Chapter 243: Shadow Realm
Chapter 243: Shadow Realm
The accusation in Xiang Ling’s tone had Xin Cheng turning his full attention toward her. Walking closer, he whispered, "I have no idea why there is a heavy presence of demonic energy in this forest. Don’t look at me as if I’m the one behind all this. You know me better than that."
"Do I?" Xiang Ling asked. "Know you at all?" Despite the warning in Xin Cheng’s tone, nothing changed in the way she was glaring at him with question filled eyes.
The man took in a deep breath before he grabbed her hand and turned toward the others. "We are going to take a look around. We will be back soon." He didn’t wait to hear anyone’s response and walked away with Xiang Ling.
Thankfully, the woman followed him without any protest. The two of them made their way as far away from the others as possible and Xin Cheng immediately cast a spell to block anyone from prying on their conversation. Once they were alone, he finally turned to face the woman and asked, "Don’t you trust me at all?" There was an edge in his voice as he asked the question.
Xiang Ling didn’t answer immediately, and instead, pulled her hand out of his hold and took a step back to put some distance between them. However, the man followed her immediately, closing the gap once again. As she looked up into his dark crimson eyes, she was surprised to find the look of fear in them. It was almost like he was terrified by the idea of her having no trust in him.
It was moment like these when she couldn’t help but yearn for a better future with him. The way he sometimes completely failed to hide his true feelings for her was like a punishment for her in a way. No matter how much she wanted to give in and threw her arms around his broad shoulders to hug him, she couldn’t do that. She had given him her words to never make him choose again, and she was going to keep her promise even if it killed her from the inside.
"I do trust you." She finally answered after getting a grip on her feelings. "The only thing I can believe in blindly is that you aren’t the one behind all these demonic mess that is currently going on in the Mortal Realm. You are not someone who will do things in the dark. However..."
She stopped speaking for a moment to take a deep breath before she continued, "... I also know for sure that you are aware about way more than you are showing. Even if you are not behind all these demonic activities in the Mortal Realm, you know the identity of the real culprit. Your presence in the Mortal Realm isn’t really a coincidence, nor the fact that you are married to Chen Xiang Ling out of all the mortal women out there."
Xiang Ling once again stopped to collect her thoughts before finally voicing out the words that she had been wondering about for a while. "You and Ah Ming have been protecting the Night Immortal and the Heavenly Crown Prince here in the Mortal Realm. Care to tell why?"
Xin Cheng took in a deep breath at her words, but didn’t answer immediately. Xiang Ling also didn’t rush him and waited patiently. Finally, after certain long moments had passed, he spoke, "Why do you think that we have been protecting those two? Don’t you think this idea is a little absurd?"
Xiang Ling smirked at his attempt of denial. Squaring her hands over her chest, she looked him straight into the eyes, and responded, "I’m not blind, Ah Xing. I have noticed how you both always made sure that Ah Guang and Ah Xian were safe and sound. There’s no denying the fact that you two have been protecting them all this time. I can’t help but feel curious as to why you will go out of your way to save them. If not for the fact that you both have been busy with some other secret missions of yours in the Mortal Realm, I was even tempted to believe that you two came to the Mortal Realm just to keep those two safe."
A barely visible smile lifted the corners of Xin Cheng’s lips as he listened to her words and her confidence in her theory. "Why did you never asked these questions from Dao Ming?" He suddenly asked.
"Because we both know that he will never tell me anything. His loyalty to you is stronger than his love for me." Xiang Ling replied and while she wanted to believe otherwise, there was no denying that she was jealous of the loyal bond these two men carried toward each other. It made her feel like an outsider between them, and truth be told, she was indeed an outsider for them.
Xin Cheng nodded his head, agreeing with her words. When he finally spoke, it wasn’t the words Xiang Ling was waiting to hear. "You are someone from the Upper Realms. It’s obvious why we have been keeping things secret from you."
"Try again."
Was all Xiang Ling said as she watched the man closely. Her gaze was fixed on his face, observing every little detail about him.
His lips curved further into a smile and he cleared his throat. Turning his attention to fully look at her, he spoke, "You must know about the Shadow Realm."
Xiang Ling wasn’t expecting him to suddenly mention the forbidden Realm. The mention of the place immediately picked her interest. Nodding her head, she replied, "It was the seventh Realm. As well as the most powerful and corrupted Realm among the lower realms. During the last war between realms a seventy thousand years ago, it perished along with the God Realm."
Xin Cheng nodded his head before continuing, "When the Gods destroyed the Shadow Realm, they failed to kill its ruler. So, they did what they could to protect the rest of the realms. They sealed the soul of the Shadow Lord."