Chapter 33
Within this enforced silence, there was only one path to tread.
Complete submission, without hesitation.
No compromise, no justification—only obedience, following every command maintained in the most fragile yet certain balance.
The space that had once been empty suddenly felt suffocating, filled with tension unseen yet palpably thick.
Even though the second offer contained no injustice—something Huan Zheng could have ordinarily accepted—the boiling anger within him nearly stripped him of reason.
In his mind, every rationale given by Ling Xu seemed absurd, as if justice and consideration had vanished, replaced by unilateral gains clearly favoring Ling Xu alone.
Each passing second became a piercing thorn, provoking frustration and an overwhelming sense of coercion, emphasizing the distance now stretching between them farther than ever before.
Huan Zheng felt wronged—not merely by the first agreement, but by the shadow of control lingering over every action.
Every word, every condition Ling Xu presented ignited sparks, inflaming anger and forcing Huan Zheng into a dilemma where rational logic struggled against rage and dissatisfaction.
He understood that each of his movements was now bound, tethered by rules set by Ling Xu, rules asserting that dominance and control were the price to pay to live and survive in this merciless world.
The room became a silent witness, observing the eruption of unbearable emotion.
Every curse slipped from Huan Zheng's lips, declared without restraint, heedless of whether his words might wound Ling Xu.
Each searing insult, every sentence charged with anger, shook the surrounding air, carving lines of wrath visible to anyone sensitive enough to read the aura of fury.
In this surge, Huan Zheng nearly lost control, tempted to strike or recite cultivation incantations, directing them at Ling Xu as an act of defiance.
Yet deep in the recesses of his heart, suffocating sorrow could not be contained; tears flowed relentlessly, paralyzing rational thought and burdening every decision further.
Dilemmas coiled around him, imprisoning Huan Zheng's conscience like iron bands slowly tightening.
He knew that any action he took could imperil those closest to him, dragging them into hidden suffering.
This meant Ling Xu's control could exacerbate the very fears Huan Zheng sought to protect against.
Fear and anguish intertwined, generating tension that robbed him of freedom.
On one hand, he rejected Ling Xu's command, craving freedom like a sword soaring unbound by the wind.
Yet on the other, the possibility of Ling Xu reactivating Mustraya and reclaiming the 49 Lintang Kemahaesaan fragments he once held made Huan Zheng painfully aware that his and his loved ones' survival hung by a thread, with almost no chance of continuing if a single word misstepped.
Every swelling emotion throttled each breath, consuming reason and logic, forcing Huan Zheng to confront bitter reality.
He had no free choice.
Every movement, every intention tethered to Ling Xu's power, and any attempt at resistance was a mere spark, incapable of countering the far larger current of domination. Tears and grief became steadfast companions, constantly reminding him of the consequences lurking in every choice.
No space to refuse, no gap to escape.
Only the weight of anguish restrained Huan Zheng's body and soul, bound in an invisible grip, powerless to resist.
Amid the flood of turmoil in his mind, Huan Zheng replayed, seeking ways related to the agreement and obligations, striving both to understand and resist the demands placed upon him.
Though conscious effort drove him to resist, the reality that there was no other choice made his right hand clench repeatedly, acting each time his conscience forced submission to an external will.
This feeling was not new.
Huan Zheng had long been accustomed to restraint, bowing his personal will to meet the expectations and demands of others, as he had done while in the service of Humanity.
The sting remained, reminding him of the past before he was cast into the realm of the Deities, when each act and sacrifice he made was considered nothing more than a supplement to the discarded powers.
In every clenched hand, every drawn breath, lay unspoken pain, awareness of limitations, and the inability to freely direct the course of his life.
Yet beneath the oppression, a faint but undeniable determination remained: even in submission, Huan Zheng would preserve his integrity amidst merciless domination.
The clenched hand was not merely a symbol of surrender, but also a sign, a signal that within every act of obedience, a small resistance endured, hidden in the shadowed recesses of his heart, untouchable by anyone.
Each movement became a mural, emblematic of the bitter compromise between personal will and external demand, and in the silence, Huan Zheng could only endure, swallowing anger and disappointment.
While shadows of the past loomed, affirming that history and experience never truly vanished but shaped every decision made today.
Ling Xu's shadow continually drifted across Huan Zheng's weighted mind, enveloping consciousness largely ready to follow wherever the Master stepped.
This coerced loyalty rendered him a subordinate, a taboo for someone who should naturally be an adversary, an entity Huan Zheng was meant to hate and avoid.
Yet certainty remained paramount in his mind.
Huan Zheng refused to yield blindly, demanding clear boundaries to ensure his personal interests were not buried beneath Ling Xu's domination.
Every step, every movement sanctioned, had to confirm that loyalty was not unconditional, that he retained space to prioritize his own survival above all else.
His counter to Ling Xu's initial terms still burned in his mind, recalling the immense pressure and loss imposed by the prior agreement.
Yet amid doubt and anger, a faint acknowledgment emerged: both offers, though coercive, were still preferable to the potential loss of the 49 Lintang Kemahaesaan fragments he had once possessed.
With careful calculation, Huan Zheng weighed risk against benefit, recognizing that acceptance did not signify complete surrender, but a strategy, a method of survival.
He understood that in the harshest of worlds, every decision was a compromise, a negotiation between one's own will and the need to survive, preserving even the smallest remaining chance for himself and those he cherished.
To be continued…