What I Missed

The journey into the Demon Realm was nothing like Shen Qing had imagined.

The moment he was taken away from the battlefield, the surrounding landscape began to change.

The clear spiritual energy of the cultivation world gradually disappeared.

The further they traveled, the heavier the air became.

Dark clouds covered the sky.

The mountains were black and jagged, their peaks disappearing into thick mist.

Trees with twisted branches grew along the cliffs, their leaves an unnatural dark green.

Even the rivers looked different.

Their water was so dark that Shen Qing could barely see its bottom.

There was no birdsong.

No insects.

No peaceful wind passing through the leaves.

Only the occasional distant roar of an unknown beast.

Shen Qing walked through the Demon Realm surrounded by several demon guards.

They didn't need chains.

They didn't need a carriage.

Every one of them carried an overwhelming aura.

Even the strongest cultivator would have understood immediately that trying to escape from them would be pointless.

The demons moved through the mountains with frightening speed.

Their figures occasionally blurred as they crossed enormous distances in only a few steps.

Shen Qing followed quietly.

His robes moved in the cold wind.

He looked around at the unfamiliar land.

So this...

was the Demon Realm.

The place that the cultivation world had spent years describing as a land of death and destruction.

Yet seeing it with his own eyes felt different.

It wasn't simply a wasteland.

There were cities hidden between the mountains.

Demon cultivators moved through the streets.

Black banners hung from enormous towers.

Strange beasts flew across the dark sky.

Demonic formations protected entire settlements.

The Demon Realm was not chaotic.

It was organized.

Powerful.

Almost like another civilization.

Shen Qing's eyes slowly narrowed.

He built all of this?

The thought came unexpectedly.

The Demon King.

The child he remembered.

The child who had once been afraid to sleep alone.

That child now ruled an entire realm.

Shen Qing's chest tightened.

He looked away.

He didn't know whether to feel proud.

Or heartbroken.

Perhaps both.

They continued forward.

The deeper they went, the heavier the demonic energy became.

Eventually, a massive black mountain appeared ahead.

At its peak stood an enormous palace.

It was built directly into the mountain itself.

Towering walls surrounded it.

Black towers rose into the sky like blades.

Huge banners bearing the symbol of the Demon King fluttered violently in the wind.

Shen Qing stopped for half a second.

His eyes remained fixed on the palace.

So this...

was where the Demon King lived.

The place where the child he once knew had grown up.

His fingers slowly curled.

He couldn't stop thinking about the battlefield.

That face.

That voice.

Those eyes.

Why did you abandon me?

Shen Qing closed his eyes.

The question continued to echo in his mind.

He had expected anger.

Perhaps even hatred.

But he hadn't expected that kind of pain.

It hadn't sounded like the words of a Demon King.

It had sounded like the words of a child who had waited too long.

Shen Qing opened his eyes again.

His gaze lowered.

"I didn't abandon you..."

He whispered.

His voice disappeared beneath the howling wind.

"I really didn't."

But there was no one there to hear him.

---

The demons finally reached the gates of the Demon Castle.

The massive gates were made of black metal.

Two enormous demonic statues stood on either side.

Their eyes glowed faintly red.

The moment the guards approached, the gates opened without anyone touching them.

Shen Qing stepped inside.

The Demon Castle was even more intimidating from within.

Long corridors stretched in every direction.

Dark crystal lamps illuminated the walls.

Demonic formations were carved into the floor.

Powerful spiritual fluctuations moved beneath the stone, as if the entire castle itself were protected by an enormous formation.

Every few steps, Shen Qing could feel a powerful aura coming from somewhere deeper inside the castle.

The Demon Realm was filled with powerful beings.

And yet none of the demons approached him.

They simply watched.

Some whispered quietly.

Others immediately moved aside.

Shen Qing noticed their expressions.

Fear.

Respect.

Curiosity.

But no one dared come close.

He didn't understand why.

Or perhaps...

he simply didn't understand what kind of authority the Demon King had built around himself.

The guards continued leading him deeper into the castle.

Eventually, they reached a long staircase descending beneath the main palace.

The deeper they went, the colder it became.

The polished black stone walls gradually disappeared.

They were replaced by rough, dark rock.

Ancient demonic symbols were carved into the walls.

At the bottom stood an enormous iron door.

One of the guards stepped forward.

The door opened.

A cold wind rushed past Shen Qing.

Beyond it was a prison.

Not an ordinary prison.

The Demon Realm's prison was built deep underground.

The ceiling was so high that it disappeared into darkness.

Rows of cells stretched into the distance.

Some were empty.

Some contained strange demonic artifacts.

Others were sealed by powerful formations.

The walls were covered with ancient runes designed to suppress spiritual energy.

Shen Qing looked around.

"So this is your prison?"

