Splash—
Li Yu didn't care what Emperor Xue Ye was thinking.
At this moment, his spiritual power had already poured into the Vast Sea Universe Cover. Instantly, it was as if he had entered the depths of the ocean.
Waves surged.
A rich aura of water elements surged toward him.
More importantly, a sudden flash of light burst forth from within, and a divine pressure instantly bore down upon Li Yu.
"Who dares disturb this God's remnant will?!"
The voice was calm and slow, but every word carried divine authority, unreservedly striking against Li Yu spiritual body.
The Sea God's Remnant Will!
That is, a trace of the Sea God's divine consciousness left within the Vast Sea Universe Cover.
Today—
At the very moment Li Yu spiritual power entered the Vast Sea Universe Cover, this remnant consciousness was triggered!
This was—
A defensive measure!
When Tang San first made contact, there had been no such reaction!
Which meant that at this moment, the Sea God was watching him.
And yet, a dignified deity pretended not to know his identity? How laughable!
Moreover, this mere remnant could no longer suppress who he was now!
His spiritual power, nurtured by the Spirit Bone of Eternal Nature, had already reached an unimaginably terrifying level.
Furthermore, 'Eternity' constantly guarded his spiritual power.
The Sea God's remnant will—was of no use to him.
"If you are merely a remnant, how dare you still call yourself a god?" Li Yu spoke softly.
Within the vast sea, the waves transformed into tidal surges. Divine authority condensed into a massive golden halberd, crashing down toward Li Yu.
"Insignificant ant! How dare you speak blasphemy against a god? Do you seek death?"
"A remnant dares call itself a god—bullying mortals while hiding weakness. Do you even know shame?"
Li Yu was naturally unafraid.
His spiritual power surged completely into the Vast Sea Universe Cover.
Then, a pair of wings suddenly unfolded behind him.
And in the next moment—
Those wings turned into a pure sky-blue color.
An extremely dense water element gathered around Li Yu, and even the Vast Sea below faintly began to converge toward him.
"To wield the power of the sea before the Sea God—you truly know not death, ant!"
"Heh… the sea?"
Li Yu chuckled lightly, then flapped his wings, and 'Elemental Spirit Domain' fully unfolded for the first time!
Thus, the sea which had been suppressed by the Sea God's divine authority suddenly began to roar in defiance!
"If you call yourself the Sea God, do you understand that the sea is born of water—its essence is water—it is water!"
"You call it 'the power of the sea', but do you even understand that it is merely 'the power of water'?"
"Using the power of water to form the power of the sea—and yet you accuse me of stealing?"
"Absurd!"
"Since it is water, it shall be mine to command!"
As his words fell—
The 'Still Waters, No Ripples Domain' unfolded once again.
After the sea roared once more, it completely settled into calm—a realm of stillness.
Upon this Still Waters, the remnant will was left undisturbed.
Thus, though there were no waves, the entire sea now fully supported Li Yu without reservation!
And within this stillness, a shadow emerged—it was the Ying Yu.
Unlike its "insignificant" form during the match against Skywater Academy's team, the Ying Yu was now in its complete state!
The Ying Yu flipped, then leapt from the Still Waters!
Not falling back into the water—
But soaring straight into the sky, heading directly toward the Sea God's massive golden halberd!
"Ant! You seek death!"
For the first time, true anger could be heard in the Sea God's voice.
He realized things were slipping from his control, that his divine authority had been challenged!
Even though this remnant of consciousness was weak, unable to exert even a fraction of his true power—
The fact remained: His divine authority had been challenged atop his own domain!
And that challenge came from a mere mortal!
He raged.
The divine halberd condensed further.
But—it was useless.
The Ying Yu continued to ascend, supported infinitely by the Still Waters, while Li Yu spiritual power bloomed without restraint.
The 'Eternal' crown condensed by the Spirit Bone of Eternal Nature rested atop Li Yu spiritual form.
A soft green glow enveloped him, shielding him from the Sea God's divine pressure.
At the same time—
That crown's light also spread to the Ying Yu.
Thus, the Sea God's divine halberd and the Ying Yu finally collided!
Boom!
Golden light exploded. Blue light radiated gently.
The Ying Yu—dispersed.
The remnant will—shattered!
The Sea God's remnant will—vanished completely!
"Even a remnant dares act viciously—how ridiculous!!"
Though Li Yu spiritual form was now slightly illusory, he still sneered coldly, without a trace of fear.
Glancing once more at the surroundings, he saw the sea had permanently become the Still Waters, and within it, a faint golden glow remained, reluctant to vanish.
Li Yu raised an eyebrow and waved his hand, collecting it.
"It's a fragment of divine authority!"
Li Yu was pleasantly surprised.
He had thought it to be a remnant of the Sea God's will, but upon closer inspection, he felt the power of the sea from within!
This was a remnant of the Sea God's divine authority.
Though it was just a wisp—even something the Sea God himself didn't care about—it was still the divine right over the sea.
Without hesitation—
Li Yu spiritual power surged forth, absorbing it into his spiritual sea.
The 'Eternal' crown responded automatically, without conscious effort.
In just a few moments, this trace of Sea God's authority was completely assimilated by Li Yu.
"Hmm?"
And in that instant, Li Yu was surprised to discover that his spiritual form had completely recovered!
Moreover—
His spiritual power had significantly improved!
Even more than when he absorbed the Dark Devilgod Tiger's spirit ring—his spiritual strength had increased by about 10%!
Additionally, Li Yu sensed a change in the Ying Yu!
Under the 'Still Waters, No Ripples Domain', the Ying Yu reappeared, and this time, its body bore streaks of golden markings.
Li Yu immediately understood something and withdrew his spiritual power in an instant.
He returned to the Hall of Heart Cultivation.
Emperor Xue Ye was still staring at the Vast Sea Universe Cover, seemingly unaware that much time had passed.
Li Yu gave him a glance. He had already blanketed the area with the 'Natural Life Domain', preventing anyone from detecting anything unusual, and masking Emperor Xue Ye sight.
Then—
The humanoid spirit form of the Tree of Life appeared, maintaining the domain's operation.
Li Yu stepped into his Spirit Domain Space.
In there, not even a god could spy on him.
He released his spirit rings:
Sky blue, red, red, red, red, silver-gray, translucent white!
The first spirit ring, which was originally red, had now turned sky blue after absorbing that wisp of Sea God's authority!
Moreover, that sky blue held faint threads of gold, making it appear even more mystical.
As for other changes, Li Yu hadn't noticed any for now—but just the gains he had already made were beyond his expectations.
Reappearing in the Hall of Heart Cultivation, Li Yu gave one last glance at Emperor Xue Ye, then turned to leave.
The Vast Sea—
Now better called the Still Waters Universe Cover—had naturally been taken with him.
Although it wasn't particularly useful to him, it would be extremely valuable for Tang San.
Of course, he wasn't going to leave it behind.
What puzzled him, however, was this:
He had slain the Sea God's remnant will, yet the Sea God himself had no reaction.
Why was that?