“Shen Tanqi, he’s dead!”
Amid the thick fog, Xie Chi, covered in blood, his skin and flesh torn apart, staggered toward Shen Tanqi, barely resembling a human being. His body swayed, on the verge of collapse, as he stood up to face Shen Tanqi.
Shen Tanqi’s heart skipped a beat. Gripping his long sword tightly, he charged at Xie Chi. But in an instant, Xie Chi lunged forward, grabbed Shen Tanqi’s wrist, and twisted it. Using Shen Tanqi’s own sword, he plunged it into Shen Tanqi’s abdomen.
Pulling out the sword, Xie Chi had exhausted the last of his spiritual energy. He had already used most of his strength to resist the terrifying heavenly tribulation, leaving him with little power to deal with Shen Tanqi.
The longsword dripped with blood as Xie Chi threw it to the ground. This was the first time Shen Tanqi had been so gravely injured. The searing, bone-deep pain made him tremble all over, and he fell to his knees, unable to support himself.
Yu Ce is dead?
He’s the protagonist; how could he possibly die?
What would he do, what about the children, what about their home?
They had agreed that after the sect competition, he would go to the Shen family to propose. If he had known, he wouldn’t have let Yu Ce make such a promise.
It’s a lie, it has to be a lie.
Xie Chi is deceiving him.
Shen Tanqi dazedly clutched his wound, staring at the warm, crimson blood on his fingers. For a moment, he couldn’t even feel the pain.
Xie Chi looked down at him with a sneer and said, “Yu Ce is dead. There’s no one left in this world who can stop me. Shen Tanqi, you can go to hell with him.”
After receiving a sword from a Golden Immortal, Shen Tanqi’s vision went black, and blood surged up his throat. He swallowed hard, hearing a faint metallic clang in his ears.
Just as Xie Chi was about to strangle Shen Tanqi, the longsword on the ground suddenly flew up and attacked Xie Chi.
Xie Chi staggered back half a step, his eyes sharp as he noticed Shen Tanqi’s sword suddenly glowing with a golden light.
“Master, my seal is broken!” The sword’s voice echoed in Shen Tanqi’s mind, Little Black’s urgent shout ringing clear. “Turns out, the way to break the seal was with your blood as a sacrifice!”
Shen Tanqi, “…”
What kind of ridiculous seal is this? Could it be any more absurd?
Too exhausted to even complain, Shen Tanqi weakly grabbed the flying Little Black. Holding the sword, the pain in his wound was excruciating, as if tearing his body apart. Normally, a small prick would make him want to cry, and now with a bloody hole in his stomach, he amazingly held back tears.
At least he needed to avenge Yu Ce.
There wasn’t much he could do, but even if it killed him, he would avenge Yu Ce!
Hatred filled his chest, rising steadily. He held his breath, gathering all the remaining spiritual energy within him, channeling it into Little Black.
This was his last chance. With Little Black’s seal broken and Xie Chi severely wounded, he had only this one final strike.
Remembering Yu Ce’s teachings, he knew there was no turning back. Either Xie Chi would die, or he would.
To defeat his opponent, he needed the resolve to kill.
One strike, he had to kill Xie Chi with one strike.
Shen Tanqi absorbed the spiritual energy of all things around him, channeling it into the now golden-glowing longsword in his hand. He closed his eyes and, as he slowly reopened them, the sword in his hand radiated a terrifying sword aura.
The surrounding air vibrated intensely. Xie Chi’s eyes darkened, and he retreated half a step.
Given his current injuries, he likely couldn’t withstand this strike. But it didn’t matter. As long as he could escape, with Yu Ce already dead, he had all the time in the world to deal with Shen Tanqi later. Once he recovered, killing someone like Shen Tanqi would be a piece of cake.
With this thought, Xie Chi took off, flying towards the horizon without looking back, moving as fast as lightning. He even turned back with a smile, “You think you can kill me? Once I heal, it’ll be your death day!”
Shen Tanqi’s eyes darkened as he watched Xie Chi’s figure disappear into the floating clouds and mountains. He gently ran his hand over the long sword and murmured, “Little Black.”
