We Were Destined to Meet Again (Part Two)

The assassins hadn't had time to react, but the situation was urgent, leaving no time to think it through.

"Yes!"

"If Long Xingyu finds him, no one can save him!"

"He's a Seal Knight!"

"Mr. Shadow Hero said Long Xingyu was murderous when he learned of Long Xuanye's talent!"

"Cai'er, come on!"

"Don't die with Long Xuanye!"

"You need power!"

"Master the true power of the Reincarnation Sacred Sword and complete your trial!"

"Only then will you have a chance..."

The assassins steeled themselves and gritted their teeth.

"A chance to protect Long Xuanye!"

But...

No one knew how long it would take for the Reincarnation Saintess to grow strong enough to protect Long Xuanye from a Seal Knight.

By then, Long Xuanye's body might already have rotted away.

But...

They could at least save one person!

Mr. Shadow Hero's conclusion was terrifying. Long Xingyu was going to kill even a Child of Light whose Innate Light Inner Spiritual Power was likely above ninety-five, perhaps even higher!

What difference would it make to kill one more Reincarnation Saintess?

Saint Cai'er fell silent.

After a long while...

She raised her head. At some point, her beautiful gray-white eyes had gone completely vacant.

"I understand."

"I'll go back."

"I'll master the power of the Reincarnation Sacred Sword and protect Xuanye."

A hint of relief appeared on the assassins' faces.

The next moment, their expressions froze.

"As long as I kill Long Xingyu, that's all I need to do, right?"

The two assassins were utterly stunned.

Her murderous aura was almost tangible, chilling them to the bone.

The Death God seemed to be right in front of them, smiling as he removed his hood.

No!

It was the shadow of the real Death God!!

It appeared behind Cai'er.

"Xuanye... wait for me."

"We'll... see each other again soon."

The gray-white haze that had once swirled in Saint Cai'er's eyes vanished completely. They were clear and deep now.

The progress of her Reincarnation Trial had clearly...

Surged forward by a great deal!

For some reason, the two assassins fell silent.

They almost wanted to cry, especially when they saw that little girl—their Saintess—sobbing so uncontrollably.

Elsewhere in the forest.

Long Xuanye leaned against the trunk of a sturdy old tree.

He gazed toward the Thatched Hut in the distance.

The night breeze swept by, and a figure soundlessly landed in front of him.

It was the White-robed figure—or rather, Xia Yingyihao, Cai'er's longtime protector.

The White-robed figure looked at Long Xuanye, his voice tinged with conflicted emotion.

"You..."

Long Xuanye shook his head, cutting him off.

"I'll leave Cai'er."

The White-robed figure visibly paused, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

"You know?"

"Yeah."

Long Xuanye kept looking into the distance and said calmly,

"But I didn't think he'd be so ruthless."

The White-robed figure couldn't help asking,

"Why? Why would he do this?"

Long Xuanye looked back at them, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"I don't know."

"But it has nothing to do with me."

How was he supposed to explain?

That his dad had a cuckold fetish and firmly believed his father-in-law had cuckolded him, so he was going to use his "kill-my-son-with-no-regrets" fist?

What a load of crap.

Besides, there was no point in telling them.

The people of the Assassin's Sanctuary believed him.

Would Long Xingyu?

The White-robed figure was silent for a moment, then spoke.

"Come with me."

"The Assassin's Sanctuary knows what kind of person you are, and we know your talent."

"We'll find you a completely secret place and spare no resources in cultivating you."

"Once Cai'er's trial is over, the two of you can meet occasionally."

He paused, then added,

"But from now on, you must conceal your identity."

"Long Xuanye must 'disappear' from the world."

As soon as the White-robed figure finished speaking...

A translucent screen, visible only to Long Xuanye, abruptly lit up before his eyes.

[The God-Tier Choice System has detected a drastic change in the Host's circumstances. The choices have been updated.]

[Choice Two (New): Accept the Assassin's Sanctuary's cultivation and disappear completely. Reward: Innate Dark Inner Spiritual Power +10.]

[Choice Three (Delayed): Go to the Devil Race Territory and seek a sliver of hope amid slaughter and death. Reward: Innate Dark Inner Spiritual Power +10, Growth-Type Equipment [Revenge] (sword-type weapon).]

[[Revenge]: Initial rank: 'Spirit Demon Grade'. The longer the Host stays in the Devil Race Territory and the more choices he completes, the more the equipment will grow. It can reach up to 'Immortal Grade'. Note: Once the Host leaves the Devil Race Territory, its growth will be permanently fixed.]

