Chapter 938: Dare Not Return

A method like this was more than what a normal person could comprehend, or at least, it far exceeded what those four had ever encountered — how could they not be terrified?

Dong Qitian's chilling voice finally reached them. "The four of you — come over here!"

Nobody dared to disobey that single command that was filled with such a monstrous aura.

The four individuals turned as white as a sheet. They knew that they had encountered an unprecedentedly strong character in this expedition of theirs, and if they did not handle this properly, they might just meet a horrible end.

With such conflicted thoughts, the four of them approached with caution, careful not to incur deadly wrath upon themselves.

"Pray tell, what would this elder like us to do? We are from Cangwu Union..."

"I didn't ask you lot who you were." Dong Qitian replied flatly. "I would just like to ask you this — does this area still belong to the domain controlled by the Sacred Heart Palace?"

"Yes."

"What year is it?" Dong Qitian asked.

" To reply to your question, elder, the year is the three-hundred-and-ninety-eighth century of the Bound of Universe's calendar cycle; year nine-hundred-and-three." The four of them offered a reply, stammering nervously.

Where did this fellow come from? His strength was high as heck, yet he didn't know what year it was...

Did he just fall out of the sky?

"The Bound of Universe's three-hundred-and-ninety-eighth century... year nine-hundred-and-three..." Dong Qitian mumbled, his body spasming and twitching from time to time. He closed his eyes, opening them only after a long while, cloudy as if they had been shrouded by a flash of smoky haze.

Yun Yang could clearly feel that whatever flashed across Dong Qitian's eyes was the acknowledgment of the massive changes that had occurred within this period of time.

"Understood. Off you go."

As if they had narrowly escaped their doom, the four men fled swiftly.

They could not help but wonder, did this fellow call us over just to ask us what year it was?

They didn't quite understand what had just happened.

Is this the birth of some age-old creature?

Dong Qitian slowly closed his eyes. For a long time, he did not move, looking just like a statue.

Yun Yang didn't utter a single word to urge him on. He simply stood by his side.

"When I was imprisoned in there... it was the three-hundred-and-ninety-fourth century, year seven-hundred-and-forty." Dong Qitian had his eyes closed. His voice was calm, a little distant. "Currently, it's already the three-hundred-and-ninety-eighth century, year nine-hundred-and-three."

Yun Yang's thoughts came to a halt. He couldn't make out the meaning and intent behind Dong Qitian's words. However, he was stunned by Dong Qitian's next words.

"One century is a thousand years..." Dong Qitian chuckled. "I can't believe that I've already spent four thousand, one hundred and sixty-three days in the belly of that mountain! How amusing... Truly amusing!"

Suddenly, he raised his head towards the skies and let out a long stream of cackles, yet in the midst of it, there was a flurry of conflicting emotions. That laugh sounded no different from a cry of anguish.

Yun Yang seemed to finally register what was happening and continued to accompany him in silence. Finally, after he was done laughing, and when his voice had lowered and became calmer, Yun Yang began to ask, "Could there possibly be something or someone so unforgiving in the mortal realm back then?"

Dong Qitian shook his head and replied ruefully, "Who in this mortal realm doesn't have something or somebody they simply can't let go of?"

Yun Yang was left speechless. He did not know how to continue.

Dong Qitian continued. "From the time I entered and exited this place, four-thousand-and-one-hundred years have passed. Even if I have certain grievances towards something or somebody and although I might be able to withstand such a long period of time... can they?"

He turned around and faced Yun Yang. "With my return this time around, how many old acquaintances will I meet? Or perhaps, how many abandoned graves will I see? How many tombstones? Or perhaps... is there nothing left at all?"

There was a clear sheen in Yun Yang's eyes. "Nonetheless, you're still here. If you're present, how can there be no hope?"

"Yes, I'm still here... Hope..." Dong Qitian crossed his arms and watched the evening skies. "Who else in this realm is worthy of my protection?"

He suddenly threw a long-winded scream that hurtled towards the skies. The clouds in the sky shifted colors as a sudden thunderous roar tore through them. "Zhan Wufei! You're a bloody bastard!"

Yun Yang's heart stirred at the name.

Zhan Wufei?

This name sounded vaguely familiar — as if somebody had mentioned it before.

Wasn't... Wasn't that the name of the Palace Leader of Sacred Heart Palace?

...

The two men headed east together.

Dong Qitian did not utter a single word the entire way. Occasionally, he would come to a stop when they passed a mountain, fly to its peak and look around. Then, he would come down without a word and resume the journey.

"Where are we going to first?"

"To your sect, of course. It doesn't feel good to be indebted to somebody."

"Honestly, I don't mind if you'd like to return home first." Yun Yang deliberated for a moment before he started slowly. "Go back home... Take a look at whatever you've missed... You've never given up hope of being released, and now that this has come true, how would you know that your other aspirations won't have a chance to be realized as well?"

Dong Qitian's body shuddered abruptly. For a moment he did not say anything.

Only until he had journeyed for almost over a hundred miles, he finally sighed and admitted, "I... dare not return for the moment."

Yun Yang sighed.

He could understand such a statement, despite the fact that it was completely void of context.

The sorrow captured was already indescribable by prose — instead, they lied within unsaid words.

"As you mentioned earlier, elder, you were trapped for forty to fifty years..." Yun Yang tried hard to lighten up the mood. "Instead, over four thousand years have passed... That is quite a tremendous difference."

Dong Qitian forced a smile. "There was neither sun nor moon in the cave."

Yun Yang was about to reply when he found that Dong Qitian had suddenly stopped moving forward.

He turned around with such force abruptly, staring straight at Yun Yang with a menacing and piercing gaze.

Yun Yang staggered in shock. Suddenly, he felt as if he had not known this person in front of him at all — the freshly-established familiarity was gone.

When his gaze fell onto that man, the only thing he saw was a strange smile that had suddenly surfaced on Dong Qitian's face and a concentrated waft of a murderous aura enveloping his body. In a flat voice, he started, "Little brother, I'm very grateful towards your help in rescuing me, but... you just happened to rescue me by chance, yet you demand so much from me. Don't you think I should just kill you so that I can quickly be rid of this ill-fated relationship between us?"

Yun Yang suddenly felt a massive wave of danger that he had never encountered before looming ahead. He stood up, his body tensed with caution as he replied in a nonchalant voice. "The heavens are witnessing whatever we do. This is especially true in the Bound of Universe. You can give it a try if you're not afraid of the punishment meted out by God's Will. I'm actually very interested to witness this so-called legendary punishment of the heavens — I'm interested to know what kind of punishment it would be!"

Dong Qitian cackled menacingly. "Heavenly punishment? I've been away from the mortal realm for a good four-thousand-and-a-hundred years! I don't have anything left. Instead of living a meaningless life like this, perhaps I should drag you along with me — you dare say I won't dare to do it?"

Before his voice faltered, the ominous, murderous aura grew even stronger as if it had manifested physically. Clearly, his words that had been stringing Yun Yang along was not just an empty threat but a move he could execute at any time — an execution he could deliver mercilessly!

Dong Qitian's gaze and expression had a crazed, savage look to it.