Terrifying cracks appeared all around him, black blood fell to the ground as the rifts made deep gashes into the man's thorn body.

Yin Hei gritted his teeth. He ignored them as he sped with all his might: soon, he reached the child, however his body was missing huge chunks of flesh and only his head and a part of his torso remained.

Cheng Hao's eyes widened as Yin Hei smirked. The man opened his mouth as he let out a loud roar.

"Catching Lightning!"

Bolts made out of black light crackled around him and encased both him and the child in a cage of lightning.

Following that, the cracks once again appeared around them. Cheng Hao's previous calm appearance twisted as he trembled.

"Damn you! If I am going to die, I shall bring you with me!" Yin Hei laughed and, as soon as he finished speaking, the cracks spread along the fabrics of space before... the space itself bursted!

A hole of a few tens meters in diameter appeared, caught within were both Yin Hei and Cheng Hao! Like the jaws of a monstrous beast, it bit down on the two people and they soon disappeared from everyone's view as... They got swallowed!

Soon, the rifts disappeared as the fabrics of space mended back together... except there was no trace of either Yin Hei or Cheng Hao!

...

Xiao Wu's eyes widened and she fell on her knees "No... How? How is this possible? Brother... Is he alive?"

"He... He..." Fu Yin gritted his teeth as he looked down: he knew that even Cheng a Hao couldn't possibly survive that much pressure.

In the end, he muttered "I... Doubt it..."

Xiao Wu's eyes began to tear up and she shivered uncontrollably "You... You promised that you would come back alive! You broke your promise! Brother! You CAN'T die! Why!" Tears streaked down her cheeks.

"Waaaaaaaa!" The nine years old child wailed. Her green eyes were shut tight, her purplish-blue hair fluttered behind her.

Around them, Lao Jianghu, Mu Gu, Wu Rou... Everyone in the late generation couldn't help but feel great pain in their chest.

Lao Jianghu's eyes widened and then he gritted his teeth as he banged his head on the ground "It should have been me! It should have been ME! Please, forgive me, Xu Ling! I am so, so sorry..."

His eyes darkened and unmeasurable rage burned within "I shall complete your quest... Heavenly Beasts cannot fight the Heavenly Emperor... But I am no Heavenly Beast! I'm a mere being made of Aura! And Xu Ling gave his own life to save this fake life of mine as well as everyone else's! Tian... I shall destroy you in the child's place!"

...

Sou Rou opened her eyes from her meditation: they were red and tears fell down as soon as her eyelids rose. She touched her cheeks and felt they were wet "Uh? Am I crying?"

She grabbed her left chest "Why... Why do I feel so much pain?" She looked up and a single raindrop fell down on her nose. Soon, it began raining but she refused to look down, her tears soon mixed up with the raindrops.

She didn't understand the pain she was feeling, nor why she felt such sadness. She thought of Cheng Hao, a child so young and bearing so many responsibilities on his shoulder...

She could not simply cry without a reason! If she wanted to be like him, she would have to be strong!

In her mind, Cheng Hao's image appeared: his confident smile, his bright golden eyes and his firm gaze as he walked towards a battle that could lead to the world's destruction...

She smiled as she recalled him. If he could look so firm, she could as well! And as she thought of that, the child's image in her head wavered and even more tears fell. She stared in shock as she looked at her trembling hands.

"Could the reason I feel so sad be... Brother? Are you ok? Has something happened to you?" She curled up in a ball as a bad feeling swelled up in her chest...

Standing beside her, Wu Rou couldn't do anything but stare at the young girl laying on the ground, her lips trembling.

...

The rain fell everywhere on the battlefield. Beneath the dark clouds, not caring at all about the raindrops battering its already worn out body, was a golden snake.

Blindlight's mouth trembled as a single golden drop formed on the corner of one of his eyes "Cheng Hao... How... Could this be..." his expression was one of disbelief and despair, as well as pain.

Suddenly, a voice rose up from behind him "This... Has really happened? I am free??? Ahahah! The heavens are so generous! With this, that Soul Contract has no more value!"

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Blindlight's pupils shrunk in shock, then, his expression twisted as great rage appeared on his face.

He turned to look at Blacky: the middle aged man was staring wide eyedly at the exact spot the golden snake had, but it could be seen that he felt no sadness from what he had just witnessed.

Unlike Goldy, his expression was one of excitement... and joy.

Blindlight's anger rose even more as the black-haired, middle aged man began to laugh "Ahaha! Serves you right, you golden eyed bastard! I am free, free! I can fly freely in the sky as I did before!"

The man turned humming a happy tune and even began dancing "Oh, I shall feast tonight!"

His dreamy expression twisted when he noticed Goldy's expression. He shivered: he had never seen Blindlight so enraged yet so much in pain before.

Although their cultivation bases were on a totally different level, the Hellish Nightmare Dragon couldn't help but shiver in terror when he saw the golden dragon's gaze.

Blindlight opened his mouth and coldly spoke "Pray. Pray, Hellish Nightmare Dragon. If Cheng Hao is alive, you will be spared. If not..."

Goldy's eyes burned with fiery killing intent yet trembled as he struggled to hold down the tears "I shall feast on your corpse and devour your soul tonight! Pray. Pray that I won't have to do that! Pray that your master is safe you foul beast!"

