Chapter 312 Spatial Trial, True Nature Revealed.
In just a few breaths, twenty people were listed on the Destiny Marriage Ranking.
Without exception, they all chose to enter the marriage space.
When the dazzling red and blue spatial ripples reached their peak, the enormous spatial gate suddenly contracted, transforming into a brilliant cocoon of light, and then vanished with a roar.
The original group of twenty people, including Lu Xiao, Gu Yuena, Tang San, and Xiao Wu, were located in various parts of the continent.
At the same time, it completely disappeared from the spot.
The next moment, a completely unfamiliar world appeared before everyone's eyes.
This is a strange and mysterious realm, devoid of sun, moon, and stars, yet filled with countless bands of red and blue light, adorning the void like a galaxy.
Beneath my feet lay a soft carpet of pink petals, and the air was filled with a faint, calming fragrance.
In the center of this space grows a gigantic ancient tree that blocks out the sky.
This tree is extremely peculiar; its trunk is pale gold, while its branches and leaves are pure pink, and each leaf is heart-shaped.
As it swayed in the wind, countless pink specks of light drifted down and slowly merged into the people around them.
"This is... the Marriage Space?"
Someone murmured softly, breaking the tranquility of the secret realm.
Lu Xiao steadied himself first and scanned his surroundings.
He discovered that twenty people were standing scattered around the ancient tree, each surrounded by a semi-transparent, illusory spatial barrier.
This barrier, like an invisible wall, separates everyone from one another.
They could neither get close nor communicate, as if each person was placed in an independent, fateful cage.
He looked up and saw Gu Yuena standing at the farthest point from him, her silver dress accentuated by the pink lights, making her appear even more peerless and independent.
That illusory barrier separated the two, but it could not sever the pulling force originating from the depths of their souls.
Gu Yuena happened to look over as well, and their eyes met.
Lu Xiao saw the inquiry in her eyes, while Gu Yuena saw the composure in his eyes.
...
Zhu Zhuqing stood to one side, her gaze piercing through the layers of barriers, and met Dai Mubai not far away.
Both of them had complex emotions in their eyes: guilt, determination, reluctance, and resolve.
That illusory barrier seemed to be the insurmountable chasm between them all this time.
...
Everyone is isolated by this illusory barrier, yet within this space of destiny, they confront their fate and true feelings.
The ancient pink tree, which blocked out the sky, seemed to sense the arrival of everyone.
Suddenly, a dazzling golden light shone from the tree trunk.
Immediately, the same ethereal voice as before resounded once again in everyone's soul.
[A predestined relationship begins, a preordained fate unfolds. Ladies and gentlemen, examine your own hearts.]
The ethereal voice of destiny has not yet faded.
The entire space dedicated to marriage suddenly burst into a dazzling display of red and blue light.
The heart-shaped pink-leaved ancient tree in the center swayed gently, and petals fluttered down like rain.
It transformed into gentle yet irresistible forces, enveloping each couple who made it onto the list.
The next second, the illusory barrier that separated everyone suddenly twisted and reformed.
Ten couples were each pulled into a separate trial space that belonged only to them!
Lu Xiao and Gu Yuena, Lü Bu and Diao Chan, Poseidon and Tang Chen, Di Tian and Bi Ji, Cai Wenji and Sikong Zhen, Tang San and Xiao Wu...
Ten spatial gates opened simultaneously, forcibly pulling each couple into their own private realm.
With no outside interference, only each other and the destiny of our true selves about to be revealed.
Above the sky, the supreme voice of destiny resounded once more, clearly penetrating every independent space.
Without a trace of emotion, yet every word is like thunder, leaving an indelible mark on the soul.
[The Trial of the Marriage Space Begins!]
Each couple will enter their own private sanctuary, a space reflecting the past, present, and future, revealing their truest feelings, obsessions, fears, and choices!
[Completing the trial strengthens your marriage blessing, awakens your exclusive destiny skill, and grants rare and extraordinary opportunities, significantly boosting your divine soul, martial soul, cultivation level, and lifespan!]
[Trial Failure - You will suffer the backlash of destiny, your marital bond will be completely severed, all blessings from the rankings will be withdrawn, your cultivation will plummet, your soul will be damaged, and there will be no chance of reconciliation in this life!]
[The sole rule of this trial: Follow your heart, do not deceive yourself. You may deceive Heaven and Earth, but not your own heart; you may deceive others and the world, but not yourself!]
[The trial... has officially begun!]
As soon as the words were spoken, the ten independent spaces simultaneously burst into light, and the power of the illusion descended with a roar!
...
Within an independent trial space.
The light suddenly receded, and the petal-shaped ground beneath Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai's feet rapidly changed.
In an instant, it transformed into a familiar scene from the Star Luo Empire's imperial palace.
With carved beams and painted rafters, golden bricks paving the ground, and palace walls stretching for thousands of miles, civil and military officials lined up on both sides.
As teenagers, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing stood in the center of the main hall, surrounded by the cold gazes of the Xingluo royal family and the bloody pressure of the princes vying for the throne.
This is not a false illusion, but the most real past destiny of the two.
It is the scene that the space of fate reflects from the depths of their souls, the scene that is most capable of shaking their true nature.
Dai Mubai's pupils suddenly contracted, and his whole body tensed up.
He knows this place all too well.
This was the most desperate and struggling moment for him in the Star Luo Empire, the starting point for the rift between him and Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuqing's usually cold and aloof face paled slightly, and her slender hands unconsciously clenched.
She gazed at the familiar palace hall before her, and at Dai Mubai, who had been timid and confused in his youth.
My heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly by a hand, and the pain was so intense that I couldn't breathe.
Just then, at the highest point of the main hall.
A powerful minister of the Star Luo Empire, clad in a dragon robe, slowly rose to his feet. His voice was majestic and cold, resounding throughout the entire palace.
"Dai Mubai, if you want to defeat the prince, secure your position as crown prince, and even ascend the throne, I can help you."
"But there is only one condition—marry my daughter as your empress, abandon Zhu Zhuqing, and have nothing to do with her from now on."
A single sentence was uttered.
Zhu Zhuqing suddenly looked up, her gaze fixed on Dai Mubai.
Her eyes held a last glimmer of hope, a trace of struggle, and a hint of luck that even she herself was unwilling to admit.
She is waiting.
Waiting for an answer.
Dai Mubai trembled violently. Before him lay the imperial throne, a supreme position coveted by countless people, within easy reach.
It is the supreme power to no longer be hunted down or to no longer live in fear.
On the other side is Zhu Zhuqing, who grew up with him but is destined to be sacrificed in the royal struggle.
In the illusion, he was not the Dai Mubai he was now.
Instead, he was the young crown prince who was blinded by power and whose will was crushed by fear.
He looked into Zhu Zhuqing's clear yet desperate eyes, his lips trembling and his throat bobbing.
At first, he was still roaring and refusing, shouting, "I want to marry Zhu Qing as my empress, and no one can force me!"
But with the powerful minister's repeated threats and inducements!
As the allure of the throne draws ever closer, so does the fear of survival grow ever deeper!
(End of chapter)