“Master.” Little Black’s voice softly echoed in his mind, immediately understanding Shen Tanqi’s intent.
Xie Chi didn’t look back, flying away frantically. As long as he found a place to hide and heal, he believed he could one day completely wipe out Shen Tanqi’s family.
He would patiently wait for the day he could tear Shen Tanqi and his three brats to pieces.
Seeing that he was about to fly out of Rongyun Sect, Xie Chi’s eyes lit up slightly, as if he saw a vision of himself becoming the ruler of the three realms, with the three clans bowing to him. With Yu Ce, the damned child of destiny, gone, he would become the new god of this world, with no one to stop him.
—If not for the sudden ‘bang’ that exploded behind him.
The sound was as deafening as the previous heavenly tribulation thunder. Xie Chi’s body halted, and he dazedly looked down to see a huge, gaping hole in his chest, terrifying sword energy rampaging through every corner of his body, tearing him apart.
Impossible.
How could this be?
How could Shen Tanqi have such sword energy? How could his sword be so fast?
He hadn’t yet become the ruler of the three realms. After scheming for so many years, he had finally managed to kill Yu Ce. He was just one step away from ultimate victory.
Xie Chi struggled to look back as his body fell from the sky. He saw Shen Tanqi standing there, blowing the smoke from the dark muzzle of his weapon, slowly revealing a cold, satisfied smile.
“Within seven steps, a sword is quick. Beyond seven steps, a gun is both precise and fast.”
Xie Chi couldn’t believe his eyes as he stared at the unfamiliar weapon. Even in his dying moments, he never imagined he would die this way, not even knowing what had killed him.
He hadn’t died by Yu Ce’s hand, but by the one he had always underestimated—Shen Tanqi.
His body, torn apart by sword energy, gradually turned to ash, dissipating into the boundless clouds, leaving not even a scrap of clothing behind.
Xie Chi was finally dead.
After firing that shot, Shen Tanqi’s spiritual energy was completely drained, and his wounds were still bleeding. Ignoring the pain, he shakily climbed to his feet and made his way to where Yu Ce had been struck by the tribulation.
The aftermath of the lightning tribulation left no grass growing, everything reduced to nothingness.
Yu Ce lay alone in the spot where the lightning had struck, motionless and seemingly lifeless.
When Shen Tanqi reached Yu Ce’s side, he saw Yu Ce covered in blood. The pain in his heart was more agonizing than his physical wounds.
He frantically knelt beside Yu Ce, too afraid to touch him, and with trembling hands, gently brushed aside the blood-soaked hair from Yu Ce’s forehead.
Noticing a faint rise and fall of Yu Ce’s chest, Shen Tanqi felt a glimmer of hope and quickly checked for breath.
He’s alive, Yu Ce isn’t dead!
But although he was alive, he was barely hanging on.
Yu Ce’s face was as pale as snow, eyes closed tightly. Shen Tanqi knew that for Yu Ce to show such an expression, he must be in immense pain. Yet, just like the ten-year-old Yu Ce, no matter how unbearable the pain, he refused to make a sound.
He had never seen Yu Ce so fragile. Since the day he met Yu Ce, he had always been clad in white, with flowing robes that made him seem aloof and distant, like he might drift away at any moment. When he smiled, it was with such tenderness that it felt like everything would be alright as long as he was there.
Yu Ce was the protagonist of this world, but he was also human and capable of feeling pain. The book described his arduous battles and ultimate triumphs over formidable enemies but never mentioned the times he had to lick his wounds alone.
“Yu Ce…” Shen Tanqi’s eyes stung with unshed tears. He tentatively leaned down, wanting to hold him. “Wake up, can you hear me?”
Hearing Shen Tanqi’s voice, Yu Ce seemed to respond. He slowly opened his eyes, blood from his lashes dripping into his eyes, spreading a crimson haze. He whispered something to Shen Tanqi, his voice so faint it was like the wind slipping through one’s grasp.