One of the guards nodded.

"You will remain here for now."

Shen Qing looked at the empty cell.

"How long?"

The guard didn't answer.

Shen Qing turned toward him.

"How long am I supposed to stay?"

"Until His Majesty gives another order."

Shen Qing sighed softly.

He stepped inside.

The iron door closed behind him.

CLANG.

The sound echoed through the underground prison.

Shen Qing stood still.

For several seconds, he didn't move.

Then he slowly turned around.

The guards were still standing outside.

Shen Qing stared at them.

"Can I ask you something?"

One guard hesitated.

"What?"

Shen Qing approached the bars.

He looked at them for a moment.

Then asked quietly—

"Your Demon King..."

The guards immediately became cautious.

Shen Qing noticed.

He frowned slightly.

"What is he really like?"

Neither guard answered.

The silence itself was an answer.

Shen Qing didn't push.

He simply waited.

One of the guards finally said,

"You should rest."

Shen Qing's expression changed.

"That's not an answer."

The guard remained silent.

Shen Qing sighed.

He stepped away from the bars.

Fine.

If they didn't want to speak, he wouldn't force them.

He walked toward the stone wall and slowly sat down.

His back touched the cold surface.

The chill passed through his robes.

He lowered his head.

The Demon King's words returned to him.

Why did you abandon me?

Shen Qing closed his eyes.

His fingers slowly curled against his palm.

"I didn't..."

His voice was barely audible.

"I didn't abandon you."

But the words sounded weaker this time.

Because now he knew something.

The Demon King had spent thirteen years believing otherwise.

Thirteen years of waiting.

Thirteen years of resentment.

Thirteen years of believing that Shen Qing had willingly left him.

Shen Qing's chest ached.

He remembered that small child again.

Twelve years old.

Quiet.

Always following him from behind.

Always pretending he didn't need anyone.

Shen Qing remembered the first time that little hand had grabbed his sleeve.

"Master..."

That tiny voice.

"Where are you going?"

Shen Qing had smiled.

"I'm just going somewhere for a little while."

The child had stared at him suspiciously.

"Will you come back?"

Shen Qing had gently placed his hand on his head.

"Of course."

A promise.

A simple promise.

And yet—

thirteen years had passed.

Shen Qing's eyes opened.

He stared into the darkness of the prison.

"No..."

His expression slowly changed.

Something was wrong.

He remembered what had happened before his disappearance.

His body had been severely injured.

He remembered the overwhelming pain.

He remembered losing consciousness.

And then—

he had returned to his original world.

At least, that was what he believed.

He had thought only a few days had passed there.

Perhaps a week.

Maybe a little longer.

He had never imagined thirteen years could have passed in the cultivation world.

His breathing became uneven.

"That can't be..."

He pressed his fingers against his temple.

"If I was only gone for a few days..."

His voice became quieter.

"Then why..."

His eyes trembled.

"Why did thirteen years pass here?"

A cold feeling spread through his chest.

He immediately closed his eyes.

"System."

Silence.

"System."

Nothing.

Shen Qing's brows furrowed.

"Answer me."

Still nothing.

His voice became more urgent.

"Why did thirteen years pass?"

No response.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Silence.

"You brought me back here."

His fingers tightened.

"You should know what happened."

Nothing.

Shen Qing's breathing became heavier.

"System."

He waited.

One second.

Two.

Five.

Ten.

Nothing.

His expression slowly fell.

It had never ignored him like this before.

At least—

not when he needed an answer.

Shen Qing opened his eyes.

There was confusion in them.

Then fear.

He looked down at his hands.

He remembered the moment before he disappeared.

The pain.

The weakness.

His consciousness fading.

Then waking in his original world.

He had thought it was only a short separation.

He had thought he would return soon.

But thirteen years had passed here.

Thirteen years.

His heart sank.

"Then what happened to you...?"

The question escaped him.

Not to the system.

Not to the guards.

To the Demon King.

The child who had waited thirteen years for someone who believed he had only been gone for days.

Shen Qing's eyes slowly became wet.

He lowered his head.

His shoulders trembled slightly.

"I didn't know..."

His voice broke.

"I didn't know you were waiting that long."

He covered his face with one hand.

For the first time since returning to the cultivation world, Shen Qing felt the full weight of what those thirteen years meant.

He hadn't chosen to leave.

He hadn't chosen to abandon him.

But from the Demon King's perspective—

he had disappeared.

And never returned.

Shen Qing slowly lowered his hand.

His eyes were red.

"I really didn't abandon you."

The words were barely a whisper.

"I would never do that."

The prison remained silent.

And somewhere far above him—

the Demon King was waiting.

Not knowing whether he should hate the person who had returned...

or believe the master he had never truly forgotten.

to be continued.....

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