Rise of the Demon God

"Do you have any idea why he might be here today?" Long Chen inquired as he followed Mimi inside the Palace. 

"I'm not in a position to know, but I did hear that my father had invited him. As for the reason, I have no idea," Mimi replied. 

"Anyway, it's not our business to be involved in their matters. Let's get back to the topic. Are you really not going to accept our offer?" She asked, changing the topic. 

"I'm sorry, but I can't accept it. This is the last time I say this. And my answer won't change no matter how many times you ask. In any case, why does it even matter if I work for the Royal Palace or not?" Long Chen inquired.

"If you stay with us, I can have your company. And our Empire will get a talented man's support. You're a treasure that shouldn't be kept in the closet. You're the one that needs to shine brightly. And I want to help you with that," Mimi answered, looking down. 

"I can shine without joining the Royal Family. As for the company, you don't need me to stay here, do you? You can accompany me even without that. I would never say no to your company," Long Chen let out, shaking his head. 

"But you won't stay here. How can I find you daily? Who knows where you'll be the next day? How can I find you, let alone think about accompanying you?" Mimi inquired. 

"That's a question indeed," Long Chen nodded, rubbing his chin. "I guess you can only accompany me when I'm here. It's not as if you can come with me wherever I go."

"Exactly. That's why I want you to stay with me. Stay here and forget everything else. You'll get whatever you ask. Why do you even want to leave? People would be willing to die for this offer, you know?" Mimi asked, frowning. 

"I know. Fine, I'll think about it. Give me a few days," Amidst her constant insistence, Long Chen finally gave a different answer. Instead of explaining what he had to do, it was easier to just say that he'll think about her offer. 

"That's perfect!"

...

"Why did you call me here?" Lord Glen asked as he entered the Throne Room of the Western Emperor. "Why in such a hurry?"

"You're here faster than I thought. It's good," The Western Emperor nodded at the sight of Lord Glen. 

He shifted his focus to the ministers with whom he was discussing something important. "All of you can leave. Give us some privacy."

As the ministers were commanded, they stood up and left the room without any questions asked. 

Soon, only Western Emperor and Lord Glen were left in the room.

The Western Emperor sighed deeply, sitting on his throne. 

"I honestly didn't expect you to answer my call. It's really good that you came," he told Lord Glen. 

"Get to the point," Lord Glen snapped. "I don't want to be in your presence as long as I don't have to be. The only reason I came here now is because you said that the whole world was in danger! Tell me what it was about!"

"You know, I'm really jealous of you sometimes. While you have all the freedom you can hope for, I'm tied in responsibility," the Western Emperor said. 

"Isn't this responsibility the reason you all killed Saint Emperor Xuanwu? Why is it that the same throne is making you feel sad now?" Lord Glen asked, scoffing. 

"Reality is often disappointing. When we received the throne, we were really happy. Especially me. We thought we were going to get all the power we could want. That also came true when Emperor Xuanwu was gone. But this happiness wasn't long lasting," Western Emperor said, sighing. 

"After thousands of years, this just feels... Empty. Now I feel jealous of the life I had before I got the throne. Emperor Xuanwu did a great favor on you by not selecting you," he added. 

"I don't have time to talk about the past. Tell me why you called me here. If there's nothing, I'm leaving," Lord Glen said as he turned back. 

"Blood Dragon Emperor..." The Western Emperor said three words. The three words were enough to make Lord Glen stop in his tracks. 

"What did you say?" He asked, turning around. 

"I said Blood Dragon Emperor. He is back," Western Emperor said, sighing. "Now, I know we have our differences, but we need your help to solve this problem."

"What do you mean Blood Dragon Emperor is back?!" Lord Glen asked again. 

"I meant what you think I did. He is back. We just found out that his soul is free now. That statue was broken, freeing his soul. We don't even know how long it had been since it was broken," the Western Emperor explained. 

"This can't be. Blood Dragons are responsible for keeping it safe. How could it even break?" Lord Glen asked. "How did this happen?"

"I have no idea. But what we know is that the Blood Dragons are missing too. We think they ran away in fear, and now we're on our own," Western Emperor said, sighing. 

"The Soul of Blood Dragon Emperor will soon find its body if it hasn't already. And then it'll awaken. The Blood Dragon Emperor will descend on this world. We're soon going to be in a war like we never saw before. The only way to survive is by fighting, and we need your help to fight alongside us," he continued. 

"I'm sorry, but I can't do anything about this. You four wanted to rule the world. Isn't that why you killed Emperor Xuanwu? Whatever happens, is only your responsibility. Whatever trouble comes, it's for you to solve. It's not my responsibility," Lord Glen said sharply as he started leaving again. 

"I wish you luck for what's to come," he said one last time.

"We aren't the only ones who will die. If we lost the battle, the entire Immortal World might be destroyed. Are you really prepared for that? You were loyal to the Saint Emperor, weren't you? Do you think he would have wanted this?"

"You think he would sit idle if the Immortal World were in danger?" The Western Emperor inquired, trying to use the emotions of Lord Glen. 

Lord Glen turned back as he smiled, "Well, that's the thing. We would never know what he would have done. He isn't here either. As for caring about the World, I stopped doing that the moment this world betrayed Emperor Xuanwu."