Douluo, my clone Groudon

Chapter 434 Qiankun Asks the Valley of Love

Gura's main body silently merged into the westward retreating group, while the clone that served as a decoy turned into a ray of light and returned the moment they made contact.

He heard Elder Xuan and Bei Bei and the others surrounding Huo Yuhao, offering quiet words of comfort.

“Yuhao, don’t blame yourself too much. No one could have predicted that the warehouse explosion would cause such…devastating consequences.” Xuanzi sighed heavily, his face filled with complex emotions and a heavy heart.

Huo Yuhao's face remained pale, his eyes somewhat vacant. The mushroom cloud that had illuminated half the sky and the tragic scene of millions of lives being instantly annihilated haunted his mind like a nightmare.

With everyone reassuring him, he took a few deep breaths, and the confusion in his eyes gradually gave way to determination. He took one last deep look back at the direction of Mingdu, shrouded in chaos and death, then resolutely turned around and rejoined the group.

Gula glanced back along with the others, his heart calm, thinking to himself, "Once this matter is settled, and I've passed this 'Valley of Love and Destiny,' it'll be time to return to the Dragon King Legend timeline. There, a massive explosion of comparable scale, or even greater intensity, awaits me..."

Thinking of this, the image of the Sky-Supporting Douluo Yun Ming appeared in his mind. "I wonder what choice he will ultimately make? After all, although it was a transaction, he also helped me comprehend the Gun God realm... This time, will he be able to break free from that predetermined death calamity?"

Putting aside Shrek's characteristic arrogance, Yun Ming was actually a decent person. Gula shook his head regretfully, not optimistic that he could escape death.

The group continued its westward journey at breakneck speed, but to everyone's surprise, the journey was surprisingly smooth, without encountering any significant interception or ambush.

Just as everyone was beginning to have doubts, a thick fog suddenly rose up around them without warning. The fog seemed to have a life of its own and quickly closed in, completely engulfing the entire group.

Groudon was not surprised by this. His power flowed quietly within him, instantly connecting with Groudon's clone in another time and space. The vast power of earth and time was hidden in his bloodline, ready for any eventuality.

He knew perfectly well that the Valley of Love and Destiny was formed from the fallen god of love, and that the Sea God Tang San was secretly interfering behind the scenes, making it no place of peace.

Groudon's power may not be enough to directly confront him, but it is enough to ensure the safety of himself and the people he wants to protect, Xiao Xiao, and Ye Guyi, whom he secretly keeps by his side.

Indeed, leaving Ye Guyi, who possessed the Holy Angel Martial Soul, in the Sun Moon Empire was tantamount to throwing herself into the tiger's den, so he took the opportunity to bring her out with him.

Elder Xuan attempted to release his soul power to explore, but found that the strange fog not only restricted flight, but also made it difficult to discern directions, like a maze.

He shouted in a deep voice, "Be careful! This fog is strange; it can even block my senses. It's definitely not naturally formed; it's probably a trick of the Sun Moon Empire! Don't get scattered!"

Dean Xianlin suggested, "Elder Xuan, should we split up and search for a way out?"

"Absolutely not!" Elder Xuan refused decisively. "This place is extremely dangerous and unpredictable; splitting up would be far too perilous!"

Before the words were finished, golden and silver light suddenly burst forth from the depths of the mist, wrapping around everyone like countless tentacles, and a powerful pulling force came, trying to separate them.

Elder Xuan roared, unleashing his powerful, earth-yellow soul force, which transformed into a protective shield to shield everyone. However, the power of the rules within that light far exceeded expectations, causing the shield to fluctuate violently, and everyone was still forcibly pulled apart.

Gula suppressed the urge to act immediately, letting the light envelop him.

The next moment, the world spun around them, and they were forcibly pulled into the depths of the fog. Once their vision stabilized, Elder Xuan managed to regroup the scattered group, looked around warily, and shouted, "Everyone stay alert and prepare for any unforeseen events!"

They were currently in a picturesque valley, where the most prominent features were two lakes, one gold and one silver.

The golden lake is perfectly round, radiating a warm and dazzling light like the sun; the silver lake is crescent-shaped, flowing with a cool and clear glow.

The scenery was beautiful, but it also had an indescribable eeriness about it.

Looking at the familiar two-colored lake and Huo Yuhao's bewildered expression, Gula suddenly remembered the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well that he had emptied. He immediately spoke up to remind everyone, his voice carrying an undeniable seriousness:
"Remember! No matter what happens next, and whatever questions you're asked, especially about your feelings, be sure to tell the truth! Remember! Remember!"

As if to confirm his words, the twin lakes of Golden Sun and Silver Moon in the valley suddenly shone brightly, and a powerful pulling force descended once again, lifting everyone into the air and pulling them above the lakes.

Even Elder Xuan groaned at this moment, his Martial Soul True Body being forcibly suppressed back to its original form.

Amidst gasps of surprise, they were separated and enveloped by golden and silver light, and transported to an unknown place.

The instant the teleportation light enveloped his entire body, Gula clearly sensed a subtle yet powerful fluctuation of divine consciousness attempting to invade his mind and probe his memories and inner thoughts—clearly a prelude to a test "tailor-made" for him.

