When Zhang Wen turned the umbrella, a faint click of a tiny mechanism sounded.
At the same moment, Lin Taiji's eyes widened to their limit. The images within her pupils shifted violently in a split second, as if some unseen hand had torn apart the paths of the future and rewritten them before her eyes.
Suddenly, the heads of the three elders slowly turned in the direction of the umbrella in a way that defied nature. The three tried to resist, but in that instant their laws and cultivation seemed to be severed, and their necks snapped in perfect unison as if some force controlled their movements.
Krrk!!
In that same instant, every raindrop across the area transformed into countless sharp needles.
They shot down like a storm of steel with no way to evade.
Thk! Thk! Thk! Thk! Thk! Thk!
The needle-like rain pierced through the bodies of the three elders, stabbing in and out of every part of them, from every organ to their inner worlds.
The sounds of bones breaking and flesh tearing echoed gruesomely. Blood sprayed and mixed with the rain, becoming a dark red mist.
Their bodies were riddled with holes from head to toe.
The auras that had soared moments ago extinguished rapidly. There was no chance to retaliate, not even a scream.
All three lives ended within a single breath.
Silence covered the battlefield.
Zhang Wen stepped forward swiftly. His figure vanished and reappeared beside the corpses in an instant.
His hand lifted slightly.
Ancient black runes appeared in midair, releasing a mysterious aura. Sealing power pressed down onto the three bodies, imprisoning the struggling souls so they could not escape.
Then the three bodies were silently drawn into his spatial ring, and the three Emperor swords became Zhang Wen's personal assets as well.
Everything returned to silence. Only the rain continued to fall.
Lin Taiji stood stiffly, her hands trembling slightly, but not because the battle ended too quickly, nor because it was too easy.
It was because… all the futures she had just seen had changed in a single instant.
What should have been a fierce battle ended within a single breath.
In all her life, she had never seen the future change so abruptly. Even when futures shifted instantly, there was always at least one to five seconds to think and adapt.
But this time, it changed immediately, as if the lines of fate had been erased and rewritten.
Lin Taiji looked toward the man in white. Her heart pounded with a feeling she had never experienced before… fear.
The rain continued to fall steadily. Fine droplets drifted through the air like a thin mist. The scent of wet earth mixed with lingering blood filled the surroundings with a heavy atmosphere difficult to describe.
Zhang Wen turned his gaze toward Lin Taiji.
He said nothing at first, observing her reaction for a moment before speaking in a calm voice.
"Were you startled… when the future suddenly changed just now?"
Lin Taiji fell silent briefly before answering softly,
"So you knew… that my eyes can see the future?"
Zhang Wen replied immediately,
"I didn't."
The short answer made Lin Taiji frown slightly, the corner of her lips lifting faintly.
"Fine… I suppose this won't end with just a blood contract this time, will it?"
Zhang Wen raised his hand.
A pulling force formed in midair.
The severely injured body of Long Suyao was dragged over rapidly.
At that moment, Lin Taiji's voice rang out immediately.
"I agree."
Zhang Wen frowned slightly.
"I haven't even asked anything yet."
He let out a soft laugh.
"But never mind… do you want to work for me?"
Lin Taiji answered without hesitation.
"My answer is the same. I agree."
A faint smile appeared on Zhang Wen's lips.
"What a frightening power indeed."
Lin Taiji looked at him seriously.
"Just now… how did you manage to change the future so abruptly?"
Zhang Wen fell silent for a moment before raising his hand.
Two drops of pure, clear water formed above his fingertips. They floated motionless in the air, emitting a faint glow as if they were alive.
He flicked them lightly toward Lin Taiji and the purple-gold eagle, speaking in a casual tone.
"When we talk… stop using your future sight… it makes conversation impossible."
Lin Taiji let out a soft laugh.
"Maybe next time."
She reached out to catch the drop, then allowed it to seep through her forehead immediately, while sending a mental message to the purple-gold eagle so it would absorb the drop as well, as if she already knew exactly what needed to be done.
In a split second, the drop flowed throughout her body.
A faint current of power moved through every meridian.
Lin Taiji closed her eyes briefly before murmuring,
"Oh… how many layers of restrictions are hidden inside such a tiny drop?"
Yet she did not resist, simply accepting it calmly.
Zhang Wen touched his ring, sending a signal somewhere, then spoke again.
"And you… do you want to work for me?"
His gaze shifted to the other side, toward the pile of flesh that had once been the red dragon scattered across the ground.
Suddenly, the pieces of flesh began to move. Some force gathered, and a middle-aged man slowly stepped out from the mass of flesh. Long red hair, curved black horns, deep crimson eyes, wearing a red robe, a ferocious aura radiating clearly from him.
He looked straight at Zhang Wen.
"What would I gain… from working for you?"
Zhang Wen smiled.
"Everything you want."
Long Yantian chuckled softly.
"Are you selling me a dream?"
He glanced at Lin Taiji before looking back at Zhang Wen, his eyes filled with caution. He had heard every word of their earlier conversation. After a moment of silence, he spoke again.
"Hm… if even Lin Taiji, one of the strongest Half-Emperors on the Dark Wind Continent, has chosen to yield… then I suppose I don't really have a choice either."
Suddenly, Zhang Wen flicked his finger lightly. Another drop of water floated out, then shot straight into Long Yantian's body.
The drop seeped into him like an invisible mark.
Just as the atmosphere seemed to settle, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Long Yantian… how dare you bow your head to those humans!"
Long Suyao, who had just regained consciousness, opened her eyes. They burned with anger and disbelief. Her voice was sharp like a blade.
"I'll report this to the Mistress immediately and have your engagement canceled!"
The air fell slightly silent.
Long Yantian stood still for a moment before speaking in a surprisingly calm voice.
"To be honest… I should probably thank her for sending me to help you search for the man named Ye Chen."
He let out a soft laugh, almost mocking himself.
"It made me realize just how foolish everything I've done has been…"
His gaze drifted into the distance.
"I've been engaged to her for who knows how many thousands of years… yet we've never even married. I helped her with everything, used the resources of the Red Dragon bloodline to help the nearly declining White Dragon bloodline… stand again within the Dragon Clan."
His voice paused briefly.
"But none of my actions… were ever truly returned."
He laughed quietly.
"And it seems she already has someone she loves… I could feel she changed not long ago… tell me, was it that brat named Ye Chen who caused that change?"
Long Suyao fell silent immediately.
…
…
Long Yantian continued with a calm expression.
"I think I finally understand… just how worthless everything I've done for thousands of years really was."
Long Suyao bit her lip tightly.
"Don't you love the Mistress!"
"Love… isn't about possessing one another. If you truly love her, you should be happy instead, seeing her happy with the one she truly loves."
Long Suyao closed her eyes, her expression trembling slightly.
Long Yantian fell silent before speaking again.
"Just like that man in white said… mercy is something beautiful… until it's used at the wrong time."
Long Suyao was about to say something, but then—
Boom!!
A large transparent bubble suddenly formed, instantly enclosing her.
Then four more bubbles floated out at the same time. Inside them, the figures of Ye Chen, Ye Xin, Mu Ling, and Huang Ran floated in a sleeping state.