The dilapidated roof creaked, and the dim yellow candlelight flickered. Occasionally, the howling of the cold wind could be heard in the ears.
Wasn't it supposed to be summer? Why was the wind so bitterly cold?
The young boy looked up at the man in front of him who seemed like a demon, his eyes filled with nothing but fear.
He wasn't weak, but at this moment, under the man's gaze, all his former arrogance and confidence vanished into thin air.
If it weren't for seeing it with their own eyes, the people from the Misty Rain Tower probably wouldn't have believed that this trembling young boy was Zhang Tianyuan.
The wind howled and battered the window. The already over - burdened window became precarious at that moment.
"Sir, what mistake has your subordinate made?"
The man stepped forward expressionlessly, grabbed Zhang Tianyuan's neck with one hand, and lifted him up forcefully. The young boy's body was hoisted up like a piece of ragged cloth.
"Tell me, what mistake did you make?"
"Previously, your subordinate was forced."
"So, you just blurted out the name of the Divine Sect? I really didn't know how they managed to pick someone like you. Now, the Divine Throne has handed you over to me. Your life and death are now in my hands."
Zhang Tianyuan's eyes widened.
"Was it the Divine Throne that saved me just now?"
"Ripping through the plane and reaching out a spatial hand. Do you think there's anyone else in this world who can do that?"
Yes, there was one other person who could do it, but that person was just the legendary Undying God of War, the Millennial Imperial Tutor, Yan Ruyu.
No one knew if Yan Ruyu was still alive. In this world, the only one who could probably contend with the Divine Throne was that legendary Imperial Tutor.
"Your subordinate doesn't understand, Protector. Since the Divine Throne has already stepped in to save me, why are you still targeting me?"
The man called the Protector grinned, and his laughter was extremely sarcastic.
"Targeting you? A mere third - rank spiritual pharmacist who hasn't even reached the fourth stage. Do you think I, the Protector, would target you? Do you deserve it?"
The man's narrow eyes were painted with a thick shade of cyan, and there was a bamboo leaf print on his right cheek.
He was one of the four protectors of the Divine Sect—Qing Feng.
To be honest, Qing Feng didn't like such a poetic name. It was given to him by the Divine Throne when he was just a junior disciple.
But after all these years, he had gotten used to it.
Qing Feng was extremely puzzled. Why would someone as all - powerful as the Divine Throne personally step in to save this young boy?
Zhang Tianyuan had a very dark personality and extremely vicious methods. But now he was a useless chess piece. The Divine Throne never cared about the fate of useless chess pieces, yet Zhang Tianyuan was an exception.
"Protector, it's because I met a mysterious person in the Maze Forest. She was also an alchemist. I couldn't defeat her. If it weren't for her, I would never have failed this mission."
Never have failed? Qing Feng couldn't help but sneer.
"Didn't you meet another alchemist before? Didn't you push her into the Undercurrent River, and her body has been missing ever since? Zhang Tianyuan, if your strength is insufficient, then it's just insufficient. Where do you get so many excuses?"
Qing Feng stood up and straightened his sleeves.
"Since you failed the mission and you can't get into the Five Great Families, from now on, you'll start as a servant at the very bottom of the Divine Sect."
A servant? No, he didn't want that. Servants were the most humble existence. He was a third - rank spiritual pharmacist. Why should he become someone else's slave?
"What? Do you want to resist?"
The man smiled faintly, and immediately Zhang Tianyuan felt his throat burning hot, as if magma had been poured into it. He opened his mouth but couldn't say a single word.
"The Divine Sect doesn't need talkative people. You know too much. This is the safest way for you."
If it weren't for the fact that he still had some remaining value to be exploited, Qing Feng would have killed Zhang Tianyuan immediately.
"By the way, write a letter to your family."
Qing Feng twisted his neck and threw a piece of paper, a brush, and ink in front of Zhang Tianyuan.
"You should know what to write."
Zhang Tianyuan didn't dare to resist, nor did he have the capital to resist. He knew that the reason Qing Feng didn't kill him was because there was the large Zhang Family behind him.
What did he want to stir up by using the Zhang Family?
"Have you heard? There's a child in the Zhao Family named Zhao Huai. Now he's been taken a fancy to by the people from the Capital Sect Association. The Capital Sect Association has always been at odds with our Divine Sect. The Zhao child is still young. If his family is completely destroyed, no matter how talented he is, he'll be trapped in grief and unable to get out. Zhang Tianyuan, you should understand what I mean, right?"
Zhang Tianyuan couldn't say a word, but he knew that he had no choice but to obey.
So, following the instructions of Protector Qing Feng, he wrote a letter to his family, blaming all his misfortunes and his disappearance on the Zhao Family.
The Zhang Family was a large clan, and the Misty Rain Tower had a closed - door training system. Whatever Zhang Tianyuan said, they would believe.
Finally, at the end of the letter, Zhang Tianyuan wrote:
I hope father can seek justice for me, kill all the Zhao descendants, and destroy the entire Zhao Family. Only then can your son die a worthy death.
He signed with the characters "Tianyuan".
Watching the letter being written, Qing Feng sealed it satisfactorily, then blew a whistle. Immediately, a vermilion bird landed on his arm.
After sending the letter, he looked at Zhang Tianyuan, who was still trembling in the corner, and sneered contemptuously, "Trash."
He wouldn't care about Zhang Tianyuan anymore. Anyway, soon someone from the Divine Sect would take him back to the organization.
Now, Qing Feng had more important things to do.
The man leaped out, his toes gently touching the ground. In the next instant, his body was already a hundred meters away.
Such speed was truly amazing.
But all this was seen clearly by a man in green clothes.
The man in green clothes had a peerless appearance and held a long flute in his hand.
There was a young man and a young woman beside him, both with handsome and elegant looks.
"Emperor Venerable?"
The man in green clothes nodded slightly.
In an instant, the handsome young man beside him shot out like an arrow, chasing in the direction where Qing Feng had left.
"Mu Wan, when Ting Bai comes back, tell him to go straight to the capital, Chang'an, and wait for me."
The young girl bowed gracefully, "I shall obey the Emperor Venerable's order."
The man in green clothes looked at the night sky over the Eastern Zealot Wilderness, and a hint of warmth appeared in his eyes.
"Emperor Venerable, do you have any plans next?"
Yan Ruyu smiled and said, "I'm going to look for someone."
The woman who had a huge impact on his life.
A thousand years ago, this continent wasn't called the Eastern Zealot Wilderness. It had another name, Dayan.
A natural disaster had wiped out all of humanity, leaving only him.
He had lived for millions of years, and his remaining life was just a boring one.
Watching the world gradually change from the prehistoric era to its current prosperity.
But Yan Ruyu's heart was getting colder and colder.