Gu Yue, you should eat something. Even if you're a shapeshifting soul beast, you can't go on without food forever." Lan Fozi approached Gu Yue with a tray of exquisite food, her heart aching as she saw Gu Yue's visible weight loss.
"I'm not hungry. You eat." Gu Yue stared at the sky, her gaze filled with undisguised anxiety.
"You're so intelligent, you must have a backup plan that I don't know about. Na'er alone couldn't possibly do anything to you. So you're okay, right?" Gu Yue kept hypnotizing herself, convincing herself that Xia Yi would be fine.
But deep down, she knew the possibility of Xia Yi surviving was almost nonexistent.
In the Dragon Valley Small World, there were countless god-level dragon souls, and titled Douluo-level dragon souls were too many to count.
No matter how heaven-defying Xia Yi was, it was almost impossible for him to defeat Na'er in the Dragon Valley Small World.
Not to mention, Na'er had already obtained the Silver Dragon King's essence in advance.
Seeing Gu Yue in such a state, Lan Fozi clenched her fists tightly. She really wanted to ask Gu Yue: is it worth it to be like this for a mere man?
But the words reached her lips and were forced back down. At this moment, it was best not to provoke Gu Yue.
"You haven't eaten in three days. If you keep this up, you'll collapse. At least eat a little. Look at yourself—do you want Xia Yi to see you like this?" Lan Fozi pulled out a mirror and held it in front of Gu Yue.
In the mirror, a haggard and gaunt face stared back at her.
"Is this me?" Gu Yue froze, not realizing that she had changed so much without noticing.
"Eat something?" Lan Fozi spoke again, pushing the food toward Gu Yue. "I don't know why you're so worried, but Xia Yi is strong. Na'er is just a Soul Ancestor—there's no way she can beat Xia Yi."
Gu Yue picked up a bowl of porridge, about to drink it when she suddenly looked up at Lan Fozi and said in a serious tone, "I've told you before, there is no possibility between us. Stop wasting your time on me."
"I know." Lan Fozi smiled. "Watching you be so lost over Xia Yi these past few days, I've already realized that I have no chance. But so what? I still want to follow you two."
"Then why haven't you left?" Gu Yue asked.
Lan Fozi chuckled. "Life in the Holy Spirit Cult was too boring. After learning more about your situation these past few days, I find that following you is much more interesting. So I'm just treating this as a little vacation."
"Suit yourself." Gu Yue shook her head and took a sip of the porridge. She knew Lan Fozi wasn't telling the whole truth, but as long as there was no malice, she had no reason to stop her.
She needed to unite all the soul beasts in the world, and both Lan Fozi and the Demon Emperor were key to subduing the sea soul beasts.
Letting Lan Fozi follow them was beneficial in every way, as long as she was careful not to let her influence her too much.
Lan Fozi's eyes lit up. Just as she was about to say something, a sudden explosion rang out from the sky.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A terrifying rift tore open in the sky.
"Master, the space of Dragon Valley Small World has been ripped open!" Di Tian's urgent voice rang out.
"It's happening!" Gu Yue immediately dropped the porridge she had barely started drinking, transforming into a streak of silver light as she disappeared from Lan Fozi's sight.
"Wait for me! I'm coming too!" Lan Fozi couldn't care about anything else and immediately chased after her.
"Nearly a month, and not a single disciple has been eliminated? This batch of Tang Sect disciples is quite impressive."
At the entrance of Dragon Valley Small World, a Tang Sect elder nodded in satisfaction.
The Tang Sect was thriving.
Each generation was stronger than the last.
In contrast to the Tang Sect elder's confident nod, Yali furrowed her brows tightly, a deep sense of unease creeping into her heart.
It felt as though something catastrophic was about to happen.
At that moment, a flash of light appeared, and Tang Wulin suddenly materialized beside them, carrying Dai Yun'er in his arms.
"Bai San, why are you out so soon? And what happened to Bai Qi?" The Tang Sect elder's face changed in surprise upon seeing Tang Wulin carrying Dai Yun'er.
Bai San was Tang Wulin's codename for this Dragon Valley trial, and Bai Qi was Dai Yun'er's.
Tang Wulin's strength was undeniable. Even though he had lost to Long Yue, the fact that he could exchange blows with him for several rounds made him one of the strongest Soul Ancestors.
Dai Yun'er had twin martial souls—Spirit Eyes and the Netherworld Spirit Cat—both formidable abilities.
Their team was undoubtedly the strongest among the thirty Soul Ancestor-level Tang Sect disciples in this trial.
Yet now, they were the first to be eliminated.
Not only that, but Tang Wulin looked deathly pale, clearly injured, and Dai Yun'er was unconscious.
The Tang Sect elder quickly stepped forward to check on Dai Yun'er's condition.
After a brief examination, the elder sighed in relief.
She was fine, just knocked out. She would wake up soon.
Fortunately, the princess was safe.
