Bonus Chapter. Enjoy!
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When he approached within about a thousand meters of the valley center, Huo Yuhao clearly felt the erosion of that aura of Destruction.
It was an extremely strange power, formless and intangible, yet it felt like countless needle-thin points piercing into his skin, muscles, bones, and even his Spiritual Sea from all directions, penetrating everywhere.
However, he did not slow down, continuing to march forward with steady strides. The closer he got to the purple-black pillar of light rising into the sky at the center of the valley, the more intense the impact he felt.
Even with the super-strong physical body that Huo Yuhao had tempered in the Body Sect, he gradually felt the pain increasing bit by bit.
Gu Yue and Na'er, who were behind Huo Yuhao, exchanged a glance, their expressions becoming unprecedentedly grave. However, the change in their emotions was not due to the pain brought about by the power of Destruction.
What made their emotions surge were the memories hidden deep within their minds—the memories belonging to the Dragon God.
Na'er's silver eyes reflected the purple-black pillar of light, her pupils contracting slightly, and stormy waves surged in her heart.
She transmitted her voice to Gu Yue: "It is absolutely correct, this is the very aura. When the Dragon God was besieged and fell all those years ago, one of the Divinities who attacked possessed an aura exactly the same as this."
Gu Yue's heart was also surging with incomplete memories, and she said coldly: "It is the God of Destruction, one of the five God Kings of the God Realm, the supreme existence who controls the authority of Destruction. I did not expect that even such a God King has fallen?"
After confirming the source of this aura of Destruction, Gu Yue immediately spoke up to warn him: "Yuhao, be careful, this aura of Destruction is no small matter."
Huo Yuhao turned his head, looked at Gu Yue, and nodded solemnly.
Na'er, who was on the side, pursed her lips slightly upon seeing this, then curled her lip in some discomfort, but in the end, she said nothing.
When they had advanced to about three hundred meters from the center of the valley, Gu Yue was the first to stop. Her forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, a few strands of her long black hair were dampened by sweat and stuck to her cheeks, and her breathing was a bit more rapid than usual.
With the endurance of her current body, reaching this point was already her limit. She did not push herself, simply standing in place, silently watching Huo Yuhao's back as he continued forward.
Na'er did not stop advancing either; after absorbing the Golden Dragon King Bloodline, her physical body strength was comparable even to a Titled Douluo.
The closer they got to the center of the valley, the more intense the pain brought about by the impact of the power of Destruction became. It was no longer just the pain of skin and flesh, but a comprehensive torture that sank deep into the marrow and permeated the Soul.
Even with the super-strong physical body he had long tempered with the secret methods of the Body Sect, he gradually felt his limits approaching under the crushing weight of this will of Destruction.
Just as Destruction had warned before, this was not only a tempering of the physical body but also a torture of the mental force and Soul. It was like having his body and Soul taken apart bit by bit, only to be reassembled again.
Every cycle was a heart-wrenching torture; such pain was indeed not something an ordinary person could endure.
Electrolux's grave voice rang out in Huo Yuhao's mind at the right moment: "Yuhao, the Divine Power comes from that fragment of Destruction."
"That should be something from the God Realm; perhaps it holds a significant Opportunity."
"But in the face of this pure Divine Power of Destruction, my power will also be completely suppressed. If I were to rashly intervene to help you, it might instead attract a backlash of Divine Power."
"Therefore, you must rely on yourself for the rest of the way; I cannot help you."
Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth tightly: "Teacher, rest assured, I will do my best."
He never forgot his goal; he wanted to become a God!
History only recorded that the Spirit Ice Douluo and the Dragon Butterfly Douluo both became Gods, but it did not describe in detail exactly how he took that final step.
Now that an Opportunity to come into contact with a Divine Rank Opportunity was right before his eyes, how could he give up?
However, even if his will was as firm as iron, there were ultimately limits to the endurance of his body and his mental force.
When Huo Yuhao forced himself to walk to a position about one hundred meters from that purple-black pillar of light, he stopped; he knew this was his current limit.
Finally, he took a deep look at the purple-black pillar of light that was within reach yet still unreachable, gritted his teeth, and retreated step by step.
When he retreated to three hundred meters, Gu Yue came up to meet him, supporting his slightly trembling arm.
Huo Yuhao shook his head, signaling that he was fine, then looked back at the silent black pillar of light, his eyes showing not a shred of discouragement, only a determination to become braver with every setback.
He still had time; this was only the first attempt.
