The Middle Pillar King and the other four Sea Giant Kings led them into the largest palace. They invited Tang San and Mei Gongzi to take the main seats, with the Middle Pillar King sitting beside them, while the other four Sea Giant Kings sat in the lower seats.
The Middle Pillar King said solemnly, "Go and invite the Seasky Tree King over."
"Yes!" A Sea Giant immediately went to carry out the order.
Tang San looked at the enormous palace. The main hall had twenty-four giant pillars on each side and was nearly three hundred meters tall. Even on land, constructing such a palace would be extremely difficult—only the Ancestral Court might have such capabilities. Building it in the deep sea had to be even more challenging.
He was certain that, within the entire Endless Blue Sea, only the Sea Giant clan possessed the capability to accomplish this. Even the Sea Dragon Clan could not manage it.
This was the foundation of the Sea Giant clan, their true legacy.
The Middle Pillar King started to speak. "Sea God, our Sea Giant clan's palace has stood for many millennia. It is the culmination of the wisdom and strength of countless ancestors, and it records the history of our Sea Giant clan's development. According to ancient legends, our Sea Giant clan emerged at the same time as the sea. In those days, the sea often raged violently, constantly battering the land, making survival impossible. Perhaps the planar ruler took pity on the hardships of living beings and granted our clan the power to calm the sea. Thus, we earned the title of the Sea-Calming Pillars.
"Since then, the sea has become gentler, no longer raging uncontrollably. Life on land was also able to thrive and multiply. Due to our contributions in calming the sea, our clan gradually developed spiritual intelligence. We led the sea beasts to live peacefully in the sea and allowed them to evolve. And this is not only during our lifetime; when our people die, they transform into Sea Pillars, stabilizing the deep sea and continuing to protect it. Because of this, we are revered by countless sea beasts. Many weaker clans choose to rely on us for protection.
"Our people are spread throughout the Endless Blue Sea to stabilize the sea. Only when the sea is stable can the sea clans live and work in peace, and the creatures on land be free from the sea's impact. Thus, we have always had the favor of the plane, making us the strongest clan in the Endless Blue Sea. It is because we are constantly protecting everything here that we receive the worship of the sea beasts. If there is anyone in the Endless Blue Sea most likely to become an Emperor, that person must be someone from among our ranks. At that time, the Endless Blue Sea will have its own Sea Emperor, bringing even greater stability to the sea."
"He says this to make you leave the Blue Sea." At that moment, a deep voice sounded from outside. The next instant, a massive figure walked in.
It was an elderly-looking being, towering over a hundred meters tall and with an immensely robust build. Unlike the Sea Giant clan, his skin was a deep blue, covered in countless wrinkles, and he held a staff resembling a gnarled tree branch, glowing with a faint blue light, as he strode in.
His aura was immensely powerful, almost on par with the Middle Pillar King. As he entered, the grand palace doors slowly shut behind him, and the majestic atmosphere within the hall grew rather oppressive.
Mei Gongzi's face darkened, and she was about to speak up, but Tang San held her hand, stopping her.
Tang San looked calmly at the elder and said, "You must be the Seasky Tree King."
"That is correct," the Seasky Tree King replied as he strode toward Tang San and the Sea Giant Kings.
"What do you mean by asking me to leave the Blue Sea?"
As he spoke, he glanced toward the Middle Pillar King.
The Middle Pillar King's expression was complicated. He sighed and said, "Sea God, I have no doubt about your identity. I can clearly feel everything you have done for the Endless Blue Sea. Because we are rooted in the Endless Blue Sea and are its oldest intelligent clan, we can deeply sense the benefits you bring. You have eradicated the Sea Plague, consolidated fortune, and given all sea beasts the chance to ascend, making the Endless Blue Sea more vibrant. All of this is worthy of our respect. However…"
He paused momentarily, then sighed again and continued, "But because of your arrival, everything in the Endless Blue Sea has changed, and it is a change we are unwilling to see. Our clan has contributed to the peace and prosperity of the Endless Blue Sea for countless years, and I must answer to my people. They stand as Sea Pillars in every corner of the Endless Blue Sea, enduring the passage of time, yet in the end, our clan has lost the opportunity to produce a Sea Emperor. This is something that none of our people can bear. Therefore, we ask you to leave the sea. We will let you go if you swear never to set foot in the sea again."
"And swear a blood oath," the Seasky Tree King added.
Tang San listened quietly, then asked, "As the Sea God, how have I affected you? Shouldn't our goals be the same, for the future of the Endless Blue Sea?"
The Middle Pillar King shook his head. "Let's not beat around the bush. As the Sea God, I can sense the special nature of the divine power emanating from you. It's different from those land Emperors. You can gather the power of faith. According to our ancestral legacy, as Sea Pillars, we contribute to the Endless Blue Sea, and each Sea Pillar absorbs the faith from its anchored area. Over time, our clan would eventually give rise to a true Sea God, with powers like yours but far greater—certainly much stronger than you are now, as you are only at the tenth order."
Tang San looked at him and then at the other Sea Giant Kings and suddenly smiled.
"If becoming a true god was that easy, why do you think none of the Emperors on the Daemon Continent have ever succeeded? Lack of faith energy? Wrong. There have been probably hundreds of Emperors, and their kin all blindly believed in them. That's not it."
The Middle Pillar King was taken aback.
"A divine seat isn't something that can be created purely by faith. You are correct, faith energy does bring benefits, but you've got it backward. Gods come first, and then faith, not the other way around. To become a god, there needs to be a foundation—the plane must be able to bear a god's existence, allowing the god to be born and then absorb faith to grow. This kind of plane is known as a divine realm. But Falan Planet is not a divine realm, and neither is it connected to one. So unless the plane evolves or a divine realm appears, no matter how long you serve as Sea Pillars or how many of you there are, a Sea God will never be born. If that weren't the case, with your immense power and the amount of faith energy you have accumulated, you would have long since cleaned up the Sea Plague yourselves!
"You might wonder why I have a divine seat. I can tell you clearly that my divine seat doesn't come from this plane but from another one. In the near future, I will leave—not just the sea but also Falan Planet. I will return to the world where my divinity originates. So, you need not worry about me claiming the Endless Blue Sea for myself."