The Ancient Lamp and the Battle at the Village

An ancient lamp of cyan hue burned with an undying flame, suspended silently in the air. Xiao Chen rose to his full height and stepped down from the Yellow Clay Altar. The lamp seemed to have merged with him, hovering a foot away from his left shoulder, its wavering flame casting light upon the path ahead.

Not wishing to alarm the villagers, he reached up and grasped the floating lamp, holding it firmly as though seizing the very fire of life. He felt his life essence intertwine with it. After some effort, he managed to move the lamp and placed it upon the Yellow Clay Altar.

A broken, weathered altar of yellow clay, an ancient lamp that never went out—together they formed a strange and mysterious tableau, veiled in secrecy.

Xiao Chen did not know the lamp's origin, nor why it had flown to his side. He stood in silence for a long time before striding homeward. Dusk had fallen; the New Year's feast was ready, and the villagers were celebrating the belated Spring Festival.

The village was lively. Children ran about, many families gathered together to share the holiday. At Xiao Chen's home, relatives had assembled, and the festive atmosphere was everywhere. An elderly great-uncle rambled on for a while, and then the feast began. The elders toasted each other, the teenagers laughed and clinked teacups, and the little ones ate with joy, grease smeared across their faces.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—three figures flashed into view. Keke and the two little girls had run back. The three energetic creatures had been fighting all day, chasing and hitting each other. Linglong and Tutu's small faces were flushed red, and they glared angrily at Keke, clearly having come off worse. Keke, looking mischievous, hid beside Xiao Chen, its big eyes darting toward them.

"Come over here…" Xiao Chen called to the two little girls and set out two extra pairs of chopsticks.

Even rivals became opponents at the dinner table. Spiritual essences were commonplace for the three little ones, but the delicacies of the mortal world held tremendous allure for them.

Like a whirlwind, the snow-white beast and the two delicate little girls fought fiercely, snatching food, and ended up making the other children at their table cry from frustration.

"Don't fight—there's plenty more…" Xiao Chen's mother hurriedly brought out another steaming hot meal.

In the end, Keke won decisively, having devoured two tables of food. The two little girls conceded defeat in dismay.

The villagers were already familiar with Keke, regarding it as a clever spirit creature, but they were curious about the two little girls' origins, casting glances at them from time to time.

Xiao Chen muttered inwardly—if these folk knew that the two little girls were the youngest daughters of the Yellow Emperor, they would surely jump in shock.

"Xiao Chen, I have a secret," Linglong, lively and clever, mysteriously leaned close and whispered in his ear. "Our father sent us to the mortal world to find an ancient village. I think it's this one."

"What?" Xiao Chen was startled. "What did that romantic old man say?"

The two little girls immediately wrinkled their noses in displeasure and pouted.

"I said that by accident," Xiao Chen said with an awkward smile. "What did the Yellow Emperor say?"

"Don't speak ill of my father!" Tutu glared at him discontentedly. "He said we must find a mysterious ancient village, but he gave us no clues at all—just that if something earth-shattering happens in the mortal world, we must take refuge in this village in advance."

Xiao Chen fell into thought. The Yellow Emperor had foreseen something. What secret lay hidden here?

Unnoticed, the night had grown deep. The village suddenly fell silent once more.

Xiao Chen snapped awake and realized that everyone had fallen into a deep sleep. Even the two little girls were yawning, about to collapse onto the dinner table. Keke was still relatively alert, rubbing its round little belly while stuffing food into its mouth.

"If I don't wake them, perhaps they will sleep for a hundred or a thousand years. Is this the last supper?" Xiao Chen gradually understood that even if he roused the villagers, they would fall asleep again. Better to let them enjoy a long slumber.

He carried everyone back to their own homes and arranged everything. Then he grabbed the gluttonous Keke and walked out. The two little girls staggered like drunks, following behind. Though terribly sleepy, they did not want to sleep again.

The ancient lamp, as if sentient, slowly floated up as Xiao Chen passed, hovering a foot from his left shoulder, following his movements and lighting the way ahead.

Where would he go from here? Would the Yellow Clay Altar protect him against the Half-Ancestors? Xiao Chen strode forward with firm steps.

At the village entrance, the two little girls, like drunkards, with flushed little faces, collapsed beneath a few strange trees wreathed in spiritual mist, about to sink into dreamland.

Keke ran over, provocatively tweaking the girls' noses, startling them awake. They sat up halfway, huffing with anger.

When Xiao Chen appeared outside the village, hostile gazes immediately swept toward him. Over a hundred figures spread out and advanced.

Hai Yunxue's beautiful eyes blazed with hatred. She raised her hand, and dozens of demonic shadows refined by the Tiger Family flew over silently.

Fang Tianqi's killing intent was palpable. Clad in his five-colored immortal armor, he led a group of experts, preparing to cut off Xiao Chen's retreat.

"Hahaha…" Ye Tian laughed in fury, stepping out from the crowd and advancing step by step. His voice was ice-cold. "Finally you dare to come out and fight? Today I will avenge Ye Jun and let the departed soul rest in peace."

Xiao Chen swept a glance at him. "If you want to die, then come." Though his words were brief, they radiated overwhelming confidence.

He had trained hard in the divine arts, sitting quietly in the ancient village to challenge the world. The enemies outside were his finest whetstone, the driving force to push him forward.

