"There's one more thing—Sister Shaojun, could you also inquire about Lord Linyuan's affairs?"
Lingyan clasped her hands together in front of her chest, adopting a pitiful and pleading expression.
"…Xiaoyan, do you really need to know the truth?"
After a long silence, Shaojun finally spoke in a low voice, her eyes fixed on Lingyan with an indescribable, profound meaning.
"I believe that all the heavens and myriad realms need to know the truth. It is the divine realm that has wronged Gu Zhong; she should not bear such a stigma."
"···good."
Faced with his sister's firm request, Shaojun couldn't refuse her outright and finally had to agree.
However, how could she possibly uncover the so-called truth about this matter?
Shaojun had no choice and could not bear to tell Lingyan.
Chapter 157 The Supreme God and the God of War (Seventeen)
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Shaojun found Gu Zhong amidst a desolate wasteland of yellow sand.
The perpetual sandstorm has buried the traces of the past battles, with countless skeletons lying beneath them. The ruins sigh silently, unable to tell the story of the past.
—This is the ruins of the Xuanhu clan.
"You really are here."
Shaojun's gaze swept over the desolate scene around him, and he walked behind Gu Zhong. Gu Zhong was currently deep in thought, staring at the ruins that were clearly once a magnificent palace.
"Young Master?" Hearing the call from behind, she quickly turned around, adopting a wary posture. Seeing the young master alone, she seemed somewhat surprised, "You actually came alone?"
"I am not here to arrest you."
The young lord spoke leisurely.
"Is there anything else that requires you to trouble yourself to come and find me in your busy schedule?"
Gu Zhong's eyes flickered, and certain guesses obviously surfaced in her mind, but she insisted on asking to confirm them.
"Gu Zhong, are you really going to abandon Xiao Yan?"
Suddenly, Shaojun rebuked him in a stern voice, something seemed to be brewing beneath his calm face.
“I will not force her to do things she is unwilling to do. Since she has made her decision, why should I try to pull her back?”
Gu Zhong looked at her indifferently, as if he had lost all hope and nothing could disturb her mind anymore.
"Speaking of which, it seems that Young Lord and Xuanhu of the Chaos Palace have a very good relationship. I wonder what your opinion is of me, the one who slaughtered the clan?"
Turning his gaze back to the long-destroyed wreckage, Gu Zhong suddenly asked a question.
"He's just someone who's following orders."
Unable to discern the intention behind Gu Zhong's words, Shao Jun pondered for a moment, then gave a vague and indifferent assessment.
"I thought that Young Lord would share the same hatred as Xuanhu and wish that I would die here."
Gu Zhong turned around, his eyes full of deep meaning as he looked at Shao Jun.
Why do you say that?
Shao Jun's brows twitched almost imperceptibly, and he appeared even more composed.
"When I was pushed into the spatial rift in the Abyss of Gods and Demons that day, I thought about it and realized that only Young Lord could have done it."
Previously, I couldn't understand Shaojun's motives for doing this, and although I still don't fully understand, I can vaguely grasp some things—Xuanhu is to Shaojun what Ayan is to me.
"The divine lord is probably overwhelmed with worry and making wild guesses."
Shaojun lowered his eyes and vehemently denied it.
"Young Master, what exactly is your purpose?"
Gu Zhong shook his head, looking at the graceful and elegant woman in front of him with a puzzled expression.
Shaojun is always shrouded in a hazy mist, making him truly unfathomable.
If she wanted to kill him for the sake of Xuanhu, what would that say about the God Realm?
If the marriage alliance with the demon race is approved for the sake of the divine realm, then what about Ah Yan?
If she came all the way here to ask for my help because of Ah Yan, then where does she place the Xuanhu and the God Realm?
The young lord's actions are full of contradictions.
“Gu Zhong, don’t overthink it. I’m here today only for Xiao Yan. I’ve found out some things recently, and you should listen to them.”
Seemingly seeing through Gu Zhong's thoughts, Shao Jun sighed helplessly and still tried to persuade him gently.
"What?"
Since things had come to this point, Gu Zhong went along with Shao Jun's wishes. After all, she had plenty of time to kill, and listening to a story was insignificant.
"The theft of the Zhenyuan Stone was the work of the demon race."
"Are the demon race and the monster race colluding?"
Gu Zhong immediately grasped the key point of that sentence.
"I'm afraid that's the case. So if we continue with this marriage, it would be like pushing Xiaoyan into a fire pit. That's why I came to find you."
