"I'm telling you this not for any other reason, but simply to remind you: from now on, unless I give you an order myself, you don't have to listen to anyone else!
Understood?"
Sacred Ancestor Cang Ya wore a grave expression.
Shen Fan nodded solemnly.
But inside, he thought otherwise:
Only listen to you? Give me a break. If something seems off, I might not even listen to you!
Of course, Sacred Ancestor Cang Ya had no idea what Shen Fan was thinking. He gave Shen Fan a few more instructions, then left with a grave look.
They had just come under attack. As the commander, he still had plenty to deal with.
Shen Fan remained where he was.
His gaze passed over his busy subordinates and settled on Flame Venerable in the distance.
The troops under Flame Venerable's command had suffered heavy losses. A few survivors were gathering their comrades' remains, and grief hung thick in the air.
The two squads made a stark contrast.
Flame Venerable was looking at him, too.
The Divine Son of the Fire Origin Spirit Race had long since extinguished the divine flames around him. His splendid armor was riddled with cracks and stains.
His usually haughty face had lost some of its color and spirit.
He noticed Shen Fan. It seemed he wanted to say something, but no words came.
At last, he stepped forward and walked toward Shen Fan.
Every step was heavy.
The atmosphere grew tense.
Flame Venerable stopped three paces away from Shen Fan.
He opened his mouth.
"This time..."
His voice was hoarse, carrying a regret he hadn't even realized he felt.
"Thank you."
Those three words seemed to drain all the strength from him.
Shen Fan's expression didn't change. He only looked at Flame Venerable calmly.
"We're comrades.