Chapter 66 77. The Golden Dragon Fruit Drifts Away from Yu Xiao Gang
Liu Erlong shouted angrily into the mist, "You bastard! Xiao Gang, don't agree to it! I don't need you to prove yourself that way! If soul power must be taken, then let them take mine! So what if I stop being a soul master!"
"Erlong, you…" Yu Xiao Gang's face twisted into a show of false emotion.
She'll choose sacrifice for me, and then they'll drain her soul power instead—that should get me through safely, he thought smugly.
But the voice of the trial pressed coldly, "You must make your own choice."
Damn it! Yu Xiao Gang cursed inwardly. Did he really have to say the words himself? Losing his twenty‑nine levels was not an option. He needed a way to keep his strength yet still appear sincere.
Feigning devotion, he turned to Liu Erlong. "Erlong, have you truly made up your mind?"
Looking at him, her heart stung. She understood what he meant but couldn't refuse him. With determination, she cried, "Then stop forcing him! If you must take soul power, take mine!"
"You see?" Yu Xiao Gang proclaimed solemnly. "That is my beloved's decision. As her lover, I shall support everything she chooses. That proves my love."
The trial's tone hardened. "Final question. Will you, or will you not, take her place? Answer clearly."
Cornered, Yu Xiao Gang bowed his head and whispered, "I'm not willing."
Then he looked back up quickly, attempting to bluff. "If I could, I would—but I love her. This is her choice, and I honor it as her partner should!"
The trial ignored him. At the instant he said the words not willing, divine power descended.
Liu Erlong's aura plummeted. One by one, her three spirit rings shattered. The once proud Spirit King crashed down to a weak level‑2 Spirit Scholar. Her red dragon shrank into a limp crimson serpent and vanished back into her body. She fell to the platform pale and barely breathing.
Yu Xiao Gang looked on and silently thanked his own decision. Erlong, don't blame me. You still have talent—you can train again. But if I lost my power, I'd be nothing but a cripple!
When the round ended, the fog dispersed and the three could see each other again.
Flander, armless. Liu Erlong, collapsed. And Yu Xiao Gang—perfectly unharmed, standing upright.
"Erlong! What happened to her?!" Flander shouted, trying to run to her, only to be blocked by an invisible wall. "Xiao Gang! Tell me what's going on!"
Yu Xiao Gang turned his gaze aside. "I… I don't know."
The divine voice resounded overhead. "Now announcing results of the first trial."
Beneath Flander, the Yin‑Yang sigil glimmered emerald. His wound sealed, blood vanished, and his severed arm reattached as though it had never been lost.
He flexed his fingers in shock.
"You have no lover," said the voice, "but you harbor true affection. Though she does not love you, your willingness to sacrifice for her was sincere. You have passed the first trial."
"Next, Liu Erlong."
The fiery platform beneath her glowed red. Her breath quickened as lost strength flooded back—her first ring reformed, her power climbing swiftly past level 10, 20, until it stabilized once more at level 51.
The god's creation displayed omnipotence—one thought stripped power and rings away; another restored them in full.
"You love truly and were willing to sacrifice everything for your beloved. You too have passed the first trial."
Liu Erlong rose shakily, her gaze complex as it lingered on Yu Xiao Gang. She said nothing.
Yu Xiao Gang stared back, a pang of regret flickering through his heart—but only because he now realized the power would have been restored regardless. If he had chosen to sacrifice, it would've looked noble and strengthened his claim to the Golden Dragon Fruit.
"Lastly, Yu Xiao Gang."
A sickly yellow light enveloped him, reeking with the hue of Luo Sanpao's foul aura.
He swallowed hard. I truly love her. They should sense that, right? So I pass… right?
"You have deceived this realm," declared the voice coldly. "In your heart, there is no love for Liu Erlong. You sought only to lie to yourself to gain the reward. Thus, you have failed the first trial. For this deceit, the Eternal Abyss of Love shall impose punishment."
Before he could react, the Golden Dragon Fruit—the treasure he had coveted so deeply—vanished, soaring into the mists, out of his reach forever.
"No! You're wrong! She's the only woman I've ever truly loved! Heaven and earth can bear witness!" he shouted desperately.
But before he could finish, the Yin‑Yang sigil beneath his feet split open. A gaping dark void yawned below, and Yu Xiao Gang plunged into its depths.
Liu Erlong's legs gave out; she sank to her knees, face pale as chalk. The words echoed mercilessly in her head.
He doesn't love me?
(END CHAPTER)
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