Xueyao fell through the opening with a loud scream and a thud on the stony platform. She took a moment to process the pain she felt…her mouth widened as she fought to catch relief from the pain.
There had to be better entrances to this godforsake cave than this one.
''Ow,'' she groaned softly as she pulled herself gradually to her feet. The immortal black dragon's gloomy shadow behind her as he gazed at her pathetic form. He glanced up at the opening she had fallen through, wondering why this strange dragon always insisted on entering his cave through the back in such a dramatic, painful way.
He stood firm, face set and mind prepared to start his gruelling punishments on her weak form until she found a way to fix what she caused him.
''If only I have mastered the disappearance spell…I wouldn't have to suffer like this just to convince a murderous black dragon to save the world.''
His eyes widened behind her in disbelief at her level of disrespect.
Xueyao scoffed as she stood to her feet, dusted off her hands and dress while thinking how arrogant someone must be to have the formless dimension itself choose someone that will try to convince him to do the right thing. To fix the mess he created because he wasn't a responsible immortal and father of the world.
God, he even needs a tribulation guardian to ensure he goes through those tribulations.
What an annoying dragon brat he is.
''He is not even that great…'' She mumbled out to herself while staring down at her palms.
''Really?''
Xueyao's heart stopped when she heard him say behind her. The slight tremble she felt caused her shivers down the length of her body and she immediately bit down hard on her lips before turning around to face his regal figure.
Once again, she was blinded. Not by the lights of the cave but by his ethereal beauty.
How can someone so heartless be so gorgeous?
Xueyao instantly shook her head and reminded herself the reason why she journeyed down this wasteland.
She was doing this for Sheng Chong and for her Master, who wanted her to be a hero. Not because she gives a damn about the lives of others or the heroic responsibility he caused himself by being negligent in the first place.
Xueyao eyed him from head to toe and decided the better they get on with this the better she wouldn't have to ever deal with this again.
''I am great, you ignorant little dragon. You weren't yet conceived in the mortal realm when I was laying the foundations of this realm.''
''Then you grew too tired after that and slept your whole immortal life away?''
His eyes gazed down at the little dragon before him with dark intrigue.
''Sounds like a very weak black dragon to me. Even I don't get that tired enough to sleep when I go through mentally exhausting exercises at Memory Loss River.''
He cocked an amusing eyebrow at her before closing in on her with a step.
''Little dragon,'' he drawled with an air of mystique. ''You don't compare—''
''I am not a little dragon. I am over two thousand years old!''
The smile on his face grew as he towered over her small figure and countered with, ''I am much taller than you. Shouldn't you be a little more respectful towards me?''
Xueyao's glare at him grew more venomous as he dared to mock her short figure.
''I can literally… turn you to dust with just a flick of my fingers.''
He said and she tipped her chin at him more…not liking where this sudden surge of confidence was coming from. ''So?''
''So?''
She nodded her head even though she was a trembling mess inside. She broadened her shoulders and continued with, ''Yeah, So what?''
He stared down at this weird little dragon. Wondering if she was one anomaly that doesn't cower in the face of danger.
''You should fear me.'' he stated in a dark tone as his gaze remained on her.
But the blue dragon before him smiled before pointing the tip of her right index finger at him. ''I am your tribulation guardian unfortunately. You are stuck with me until we save this world. You should learn not to fear me and don't make yourself out to be some devil that I will be afraid of, so we could work together as a great team, fix this doomed universe and go our separate ways and be happy.''
''Okay?'' She blinked her eyes hoping that would make some sense to him.
''But…I don't wish to save the world.''
''Me too!'' She said quickly, a little happy that they were beginning to flow more than the last time they were together. ''But, black dragon immortal, you can hide but you can't run from this responsibility forever.''
She noticed the growing frown on his perfectly sculpted features and she said in a much softer tone, stepping closer towards his arrogant form. ''Take this as a challenge. A curse. Immortal dragons love getting rid of curses, don't they?''
''This dreadful curse has brought us together and I am one hundred percent sure we hate each other's guts so much. Because, first, I am the reason you are not chained down here anymore and taking a nap. Two, you are the reason my beloved frien—''
He raised an eyebrow at her when she refused to finish her sentence. Xueyao straightened herself and cleared her throat.
''Anyway, we hate each other but we can't get rid of each other because of this curse. The only way to break it is going through tribulations and returning to save the immortal realm. And afterward, I wouldn't have to deal with your annoyingly gorgeous self again.'' She clasped her hand together and rocked on her feet to conclude her long speech with, ''We both get to live happily ever after. The end!''
His frown on her seemed to deepen with every passing second and she wondered how crooked his mind was not to be happy with all that she had just poured out.
''You…''
''...don't want this happy ending.''
''No,'' he answered coldly while withdrawing from her to settle beside a nearby rock formation. Even while being posed in a sitting position, he still looked like a king.
A domineering one. Xueyao hissed to herself as she glared at his form.
''Then tell me, black dragon immortal, what it is you want apart from fulfilling your destiny?''
He took her in one by one from her head to toe with his cold stare before returning to lock eyes with her.
''You.''
Xueyao gasped, mind blown by his ridiculous answer.
''What?''
''To find a way to put me back to sleep just like how your little mind figured out a dramatic way to force me out of my slumber,'' he said, face locked and serious as his gaze burned on her more than ever. Xueyao took a precautionary step away from him.
''How did you survive not being torn apart by the powerful barriers I set up around this place? How did you manage to destroy it down to the Miasma core?'' He fired back with a scary 'I really want to break your bones' aura around him.
Xueyao sighed out before explaining to him. ''It's either because I am your destined tribulation guardian or it's all in your head when you thought you made a very powerful barrier around your sleeping place.''
His jaw tightened as this blue dragon was really tempting eternal death from him.
''How dare you?'' He raged out and she felt a bit bad for insulting him and his barrier. But it felt right deep within her because he started being disrespectful to her at first sight.
''B..but honestly, I do not know how I…''
Her eyes grew wide with a disbelieving gasp when she saw him already trying his best to fall asleep again.
Then, without thinking, she rushed towards him and settled on his laps immediately, using her thumbs and her index finger she forcefully kept his two eyes open by bringing his eye lids apart with them.
Her immortal black dragon stared at her in shock as she was much closer and kept his two eyes painfully strained for long.
''How could you still want to fall asleep after resting for one hundred thousand years?!'' she yelled at his face, with her mouth hanging open at him in disbelief.