Once Dongfang Xuanxiao finished talking about the battle that would decide who would rule the city, Long Chen felt like it was time to ask him for help, but his stepfather’s last sentence left him stumped. He locked eyes with Yin Mengyao, and after understanding her intention, he told Dongfang Xuanxiao, “If it’s something I can do, I will do my best to fulfill your request.”
Long Chen had always been a person who repaid kindness with kindness and evil with revenge. Mo Xiaolang had given him the Constellation Body and helped him during the Demon Hunting Tournament. Those were acts of kindness to be repaid; therefore, he would do his best to rescue him.
On the other hand, Dongfang Xuanxiao had helped him even more in his development ever since they first met in the inner family qualifiers. Long Chen had lost track of how much assistance his stepfather had provided. He often wondered why Dongfang Xuanxiao was so good to him. Was it only because he liked him?
“First, let me tell you two about my past.” There was a hint of sadness in the depths of Dongfang Xuanxiao’s eyes, which was caught by both of them.
“Go on, Stepfather. We’re listening,” Yin Mengyao said gently.
Dongfang Xuanxiao calmed himself down and said, “You guys might think that the royal family is the Cangyang Kingdom’s most powerful faction. However, they have a major rival faction called the Heavenly Demon Palace. Based on what the royal family told us, they are vicious when they operate, and they have caused much pain and terror in the kingdom.”
“The Heavenly Demon Palace? I’ve heard of them, but they mainly operate close to the royal capital and not here. I hear they’re indeed a powerful organization that is almost on the royal family’s level,” Yin Mengyao said.
“I did something stupid twenty years ago,” Dongfang Xuanxiao said suddenly.
This was the beginning of Dongfang Xuanxiao’s story.
It was a tale as old as time. Years ago, Dongfang Xuanxiao, who was one of the most well-known members of the Lingwu family, started a relationship with an outsider. It was only much later that he learned the teenage girl’s identity. She held a high position in the Heavenly Demon Palace, and they had met when she was traveling around for fun. However, Dongfang Xuanxiao, with his rebellious streak, did not care about this. They continued to spend time together without hiding it, and he didn’t expect to ever cause her harm.
When the four patriarchs found out who she was, they were worried about being punished by the royal family, so they sent her straight to the Star Devil Prison and wiped this embarrassing story out of the family’s history. It had been twenty years since then.
This was why Dongfang Xuanxiao had never found himself a wife.
When the man spoke of his past, his tone was calm. But judging by the glazed look in his eyes, Long Chen knew that he had been suffering for twenty years. Long Chen recalled what his stepfather had told him regarding women, and his chest tightened. Mengyao was a girl, and despite looking cold on the outside, she had always been emotional and was already tearing up. She had always admired stories of rebellious love.
After he told his story, Dongfang Xuanxiao looked up at Long Chen wistfully. “Long Chen, be honest. I have done a lot for you in recent times, even fighting the Patriarch because of your cousin. You must’ve been suspicious of my motives, right?”
“I did suspect something. I knew that you had some kind of goal, and you participated in the inner family qualifiers maybe because you were looking for someone to do something for you. I still believe that you saw something in me though, haha!” Long Chen laughed. He understood everything now. Dongfang Xuanxiao had picked him and Yin Mengyao at the qualifiers because he hoped one of them could get the Azure Dragon Halberd, and then use it to rescue the woman he loved from Azure Dragon Star.
“And just like that, your impression of me will fall quickly. I was nice to you only because I had hidden intentions. You must be repulsed by me, right?” Dongfang Xuanxiao was visibly anxious when he said this.
“Don’t overthink it. I’m not a fool; I can still see how you genuinely cared for us. Right, Stepfather, I need to tell you something …” Long Chen was initially worried that Dongfang Xuanxiao might disagree or even stop them if he asked him for help with rescuing Mo Xiaolang. But now, it looked like their plans matched serendipitously. It was going well.
“What is it?” Dongfang Xuanxiao was stunned.
“You must know about Mo Xiaolang from the outer families, right? He’s my good friend, and to be honest, the reason I worked so hard to get the Azure Dragon Halberd was to rescue him. This time, we want to ask you for your help,” said Long Chen. He did not beat around the bush.
Although it was revealed that Dongfang Xuanxiao had hidden intentions since the beginning, revealing the truth did not affect their relationship. Dongfang Xuanxiao had only decided to tell him about his goal after he saw that Long Chen had comprehended the Azure Dragon Combat Technique.
“Mo Xiaolang received the Heavenly Wolf Dagger …” Dongfang Xuanxiao’s brows were furrowed.
“What has that got to do with this? Out of the five divine weapons, only the Heavenly Wolf Dagger has never been tamed. If he was lucky enough to get something out of it that the Lingwu family couldn’t, why hide it?” Long Chen tried to convince him.
“Alright.” Dongfang Xuanxiao nodded. “Since we have made the decision, then let’s not waste any more time. We will move tonight.”
Everything was decided. Long Chen and Yin Mengyao locked eyes and smiled.
