It started when he was defeated by Gu Yuena during the Joust For A Spouse Festival back then. At the time, he realized that he could not possibly be with Gu Yuena for the time being. He had no idea why Gu Yuena would do that to him. Despite knowing full well that she loved him, he knew that he could not win her heart at that point regardless of what he did.
The feeling was agonizing. In fact, he would even describe her as being ruthless. As a result, Tang Wulin refused to accept it all this time.
In any case, he had far too many things to deal with in his life. He needed to elevate his cultivation base, manage Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect, fight against the Spirit Pagoda, confront the military, et cetera. Everything needed his full concentration and effort.
He did not have the time for himself at all. Moreover, he was well aware that there was nothing he could do in the time being.
Gu Yuena would never return to him on her own initiative. In fact, he had always upheld an ideology in his subconscious mind all this time. It was to make himself stronger than before. Perhaps he could bring her back to his side when he was powerful enough.
As a result, he had always been working hard and striving toward the highest peak. He could see that Gu Yuena was elevating at full speed as well. He could only hope that when the day came that both of them were standing at the pinnacle of the world, no one else could stop them from being together anymore.
He had some theories as to Gu Yuena’s identity. He could speculate, but he was hoping that it would not be the worst-case scenario.
At this point, his fear had been triggered by Long Yuxue’s remarks. Tang Wulin’s gaze dimmed rapidly.
Long Yuxue was startled. It was her first time seeing Tang Wulin in such a condition. He went from being normal to being dejected and gloomy almost instantaneously. In fact, he even looked dispirited and lost.
Was this person still the Tang Sect’s Sect Master and the Sea God’s Pavilion Master from Shrek Academy that led the numerous Limit Douluos earlier?
“Wulin, I’m sorry. Are you alright?” Long Yuxue hastily asked in an attempt to find out more.
Tang Wulin nodded. His gaze returned to its prior clarity. He gave a forced chuckle and said, “You’re really an observant girl. However, you’ve seen that earlier. If I were to open up my heart, then I wouldn’t be receiving happiness. I’d be unleashing all the negative emotions that I’ve been suppressing and hiding all this while. Do you think that I’d truly be in good form if that were the case?”
Long Yuxue was quiet. She did not know how she should advise Tang Wulin. After a long while, she finally said, “You’re torturing yourself. I only hope that you can take care of yourself properly. Is that okay? Perhaps we aren’t destined to be together in this life, and you can’t let another woman into your heart, but I just want to see you do well. That’s already enough for me.”
Tang Wulin heaved a sigh softly. “Silly little girl, how is that torture? I’m not a good partner. In reality, I enjoy living a quiet, peaceful life. At least, I was happy before I was six years old. At the time, my father and mother were still with me and I lived a carefree life. I began to learn forging after I was six. Even though the days were harder and it was very tiring for me, I at least had a goal to reach for and an adorable sister by my side. Afterward, I went to study in the academy and my parents suddenly went missing. I think they were captured by the Holy Spirit Cult and the Spirit Pagoda. After that, I lost my home. It was she and my companions that stayed with me through those years. They were with me as I grew from a boy to a young man.
“That was the hardest time for me, but her company kept my heart from wandering. At the time, it felt as if she had turned herself into a seed that was planted in my heart. By the time I was a grown up, the seed had already become a towering tree.”
“Who is she then? Is she the person that saved you during the abyssal tide?” Long Yuxue mustered the courage to ask.
Tang Wulin nodded gently. “I lost count of how many times she saved my life. Even though I don’t know why she can’t be with me, I know that she’s just like me. We have each other in our hearts. This is the final wish of our hearts, I guess. When this is over, I will seek an answer to this relationship. I’ll do whatever it takes for her to come back to me.”
Long Yuxue nodded silently. “I envy her very much. I so wish that it was me that planted the seed long ago. It seems like I should have done it earlier.” At this point, she smiled. The smile was tainted with bitterness, but it seemed like she was relieved as well.
Tang Wulin was about to say something when Long Yuxue suddenly said, “Can I give you a hug? Just a hug.”
Before Tang Wulin could answer, she had already moved forward swiftly. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and placed her cheek tightly against his chest.
Tang Wulin wanted to shove her away subconsciously, but he could feel that her body was shivering ever so slightly on him. He felt her warm, moist breath on his chest.
He heaved a sigh in his heart. He could not bear to push her away and caressed her long hair gently.
It lasted for a full minute before Long Yuxue seemed to have mustered the courage and left his chest with her head lowered.
“Thank you. Perhaps this is the closure for my young unrequited love. We’ll still be good friends from now on, right?” She raised her head boldly. Her eyes were still red, but there was a strange smile on her face.
“Hmm. We will always be friends, of course,” answered Tang Wulin with certainty.
Long Yuxue smiled. “I shall head off then. Take care of yourself.”
Tang Wulin said, “All of you should move your barracks to the nearby area too. Pay attention to your cultivation these days. The Life Subtree’s life source is extremely rich which is helpful to awaken your origin life force. It is very beneficial for both your cultivation base and your physical capabilities. In fact, it is even possible to cause a benign variant to your martial soul.”
“Hmm, alright. Thanks.” Long Yuxue seemed to have already returned to her normal self. She gave another military salute to Tang Wulin before she turned around and left.
Tang Wulin felt slightly relieved in his heart as he watched her depart. If she could really put this relationship to rest, it would be a good thing for her. After all, he could not give anything to her, yet he was afraid that he would hurt her. He used this rather gentle method this time so she could get a clear understanding of the situation.
He did not realize that tears were streaming down Long Yuxue’s face as she walked out of the room.
“You’re a stubborn man, but I’m a persistent woman too, right?” The strange smile on her face had turned resolute.
The entire federal military began to operate soundlessly.
The orders dispatched from the war council were being implemented comprehensively. At that moment, over seven hundred thousand soldiers from the federal military legion had gathered at the frontline. There were four hundred thousand ground forces in total and close to two hundred thousand soldiers from the three great navy corps on the naval crafts. The lack of manpower was mainly because the three great federal fleets’ infantrymen had already mobilized to the ground.
The ground troops were the main fighting force of this battle. The naval forces were mainly used to lock down the maritime space and also for delivering long-range attacks.
All the preparation works were completed the next morning. The military and the leaders from the great soul masters’ organizations had gathered in the meeting room once again in the early morning.
He received the reports of the preparation works, so they were simply waiting for the final launching time.
A faint smile emerged on Tang Wulin’s face and a wisp of determination could be seen in his expression.
He would spare no effort in the final battle. He predicted that the abyssal Sage King would not come, or rather, there was nothing the abyssal Sage King could do because of the suppression of the plane. Otherwise, Tang Wulin would certainly be able to sense a God-ranked entity’s presence on the Douluo Continent plane as the planar providence and the Nature Child.
He hoped that the abyssal Sage King would never come to them. It seemed like the plane’s hold over the abyssal plane was still quite strong at the time. He wondered how many of the monarch-ranked powerhouses came from the abyss.
