Jing He looked at Tian in a daze, unable to respond for a moment. He had never thought it possible for a fallen god to return to what they had once been. Of course, it had to be true. The person telling him was the supreme sovereign, after all. But this information shook his worldview and he couldn’t come back to himself for a while though.

Tian didn’t say more and simply waited. In fact, there was no question about this. Even somebody with a superficial understanding of Jing He’s character would be able to tell, what more he who had been watching this person for a long time.

It was obvious, wasn’t it? Jing He cared about how he was perceived by others. He would be terribly afraid that others could find out that he was a fallen god because he still perceived that as a moral failing. If he could become a trueborn god again and even do so without anyone finding out what had happened in between, then he would naturally want that.

Of course, there was more to it: He loved the current dragon king with all his heart and he had always been yearning for this kind of love. Even though he had hesitated again and again to take the next step with that man because of his obedience to his father, he still wanted to be with him. As a fallen god, this seemed impossible. So reverting to his self as a trueborn god was the only way to make this future he wanted to come true. How could he say no to that?

After waiting for a while, Jing He indeed collected his thoughts. “If it is possible, then of course I would like to overcome this obsession and return to how I was. It is just …” He lowered his head, his brows furrowing slightly. “I don’t know how.” He had no trouble recognizing what his obsession was. Certainly, it had to be his love for Qiu Ling. He had gone crazy for this man years ago and it had only become stronger, not weaker. This … could not be overcome, could it?

Tian could see that there were once again thoughts going through Jing He’s mind that he wasn’t mentioning out loud. He glanced at Xing’s quiet body before turning back to the current crown prince of the Nine Heavens. Reaching out and tilting his head up, he raised his brows. “Tell me what you are thinking.”

Jing He’s cheeks flushed red when he was suddenly asked this. He also couldn’t help but think of how this didn’t seem to be the first time Tian treated him like this. His memory of the last few days was a little fuzzy and only the vague notion of having watched his own life while feeling tormented remained but it seemed like Tian had stayed at his side the whole time and would sometimes reach out just like this to make him look where he wanted him to.

In all his life, Jing He had never been treated like this. He hardly had contact with other people anyway and even if he did, with his status as the crown prince, who would dare to handle him like this? But, well, the person in front of him was still the supreme sovereign. What was there that he didn’t dare to do?

Jing He gulped and tried not to let it bother him. As for what he had thought … “My obsession should be my love for Qiu Ling but … it doesn’t seem like something I can overcome. I … I truly love him. I know my father hates this but I can’t help it. I have tried. All these years, I always tried to pull back but I just couldn’t do it. Now, I can probably do it even less.”

Tian inclined his head and let go of Jing He again. Thankfully, he had asked. That made things much easier. “It isn’t as you think. Your obsession is not your love but how it contrasts with your … filial piety toward your father.” He thought for a moment what to call it and finally went with the least scathing word he could think of. Jing He’s state was still fragile so he couldn’t scare him off.

Jing He once again looked at him in a daze. “The … contrast between these two?” It seemed impossible. How could such a simple thing cause him to fall? But if it was Tian who said so …

Tian inclined his head. “It is. The mark of a fallen god looks different depending on the type of their obsession and yours is one of decision.”

Jing He reached up but his hand trembled as it neared the Mark of Wisdom and he finally pulled it back before he could touch his skin. “Is it like the trials the trueborn gods face?”

Tian nodded once again. “Yes, it is. The trials simply depict the range of emotions and experiences a person may have and a trueborn god could fall due to any of them. It is as simple as that. Now, knowing what this obsession is, are you still willing to overcome this?”

Jing He naturally nodded. “Yes, I would like nothing more than that. But … I still don’t know how. Since I fell due to this, does it not stand to reason that it isn’t easy for me to let go of this?”

Tian gave a hum, already having expected this result and also the doubts Jing He would have. “You don’t have to worry about this. I brought you here and I am telling you all this because I want you to have a chance to return to your previous life. Of course, I am willing to help you with that. I can guide you until your obsession fades away and you regain the identity of a trueborn god. With my help, it should not be too difficult for you to overcome this challenge.”