[A/N:- I want to remind you all that this book has a happy ending (Sort of) and that pain comes before pleasure.
Ok. That's it.
*Gulps* 😅]

Hei Chi's POV

As soon as Xian leaves, I step outside, needing to clear my head. I did not want YiJun to spoil what I had built with Xian. I have hardly walked for a few minutes when I notice the eerie quietness that has fallen around Zhu's property.

Something felt off.

I turned back. As I neared the mansion, I realized that the temperature had fallen a few degrees as well. It hit me then: something celestial was lurking around.

Almost instantly, I rushed towards Xian's room, taking the stairs two at a time, wondering if it was already too late. But that was not the only thing that came to my mind.

How did THEY know where to find Xian?

Was it just a coincidence that YiJun had demanded to see Xian the very next day?

Thankfully, Xian lets me in. Though there were no signs of anyone with celestial power entering his room, I still couldn't feel at ease. There were heaven's weapons around my Xian, and I would be damned...(well, I am damned) if I let them snatch him away from me.

In my haste, I realized a little too late that I had overstepped my boundaries. Boundaries that neither my hospitality nor power over the boy had breached. If anything, they had made him bolder, more resilient.

Unfortunately for me,  Xian had connected the dots and filled in the blanks. I felt angry at letting down my guard; at the same time, however, the boy's presence of mind filled me with pride as well. The boy was more like Zhen than I had expected, and I did not know what to make of it.

I had initiated his creation, I wanted him to be my weapon, but now, I wasn't sure.

Looking at the challenge in Xian's eyes reminds me of myself when I had stood up for my Fei.

There is no doubt left in my mind that the fallen angel I had been searching for all along was none other than YiJun. What I still do not understand is how they had resisted the pull?

How was Xian still unmarked?

Why had YiJun not taken him!?

Had Zhen betrayed me?

Had he actually fallen in love with Xuan?

No, that could never be!

He hated heaven as much as I did...he hated father.... despised him, just like I did...didn't he?

Uncertainty worms its way into my heart. Had I been wrong all along? By asking him to return to me, had I separated him from his love just like father had done to me?

"Mr. Zhu?" Xian calls, and I turn to the window, and a chill runs down my spine. I was weak; I had taken none: neither a man nor a woman since possessing YiJun's body. I hadn't killed or corrupted anyone either. Xian's presence had made it impossible for me to sin; I didn't want to sin.

I should have.

I pull Xian behind me a moment before the window bursts open, and a winged masked soldier followed by three similarly dressed ones in royal blues materialize in front of me.

Luckily I still possessed enough power to summon Dong, and that is what I do. As four celestial swords slice through the air and come towards me, Dong, my faithful servant, appears and takes the blow in my stead.

The dark venom bleeding through the places where the swords had left their mark disorients the angels; I take this chance to escape with Xian. I know they are not here for me. They just want Xian.

I expect Xian to cooperate; he doesn't. He looks at the angels. Mesmerized. I pull on his arm, but he doesn't bulge.
I know Dong's venom can only do so much to deter the angels, so with barely moments to spare, I use my voice on Xian. It makes him turn and glare at me, but despite not wanting to, he follows me.

As soon as we are out the door, Qing joins us. She could sense the celestial aura. Throughout my reign as the king of the underworld, this trait of hers had helped us escape dangerous situations more than a few times.
"Gege," She addresses me, keeping with her cover. "We must leave." She side-eyes Xian. "Will he be joining us?"

"No, he won't!" Xian replies in my stead.

It angers me. "You will do as told! Get moving!" I bellow.

Does he realize what getting caught by angels will do to him?

I think not.

"I said, let's go!" I order, summoning my power of persuasion, but to my shock, the voice has no effect on him.

How?

Xian chuckles, "You are not my guardian; Jun is. And since he..."

"Shut up!" I lose my temper, "Now is not the time to throw tantrums, Xian. The angels are not here for me...they want you. You are the son of a fallen. If they capture you, what do you think they will do to, hum?" I grab his arm and start pulling him towards Hua's office: the place where I had built the portal to the underworld.

"Master, hurry!" Dong's pained scream reaches me even as I struggle to drag Xian towards our destination.

Xian shrugs my arm. "Stop pretending to care." He chides; his eyes burn like the eternal fire: the sole source of light in the underworld since times immemorial. "I am sure I will be safer with them. At least they will not try to rape me!"

"Xian!" I bite out and slap the boy right across his face. I regret it instantly. I watch the blood trickle down the side of his lip, expecting him to cower in fear like the ones I ruled over, but he doesn't. Of course, he doesn't. He is not like them. He was born to lead, just as I was.

I try to undo the damage, to appease the anger that is undoubtedly raging inside him. But when I try to approach, he throws his palm out. "I will take my chances with the angels. I am not going anywhere with you, least of all, to the underworld."

