An Changyan was dazed by his words. He rubbed his fingers together, his head lowering unconsciously as he trembled ever so slightly.
"Whew... all right!" He lifted his head, his smile radiant.
Chen Beixun frowned slightly. At that moment, everything felt real and unreal, hazy and insubstantial. He rarely felt this way.
Emotions were things of the mind, but not limited to it. They were as faint as a speck of dust, yet somehow so close.
The two had never been this close. It was as if they had opened their souls and let them flow together.
Love couldn't be replaced by material things, and yet it seemed to spring from nothing. It shone alone in the dark, silent night sky, and every time he looked up at it, he could only sigh. At some point, Chen Beixun had stopped searching for it. But when he saw others enjoying it, he felt such jealousy, such longing.
"What's wrong?" An Changyan asked softly.
"Nothing. I was just thinking," Chen Beixun said. But inwardly, he told himself, Calm down. It's just... a passing impulse, an infatuation with someone beautiful. That's only human nature.
"Then when are we leaving?" An Changyan asked. His voice was like a heavenly hymn, clear and enchanting.
"No, that's not right." Chen Beixun felt no desire in his heart. This state was clearly wrong; it had nothing to do with lust.
Seeing that he had fallen silent, An Changyan asked again.
Chen Beixun raised a hand to his forehead, trying to find an excuse to brush the subject aside.
"Heh... Your Highness, I was only joking just now. The road ahead is full of danger—" Before Chen Beixun could finish, An Changyan interrupted him.
"You were the one who brought it up!" An Changyan pointed at him, his tone aggrieved and accusatory.
Chen Beixun didn't know how to respond. He quietly looked away.
Suddenly, he turned to look at An Changyan, but remained silent.
"What's wrong with you, exactly?" Seeing him looking so absent, An Changyan couldn't help but worry.
"Hah... whew." Chen Beixun let out a long breath and smiled. "Maybe... I'm feeling weary at heart."
"Weary at heart?" An Changyan asked in confusion.
Ordinary Universe Level cultivators weathered danger, constantly fighting for their lives. He had seen plenty of physical exhaustion, but rarely anyone who was weary at heart.
"What's going on with you?" An Changyan stepped forward, concerned.
Chen Beixun, however, backed away a few steps without meaning to, looking timid and hesitant.
"Huh?" A thought came to An Changyan. Could this guy have been possessed?
But a person's bearing was unique.
An Changyan circled him, looking him over from every angle, then dismissed the thought.
"Th-then, let's explore together," Chen Beixun stammered.
An Changyan worked up his courage and reached out to play with Chen Beixun's hair. In a low voice, he said, "Didn't you say you were joking?"
Chen Beixun's ears felt as if they were covered. All he could hear was his heart pounding wildly in his chest.
The air seemed to freeze. The two seemed to have forgotten that there were still twenty-one people behind them, watching with forty-two pairs of eyes.
Those people held their breath, staring at the scene in a daze.
No one dared move. They were like plaster statues.
An Changyan and Chen Beixun neither spoke nor moved. They simply gazed at each other, utterly pure, their feelings drawing ever closer until they seemed to become one.
How keen was the perception of Universe Level cultivators? They sensed every detail of each other, but within seconds, they also sensed the gazes of the people behind them.
I'm done for. Chen Beixun abruptly turned his head to the side.
An Changyan's cheeks flushed. He didn't dare move.
This was mortifying.
Silence was the best way to calm down now. Time would carry away the surge of emotion and let everything settle.
No one knew how much time passed.
The atmosphere gradually eased. It was no longer as frozen as before.
"Heh, well, our main goal now is to get out," Chen Beixun said first. His voice sounded rather forced, like that of a shy, socially anxious person.
"Uh... right, right," the others chimed in.
"Uh, everyone, go into my World Ring first." As soon as Chen Beixun finished speaking, he waved a hand and drew his guards into the World Ring.
Now only the two of them remained in the space—Chen Beixun and An Changyan.
Seeing the guards disappear into the World Ring, An Changyan felt a rush of delight, and his breathing quickened.
He was like a waft of sweet fragrance, or a magnet, irresistibly drawing Chen Beixun in.
"Now... getting out... is what matters," Chen Beixun said, trying to bring reason back to the forefront of his mind. Yet he couldn't stop himself from pulling An Changyan into his arms.
This is ridiculous. I fell for him just because of one smile? Chen Beixun felt as if he were floating on air.
Calm down! The last shred of reason in his mind screamed, but when he looked at An Changyan, everything else suddenly seemed unimportant.
He gently caressed An Changyan's hands and face, then slowly ventured into forbidden territory: his body.
The moment felt almost simple and unadorned, with no wealth or status to embellish it. It was plain and uncomplicated, yet like Pandora's box, impossible to close.
An Changyan covered his face, quietly watching Chen Beixun's entranced expression through the gaps between his fingers. To his surprise, he began to sob.
Chen Beixun had been lost in the moment, but stopped when he heard An Changyan sob. He felt ashamed and took responsibility for everything.
"I'm sorry..." Chen Beixun wiped away An Changyan's glistening tears and apologized sincerely.
Taking the opportunity, An Changyan suggested that Chen Beixun come to his clan.
Chen Beixun nodded in agreement.
An Changyan was both surprised and delighted. He wanted to carry on with their passion, but Chen Beixun refused.
A feeling of loss rose in An Changyan's heart, but the thought of seeing Chen Beixun every day filled him with such intoxicating happiness that it soon replaced the sadness.
"Then from now on, I'll be yours—" An Changyan gathered his courage, but before he could finish, Chen Beixun covered his mouth.
"Shh!" Chen Beixun covered An Changyan's mouth and gestured for silence. His gaze was sharp, as if facing a powerful enemy.
Boom—
A sound like a mountain exploding rang out.
The terrifying shock wave made their ears ache.
"Damn it!" Chen Beixun scooped An Changyan up and raced into the passageway.
Carrying An Changyan, Chen Beixun raced through the passageways, which twisted and crossed like a maze.
"Gold Cloud Shuttle!" At Chen Beixun's thought, the Gold Cloud Shuttle appeared in front of him. He stepped onto it and urged it forward with all his might. With a Mental Power Amplitude of 43, it burst into astonishing speed.
An Changyan squeezed his eyes shut. He could feel the wind rushing past his ears.
"Faster!" Chen Beixun's face twisted as he pushed his mental power to the limit!
Suddenly, a speck of light appeared in the distance.
The light grew larger and larger until it became an exit.
"We're here! We should be safe now!" Chen Beixun shot through it.
"Huh?!" Once he reached the world beyond the exit, he froze.
The sight before him was so astonishing that he could hardly breathe.
An Changyan opened his eyes too, and was deeply shocked.
"Th-this!" Chen Beixun flew down to the ground and gazed out at the world before him.
Spaceships were parked everywhere, alongside mountains of unidentified ores, treasures, and more.
"Qishan... how much do you think all this is worth?" Chen Beixun asked excitedly.