The meeting ended, and everyone dispersed.
Yu Guanzhi, commander of the Central Legion, chose to return to West Mountain in Ming City with Xie An.
But Xie An was stopped by the Council Chairman along the way.
Hanhai Douluo Chen Xinjie returned directly to the station of his Sea God Legion.
Ever since he had stopped serving as War God Temple Master, he had chosen to remain with his legion.
Chen Xinjie stroked the ring on his finger and silently thought, Yeyue, I'll help you escape that cage, no matter what.
As if they shared a silent understanding, Long Yeyue, who lived in the Sea God Pavilion, was stroking an identical ring.
A hundred years earlier.
"Yeyue, you awakened the two supreme Martial Souls, the Light Sacred Dragon and the Dark Sacred Dragon. Whether our family can return to the Sea God Pavilion rests entirely on you."
At that time, Long Yeyue's family had been without a place in the Sea God Pavilion for a long time.
No exceptional talents had emerged from the family.
Though a Light Sacred Dragon Martial Soul occasionally awakened in each generation, none of its bearers had been outstanding enough.
They hadn't met the standard for the Shrek Seven Devils, let alone qualified to become members of the Sea God Pavilion.
Ever since Long Yeyue awakened the two supreme Martial Souls, the Light Sacred Dragon and the Dark Sacred Dragon, her family had placed great hopes in her.
And Long Yeyue hadn't let them down. Her Soul Power rose rapidly.
One day, at her family's arrangement, she met a man who was gentle and refined, but twenty years her senior.
"I'll be your teacher from now on. Come along, and I'll guide your cultivation."
At the time, Long Yeyue had no desire to rebel. She simply accepted her family's arrangement.
She trained under her teacher, who treated her very well, as if she were his own daughter.
Long Yeyue's father watched everything in secret, feeling both satisfied and faintly guilty.
But more than anything, he longed for their family to return to the Sea God Pavilion.
Yeyue, I'm sorry you have to go through this, Long Yeyue's father thought silently.
Everything was going according to Long Yeyue's father's expectations.
Long Yeyue became one of the Shrek Seven Devils, while the man surnamed Bei achieved the rank of Titled Douluo early on and became the designated next Sea God Pavilion Master.
His title was Heavenly Favored Douluo.
Everything was moving in a positive direction, and Long Yeyue was very likely to enter the Sea God Pavilion.
And, as the saying went, familiarity bred affection. Long Yeyue's feelings for the Heavenly Favored Douluo had become more than just a teacher-student bond.
Then one day, a man who had just returned from military service visited Long Yeyue's home, changing everything.
That day, Long Yeyue was cultivating at home, and no one else was there.
A knock sounded at the door.
When she opened it, Long Yeyue felt her face grow hot.
The visitor had a heroic air about him, and years of military service had given him a steely presence unlike anyone else's.
Though she hid her reaction well, he still noticed it.
"My name is Chen Xinjie. I presume the beautiful lady before me is Miss Long Yeyue?"
Chen Xinjie leaned into the house and, noticing there was no one else inside, seemed ready to leave.
For some reason, as if in a daze, Long Yeyue stopped the man who had introduced himself as Chen Xinjie and invited him in.
"I just got back from the military. This time, I'm here on my father's orders to pay a visit to your father."
Long Yeyue didn't hear what Chen Xinjie was saying. She just kept serving him tea and water, never taking her eyes off him.
When Chen Xinjie fell silent, Long Yeyue tactfully started a new conversation.
"Could you tell me some stories about your time in the military?"
Chen Xinjie could talk about his military service all day. He told her, in vivid detail, all sorts of stories from his time in the army.
Long Yeyue gazed at him, her eyes full of longing for the world beyond.
Bound by her family, she had spent years doing nothing but cultivating, like a flower in a greenhouse suddenly faced with a vast, open world.
"Your name is Chen Xinjie, right? Could you come visit me often from now on?"
Long Yeyue walked Chen Xinjie to the door and finally said those words.
After that, Chen Xinjie came to visit every few days. Their feelings warmed and changed without either of them realizing it.
"Chen Xinjie, my parents aren't home today. Come over and see me."
Her tone was almost a command.
Long Yeyue looked especially beautiful that day. She wore light makeup, and her cherry-red lips made a person want to take a bite. Her gaze shifted, as if she had endless things to say.
Her black dress lent her a slightly plump, opulent look. She wore black leather high heels with red soles, and long black stockings reached beneath her skirt, adding seven parts elegance and three parts allure.
Her long black hair fell to her waist like a ribbon of silk, making anyone who saw it want to reach out and touch it.
Chen Xinjie was spellbound by Long Yeyue's appearance.
"Don't just stand there, Xinjie. Come eat and drink."
"Oh, right."
Chen Xinjie, who considered himself well acquainted with beautiful women, answered awkwardly.
"Come on, have this drink. I really have to thank you for keeping me company these past six months.
"No one's home. Father went to a banquet, and Mother doesn't live here."
Long Yeyue's gaze shifted, and a faint smile played on her face.
Chen Xinjie felt as though her face were so close to his. He could smell her fresh, sweet, youthful scent, and her warm breath kept brushing against his face.
His face reddened, but he still took the cup and downed it in one gulp, as if steeling himself.
Chen Xinjie stole a few glances at Long Yeyue.
She was so beautiful today, her lips so red, her eyes so captivating.
Chen Xinjie drank the wine Long Yeyue poured for him, then found his eyes drawn to her again.
The more he looked, the faster his heart beat. The more he looked, the more it seemed that something about Long Yeyue was different today. The more he looked, the more he felt an intensely scorching force surging through his body.
Chen Xinjie's consciousness gradually grew hazy, yet he felt immensely strong.
That day, Long Yeyue was like a docile little kitten, letting him pin her beneath him and change her into different clothes.
The kitten obeyed, only occasionally letting out a faint protest.
The lights in the room went out, and the curtains made it very dark inside.
"..."
"Chen Xinjie, let's break up."
Long Yeyue had confessed her feelings to Chen Xinjie, hoping he would take her away.
Chen Xinjie wanted to build a career first, then return for Long Yeyue.
At the time, the War God Temple had high hopes for him. He wanted to become War God Temple Master before returning to marry Long Yeyue.
But Long Yeyue wanted true freedom and true love. She wanted to escape her family's plans and run away with Chen Xinjie, never to return.
But Chen Xinjie's choice disappointed her.
In the end, they parted on bad terms.
"I carry the burden of my family, and you have your own ideals. We should go our separate ways."
Long Yeyue left, choosing not to be with Chen Xinjie.
Later, the Heavenly Favored Douluo discovered the child in Long Yeyue's womb and tried to ask who the father was, but Long Yeyue refused to tell him.
With no other choice, he married her to protect her reputation.
The Heavenly Favored Douluo chose to bear the disgrace in Long Yeyue's place.
When Chen Xinjie heard the news, he followed his family's arrangements and married a young woman from a family of equal standing.
Not long after, Long Yeyue's child was stillborn.
Later, the Heavenly Favored Douluo, who had already become a Limit Douluo, took in two exceptionally talented youths: Yun Ming and Guan Yue.
"..."
"Yeyue, don't worry. I'll make sure you escape that cage."
Chen Xinjie stroked the ring on his finger again.
His first wife had been dead for a long time.
In recent years, whenever he was alone, he had often found himself remembering those moments from long ago with Long Yeyue. He had grown increasingly stubborn.
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