Chapter 0001: Ye Chen
At that moment, Ye Chen was completely stunned, feeling a chill throughout his body; the scene was too bizarre and incredibly eerie
"It's nothing." Feng Li shook his head, took a deep breath, and his expression softened considerably. However, his heart sank to the bottom; all the meridians and the points connected to the dantian were blocked, and the entire dantian felt as hard as divine iron. How would he continue to cultivate in the future?
"You must have really lost your mind." Ye Chen was speechless. Looking at Nan'er’s worried expression, he realized that this girl truly thought there was something wrong with his head. Ye Chen found it amusing; having spent many years with her in dreams, he had long regarded her as a sister. He raised his hand and tapped her on the head.
I do not want to get married; I want to stay by the young master's side, so that the eldest young master and the second young master cannot bully you. They are all bad people
The tender and crisp voice is like jade beads falling onto a plate
In the Eastern State of the Changsheng Continent, a corner near the East China Sea belongs to the territory of Chu. Although it is called the land of Chu, it is essentially the Kingdom of Chu. It governs nearly 100,000 miles of territory in Chu. However, for the vast Eastern State, it is merely a small dot on the map
"It is not a dream, but a real world. I have arrived here, transformed into a thirteen-year-old..." Ye Chen murmured weakly in his heart. Everything had become a reality. Although it was so bizarre that it was hard to comprehend, it was nonetheless difficult to change. Since I have come to this world and become a young boy, I will walk my own path in life once again
Ye Chen took several deep breaths. In the past, when he was on Earth, he would dream of this world every night, dreaming of the Ye family. In those dreams, he was only thirteen years old, the same age as he is now.
No discovery at all left Ye Chen astonished and terrified, as if struck by lightning, completely dazed. A twenty-seven-year-old man suddenly turned into a child of only about thirteen years old.
"How could this happen, my face, my hands!" Ye Chen discovered a fact that he found hard to accept. Touching his own face and looking at the contours of his face in the mirror, he stood completely stunned. After a long while, he finally looked down at his body, and the more he looked, the more alarmed he became. With one last wail, he exclaimed, "Oh my God, I've turned back into a child! Damn it, I've become a little brat like a character from a book!"
He has always been a person who follows his own desires, disliking constraints. Yet now he finds himself unwelcome in the world, with the power of divine punishment entering his body, his dantian as solid as divine iron. He is unable to cultivate true energy, but he is unwilling to accept this fate, refusing to submit
He crawled out from a stone coffin filled with fresh blood and found himself atop a massive peak, surrounded by eight other peaks. Each of these peaks had a gigantic stone coffin, all of which faced the coffin he had emerged from. Eight black iron chains connected these eight peaks to the central peak, creating a bizarre scene.
A person inexplicably arrived in this almost entirely unfamiliar world, leaving Ye Chen with a sense of loneliness and difficulty in adapting, causing him to miss the old monk somewhat. The old monk was his adoptive master, and Ye Chen had always considered him shameless; however, he had treated him fairly well, teaching him a set of techniques that strengthened his body and refined his internal energy, granting him impressive skills.
"It's nothing, did I scare you just now?" Ye Chen smiled faintly and said, "Actually, I was just teasing you on purpose."
Ye Chen recalled a saying from the old monk, "Young man, this world is not as you see it; this is merely the surface. If one day you witness something beyond reason and incomprehensible, it is not a dream; it must be the truth"
Tears welled up in Nan'er’s big eyes, as she bit her lower lip tightly, her delicate little fists clenched firmly.
"Young Master, what is the matter with you again?" Seeing Ye Chen's face as dark as a pot sticker, Nan'er asked with concern. Ye Chen had been startled repeatedly, causing the little girl to nearly break down.
"Young Master, what are you doing?" Nan'er looked at Ye Chen's strange actions, her face filled with concern, and waved her hand in front of him.
