Sun Moon Imperial Family.
Crown Prince's Residence.
Xu Tianran had been toiling for three years.
For these three years, he had been working overloaded, taking over the various political powers of the Sun Moon Empire,consolidating connections and relationships, and gaining control over the official forces of each city.
Even though he had acted very low-key, avoided conflicts with others, and made concessions in other aspects, even giving the Blacksmith Association free rein to develop, he still hadn't completely gained control of the Sun Moon Empire.
It was just too difficult.
Without the help of the Holy Spirit Cult, wanting to control the entire Sun Moon Empire was no less demanding than throwing himself wholeheartedly into a closely matched war with numerous external factors interfering.
Most of these external factors were unfavorable to him, especially the Holy Spirit Cult's retaliation.
Having grown accustomed to the Holy Spirit Cult handling his dirty work, suddenly parting ways with them left Xu Tianran feeling quite powerless.
He discovered that the forces he previously controlled had been infiltrated too deeply by the Holy Spirit Cult.
If it weren't for Su Ming's Mirror of Revealing Evil appearing, he truly wouldn't dare to reuse the trusted aides he had cultivated before. Without that group of confidants, controlling the empire would leave him with no strength to wield, causing endless delays.
Thankfully, everything was developing in a direction favorable to him.
Whether it was Mingde Hall or the Blacksmith Association, they were both developing rapidly without encroaching on imperial power. Moreover, they made the current continent's situation much more friendly and provided Xu Tianran with an excellent platform.
The Star Luo Empire was developing, and the Sun Moon Empire was undergoing a power transition.
Neither side interfered with the other.
Once this stage ended, it would then depend on how much the Star Luo Empire could develop during this time.
Would they go from holding out for one month against the Sun Moon army to holding out for two months, or even extend it to half a year?
After fusing the Ice Jade Scorpion Spirit Bone, Su Ming received news of Huo Yuhao's disappearance.
"This kid is so capable of stirring up trouble?"
Su Ming knew that the more trouble he stirred, the more it indicated Huo Yuhao's destiny was active and his opportunities were approaching.
"Western Mountains, secret realm."
Su Ming frowned.
Looking at the recorded Western Mountains secret realm and the description of the gold and silver twin-colored lakes, he immediately had a guess.
"Valley of Dog Training?"
"No, it's the Valley of Questioning Love and Affection?"
Wasn't this for questioning love?
From what Su Ming knew, Huo Yuhao hadn't yet come clean with Wang Dong, hadn't clarified his feelings, and hadn't encountered the Beast of Fortune carrying part of Tang Wutong's soul.
So why was he going to the Valley of Questioning Love and Affection?
Heaven and Earth inverted.
After a dizzying spin, Huo Yuhao arrived in a mysterious space.
A voice, indistinguishable by gender, echoed throughout the space.
"Questioning Love and Affection of Heaven and Earth, begins."
"Do you have a lover?"
"No."
Huo Yuhao was completely baffled.
He analyzed the meaning of 'Questioning Love and Affection' and roughly guessed that the trial here was related to love. But he was still an innocent young man; where would he understand things like love and affection?
But, if he answered that he had no lover, could he pass the trial?
After instinctively saying 'no', he felt some regret.
He should have tried to deceive the trial examiner here.
However, as soon as he began to feel annoyed, the voice without emotional fluctuation actually revealed a hint of praise and uttered a sentence that made his hair stand on end.
"Very honest. I like examinees like you. If you had dared to lie to me just now, you would already be dead."
Lying meant death?
Huo Yuhao felt fortunate that he had been asked into a daze earlier and had relied on instinct to answer.
"Since you have no lover, then go find your lover."
"Young man, your romantic fate is like a candle flame in the darkness, so bright and clear. I have high hopes for you."
"Go, your romantic fate lies ahead."
At Huo Yuhao's feet, a straight path extended, leading to an unknown destination.
God Realm.
Oscar looked strangely at Tang San.
"Xiao San, are you in such a hurry to give Xiao Qi away?"
"If Boss Dai found out, he'd probably be overjoyed."
This was a descendant of Dai Mubai from who knows how many generations later. If he ended up with Tang San's daughter...
The corner of Tang San's mouth twitched.
He didn't respond to that topic.
Ignore it, let's just agree to disagree.
"No choice, I don't want to do this either, but Destruction is watching me closely now. This is the only relatively legitimate card I have left in my hand."
The Valley of Questioning Love and Affection was a treasure trove controlled by the God Realm.
This was the place where the God of Love once fell, leaving behind the Valley of Questioning Love and Affection. It exists in the same dimension as the space where the Godhood inheritance is located, under the jurisdiction of the God Realm.
Many deities in the God Realm are directly connected to this secret realm.
Many paired husband-and-wife deities with connected Godhoods can directly influence this secret realm.
Oscar and Ning Rongrong both possessed this qualification.
"It's good for Xiao Qi and Huo Yuhao to hunt Spirit Rings together, more friction, more chances to develop feelings."
Oscar gave his assessment.
Back in the day, it was through repeatedly expressing his feelings during Spirit hunts that he gradually won Ning Rongrong over.
Tang San remained silent.
This time, teleporting Huo Yuhao away wasn't just for him to hunt Spirit Rings with Wang Dong.
Sun Moon Imperial Capital.
"Elder Yi, is there a way to create a secret realm oneself?"
"Create a secret realm oneself?"
Electrolux was puzzled why Su Ming would have such an idea.
Su Ming didn't explain.
Inspired by the Valley of Questioning Love and Affection, he felt that his Douluo 1 self could also create a secret realm.
Of course, not something like a God of Love trial, but purely for spreading faith.
"I haven't even obtained the authority of God of Spirit Tools yet. Also, the development during the Douluo 1 era is really backward; among my three bodies, the one collecting the least faith is the Douluo 1 body."
Obtaining authority all started from Douluo 1, but the Spirit Master world of the primitive era provided too little faith.
Moreover, he also lacked a reason to go to the Sun Moon Continent.
"An independent space?"
"It doesn't need to be an independent space, just having a barrier separating it from the outside world is enough."
During the Douluo 1 era, ruins were still occasionally unearthed on the continent.
Su Ming planned to forge a ruin, place many Spirit Tools inside, start gradually popularizing simple Spirit Guidance Formations, and guide the Spirit Master world of the Douluo Continent to search for the new continent.
If done well, he might even obtain the authority of a God of Exploration.
This kind of conceptual faith generates a fixed amount of belief, like a daily welfare.
"Creating a secret realm is very troublesome. If you're in urgent need, I can hand the Necromancy Demiplane over to you."
Su Ming refused.
The Necromancy Demiplane couldn't be taken to Douluo 1.
During the Douluo 1 era, the Necromancy Demiplane didn't even exist. Where would he summon it—
Eh!
Wait.
Did the Necromancy Demiplane exist during the Douluo 1 era?
Su Ming began to think deeply.
The Douluo 2 era corresponds to the time after Long Haochen's era, so what period in the Saint Demon Continent does the Douluo 1 era correspond to?
At that point in time, did Electrolux exist in the Saint Demon Continent?
Had Electrolux created the Necromancy Demiplane yet?
This was a question worth pondering.
If the Necromancy Demiplane had been created, then if he summoned the Gate of the Dead in the Douluo 1 era and entered the Necromancy Demiplane, would he encounter the Electrolux who controlled the demiplane from the other side ahead of time?
"Elder Yi, how about you teach me the summoning method for the Gate of the Dead first?"
Electrolux looked at Su Ming, who first refused and then asked for the method, and couldn't help but laugh.
***
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(Chapter End)