The rumbling of thunder gradually overlapped with a forgotten memory from the past. Zhaozhao, who was watching from the side, instinctively sensed the danger.
She wanted to reach out and pull away Xiaofufeng, who was squatting on the ground, and her past self. However, as expected, her hand passed right through their bodies.
She had forgotten that everything that happened here was just a phantom from thousands of years ago. She couldn't touch them at all. Watching the danger right in front of her eyes, she was utterly powerless to stop it from happening.
In the next instant, a terrifying bolt of lightning tore through the clouds and struck the ground right beside Zhaozhao from a thousand years ago, who was completely oblivious.
The ground struck by the lightning smoked under the pounding rain. Cracks appeared on the ground and then it turned into a field of scorched earth. If that bolt of lightning had landed just a bit more precisely, there was no doubt that it would have struck Zhaozhao. No one could say for sure whether she would have lived or died.
Xiaofufeng beside her was completely stunned. He had never seen such a sight before. He had heard before that the heavens would send down thunderbolts to punish the guilty. But he really couldn't understand what kind of sin the sister who had been looking at him with worry just now could have committed that deserved such a terrifying display of the heavens' wrath.
While they were in a daze, the thunder didn't stop. One bolt of lightning after another came crashing down towards Zhaozhao.
Zhaozhao belatedly started to cast spells to defend herself. But the lightning was so powerful. No matter how much spiritual power Zhaozhao had, there would come a time when she couldn't hold on. Moreover, she had to protect Fufeng beside her from getting caught in the crossfire.
When an unknown number of bolts of lightning had fallen, the barrier Zhaozhao had set up shattered. She couldn't hold on any longer. Fatigue and pain washed over her. In the next instant, she spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground like a bird with broken wings.
When the lightning with its fierce white light descended again, Zhaozhao almost thought she couldn't dodge it. Instinctively, she turned her head and closed her eyes, waiting for the pain.
However, the expected pain didn't come. All she heard was a clear and crisp ringing sound. When she opened her eyes again, a silver spear stood solemnly in front of her, and Su Yuan was standing in the wind and rain, looking at her from afar.
"Stop," Su Yuan looked up at the sky. His voice was indescribably cold, and his eyes still carried a trace of undissipated killing intent. His whole demeanor was as cold as ice. He said word by word, "She's not the one!"
Zhaozhao was kneeling on the ground, looking up at him. Although she couldn't tell who Su Yuan was talking to, she knew that she should be safe from now on.
As long as Su Yuan was there, she was safe.
The thunder that had been rumbling across the sky gradually stopped. The heavy rain seemed to be venting some kind of dissatisfaction as it came down in its last burst, and then it started to drizzle softly.
Su Yuan retrieved the silver spear from the ground and held it in his hand. He picked Zhaozhao up in his arms with one hand and told her calmly and gently, "Don't be afraid. I'm back."
Boom!
The sky roared again, but Su Yuan didn't even look up. He said casually, "If you still want this war to stop, if you still want me to keep my promise and complete the deal, if you want the balance between the human and demon realms to be restored, then stop. Don't mess with her. Otherwise, I don't know what I'll do."
This threatening speech seemed to have worked. The sky finally quieted down. The thick black clouds gradually receded, and the sun reappeared, shining over the entire Great Wilderness.
It was like hope.
"Su Yuan..." Zhaozhao was lying in Su Yuan's arms, looking at him somewhat helplessly.
Everything that had happened today was just too sudden. She didn't know what had caused that sudden thunderstorm, nor did she know what the deal Su Yuan had mentioned was.
She wasn't the type to never ask. But back then, Su Yuan had said nothing about it, so she stopped asking.
But now, this situation had piqued her curiosity all over again. She always felt uneasy. What kind of deal was it that made Su Yuan, who clearly hated it deep down, still go back and forth to that battlefield? And now he was even using it to save her life.
"It's okay. Don't be afraid."
Hearing her speak, Su Yuan quickly patted her on the back to comfort her.
However, in Zhaozhao's eyes, even though he was whispering words of comfort and telling her that everything was okay, his trembling hands betrayed him. She could see his panic.
Su Yuan must have been scared too... because he really looked terrified.
Thankfully, Zhaozhao knew that her body's self - healing ability was incredibly powerful. In no time, she felt that the meridians that had been injured by the lightning had quickly healed.
Now it seemed to be her turn to comfort Su Yuan. To help Su Yuan get over the shock she had given him, Zhaozhao changed the subject and asked him, "What was that just now?"
Su Yuan's hand that had been gently stroking her back paused for a moment. He seemed reluctant to talk about it, but in the end, he was defeated by her persistent and clear eyes. He said in a deep voice, "That was the Heavenly Dao."
"The Heavenly Dao..." Zhaozhao murmured these two words. She was not unfamiliar with this term.
Since she was just a tiny tree, when she had just gained a bit of spiritual awareness and could hear the voices of all things, she had known about such an existence.
The Heavenly Dao was the law of all things in the world. It was extremely mysterious and powerful. Its mission was to maintain the operation of the world and ensure the balance of the universe.
But Zhaozhao didn't understand why such a mysterious and powerful existence would want to kill her. She thought she had never done anything to hurt others. Why would it target her?
Su Yuan saw the confusion in Zhaozhao's eyes. He stroked her head and comforted her, "Don't worry about it. The Heavenly Dao can make mistakes sometimes."
Zhaozhao nodded absent - mindedly. But suddenly, a sentence Su Yuan had said to the Heavenly Dao popped into her mind. He had said, "She's not the one." Not the one what?
Unable to figure it out, Zhaozhao simply blurted out the question to Su Yuan.
Su Yuan was lost in thought for a moment, and then he told her that the Heavenly Dao had mistaken her for someone else. This made Zhaozhao even more confused.
Could such a powerful existence really make such a mistake?
She saw that Su Yuan didn't want to talk more. Her lowered gaze landed on the new wounds, big and small, on Su Yuan's body. Her heart ached. She looked up, her eyes glistening with tears. She asked Su Yuan, "What about the deal?"
Su Yuan clearly didn't expect Zhaozhao to change the subject so quickly. "It's nothing. It's just—"
Seeing that he was about to make up an excuse to dismiss her again, Zhaozhao wasn't having it. She glared at Su Yuan angrily and said, "Don't lie to me. If you lie to me, I'll know, and I'll be really angry."
Looking at the angry little expression on Zhaozhao's face and the worry that couldn't be hidden even in her angry eyes, Su Yuan suddenly felt a sense of relief and his heart softened.
He reached out and pinched her cheek. Su Yuan told her the truth, "I was born tens of thousands of years ago. In the long river of time, I've seen all the worldly affairs. I've come to feel that life is boundless and endless. Living is the most painful thing. But my lifespan as long as the heavens seems like a curse that has trapped me. So I made a deal with it. As long as I help it pacify the war between the human and demon races and restore the balance of the world, then it will let me be liberated through death."