The original plan to use Groudon's power to overturn the table was instantly suppressed by Groudon. "My soul power is currently at level 75, still quite a distance from the level 80 Soul Douluo realm. This Qiankun Asking Love Valley contains the power of the God of Love's origin, and even more so, the Sea God's divine power that Tang San 'generously' poured into it... With such a huge amount of energy, wouldn't it be a pity not to take advantage of this opportunity to get a bunch of rewards for free?"

In the blink of an eye, Gula's powerful mental energy activated instantly, first using self-hypnosis to construct a meticulously woven "memory":
Born in a small mountain village, his village was destroyed in an attack by evil soul masters. His martial soul unexpectedly evolved in the face of death. After escaping by chance, he entered Shrek Academy, where he met and fell in love with Xiao Xiao. He also saved Ye Guyi in the underground soul master competition and developed a vague affection for this owner of the sacred angel martial soul...

At the same time, he subtly activated the power of time brought by Groudon's clone, distorting the flow of time around him, so that this fictional memory, under the blessing of the power of time, briefly transformed into "reality" that even the rules of the Valley of Love and Destiny could not immediately distinguish.

Gula secretly rejoiced that he had brought Ye Guyi with him. "According to the rules set by the God of Love, even if Tang San wanted to interfere secretly, he must follow the basic principle of 'the difficulty of the test and the reward being equal'."

"I've created this complex persona for myself—'having a girlfriend but also having feelings for someone else.' How could this test be easy? The reward will definitely be generous!"

All the young Soul Masters were teleported to a huge gold and silver platform. The platform was like a disc, with figures floating around it, separated by bubbles.

A grand voice resounded throughout the space: "The question of love and destiny, the adventure of true feelings, begins!"

One by one, the bubbles were lit, subjected to the interrogation of the mysterious voice. The core questions were invariably: Do you have a lover? Are you willing to die for your lover?

The bubble containing Ye Guyi lit up, and she confessed her feelings for Gula because of his life-saving grace, and made it clear that she was willing to die in Gula's place to repay this debt of gratitude, but it was not out of love.

The voice paused for a moment, then determined that she had passed the first test.

When Gula heard all this, when it was his turn, he also felt the power of the rules and vaguely sensed that he had the ability to resist, but his instincts told him that this was not the best time.

Following his own pre-set script, "he" acknowledged that Xiao Xiao was his lover, and also admitted that he had feelings for Ye Guyi.

When asked if he would be willing to die for the two women, he answered from his "heart": "I would. I know it's unfair to either of them, but as long as I have the ability, I would never want either of them to die because of me."

The mysterious voice remained silent for a moment, then commented: "A fickle view of relationships, but fortunately, sincerity still remains. The subsequent tests will be more difficult."

His voice was not concealed and clearly reached the ears of Xiao Xiao and Ye Guyi, who were also on the platform.

Xiao Xiao pursed her lips, a hint of bitterness and sadness flashing in her eyes. Ye Guyi, on the other hand, was slightly stunned, a trace of indescribable melancholy passing through her eyes.

The first challenge was passed without incident, but Xu Sanshi was punished with several soul-lashing blows for his initial hesitation.

The second stage begins. A giant turntable appears in the center of the platform, displaying all sorts of bizarre and unusual challenges. A mysterious voice announces:
"Spin the wheel to determine the content of your test."

Gula glanced over and even saw disgusting options like "French kiss with a designated person," his eyes narrowed instantly, a chill creeping into his gaze.

If he were to draw this one, he wouldn't mind immediately following his "heart's voice" and ruining this damn test.

Fortunately, apart from Xu Sanshi's "lucky" draw that resulted in kissing Bei Bei, causing a minor commotion, most of the other participants faced challenges of the combat type. The roulette wheel eventually pointed to Gula, Xiao Xiao, and Ye Guyi.

"The challenge is as follows: Gula and Xiao Xiao must team up to defeat Ye Guyi. The loser will die. Alternatively, they may choose to undertake an extremely difficult real adventure."

Gula's impatience and anger were almost at their peak; the rules were clearly deliberately distorting and trampling on emotions.

Just as he was about to stop suppressing his anger and unleash the power his inner voice was telling him, Xiao Xiao grabbed his hand tightly.

She looked up at Ye Guyi, who was also pushed to the opposite side by the rules, and sighed softly, "She is indeed a very beautiful girl with a very special temperament..."

Then, she glared at Gula with a complicated expression, but shouted to the sky without hesitation, "We accept the test of fighting together!"

Gula looked at Xiao Xiao in astonishment, instantly understanding her intention—she was trying to prevent him from choosing the seemingly safer but actually unknown and dangerous "real adventure," preferring to face this awkward and cruel battle situation herself. An indescribable feeling of gratitude welled up in her heart.

The mysterious voice confirmed without any emotion: "The test is successful."

The next moment, three beams of light flashed, and the figures of Gula, Xiao Xiao, and Ye Guyi disappeared from the platform and were teleported to their exclusive trial battlefield.

(End of this chapter)