All of this felt like a dream, overturning Ye Chen's thoughts and perceptions. Yet, when he awoke again, he found himself here, in the world of the dream, in the small courtyard behind the Ye family house in the Eastern State of the Eternal Life Continent, a place he had lived in for many years in his dreams
"Nan'er, bring me a mirror." Ye Chen's voice trembled slightly
Ye Chen recalled the final thread that penetrated into the body and the patterns within the book
He looked up, and what met his eyes was a vast expanse of azure sky, with clouds billowing like rosy mist, as clean as if washed by water. At that moment, he faintly felt that he was no longer on Earth, or perhaps it was merely a dream
Am I dreaming?" Ye Chen murmured to himself, pinching himself hard. The sharp pain that followed made him realize that everything was real, not a dream
He is furious, utterly furious
At that moment, a tremendous shadow of death enveloped him. Before the majesty of the heavens, he felt smaller than an ant, on the verge of being reduced to ashes in the next second. As he gazed at the divine lightning striking from the sky, he thought of two words: 'Heavenly Tribulation'
Young master ... ... are you alright ... ...
It was only when I crawled out of the sarcophagus that I attempted to circulate my vital energy, and everything was fine then, but now... it must be that thread of pattern, it must be...
Oh..." Ye Chen suddenly understood something, his voice elongated with a teasing tone as he said: "Nan'er will grow up to get married. In the future, I won't hit Nan'er's head anymore. If I knock her silly, this girl won't be able to get married later on.
I have nothing to worry about
"No... nothing." Ye Chen came back to his senses
"Hello, young master, what are you thinking about?" Nan'er once again waved her delicate little hand in front of Ye Chen. Seeing that Ye Chen did not respond, she murmured to herself, "Oh dear, could it be that his brain is fried?"
I did not bully you; who told you to curse me? I was merely punishing you. Ye Chen suppressed his fluctuating emotions and said with a smile
The figures in his eyes were not unfamiliar to Ye Chen. For many years, they had appeared in his dreams every night. That man, Ye Wentian, was the father he had called in his dreams for over twenty years, while the young girl, Nan'er, was his personal maid.
Nan'er was startled by Ye Chen's reaction, her voice tinged with a sob. She thought her young master had suddenly gone mad
Suddenly, the boy's eyelids fluttered, and the young girl immediately exclaimed, "Sir, the young master has awakened, the young master has awakened!"
"Young Master, what is wrong with you... Please don't scare Nan'er..." Nan'er clutched Ye Chen's arm, her small face drained of color, tears welling in her eyes, on the verge of crying.
By the wooden bed, a girl of about ten years old, with a small ponytail, rests her chin on her small hands, gazing intently at the unconscious boy on the bed
"You... but you also can't hit someone on the head... or you might get knocked silly," Nan'er protested softly
In the memories of past dreams, in this world, he was a useless being who could not cultivate, despised, mocked, and humiliated by others, even his peers in the family took pleasure in tormenting him. Now that he has truly arrived in this world, in the Ye family, everything will change; the name of the useless Ye Chen will no longer be mentioned in the Ye family or in Lin City.
Ye Chen shook his head vigorously; everything was too absurd. He had arrived in the world he dreamed of every night, a world where he had a family and a father named Ye Wentian. After a series of events that defied common sense, Ye Chen had developed a certain immunity. However, he could not understand why, despite being struck by the patterns descending from the sky while on that mountain peak, he had ended up here.
"Shan'er, you don't need to worry about me; they cannot bully me." Ye Chen felt a surge of emotion; this girl, Shan'er, always thought of him. This is the difference between this world and Earth: people in this world are easily devoted to faith and emotions, while those on Earth find it difficult to do so. The 'young master' and 'second young master' she mentioned are Ye Chen's two cousins in this world, who often take pleasure in bullying him.
"Young Master, you are bullying me!" Nan'er pouted her small lips high. She looked at Ye Chen with her innocent, watery big eyes.
Suddenly, Ye Chen's gaze fixed on his own hand, causing him to tremble on the spot. He opened his palm and then clenched his fist, repeatedly observing it, and the more he looked, the more fear he felt
"Young Master, what are you doing... I'm almost scared to death..." Nan'er stamped her foot
He remembered that when he was on Earth, the old monk had sent him to Wushan to find an item known as the 'Blood-Stained Collar.' It was during that time, after Ye Chen had endured countless hardships to obtain the 'Blood-Stained Collar,' that the world suddenly plunged into darkness, rendering everything invisible. In the dimness, he vaguely saw a massive white shadow descending from the sky, resembling a delicate white hand. After that, he lost consciousness. When he awoke, he found himself in a stone coffin filled halfway with fresh blood, yet there was no trace of a bloody smell; instead, it emanated a fragrance reminiscent of a woman's subtle scent.
