The Palaces of the Twelve Sacred Beasts

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"Close your eyes, relax…" he started kissing Gu Ting Yu's earlobe, then gradually moved downwards. Every spot that Qing Que placed his lips on sparked instinctive reactions in Gu Ting Yu as his nipples trembled under the stimulation.

Even though the latter couldn't remember what happened when he was unconscious, Gu Ting Yu's body clearly remembered the familiar sensation as Qing Que's fingertips gently fondled him. The erotic caressing turned on the switches in his body along with the numbing warmth that was generated from deep within.

As Qing Que's lips reached the spot in between Gu Ting Yu's legs, he took another glance at the man's helpless eyes. He then smiled softly as he slowly swallowed the hot length into his mouth.

"Ah…" Gu Ting Yu moaned as his body arched, his facial expression mixed with pain and pleasure.

While his body reacted to the overwhelming sensation, Gu Ting Yu also felt tormented with shame. Tortured by the two contradicting extreme feelings, he cried in embarrassment.

He was angry with his shameless body, but even more so, it was because he felt that he was betraying Bai Zhi Ao and Xiu Er.

As Qing Que heard Gu Ting Yu sobbing, the raging emotions in Qing Que's eyes instantly calmed down.

He slowly shifted himself upwards and gently nuzzled Gu Ting Yu's neck.

With Qing Que comforting him, the man gradually calmed down as he heard Qing Que repeatedly saying, "It's alright… I will wait… you don't have to force yourself…"

He wasn't sure why, but Gu Ting Yu could feel his heart beat erratically again. That feeling was mixed with a sense of loss and guilt even as it slowly eased the resisting thoughts in his mind.

After feeling reassured, Gu Ting Yu's body felt even more tired. Adding the exhaustion obtained from earlier, he leaned into Qing Que's embrace then fell into a deep sleep.

As Qing Que confirmed that Gu Ting Yu was deep asleep, Qing Que's expression began to darken as he recalled the marks that he had seen earlier on Gu Ting Yu's bottom - it had been cruelly ravaged before. He carefully turned the man over and gently parted his butt cheeks. Immediately, Qing Que could feel his own blood freezing up.

[… it must be really painful for him, why didn't he say anything?]

Qing Que could not put into words on how complicated he felt as he treated Gu Ting Yu's wound. At the same time, he almost couldn't hold back the raging anger and heartbreaking bitterness forming in his chest.

Gu Ting Yu was the only person that he had ever wanted to protect… the only person that he so carefully wanted to treasure…

The next moment, a dark green butterfly appeared within Qing Que's sight.

"Huan Sheng…" Qing Que growled deeply.

—

Outside the sacred palace.

A beam of green light flashed by as Huan Sheng was hit by Qing Que's overwhelming power, rendering him helpless as he crouched on the floor, coughing out blood.

"W-wait…" Huan Sheng was surprised with Qing Que's powers after his revival, "the magic that was supposed to have already become extinct according to the ancient records, how did you- URGHH!!" his sentence was disrupted as Huan Sheng received another attack from the furious Qing Que.

"I will not let him leave here and send him to death, Huan Sheng. It's now your turn to pay the price for everything."

"Hah…" Huan Sheng panted heavily and strained to look at Qing Que, "You… just go ahead and self-indulge. You really think you can protect him with your own powers? Sure, you have become powerful now- *cough* but… you're still insignificant compared to the Evil Source…"

That stopped Qing Que just before his last move landed on him.

"You finally recalled? Haha… yeah, he's reviving soon, didn't you sense it too?"

Huan Sheng laid flat on the ground, choosing not to look at Qing Que's struggling expression. He stared into the far away skies as he spoke his mind, "… if it's because of how I hurt that human… you can do whatever you want to me after all this is over. But for now, the only person who can help him, is me."

Qing Que finally calmed down as he looked at Huan Sheng puzzledly, "Why did you do this?"

"Why?" Huan Sheng shook his head, "If that human doesn't see his deepest feelings then he won't be able to move on from here. The fate of the Twelve Sacred Beasts are closely related to him, of course, most importantly, he needs my recognition." He sensed Qing Que's growing rage again, then Huan Sheng lowered his head, "I admit that I shouldn't have used such extreme methods, but… from here onwards, the things that he's facing will be harsher than I am…"

In that moment, both parties went silent.

Sadness lingered in the atmosphere as Qing Que took a breath before he continued, "You said you would help him, is that true?"

"If it wasn't me lurking behind the scenes, that human wouldn't have even made it till this place. You should be well-aware about Jue's personality; he almost destroyed your palace of vanity previously. Now that the crystal ball has been destroyed by you, the only person who can see the human's whereabouts is me. You don't have to worry about Jue for now… the only question is…"

"The only question here is your true motive, Huan Sheng." Qing Que frowned as he continued, "I remembered how much you hated me before just because of how the Evil Source praised my appearance in front of you - if I guessed correctly, you love him don't you?"

Huan Sheng tensed up as he turned to stare blankly at Qing Que.

"You would never help a person without a good reason, Huan Sheng. This isn't something you would do."

Huan Sheng felt like he was exposed; he wanted to retort but ended up choosing to remain silent.

"Whether you believe or not, I can only say this - I am the only person among the Twelve Sacred Beasts that cannot betray the Evil Source, but at the same time, I am the only one that can help this human."

"You…" Qing Que felt lost.

"I simply don't believe in fate." Huan Sheng got up on his feet, "… at least before the Evil Source awakens, I, Huan Sheng, swear to do whatever I can to help this human make it through the obstacles."

Promises may not mean anything to human beings, however, to the Sacred Beasts, it was the most meaningful form of condition that they bound to themselves. Due to that, when Gu Ting Yu exited the Palace of Maze and Palace of Bloodthirst, Bai Zhi Ao and Xiu Er's lives were put at risk because they had broken their promises with the Evil Source.

"…." Qing Que kept his silence.

"So, please believe in me, because that's the only thing you can do now - is to believe in me." Huan Sheng then answered the question earlier, "As of now, there is one problem, and that's the one in charge of the fourth palace."

Qing Que then recalled who was in charge of the fourth palace, the Sacred Beast of the Palace of Greed. The most obvious trait of that beast was his obsession to monopolize and the insulting methods he would use to raise people's hackles.

"He hates things that others touched before…"