Chapter 43: [The Lifesaving Candle]

Chen Yan leapt up from the bed.

His first reaction was that he still didn't want to go out, but with a sudden snap, he looked up and saw a crack appear right on the wall! Then the entire roof beam began to shake!

Chen Yan didn't dare hesitate any longer; he strode straight for the front door.

He reached out, grabbed the door lock handle, and gave it a twist…

Crack!

The handle broke off.

…But the door was still locked!

Chen Yan cursed loudly: "…Damned Heavenly Dao, you playing dirty or what!!"

Boom!

A chunk of the ceiling suddenly came crashing down!

Chen Yan didn't dare curse any more. He slammed into the door with all his might—once, and it didn't budge!

He didn't dare try a second time. Because the door suddenly collapsed too… inward!

Chen Yan hastily retreated, watching as the wall at the doorframe simply caved in; the door and frame came down together, and broken bricks sealed off the entrance!

Chen Yan cursed again, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He spun around and dove headfirst under the table!

At this moment the whole house was shaking. Bricks or debris—he didn't know which—rained down, clattering and banging against the tabletop.

Chen Yan's hands trembled, but he swiftly fished something out from a pocket inside the inner garment at his chest!

A short white candle, wrapped in a talisman.

With a quick flick of the talisman, the talisman script instantly burst into flame!

This was the fire-starting talisman Chen Yan had kept for himself! He was afraid of accidents, so he hadn't even brought a lighter into the room.

Chen Yan drew a deep breath, lit the candle, wrapped his arms around his head, and bellowed at the top of his lungs:

"Old Grandma, save me!"

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Hmm—!!!

Chen Yan felt his ears suddenly ring, and in an instant his head spun and his vision blurred.

Then, in his peripheral vision, he seemed to sense a sudden blaze of golden light—though it lasted only an instant, it was dazzling beyond compare!

A surge of vast, powerful Qi abruptly rose up! That aura, when Chen Yan's spiritual sense brushed against it, made him tremble on the spot.

At the same moment, in the collapsing house, a crossbeam came crashing down, about to smash into the fragile table!

Suddenly, some force gently propped it up, and the crossbeam flew off to one side!

Chen Yan felt a gust of wild wind sweep in. A hand from behind flipped the table off him, then grabbed a fistful of his hair, and his whole body was lifted up.

The house collapsed with a roar, but a burst of light exploded outward, and countless crumbling walls shattered and were flung apart!

Chen Yan felt as if he were riding the clouds, drifting up—dozens of meters above the ground—then soaring far away.

Suspended in midair, Chen Yan heard the wind whistling past his ears, and instinctively waved his arms about.

From behind him came an aged voice: "Don't flail around, the danger hasn't passed yet!"

Just then, a mass of dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky, followed by a thunderous boom!

Thunder in the dead of winter was already rare—yet a bolt of lightning actually came crashing straight down! Right at Chen Yan!

Chen Yan squeezed his eyes shut…

"Break!!"

From behind him came a deep, resonant bark of command!

A streak of incomparably sharp, fierce light shot out from behind him, soaring straight into the heavens, shattering that descending bolt of lightning!

Lightning arced and flowed, but Chen Yan saw a layer of golden light enveloping his entire body. Bolts of electricity writhed and danced, yet were entirely blocked by that golden glow—not a single hair on him was harmed!

After one bolt of lightning was shattered, the dark clouds in the sky churned again. Lightning flickered within, as if brewing an even greater strike…

The voice behind him said coldly: "Thieving heavens, the hour has come!"

The moment the words fell, the clouds suddenly parted, a fierce gale sprang up, and the skyful of dark clouds slowly dispersed!

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At the Extreme Net Cafe, Xiao Zhao had just exchanged a few pleasantries with the proprietress at the counter. He had barely turned and walked over to sit down at a computer when he felt the surroundings seem to sway gently a couple of times.

"Earthquake?"

Some people in the cafe looked up, puzzled, glancing around—but most of them were wearing headphones, locked in fierce battles, and hadn't noticed a thing.

After a dozen seconds or so, everything was normal. Gradually everyone sat back down and stopped thinking about it.

Xiao Zhao was just about to sit down when a figure approached beside him, and he heard a crisp, sweet, girlish voice.

"Excuse me, I just overheard you chatting with the proprietress. Do you know Chen Yan?"

Xiao Zhao turned his head to look and froze for a moment.

Holy crap, she's this pretty?!

The girl looked at Xiao Zhao: "Could you step outside with me for a moment? There's something I'd like to ask you."

A beauty this stunning—even a stranger making a small, perfectly reasonable request—most guys wouldn't refuse.

Xiao Zhao nodded instinctively: "Sure… I guess."

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Chen Yan felt himself falling from the sky, and finally landed steadily on the ground.

The voice behind him said coldly: "Little lad, no need to be afraid. The hour has come, your tribulation has passed."

Chen Yan exhaled, and only then did his whole body suddenly relax. He dropped straight onto his backside on the ground.

Dense forest surrounded him on all sides; he had no idea which mountain wilderness he had been brought to.

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"Hmph, a brat who knows not the height of heaven or the depth of earth. With such meager cultivation, you dare perform a method to reverse fate against the heavens? Do you think the full term of days is so easily achieved?"

The voice from behind carried reprimand and blame. Chen Yan's mind raced, and he quickly scrambled up, vigorously brushing the dust from his clothes.

