The Last Sentinel

Office of the Gods.

The light and shadow were dappled and uneven, creating a somber and oppressive atmosphere.

In the main seat, Ye Feng, dressed in standard combat armor, leaned back in the high-backed chair, his eyes closed in rest. The dark patterns on the surface of the armor were faintly visible in the light and shadow, like dormant scales.

Soon, crisp footsteps sounded behind them.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Unhurried and unhurried, each step felt like walking through an empty valley, the echoes reverberating and dissipating in the spacious office.

A slender boy emerged from the shadows.

His shoulders slumped, his head bowed, wisps of hair obscuring his eyes, revealing only a pale chin. His fingertips lightly dug at the hem of his shirt, his knuckles white, the fabric wrinkled from the caresses. He stood motionless at the boundary between light and darkness, without a breath, without a sound, like a silent shadow forgotten in a dimly lit office, solitary and aloof, blending seamlessly into the deathly silence around him.

Ye Feng, with his eyes closed, said, "Here I am, a lonely soul from the orphanage."

The boy stood silently in the darkness.

It was as if he hadn't heard. Or perhaps he had, but was too lazy to respond. His presence was extremely faint; if it weren't for his slender frame, one would almost think there was only one person in the office the entire time.

Ye Feng continued, "I'm sorry to have interrupted your current actions, preventing you from continuing your unbridled venting in the Great Han Plane. But now there's an even more troublesome matter that requires your attention!"

His tone was indifferent, as if he were stating something unrelated to himself. His fingers tapped unconsciously on the armrest, once, then again.

The reclusive creature said, "Speak!"

One word: hard and dry, like a stone hitting an iron plate.

Ye Feng snapped his fingers: "Participate in the dimensional battlefield, go to the Lower Cang Battlefield for trials!"

The snap of fingers was especially crisp in the silence. The light and shadow flickered for a moment, then returned to stillness.

The reclusive one asked, "Why?"

It was still a short sentence. He slightly raised his chin, revealing a sliver of white in his eyes beneath his tousled hair, like fish scales rising from a cold pond.

"Why you, right?!" Ye Feng spun his chair around, the leather scraping against the hinge with a dull thud. He looked at the solitary figure almost blending into the darkness, a helpless smile tugging at the corner of his mouth: "It's simple. Your memories are intermittent. Aside from some important files that need to be uploaded to me, most of your memories will be formatted at specific points."

He paused, then lightly tapped the headrest with his fingertip.

"The dimensional battlefield is a brutal, monotonous, and tedious environment; there's nothing there but fighting and killing."

"If I were assigned to other groups, they would likely develop some psychological issues, or even start complaining."

When Ye Feng said this, his gaze was calm, as if he were analyzing the applicable scenarios for a tool.

The aloof one interrupted Ye Feng: "I'm not human?"

The voice was very soft, yet it was like a needle piercing the seemingly peaceful atmosphere in the office.

Ye Feng was taken aback: "I didn't say you weren't human..."

He sat up straighter, his brows furrowed slightly, as if he hadn't expected the other person to seize on this point.

The reclusive creature stubbornly asked, "Am I even human?"

He looked up. Strands of hair fell down, revealing a pair of eyes. Those eyes were bright, unnaturally bright, like a burning flame that refused to go out. His pale face was expressionless, except for his lips, pressed into a straight line, as stubborn as a stone.

Ye Feng helplessly spread his hands: "Of course, of course they are people, but people are different. It's more suitable for you to go; they have more suitable places to shine."

His gestures were light, with a soothing quality, as if he were coaxing a donkey that might kick up at any moment.

The solitary creature remained silent, its silence a silent accusation.

He lowered his eyes and buried himself back in the shadows. His fingertips dug even harder, almost tearing the hem of his clothes.

—Old Ji, what the hell are you?!

—I'm assigned the hardest jobs!

—Although I have intermittent memory formatting amnesia.

—But I'm a human being, I can tell right from wrong and important from unimportant!

—I have a mental illness, I'm not stupid!