He knows who I am!

His statement cements my belief that YiJun was indeed the fallen one I was searching for.

The venomous fangs of betrayal pierce my heart.

My Xian had betrayed me. He had sided with YiJun...with heaven...with father.

Even so, I still couldn't bring myself to abandon him. Wanting to leave with the angels was a mistake; I couldn't let that happen. If I could somehow convince him to come with me to my realm, I could keep him safe.

I decide to lie. After all, that was what I was best at. "I promise, I will talk to the angels, and when it is not dangerous, I will send you to heaven."

Xian sneers, "How are you planning to do that?" He takes a step towards me, "Don't tell me you will reconcile with your father and abandon your thought for revenge. You want revenge, don't you?"

I almost strike him again. Is this how father felt when I had rebelled, I wonder, but before I can dwell on the thought, I hear the angels break the door as well as the barrier Dong had created.

"Master," the seductress, Dong's sister, who was presently disguised as Qing, calls for my attention; her lips quiver as she mouths, 'It was a pleasure to serve you, Master.' and bows.

I know what's to come. I watch my enemy close in. I acknowledge her bow and nod, giving the young woman standing next to me permission to serve me one last time.

The seductress shrouds her body in mist and screeches while I tighten my hold on Xian's arms, who, struggling to get away, watches in horror as one by one, the angels who had murdered Dong fall to their knees. Golden fluid leaks out of the orifices: ears and corner of their eyes.

Taking advantage of his shocked disposition, I land a blow on the nape of his neck. It makes him wince and pass out.

Relieved, I sling him over my shoulder and proceed to my office. As I near the portal, the hope of keeping Xian next to me grows. The desire to finally have someone I could call mine takes root in the core of my heart: the corner that was up until now, reserved for memories of Zhen and Fei.

With Xian not struggling, soon, the door to the office comes into view. I scan the area and step into the open. Reaching for the knob, I turn it.

We made it, Xian!

The door swings open, and I step inside. Luckily, I couldn't hear the angels at all. I leave a breath I didn't know I was holding and place Xian on the couch.

Stroking the boy's cheek, I reassure, "I am sorry for what I did, son. Trust me, I will make it up to you later."
I was confident that as long as I could take Xian home, I could bring him over to my side.

I approach the closet next to the oak table, but before I can feed my blood into the keyhole, the door to my office bursts open, and YiJun steps inside.

How did I not feel his presence?

Our eyes lock for a moment before he spots Xian on the couch.

I abandon the closet and move to shield the unconscious boy. "I am taking him with me," I announce, and he shakes his head. "Hei Chi, I can't let you do that."

I observe the man in front of me. Though concerned, there was none of the confidence and authority I had heard the General of heaven's army possessed. I knew I could take him out without breaking a sweat. What confused me, however, was that he was alone and unarmed.

If YiJun was with the angels, how had the seductress's scream not affected him?

If he had arrived later, why was he alone?

"Hei Chi, he will hate you more if you take him to the underworld. He doesn't belong there." YiJun adds in a calm tone and steps closer.

"He doesn't belong to heaven either, you know," I reply, and he stops advancing.

"I know. But I still can't let you take Xian with you." The man in front of me holds his hand out, "Hei Chi...Ge ge. Please. Stop before it's too late." He pleads, "Let me take him. I will hide him where heaven can't find him. Please-."

Being called 'Gege' by this stranger irks me more than I expect. "How dare you address me like that? Who gave you the right, hum?"

"I am sorr-"

"Scatter. Hei Chi must be here somewhere!" I hear the angel before I can feel her.

"No," YiJun whispers and moves towards Xian.

"Heaven shall never have him!" I bellow, and before I can stop myself, I raise my palm and direct the killing curse at the angel in front of me.

I watch in horror as at that very moment, Xian's eyes flutter open, and right in front of him, the curse hits YiJun in the chest.

We watch as his primordial body goes up in flames.

"Noooooo! What have you done?!" Xian yells.

A split second later, a gush of icy cold wind enters the room. I just have enough time to rush towards the closet and disappear within the portal.

My heart aches at the thought of abandoning Xian, but there is nothing I can do at the moment. I am no match for the angels in my present state. I was Xian's only hope for survival, and I had to get away if I was to go back and save him.

Moreover, I was sure that after what he had witnessed, he would never let me get close, let alone escort him to the underworld.

I had to go to my realm and bathe in the eternal flames to rejuvenate. With Xian being taken to heaven, the barrier would finally lose its power over me.

Father, thank you for making it easier for me. Just wait a little longer; I will be there soon. And then, no one will be able to stop me from taking what has always been...mine.

{Note:- That's it for this update 😅😅
All I want to say is: keep faith and keep reading.

I promise, you won't regret it. 👍

Please try and ⭐Vote⭐ even if you haven't enjoyed this update 😂😂😂🥴

Fighting! }