He bent, turned, and bowed deeply toward the direction of the voice, speaking with utmost sincerity: "Thank you, senior, for saving my life. I wonder if you and my grandmother are old acquaintances... Hmm?"

As Chen Yan spoke, he raised his head and saw the person before him, unable to help but freeze in place.

He had been listening to this voice speak from behind; the tone was old and deep. He had originally expected to see a white-bearded elder with the bone of a Daoist and the air of an immortal.

But the result...

This person, this person...

To put it this way: when Chen Yan was young, he watched a very old TV drama. There was a character in it who had a very famous line:

"Are you the reinforcements sent by the Monkey King?"

Yes, the child character who spoke that line.

The high person before him, with that old and deep voice, looked exactly like that character!

Judging by height, he reached at most Chen Yan's waist and abdomen.

A tiny figure, with a face as white as teeth and red as lips, like a doll in a New Year picture, with a single upward-spiraling braid on his head.

Short legs and short arms, yet golden bracelets were worn on both wrists and ankles.

Moreover, he was wearing a red belly-band!!

This was clearly a little boy!

"Brat, why do you look at me like this?"

Brat?

If we stand together and people look, who exactly is the brat?

Chen Yan cursed inwardly, but on his face he was respectful: "Senior, your appearance is extraordinary. Upon seeing you, this junior was inevitably shaken in mind. Please, senior, do not hold it against me."

After a pause, he tentatively asked: "May I ask, senior, do you know my grandmother?"

"Hmph, the Chen family's son is indeed eloquent. You clearly see my youthful appearance and have doubts in your heart, yet your mouth is skilled at deceiving people."

The little boy was somewhat displeased. He extended a finger and lightly tapped Chen Yan's forehead. Chen Yan immediately felt pain there and was instantly propelled backward several steps.

The little boy sneered: "Even your grandmother would not dare to tease this Seat like this! This Seat will inflict a slight punishment to give you a lesson."

Chen Yan quickly composed his expression and obediently lowered his head: "I dare not! Senior's scolding is correct."

"Listen well. This Seat's Dao name is 【Donghai】, and I am a sword cultivator.

In years past, I failed to ascend after crossing the tribulation. I thought I would perish and my Dao would vanish. But thanks to your grandmother's intervention, who helped me dissolve my weapon to cross the tribulation, I was able to abandon my physical body, transform into a ghost cultivator, and continue the Great Dao.

I owe the old lady this debt of grace. To repay such a great favor, I refused to ascend. I settled within the Li Fire Candle to cultivate, made a vow, and remained in the human world to serve as your family's protector for three hundred years."

I've struck it rich!

Chen Yan's eyes sparkled!!!

A sword cultivator!

He had read countless novels, after all, and knew that in the realm of cultivation, sword cultivators are universally recognized as having the strongest combat power—at least, that is what the novels say.

Failed to cross the tribulation and ascend... Never mind whether the failure matters; put that aside for now!

To have cultivated to the stage of crossing the tribulation and ascending!!

Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Deity Transformation, Returning to Emptiness, Tribulation Crossing... Chen Yan didn't actually know if the specific realm settings were exactly like that, but novels always wrote it that way—his booklet simply didn't mention cultivation levels at all!

But regardless, this person was about to cross the tribulation and ascend.

This was a high-level account that was just about to reach max level!!

A protector for three hundred years...

Damn it...

Having such a max-level account by my side as my protector!

I, Chen the Great Benefactor, will walk sideways from now on!

Carefully avoiding directly offending Luo Yun Zhai?

For such a den of swindlers and thieves, I will tear down your dojo directly!

Carefully avoiding provoking the high person in Gang City who stole Lu Sisi's fate pattern?

For such a poisonous, despicable, evil cultivator, I will scatter you to the winds directly!

I can't take it anymore; my drool is about to flow. I must wipe it away quickly.

Chen Yan swallowed hard, looking at the little boy with a face full of excitement and expectation.

"Senior Donghai is above; please accept this junior's bow! Just now, if senior had not intervened, this junior would already be dead and my Dao extinguished..."

As he spoke, Chen Yan properly performed another great bow.

The little boy snorted, speaking in an old-fashioned tone: "You indeed should thank this Seat. You did not know the height of heaven or the depth of earth; having cultivated for only a few days, you dared to do something that reverses heaven and changes fate. If I had not intervened, you would be gone by now.

However... you are the family of the Old Lady. As your family's protector, saving you also counts as repaying the original debt of grace, so there is no need to say much more.

From now on, you must reflect on yourself often."

Chen Yan nodded enthusiastically and smiled: "Senior speaks the truth. This junior will surely reflect on myself every day. If this junior does anything wrong in the future, please, senior, do not hesitate to discipline me at all times."

The little boy paused in surprise, then laughed heartily: "Boy, do not think I do not know what scheme you are hatching. Do you think I can stay by your side forever as your protector?"

Chen Yan froze, a sense of foreboding arising in his heart: "What does senior mean?"

Right! He said a protector for three hundred years. So, after the Old Lady saved him back then, many years must have already passed.

So how much time remains?

Two hundred years? One hundred years?

Thinking of this, he changed his question: "I wonder how much longer senior can remain in the human world, so that I may take the opportunity to ask for instruction every day..."

"Heh! When this Seat made the vow, I did say three hundred years, but now, well, there are still ten..."

"Ten years, that seems alright."

"... nine, eight, seven..."

Chen Yan:???

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【One more update coming, votes please~~】

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