They had been about to get married in what should have been the union of the century. But Jing He, the crown prince of the Nine Heavens, is forced to descend to the mortal world for a trial. His lover, dragon king Qiu Ling, quietly follows to protec...
Author's Note: There are going to be some references to geographical sites and directions in this arc (specifically this chapter and the next, I believe) so I figured it was a good time to upload the map of the immortal realms with the chapter. It's a WiP, so lots of landmarks are still missing but I hope it'll give you a general overview so you won't be confused about what's happening in-story. I'll upload the final version over on my website (where I also have the OMF compendium uploaded, if you remember) and then give you the link if you're interested 😊
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Anyway, onto the chapter now!
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The two of them left the palace, made their way out of the capital city, and then flew north. They passed over the western sea to not run into too many demons and made their way toward the northern coastline.
On the way, Xiang Yong told Lei Jiang about what Fu Heng and Fu Min had told him in the transmission earlier. "I hope they are still in the western part of the realm. If they've traveled further east, it'll be difficult to find them."
Lei Jiang nodded. He actually hadn't been to the demon realm before, especially not to the northern part that was the furthest from the dragon realm, but he had also seen a map of the immortal realms before. From what he remembered, there were a lot of peninsulas on the northern side of the demon realm. If their king was traveling along the coast ... it was tough to say where he would be.
Lei Jiang hesitated for a moment but then still spoke up. "Maybe we should contact the other advisers again now that we've reached the north? They might have at least a rough idea where they are."
Xiang Yong glanced toward the east and nodded. "I assume that is the only choice." He pulled out his transmission stone but motioned for Lei Jiang to already follow him further east. "They shouldn't be seeing too many demons any longer. In that case, their travel speed should be fast. We can't fall behind."
Lei Jiang nodded but didn't say anything as Fu Heng's image already appeared above the transmission stone.
Fu Heng faintly raised his brows when he saw an extra person but he didn't ask. Instead, he directly turned to Xiang Yong. "We're still heading further east. I'm not sure where but he seems to be avoiding getting too close to the coastline."
Xiang Yong gave a hum. This didn't seem to be too strange considering Qiu Ling's heritage. Entering the water would compel him to take on his other form and he had always tried to avoid that. Especially in the fragile state he was in right now, he would likely act with even more caution, even if just subconsciously. "We'll come there as fast as we can."
Fu Heng nodded and hesitated for a moment before clearing his throat. "Maybe keep the transmission going. If I see anything special, I'll describe it."
Xiang Yong gave a hum and then waved at Lei Jiang, speeding up again.
The two dragons rushed toward the east, also avoiding getting too close to the coastline. They passed several settlements before they finally spotted a few figures in the distance.
Xiang Yong narrowed his eyes. "That might be them." He sped up further and soon, he was able to recognize Fu Heng with his signature red hair.
He called out and the two up front slowed down a little although they didn't dare to stop for fear of letting Qiu Ling out of their eyes.
Fu Heng nodded when Xiang Yong and Lei Jiang caught up and then wordlessly pushed his husband toward Xiang Yong.
The latter's lips twitched and he motioned at Lei Jiang. "You've both been following His Majesty for a week and should be exhausted. Take Fu Min back to the capital yourself. I'll continue to guard His Majesty together with Lei Jiang. After you've rested, you can rejoin us in a few days. Maybe take An Bai along. He seems strong as well and should be able to do a better job than Fu Min."
Fu Min huffed but he was too tired to really complain about Xiang Yong's words. He simply grabbed his husband's arm tightly, happy that he wouldn't have to leave him. "Let's go then."
Fu Heng looked over his shoulder, hesitating when he saw their king's figure. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to him. The same was true for Fu Min but ... one would only need to be sent out of the realm while the other had to be accompanied without rest. It was clear which part was more difficult.
Xiang Yong could see his struggle but shook his head. "Don't say anything. You need rest. Even if it's just for a day. If you absolutely need to, you can return here tomorrow morning." He glanced to where Qiu Ling was slowly leaving their line of sight and furrowed his brows.
"It's been a week. Even though he should be able to hold on longer than us, he can't go on forever. Not with the constant rushing ahead and the fighting right after a battle. Losing Zhong Jing Yi also should have taken a toll on him. He'll probably collapse soon. At that time, we'll rush him back as fast as we can."
Fu Heng wanted to nod but then hesitated with a glance at Fu Min. When he turned back to Xiang Yong, his expression looked odd. "Better bring him to the Nine Heavens."
Xiang Yong was startled at first but then nodded. "If it's possible, we'll do that."
Fu Heng finally nodded as well, then grabbed Fu Min around the waist and sped off. If it hadn't made them more of a target, he even would have changed his form to be faster.
Xiang Yong only glanced in the direction they left in and then followed the direction their king was headed in, slowly catching up to him with Lei Jiang. Just like Fu Heng and Fu Min they hung back a little.
Seeing his figure, Xiang Yong tried to look for signs of exhaustion but there was nothing. It really seemed as if he could go on like this for another week without trouble. This really wasn't good.
Next to him, Lei Jiang also looked at the figure in front but then turned to Xiang Yong. "If we continue going east, we'll reach the eastern coastline."
Xiang Yong looked at him and his eyes slowly widened. Right. The eastern coastline of the demon realm was directly opposite the western coastline of the Nine Heavens, only separated by the Shan Dian Trench. If they reached there, maybe the connection with the Son of Heaven would allow them to pull their king out of his current state.
