Chapter 995: Niu Youdao, You Despicable, Shameless Villain!

The factions undergoing tempering inside Sacred Realm knew nothing of events outside, while the factions outside knew almost nothing about how the tempering inside Sacred Realm was progressing.

There was one exception: word that Niu Youdao had left Sacred Realm and returned to Zijin Cave had spread, causing quite a stir. Yet there were still people who had not heard.

In a secluded place stood a small farmhouse courtyard enclosed by earthen walls. Zhao Dengxuan pushed open the gate and entered. The courtyard was quiet, with lush green vines of melons and vegetables climbing in one corner.

Seeing no movement, Zhao Dengxuan called out, "Jinhuan! Jinhuan..."

After shouting several times without an answer, he rushed into the house and called again. He searched every room, even the kitchen, but found no one.

The furnishings inside were plainly the sort used by ordinary commoners, not cultivators.

Alarm rose in Zhao Dengxuan's heart. He quickly came back outside and saw Wu Shaohuan, Elder of Liuxian Sect, who had accompanied him here, standing in the courtyard.

The one-armed Wu Shaohuan still wore a smile.

"Where is she?" Zhao Dengxuan strode over with a dark expression. "Elder Wu, didn't you say she was here? Where is she? I advise you not to play any tricks!"

Making this trip had not been easy for him. Xiaoyao Palace was a great distance away. He did not yet have the standing to use one of Xiaoyao Palace's large flying mounts whenever he pleased, nor could he constantly make the journey. He was, after all, a disciple of Xiaoyao Palace and had duties of his own to fulfill.

Wu Shaohuan's smile turned somewhat strange. "Mr. Zhao, wait a moment. She'll be here very soon. It won't take long. Very soon."

Zhao Dengxuan drew a deep breath. "Wouldn't it have been better to meet directly at Liuxian Sect? Why lure me to this desolate farmhouse?"

Wu Shaohuan sighed. "Some matters are better not known by too many people. We're doing this for your sake as well, Mr. Zhao. You'll understand shortly."

Zhao Dengxuan frowned, unable to make sense of it. "What the hell are all of you doing?"

Not long after he spoke, footsteps sounded outside. Dong Jinhuan appeared at the gate, and husband and wife stared at one another.

Zhao Dengxuan found that Dong Jinhuan had changed quite a bit. She was somewhat fuller in figure, while her skin seemed fairer and more delicate. There was less of the cultivator about her and more of a married woman's charm.

Seeing his wife safe and sound, Zhao Dengxuan breathed a sigh of relief. Dong Jinhuan bit her lip and slowly walked into the courtyard.

"Mr. Zhao, you see? I wasn't lying. All right, a reunion after long separation is sweeter than newlywed bliss. I won't disturb you husband and wife." Wu Shaohuan stroked his hanging beard with his one hand in a gesture of courtesy, then turned and left. With a sweep of that hand, wind rose and the courtyard gate swung shut on its own.

Once the outsider was gone, Dong Jinhuan flew into Zhao Dengxuan's arms like a bird returning to the woods and embraced him. "Zhao-lang," she murmured.

Zhao Dengxuan held her close, cheek against cheek. After a tender moment, he slowly pushed her back and asked curiously, "Why does your sect feel so strange? Couldn't we meet at Liuxian Sect? Why did we have to meet in this broken-down place?"

Pain surfaced on Dong Jinhuan's face. "I've been away from the sect for some time."

Zhao Dengxuan was surprised. "Away from the sect? Where did you go?"

Dong Jinhuan shook her head. "I don't know where I am either. I only know I'm inside some mountain, and the guards are extremely strict."

"Guards?" Zhao Dengxuan's expression turned grave. "What's going on?"

Dong Jinhuan looked around. "This isn't the place to talk. Come inside."

She took Zhao Dengxuan by the hand and led him into the house, shutting the door tightly behind them. Then she quickly checked every corner of the room and even peered outside through the cracks in the window.

Her behavior filled Zhao Dengxuan with alarm and uncertainty. He walked to her, placed both hands on her shoulders, and turned her to face him. "Jinhuan, tell me. Has something happened?"

