Then the great gate reacted.
Not with the same majestic opening as before, but with an agonizing tremor.
A tearing sound, like fabric being ripped apart, echoed through the mountain, ringing in everyone's ears.
Cracks of blue and green light spread across the surface of the gate, which began to flicker erratically, like a candle about to go out.
"Something's wrong!" Elder Han shouted, springing to his feet. The ships drew back from the place.
Before any plan or thought could take form, the gate emitted one last violent pulse of energy.
And then two silhouettes were expelled with brutal force, hurled out in a burst of light.
They flew in separate arcs and landed hard on the rocky ground, a few meters apart.
The gate then vanished with a final sigh. The light faded, and the energy dissipated. Where once there had been a portal to the place of inheritance, now there was only ordinary air and abrupt silence.
All eyes turned to the two survivors.
On one side, Cairen fell to his knees, panting. His clothes were torn, and his body was wounded. Yet, despite it all, his completely black eyes, impassive, now shimmered with deep exhaustion.
His body had undergone too many changes recently, leaving him drained. He immediately felt the weight of everyone's gaze, but his own eyes were instantly drawn to another figure.
On the other side stood Princess Ling. She had landed on her feet, her higher cultivation allowing her to instinctively protect herself with her Qi and bloodline. Her injuries were negligible and already healed.
Still, she looked slightly weary. Her silver hair now bore golden streaks under the light, and the horn on her forehead had grown, becoming sharper and more defined.
When she lifted her face, her silver eyes swept over the crowd with a coldness already well known.
Only two.
The cruel, inescapable truth fell upon everyone like a blade.
"Where! Where are my disciples?!" Elder Ye of the Blue Sparrow Sect shouted, his voice a mix of despair and fury, directed at Cairen.
"And my disciples? My niece!" roared Elder Han of the Golden Sword Sect, taking a step forward, his hand trembling on his sword's hilt, releasing a faint, cutting pressure.
The anguish and rage of those who had waited for their disciples and companions to return were deafening.
Cairen slowly stood, feeling the hostility and the storm of questions turning toward him. He opened his mouth to speak, to answer, but the voice that cut through the air before him was clear, cold, and unquestionable.
"Silence!"
It was Princess Ling. She hadn't shouted, she had simply spoken. But her word carried an authority that silenced all.
Her eyes fell on the elders surrounding Cairen, men who could not dare to act the same way toward her.
"They all died because of their own inadequacies. The inheritance was not meant for the weak. It was a trial, and they failed. Simple as that."
"They were consumed by their own greed and arrogance, seeking strength along a path that was never theirs to walk."
The coldness in her statement was like a bucket of icy water. Elder Han, however, couldn't contain himself.
"And how do we know you speak the truth? You might have—"
His voice was cut off by a terrifying pressure from the old royal guardian, accompanied by Ling's cold tone.
"Are you doubting the words of the royal family?" she asked, her voice frosty. Without waiting for an answer, she continued.
"That is the truth. The only truth. Only the two of us were deemed worthy. The inheritance chose us. And not just the inheritance."
She paused dramatically. Her gaze swept over the furious elders before fixing on Cairen with such intensity that he felt trapped.
"He and I not only survived, but we received the inheritance together. And in the process, we became… connected, in a profound way."
"Because of that, and also due to his talent and the worth he demonstrated, he will now become part of the royal family."
The declaration echoed through the silent air like a bomb. Cairen felt his stomach twist. He looked at her, bewildered.
"What the hell are you thinking?" he muttered, but the collective shock drowned his voice.
Ling continued, her voice projecting so all could hear, sealing Cairen's fate with unexpected words.
"We will marry."
The silence that followed was absolute. Even Elder Xu, who had been less agitated than the others, stood stunned, his mind struggling to process the turn of events.
Losing a disciple to the royal family was one thing. Having him become the princess's fiancé was something else entirely.
Elders Ye and Han looked as if they had been struck. Their meaningless rage still smoldered.
But with the princess's claim of marriage, it was as if a protective barrier had formed, an unbreakable wall. To attack or question Cairen now would be an act of war against the royal family.
It was then that the old guardian, who had been watching everything in silence, finally moved.
He simply appeared beside Cairen so swiftly that even Cairen's perception failed to register it.
Cairen didn't even see the blur, but he felt the terrifying pressure of the old man, not directed at him, but at the others.
"The young man will come with us," said the old guardian, his low voice vibrating through everyone's bones.
Cairen clenched his fists, his fingers white with tension. He looked toward Elder Xu, seeking some form of support, some sign. The old man met his gaze.
There was concern there, but also deep resignation. He gave a faint, almost imperceptible nod. A gesture that said.
There is no choice. Go. Just survive.
It was useless to resist. The old man's pressure was like a mountain. Cairen felt a powerless rage burning inside him, directed at that silver-haired woman who had decided his fate without asking him a thing.
Without a word, the old guardian placed a hand on Cairen's shoulder. The world around him blurred, and in the next instant, he was aboard the luxurious royal ship.
Ling appeared beside him moments later, her face serene.
"Don't worry so much," she said with a smile, this time more genuine, yet far more possessive.
"Rest well. Tomorrow, we'll discuss the details." She gestured toward a door on the ship.
"That will be your quarters."
Cairen stared at her for a moment, his black eyes flickering with restrained rage and confusion. He didn't say a word, just kept his gaze fixed on her, fists still clenched.
Ling didn't seem to mind. Her smile didn't waver. She simply held his gaze, as if studying a precious, intriguing acquisition.
Finally, with an exasperated sigh, Cairen turned away and entered the room, closing the door behind him.