When he looked up, he noticed the golden sun and silver moon shining above them. Everything else around him was blurry shadows. Other than this platform, he could not see any further.
All thirteen spots on the round platform were rapidly occupied. In addition to him, w.a.n.g Dong"er, w.a.n.g Qiu"er, Bei Bei, He Caitou, Xiao Xiao, Jiang Nannan, Xu Sanshi, Zhang Lexuan, Ning Tian, Wu Feng, Dai Huabin, and Zhu Lu were there.
They each stood in a gold and silver gas bubble. Huo Yuhao tried to shout, but he realized that his voice could not be heard by the others. The others observed their surroundings carefully. From the shape of their mouths, some appeared to be shouting. However, this place was eerily silent.
Calm, I must keep calm. This was ultimately the Yin-Yang Love Querying Valley. Huo Yuhao made his decision. He opened his human-shaped soul tool and revealed himself. This was so that the others could see his expression.
w.a.n.g Dong"er looked at him straightaway. Huo Yuhao quickly raised his hands and waved at her.
w.a.n.g Dong"er waved back at him, telling him that she could see him.
After much thought, Huo Yuhao started to gesture with his hands. Due to what he had shouted out earlier, his hand gestures caught everyone"s attention. His gestures were simple. He told them to do as he instructed.
At this moment, the golden round platform started to emit fog. Suddenly, a thin sliver of golden light shot out from the center of the round platform. It quickly made one round around the platform. The back of the golden sliver spun around and pointed at the thirteen round platforms.
“The Heavens and the Earth will query you about your love, a heartfelt adventure. Begin!” a voice said calmly. No one could tell if it was a man or a woman as it rang out in the ears of all thirteen of them. They all quieted down because, to their surprise, they realized that all they could see now was gold and silver light.
The sliver of light at the center of the round platform started to spin rapidly. It pa.s.sed by all of their bubbles, lighting them up in succession. After it pa.s.sed, their bubbles returned to their normal state.
Suddenly, the golden sliver stopped. It pointed to a smaller, round platform. The person on this platform was Wu Feng.
Wu Feng was chosen by the golden light. She was a little shocked, because the bubble she was in started to light up. She was a proud individual, however, and she showed no sign of fear. She appeared to be shouting something.
The bubble around her disappeared. A column of golden light started to rise from underneath her feet, and soon, it enveloped her whole body. Inside the golden light, her body slowly started to rise. When she was a meter above the ground, it stopped.
Wu Feng felt the changes with a little shock. She discovered that while there was nothing wrong with her, she could not move anymore.
At this moment, the emotionless voice rang out once more. This time, only she could hear it.
“Do you have a lover?”
Wu Feng"s heart shook, but she did not open her mouth. In her mind, all she could think of was Huo Yuhao"s instructions.
“Do you have a lover? If you don"t reply after the third time, you"ll be punished with death.”
“Yes, I do,” said Wu Feng loudly as she grit her teeth. While the others were paying attention to her, they all appeared slightly confused. She could see that she was the only one who could hear this voice.
“Who is your lover?” the voice asked calmly.
“Ning Tian,” replied Wu Feng without any hesitation.
“That"s her, right?” The golden light underneath her lit up and landed on Ning Tian. Instantly, the bubble around Ning Tian opened, and she too started to float in mid-air.
“Ning Tian!” Wu Feng cried out. However, the bubble around her started to rise, blocking out her voice. However, her bubble was now transparent. Unlike the rest of them, she could still see Ning Tian.
“Do you have a lover?” the voice asked Ning Tian.
Ning Tian frowned and looked at Wu Feng, who appeared to be shouting, shook her head, and said, “No, I don"t.”
“She said you"re her lover, right?” the voice asked once more.
Ning Tian was shocked, and then she replied, “I know she likes me. However, we"re both girls. I can"t accept h.o.m.os.e.xual love. Hence, I only treat her as a good friend.”
“If you don"t love her, she"ll die. Will you choose to love her?” the voice quickly asked.
Ning Tian paused. This question was difficult to answer.
“If you don"t love her, she"ll die. Will you choose to love her? If you don"t answer after the third time, you"ll be punished with death,” repeated the voice.
Ning Tian gritted her teeth and said, “No, love doesn"t work that way. I can die for her, but I can"t love someone of the same s.e.x.”
When she said that, she did not notice that the bubble around Wu Feng had disappeared. Wu Feng heard everything she had just said.
