Chen Tian's figure vanished before the Guardian Hall, which was gradually consumed by flames. On Meteor Fall City, Chen Tian stood in the center of the city. The entire city had collapsed into nothingness. Shou Tian arrived beside Chen Tian and said, "Chen Tian, Shou Mie's presence has disappeared, and the Guardian Hall is gone too. What happened?"
"I don't know either. Something happened here that we're unaware of, but it's related to the Evil Spirit Race. Let's go check the other Guardian Halls. If I'm not mistaken, my guess should be correct."
"Alright!"
Chen Tian and Shou Tian's figures disappeared from the city center in a flash of light. In the center of a desolate desert, Chen Tian and Shou Tian appeared in the sky. Beneath the desert, a palace was submerged. Chen Tian shook his head and disappeared. Shou Tian followed closely. It seemed Chen Tian's guess was not wrong; something had indeed happened.
After visiting all four Guardian Halls, three of them had lost their guardian spirits and seals. Furthermore, the other three individuals had also disappeared. Chen Tian pulled up the interface; the mission had not yet been marked as complete. Chen Tian rubbed his forehead. How was he supposed to complete this mission now?
This mission had been strange from the start, and Chen Tian hadn't expected it to be this peculiar.
At the same time, a phone call echoed in Chen Tian's ear. Chen Tian looked at Shou Tian and said, "Shou Tian, I need to leave here for a while. Find a place to gather intelligence, and I'll return."
"Okay."
Chen Tian's figure transformed into starlight and drifted into the sky, logging out. On the sofa, Chen Tian opened his eyes and directly answered the phone. On the other end was Pigeon, speaking in a frantic tone.
"Chen Tian, it's bad! In the capital, the Evil Spirit Race has invaded. There are traitors in the capital, hurry and help! It's in the southern part of the capital."
"I can't spare anyone here. There's no other way. These Evil Spirit Race seem to have broken the seal. It's up to you, Chen Tian. I've already notified Qing Ling."
Pigeon hung up the phone. Chen Tian's expression turned grim. Human traitors! If he couldn't find them, the human world would be finished. Chen Tian took a step, and a black hole appeared around him. He stepped into it, and the black hole vanished.
The capital, southern part. This was the most prosperous city, with one hundred and three smaller cities beneath it. Each district in the capital was larger than a normal city. Linjiang City, compared to the southern part of the capital, was like a small town. Any small city here was several times larger than Linjiang City.
Above a city called Mingshui City, a black hole silently appeared and instantly disappeared. A beam of light descended to the ground. Chen Tian stood on the ground, observing the surroundings. The southern region, this was it. Mingshui City. Chen Tian chose this city because he wanted to see an old friend; after all, his old friend was here. Walking on the street, the peaceful scene made Chen Tian doubt himself. Where was the sign of an invasion by the Evil Spirit Race?
Chen Tian couldn't detect any trace of the Evil Spirit Race. Walking through the city, the modern atmosphere and liveliness felt perfectly natural to Chen Tian. He soon arrived in front of a house.
A tightly shut door, an ancient yellow style, a villa stood before him. Chen Tian approached the door and slowly knocked. The crisp sound of "dong dong dong" echoed. A sound of footsteps came from inside the door. Chen Tian's ears were now extraordinary. The door opened, and a maid asked, "May I ask who you're looking for, sir?"
"I'm here to see a friend. Please go and tell him. Just say someone named Chen Tian is looking for him."
Chen Tian said with a neutral expression. The maid nodded, indicating she would pass on the message, then said respectfully, "Please wait here a moment."
Chen Tian didn't stand outside for long before a figure hurried out from inside the villa. It was a dignified young man. The young man was dressed in a suit, his demeanor impeccable. He had a slight stubble, dark and lustrous hair, and the sunlight shining on him made him look radiant. The young man was very excited. Chen Tian waved his hand, and the young man's running speed increased. Looking at the familiar and revered person before him, the young man couldn't suppress his excitement.
Four years. It had been a full four years since he had last seen this person. It was wonderful.
The young man ran to Chen Tian, who said nostalgically, "Long time no see, Wang Xuan."
"Long time no see, Captain. *sniffle* Four years, and you've finally come to find me. I've missed you so much."
Wang Xuan cried and hugged Chen Tian. Chen Tian felt a bit awkward. He was this old, yet he was still acting like a child.
"Cough cough cough!"
Chen Tian coughed a few times. Wang Xuan quickly let go, struck a pose, and then said, "Captain, please."
"Alright, the Yaotian team has disbanded. I'm not the captain anymore, so there's no need for this."
"The Yaotian team may have disbanded, but the captain is still our captain. The captain we acknowledge in our hearts will never change. Yaotian will rise again, even if we're old. We still believe in the captain's abilities. We will reclaim our honor."