In a small room within the courtyard, a young boy is lying on a wooden bed. Inside the room, there is a tall man sitting at a round table, around thirty years of age, with a refined appearance. His features are sharp, exuding a subtle intensity.
In the most remote location of the Ye family, there are two small courtyards, situated against the mountains at a distance of one li from the main family courtyard
He stared blankly at everything in the room, his gaze shifting from the little girl's face to the man sitting beside the octagonal table. His bewildered expression instantly transformed into one of extraordinary brilliance, filled with shock, astonishment, and disbelief
Seeing Ye Chen unresponsive, he was lost in thought. Nan'er reached out a delicate little hand to gently touch his forehead, with a hint of concern, and said, "Young Master, you are awake. How do you feel? Are you alright?"
"Young master, what are you going to do?" Nan'er was puzzled; Ye Chen's reaction seemed too strange to her, but she still went to fetch a mirror.
Ye Chen opened his eyes and saw a pair of beautiful big eyes gazing at him with concern. With long eyelashes and a delicate, rosy face, her features were exquisite, making her a stunning beauty.
Then, he left the coffin, and in an instant, the wind and clouds changed color, dark clouds loomed overhead, as if it were the end of the world. Thunder rumbled from the sky, all directed at him. Following that, endless patterns emerged, cascading down, with him as the target.
The moment he crawled out of that coffin, the heavens and the earth changed color, divine thunder and patterns descended. Scenes that had only appeared in television or novels now unfolded before his eyes, and they were coming directly at him
The Ye family, in the entirety of Dongzhou, can at most be considered a fourth-rate small family, ranking only in the middle to lower tier among the four prominent families of Lincheng
Ye Chen ultimately could not find complete peace, as he had arrived at the Yejia in the Eastern State of the Changsheng Continent, which appeared in his dreams every night. For someone who lived on Earth in the twenty-first century and had received a scientific education, it was impossible to fully come to terms with this in a short period of time
"Who... who said Nan'er is getting married?" Nan'er turned over and sat up, her cheeks puffed out, and said: "Nan'er will not get married; Nan'er wants to be the young master's maid for a lifetime"
Thirteen years old, what an age of innocence, Ye Chen sighed inwardly, yet he possessed the intellect of twenty-seven years, along with cultivated true energy and exceptional skills
Ye Chen shook his head; he did not understand how he had woken up here after being unconscious.
Oh, that's not right! Ye Chen's expression changed; his fair face instantly darkened. To his dismay, he discovered that the true energy in his meridians could not enter his dantian, which meant that all of his true energy was effectively rendered useless.
"Heavenly calamity, divine punishment from above." Ye Chen silently recited in his heart, "Is this world not meant for me? If it were not for those nine stone coffins, I fear I would have long since turned to ashes."
Although the little girl looked quite sulky, she appeared even more adorable. However, Ye Chen was somewhat surprised by Nan Er's words, "Nan Er is growing up and will eventually get married. I grant you your freedom; do not waste a lifetime of youth on me."
Ye Chen turned over and got out of bed, took the mirror from Nan Er's hand, and upon looking inside, he let out a startled "Ah!" filled with terror, sitting down abruptly on the ground. It was a fair and handsome face, with features that could be deemed perfect, though somewhat youthful. At that moment, it appeared slightly distorted due to the overwhelming fear.
In the eastern part of Chu, there lies a small city called Lincheng, with a population of several hundred thousand. It is home to four prominent families: the Zhao family, the Duanmu family, the Gou family, and the Ye family. These four families control all commercial trade and industries in Lincheng
"Chen'er, you are awake. Rest well. Come to the back mountain tomorrow morning; I will be waiting for you there!" Ye Wentian glanced at Ye Chen and turned to leave. He said little more, but a hint of affection was evident in his eyes.
However, he did not perish beneath the divine thunder, for at the same moment, countless patterns emerged on the nine stone coffins, forming a hundred-zhang intricate design that shielded him from the divine thunder and the descending patterns from the heavens, thus averting his fatal calamity. Yet, he was still struck by a strand of the descending patterns, and shortly thereafter, the intricate design descended upon him, enveloping him completely, after which he fell into unconsciousness.
Watching Ye Wontian's figure disappear at the door, Ye Chen's thoughts gradually drifted away, and the bizarre scenes that he could not comprehend floated in his mind