The past reaches the present.

"Come on now, Dear Yu, do you really have to react so violently? You guys were the ones who wanted to sign the contract in the first place, I'm not the one who presented the offer, you and your parents were."

As if he wanted to prove his point, Tao Tiankong brought out a framed marriage contract very similar to the one that Yin Long's parents had signed with Tang Fen's parents in the past. And indeed, Yin Yu's name was signed at the bottom, along with the names of her parents and Tao Tiankong. But Xiao Yin Yu simply spat at the contract, filled with nothing but disgust and disdain.

"I was a child! I barely knew my lefts from my rights at the time, and you took advantage of that fact to bedazzle me, to fill the heads of my family with nothing but lies so that we'd bend to your whims!"

Yin Long still sat at the side as the two people argued, it was as if both parties had simply forgotten about his existence due to their opposing feelings. Tao Tiankong put away the contract after wiping away Yin Yu's spit, correcting her with utmost calm.

"I didn't lie about a single thing, you really will stand at the top of everything if you follow by my side, you'll get to eat every delicacy and watch the greatest performances, your clan will stand above millions. There will be no rules, because we will make the rules. I didn't say a single lie, I never have and never will."

In the instant where Tao Tiankong spoke about never lying, his entire body radiated an immense aura of pride, as if his honesty was one of the things he took the greatest of pride in. But Yin Yu was way beyond letting herself get fooled by that aura, she was no longer the same gullible child she had been back then.

"Except you conveniently left out the fact that I would be basically no better than a slave, a mindless puppet rather than an equal. What 'nurturing feelings and growing love to bring us closer together', you just wanted to conquer what you felt would be a future beauty!"

Just a single thought from Tao Tiankong was all it took to completely freeze her body, the array preventing her from even raising her arm an inch further. And that wasn't even the limit of what the array could do, she had personally experienced that. But just like with her previous accusations, Tao Tiankong waved it aside with an honest smile.

"That's just how you see it, the array is only there to make sure that you don't go out of line and nothing else. After all, if I were to be killed in my sleep it really would be a bit sad and a great loss for the world, wouldn't it?"

Tao Tiankong truly was a child favoured by the heavens, there was probably no one who would argue against that. He was one of the few chosen that had a high chance of taking up the position of Dominion Deity in the future. And even if he failed that, he would still be someone extremely close to that position, he would strengthen the Dominion as a whole. But again, Yin Yu simply spat viciously, Tao Tiankong maintaining his smile.

"Then what about the fact that it also forces me to abide by your orders, can restrict my movements on your whim, and can track me at all times, what about that?"

"Insurances, nothing more. If you don't step out of line, none of that will be needed. The others were fine with it, even your parents were, so why can't you be?"

As he ended his sentence, a sliver of exasperation started to appear in Tao Tiankong's voice. His other wives had all agreed, the patriarch of Yin Yu's clan had agreed to it, and even her parents had relented and agreed. Now it was only her left, she was the only one that had yet to come to terms with the contract and the array. But he didn't let that exasperation linger in his voice for long, clapping his hands once as if to dispel it.

"Oh well, you'll be fine with it in time. After all, it's like I said, we can nurture feelings and grow our love over time even if we don't feel anything right now. Besides, you've already signed the contract and your parents have agreed to everything, we are already fiance and fiancee, whether you like it or not."

Indeed, the contract had been signed and her entire family had agreed to it. Not even leaving the clan would allow her to break the contract thanks to the array, only by becoming strong enough to break the array would she ever be free of that contract. Yin Yu wore a gloomy look as she looked at the sunny Tao Tiankong, quietly using the communication treasure provided by the Wasteland Warden to contact Yin Long.

"This is my problem, not yours. You should leave, run as far and as quickly as you can. He shouldn't do anything since I'm already in his grasp, but there's no telling when he'll change his mind, his bloodline makes him very possessive at times."

Yin Long was almost caught a little off guard by the fact that he had been contacted so suddenly, up until now it was as if neither parties even registered his existence. But honestly, that was just to be expected, one was at the 7th Earthen Door and the other was at the 6th Skyborne Door, compared to them he was just at a measly 4th Immortal Door. Yin Long didn't respond to Yin Yu's message, Tao Tiankong had already turned towards him at the same time as Yin Yu contacted him.

"Ah, forgive me, Friend, I've spoken so much but forgotten to introduce myself. I am Tao Tiankong, but you probably know me better as the Hungering Heavens Young Master. Thank you for accompanying my fiancee until we managed to reunite, I can promise you that you'll be adequately rewarded for helping us meet our fate."

