"Meng Gui said that he actually doesn't know the Heilong emperor. Do you think this is true?" Cheng Sheng asked.
Fei Yin nodded.
"Why?" Cheng Sheng looked at him.
"For someone so powerful… does he need to deal with trifling matters?" Fei Yin chuckled.
Cheng Sheng smiled. What Fei Yin meant, the Heilong emperor is above all others, so he doesn't need to show his face to the Four Demonic Leaders.
"'A carefree one. Never stayed in the Yingyi Palace. Always outside, thus everything is handled by the manservants.'" Cheng Sheng repeated what xiao San told them earlier when they asked him about the Heilong emperor. "Anything to comment on this?" he asked Fei Yin.
"Easygoing." Fei Yin answered.
Cheng Sheng nodded. "He's different than what I imagined." He honestly said.
"This type of person is more difficult to deal with." Fei Yin spoke.
The smile on Cheng Sheng's face disappeared. From what xiao San has said, the Heilong emperor is living in the Yingyi Palace, which is located in the Yao City, on the north of Heilong Realm, which is actually the deepest place in the Heilong Realm, and where the demonic qi is the most abundant.
"We have to go there." Cheng Sheng spoke. "For the people of Huilong Continent." He said.
"Mn." Fei Yin answered.
Neither of them spoke again and just tacitly lied down the bed to sleep. Cheng Sheng, tired, fell asleep fast. Fei Yin stared at his face in the darkness as he pulled Cheng Sheng closer to him. His pupils are glowing, but there were no emotions on them, and instead looked cold and empty.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "It's me." It's Wu Yuan.
Fei Yin blinked, and the coldness in his eyes disappeared. His eyes returned to looking humane. He carefully removed his arms around Cheng Sheng before he fixed his clothes and walked towards the door, then opened it.
"Senior Wu." Fei Yin greeted.
"Is Junior Cheng asleep?" Wu Yuan asked.
Fei Yin nodded.
"After Meng Gui learned that we're looking for our parents, he had dispatched some of his people to look for them." Wu Yuan spoke, suppressing the urgency, as well as some emotions, in his voice. "Just now, a subordinate of his returned and reported that they have seen two suspicious-looking people. They immediately followed them, until they reached a Ni Lai Gate." He looked at Fei Yin in the eyes.
Fei Yin's face immediately changed.
"They saw that those two people jumped to the Ni Lai Gate and disappeared. They were about to follow, but were immediately hurt when the Ni Lai Gate rejected them." Wu Yuan continued. "Junior Fei… the Ni Lai Gates must have all been sealed from the outside. And the only ones that can pass through it are…" he didn't continue as he choked up a sob.
"Righteous cultivators." Fei Yin continued for him. He sharply inhaled. Then, he turned to the sleeping Cheng Sheng.
"Junior Fei…" Wu Yuan's eyes are red.
Fei Yin turned to him and smiled. He patted his shoulder. "Congratulations, senior Wu." He spoke. "Former sect leader Wu Fan and the Chen patriarch Chen Jing are alive." He said.
Huilong Continent, South Region.
"Damn it! That Wu Ran must have learned we will return here!" Shu Mu said through his gnashed teeth as he glared at the demonic cultivators surrounding them.
Xiao Le raised a talisman and immediately flung it behind him when he felt the wind whistled past his ear.
BANG! The talisman hit a demonic cultivator and the demonic cultivator, caught off-guard by Xiao Le's quick reaction, was thrown back to his fellow demonic cultivators.
"Nice one, xiao Le!" Shu Mu said, his expression slightly eased when he saw Xiao Le's action.
"What do we do, Mu-ge?" Xiao Le asked. Then, he looked at the people hanged by the demonic cultivators in the trees. "They are still alive…" he said as his eyes reddened.
Shu Mu's eyes are bloodshot as he stared at his fellow disciples who were beaten black and blue by the demonic cultivators.
"We may be outnumbered, but we won't forsake them!" Xi Ming said. "We have come this far! We won't back down! We will definitely save them!" he said as he slashed a demonic cultivator who approached him. "Xiao Xing!" he called.
"En!" Xi Xing answered and kicked at the demonic cultivator's leg before he stabbed him on his chest.
THUD! The demonic cultivator's corpse collapsed on the ground.
"F*ck! These brats are so arrogant!" a demonic cultivator cursed as he glared at their group.
