Douluo Unrivaled: The Beginning Materializes the Black Abyss and White Flowers

Chapter 379 The Star Chaser is Acquired

Vita deliberately made these ambiguous and intimate gestures to provoke Liu Ying and the other two, to see where their bottom line was, and to see how Lu Jingming would deal with this small storm caused by her.

For her, this was an extremely interesting improvisational performance, and Lu Jingming and the three jealous women were all excellent characters in her script.

Lu Jingming felt the warm breath beside his ear and the soft touch that was almost touching his body. He then looked at the three girls who were about to explode and couldn't help but show a helpless bitter smile.

This Vita is truly a troublemaker and a source of amusement; she can't stand not causing trouble for even a second.

He gently raised his hand, not pushing Vita away, but using a subtle force to deflect her almost solid body, while simultaneously taking a half-step back to slightly increase the dangerous distance, his tone carrying a hint of warning:
“Miss Vita, your performance was excellent. However, before discussing any exciting adventures, let’s complete that serious transaction first. After all, the sovereignty of the Starduer is still in your hands.”

He skillfully steered the conversation back to the main topic, both calming down the three who were about to go berserk and giving Vita a way out, so that this troublemaker wouldn't get a beating later.

Seeing this, Vita knew to stop before she went too far.

She chuckled, gracefully took a step back, and resumed her mysterious demeanor, as if she weren't the one who had just taken the initiative to approach her.

"Okay, okay, let's get down to business."

She blinked. "But remember, buddy, I'm really looking forward to even more exciting adventures!"

These words made Gu Yuena, Liu Ying, and Xia Die freeze, with Gu Yuena glaring fiercely at Lu Jingming.

Vita's eyes gleamed with a sly and delighted light, like a child who had finally received their beloved toy.

She knew perfectly well that she wasn't losing out in this deal. She traded a conceptual creation that was destined to disappear with her departure for a ticket to a parallel world, temporary freedom, and... this hilarious and chaotic scene that had arisen because of her.

This is practically a buy-one-get-three-free fun package!

"So, it's your choice. You can refuse; I won't force you."

Lu Jingming said meaningfully that he would not force Vita to hand over the Star Deliverer, but if Vita died, wouldn't the Star Deliverer be ownerless and therefore not considered robbery?
"Alright, alright, what can I do when you're so sincere?"

Vita shrugged helplessly, but her face was full of a triumphant smile.

She extended her slender finger, drawing a complex mark in the air. A glimmer of light flew from her fingertip and disappeared into the core of the standing green mecha, the Star Destroyer.

Instantly, Lu Jingming clearly felt that a master-servant relationship had been established between him and the Star Deliverer. Although the foundation of its existence still needed to be reinforced by him with his authority, the right to use it had been completely transferred.

Here, your new toy.

Vita patted the cold armor of the Star Destroyer, her tone light.

"Now, it's your turn to keep your promise, buddy. When shall we set sail for the parallel world?"

Lu Jingming felt the connection with the Stardust and nodded in satisfaction: "We can do it now."

He turned to Remien, Istaru, and Durandal and said, "Sister An, I'll leave the follow-up work here, as well as the work in Sea Abyss City, to you for now."

Originally, he wanted Liu Ying and Xia Die to return to Haiyuan City with Lei Muan to rest.

However, before he could finish speaking, two pairs of expectant eyes were fixed on him.

Although Liu Ying remained silent, her eyes, which always held a hint of mystery, were now filled with determination. She took a small step forward and stood beside Lu Jingming, demonstrating her stance through her actions.

Xia Die gently tugged at Lu Jingming's sleeve, her face still bearing a gentle smile, but her tone was firm.

“Ah Ming, I want to go too. The more people there are, the more we can help each other. Besides... Miss Vita seems to really need someone to keep an eye on her.”

She glanced meaningfully at Vita, who was watching them with great interest.

Although Gu Yuena didn't speak, she snorted coldly, crossed her arms, and her stance was self-evident—she was definitely going to go with them.

Jingliu stood expressionless to the side, as if everything was none of her business, but her very existence represented her choice.

Looking into Liu Ying and Xia Die's eyes, which held a mixture of worry, jealousy, and unwavering resolve, Lu Jingming's heart softened.

