Chapter 23:FREE?
Two days later, night fell over the Xun Clan estate.
A heavy knock echoed through the door.
Knock… knock…
Xun Cheng immediately opened it.
Outside stood Elder Rui.
"Good evening, Elder," Xun Cheng said respectfully.
Without waiting for permission, Elder Rui walked inside.
Xun Yu and Jing Wei stood behind, tense and silent.
A chair was quickly offered, and he sat down calmly.
"Why has Elder Rui come here?" Xun Cheng asked carefully.
Elder Rui looked at him.
"…Xun Yu's marriage has been cancelled."
Silence.
For a moment, the entire room froze.
Xun Yu's eyes widened.
"…Really?" she whispered.
Then relief flooded her expression.
Tears of joy fell as she turned away, unable to hold back her emotions.
Jing Wei stepped forward. "Why, Elder?"
Elder Rui leaned back slightly.
"Because God Tian Shu and General Tian Zhi will be leaving this planet."
"They have important matters elsewhere."
He paused.
"No one knows when they will return."
Then his tone turned cold again.
"But do not misunderstand."
"This marriage is only postponed. Not cancelled."
"When General Tian Zhi returns… it will proceed."
He stood up.
And left without another word.
---
That night, Xun Yu sat alone in her room.
"…Where are you… my love…"
"I have good news… but I can't even tell you…"
Tears fell quietly.
---
The next day, she tried again.
She teleported near the Wang Clan settlement.
But—
Countless guards stood there.
"Restricted area," one said coldly.
"No one is allowed to enter."
Xun Yu stepped back slowly, her heart sinking.
---
She returned the next day.
Still—
guards.
No entry.
No answers.
No Wang Zhong.
---
Days passed.
She kept trying.
Each time—
the same result.
---
One month later.
Xun Yu sat alone in her room.
Her tears never stopped.
Her parents tried to comfort her, but she said nothing.
---
Unknown to her—
deep beneath the Wang Clan settlement—
an underground prison existed.
Chains bound the remaining Wang Clan members.
Darkness. Silence. Endless despair.
---
Then—
one day.
The sky changed.
Guards outside suddenly panicked.
"Hurry! The Supreme Leader is returning!"
"General Tian Zhi is with him!"
"They are fighting outside the planet!"
Chaos spread instantly.
One guard paused.
"Wait… what? Why?"
Another struck him on the head.
"Idiot! Stop asking and move!"
The first guard hesitated again.
"Then what about the prison?"
The second waved dismissively.
"Forget it. Trash isn't important right now. Leave them."
And they all rushed away.
---
Silence returned.
---
Xun Yu appeared again at the settlement.
This time—
no guards.
No barriers.
Only emptiness.
"…Now…"
She found a hidden entrance in the ground.
A narrow passage.
A ladder descending into darkness.
She hesitated for only a moment.
Then climbed down.
---
The deeper she went—
the heavier the air became.
Chains echoed faintly.
Broken breaths.
Weak voices.
Despair filled the space.
---
Finally—
she reached the bottom.
And froze.
---
Wang Zhong.
And the remaining Wang Clan members.
Chained.
Wounded.
Exhausted.
But alive.
---
Silence.
Then—
"…Xun Yu…"
Wang Zhong lifted his head.
His voice was hoarse.
Broken.
But real.
---
Her entire body trembled.
"…Zhong…"
Tears instantly fell.
She rushed forward.
---
Hope returned to the darkness.
---
Wang Zhong struggled.
"…Don't come closer… it's dangerous…"
But Xun Yu was already in front of him.
"These are soul-binding chains…"
"I can break them."
She activated talismans and a spatial artifact.
Light surged.
---
CLANG!
One chain broke.
Then another.
Then another.
---
Wang Zhong collapsed forward as the restraints loosened.
He gasped for air.
"…Xun Yu… how did you get here?"
His voice was urgent.
Confused.
Worried.
---
Xun Yu tightened her grip on his hand.
"…I will tell you later," she said softly.
"…Right now, we need to leave."
Wang Zhong stared at her.
Then nodded.
"…Alright."
---
Suddenly—
a terrifying pressure descended.
Xun Yu's eyes widened.
"…No…"
Far above—
something was returning.
---
"We don't have time!"
She activated a spatial scroll.
Energy exploded.
Light swallowed everything.
---
BOOM.
Silence.
---
The underground prison was empty.
Only broken chains remained.
---
Far above—
Tian Shu paused mid-battle.
"…Something moved."
His eyes narrowed.
But it was too late.
---
Elsewhere—
light faded.
Wang Zhong and the surviving Wang Clan appeared on a distant mountain.
They collapsed.
But they were free.
Xun Yu stood beside him, exhausted.
"…I got you out…"
Wang Zhong looked at her.
"…You came for us…"
---
Behind them—
Wang Shuang clenched his fists.
"…We are free…"
But his eyes burned cold.
"…This is only the beginning."
---
Wang Zhong spoke.
"…We must leave this planet immediately."
---
OUTSIDE THE PLANET—
Tian Shu and Tian Zhi fought in a domain outside all laws of the Zarien Universe.
---
Tian Zhi shouted.
"You abandoned your clan for survival!"
Tian Shu replied calmly.
"You are wrong."
"I thought you were with me."
---
"How dare you lie!" Tian Zhi roared.
---
Back on the mountain—
Xun Yu formed the final teleportation array.
"Everyone, hold on!"
Wang Zhong looked back at the planet one last time.
"…I will remember this."
Wang Shuang said coldly.
"Tian Shu… I will return this thousandfold."
---
FLASH.
They vanished.
---
Far away—
on a distant unknown planet…
Xynara.
Silence.
---
Moments later—
space twisted.
Tian Shu clone appeared above the planet.
His divine sense spread instantly across the entire world.
Mountains.
Seas.
Cities.
Nothing escaped his perception.
---
But—
nothing was there.
---
His brows slowly furrowed.
"…Impossible…"
He expanded his sensing again.
Deeper.
Stronger.
More violently.
---
Still—
nothing.
---
Not a single trace.
Not a single soul fluctuation.
Not even the faintest residue of Wang Zhong's existence.
---
Tian Shu's expression darkened.
"…This planet…"
His eyes narrowed coldly.
"…is protected."
A heavy silence followed.
Then his voice turned grim.
"…A True Immortal…"
"So that's how you escaped."
His killing intent surged.
"…I don't know what that damned immortal did…"
"…but you managed to hide from me."
His fists clenched.
The surrounding space trembled.
---
"…Don't be happy yet."
"Wang Zhong…"
"Trash clan…"
---
His voice dropped to a deadly whisper.
"…The moment I find you again…"
"…that will be your last day."
---
With a step—
he vanished from Xynara.
---
And somewhere on that same planet—
hidden beyond perception—
the Wang Clan remained alive.
For now.
---
Outside the grand hall—
Tian Shu stood in silence.
His aura was unstable.
Cold.
Violent.
"…Damn it."
"That trash clan… escaped."
His voice spread like thunder.
"Find them."
The surrounding beings froze.
Confusion spread among the gathered clans.
Escape?
From Tian Shu?
Impossible.
Yet—
no one dared question him.
---
Tian Shu stepped forward—
and entered the hall.
---
Inside—
Tian Zhi stood waiting.
His gaze sharp.
His killing intent undisguised.
"…Hm."
Tian Shu glanced at him.
"What?"
"You still want to fight?"
---
Moments earlier—
Tian Zhi had already moved.
The instant he teleported—
his fist tore through space—
aimed directly at Tian Shu's face.
---
But—
it stopped.
---
Not blocked.
Not deflected.
Stopped.
---
The entire domain froze.
The "Infinite Origin Domain" of Tian Zhi—
locked in place.
Time itself seemed sealed.
---
Only one being remained unrestricted.
Tian Shu.
---
Tian Zhi's body could not move.
But his eyes could still see.
His breath still flowed.
That was all Tian Shu allowed.
---
Tian Shu looked at him coldly.
"This is a misunderstanding."
"But if you insist…"
"I don't care who you are."
"Even if you come from my clan…"
"You will pay for it."
---
Then—
without another word—
Tian Shu vanished.
---
He returned to Guang Zhao Planet—
now known as the World of Emperor Tian Shu.
---
The moment he appeared—
an elder of the Guang Clan rushed forward and use telepathy—
"Supreme—!"
"The Wang Clan prison…"
"…is missing."
---
Silence.
---
Tian Shu slowly turned his head.
"…What?"
---
The single word—
exploded across space.
---
Far beyond the planet—
the "Infinite Origin Domain" shattered instantly.
---
CRACK—!!!
---
The entire domain collapsed.
Across distance beyond comprehension—
it broke apart from that single word.
---
Tian Shu clenched his fist.
---
In the void above—
a massive moon that has diameter of 1 Quadrillion Wuji Xing.
---
Then—
it shattered.
---
Not cracked.
Not broken.
Erased.
---
The present
Tian Shu's eyes turned colder.
"…So it wasn't random."
---
His gaze shifted.
"…Xun Yu."
---
He looked back at the elder.
"…What about her?"
---
The elder lowered his head.
"…She… and her parents…"
"…are gone."
"Only the clan elders remain."
---
The hall trembled.
---
Tian Shu's fist tightened.
The entire structure shook violently.
---
A terrifying silence filled the air.
---
Moments later—
space distorted.
Tian Zhi reappeared.
His expression dark.
But calm.
---
"…Is this coincidence…"
"Or is something behind this?"
---
Tian Shu's gaze remained cold.
"…This isn't random."
---
His voice dropped.
Heavy.
Certain.
---
"…Someone interfered."
---
The atmosphere grew suffocating.
---
Tian Shu slowly stepped forward.
Each step made reality tremble.
---
"…A hidden hand…"
"…or a True Immortal."
---
His eyes narrowed.
---
"…Either way…"
"…they touched what belongs to me."
---
Silence.
---
Then—
his killing intent surged.
---
"…Wang Zhong."
"…Wang Clan."
---
His voice echoed like a death sentence.
---
"…Run."
---
A faint, terrifying smile appeared.