Long Xuanye's pupils contracted slightly.

He lowered his eyes, hiding his expression.

"Okay."

He answered softly.

"But I need to go home first."

The White-robed figure didn't think much of it and nodded.

Long Xuanye turned and walked step by step toward the small Thatched Hut.

The reward for going to the Devil Race Territory was outrageously good.

An Immortal Grade piece of equipment... What did that even mean? It was a treasure powerful enough to drive even Seal Knights mad, and usually only those at the ninth rank could bring out its full potential.

But its potential for growth wasn't the issue. Its very potential spoke to its value.

The risk, however, was just as deadly.

With his current strength, entering the Devil Race Territory would be like a lamb walking into a tiger's den.

And... an Immortal Grade piece of equipment that could grow was still an Immortal Grade item!

Choice Three... was a trap with no way out!

With the Chaos Spirit Furnace's boost, he was already cultivating much faster than Hao Chen.

And then there was the system's cheat.

Taking care of Long Xingyu was only a matter of time.

There was no need to take a risk that would almost certainly get him killed.

Most importantly...

He wanted to see Cai'er again.

If he went to the Devil Race Territory, into the vast Demon Realm, amid mountains of corpses and rivers of blood...

Would he ever get to see that little girl again, the one who would call him...

"Come here, let Mommy hold you"?

Probably not.

Creak—

The Thatched Hut's wooden door swung open.

There was no one inside.

A faint, familiar fragrance still lingered in the air.

But the petite figure was gone.

Long Xuanye's gaze fell on the bedding, neatly folded beside the bed.

A ring and a folded note lay quietly on top of it.

The ring was entirely silver-white, engraved with delicate patterns.

Forget-Me-Not.

Long Xuanye picked up the note and slowly unfolded it.

A few crooked lines of writing were scrawled across it.

"Xuanye, remember to take your fever medicine."

"And don't go wandering around at night. Get a good night's sleep, or you won't grow tall."

"Mommy will protect you."

"I'll definitely... kill Long Xingyu for you."

Some spots in the corner of the note were damp. They had long since dried, but it was easy to picture the tears that had fallen there.

Long Xuanye fell silent.

His fingers gently traced the character "Ye," which she had written incorrectly.

So...

Cai'er still didn't know how to write "Ye."

He carefully folded the note, tucked it close to his body, then picked up the Forget-Me-Not Ring.

The ring felt warm to the touch, as if it still carried the girl's body heat.

But a little girl that young...

had said...

she would kill Long Xingyu for him?

Kill a Seal Knight?

Heh...

Long Xuanye slipped the Forget-Me-Not Ring onto his little finger.

It fit just right.

He turned, opened the wooden door, and stepped into the night.

The White-robed figure was still standing where he'd been, waiting quietly.

When Long Xuanye came out, the White-robed figure walked over, ready to take him away.

But Long Xuanye stopped. He didn't leave right away.

He lifted his head and gazed at the star-studded night sky.

Then he spoke, his voice so calm it sounded as if he were making small talk.

"Mr. Shadow Hero."

"Can you see the stars from that secret place?"

The White-robed figure paused.

He stared at Long Xuanye, completely dumbfounded.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

For a moment, he couldn't figure out how the boy had learned his codename, "Shadow Hero."

As for what Long Xuanye had said, of course the secret place was cut off from the outside world... Otherwise, how could they claim Long Xingyu wouldn't find him?

Long Xuanye didn't look at him. His gaze remained fixed on the night sky.

"Ah... I guess you can't see them."

In his field of vision, the words [Choice Two] on the illusory light screen glowed faintly.

Long Xuanye thought to himself.

I choose three.

Then he looked away and turned to the White-robed figure before him, calmly declaring,

"I'm not going to the Assassin's Sanctuary."

The White-robed figure furrowed his brows.

"What did you say?"

The night wind swept through the treetops, rustling the leaves. At that moment, the sound seemed especially grating.

The White-robed figure couldn't understand.

"Why?"

"Have you gone mad?"

"If you don't go to the Assassin's Sanctuary, do you think you can escape Long Xingyu's pursuit?"

"He's a Seal Knight!"

"There's nowhere left for you to go in this vast world..."

Long Xuanye raised a hand, cutting him off.

"Because I have a dream."

The White-robed figure was stunned.

A dream?

At a moment when their lives hung in the balance, what was he talking about dreams for?

"To identify every star in the sky."