Tao Tiankong actually cupped his hands politely as he spoke, it seemed as if he wasn't bothered by the difference in cultivation. As for the title he presented himself with, it was one that made even Yin Long's pupils sharpen somewhat. Only one person could be called the Hungering Heavens Young Master, and that was the future leader of the Hungering Heaven sect.

What was the Hungering Heaven sect? It was the strongest organization on the entire planet, it counted several Province Emperors amongst its members. It was so powerful that it could influence the entire Dominion, they were so strong that even this Province Championship was beneath their notice, they didn't even bother sending people to compete in it.

Yin Long also hadn't gotten a report about this Tao Tiankong so he was likely someone chosen by one of the Province Emperors, one of the 180 privately chosen competitors. Tao Tiankong didn't seem like he cared about Yin Long's reaction to his identity, his finger rubbing his interspatial ring as he seemed to go through it.

"Let's see.... Ah, you look like you engage in your fair share of swordplay so I've got just the thing. Here, take it, consider it my thanks. If you leave me your name then I swear that I'll also invite you to the wedding, it's the least I can do."

He flung out his hand as he spoke, a dark blue sword shooting out from his interspatial ring and piercing into the earth in front of Yin Long. It didn't take an expert to see that this was an extraordinary sword, the air of sharpness it radiated was enough to prick Yin Long's skin as he sat there. But Yin Long only glanced at the sword for a second before his slightly sharpened pupils returned to normal, his head tilting as he looked at Xiao Yin Yu.

"...Say, Yin Yu, what is your choice?"

Jin Wang's body shift slightly when he heard Yin Long's question, he had been forced to listen to enough sappy stories about Yin Long's past to guess what was coming. But Yin Yu and Tao Tiankong didn't know, not about Yin Long's past, and not about this aspect of his personality, so both of them were a touch confused.

"Eh?"

"Your choice, what is it? Marrying him, is that your choice?"

Yin Long stood up as he questioned, not bothered by Yin Yu's confused exclamation. He had already made his choice when she protected him the first time as he was cultivating, her saving him this second time, and even suffering greatly for it, had only solidified his thoughts further. Yin Yu still didn't answer his question, so he tilted his head once more and urged her on.

"Well? It's a simple question, isn't it? Is this your choice, accepting it and marrying him? Is this what you chose, what you want?"

He had walked closer to her as he spoke, ending up right in front of her. She was normally a bit taller than him, but she was sitting right now while he was standing so she had to raise her head to lock eyes with him. And as she looked at him, it seemed as if he had grown so much taller than ever before. That free and unrestrained look in his eyes made him seem like an eagle flying high in the sky, meanwhile, she was still just a chick hopping around on the earth, unable to hide the truth as she answered.

"...No, if I could choose then I would escape his grasp and annul that contract, I'd rather die than marry him. But I don't have a choice, never had it since that accursed day, that's just how life is sometimes."

It was an answer that anyone would expect, she wouldn't have tried to pierce her own throat if she was actually willing to marry him, wouldn't have cursed at him like that. But that was just how it was, she was too weak, she hadn't been able to grow strong enough before their reunion. So this was her fate now, whatever her choice was no longer mattered, because she didn't even have one anymore. But Yin Long simply nodded his head, his gaze turning towards Tao Tiankong.

"There's always a choice."

He turned his body away from Yin Yu and stepped in front of her, his white sword appearing in his grasp as his Qi quietly started to seethe and roil. Tao Tiankong only raised an eyebrow at this futile resistance, it was Yin Yu who had a more violent reaction.

"You...Are you insane?!"

This was indeed beyond her expectations, she had done what she could to make Yin Long escape since this wasn't his problem. She also hadn't thought that he would step in like this, because this wasn't a fight he could learn anything from, the difference in strength was simply far too great. But the only answer to her maddened question was a slight turn of Yin Long's head.

"I made my choice, no one else decided it for me. I chose my path with my own hands. But you, you didn't choose your path, did you? Someone else chose it for you before you even knew what it meant."

Yin Long didn't know, or rather, didn't think enough of it to remember, but in the past, he had said these exact same things to someone else. The first part he had said to Jiu Meiyu when he went to stop Lan Yun from selling her body, and the second part he had said to Lan Yun when he explained to her why he had done what he did.

And since he didn't think those thoughts were so grand that they were worth remembering, he unknowingly continued to repeat his past words as he raised his sword and pointed the tip at Tao Tiankong, various plans already starting to swirl in his mind.

"I consider you a friend and equal, Yin Yu, just like I consider Fang Yau a friend and equal. So just like with my other friends, I have decided that I only want you to bear things that you yourself have chosen to bear, not what others have decided for you. So trust me here, I'll get you out of here and away from him, and then you can selfishly decide how you want to live and what you want to bear, I won't interfere once you've made your own choice."