He understood the two women's thoughts, of course. Rather than worrying about danger, they were afraid that Vita, that vixen, would continue to cause trouble in the parallel world and bewitch Lu Jingming.

Faced with their rare, somewhat coquettish and stubborn expectations, he found himself unable to harden his heart and refuse.

"……All right."

Lu Jingming sighed helplessly, but a subtle smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Then you can all come together."

"yeah!"

The firefly gave a happy, quiet cheer.

Although Xia Die still had no expression, her eyes brightened noticeably, and her tense body relaxed.

This scene naturally fell into the eyes of several bystanders.

Remian couldn't help but chuckle, nudging Durandal beside her with her elbow and whispering.

"See? I told you Ah Ming is easily swayed, especially when it comes to pretty girls. There's no way to stop him."

Her face was full of a mischievous smile, clearly showing the mentality of a gossipy older sister who thought, "My little brother has grown up and is really popular."

Yulandel looked puzzled. She glanced at Lu Jingming, then at the women with their obviously different attitudes, frowned, and whispered to Remyanne with great confusion.

"Isn't this supposed to be a parallel world? Why does the atmosphere... feel so strange? Shouldn't personnel arrangements be based on maximizing combat efficiency?"

She clearly didn't understand the complex emotional game involved at all.

Istaru remained as listless as ever, seemingly uninterested in anything. She even yawned slightly, as if the jealous saga before her was less interesting than the shapes of the clouds in the sky.

Only when her gaze occasionally swept over Lu Jingming would a faint, elusive glimmer flash in the depths of her eyes, but it would quickly return to silence.

Raiden Mei also said that she had seen this many times and was not surprised by this situation. As for Wang Qiu'er, she had just merged with Tang Wutong and become complete, so she was not very interested in the outside world at the moment.

Jingliu, as Lu Jingming's teacher, stood quietly to the side, holding his sword, his cold face revealing no emotion.

But her eyes, as deep as a cold pool, took in every subtle interaction on the field.

When she saw Lu Jingming finally compromise and agree to bring Liuying and Xiadie along, she shook her head almost imperceptibly, and the corners of her lips seemed to curve into a very faint, shallow arc, carrying a hint of helplessness yet also a sense of knowing what was going on.

She knew her apprentice's temperament all too well; sometimes she was hard-hearted, but other times she was soft-hearted. At this moment, she was more like a calm observer, watching the emotional entanglements of the young people without saying a word, yet with perfect insight.

Vita took it all in, and her smile grew even brighter.

She deliberately leaned closer to Lu Jingming and said in a sickeningly sweet voice, "Oh my, your harem is really huge~ It seems this trip to the parallel world is destined to be anything but boring~"

These words undoubtedly drew several cold stares.

Lu Jingming rolled his eyes at Vita, too annoyed to bother with this troublemaker anymore.

Lu Jingming composed himself and nodded to Remy and the others who remained behind, saying, "Then, I'll leave things here to you."

After saying that, he turned around first, and together with Gu Yuena, Liu Ying, Xia Die, Jing Liu, and Vita, who had different expressions and looked like they were going on a spring outing, they stepped into the gradually stabilizing spacetime passage.

Remien smiled and waved goodbye, her eyes showing a mix of sisterly concern for her brother's departure and amusement at the prospect of a good show.

Yulandel remained serious, his brow slightly furrowed, seemingly still pondering the personnel allocation issue.

Istaru remained indifferent as always, as if everything happening before her eyes had nothing to do with her. Her eyes were vacant, and she was lost in thought once again.

As for Raiden Mei, she had no objection to Lu Jingming not taking her along, and even breathed a sigh of relief.

Her mind was no longer on this.

At this moment, she was staring down at a photo she had just received on her Soul Guidance Phone—a photo that Lu Jingming had just sent her.

In the photo, a woman stands in the misty rain, holding a red paper umbrella. Her face is about 80% similar to hers, but her temperament is completely different. It is a deeper loneliness and coldness, as if carrying thousands of lost memories.

"Lightning - Forgotten River Guardian - Mei..."

Raiden Mei repeated the name softly, her fingertips lightly brushing across the image on the screen.

