Douluo Continent: My Martial Soul is the Black Dragon, I am the Lord of the Gods

……

Xuanming quietly looked at Qian Renxue, at her golden eyes filled with determination and humility. He remained silent for a long time, until Qian Renxue's eyes began to dim, before he slowly spoke.

"Qian Renxue."

"What kind of person do you think I am?"

Qian Renxue was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting him to ask such a question.

Before she could answer, Xuanming continued, "Let me tell you. I am a very greedy person."

"You should have known this a long time ago."

"I want everything, I can't bear to part with anything, and I want to hold onto everything firmly in my own hands."

"I want power, I want stability, I want everyone around me to be safe and happy. I want Gu Yuena to no longer bear the fate of the dragon clan, I want Bibi Dong to break free from the shadows of the past, I want Poseidon to forget the pain of waiting, I want Xiao Wu and the others to be carefree forever..."

I also want... for you to be truly happy.

"But I always kept it to myself and never said anything."

"Because I know it's useless to say it. Until I have enough power, no one will listen to me. My wishes are worthless in the face of reality."

His gaze returned to Qian Renxue's face.

"Just like... you used to be unwilling to listen to me."

Qian Renxue's body trembled violently, and her face instantly turned even paler.

Xuanming didn't stop; it was as if he wanted to pour out all the words that had been accumulating in his heart for a long time.

"Do you remember? I used to be an idealist. I believed in justice, in right and wrong, and that as long as I worked hard, I could change everything. But later, I went from being an idealist to the person I am now... indifferent, cruel, and treating life like dirt."

"why?"

"You know, Qian Renxue. You know better than anyone what I used to be like."

"But what now?"

"Completely unrecognizable."

He looked at his hands, as if they were covered in indelible bloodstains.

"The morals I once upheld, the bottom line I once adhered to, have gradually disappeared under repeated betrayals, exploitation, and coercion. I have learned to scheme, to threaten, and to solve problems in the most direct and brutal way. Because I have discovered that only in this way can I protect the people I want to protect."

“Now,” Xuanming raised his head and looked directly at her again, “you’ve come to ask me this kind of question, what kind of answer do you want?”

"Do you want an answer that reflects my true feelings? Or do you want... the answer you want?"

“You know what I want, don’t you?” Xuanming’s voice became somewhat ethereal. “You also know that you can’t accept it. That’s why I’ve always been unwilling to say it.”

"If it were the old me, the naive and idealistic me, I would have told you without hesitation and decisively that there was no way we could be together, so that you could give up completely. But it was you, you and the world, who taught me time and time again that one cannot be too naive and one cannot speak too directly."

"now what?"

"Now, let's not talk about those things that are hard to say. Let's just keep to ourselves and live our lives in a tacit and muddled way."

"Is it not good?"

"Why do I have to say it myself, causing you pain? And yet you're unwilling to accept it, or rather... you're sacrificing yourself and pretending to accept it for my sake?"

"Qian Renxue, you know her."

"I don't want to hurt you, I never have. But the two of us are like two sharp-edged stones. If we get too close, we will inevitably collide and torment each other until we are bleeding."

Qian Renxue's tears finally streamed down her cheeks. She had always thought that she was the one suffering, but she had never imagined that Xuanming was also enduring the same torment. Xuanming felt a pang of pain in his heart as he looked at her tears. He reached out to wipe them away, but stopped mid-air.

"If... you absolutely need an answer."

I hope...you can be happy.

"You are now an angel god, a god-king, a great being who surpasses all your ancestors. The so-called shackles of the angel race and the so-called family responsibilities can no longer bind you. You can do anything you want and live the life you truly desire."

"This is the only reason I forcibly promoted you."

He looked at her, his eyes filled with exhaustion.

"I've done so much, killed so many people, changed the whole world... I'm really tired now."

"I don't want to talk about those heavy topics anymore, I don't want to dissect those bloody wounds anymore."

"I don't want... you to leave either."

"I can not let it go."

Hearing Xuanming's words, which were almost a heartfelt confession, and feeling the deep weariness and undisguised reluctance in his voice, Qian Renxue's tears could no longer be held back and rolled down like pearls from a broken string.

She didn't say another word.

She slowly walked forward, opened her arms, and gently, yet with unwavering determination, embraced Xuanming.

Burying her head against his chest, feeling his familiar heartbeat and breath, Qian Renxue's voice, thick with nasal tone, came through in a muffled tone: "I won't leave."

"At least... not now."

She raised her head, and her golden eyes, washed by tears, shone with an astonishing light, reflecting Xuan Ming's somewhat bewildered face.

"I'll stay with you."

"As for our relationship..."

She paused, and a cunning yet stubborn smile suddenly appeared on her lips, as if she had returned to many years ago, to the time when she disguised herself as Xue Qinghe and outwitted him.

"...Just like before, that will be fine."

"Before?" Xuanming was slightly taken aback, not quite understanding.

What was their relationship before? Enemies? Friends? Or... a symbiotic relationship of mutual testing and torment?
Looking at his bewildered expression, Qian Renxue felt her sorrow replaced by a new, indomitable spirit. She tiptoed closer to Xuanming's ear and, in a voice only they could hear, spoke each word carefully:

"I will not give up."

"No matter what, we will never give up."

Before Xuanming could respond, she suddenly opened her mouth and bit him hard on the shoulder!
That force was enough to make even a god-king feel a stinging pain.

After doing all this, Qian Renxue released him and gave him a deep look, her eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions.

Then, without the slightest hesitation, she turned and transformed into a golden streak of light, instantly disappearing into the horizon.

Xuanming was left standing there, stunned, touching the clear tooth mark on his shoulder that still carried a hint of sacredness, unable to come to his senses for a long time.

What... what's going on here?
What exactly did the Ice Dragon King say to Qian Renxue? It feels like... it's completely different from the script I had in mind?
Just as he was racking his brains trying to figure it out, an ice-blue figure appeared silently beside him again.

The Ice Dragon King is back.

She glanced at the freshly formed teeth mark on Xuan Ming's shoulder, then at his bewildered expression, and roughly guessed what had just happened. (End of Chapter)