Blacky trembled and he subconsciously stepped back: his power was much higher than the golden dragon's, but he couldn't help but feel that, if that anger was to be released, Blindlight would do all in his power to erase both his body and soul... and the heavens along with him!

"Those hundreds, thousands, millions of years passed alone, looking at the sun rise and fall... I don't want to go back to that ever again! Please, you were my only family! Just come back alive! I... I don't want to be alone anymore... Gh... Ghaaa!" The voice of a young teen soon cracked as Blindlight began to cry.

The scene of the golden dragon, such a beautiful and pure beast, wailing and crying beneath the heavy rain was heart-wrenching.

It was like hearing the cries of a child during a funeral. Such a sad occasion, saddened even more by the cries of a child that could be the very son or grandson of the deceased... Who wouldn't feel moved when facing that?

Blacky hesitated and his eyes even flickered with killing intent for a moment, but then it disappeared as he sighed.

He approached the wailing Blindlight and sat beside him. He lifted his hand hesitating, as if he wanted to pat the golden dragon on the head.

Goldy turned and bared his fangs at him growling.

Blacky hesitated, then lowered his hand, scratching his neck awkwardly. He looked up and sighed "You remember the old times? When we fought alongside that brat for a few dozen years? You used to bully me then, I guess that hasn't changed..."

Seeing Goldy's glare, Blacky stopped talking as he looked down, afraid that he would incur the wrath of the dragon if he were to speak anymore.

Goldy acted angry, and he only stopped growling a long time after the middle aged man shut up. Even then though, he looked somewhat... disappointed?

Blacky noticed that. His previous frightened look disappeared, replaced by a look of... Pity? No. It was not pity. It looked more like... Powerlessness.

Like an older brother having to care for his younger sibling, Blacky smiled comfortably and spoke again "Don't worry. That kid is tough. He will definitely come back! After all, didn't he beat the shit out of me?" the middle aged man with black hair patted the dragon's back and grinned.

Goldy's eyes widened in shock and he was stunned for a second, as if unsure on what to do. Finally, the dragon smiled and nodded as he wiped away his tears "Yeah. That he did! You were so uncool back there!"

Blacky sweat-dropped, his mouth twitched and a vein popped on his forehead "You didn't have to agree to that!"

"Oh? Didn't I now?" Goldy grinned but then nodded "Still, you are right. He will!" He looked at the spot where the boy had disappeared "Please... Come back, my friend!"

Blacky sighed and looked at that same spot as well, hoping... For what? That the boy would come back? That he had died? He didn't know.

He smiled bitterly "I guess... I did enjoy the old days. Going against Tian, devouring souls left and right and all that..." he chuckled as he muttered to himself.

His eyes brightened up as he smiled bitterly "Come back, you freaking brat! I still have to get my revenge for sealing me in that freaking tower!"

Goldy chuckled and his laughter reassured Blacky that the golden dragon was now fine. He smiled and knew that, although he might regret his choice in the future, it was the right one.

...

Te Rin watched on from the distance. Her beautiful features were now twisted in a mask of pain, disbelief and hatred "You told me... You wouldn't die... How are you going to protect me if you die?" She fell on her knees and large teardrops fell down on the ground.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulders, as if it was comforting her. She turned, and saw the blurry figure of a woman. Her face was blurry, so her appearance couldn't be seen clearly.

What could be seen though, was that she had two bright, golden eyes and fiery, red hair. She had red skin and wore what seemed to be a dress made out of golden feathers.

A voice resounded within the head of the young girl crying on the ground as the woman's golden eyes brightened "Don't cry child... If you really do see him as a brother, you should trust him, shouldn't you?"

The voice was the same from before: the distant voice of a woman, sounding so ancient and separated from the world that it was as if the owner had died long ago.

"She... Saw something in him. I now know why. Such devotion and resolution to protect his dear ones... Wether he wants it or not, they all start to look up at him like a really important person in their heart" the voice lingered off and the figure seemed to smile when she noticed the action of both Blacky and Goldy.

"And most of all" She looked upwards and her smile could now clearly be seen on her face as her mouth finally moved, her voice now reverberating through the air and not just in the young girl's mind "Such great charisma that such powerful beings would be willing to give him a hand!"

Up above, the air trembled as a powerful presence suddenly showed itself "Wow... Could it be... He has Karma with this person as well? Incredible, simply incredible!"

The voice chuckled "To even have connections even with the Golden Demoness of the Tenth Level! You never cease to amaze me, kid!"

The blurry figure of a man then also appeared in the sky and it slightly bowed its head as the voice rang out once again "This being is delighted to meet miss Jin FengHuang!"

"To think that I would actually meet you, although on an ethereal form, in such a lowly plane of existence... Fate truly has quite intricate schemes!" the blurry man chuckled.

The red woman nodded and smiled as well "It is my pleasure, Senior from the Ninety-Seventh Level!"

The blurry man smiled and then looked down "To think... That not one, but TWO such interesting people would appear in this planary system in less than a few thousand years..." it smirked "The Demoness of the Golden Flames, Jin FengHuang... and the Heavensborn with a will of his own and carrying a mysterious legacy, Xu Ling!"