"Let's roast them like what we did to these other brats!" one of them said and evilly grinned as he licked the blood off of his mouth.
Shu Mu's veins popped because of rage. "AAAAARRRGGHHH!!!" he screamed as he raised his sword, before he waved them towards the demonic cultivators.
A group of sword glares appeared around Shu Mu. Then, like a giant wave, they crashed on the group od demonic cultivators. THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! A number of heads scrambled on the ground while their headless corpses collapsed.
The demonic cultivators were stunned, as well as Xiao Le, Xi Ming and Xi Xing. It took some time before they reacted.
"MU-GE! LOOK OUT!!!" Xiao Le cried when he saw a demonic cultivator crept behind Shu Mu who weakly fell on his knees after he exerted his power. He took out a talisman, but, it is too late since the demonic cultivator's sword has already descended!
Everyone's hearts leapt up to their throat. The demonic cultivators looked ecstatic while Xiao Le, Xi Ming and Xi Xing are about to faint in suspense! They watched, wide-eyed, as the sword of the demonic cultivator gleamed because of the light before it approached Shu Mu's head!
SHWOOP! A slicing sound was heard in the silence. Xiao Le felt his heart sank while Xi Ming and Xi Xing looked pale because of horror and still can't believe that Shu Mu died! They watched as a head fell on the ground with a thump before it rolled towards them.
Blood drained from Xiao Le's body and he felt his heart became cold when he saw the back of the head that stopped right before his feet. "M – Mu-ge…" he muttered under his breath and his tears fell. He fell on his butt when he felt his knees became weak because of pain from losing Shu Mu.
"Shu Mu…" Xi Ming muttered, still wide-eyed in disbelief. Meanwhile, Xi Xing seemed to really have become mute because of shock.
"What are you calling me for? I'm alright." A familiar voice spoke.
Xiao Le, Xi Ming and Xi Xing blinked in surprise and turned to the direction where the voice came from. There, they saw a headless corpse behind Shu Mu whose body is intact. The headless corpse slowly fell on the ground. Blood flowed out of its neck that was cleanly cut.
"M – M… Mu-ge!!!" Xiao Le cried. Strength returned to his body, and he felt even more energetic. He rushed towards Shu Mu and hugged him tight.
"Shu Mu… Shu Mu!" Xi Ming exclaimed in joy and he pulled the stunned Xi Xing towards Shu Mu and Xiao Le. "Dang! I thought you died!" he said as he hit Shu Mu's back.
Shu Mu coughed. "I… I still feel weak!" he glared at Xi Ming.
"Oops… sorry!" Xi Ming laughed.
"Mu-ge." Xiao Le called, crying. "I'm glad you're fine!" he said.
Shu Mu nodded. "En." He smiled and held Xiao Le's hand tight. He thought that he is going to die earlier!
"You won't be fine if you continue to rejoice when you shouldn't since the battle is still going on!" a voice spoke.
"Damn it! Who said that?!" the demonic cultivators were startled when they heard an unfamiliar voice.
"Where is it?! Where is it coming from?!" the demonic cultivators panicked. They didn't know that someone has joined the fray!
"Who is it? Who saved you?" Xi Ming asked Shu Mu as he, Xi Xing and Xiao Le surrounded Shu Mu to protect him while he recovered his strength.
"Seems like it's been a long time since we're gone. They don't recognize us!" another voice spoke.
"There's another one?!?!" the demonic cultivators exclaimed in shock.
The first voice laughed. His voice sounds deep. "It's only been a few months, Fan." He said.
"'Fan'?" Shu Mu, Xiao Le and Xi Ming muttered and looked at each other.
"… there are two people I remember that has a name 'Fan'." Xi Ming spoke. His eyes are shining in excitement and he smiled, full of hope.
"One of them has a surname 'Fan' is elder Fan Wen of the Xinfaxian Sect in Xinfaxian." Xiao Le spoke. "The other one has a first name 'Fan'…" he said.
"… is former sect leader Wu Fan of the Youxiwang Sect in Xiwang." Xi Xing slowly spoke. His face is expressionless, looking numb from the shock he received today. "But, he is missing. Together with…" He said.
Shu Mu said as they all turned to the direction where the voices are coming from. "The Chen patriarch, Chen Jing!" he said as two familiar people walked out of the woods.