In the days that followed, he could continue to challenge it; if ten times didn't work, then a hundred times, and if a hundred times didn't work, then a thousand times.
One day, he would walk to the very bottom of that pillar of light and see what kind of Opportunity lay within.
...
The aura of life in the valley of Devil Island was extremely rich; even without eating or drinking, the Origin Qi permeating the air was enough to maintain the normal functioning of his bodily functions.
Therefore, although Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, and Xu Xiaoyan had been immersed in the dreamscape woven by the Nightmare Old Demon, their body's vital signs remained stable as usual, looking just like ordinary people who had fallen into a deep sleep.
The core of the Nightmare Old Demon's trial was to temper the mind.
In the dream, the flow of time was different from the outside World; pain could be stretched to near eternity, fear could be magnified to the point of collapse, and the trial-taker had to face the Nightmares dug out from the deepest part of their heart alone.
However, with Huo Yuhao's previous reminder, the Nightmare's methods were ultimately restrained compared to before; at least those "low-class" Moves that crossed personal bottom lines and trampled on dignity did not appear again.
The test was still Hell difficulty, but at least there were no disgusting things in Hell.
And for these past few days, Huo Yuhao went to the center of the valley like clockwork almost every day, each time walking to his limit before retreating.
Then he would sit cross-legged to recover, and after his body and mental state returned to their Peak, he would set off again.
With each impact after another, that purple-black pillar of light rising into the sky got closer and closer to him.
From the initial one hundred meters, to eighty meters, then to fifty meters...
The distance of each advance might only be a mere few meters, but what those few meters represented was his physical body and mental force, under the repeated tempering of the power of Destruction, continuously breaking through their limits at a speed that even he himself found surprising.
In the most recent attempts, he had steadily pushed forward to a position only thirty meters from the pillar of light.
Huo Yuhao believed that it wouldn't be long before he would be able to truly walk to the side of that fragment of Destruction.
On the thirteenth day of the military training, Tang Wulin finally woke up.
Ever since the Golden Dragon King Bloodline Power had gradually transferred to Na'er, Tang Wulin seemed to have unlocked some kind of invisible Seal.
His talent was no longer suppressed by that overly domineering Bloodline; not only did he awaken twin spirits, but his Cultivation speed also improved by several levels with unstoppable momentum.
Therefore, among the six people participating in this Devil Island trial, Tang Wulin's current talent and strength were second only to Huo Yuhao, Gu Yue, and Na'er, firmly ranking at the forefront of the second tier, far ahead of Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan.
He slowly sat up from the grass, his eyes still retaining a bit of the confusion and trance from having just broken free from the long dream.
During these days, he had experienced the tragic death of his parents, the betrayal of his companions, and countless abysses of despair, yet he had crawled out of the abyss forcefully time and time again.
Now that he was back in the real World, looking at the sky above covered by the purple-black light, for a moment, he couldn't even tell if this was reality or another new layer of a dream.
The Nightmare Old Demon's figure appeared silently beside him and said: "Kid, now that you're awake, take a rest first."
Upon hearing this, Tang Wulin instantly understood everything that had just happened. Those scenes that had made him wish for death were all the Nightmare Old Demon's trial.
His gaze subconsciously swept around, and the first thing he saw were Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan still lying quietly on the grass; both had their eyes tightly closed, the expressions on their faces alternating between pain and struggle, evidently still trapped in their respective dreams and not yet awake.
Then he continued to scan the entire valley, but he could not see the figures of Huo Yuhao, Gu Yue, and Na'er anywhere.
He frowned fiercely, turned to look at the Nightmare Old Demon, and asked in a deep voice: "Where are the others?"
The Nightmare Old Demon raised his hand to pick his ear, then casually pointed to the purple-black pillar of light rising into the sky in the distance, saying in a nonchalant tone: "They're over there; the three of them are fine, and they all woke up earlier than you."
Having experienced that long, agonizing dream, he instinctively held twelve points of doubt toward the Nightmare Old Demon's words.
How much of his words could be believed, Tang Wulin truly had no idea.
He did not immediately rush toward the direction of the pillar of light, but closed his eyes again and began to adjust his breath.
At this moment, the Spirit Power in his body was less than half, and his mental state was exhausted to the extreme; if he were to rashly rush over, in case there was any real change, not only would he be unable to help, but he would instead become a burden.
First recover his state, then go to find Huo Yuhao and the others to regroup; this was the most secure approach.
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
2 Reviews = 1 Extra Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.