Shen Tanqi couldn’t make out his words. He leaned closer, putting his ear to Yu Ce’s lips, his heart racing. “Say it again, I couldn’t hear you.”
The cold, bone-chilling breath of the dragon lightly brushed against his ear, and finally, Shen Tanqi understood.
“Go.”
Shen Tanqi froze, unable to grasp what he meant.
A flash of lightning suddenly lit up the dark sky, illuminating Yu Ce’s pale, frost-like face. With a hoarse voice and the last of his strength, Yu Ce whispered, “There’s one more tribulation… Go quickly.”
As his words trailed off, Shen Tanqi looked up sharply. Sure enough, deep within the thunderclouds, he saw the glowing golden light of the final lightning tribulation.
It wasn’t over yet!
How many strikes had there been already?
Yu Ce’s body couldn’t take any more; he wouldn’t survive the final strike. Was he supposed to just watch Yu Ce die?
“No!” Shen Tanqi’s heart screamed. He couldn’t let it end like this.
“Ah Qi, leave.”
The final strike of the eighty-one thunder tribulations, the most excruciating purple-gold Heavenly Thunder, was brewing within the dark clouds, filled with lethal intent. It seemed Heaven was determined to erase him from existence.
So be it. From birth, he had been extraordinarily gifted, his path of cultivation smooth and swift. To face such a divine punishment was perhaps the heavens’ way of balancing things.
Yu Ce lay on the ground, utterly exhausted, lacking the strength to even sit up. The lightning tribulations were incomplete, with the last one still pending, meaning his body-tempering and soul-refinement were unfinished. Without enduring this final tribulation, he couldn’t achieve ascension.
However, he had anticipated this outcome. From the moment he saw Xie Chi ascend to a Golden Immortal, he had known he would have to use the lightning tribulation to kill Xie Chi.
But he had failed to protect Ah Qi, failed to live up to his expectations.
Maybe he really was the protagonist of some story, but no story ever guaranteed the protagonist wouldn’t die.
Reaching the end of his path, he looked back on his life and felt it wasn’t all in vain.
“Ah Qi,” Yu Ce raised his eyes to Shen Tanqi, a gentle smile on his face, “Heaven brought you to me. For that, I’m already grateful.”
His life had been filled with hardships, repeatedly knocked down by betrayal and conspiracies, only to rise again each time. All that suffering vanished the day he met Shen Tanqi.
Ah Qi was like a ray of light piercing through his dark life, bringing him three adorable, clever, and well-behaved children, giving his wandering soul a home.
In truth, his life had been happy, hadn’t it?
“Don’t talk like that! Even if you want to die, you need my permission first!” Shen Tanqi gritted his teeth, reaching out to hold him, despite the pain and the blood flowing from his wounds, slowly dragging Yu Ce away from the center of the tribulation. “I won’t let you die. You try dying, and see what happens! Do you hear me?”
Yu Ce was silent for a moment, then raised his leaden arm, weakly placing it on Shen Tanqi’s wrist.
“All my life, I’ve listened to you. Can’t you listen to me just this once?”
Thunder rumbled, and rain poured down, washing the blood from Yu Ce’s face. Shen Tanqi looked back at him, his heart aching so much that even breathing hurt, tears streaming down his face as he cried out in despair, “Yu Ce, I don’t want to listen.”
He wasn’t a brave man. In fact, he was terribly afraid of death. He wouldn’t stay up past eleven for fear of sudden death, avoided long scarves in case they got caught while riding his electric bike, wouldn’t use an electric blanket overnight in winter for fear of a fire, and never stood under trees during storms for fear of lightning. Yet, now, with the purple-gold heavenly lightning about to strike, he had no intention of leaving.
He couldn’t abandon Yu Ce. His family, the ones he loved most, was here. How could he leave Yu Ce to face the tribulation alone in this torrential rain? He couldn’t do it!
He couldn’t leave.
Shen Tanqi held Yu Ce tighter, murmuring softly as if comforting a child, “Don’t be afraid, Yu Ce. I’ll always be with you.”
Amidst the wind and rain, he miraculously heard Yu Ce sigh softly.
“You never listen to me.”
