Jin Ling took a shaky breath. Yes, he was his child. That couldn't be changed. But so what? Even if he was, why shouldn't it be possible for them to be together? Wasn't it normal in the demon realm? That was what his father had told him.
In the demon realm, it didn't matter who was who. There was no status to be inherited. There were no familial ties. Yes, you might have parents or you might have a child and there might be brothers and sisters but it didn't matter. If they weren't worth anything to you, then they might as well not exist. But if they had something to give, then why shouldn't you make a deal with them? It was like that with any person. Blood ties counted for nothing. And they weren't considered when starting a relationship either.
Even if you were related, why shouldn't you indulge in what you wanted? That was what Jian Heng had always said. And he had believed him. Because if he did, if what the demons did was really right, then he would have a chance to be together with the person he loved, even if Jinde regarded him as his child.
This was natural for the demons. And the dragons had once been demons too. It couldn't be that they completely looked down on this. It just couldn't be. It mustn't be.
Jin Ling gulped and shook his head, surfacing from his thoughts. "Regardless of what you say, I love him. I won't give him up. Not without a fight. So tell me where he is. Tell me and I'll go and talk to him. Let's see what he thinks about this. If he doesn't want to see me, then I'll leave."
Tian shook his head. "Obviously, he doesn't want you to see him. Otherwise, why would you have landed here? He isn't in the High Heavens. He never was. He didn't set foot in my realm even once. As the previous Longjun, he knows better than to come and annoy me.
"Now, you should turn back. I don't have the patience to deal with you any longer. Just return to the demon realm and mind your own business. That man obviously doesn't want to see you. If you won't leave on your own … Don't blame me for throwing you out."
Jin Ling furrowed his brows. What did he mean? Jinde wasn't in the High Heavens? But this was where Xin Lan and gone! "If he isn't here, why did Xin Lan come here? What did he want from you?"
Tian narrowed his eyes. "What he wanted here or not, how is that any of your business? Just turn back and I will forget that you were here."
Jin Ling shook his head. No. No, he wouldn't just give up. "You must have made a deal with him! He must've promised you something in return for you telling me that Jinde isn't here! But he is. He is waiting here until I leave and then he'll leave too. How will I be able to find him then?"
Tian's expressionless face darkened. He really didn't have the patience to deal with this person. "Do you really think there's anything that person could offer me that would make me do his bidding? I'm the sovereign of all realms, there is nothing anybody could offer me that would make me help them. Especially not that person." He took a step toward Jin Ling and raised his head. "Now, I believe I warned you often enough. You either turn back right now or I will make you do so."
Jin Ling still wanted to retort but Tian didn't want to hear any of it. He struck out and an invisible force hit Jin Ling square in the chest, making him fly back. A gate opened behind him and he was unable to stop, falling through it. He reached out, trying to get back somehow but the gate already closed again and he found himself back in the demon realm. In fact, he had quite awkwardly landed on his own throne. This was probably Tian's reminder that he should care about his own business and not annoy other people.
Jin Ling pressed his eyes shut and slammed his hand onto the armrest. Fuck this! Why hadn't he reacted sooner? If he managed to evade that attack … Ah, but even if he did, that would have only gained him a bit of time. There was no way for him to outrun the owner of that place. Sooner or later, Tian would've caught him and thrown him out. There was no way to change that. Well, now, what should he do? He certainly couldn't give up looking for Jinde. That just wasn't possible.
Back in the High Heavens, Tian shook his head and then returned to the capital, entering his palace and sitting back down. He gently traced the edge of the coffin with his fingers and gave a small smile. "I'm back. Sorry to let you wait so long. It was surprisingly hard to throw that demon out. He just didn't want to listen. Well, they're just the same today as they were back then. You probably wouldn't be surprised at all." He sighed and then fell quiet. Even if he talked, it wasn't like Xing would answer him. No, he still had to wait.
"You'll keep your promise, won't you?" He couldn't help but lower his head at that thought. Yes, Xing would certainly stay true to his promise. If he managed to fulfill his end of the bargain, then Xing would return to him. "Just a bit longer … I feel that maybe we won't have to wait too long anymore." Yes, maybe the time was indeed imminent. Maybe they wouldn't need to wait much longer. He couldn't say for sure but at the very least, that was his hope. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do besides hoping. If he could, he would've felt much better.
Ah, it truly was ironic that he who was almost omnipotent couldn't make his beloved's one wish come true just through his own power.