Sea God, also could not fully discern the true form within the fog, but through his Ziji Magic Eye's vision, he clearly saw the invisible energies in the air becoming thinner, from dense to sparse.
They were not disappearing, but rather felt like they were being refined and gradually gathered.
Tang San guessed that Tang Sui must be in the final stage of coalescing her rings, and he conveyed his observations to Xiao Wu and Tang Hao.
Xiao Wu, having experience with coalescing rings herself, nodded in agreement, confidently stating that her own coalescing had felt similar before she stabilized.
Day and night alternated above the Sunset Forest, and darkness once again enveloped the land.
The orange-yellow firelight brought a touch of warmth to the chilling night, as the temperature plummeted.
Xiao Wu slept soundly, leaning against Tang San, while Tang Hao sat opposite them.
The three of them sat around the campfire. Though there was little conversation, the atmosphere was warm and peaceful.
Tang Hao sat cross-legged, entering a state of meditative cultivation.
Tang San, on night watch, took a thin blanket from his soul tool and carefully draped it over Xiao Wu, drawing her closer to him to make her more comfortable.
Sensing the source of warmth, Xiao Wu unceremoniously snuggled closer to the warm chest.
Tang San chuckled softly and reached out, tucking a stray strand of hair that had been disturbed by Xiao Wu's movements behind her ear. He let out a soft sigh, then looked up at the bare, black branches, revealing a sliver of pale moonlight. Thinking of the impending battle, his heart was filled with melancholy.
The night deepened, and the shadows of the trees stretched in the firelight.
Tang San, with his eyes open, yawned. Sleepiness, like a rising tide, enveloped him.
Tang Hao, who had entered a cultivation state, frowned. As if sensing something, he opened his eyes, only to find his eyelids unusually heavy.
Sleepiness tugged at him, wanting to drag him into dreams.
Tang Hao, who had lived on the edge of life and death for years, instinctively felt that something was not right.
He bit his tongue. The sharp pain, mixed with a strong metallic taste, spread across his taste buds. His body felt as heavy as if shackled, making even moving a finger incredibly difficult.
Tang Hao raised his head. The shadow on his face was dispelled by the warm firelight, making him appear like a standing, folded silhouette of paper, illuminated from the front but shrouded in deep darkness behind.
"Xiao San..."
Tang Hao uttered these two words in a hoarse voice.
His voice, imbued with spiritual power and soul power, resonated like thunder in Tang San and Xiao Wu's ears.
Xiao Wu, startled from her deep slumber, suddenly opened her soft eyes, still hazy with sleep.
Simultaneously alerted by his father's voice, Tang San opened his eyes, his gaze filled with lingering shock.
With a flicker of thought, the dark golden trident divine pattern on Tang San's brow lit up. Blue-golden light emerged from the rhombic gem at the center of the trident. Under the influence of Tang San's surging spiritual and soul power, it flew out and rapidly expanded.
The moment the three of them, along with the Sea God's Trident stuck in the ground, were enveloped by the blue-golden Vast Sea Qiankun Cover, the feeling of weariness that had been pulling at them vanished instantly.
Even Xiao Wu, who had just woken up, understood that something was wrong.
"Xiao San, what exactly is this..." she instinctively grabbed Tang San's wrist.
Tang San shook his head, his azure eyes overlaid with a purplish-golden glow.
The next second, the area within the Vast Sea Qiankun Cover was filled with a faint golden mist generated by the golden light emanating from the Sea God's Trident.
However, when Tang San's gaze turned to the outside of the Vast Sea Qiankun Cover, a sinister scene resembling a ghost's hell unfurled before his eyes.
The seemingly peaceful surroundings, the swaying, shadowy trees, appeared to transform into ravenous specters. Dark phantoms stretched and waved on the ground, like the scythes of death reaping lives. They had seemingly surrounded them at some unknown point.
And the source of this change in the tree shadows... Su Dan Novel Network
Tang San's spiritual power spread out from the Vast Sea Qiankun Cover. His vast spiritual power rippled like water, feeding back the true appearance of the surroundings, which had been engulfed and concealed by the black mist, to Tang San.
Countless slender black and red threads flowed outward from the energy cocoon that enveloped Tang Sui, like jellyfish tentacles secreting black venom, silently expanding their territory.
The land beneath their feet seemed to have awakened. Darkness transformed into a tangible tidal wave, swallowing every speck of light it touched, repainting it in an ominous hue.
"This feeling... is it a domain?"
The two individuals who possessed the Killing God Domain exchanged glances.
But Tang San quickly perceived the difference. He recalled the feeling of contaminating power when he fused with the Sea God's Light and divine power, and the sensation of his spiritual domain becoming tangible. He said hesitantly,
"The feeling from outside is very similar to the polluting force I felt when Sui Sui and I performed our spirit fusion skill before. It's like..."
"Domain solidification!"
Tang Hao's deep voice finished Tang San's unspoken words.
Tang San nodded and looked at Tang Hao, "Dad, you know about this?"
"I don't know much. I only know that this situation only occurs when a soul master or spirit beast cultivates their domain to its absolute peak," Tang Hao recalled.
Xiao Wu leaned uneasily against Tang San, "So, were we unconsciously drawn into Sui Sui's solidified domain?"
Red light grew increasingly intense. Tang San held Xiao Wu tighter, his expression solemn. "Likely so. However, within the Vast Sea Qiankun Cover, we are still safe. But to leave the domain, without harming Sui Sui, we can only wait for Sui Sui to regain consciousness herself."
"Alright, everyone be on high alert." Tang Hao had already summoned his Clear Sky Hammer.
Tang San also raised his hand, palm open. The Sea God's Trident, rooted in the ground, was drawn to him and flew into Tang San's palm.
The bare, black trees seemed to weather away, turning to dust and being replaced by the black tide. Only black cracks remained, as if cut by some cold weapon, emitting wisps of black smoke.
With the obstruction gone, a large expanse of the sky was revealed. However, the usually serene moonlight was also tinged with an ominous crimson.
Though they were still in the Sunset Forest, it felt as if they had been transported to another vast, boundless space. The three within the Vast Sea Qiankun Cover could only see an endless expanse of red and black interweaving before their eyes, their boundaries blurred, with no end in sight.
"Xiao San, look at the ground ahead!"
Suddenly, Xiao Wu exclaimed.
Tang Hao and Tang San turned their heads to look. Where the ground should have been flat, it had become a bottomless chasm.
Hills and valleys, seemingly from nowhere, appeared, making it feel as if they had stepped into a mirage. The dense forest vanished without a trace, replaced by an endless expanse of black and brown mountainous terrain.
The thick black clouds were now dotted with irregular patches of deep red and dark red, resembling scorched flesh and decaying corpses. With every breath, it felt as if there was a bloody scent, causing an inexplicable physiological discomfort in their stomachs.