"Does the God Emperor know about this?"
Gu Zhong remained silent for a long time before speaking again.
"I didn't know yet. I came to find you as soon as I got the news."
"Now that you know about this, you have gained the upper hand. You can plan your own rescue, so why come to me?"
After thinking for a moment, Gu Zhong slowly shook his head.
"What if Xiaoyan loses her life because of this?"
Knowing that Gu Zhong could no longer be loyal to the divine realm, Shao Jun left behind a sentence that she couldn't help but care about.
"What's the meaning?"
Gu Zhong's gaze instantly hardened, turning viciously towards Shao Jun.
"What the Demon Emperor desires is not a beautiful woman, but the Divine Pearl. The Demon Realm is ambitious and colludes with the Demon Clan, all for the sake of taking over the Divine Realm. When advancing to the next realm, the Divine Pearl will be required. Do you understand now?"
Shaojun patiently explained his guesses in detail.
"wishful thinking!"
A sudden surge of anger ignited within Gu Zhong, and even the smoke and clouds could not conceal his fury. They burst forth and gesticulated wildly in mid-air, seemingly urging Gu Zhong to engage in a final battle with the Demon Emperor.
“Gu Zhong, I know that the God Realm has wronged your Asura clan. But the situation is dire now. How can the God Realm alone fight against the combined attack of demons and monsters?”
"The wedding day is in a month. If you truly care about Xiaoyan, then come and rescue her."
Having explained everything that needed to be explained, Shaojun left with his last words and gracefully departed.
Looking up at the sky obscured by sand and dust, Gu Zhong closed her eyes—she had no other choice.
——
On the day Lingyan was sent to the demon realm, no matter how fierce the battle raged on the front lines, it did not affect the festive atmosphere that was deliberately arranged in the heavens.
Bright red silk cloths hung all over the temple, and even the palace maids' everyday clothes were all dyed red.
The melodious, celestial music of blessings surrounded the Nine Heavens Palace all day long.
Young Lord accompanied Lingyan as they walked out of the Xuanji Hall.
Returning to the light from darkness, the intense white light dazzled Lingyan's eyes. She closed them uncomfortably, and a tear rolled down her cheek.
"Gu Zhong, she still hasn't come?"
When she opened her eyes again, she looked around at the crowd that had come to greet her, but she couldn't see the familiar and expectant figure. Finally, her disappointed gaze fell on Shaojun.
"Perhaps it's hidden somewhere?"
Shaojun frowned, puzzled that Gu Zhong had not contacted her yet—could she really let go of Lingyan?
But if she doesn't show up soon, it won't be so easy for Lingyan to steal the bride once she leaves Tianmen.
For the first time, Shaojun had a premonition that the situation was spiraling out of control.
"The High Goddess Lingyan".
The Demon Emperor stood at the head of the crowd. He stepped forward, greeted Ling Yan with great courtesy, and extended his hand to her.
"I can walk by myself."
Facing the Demon Emperor, Ling Yan's composed expression instantly changed, and she caused the frost to solidify again.
"As long as the gods are happy."
Whether he had grown accustomed to it or was about to achieve his goal, the Demon Emperor chuckled twice, showing no anger at her attitude and adopting a doting demeanor that allowed her to indulge him.
A high-pitched cry came from the horizon, and three golden phoenixes gracefully arrived, painting a magnificent golden picture in the blue canvas.
Their dazzling tail feathers shone brightly as they approached Lingyan from afar, landing in front of her. Behind them was a gilded carriage adorned with pearls, which shone brilliantly in the sunlight.
The phoenixes lowered their proud heads toward Lingyan in an inviting gesture.
The Demon Emperor looked at her expectantly. Ling Yan looked around again, but apart from the young lord's worried face, she could not see any other scene she wanted to see.
Her heart sank. Perhaps she had overestimated this affection. Compared to the hatred of the dead in the divine realm, what was this?
Gu Zhong did not directly defect to the Demon Clan and wreak havoc in the God Realm, which must be a testament to his deep loyalty and righteousness.
Ling Yan took a deep breath and stepped onto the carriage platform.
The Demon Emperor's smile grew even wider, his eyes filled with an impatient urging.
Just then, an unexpected change occurred.
Thick black fog suddenly burst forth from the ethereal white mist of the divine realm, swirling wave after wave toward the nearby immortals and gods.
"what happened?"