"Wulin, have you seen Na'er?" Yali lifted her hand, casting a divine light over Tang Wulin and Dai Yun'er. In an instant, Tang Wulin's pale complexion regained its color, and his injuries healed completely.
Dai Yun'er also slowly awakened.
"Holy Spirit Douluo!"
With a thud, Tang Wulin fell to his knees before Yali. His wounds had healed, but his eyes remained bloodshot.
"Wulin, what are you doing?" Yali's heart sank as she looked at Tang Wulin, a sudden panic gripping her.
"My sister… my sister… slap …hngh…" Tang Wulin tried to speak, but he couldn't get the words out. He slapped himself hard across the face before breaking down into sobs.
"Na'er… what happened to Na'er? Wulin, speak slowly. Don't scare me!"
Yali's face turned deathly pale as an ominous feeling overwhelmed her.
"My sister… she… she was killed by Xia Yi to save me! And most of the other Tang Sect Battle Hall disciples were also slaughtered by him. I don't know how many are left alive…" Tang Wulin clenched his fists, his eyes filled with hatred.
Yali stumbled back several steps, nearly collapsing.
She barely managed to steady herself against a nearby rock.
"..."
Yali lifted her trembling hand, reaching toward Tang Wulin, but her lips quivered so much that she couldn't form any words.
Because she had never had children of her own, she and Yun Ming had poured all their love into Na'er, treating her like their own daughter.
If Na'er had truly died in the Star Luo Empire, she would never forgive herself.
And Yun Ming would never forgive her either.
"Your Eminence…" Tang Wulin hurriedly supported Yali.
"No… impossible. We've been standing guard here the entire time—Xia Yi couldn't have entered Dragon Valley Small World!" The Tang Sect elder shook his head in denial.
Yali's eyes suddenly lit up with hope, and she grasped Tang Wulin's arm. "Elder Wu is right! We've been here the whole time—Xia Yi couldn't have gone inside. He couldn't have killed Na'er! Wulin, please tell me you're joking. I can't bear this. Tell me… Na'er is fine, right?"
She looked at Tang Wulin with pleading eyes, desperate for him to tell her it wasn't true.
But Tang Wulin, his eyes red, gritted his teeth and said, "Na'er tricked Xia Yi into Dragon Valley Small World…"
He gasped for breath and quickly recounted what had happened inside.
"It's all my fault. If not for me, Na'er wouldn't have been hurt!" Tang Wulin pounded the ground with his fists, overwhelmed with regret.
"Na'er drove Xia Yi into madness, turning him into a killing machine…"
Yali's vacant eyes blurred, and she nearly collapsed.
Suddenly—
"Xia Yi! You massacred our Tang Sect disciples! Even if it means risking the backlash of Dragon Valley Small World, I will go in and kill you myself!"
The Tang Sect elder erupted in rage, his soul power surging as nine soul rings ascended around him.
Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Purple, Black, Black, Black, Black—nine soul rings in total!
A circle of white radiance rippled outward from the Tang Sect elder, and beneath his feet, intricate patterns began to emerge.
These patterns were extraordinarily complex and exquisite, resembling soul tool arrays, yet they carried a far more ancient aura.
They did not belong to any modern soul tool array system but instead exuded a sense of antiquity and profound history.
The patterns expanded outward rapidly, soon covering an area with a diameter of a hundred meters. A mystical mist rose from within, and the aura in the air grew increasingly intense.
The soul power fluctuations on the Tang Sect elder's body surged continuously—he was using his soul power to activate the patterns beneath him.
Suddenly, the elder raised his ebony staff high. His previously hunched body straightened abruptly, and in that instant, he seemed to awaken like a slumbering dragon. The glow of soul rings around him vanished as his body began to expand. A pair of enormous wings unfurled from his back, and in moments, he transformed into a massive dragon over fifteen meters long, its entire body crackling with blue-violet lightning.
His martial soul was none other than the legendary Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon!
"Roar!"
A deafening dragon's roar erupted from the elder's mouth. The white patterns on the ground trembled violently, their light intensifying as they shifted from white to a dazzling seven-colored radiance.
Suddenly, a beam of rainbow light shot into the sky.
The heavens were torn apart by this pillar of light, and its brilliant hues spread outward, revealing a massive opening.
This was the entrance to the Dragon Valley Small World. By infusing soul power, it could be forcibly opened—a method far simpler than the way Di Tian and the others had to tear open space.
The Tang Sect elder did not hesitate. He soared into the sky, preparing to enter the Dragon Valley Small World.
Yet in the next moment, the entrance to the small world abruptly sealed shut!
The Tang Sect elder froze in midair, his expression changing drastically. He suddenly cried out in shock,
"Impossible! Why can't I sense the Dragon Valley Small World anymore?!"
If the space had simply closed, he could reopen it.
But now, he had completely lost his connection to it.
This meant that Tang Sect had completely lost access to the Dragon Valley Small World!
This was an even greater catastrophe than the massacre of their disciples!
—
(End of Chapter)