God Realm Committee, God King Hall.
Tang San sat upon his throne, his posture composed, his right hand slightly raised. In his palm hovered a shifting mass of multicolored light—an exact projection of everything unfolding inside the Qiankun Love Probing Valley.
His gaze settled on the cold-faced youth standing at the center of the scene, and confidence flickered in his eyes, as though everything remained firmly within his grasp.
Not long ago, he had used this same system of rules to crush Huo Yuhao's will, forcing the so-called Child of Destiny to submit when confronted with the cruel choice between love and agony.
To Tang San, the Qiankun Love Probing Valley was far more than a mere trial ground. It was a mold—an instrument designed to correct deviations in fate itself.
"Liu Yuan," Tang San murmured softly, "no matter what Laws from another world you possess, as long as you stand upon the soil of this continent, you must accept the judgment of the God Realm."
His fingertips traced the patterns engraved along the Sea God's Trident, a faint smile forming at the corner of his lips.
"I look forward to watching you crumble under endless choices. Once you are completely tamed, the power you wield will become mine to command."
—
Within the Qiankun Love Probing Valley, at the center of the circular altar.
After the initial shock faded, Zhongli Wu quickly realized that although the pressure here was terrifying, it had not yet unleashed any direct destructive force.
The ghostly green flames in his eye sockets flickered violently as sinister thoughts surged through his mind.
He convinced himself that this was merely some ancient illusion formation left behind by a long-dead Soul Engineer. If he could destroy the core of the formation, escape would be possible.
"I don't care whether you're a god or a ghost," Zhongli Wu snarled, his expression twisting into a grotesque grin. "You think you can trap this Cult Leader? Die!"
He slammed the Death God Bone Staff heavily against the altar floor.
Countless pitch-black vengeful spirits screamed as they poured forth, merging into a colossal skull that surged toward the void above the altar.
But before those spirits could even brush against the floating colored bubbles, a bolt of golden lightning descended from the sky.
Its speed surpassed the limits of a Titled Douluo's perception. Space itself failed to ripple before the lightning struck straight down onto Zhongli Wu's head.
Boom!
A dull explosion echoed through the valley. Zhongli Wu let out a miserable scream as his body was smashed violently into the altar. The evil energy surrounding him evaporated instantly, like snow beneath a blazing sun. Cracks spread across the Death God Bone Staff, its once-dark luster rapidly dimming.
"There shall be no clamor before judgment."
Tang San's cold, emotionless voice reverberated throughout the valley.
Zhongli Wu lay twitching on the marble floor. Horror flooded his eyes as he realized that his Rank 98 spirit power had been completely sealed by an unfathomable force. At this moment, he was weaker than even an ordinary Spirit Scholar.
"This… how can this be? My spirit power…" His voice trembled as despair took hold.
Seeing this, Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen felt their hearts sink. They exchanged a glance, each seeing the shock mirrored in the other's eyes.
As Ninth-Rank Soul Engineers, nothing frightened them more than power that completely ignored logic and struck directly at the level of Laws.
Liu Yuan stood at the edge of the altar, indifferent to Zhongli Wu's misery and unshaken by the overwhelming divine pressure.
His gaze swept across the floating colored bubbles and the surrounding abyss.
He understood all too clearly that Tang San had dragged them here to use the so-called "Trial of Love and Desire" to crush him at the spiritual level.
If they followed these rules, both he and the Snow Empress could be pushed into a point of no return.
"I need to leave immediately," Liu Yuan decided.
He attempted to sense his first Soul Core, only to discover that while his spirit power remained intact, all spatial perception had been completely obscured by the will of the Qiankun Love Probing Valley.
Dynamax energy was immense, but this was a trial ground specifically designed to suppress Divine Sense. Forcibly shattering the rules here could damage the Souls of the Snow Empress and the others.
At that moment, his consciousness brushed against an item deep within his Sea of Consciousness—one he had once dismissed as utterly ordinary, even useless.
[Escape Rope].
Liu Yuan's eyes lit up.
The System's description was simple: Ignore all spatial locks and barriers. Instantly escape from any Instance.
If the Qiankun Love Probing Valley counted as an "Instance," then this item was its natural counter.
Without hesitation, Liu Yuan turned sharply and shouted toward Kong Deming, Jing Hongchen, and Ye Yulin nearby.
"Elder Kong, Grandpa Jing, everyone from the Hall of Worship—get to my side, now! Hurry!"
Though confused, Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen moved without the slightest hesitation, the trust built over countless battles guiding their actions. Their figures flickered as they rushed to Liu Yuan's side.
The Snow Empress transformed into a streak of icy-blue light, positioning herself closely behind him.
"Xiao Yuan," Jing Hongchen asked in a low voice, cold sweat already forming on his palms, "do you really have a way out of this place?"
"Trust me," Liu Yuan replied simply.
—
High above, in the God Realm.
Tang San watched Liu Yuan gather the others and sneered disdainfully.
"What's the point of huddling together? Before the rules of a God King, you are nothing more than turtles trapped in a jar. Trying to force your way through space? A foolish dream. The spatial Laws of the Lower Realm are children's tricks before the Qiankun Love Probing Valley."
He was already prepared to activate the first round of the "Truth" trial, ready to peel away all of Liu Yuan's secrets in front of everyone.
Then, in the next instant, Tang San's expression froze.
Liu Yuan drew out the Escape Rope from his Sea of Consciousness. It glowed faintly white, utterly unremarkable at first glance.
He did not channel spirit power into it, nor did he chant any incantations. At the moment before the golden pressure descended, he simply pulled the rope within the void.
"Go!"
At his command, the rope erupted with a blinding white radiance—pure, absolute, and utterly unlike the golden divine light of the valley.
It carried no divine attribute, only an undeniable logical authority from a higher dimension.
Before everyone's eyes, the space beneath Liu Yuan's feet did not collapse or shatter. Instead, it was as though it had been directly erased.
A circular white hole appeared out of nothing at the center of the altar.
"What?!"
Tang San shot to his feet. The Sea God's Trident hummed violently as his emotions surged.
To his horror, he felt the connection between himself and the Qiankun Love Probing Valley being forcibly and cleanly severed in that very instant.
"This is impossible! What in the world is that thing?!"
He frantically poured divine power into the valley, attempting to close the white hole.
But the Escape Rope's authority took absolute precedence. No matter how much God King-level power he mobilized, the hole continued to expand, utterly unstoppable.
Under everyone's gaze, Liu Yuan led Kong Deming, Jing Hongchen, the Snow Empress, and the others straight into the white opening.
A flash of white light.
In the time it took to draw a single breath, only the heavily suppressed and completely stunned Zhongli Wu remained on the altar, along with an empty half of the battlefield.
And in the God Realm, Tang San stared at the scene before him, his expression finally cracking.
"What… is going on?"