Chapter 36: The Lifesaving Candle
Chen Yan jolted upright from his bed.
His first instinct was to stay put, unwilling to step outside. But then—crack! His head snapped up, and there it was—a fissure splitting across the wall! The wooden beams above began to tremble, groaning under unseen force.
There was no more room for hesitation.
Chen Yan bolted for the door. His hand shot out, gripping the handle. He twisted—
Snap!
The handle broke clean off.
But the door remained locked!
Chen Yan cursed, “Dog Heaven’s Will! Are you serious?!”
Boom!
A section of the ceiling plummeted.
He dared not hurl another insult. Gritting his teeth, he threw his shoulder against the door—once—twice—
Then he froze.
The door, without warning, collapsed inward.
Dust and shattered brick rained down, blocking the only exit. The doorframe itself had crumbled, sealing him inside a tomb of debris.
“Damn it!” Chen Yan roared, but just as the curse left his lips, inspiration struck. Without wasting a second, he spun around and dove under the table.
The entire house shook as if an unseen titan grasped it in its grip. Chunks of stone, shards of wood—something kept crashing down, hammering the table like the drums of war.
Chen Yan’s hands trembled, but they moved with practiced speed. From within the hidden pocket of his undershirt, he pulled forth a small object—
A half-melted white candle, wrapped in a single talisman inscribed with ancient runes.
With a sharp flick, he peeled the talisman away.
Fwoosh!
The rune ignited at once, flames racing across its surface, devouring the inked symbols.
This was Chen Yan’s personal Fire-Attracting Talisman—a precaution he had prepared in case of dire straits. He hadn’t even brought a lighter into the room, fearing an accident.
Taking a deep breath, he lit the candle.
Then, hunching beneath the shaking table, he clasped his hands around his head and shouted at the top of his lungs:
“Old Madam! Save me!”
—
Hummmmm!
A deafening resonance erupted within his ears. A pressure wave surged through his skull, turning his vision into a swirling haze of gold and white. For a fleeting instant, dazzling radiance engulfed everything.
And then—
A vast, powerful aura erupted into existence.
Chen Yan’s spiritual senses recoiled as an overwhelming force surged into the world. It was like standing before a slumbering dragon as it opened its eyes—indifferent, ancient, and unimaginably vast.
At that moment, a beam snapped, hurtling toward the fragile table above him—
But an unseen hand caught it, halting its descent with effortless grace. The heavy timber veered away, tossed aside like a discarded reed.
Then, a whirlwind enveloped Chen Yan. Something grasped the edge of the table, flipping it aside, and before he could react—
A hand seized his hair and yanked him into the air.
The house collapsed with a thunderous roar, but before the wreckage could swallow him, a luminous sphere of light burst forth. The shattered remains of the building scattered, hurled in all directions as if repelled by an unseen force.
Chen Yan found himself weightless, lifted skyward as though riding the currents of a storm. He soared tens of meters above the ground, the wind howling in his ears, before he was flung far from the wreckage.
Instinctively, his arms flailed.
A voice—ancient and sharp—snapped behind him, “Don’t struggle! The danger isn’t over yet!”
And at that very moment—
The sky darkened.
Black clouds churned into existence, seething with malevolence. A low rumble echoed through the heavens—
Crack!
In the dead of winter, thunder should have been an impossibility. Yet, from the heart of the storm, a blinding bolt of lightning speared downward—
Straight toward Chen Yan.
He squeezed his eyes shut.
“Open!”
A mighty cry boomed behind him.
From his unseen savior, a razor-thin blade of light streaked toward the heavens, piercing through the storm. The descending bolt splintered, dissipating into harmless arcs.
Crackling strands of electricity danced wildly, but they recoiled at the edge of the golden light shielding Chen Yan. Not a single spark touched him.
The storm roiled anew, lightning coiling through the clouds, preparing to strike again.
But then—
A cold, disdainful voice spoke.
“Heaven’s Will, your time is up.”
The words rang out, and as though bound by unseen law, the storm dissipated. The oppressive clouds unfurled, vanishing into the wind.
—
At Extreme Net Cafe, Little Zhao was in the middle of casual chatter with the owner’s wife. Just as he turned to settle at a computer, he felt the ground tremble beneath his feet.
“Was that an earthquake?”
A few others in the cafe lifted their heads, glancing around in confusion. But most of the customers, headphones snug over their ears, remained oblivious, locked in battle within their digital realms.
A few seconds later, everything returned to normal.
Shrugging, Little Zhao dismissed the thought and was about to sit when—
A voice, light and crisp, interrupted him.
“Excuse me,” a young woman said. “I heard you talking earlier… You know Chen Yan?”
Little Zhao turned.
His breath caught.
Holy—she was stunning.
Miss Gu met his stunned gaze and asked, “Can we talk outside for a moment? There’s something I’d like to ask you.”
For a girl like this? Even a stranger’s request felt impossible to refuse.
Little Zhao nodded before he even realized it. “Uh… sure.”
—
Chen Yan felt himself descending from the skies.
The fall slowed, then ceased. His feet touched solid ground.
Behind him, the same cold voice spoke again.
“Fear not, child. The time has passed. Your tribulation is over.”
Only now did Chen Yan let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. His limbs, strung tight like a bow, suddenly gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground.
Around him stretched a dense, unfamiliar forest. He had no idea where he had been flung.
—
A scoff cut through the silence. “Foolish child. With such meager skill, you dared meddle in Heaven’s decree? Did you think changing fate would be so simple?”
The tone carried both reprimand and warning. Chen Yan’s mind spun, and he quickly clambered to his feet, slapping the dust from his robes.