Wu Feng"s face turned pale. Ning Tian was once again enveloped by her bubble, and her voice was sealed off.
“You heard her words. Do you still love her?” the mysterious and calm voice asked Wu Feng.
Wu Feng bit down on her lower lip, and her eyes shone with a fiery light. “You"re so cruel.”
“You heard her words. Do you still love her? If you don"t reply after the third time, you"ll be punished with death,” the calm voice repeated in a mechanical fashion.
“Yes, I do! She doesn"t love me, but this doesn"t mean I can"t love her. Why can"t this love be one-way?” Wu Feng shouted in rage.
“She just said that she"ll die for you, but she won"t love you. Are you upset?” the calm voice asked in a way that sought to torture the target as much as it could.
“No s.h.i.t, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d!” Wu Feng cursed.
“Pa!” A golden light came from nowhere and hit Wu Feng fiercely. Instantly, the clothes around her waist were torn open, and a b.l.o.o.d.y wound could be seen.
Her soul power was completely sealed, so she couldn"t release her martial soul. Wu Feng could not help but cry out in pain.
“For the insult, you"re punished with one stroke of the whip. If you do that again, you"ll die.”
“Yes, I"m upset! Does that make you happy?” Tears dripped from Wu Feng"s face. She had always liked Ning Tian, but she knew that Ning Tian could not accept such an unconventional love. If not, she would not have shown her love for Huo Yuhao at the Sea G.o.d"s Lake.
“She said that she"s willing to die for you. Now, I have two options for you. You can try and get her to die for you, or you can die. If she"s willing, you"ll live. If you"re willing to die, then she"ll live. Between the two of you, only one of you will live.” The calm voice suddenly turned cold, and brimmed with a strong killing intent. It was enough to make Wu Feng shiver.
However, she made her decision almost instantly. Without hesitation, she said, “Alright, I"ll die. Let her live. Let her leave this place and live out her life. Kill me!”
When she said that, Wu Feng looked deeply at Ning Tian. Tears flowed from her face, but her determination never wavered.
The golden light flashed, a golden blade appeared silently in front of Wu Feng. At the same time, she found that could move her hands once more.
“Kill yourself,” the calm voice said as if it was nothing.
Wu Feng inhaled and cried out, “Let Ning Tian go!” As she spoke, she grabbed the sharp blade in front of her and pierced her chest with it.
However, at that very moment, time seemed to stop. Wu Feng was frozen, though the tip of the knife was already at her chest. It looked as if it would penetrate her chest at any moment.
The bubble around Ning Tian burst open, and the calm voice said, “To let you live, she"s willing to sacrifice her own life. If I hadn"t stopped her, she would have already died for you. You just said that you"re willing to die for her. If you want, you can die, and she"ll live. This is your last chance.”
As she said that, the same golden blade appeared in front of Ning Tian. Its sharp blade gleamed coldly.
Life and death, this was the hardest question of all for humans. Ning Tian grabbed the knife and looked at Wu Feng, who was suspended in mid-air with tears running down her face. Her blade was almost at her breast. She couldn"t help but take a deep breath as tears trickled down her own face.
“Ah Feng, I know you like me, but we"re of the same s.e.x! I"ve told you many times, but you just won"t listen. For me, you"re willing to offer your own valuable life. I owe you this. Here, maybe only one of us can live. Go and live your life. If we meet again in our next lives, I hope to be a guy. Then, I"ll marry you for sure.”
As she said that, Ning Tian closed her eyes, lifted the golden knife and slashed at her throat.
Two golden rays of light lit up together. Ning Tian suddenly felt a weight disappearing from her hand. On the other side, Wu Feng could move once more. However, the knives in their hands had disappeared.
Two different voices sounded next to their ears. Their frames were enveloped by the bubbles once more.
Over on Wu Feng"s side, the voice said, “Love is blind, and may go against human nature, making it impossible. However, true love is willing to sacrifice everything. This kind of love is pitiable. You pa.s.s the first round, Sincerity.”
Over at Ning Tian"s side, the voice said, “Love is not blind. For friendship, you"re willing to sacrifice everything you have. This comes from the depths of your heart. You pa.s.s the first round, Sincerity.”
Ning Tian and Wu Feng looked at each other, separated by their bubbles. Both of them felt slightly disoriented. In their hearts, they felt a strange sensation, as if they had understood something. This place did not appear as frightening as they had thought.
There were now an additional pair of gold and silver rings over their bubbles...