Ji Shan didn't care about anyone else as he cried heartily. He wanted to cry. And wanted to let out his pain. 

Long Chen, Mingyu, and Zhiqing stood in the back, feeling sad for Ji Shan. He was a good guy, but he couldn't even cry to his heart's content. He was keeping so many emotions bottled up inside him. 

The Emperor hastily commanded his ministers to leave to give his son more privacy.

"Shan'er, what happened? Tell me, did someone hurt you?" He asked the boy. 

"Father, I... I don't know what is happening. I feel so weak. I couldn't protect anyone. I couldn't save them," Ji Shan muttered weakly as he kept crying. 

He slowly told his entire story to his father, making even him feel a pang in his heart. 

The Emperor didn't know how to console his son. He went through so much in life.

"Don't worry about anything. You're at home. No one will hurt you. No one will take anything from you. You're my son. I'll kill whoever dares to hurt you," the Emperor told Long Chen, sighing. 

"Come, sit on the throne," he told Ji Shan as he took them towards the big throne. 

Long Chen and the others didn't interfere as they stood far away, leaving the two in a moment of their own. 

Long Chen knew that Ji Shan didn't need his friend at the moment. He needed his family. No matter what, Ji Shan would be hesitant to show him like that to his friend, but with his father, it was different. 

Thus, a beautiful moment took place where the stronger Ji Shan was feeling safer in the embrace of his weaker father. He was finally seeming alive. He was looking sad, but he looked more like a human now. 

Three hours passed just like that as silence ensued. After crying for a long time, Ji Shan finally fell asleep on the shoulder of his father. 

As Long Chen became sure that Ji Shan was sleeping, he finally approached the Emperor. 

" We are sorry for not taking care of your son properly. He suffered so much, but we couldn't do anything," Long Chen said, sighing. 

"No, don't be. From what he told me, there was nothing you could do. So you shouldn't feel like it's your fault. Because it isn't," the Emperor told Long Chen, shaking his head.

"Maybe it was written in his destiny. My son needed to suffer to become his best version in the future. It'll only make him stronger so that he could protect his close ones next time. So don't feel sad," he further added. 

Long Chen nodded as he stepped back. He didn't speak further. 

It was only after nine hours that Ji Shan woke up. He had received a calm sleep after so long. Even though he still had nightmares, this time, he didn't feel like he was suffocating. 

He slowly woke up to find that his father was still sitting beside him. He looked around to see that Long Chen and the others were still here as well. 

"Goodmorning," the Emperor said to Ji Shan, who sat straight. 

" How are you feeling now?" He asked his son. 

"I feel better. Thank you for everything," Ji Shan replied as he smiled, trying to hide his sadness. 

"So, what do you want to do next? I heard your friends are going to leave again. Are you going to stay here? You know, it'll be best. You're my son here. No one will dare offend you. You'll always be safe. But if you leave, you'll be surrounded by dangers. So what do you want to do?" Emperor Ji asked his son. 

"Do you even need to ask?" Ji Shan asked as he stood up. 

"I will leave. I lost many things and all because I wasn't strong. I started staying behind. I didn't push my boundaries as hard as I could."

"If I were as strong as Long Chen, I would've been able to save them. So I want strength. I want to go with him and chase after my strength so one day I could be strong enough."

" And I swear to the heavens until that day comes... I won't think about starting a family or settling down. Unlike last time, I won't stop," he further said as he clenched his fist. 

"Just what I expected from you. I knew you wouldn't stay behind. Since you're going to leave, just remember. As long as you make your pain your strength, you'll climb. Your growth will be fast, and you'll achieve many breakthroughs. But somewhere along the way, you'll lose your humanity," the Emperor said as he rubbed the head of his son. 

"So don't let pain control you. Look at that desire to protect others. Make that your strength. Try to let go of your pain, and your prospects will be infinitely better," he further said. 

"Thank you, Father. I'll always remember. And I promise I'll return after I achieve my goals. And I'll come with a smile, not tears," Ji Shan answered as he tightly hugged his father again. 

He also bid his father farewell before he started leaving with Long Chen. 

Emperor Ji stood behind, watching his son leave. He knew there were only two paths for his son now. He was either going to become a great person that will be remembered for eons and return to meet him. Or he would be dead. But Emperor Ji had the feeling that it was going to be the former and not the latter.

"Do you want to go to the Inner World or travel with us?" Long Chen asked Ji Shan as he called out the Snake Monarch. 

"I'll travel with you. I don't need to sulk more. But I also want you to train me. I won't be lazy like before," Ji Shan told Long Chen. 

"I doubt I'll be able to train you at the moment. I'll be attempting a breakthrough to get to the Immortal World. So I can't divert my attention. I can only train you after that. How about that?" Long Chen asked. 

"In that case, I'm fine in the Inner World. Bring me out when you get to the Immortal World," Ji Shan replied. "There, I'll train with Uncle Jun."

"That's a good idea. Father needs training too," Long Chen agreed. He looked at Mingyu and Zhiqing before he continued, "I'll also need to send you back. That will be better."

Before the ladies could even ask why, he continued, "Because the Heavenly Tribulations are going to be strong. I can bear them, but you'll die right away. And they will arrive as soon as I attempt a breakthrough. So stay inside and train."

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