The Immortal's Wine Store

"It\'s time to go back to the Profound Dragon Continent. I wonder what happened to those guys while I\'m away..." Jiu Shen muttered to himself as he activated the array formation.

The pattern transcribed on the floor abruptly lit up with a golden glow. Seeing this, Jiu Shen unhesitatingly stepped on the array formation. His body was then enveloped by a brilliant light before vanishing from where he stood.

In The Immortal\'s Wine Store, the array formation on the second floor lit up and a figure suddenly emerged on top of it.

Jiu Shen looked around him and noticed that he was on the second floor of the store.

"M-Master?" He heard a quivering voice at the side and he could not help but glance sideways. There he saw Theia looking at him with an indescribable expression on her face.

Hesitation, guilt, remorse, loneliness... Jiu Shen was bewildered by the look in her eyes.

"I\'m back..." That\'s the only thing he could say when Jiu Shen saw the expression of Theia. He did not know why but he could feel a sense of familiarity when his eyes met with hers. It was as if he had known her for a very long time.

Theia slowly walked towards him and lifted her arms, but she then pulled them back after a moment of hesitation. Looking at her acting this way, Jiu Shen patted her head gently as he asked. "Where are the others?"

Theia closed her eyes when she felt the warmth of Jiu Shen\'s palm. This familiar sensation... She was even more certain that this man might be the same person who had taught her sword techniques in her past life. However, she was unsure if she should tell him about it. After all, she was the reason for his death.

Theia felt her eyes watering when she thought of what had happened back then. She hurriedly wiped the tears forming at the corner of her eyes as she replied to Jiu Shen. "T-They are in the sword tower. Hestia immediately went there to inform everyone when she noticed this teleportation array formation..."

Jiu Shen frowned and used his spiritual perception on Theia. He sensed the emotional turmoil in her heart, making him perplexed. \'Why is she acting like this? Did she always have this kind of side in her?\'

Theia pushed Jiu Shen gently and took a step back as she looked at him. "Master, I\'ll go to the sword tower and inform them of your arrival right away..." She bowed her head and swiftly went away. She did not even give Jiu Shen a chance to speak...

Weird...

As a supreme being who had lived for an innumerable number of years, Jiu Shen had long since known about Theia\'s feelings for him, but this time, even Jiu Shen could not understand what she was thinking. However, he knew that she was hiding something from him... \'Just what could it be...\'

Theia glanced at the store with a guilty look. "Jiu Shen... Because of me, you were imprisoned for millions of years in the God Sealing Tower... Because of me, you died when you could have become the fourth Celestial Emperor..."

During her past life, Theia was known as the Peerless Sword Goddess. Nobody knew her true name, not even Jiu Shen of that time. She was fascinated by Jiu Shen\'s display of swordsmanship, so she decided to compare her sword arts to his.

Days went by in a flash and they became much closer after interacting for long. However, news of their closeness soon reached her husband, Celestial Emperor Lao Gou, known as the strongest man in existence!

Despite being his wife, Theia had never loved this man. She was merely forced to marry him because Celestial Emperor Lao Gou threatened to destroy her family if she declines his hand in marriage. Left with no choice, Theia gave in to Celestial Emperor Lao Gou\'s demands and married him. Starting then, her heart became as cold as ice. But then, everything changed when she met a man who was as skilled as her in the art of the sword. However, because of their unusual closeness, the man was implicated and was forced to suffer the wrath of Celestial Emperor Lao Gou.

Tens of thousands of immortals intercepted Jiu Shen, but he was still able to escape their pursuit with serious injuries. It was only until Celestial Emperor Lao Gou himself moved out that Jiu Shen was finally captured. He even had to use his Celestial-rank item, the God Sealing Tower!

Jiu Shen was imprisoned in this tower for millions of years. His body and soul was tortured every day until his immortal body could no longer take the damage and perished.

Theia felt remorse at the thought of his suffering and because of her guilt, she committed suicide when she heard the news of his death.

***

Inside the store, Jiu Shen used his spiritual perception to scan the entire Beltran City to find Theia. His heart was beating wildly and he knew that something was amiss.

"There you are..." He muttered when he spotted Theia\'s figure flying out of Beltran City. Jiu Shen then used the power of space to teleport in front of her.

Swoosh!

Jiu Shen stared at Theia with a confused look. He could see her tear-stained face and her eyes that flashed with extreme remorse.

Suddenly, a familiar figure overlapped between Theia\'s figure.

"You are... It\'s you..." Jiu Shen\'s eternally calm look changed as he realized something. His golden eyes wavered as a line of tears slowly trickled down his cheeks.

Memories that he had put at the back of his mind flashed back continuously.

Looking at Jiu Shen, Theia cried even louder. "I\'m sorry! Because of me... I-I..."

She almost choked in her tears as she watched Jiu Shen\'s disoriented look. \'Will he forgive me\'