Chapter 370: Prologue

Near the city gate, the Shilake Academy crowd was waiting here.

Suddenly, the air before them twisted, and two figures appeared out of thin air.

One was Tang Wulin, and the other was He Caitou.

However, this Tang Wulin looked noticeably more mature than the one they knew, and just as they were about to ask where Huo Yutong had gone, the air twisted again, and this Tang Wulin split into two people: Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong.

Evidently, the one that had just appeared was their Soul Fusion Technique, Ice Sky Dragon Emperor; to hurry and escape from the finals venue, they directly used their strongest form.

Bei Bei hurried forward to meet them.

"How is it? No one followed us, right?"

Tang Wulin nodded.

"No, but we should also leave quickly; we miscalculated earlier—the Ri Yue Di Guo has two Limit Douluo."

He couldn't say for sure whether, if those two Limit Douluo wanted to intercept them with full force, they could still all make it out safely.

Xuanzi sighed.

"I already know about this; you're right, we need to leave quickly—everyone, follow me."

Having said that, he sharply waved his hand and led the way westward.

…………

In the mountain range west of Bright Capital, two black-clad figures were flying above the lake at the valley's center.

Each of them held a captive in their hands—a man and a woman whose throats had been slit, fresh blood pouring out and falling into the lake.

One of the black-clad figures said disdainfully, "Sure enough, human feelings are fickle—when disaster strikes, each flies alone. How many times has this happened now? It's never failed. This place is also truly strange; it must be triggered by the lives and blood of lovers who betray each other."

The other black-clad figure said in a low voice, "Cut the nonsense—quickly drain their blood so we can report back. Once this place is triggered, it will activate in an hour, and by then even immortals cannot escape."

The first black-clad figure seemed to recall something and indeed fell silent.

Soon, the couple's blood drained completely, and their lives came to an end.

The two corpses fell into the lake with a "plop-plop," and the two black-clad figures, as if fleeing, turned and flew away, vanishing in an instant.

A few minutes after they disappeared, on the lake surface where the couple's blood had fallen, the water began to churn; the blood swirled and gradually faded, but a strange hue also appeared.

It was a color woven of gold and silver—gold flashing, silver rippling—and it spread outward at an astonishing speed.

…………

Meanwhile, the Shilake Academy group had already arrived in the mountain range.

Suddenly, Huo Yutong stopped in her tracks and said in a low voice:

"Something's off—we're going in circles."

Hearing her words, everyone quickly halted.

Xuanzi looked at her.

"Why do you say that? Could there be a maze in the mountains?"

Huo Yutong gently shook her head.

"I'm not sure, but while I was on the move I kept my mental detection active, and residual fluctuations of my mental power linger on these nearby plants."

Xuanzi's face instantly grew solemn.

He hadn't noticed the group circling, but Huo Yutong didn't seem to be lying, which made the situation serious.

Means that could silently ensnare even a 98th-rank Super Douluo like him are exceedingly rare in this world.

Bei Bei anxiously asked, "What should we do then?" Huo Yutong pondered briefly and said:

"It's too dark now; I tried scanning, but the farther away, the less clear it feels. I can only sense the general terrain, not make fine observations via mental power. Should we rest until dawn? Daybreak isn't far off."

Xuanzi nodded.

"Then let's do that—everyone rest in place. Gather together, don't split up. Lexuan, arrange the night watch order; those resting should quickly enter meditation."

Zhang Lexuan immediately went to arrange it; as the inner courtyard's senior sister and a member of the Sea God's Pavilion, she handled these matters very capably.

Soon, a small campsite had been set up on higher ground, including War God Douluo Xianlin'er; several Honored Douluo sat at the camp's edge to rest and guard everyone.

In this expedition following Xuanzi to the Ri Yue Di Guo, counting Xuanzi they had a full four Super Douluo–level combatants, whose sole mission was to protect these children and return them to the academy.

Everyone found a spot to sit and began meditating; all seemed tranquil, but what the Shilake Academy powerhouses didn't know was that a layer of thick fog was gradually spreading through the mountains, the entire West Mountain seeming to come alive and beginning to exhibit strange changes.

…………

In the Ri Yue Imperial Palace, Xu Tianran looked somewhat surprised at the sudden appearance of Zhongli Wu.

"What's wrong, National Preceptor? You seem to be in a bad mood."

Zhongli Wu said through gritted teeth:

"Your Highness, where did the Shilake people go?"

Zhongli Wu had watched Tang Wulin's match, and the water-fire twin dragons had left a deep impression on him.

Just now, the commotion caused by the two Dragon Kings was so huge that he initially didn't react, but upon reflection he immediately recalled the boy who had stirred up the arena.

After discussing with Ye Xi Shui, they both agreed that the Shilake people had killed the Holy Maiden.

Now his anger toward Shilake could not be put into words.

Xu Tianran said, somewhat surprised:

"What's up, so angry? The Shilake people have already gone to the West Mountain secret realm according to plan."

Hearing his words, Zhongli Wu's anger eased a little, and he let out a cold snort.

"Good—let them also learn the price of offending our Holy Spirit Sect."

Xu Tianran raised his brows, his eyes turning playful.

"Looks like Shilake has had a fierce clash with the Holy Spirit Sect."

He asked, "That place will definitely be able to trap the Shilake people, right? The folks they've sent this time aren't weak."

Zhongli Wu said in a low voice:

That place trapped my grandfather for a hundred years; my grandfather's cultivation was neither stronger nor weaker than Long Bo's, and the things he ultimately produced were only a tiny fraction of that mysterious location. The place is fundamentally beyond human resistance—once something goes wrong, it means at least ten years of confinement until death. After the activation, even an Honored Douluo cannot fly; one must endure the trials within before there is any chance of emerging. My grandfather made three mistakes there and was trapped for a hundred years. Haven't we already tried? Of those thrown in, fewer than one in ten survive. I have already ordered Xiao Feng to go around Western Mountain, with my four senior elders guarding the exit; even if someone lucky gets out, they are still on the kill list.

Xu Tianran showed a relieved smile.

"I see, I understand; then I'll leave everything to the National Master."

Off‑topic: Qian Kun Love Valley is finally arriving!

When it first went live, a group member asked me whether the plot of Debate Valley was meaningless. My answer was: how could it be meaningless? Other books may be useless beyond being fun, but this book serves a very important purpose—

Without this episode, where would Tang Wulin's hatred toward the Buddha be filled? In this book, Tang Wulin's temper is actually very good; as I recall, except when facing an Evil Soul Master, he rarely loses his temper, and to make him truly despise Tang San, a turning point like Debate Valley is necessary.

It is precisely after this segment that he formally enters the main storyline of filial piety toward his father.

(End of chapter)