She was no stranger to the existence of counterparts, whether it was the theory of the world bubble or the existence of someone similar to her in the previous civilization, both of which gave her some understanding of it.

Even so, seeing another version of herself that was so similar yet fundamentally different gave her a strange and indescribable feeling.

All she wanted now was to return to Haiyuan City as soon as possible to see the self who called himself Huang Quan.

……

The feeling inside the time tunnel is bizarre and fantastical, with colors and shapes twisted, broken, and reassembled in ways that defy common sense, as if traveling between a kaleidoscope and a broken mirror.

But for Lu Jingming, who had once stepped into a parallel world through the Thousand Realms Journey, this familiar feeling of weightlessness and distortion brought a strange sense of peace.

Although the previous passage opened by the Thousand Realms One Vehicle was more stable, its essence of crossing dimensions is the same.

A faint light, originating from the Black Tower's use of the power of the Thousand Realms One Vehicle, acted as a protective shield, steadily protecting Gu Yuena, Liu Ying, Xia Die, Jing Liu, and Vita, who was excitedly looking around with a face full of novelty, effectively offsetting the chaotic impact brought by the spacetime turbulence.

After an unknown amount of time—perhaps a moment, perhaps eternity—a steady glimmer of light finally appeared in the chaotic darkness ahead, which then rapidly expanded and engulfed everyone.

A solid sensation came from beneath my feet, and the surrounding light became soft and steady.

A primal, abundant, and fresh scent of earth and grass wafts towards you.

They appeared at the edge of a vast primeval forest, where towering ancient trees rose from the ground, their canopies blocking out the sun like canopies. In the distance were rolling, verdant mountains, and the sound of rushing rivers could be faintly heard.

The sky was a clear, deep blue, and the bright sunlight filtered through the layers of leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

The energy concentration here is extremely high and highly active, yet it possesses a wild and untamed spirit that has not been subdued by civilization.

"This is... the Star Dou Great Forest?"

Gu Yuena took a deep breath. As the Silver Dragon King, she was most sensitive to life force and elemental energy.

The atmosphere of this forest felt familiar to her; its rich life essence was exactly the same as that of the core area of ​​the Star Dou Great Forest. However, upon closer inspection, she also felt a sense of unfamiliarity, as many things were different from what she remembered.

Lu Jingming quickly scanned his surroundings, his mental energy spreading out like invisible ripples, but he did not find any recent traces of humans or abnormal energy.

Clearly, the large group of people, including Shrek Academy members and Huo Yuhao, who were sucked into the spacetime tunnel earlier, did not land at the same location as them. They were probably randomly scattered to different areas of this world.

"This is indeed the Star Dou Great Forest."

Lu Jingming walked to Gu Yuena's side, affirmed her judgment, and explained.

"However, the Starry Sky Forest in this parallel world may be quite different from the Starry Sky Forest you are familiar with."

He knew very well that even in parallel worlds, there could be huge differences in the smallest details.

For example, the core of the Star Dou Great Forest in this world—the Lake of Life—is not currently occupied by Di Tian and his group of ferocious beasts, but only by two 100,000-year-old soul beasts, the Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape.

The so-called Ten Ferocious Beasts and Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena may not even exist in the historical trajectory of this world.

"There are countless parallel worlds, like different branches on a tree. They may have similar origins, but their growth directions may be completely different."

Lu Jingming said slowly.

"Even if familiar people or things appear, their nature, experiences, and even fates may be completely different."

Gu Yuena remained silent for a moment, then gently brushed aside a strand of silver hair that had fallen beside her ear.

She had sensed the two powerful auras of 100,000-year-old soul beasts in the direction of the Lake of Life, but she did not sense any ferocious beasts or any trace of her other self.

This made her feel both unfamiliar and inexplicably relieved.

Otherwise, she really doesn't know how to face her counterpart—should she see her as an anomaly that must be eliminated, or try to coexist? It's an unsolvable problem.

Lu Jingming could not fully empathize with Gu Yuena's inner turmoil.

In his view, if there really is another version of himself, there is only one answer—it's a fight to the death.

His existence must be unique, and no copy or reproduction of any kind is permitted.

However, he had a vague feeling that the possibility of a variable like him having an equivalent in different parallel worlds was extremely slim.

(End of this chapter)