The operation they had planned for such a long time was finally going to happen tonight.
After a discussion between Long Chen and Dongfang Xuanxiao, they both unanimously decided to let Yin Mengyao stay home. First, she had no function in the rescue operation. Second, she was not powerful enough. Yin Mengyao knew that she would only be a burden to them, so she gritted her teeth and said, “Stepfather, Long Chen, I will await the good news!”
“Naturally.” Long Chen grinned, and then he left with Dongfang Xuanxiao.
This was not Dongfang Xuanxiao’s first time bringing Long Chen into the Star Devil Prison. Long Chen was a hard worker who spent a lot of time cultivating, so it was completely normal for him to enter once again. The same four guards, including Yan Honghai, were still guarding the entrance. They quickly bowed when they saw Dongfang Xuanxiao.
“Greetings, Lord Xuanxiao! And Young Master Long Chen!” Although they were posted here, they were quick to receive information. They knew that Long Chen had surpassed their expectations and won the Azure Dragon Halberd. More importantly, he had comprehended the Azure Dragon Combat Technique, used the Split Yellow River, and defeated Dongfang Tianxing, who was at the Heavenly Core Realm!
They all looked at him with admiration. “Young Master Long Chen is only sixteen, but he has achieved so much. It just makes us feel guilty! All I can say is that I, Yan Honghai, am thoroughly impressed,” said Yan Honghai, smiling bitterly.
“Yeah, thinking back to when I was sixteen, I don’t even know if I could defeat another Earthly Core Realm cultivator on my level, let alone a Heavenly Core Realm cultivator,” said a guard in red armor. He was the guard from the Vermilion Bird family.
“Most importantly, Young Master Long Chen comprehended the Azure Dragon Combat Technique in one day and could use it in battle after five days. I don’t think anyone in the four inner families has ever achieved something like this, right?” The White Tiger guard sighed.
They were all thoroughly impressed by Long Chen’s inhuman talent.
“I’m taking him to the asteroid where gravity is a hundred times stronger. I’m afraid he might not be able to withstand it, so I’m accompanying him there. Honghai, you guys carry on with your work.” When Dongfang Xuanxiao finished speaking, his face remained neutral, and he led Long Chen into the Star Devil Prison.
Looking at their disappearing figures, the four of them looked at each other. The red-armored guard said, “Brother Yan, didn’t the Azure Dragon Patriarch tell you about this? To immediately inform him if they enter the Star Devil Prison?”
“Alright, though why would the old Patriarch want information like that? Isn’t it normal to enter the Star Devil Prison?” Yan Honghai was puzzled.
“Whatever. You just need to listen to what the Patriarch says.”
***
When he entered the Star Devil Prison, Long Chen felt nervous when he looked at the other thick chain. Fortunately, Dongfang Xuanxiao was with him. “We cannot afford to waste time, so we must travel as fast as we can. Long Chen, let me take you.”
Then Dongfang Xuanxiao grabbed his arm, stepped on the metal chain, and sprinted toward the Azure Dragon Star. He was indeed much faster than Long Chen.
“The gravity on the Azure Dragon Star is a thousand times stronger than normal, as it’s meant to trap criminals. An initial Heavenly Core Realm cultivator would be squashed after spending half a day there. Mid Heavenly Core Realm cultivators can barely move, while late Heavenly Core Realm Cultivators can move wherever they please, though there’s no way they can leave. That is why once you enter, you must be very careful of late Heavenly Core Realm cultivators. If you meet anyone who can move easily, run as fast as you can. You have the Azure Dragon Halberd, so they can’t catch up to you!”
Long Chen nodded.
“As for Xuan Ming’s appearance, I’ve already explained it to you. If you see someone that almost fits the description, just a few questions and you’ll be able to confirm it. I just don’t know if she’s managed to survive after all these years … She was at the mid Heavenly Core Realm when she was imprisoned.”
Xuan Ming was the woman that Dongfang Xuanxiao loved. Long Chen had two people to search for—Mo Xiaolang and Xuan Ming.
“Once you’ve completed the mission, I will lure Yan Honghai and the rest away, then Xuan Ming and Mo Xiaolang will go to the Human Core Territory and leave via the outer family’s tunnel. They just need to change their appearance a bit as they won’t be easily recognized in the outer family!” instructed Dongfang Xuanxiao.
The plan was perfect, and there were no holes, yet Long Chen was still strangely anxious. He felt like they had missed something, but he couldn’t think of what it was.
Dongfang Xuanxiao was much faster than he was. After about an hour, Long Chen started to sense the force of gravity acting on his body. There were five planets in front of him, each one a kilometer in diameter. They were green, red, white, black, and silver, all sitting neatly in a row. They looked the same as five stars in the sky to him, beautiful and magnificent to the eyes.
Long Chen arrived at a fork in the chain road. There were five paths, one leading to each of the five planets. Though they were still far from their destination, gravity was twenty times stronger.
“Go ahead. I will wait for you here.” Hope filled Dongfang Xuanxiao’s eyes.