Stupidity and mental illness are two different things!

These words surged within him, pounding against his ribs with pain, yet not a single one escaped his lips. He simply stood there, like a silent wall.

Faced with this stubborn, aloof mule, Ye Feng could only say, "Well then, as compensation, you name your terms!"

He sighed, leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms in front of his abdomen, and adopted a "bid me whatever you want" attitude.

A solitary figure raises a hand.

The movements were slow, as if afraid of startling something. The fingertips made a light, fleeting stroke in the air, blurring the light and shadow in front of them, like ripples spreading out on water.

A phantom image of a little girl appeared in front of the two of them.

She wore a simple, light apricot-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) made of soft, light fabric. Her jet-black hair was loosely tied into two buns, secured only by two plain ribbons, with stray strands clinging to her fair cheeks. Her eyes were clear and calm, but her small face was mischievous and clever. Her eyes darted around, clearly indicating that she was no pushover.

Ye Feng blinked: "No, you guys, I've warned you eight so many times! No dating! No dating! Dating is like cheating on yourselves, haven't you learned your lesson?!"

His voice suddenly rose, and he leaned forward, his finger almost poking the other person's nose.

"This isn't about dating," one of them said. "This is my adopted younger sister, her name is Yuyao."

His tone remained calm, but his Adam's apple bobbed slightly when he mentioned the words "jade medicine".

Ye Feng frowned and said, "Sister? A new way to be cuckolded?"

He looked the little girl up and down, his eyes filled with suspicion and vigilance, as if he were examining a dangerous item of unknown origin.

One of them gritted his teeth and said, "Can you please stop having such a severe case of paranoia! I'm mentally ill, someone with intermittent amnesia and formatted memory. I don't have that many concepts about love in my head. I don't even understand what love is! I just think she looks a lot like you, that's all!"

His voice finally showed some emotion. A sickly red flush rose on his pale cheeks, and his chest heaved twice, which he forcibly suppressed.

Ye Feng waved his hand: "Alright, I understand. So, my god-sister? What are your requirements?"

He was too lazy to dwell on the topic any longer and impatiently tapped his fingers on the table.

One of them said, "The Eastern Han Dynasty is too harsh. Let her come to your academy as a follower!"

As he spoke, his gaze emerged fully from the shadows for the first time, looking directly at Ye Feng. There was no pleading in his eyes, only an almost obstinate certainty—you must agree.

Ye Feng said, "No, I don't take on disciples. I'm still young, and taking on disciples would cut off my life force and affect my cultivation! I'm still very young, and I need to focus on my cultivation, do you understand?"

He looked very serious, and even patted his chest as if to emphasize the word "young".

One of them retorted, "What if your time is almost up?"

In short, it's concise and to the point, like a knife.

Ye Feng said, "My time is almost up? Then I'll take the Supreme Emperor Weapon and go out to find my enemies and take revenge. Killing one will be enough, killing two will be a huge bonus!"

As he said this, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, but it vanished without a trace, and he returned to his lazy demeanor.

The man said, "I just wanted her to leave that miserable place in the Han Dynasty and live a better life. I never intended for her to be your apprentice, much less to inherit your mantle. You can rest assured."

His voice lowered, as if he were explaining, or perhaps trying to convince himself.

"That's fine!" Ye Feng said. "Isn't the Eastern Han Dynasty now aiming its sword at Flower Fruit Mountain? Once we get there, I'll arrange for her to come to my side!"

He waved his hand dismissively, as if he were issuing a note.

One of them nodded: "Okay, now send me to the dimensional battlefield."

He said no more, turned to face the open space in the center of the office, his back slender yet straight, like a gun stuck in the ground.

Ye Feng raised his hand and pointed.

A faint blue light shone from his fingertips, and an energy ripple appeared on the open ground in front of him. The azure dimensional rift portal slowly opened, with tiny sparks of electricity swirling around its edges, emitting a low-frequency hum. The papers in the office trembled slightly as the air currents swirled around them.

