Chapter 300: Never Did, Never Will
Chapter 300: Never Did, Never Will
The night passed and there was still no sign of Xin Cheng and Dao Ming. Zhang Xuan stayed by Xiang Ling’s side throughout the day and by the time night arrived, Wei Guang and Li Xian finally noticed that something was not right with the way their wife was behaving.
That night, Xiang Ling slept snuggled up in Wei Guang and Zhang Xuan’s arms while Li Xian slept beside Wei Guang. All four of them shared the bed and fell asleep quite late at night.
The next morning arrived with dark clouds and a terror that completely took over the Mortal Realm. The news of the attacks was already spreading like wildfire and then the Realm was shaken with the unexpected news of the passing of the Emperor.
"What is going on? Has he really returned?"
"There are rumors that those who attacked the Imperial Palace and the Cultivation Sects were from the Dark Force."
"And who else can command the Dark Force other than the One?"
"That’s impossible! That person is sealed in the Abyssal Lands. How can he suddenly appear in the Mortal Realm?"
"But... what if he isn’t sealed in the Abyssal Lands anymore? What if he has really broken the seal and is back to take revenge?"
Every single person was talking about the attacks, speculating what or who could have been behind them. The dread was slowly seeping into the general public as they all started realizing that the involvement of the Dark Force only meant one possibility - the Shadow Lord had returned.
But Mortal Realm wasn’t the only one that was filled with all sorts of rumors, the rest of the four realms were no different. Whether it was the Heavenly Realm or the Demon Realm, everyone was talking about the sudden return of the Dark Force.
The Dark Force was the army of the evils who followed the Shadow Lord. During the War between the God Realm and the Shadow Realm, the Dark Force was almost exterminated. Though a few escaped and were chased by the Heavenly Army for a while, the latter eventually gave up since the Shadow Lord was already sealed in the Abyssal Lands and the remaining Five Realms were in chaos. Little did they expect for things to turn out like this fifty thousand years later.
The news of Shadow Lord’s escape from the Abyssal Lands, that Xin Cheng and Dao Ming were trying to keep a secret for so long, finally broke out to not only the Heavenly Realm but all five Realms, and the one who did it was none other than the Shadow Lord himself. He was ready for the war.
* * *
Chen Manor-
Inside her bed-chamber, Xiang Ling finished writing the divine letter and folded it neatly. Standing up from the desk, she moved to the center of the room and started casting a spell to send the letter directly to the Heavenly Empress. The spell was almost done when the letter suddenly burst into flames before it disintegrated into nothingness.
Xiang Ling’s shocked gaze immediately shifted toward the man who just appeared inside her room. But before she could have spoken, he was already shouting at her in alarm while walking toward her.
"What do you think you are DOING?"
"I need to confirm the Shadow Lord’s escape in front of the High Council. It’s already out in the open. I’m not going back on the word I gave you. I just-"
"You are going to do no such thing!" Xin Cheng warned and as he approached her with those long and angry strides, Xiang Ling found herself stepping back.
"You aren’t understanding, Ah Cheng. There’s no point in trying to keep this matter a secret anymore. You need to-"
"You will not get involved in this!" Xin Chen ordered as he grabbed one of her hands and pushed her back against the wall before he caged her there with his body. Staring down into her eyes, he stated, "You will not reveal to anyone at all that you knew about this matter. Stay out of it."
As Xiang Ling looked into the Demon Emperor’s dark crimson eyes that were overflowing with emotions, she realized that for the first time, he wasn’t worried about his Realm or his people, but for her. He was worried for her.
This time when he spoke, his voice was way softer than just a moment before. "You know exactly what will happen once they find out that you have known about his escape from the Abyssal Lands all this time and you kept it a secret. You will become a traitor who helped the Demon Realm and the Spirit Beast Kingdom in keeping such a huge matter a secret. You will lose all the trust, power, and respect you have gained by working so hard for the past ten thousand years."
As he spoke, his eyes started glowing from the unshed tears that he was keeping from spilling. The realization of the consequences she was going to bear for her decisions was finally dawning over him and he was hating every second of it.
"But I do deserve to be punished, Ah Cheng. When I decided to choose you and Ah Ming, I already knew that such an outcome was possible. Since I made the choice, I don’t fear the punishment. After all, I am guilty for being disloyal. You don’t have to worry about me. Considering the current situation, you and Ah Ming should start thinking of ways to explain this matter to the High Council. The lives of your people is on the line right now. You shouldn’t be worried about anything else." She reminded him of his priority with a soft smile as she tried to get her hand out of his hold, only for the man to press her against the wall with even more force that took her by surprise.
"Is this your way of seeking revenge? If you want to punish me for not returning your love-"
"I don’t blame you for chosing your people over me, Ah Yuan. I never did, and I never will."