"So what other option?" Long Chen sighed. "I can only come back after months or maybe years. So are you sure you want to stay back?"
Mimi didn't reply. She couldn't speak anything and found her mouth closed. She knew she had to say no, but she couldn't.
All she could do was try her best to keep her tears from coming out again.
"I understand your answer. You don't need to say it," Long Chen replied, patting the head of Mimi. "Don't worry about it. It's only a matter of time."
"Will you come back after you're done?" Mimi asked weakly.
"I will," Long Chen answered.
"How long do you have to stay here?" Mimi asked.
"A few hours maybe."
"Let's create more memories to last me years and so that you don't forget me." Mimi looked up and placed her lips on the lips of Long Chen while pushing him towards bed.
...
"He said for a couple of hours. It's been longer."
Back in the Heavenly Prison, Zhu Chang's father was waiting for Long Chen. Even though he had given Long Chen twelve hours, he was expecting him back sooner. But eight hours were already over.
"Something might be taking more time," Zhu Chang said. "Since you gave him twelve hours, wait for four more silently."
...
Back in the Immoral World, Long Chen had finished dressing up. He also bid farewell to Mimi, who looked like she didn't want him to go.
After some more time, he used the talisman given to him by the Beast Emperors and disappeared, leaving a sad Mimi behind who had already started missing him.
....
Long Chen appeared where he had left from. As it was a talisman given by the Beast Emperor, it had the location of this place arranged in it, bringing him back to the same spot.
"Are you done?" Zhu Chang asked.
"Yep. Finished what I had to do," Long Chen nodded.
He turned to the Heavenly General. "Did you finish what I asked you to do?"
"Yeah. They're freed." The Heavenly General nodded. He had freed the people Long Chen asked after doing some enquiry to make sure that the story Long Chen told was true.
Lu Chen was finally going to be released from the prison. As for Zia Uzhi, that guy was already free since Lu Chen was right about him.
Zia Uzhi wasn't a prisoner but an undercover Heavenly Warrior. So he couldn't be freed. However, the Heavenly General didn't tell it to Long Chen.
"I think we shouldn't waste any more time. Let's go back home." Zhu Chang's uncle said.
"Yeah." The Black Tortoise Patriarch nodded.
He placed his hand on the ground, bringing forth a portal before him.
"Go in first. I don't want you to run away after we leave," he told his son, who was standing in the back.
"Tsk." Zhu Chang stepped inside the portal with Long Chen.
Behind them, the Beast Emperor and his brother also stepped inside.
...
Long Chen had taken his first step inside the portal, realizing the significance of this one step.
With this one step, he was going to be inside the world of the Heavenly Beasts! With this step, he was going to be a part of the world where people were after Little Snow.
It was a world that could get hungry for his life after knowing about Little Snow! The world which could be his biggest enemy. Still, he was hopeful.
Since Zhu Chang's father couldn't sense Little Snow inside the ring, he was sure that no one else was going to. Moreover, the opportunity was much bigger than the risks.
After stepping inside the portal, Long Chen felt like he had traveled millions of light-years in a second.
As he stepped out, he noticed the cleaner air and a different atmosphere. He could feel he was in a different world. He was in the world of Black Tortoises.
He raised his head, looking at the beautiful sky above.
There was a black sky, and stars could be seen clearly. The most distinguished were the nine shining stars in the sky that were shining brighter than others.
There was also a moon that was green in color. He wondered if it was actually the moon of their world or just what the sun looked like. The moon wasn't as bright as the sun, but it wasn't as dim as a Moon on earth either.
It was just enough to give light to the entire world while also not hiding the stars in the sky.
"Is this your world?" He asked Zhu Chang.
"That's right. This is home sweet home. The most boring place on earth where nothing exciting ever happens," Zhu Chang sighed. "You'll soon understand why I ran away in the first place."
"The only exciting thing is the Heavenly Competition. Other than that, nothing exciting will happen here. But that's also one of the reasons I had to come back. I couldn't miss it," he continued.
"Heavenly Competition? What's that?"
"It's a massive event for us Heavenly Beasts. Only the direct Royal Heir of Heavenly Beast Clan can take part in the competition. And the competition ranking is what decides the unofficial strength ranking of the Heavenly Beasts," Zhu Chang explained.
"Since the Dragon Heir and the White Tiger Heir reached the finals most of the time, those two clans are considered two of the strongest clans! Last time I missed by just a little! This time I won't! I'll succeed this time at any cost!" He stated.
"Ah, so it's like that. When are these competitions?" Long Chen asked.
"They'll be soon. I think you'll have fun watching them. You can also see how I crush all the enemies," Zhu Chang proudly stated.
"Will Phoenixes also come?" Long Chen asked.
"They will. Their Princess will join, most probably."
"You sound unsure?" Long Chen asked.
"She's a pretty strong lady. Every time she joined while covering her face with a mask, but I met her back in the Immoral World. It seems like she has run away from her home as well. So I can't say for sure if they'll join or not. Maybe they'll send someone else in her place," Zhu Chang responded.
"We'll see how it goes," he added. "It's disappointing though. I wanted to face her again."
"Looks like someone is excited for the coming battles?" Zhu Chang's father also stepped out of the portal. "Good. I expect you to give a good performance and make the clan proud."
"But first, come inside.. Your mother is waiting for you."