This time, the pain of her landing didn't hurt as much because she was not only excited to give what she spent her night making for him but also to hear the good news that he was ready to save this world with her.
The cave was unusually cold and quiet as the immortal black dragon stood ominously with his back turned to her and yet to acknowledge her presence.
When Xueyao couldn't wait for him to acknowledge her first, she cleared her throat multiple times to gain his attention but he remained stiff, not moving a muscle.
''Black dragon immortal?'' She called out to him softly but the cold silence she received from him bothered her a lot.
''Black dragon—''
''Are you here because you have found a way to put me back to sleep?'' He questioned icily and it broke her heart so much to know all her efforts in convincing him yesterday all fell on deaf ears. Her grip tightened around the embroidered cloth as she fought not to break down in tears. She got only two or three days left to get him on the ship to save the world and he was still like this.
''Why are you even like this?!'' She snapped as she grew tired of being patient and hoping he would come around to be responsible for them again. ''Don't you understand that you are about to lose everything? Do you think it's only going to be our problem if we all wake up one day to die and lose everything that we love the most?!'' Her knuckles turned bone-white, tinged faintly with red as she imagined losing Sheng Chong because an arrogant irresponsible God decided they were not worth saving.
''How dare you give us hope only to sit back and watch it get taken away from us?!''
''If you are not here to fix the mess you caused me then I'll rather you leave and never return. The moment you step foot in here again I would not hesitate to kill you.''
The heartbroken girl's lips parted at him in disbelief. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she stared up and down wondering what else to do. It hurt a lot. Not his insensitive words but the imagination of being the reason Sheng Chong would get crushed under the weakened foundation of the immortal realm should it finally collapse one day.
She tried not to make a sound as she cried before letting go of the embroidered cloth she now regretted ever spending so much time and effort making for him only to be rejected like this once again. She believes she has been patient and understanding enough.
She can't take this anymore.
She would have to find another way to free her dearest companion even if it would cost her all of her spiritual powers or her life.
She wasn't going to hold back on anything anymore to save him!
The moment he couldn't sense her presence around him anymore, Darkness turned around slowly to confirm her absence.
As he was figuring out a way to put himself back into seclusion so he could find answers to this haunting feeling of pain. After all, he had done it before, and it was ridiculous he couldn't put himself back into that eternal sleep, all because of her.
A deep red piece of cloth caught his eye as he moved near it.
The ancient immortal dragon fell on his knees, picked it up to examine what it was.
But what he didn't expect to find was that the very name that threatened to take his sanity was inscribed carefully on the face of the red cloth.
☆☆☆
The girl angrily marched on the dark soil of the undying realm toward the borders with tears streaming down her face, her heart bleeding with regrets.
''I will find a way to rescue Sheng Chong myself. I don't need an arrogant jerk like him to save my friend.''
''Aha Aha Aha Aha.'' The cynical laughter of her three nightmares echoed around her before their arrival.
Xueyao stood frozen on a spot at the look on their faces and she wondered what they were all doing here. She thought the so–called success of framing her as the Tribulation Guardian and putting her and Sheng Chong in a terrible mess would make them all give up their petty bullying on her.
Xueyao stepped back when they began to approach her with predatory steps.
''Xueyao, Xueyao, Xueyao,'' Lan Meiyun began as the two behind her snickered. ''It's been ages since we've paid each other a visit. Don't you miss us?''
Xueyao couldn't say anything but stare angrily at the trio.
''Aw, why did it look like you had just been kicked out by the immortal dragon himself? I can totally understand why he might have done that. You really have an irritable personality and I can guess he also grew tired of bearing the suffocating aura of your weakness,'' She smirked as her eyes reflected how she always enjoyed reminding her that she was the most insignificant blue dragon in the entire fourth heaven.
''What do you want, Lan Meiyun?'' Xueyao questioned with her hands balled determinedly, not making it easy for them to push her around this time.
''Oh, my. What would a dragon like me want from a dragon like you?''
Lan Zixuian and Lan Yuitan burst into laughter behind Lan Meiyun.
''I don't know, you tell me.''
Lan Meiyun cocked an eyebrow at her sudden boldness to speak back at them.
Lan Meiyun raised her left hand and slapped her hard with a wave of her blue magic. Xueyao collapsed to the ground, spitting out blood, her hearing gone for the next five seconds due to the pain of that hit.
''Lan Meiyun!'' The girl roared back at the three when the slap was sure to leave burning marks on her skin, adding to the long list of pain she had been suffering from since the beginning of the week.
''You still haven't learnt to keep your head down before dragons stronger than you.'' She moved her hands again and Xueyao was thrown back with the powerful wave of her magic several feet away from where they stood. The girl crashed painfully on the dark soil and struggled to rise to a sitting position covered with dirt and fresh bruises appearing on her hands and face.
The three devils appeared before her again and Xueyao wondered what she must have done to receive this amount of hatred from them.
''You really don't understand that I will be doing the Fourth Heaven a huge favour if I should decide to end your miserable life right here and now.'' The venomous snake among the three hissed bitterly as she gazed at her helpless form on the ground.
''Tribulation guardian?'' Lan Meiyun scoffed, ''What a joke.''
She struggled to get back on her feet to save herself the dignity of being killed by the three while she was injured and helpless on the ground.
''The whole formless dimension must have been out of its mind to think you are capable of saving us. And guiding the immortal black dragon through tribulations and protecting him. You who couldn't protect your friend and yourself from being killed by me!'' She raged angrily as she stomped her feet to the ground. Powerful strong walls of blue magic appeared behind her. Her legs spread apart, her hands clasped together as her gaze remained fixed on Xueyao in a murderous glare.
''No one is going to miss you when you're gone.'' She mocked with a crazy grin. The walls of magic behind her then bent to become hundreds of short icy arrows, their sharp points all turned to her. Xueyao stared, overwhelmed by how she was going to go against that.
Her crazed enemy fired all one hundred at once and Xueyao closed her eyes and braced herself of the pain of being torn apart by the arrows hurtling toward her.
But nothing happened.
Lan Meiyun and the other two watched as the icy arrows paused a few centimeters from tearing the girl apart like they wanted. Lan Meiyun backed down in confusion to stare at her palms and wondered if her powers malfunctioned midway through ending her life.
Xueyao opened her eyes with a startled gasp at the frightening array of icy arrows all suspended before her.
The calm breeze of the undying realm blew against his hair as he held back the arrows from hurting a single strand of her hair.
He stood with his hands tucked behind him atop a rock, calmly watching the three menaces ever since their leader dared to call his Tribulation guardian a joke.