The two of them had already arrived in front of the palace by now. Tian turned to look at him and motioned ahead. “Take your time to think about it and call me when you have an answer. After that, we can have a chat. Before then … I am afraid you won’t be ready.”

Jing He felt lost but still nodded. Since this was what Tian said, then it was what he should do. “I will think carefully.”

Tian didn’t respond and simply turned around, walking back the same way they had just come. He could have simply opened a portal but, to be honest, he also felt a little distracted at this time and didn’t want to return to his own palace with this kind of nervous energy around him.

Xing was in a different state compared to a trueborn god on his trial. He was … truly asleep, at this time, his body and soul still in the same place. This also meant that there was always a chance that he would subconsciously register what was happening around him which was why Tian never allowed anyone to enter the palace.

Of course, Jing He had been an exception. After all, this was the person who would bring back their child. Xing certainly wouldn’t mind having him around and since he himself had lived through the confusion of being a newly fallen god, he should understand Jing He’s erratic behavior as well. So even if any of that episode had registered, it shouldn’t be an issue.

Now though, this was about himself. If he went back there while feeling this way, he might disturb Xing’s rest. He didn’t want to do that. After all, while Xing wouldn’t wake up unless Yuan was reincarnated, he should be allowed to sleep peacefully until then. Every disturbance that could be prevented should be kept away from him. That included himself if he didn’t have his feelings under control.

Tian slowly walked down the road, his mind flitting between the future and the past. Naturally, he looked forward to reuniting with Xing but … he also couldn’t help but feel discouraged if he thought of their past. Everything seemed so difficult, to the point where he couldn’t help but wonder if there was truly happiness waiting for them after they reunited. Could it be that despite his best efforts, there would only be more suffering ahead?

He lowered his eyelids, reminding himself not to think like this. Yes, things weren’t easy but it wasn’t impossible to create the life they wished for. Hadn’t they managed to do so at least for a while? Then he had to trust that it would happen again. Certainly, as long as their love was strong enough and they were willing to face the world together, they could manage. They simply couldn’t allow themselves to give up.

He raised his head, staring at the sky that had already turned dark.

Time here in the High Heavens seemed static to the point where the only way to feel its passing was to watch what was happening in the other realms. He had felt this way before he noticed Xing and he had started to feel the same way again after he lost him. The only difference was that now, he was waiting for his return and not simply existing.

If he could have been sleeping alongside him, he likely would have done it. Unfortunately, he felt the need to stay awake to ensure that nothing would hinder the return of their child. After all, there was too much that could go wrong.

Yuan was a special existence in the same way that Tian himself was special: They were the only ones with the blood of Tian’s people so the likelihood of Yuan’s soul ever being reincarnated was slim. Yes, if the blood of both the gods and demons was mixed, there was a certain chance but that alone was hardly enough. It was simply too low to be much of anything.

The reason that Jing He and Qiu Ling were able to have a child that could inherit this soul was simply the close tie between Xing and Jing He. If Jing He wasn’t the one to make this work, then it would still have to be somebody else of his bloodline. This was more or less a prerequisite for Yuan’s return. This also meant that he had to ensure the bloodline of the Heavenly Family though.

With the curse that only allowed one child to live in every generation and the frequent war with the demon realm, there were only a few people left in this family. In fact, right now, only two of them were alive. Jing He had already fallen and chances were that without his help, this youth might be unable to pull himself out of his worries and would finally end up completely destroying himself because he couldn’t shoulder his fate. If something happened to his father afterward … then what about Yuan?

Yes, if the bloodline of Xing’s family were to cease to exist, their child reincarnating would be a useless hope. Thus, he had needed to stay awake to keep a close eye on the Nine Heavens and monitor the Heavenly Family for a person able to make his dreams come true. Seeing as he had almost made it, he didn’t regret it, no matter how difficult the wait had been.

Tian sighed lightly and resumed his steps, silently walking through the empty streets of this city that still mirrored the state of the Nine Heavens’ capital city at that time. In those streets, his child should have been running around as his lover chased behind him, a happy picture of a family. In the end though, he had never even been able to look into his child’s face. Yuan … was nothing more than a name to him and a vague hope of reunion, both with Xing and with the child themselves even if it was in another life.

To say that he had no regrets … that would also be a lie.