Without hesitation, one of them stepped into the dimensional portal, heading straight for the dimensional battlefield.

His movements were clean and efficient; he didn't look back.

Ye Feng tried to persuade him to stay, saying, "Hey, are you going now? Have you made arrangements with the Eastern Han? What if things get chaotic there if you leave?"

He leaned out halfway, his tone slightly hurried.

"It's her!" someone said, pointing to a little girl in Hanfu. "She's managing the situation in the Eastern Han Dynasty on my behalf, no problem."

His voice came from the crack, and it was already somewhat distorted.

Ye Feng was taken aback: "Her? No, who exactly is she?"

His gaze suddenly shifted to the little girl, his brows furrowing into a knot.

One of them said, "Jade medicine."

Ye Feng slammed his fist on the table: "I asked her what her last name is! What's her background? Don't try to evade me!"

With a "snap," the desktop shook, causing the files to jump up. His voice was clearly filled with anxiety.

One of them said, "His surname is Zhang."

Two words, light and airy.

Ye Feng breathed a sigh of relief: "Good, at least it's not surnamed Liu. The omen of the golden knife must be guarded against."

He leaned back in his chair, raised his hand to wipe his face, as if he had just survived a close call.

But the next moment, Ye Feng suddenly stood up.

The chair slid back half a meter, hitting the wall with a dull thud. His pupils contracted sharply, and his face darkened visibly.

"A Zhang from the late Eastern Han Dynasty! Holy crap, could it be that guy...?"

His voice was strained, as if someone was choking him.

One of them said, "That's right, her grandfather's surname was Zhang, and his name was Zhang Jiao! He was known as the Great Teacher of Virtue and the Heavenly General during the late Eastern Han Dynasty."

The sound came from deep within the crack, as calm as announcing the name of a dish.

"Damn it!" Ye Feng cursed, "I've told you so many times not to take sides in different dynasties and maintain our neutrality. Why are you taking sides for me again, and on Zhang Jiao's side no less! Doesn't this make me fight against the Han Dynasty?"

He rushed around the desk and dashed toward the dimensional portal, the joints of his armor making a cracking sound.

Ye Feng hurriedly slammed on the brakes, trying to close the dimensional battlefield portal, but it was too late. The creature plunged in and disappeared.

The azure crack suddenly contracted, turning into a blur before vanishing completely. Only the lingering smell of electricity remained in the office, along with the innocent-looking little girl in Hanfu, her hands behind her back.

A roar of anger erupted from the office.

"You son of a bitch!"

"None of them are easy to deal with!"

"The spirited old man plays a grand game of chess every day!"

"This one, with the heaviest destiny, can only drink milk!"

"My stomach is a glutton for takeout!"

"That old brain of mine who went to university is quite talented; we can't let him leave the Perfect World!"

"I thought you were decisive and ruthless, destined for great things, most like me, but I never expected you to bring me back a little sister!"

Ye Feng paced back and forth in his office, his armor clattering on the floor. He cursed as he walked, pointing at the air with his finger as if calling out names.

"I admit, I was incredibly lonely during my time in the orphanage, but could you at least find me a few more adoptive fathers or something so I can earn some money, instead of having me go around adopting sisters and spending money on others?"

He stopped abruptly, turned around to look at the empty wall, his chest heaving violently.

"Do you think my money just magically appeared out of nowhere?"

"While others may not know what kind of penniless wretch I am, do you eight of you think you don't?"

His voice changed from a roar to a wail, as if he were accusing someone of a huge injustice.

"A good-for-nothing, a bastard, a fool, a good-for-nothing who's just stirring up trouble, a complete idiot, a spineless coward, a stubborn brat who won't listen to reason!"

He finished cursing in one breath, panting heavily, with veins bulging on his forehead.

"Having all eight of you on my side, I feel like I'm going to die young!"

"If I had known that there would be such serious side effects from 'previous examples,' I wouldn't have bothered!"

"My dad, Xuan Yuanfeng, has really screwed me over!"

"I regret it so much!"