He turned and bowed deeply. “Thank you, Senior, for saving my life. Might you be an old acquaintance of my grandmother—hmm?”
He trailed off as his eyes fell upon his savior.
From the hoarse, ancient voice, he had expected to see a white-bearded elder, draped in celestial robes, exuding the aura of an immortal master.
But instead…
This person… this person…
In his younger years, Chen Yan had once watched an old television drama. Within it, there was a peculiar character who spoke a line now deeply etched in his memory:
“Are you the reinforcements summoned by the monkey?”
Yes, that doll-like character who uttered that very phrase—
And now, standing before him, this aged yet sonorous-voiced master bore an uncanny resemblance to that very role!
The figure was small, barely reaching Chen Yan’s waist. A tiny form with teeth like white jade, lips as red as cinnabar, a face that seemed plucked from a New Year’s painting. Atop his head stood a single sprout-like ponytail. Short arms and legs, yet wrists and ankles adorned with gleaming golden bracelets. And to top it all off—he wore a crimson bellyband!
This was unmistakably a child, wasn’t it?
“Boy, why do you stare at this old one so?” The small figure’s voice was thick with authority.
Boy?
If the two of us stood side by side, let the heavens judge—who is truly the child here?
Chen Yan concealed his inward complaints, keeping his face solemn with respectful deference. “Senior is a figure of rare talent and extraordinary presence. The moment I laid eyes upon you, my heart was shaken. If my gaze offended, I ask for your gracious forgiveness.”
After a pause, he cautiously probed, “Dare I ask, Senior—do you happen to know my grandmother?”
“Hmph! The whelp of the Chen family does have a silver tongue. You looked upon my youthful countenance, and suspicion bloomed in your heart—yet your mouth spun only flattery.” The child-like elder seemed displeased. He raised a finger, lightly tapping the air.
A sharp pain struck Chen Yan’s forehead, and before he knew it, he stumbled back several steps.
The little elder sneered, “Even your grandmother would not dare jest with this one so! Consider this a light punishment—to carve the lesson deep into your bones.”
Chen Yan swiftly composed himself, bowing with utmost humility. “I dare not! Senior’s reprimand is just.”
“Listen well,” the elder continued, “I bear the Dao name Dong Hai and walk the path of the sword. Many years ago, I failed in my Tribulation Ascension. I should have perished, my Dao extinguished—but your grandmother intervened, aiding me in shedding my mortal shell and stepping into the path of the Ghost Cultivator. Through her mercy, I survived to continue my pursuit of the Way.
“I owe her a great debt. To repay this kindness, I forsook the celestial ascent and chose to cultivate within the Lamp of Departed Flames, swearing to remain in the mortal world as the Chen family’s Protector for three centuries.”
Fortune!
Chen Yan’s eyes shone like twin suns.
A Sword Cultivator!
Even if his understanding of cultivation was limited to fiction, he knew one truth—among all paths, Sword Cultivators stood supreme in battle! The novels said so, and that was enough.
Tribulation Ascension—failed or not, that wasn’t the point!
One who reached the threshold of Tribulation Ascension—
Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, Void Return, and then Tribulation Crossing…
Chen Yan didn’t know the precise hierarchy of cultivation realms, but the stories always followed this pattern—his own Manual contained no breakdown of levels!
But none of that mattered! The only truth was this:
This was a near-max-level master!
And he was bound to serve as his Protector for three hundred years—
Heavens above!
With such a full-level guardian by his side, the world was his to stride!
Tread carefully around Luo Yun Zhai, fearful of offending them? Those charlatans and swindlers—he would raze their so-called sect to the ground!
Shrink away from confronting the Harbor City Adept, who had stolen Lu Si Si’s Fate? That vile, despicable heretic—he would purge them from existence!
Saliva nearly dribbled down his chin. Chen Yan hurriedly wiped his mouth, swallowing hard as he looked upon the small elder with unbridled excitement.
“Senior Dong Hai, please accept my reverence! If not for your divine intervention, I would have perished and fallen into dust!”
Saying so, he performed a grand, formal bow once more.
The small elder harrumphed, his tone full of aged wisdom. “Indeed, you ought to give thanks. You overestimate your abilities, meddling with Heaven-Defying Fate-Alteration after mere days of cultivation. Had I not intervened, your soul would already be scattered.”
However, after a pause, he added, “But… you are of the Old Madam’s bloodline. As the Chen family’s Protector, saving you is merely a repayment of my past debt. You need not speak further on it.
“From now on, you must reflect upon your actions.”
Chen Yan nodded eagerly, beaming. “Senior is right! I shall make daily self-reflections. If ever I err, I hope Senior will not hesitate to correct me and guide me toward the righteous path.”
The little elder blinked, then laughed heartily. “You brat, do you think I don’t see through your schemes? You imagine that I will remain by your side forever, serving as your eternal Protector?”
Chen Yan stiffened. An ominous premonition stirred in his chest. “Senior’s meaning is—?”
Wait… he said three hundred years.
If the Old Madam had saved him long ago, surely much of that time had already passed?
How many years remained?
Two hundred?
One hundred?
Realizing the urgency of the matter, he quickly corrected himself. “Might I ask, Senior, how long do you have left in the mortal world? That way, I may treasure every remaining moment to learn from your wisdom—”
“Heh! When I first swore the vow, it was indeed three hundred years. But as of now…”
Chen Yan held his breath.
“…Ten…”
Ten years? That was still acceptable—
“…Nine, eight, seven—”
Chen Yan: ???
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation