Qiu Ling stopped in his tracks and carefully used his spiritual energy to probe his surroundings. This way, he should be much faster in finding Tian and the supreme sovereign probably wouldn’t mind. A moment later, he already perceived a person not too far away.

He already wanted to rejoice when similar feedback came from the other direction. Qiu Ling retracted his spiritual energy and then hastily retreated several streets, his heart pounding heavily in his chest. He didn’t have to think twice just what was over there.

Living in the High Heavens apart from Tian were only fallen gods. And even though Xiang Yu could only be counted as a cute junior and he didn’t doubt that his beloved would still be a gentle beauty after waking up, he wasn’t delirious and would assume that all fallen gods could be easily reasoned with. No, some skepticism in regard to them was definitely healthy. If he accidentally pissed one of them off, he wouldn’t even know how he died.

After waiting for a few moments, no movements could be heard. He didn’t dare to use his spiritual energy again to check if there was somebody around though so he couldn’t be completely sure. He could only hope for the best.

Qiu Ling sighed faintly and returned to the main street. Come to think of it, he had met Tian when he originally arrived. So clearly, the supreme sovereign knew where he was. After running around for so long, he should be able to guess that he was looking for him. So it was best to simply return to the original street from where he had entered and then call out or something. Maybe it would work.

Walking down the main street, Qiu Ling glanced around but still couldn’t tell where Tian might be so he finally stopped in his tracks. His lips pursed and he finally sighed again before lightly calling out. “Tian?” It sounded a lot like a question as if he was checking whether the person was around.

There was no response at first but Qiu Ling remained on the spot and finally, the door of a palace not too far away opened. Qiu Ling gulped and slowly turned to look at it, only feeling some relief when he spotted the figure of the supreme sovereign. Thankfully, it hadn’t been a fallen god.

He inclined his head and walked over, stopping a few steps away from Tian. “I am sorry to bother you. It’s just …” He wondered where to start explaining what he wanted. Somehow, it didn’t seem appropriate to directly get to the heart of the matter.

In the end, he only hesitated for a moment though. He wouldn’t dare to waste the supreme ruler’s time, after all. “I informed Jing He’s family of his current state so they won’t have to worry. Unfortunately, his father is very doubtful of my trustworthiness so I finally agreed to return earlier and stay in the Nine Heavens.

“I … am a bit reluctant to leave Jing He alone. I know I can’t stay and neither can anybody who is close to him. I was just wondering … during his trial, I brought back a beast for him. Would it be alright to get it for him so that he will have at least some company? Or would this already be crossing the boundaries?

“I know, I am the one who caught the beast for him. If this one isn’t alright, I could also catch something else for him. Anything as long as he doesn’t have to suffer in silence alone. Would this be alright?” He looked at Tian with a hopeful gaze. Even if the first option wasn’t acceptable, the second one should be, right?

Tian kept quiet for a moment and finally reached out, opening a portal next to him. “Go and get the flame heart then.” He didn’t say more and simply waited for Qiu Ling to move.

Qiu Ling didn’t need to be told twice. He hurriedly rushed through the portal which showed Jing He’s palace on the other side. Not daring to waste any time, he hastily looked at the spots where the flame heart liked to stay while Jing He had been around but couldn’t find it.

He furrowed his brows and pondered. The little beast should have been there when Jing He fell. Most likely, it had watched everything and might have been startled because of the chaos that ensued. Since it had only been two days … it might still be in hiding.

His eyes lit up and he started to look under the furniture instead. The flame heart really wasn’t big so it could very well squeeze under there. The difficult part was only figuring out the spot it had chosen but then, Jing He’s palace couldn’t be considered big. There were only four rooms in total and with the doors continuously kept open, you could basically see every place no matter where you stood.

Thinking of this, he moved to the middle of the main room and turned in a circle, trying to spot any differences. Since the last time he had been here, nothing seemed to have really changed. There wasn’t even any sign of struggle as if Jing He’s fall had happened quietly. It even made one wonder what had had the little flame heart so worried but then, a mythical beast like that was likely more sensitive.

He sighed and finally walked over to the bedroom. The flame heart had spent most of its time there while Jing He was on his trial so this should be where it would feel the safest. Looking around over there, he finally crouched down and looked under the bed.

There was enough space to easily see a pair of eyes quietly looking back at him. Raising his brows, he reached out. “It’s alright. There is no danger anymore so you can come out. I’ll bring you to Jing He. Right now … he could really use your company.”