Dong Jinhuan hesitated again and again. Finally her eyes reddened, and tears began silently sliding down her cheeks.

Zhao Dengxuan grew even more alarmed. Shaking her shoulders, he urged, "What happened? Say something!"

Dong Jinhuan shook her head and pulled one of the hands resting on her shoulder downward, guiding it over her chest.

When she smoothed her dress over her abdomen, Zhao Dengxuan jolted. He slowly lowered his gaze and saw that Dong Jinhuan's lower belly was already noticeably swollen. His palm rested on the curve.

His breathing quickened. Suddenly he snatched his hand back as though bitten by a snake and staggered several steps away. In a trembling voice, he asked, "You're pregnant?"

Dong Jinhuan nodded through her tears. "More than four months."

Zhao Dengxuan went blank for a moment and counted the time. Wasn't that right after their last meeting? Once the realization sank in, anxiety overtook him. "Jinhuan, have you gone mad? Didn't I tell you? With our present circumstances, it isn't suitable for us to have a child. If I act so recklessly, how am I supposed to explain myself to my sect when I return? And what if the child isn't suited for cultivation in the future? Do we have the ability to keep the child safe? It wouldn't have been too late to have one after our status and position rose another level and we had the ability to look after the child properly!"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's my fault, all my fault..." Dong Jinhuan apologized over and over, shaking her head.

Seeing her drenched in tears, Zhao Dengxuan's heart softened again. He stepped forward and embraced her. "Forget it. Since the child is already here, we'll face it together. At worst, the sect will scold me. If it truly comes to that, I'll stop worrying about advancement. There's nothing wrong with living an ordinary life."

The words came easily, but they were born of helplessness. Within a sect, what kind of pleasant life was there in remaining beneath others and constantly watching their faces?

He released her again, took her hand, and said, "Come. We'll go find Fei Changliu. No matter what, I'm taking you back to Xiaoyao Palace this time."

Dong Jinhuan grabbed him and shook her head, choking on sobs. "It's useless. The Sect Leader won't agree. He won't agree. I can't leave. Until the child is born, I can't go anywhere. They're watching me too closely."

Zhao Dengxuan was badly startled. "Jinhuan, what do you mean?"

Dong Jinhuan sobbed, "Having this child without telling you was the sect's idea. They kept persuading me before, and I believed them. They said the difference in status between us was too great, and we're from different sects, so only a child could truly bind you to me. But once I actually became pregnant, they suddenly concealed the news even inside the sect and secretly moved me away under heavy guard. They claimed it was so I could rest and nurture the pregnancy, but after everything that happened later, I realized something was wrong. It wasn't what they said at all."

"Later I made a scene and demanded to see you. I wanted you to know the good news. They refused. Then Master came and told me to abandon the idea. He said that if I wanted to be well, and wanted the child to be well, I should obediently follow arrangements and nothing would happen. He said the sect would take good care of me and the child afterward. Master warned me not to make trouble, and that nothing could happen to the child in my belly. If anything happened to the child, I wouldn't live either!"

Zhao Dengxuan said in shock, "Why?"

Dong Jinhuan wept. "I wanted to know why too. I asked Master exactly that. Master was helpless. He said he had no choice, and the sect had no choice. The sect didn't want to do this to one of its own disciples, but it had to comply. Master said Master Dao had spoken: I chose this road myself!"

"Niu Youdao?" Zhao Dengxuan cried out. "What does he want?"

Tears streamed down Dong Jinhuan's face. "Zhao-lang, don't you understand yet? I was wrong. I was truly wrong. I deserve ten thousand deaths. In the Tiandu Secret Realm, I shouldn't have betrayed Master Dao. This is my retribution. This is Master Dao's punishment for me! He's punishing you, me, and the child. He won't spare a single one of us. He won't even spare our next generation. My poor child..." She stroked her belly, already crying so hard she was barely recognizable.

Zhao Dengxuan swayed weakly, his eyes nearly splitting with rage. "Niu Youdao, you despicable, shameless villain!"

In the end, husband and wife remained there, one weeping without cease, the other staring blankly in silence.