Shen Tanqi leaned close, like two swallows huddling together under the eaves to escape the cold wind. As the rain poured down, he softly argued, “You don’t listen to me either.”
“Mm…” Yu Ce leaned against his neck, his voice hoarse, smiling faintly. “But this time, you have to. You must believe I can survive this tribulation. If I succeed but you die from the lightning, we would be forever separated.”
Shen Tanqi rubbed his eyes, the rain making it hard to see Yu Ce’s expression. He understood Yu Ce’s words perfectly well; he just feared that Yu Ce had lost the will to live. Hearing Yu Ce speak this way, Shen Tanqi muttered, “Swear it.”
“I swear.”
Yu Ce promised in a soft, steady voice.
He had no strength left, but at least he could trick Ah Qi into leaving. If one of them could survive, that was enough.
Shen Tanqi hesitated, slowly stepping away and gently laying Yu Ce on the ground.
As Shen Tanqi moved away, Yu Ce lay on his back, looking up at the brewing storm, and smiled softly.
He thought of the time in Shen Tanqi’s illusion, where they lay together on the rooftop, talking about Ah Qi’s past worries and trivial matters.
He was happy.
A life like this was enough.
Amid the dark clouds, the final purple-gold lightning tribulation struck down like a dragon from the heavens, ferocious and unstoppable.
Shen Tanqi’s heart pounded in his throat. The immense power of the lightning scattered everything around with a surge of spiritual energy, even blowing him back several meters.
Amid the dust and wind, Shen Tanqi could barely keep his eyes open. Suddenly, he heard a voice that seemed to pierce through the gloom.
“Daddy!”
Startled, he turned to see Goldfish holding Sandan, struggling against the fierce wind with Shen Tanwu’s help, making their way toward him.
Why did my brother bring Goldfish and Sandan here at a time like this?!
Goldfish’s eyes widened in disbelief as he saw Yu Ce, bathed in the purple-gold lightning, his eyes tightly shut. Instantly, he transformed into a small white dragon, breaking through the wind and flying toward Yu Ce.
“Goldfish!” Shen Tanqi shouted, but saw that he was circling around Yu Ce, seemingly not intending to enter the lightning directly.
“Father, you have to hold on! I brought Sandan, he hasn’t grown up yet and hasn’t seen you,” Goldfish cried, calling out to Yu Ce within the lightning. “And there’s Daddy. Daddy doesn’t know how to care for a baby dragon, he can’t raise Sandan. You have to make it through this!”
Within the thunderous onslaught, Yu Ce seemed to hear the voice, his eyelids fluttering.
Yes, Ah Qi doesn’t know how to take care of children.
Without him, Ah Qi might end up letting Sandan starve…
He wasn’t ready to die just yet.
Shen Tanqi watched as Yu Ce showed a flicker of emotion and quickly realized that Goldfish’s words were having an effect. Yu Ce was a responsible man, and he wouldn’t let himself die so easily.
Just like when he had traveled twelve years into the future, and Yu Ce had taken on the responsibility of raising their children alone.
Thinking of this, Shen Tanqi shouted, “That’s right, Yu Ce! If you die, I’ll take the kids and marry someone else. I’ll let someone else raise them, and you can watch from wherever you are!”
Goldfish and Shen Tanwu both turned to look at him in shock.
Goldfish: Daddy really dares to say anything!
Shen Tanwu, on the sidelines: … Brother, maybe say a little less. If Yu Ce isn’t killed by the lightning, he’ll be angered to death by you.
Oblivious, Shen Tanqi clenched his teeth and continued shouting, “If you dare to die, I’ll find someone else! I won’t take care of the kids; let them turn to demons if they want. If they can’t survive, so be it. I’ll marry another man, call him husband, make a pact with him, and have three, four, even a hundred kids! And then I’ll bring him to your grave to dance and drive you crazy!”
At these words, Yu Ce’s fingers twitched, slowly curling into a tight fist. In the midst of the pouring lightning, he suddenly opened his eyes.
No.
Ah Qi, you cannot, you cannot marry someone else!
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