"I didn't expect you to still remember that incident from four years ago. It's unnecessary. I gave the account to someone else, and I don't care. It wasn't anything precious."
"To Captain, that account might not mean much, but to the members of the Yaotian team, it was the team's hard work! It was the team's glory. Winning the championship was not as important as that account. We must remove that stain."
Chen Tian waved his hand, knowing he couldn't stop Wang Xuan's decision. He then said, "You've exceeded the age limit for competitions. It's too difficult to enter professional competitions again. Let's just drop this matter."
Speaking of this, Wang Xuan looked at his hands with a helpless expression. Yes, he had reached his limit. Four years ago, he could still strive in professional competitions, but four years had passed. The window for professional competitions is not long. When he joined the team four years ago, he was twenty-one; now he was twenty-nine, already considered old. Professional competitions now felt like they had aged him. Whether he still possessed his former strength was debatable. Moreover, he no longer had the desire to participate in professional competitions.
"Who is it that has arrived, to make you so excited? Even good news from the family hasn't made you this happy."
A mature woman walked out from the living room. Wang Xuan said, "It's nothing, just an old teammate. Just reminiscing."
"Oh! Then take care of yourself. Since we have a guest, I'll make some food for you. You two chat."
The woman also left. Chen Tian said, "I didn't expect you to be married. How are things now?"
"What's so surprising? Marriage is normal. I have a daughter now, and I have to manage the family. Perhaps as you said, I have no chance to return to the competitive scene."
Chen Tian patted Wang Xuan's shoulder and said, "Your wife's background is extraordinary. I hope you don't regret it. But if you have any trouble, you can call me. I can help you, after all, you're my teammate, and you always will be. It's my duty to look after you."
"Not simple? Chen Tian, don't you mean Yingying? I found her, and when I took care of her, we developed feelings and became what we are now. As for Yingying's experiences and memories, she herself doesn't know. Chen Tian, do you know anything?"
"I can't say. You don't have the qualifications to know right now." He patted Wang Xuan's shoulders. Wang Xuan was confused but didn't dwell on it. Instead, he said, "You came to find me for a reason, right? You don't visit without a purpose. During these four years, you've only looked me up when you needed something. You're not here just for a reunion, are you?"
Chen Tian smiled and said, "As expected of my comrade, you understand me so well. Come, let's chat while we drink. I do have something I need your help with."
Wang Xuan and Chen Tian went to the table. An old bottle of red wine was brought out. Chen Tian and Wang Xuan poured wine into their glasses. Wang Xuan's wife, Yingying, brought out a few small dishes and left the living room. Chen Tian smelled the red wine and teased, "Isn't this your treasured vintage wine? Are you willing to take it out to drink now?"
"Isn't this a celebration of you coming to find me? Enough said, brother, let's toast."
After a gulp of wine, Chen Tian, without hesitation, drank it all down. Chen Tian and Wang Xuan exhaled, feeling refreshed. Wang Xuan laughed heartily, "Refreshing! It's been so long since we've had a drink like this. Chen Tian, just tell me what you need."
"Then I'll tell you. Have you heard of the game 'Epoch of Time' these past few years?"
"I've heard of it, but I haven't played it. I'm more interested in 'Starfall' and its competitions."
"I've come to ask for your help. 'Epoch of Time' will also have competitions soon, in three years. I've already found the team members. But I'm not good at things like venues and training systems, so I've come to you."
"Hahaha! Alright! What's the team called? I'll handle the venue for you. As for the rest, don't worry. Four years have passed. I don't believe they'll still be holding onto you. If something like that happens again, I'll fight them to the end."
Wang Xuan's face was filled with anger. Chen Tian remained silent. Chen Tian then said, "It's okay, I'm not afraid of them anymore. The team's name is Yaotian. It's already registered in the game. This time, Yaotian will live on in 'Epoch of Time'."
As soon as Chen Tian finished speaking, Wang Xuan became excited. Wang Xuan asked, "Are the members still the same ones?"
"No, you're all too old. The ones who can still compete need to gel. I've found a few players in the game whose potential is no less than yours. You just need to build the team and establish the rules. We'll need more than two years within the game to handle things. Once we're done, we'll enter the adaptation phase. In the meantime, I'm relying on you to collect information."
"Okay, no problem."
Just as Chen Tian was about to take a bite of the food, his expression changed drastically. A familiar aura appeared. Chen Tian said, "Wang Xuan, wait for me here. Don't go out, absolutely don't leave the house, understand?"
"What's wrong, Chen Tian?"
"Don't you dare leave the house."
Chen Tian's figure vanished in a flash before Wang Xuan. Wang Xuan was stunned. Chen Tian was a martial artist, which shocked him, as he had never known this before.