A World Transformed

The five words "Venerable Yao Han Feng" struck Zhu Jin's mind like a bolt from the blue, leaving him unable to recover for a long while.

If anyone had seen Zhu Jin's current gaze and expression, they would have been greatly shocked. His expression was neither surprise nor something comical or amusing. He did not spit water in fright or have his eyeballs pop out like in cartoons. His eyes and face were filled only with fear—a fear of fate.

Zhu Jin was a transmigrator. He was not a native dragon. He possessed an ability close to "omniscience" and even called himself the Dragon Who Knew Fate. He knew the future. Yet the five words "Venerable Yao Han Feng" were tantamount to stripping away his cheat, taking away more than half of the precognitive ability he had been so proud of.

Just imagine it: what would happen if the protagonists of those system novels suddenly lost their systems completely?

They would die.

Without question, according to the original story, Han Feng could never have become Venerable Yao. He had not even reached the Dou Zong realm before dying at Xiao Yan's hands. Moreover, because he cultivated an incomplete Flame Mantra, his cultivation had been permanently stuck at the peak of the Dou Emperor realm.

Zhu Jin sat there in a daze. Even when the pill auction began, he showed no reaction. If there had been stray dogs near him, they would likely have tucked their tails and fled in terror from the chill radiating off his body.

His dragon claws clenched the scales on his forearm so tightly that his joints turned white. He had thought that, after transmigrating to the Dou Qi Continent and grasping fate itself, he would never know fear. He had been an onlooker and observer looking down upon this world. He had obtained the "script"!

He could take shortcuts at crucial moments, follow the easy paths, and cling to powerful backers, because he knew fate's script! That was why, when he had been on Dragon Island and even after leaving for the Beast Domain, he had never felt the slightest tension. He had always been grinning and joking, treating everything as a game.

But now, fate had shattered. It had been altered.

Han Feng had become Venerable Yao. Then what about Yao Chen? Had Han Feng killed him, or had Han Feng never betrayed him and instead successfully inherited Yao Chen's legacy?

Most likely, he was dead... Zhu Jin could not stop himself from thinking.

Yao Chen was dead.

Yao Chen had been the most crucial figure in the early part of Battle Through the Heavens. He had trained Xiao Yan, given Xiao Yan the Flame Mantra, and taught him alchemy. If Yao Chen was dead, could Xiao Yan still become the Flame Emperor?

If Xiao Yan no longer had the Flame Mantra, then the Gu Clan, the Soul Clan, the Three Dragon Kings, the Tuoshe Ancient God Mansion... everything that followed would be thrown into chaos. Everything would be chaos!

Zhu Jin suddenly felt as though he were standing on a sheet of ice that had abruptly cracked beneath his feet. All his plans and all his confidence shattered.

If there was no Xiao Yan, what would happen to Zi Yan... She would die!

When the Three Dragon Kings joined forces to attack East Dragon Island, without Xiao Yan's fused Heavenly Flames to melt the Dragon-Phoenix Crystal, Zi Yan would be killed and East Dragon Island would be destroyed. Even if Zi Yan successfully absorbed the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit, the North Dragon King would ultimately use the Dragon Transformation Demon Formation to absorb all dragonkind, while coordinating attacks from within and without with the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan. How could East Dragon Island possibly withstand that? Zi Yan would be captured by Huang Tian, and the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan would win a resounding victory!

He could not even determine the timeline anymore. If Han Feng had become Venerable Yao, then this could be any point in time. After all, Zhu Jin had no idea how Han Feng had become a Dou Zun. Perhaps even the Falling Heart Flame had already fallen into Han Feng's hands.

Zi Yan and Xiao Yan might both already be dead!

The moment that thought surfaced, the scales all over Zhu Jin's body flared up. A bone-deep chill shot up from the base of his spine. Squatting on the cushioned seat, he felt a cold that even Dragon Flame could not extinguish.

He shuddered. Only then did Zhu Jin realize that he was a dragon who had believed himself to be watching a chessboard. Only now did he discover that the pieces on the board had been moving for a long time—and he did not even know who the player was.

I've become far too full of myself, Zhu Jin thought. When I read the book, I thought I was God. After being reborn, I thought I was an observer, that I held the script. I laughed at the creatures of this world for being foolish, for not knowing what they should and should not do. I knew what the next step would be. But... only now do I understand. Zhu Jin slowly loosened his dragon claws, revealing several distinct bloody marks.

I have nothing. No old master, no system. Even that script that foretells the future was never mine—it belonged to that book. If the book changes, then I have nothing left.

Time passed bit by bit, but Zhu Jin remained silent with his head lowered. He had been like this ever since the charity pill auction began. Xie Dong and Flame Wolf exchanged glances beside him, neither knowing why their Dragon King had suddenly frozen in place.

Only after the pill auction ended and even the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill, the final treasure, had been sold did a glimmer slowly return to Zhu Jin's eyes. Yet his gaze and expression had undergone earth-shaking changes, as if he had become a different dragon, as if he had attained enlightenment overnight. The innocence of old was gone from his eyes.

He exhaled, narrowing his eyes slightly as he watched the crowd begin to leave and the auctioneer bowing to the gathered magical beasts. Finally withdrawing his gaze, he transmitted through his soul, "Listen carefully, you two. No matter what methods you use or how much money you spend, find out everything about Starfall Pavilion by the end of today. Especially this Venerable Yao Han Feng, as well as his master Yao Chen of Starfall Pavilion and Venerable Feng. Also find out when the next Pill Convention held by the Pill Tower in the Central Plains, which takes place once every thirty years, will be held. I want to know all of it."

Zhu Jin's voice had become low and grave as he took out two bags of gold coins from his storage ring and tossed them to his two subordinates, Xie Dong and Flame Wolf.

After all, gathering intelligence cost money.

Seeing Zhu Jin's eyes, the two magical beasts felt an inexplicable pressure. They swallowed nervously, unable to understand why their Dragon King, who had just been laughing and joking with them, his eyes sparkling with anticipation, had suddenly become a different dragon.

"Understood!" The two magical beasts knew that some matters were not theirs to question. Taking the funds, they immediately set off to gather information.

The Pill Convention was definitely held once every thirty years, and the book had clearly stated that Yao Chen was the Pill Convention champion. Based on when the convention was held, Zhu Jin could roughly determine the current era. Originally, he had planned to confirm it after arriving at Jia Nan Academy, where it would be much easier. He would only need to ask Xiao Yu how old she was and whether she had entered Jia Nan Academy.

"Master, should we go retrieve the items now?" Old Turtle teleported directly before Zhu Jin. He too had noticed that something was off about the atmosphere.

Zhu Jin pondered for a moment before asking, "Mm, let's go now. There are still some things I need to buy. Every time an auction ends, the real beginning arrives."

Old Turtle's heart jolted at Zhu Jin's words. He had never expected this young little dragon before him to understand such unspoken rules!

If you lacked strength, do not come to an auction to buy treasures. That was the unspoken rule of auctions, because even if you bought something, you might not be able to take it away.