Only after a long while did Zhao Dengxuan recover. He looked around, lowered his voice, and said, "Come. Quietly. We'll escape."

Dong Jinhuan shook her head. "Escape? Where can we escape to? Master Dao is too frightening. His power is too vast. He's an Elder of Zijin Cave and holds enormous authority in both the cultivation world and the secular world. These days, even Xiaoyao Palace and Lingjian Mountain have to consider Zijin Cave's face. Even if we flee to Xiaoyao Palace... the moment I run, I'll become a true traitor to Liuxian Sect. If Zijin Cave applies pressure, will Xiaoyao Palace really confront them over a traitor like me? What sect would protect a traitor with no real value to them?"

In her eyes, Niu Youdao was a terrifying existence so far above her she could never hope to reach him.

Zhao Dengxuan said, "Don't worry. You and I are husband and wife. Jinhuan, listen to me. I won't abandon you. At worst, we won't return to Xiaoyao Palace. The world is enormous. I refuse to believe there's nowhere we can hide."

Dong Jinhuan cried, "Zhao-lang, it's useless. I'm carrying a huge belly. I'm far too conspicuous. Niu Youdao's power is enormous. Once he mobilizes forces to hunt us down, people from the cultivation world to the secular world will search for us everywhere. Even those demons and monsters overseas are his people. Where can we hide? Can we hide for an entire lifetime? Even if we can, is our child supposed to hide with us for a lifetime too? If you don't return to Xiaoyao Palace, you'll become a traitor to Xiaoyao Palace as well! Xiaoyao Palace won't let you off either!"

Zhao Dengxuan said bitterly, "If Xiaoyao Palace won't even protect my wife and child, then I..." In the end, there were some words he still did not dare say. "Jinhuan, listen to me. Things aren't as frightening as you think. Niu Youdao entered Sacred Realm. He's undergoing tempering there right now. He has no attention to spare for us!"

"..."

Dong Jinhuan froze. Liuxian Sect had hidden her away in secret, cutting her off from outside news. There was much she did not know.

Zhao Dengxuan, meanwhile, had made the long journey here alone and still did not know what had happened in the cultivation world over the last several days. He had not heard that Niu Youdao had already returned from Sacred Realm.

"There's no time to lose. Come!" Zhao Dengxuan tugged her forward.

The two decided to flee. They climbed out through the kitchen window and escaped into the deep mountains.

They had not gone far when a large flying mount swept overhead. A figure dropped from the sky and landed in front of them, blocking the way.

The newcomer turned around expressionlessly. It was Fei Changliu, Sect Leader of Liuxian Sect, who had personally come.

Dong Jinhuan trembled in fear. To a disciple of the sect, the Sect Leader's authority was something to dread.

Immediately afterward, people closed in from all directions and surrounded husband and wife. Dong Jinhuan's master appeared among them, his face full of grief and anger. "Wretched disciple, what are you trying to do? Do you truly intend to betray your sect?"

Fei Changliu said coldly, "Husband and wife merely came out for a walk. It isn't as serious as you're making it sound. But these wild mountains are indeed unsafe, so don't go running around."

In the end, husband and wife could only surrender without resistance. Zhao Dengxuan had no way to fight his way out of the encirclement while protecting a heavily pregnant woman.

After the two had been taken away, Wu Shaohuan moved closer to Fei Changliu. "Sect Leader, Master Dao truly has remarkable ability. Even a place like Sacred Realm is somewhere he can leave whenever he pleases. Why don't we use this as an excuse to pay him a visit? There's no harm in having more contact and drawing closer."

Fei Changliu nodded. "Our Master Dao truly is no ordinary man. Liuxian Sect had no choice back then, but it seems we chose the right road after all. Make preparations. We've carried out what he told us to do. It's time we let him know."

"Yes!" Wu Shaohuan answered with a smile.

Neither man knew that Niu Youdao had already been "dragged back" into Sacred Realm. The problem was that neither Misty Pavilion nor Zijin Cave had publicized the matter. Most people in the cultivation world knew only that Niu Youdao had come out, not that he had gone back in again.

[End of Chapter 995]