A golden bell, as huge as a tower, floated before Ye Tian, illuminating the pitch-black night sky and accentuating his tall, imposing figure.

"Killing my sister is like cutting off my arm. In the entire cultivation world, no one dares to touch a member of the Ye family. Don't think that this broken village can keep you safe!" Ye Tian's face was cold with murderous intent.

"You talk too much," Xiao Chen said coldly, facing Ye Tian. "I told your sister: if you came, I would kill you."

After stepping out of the village, Xiao Chen had placed the Yellow Clay Altar beneath his feet. Better to be safe than sorry—if a Half-Ancestor was secretly watching, without the altar his life would be forfeit.

"Dong…"

The golden divine bell tolled, its sound melodious, shaking heaven and earth. Visible golden ripples spread outward in a single direction. Wherever they passed, the void shattered—inconceivable power!

At the same time, Fang Tianqi led his forces to block Xiao Chen's retreat, and Hai Yunxue's demonic shadows surrounded the area from all sides.

"Do you think you can kill me? Go borrow another twenty years from the heavens!" Xiao Chen paid no heed to the Tiger Family experts or Fang Tianqi's movements. He shouted and punched toward the sky.

A violent force surged upward as if to pierce space itself. A raging torrent rose to meet the sky, vast and immeasurable, colliding with the golden ripples. Finally, the furious fist scattered the golden ripples. With a deafening "dong," a shallow fist imprint was stamped upon the golden divine bell.

The bell's sound was earsplitting. Ye Tian was startled; with a brush of his hand, the fist imprint vanished from the bell's body, and the sound subsided.

Xiao Chen was also surprised. The golden divine bell was an extraordinary spiritual treasure. Even the Heavenly Hand technique had failed to shatter it, showing its remarkable nature. No wonder Ye Tian was so confident—as one of the top ten young talents of the cultivation world, he truly possessed unique strengths. In a sense, an exceptional Nirvana realm expert was far more terrifying than a Deathless Longevity powerhouse.

Ye Tian shouted, his hands moving in complex gestures. The golden bell pealed loudly, shaking violently, stirring the world's primal energy. Then the golden divine bell descended from the sky, its golden light dazzling, carrying overwhelming pressure like ten thousand mountains crashing down, attempting to engulf Xiao Chen and shatter him utterly.

Xiao Chen was not alarmed. He stepped into the Inverse Dragon Seven Steps, surging into the sky, and struck the Heavenly Hand imprint toward the golden divine bell. The void cracked beneath his feet, each step bearing the weight of countless tons. His palm, crystal clear as jade, tore through space and smacked heavily onto the golden bell.

A clear palm print was deeply imprinted on the bell's body, nearly piercing through. The bell's sound boomed, but the golden bell descended with irresistible force, its dazzling golden light becoming the only thing in heaven and earth.

Xiao Chen used the Eight Aspect Worlds at their utmost speed, flying through the sky and earth, trying to evade the overwhelming pressure of the golden bell.

But the golden divine bell's divine might was unimaginable. It seemed able to swallow mountains and rivers, contain the sun and moon, encompassing all things. In an instant, it magnified countless times and descended with an unstoppable momentum, capturing even Xiao Chen, who possessed the Eight Aspect Worlds' ultimate speed.

"Dong…"

The bell rang incessantly, deafening. Many cultivators covered their ears in pain. But within the ancient village, colorful mist swirled as if blocking the great sound, leaving the villagers unaffected.

The giant bell shook the mountains and rivers, heaven and earth quaking. Yellow mist roiled, the enormous bell vibrated and hummed, its pressure covering all directions as if thousands of mountains were shifting simultaneously.

"Since I emerged into the world, no one has been able to withstand my divine bell. How can a mere martial artist shake the Imperial Heavenly Bell?" Ye Tian stood with his hands behind his back, high in the sky. "I said I could defeat you with one hand tied. Now I'll use you to sacrifice to my sister's spirit."

The giant bell shrank, but its pressure grew even stronger. The intense force made it hard to breathe. Golden light pierced the eyes; heaven and earth trembled ceaselessly. The bell rang without end.

"You are nothing but a training partner for me," Xiao Chen's calm voice came from within the bell.

Inside the golden divine bell, the Yellow Clay Altar beneath Xiao Chen showed no special change. Unless a Half-Ancestor made a move, it remained still and silent. The ancient lamp stood by his left shoulder, its flame flickering without any energy fluctuation.

He showed no fear. Since the trial had proven that the Yellow Clay Altar and the lamp offered no help in battle, he would give his all with his own strength. At the same time, he activated the Inverse Dragon Seven Steps and the Heavenly Hand technique.

With each step of the Inverse Dragon Seven Steps, a space shattered. With each strike of the Heavenly Hand, the golden bell trembled violently. The sound waves it emitted were no longer melodious and rhythmic; they gradually became discordant and chaotic.

Ye Tian sneered coldly, standing high in the sky. "Once you enter this bell, none can break it. Even if you shatter your bones and body, you cannot shake it."

The Heavenly Hand struck nine times in succession. The golden bell shook wildly, but from the inside outward, it seemed truly unbreakable. Xiao Chen had only left nine shallow palm prints on its surface.

"Xiao Chen, you're wasting your energy. Better to take your own life inside the bell!" Ye Tian's laughter came from outside.

"Any magical treasure is nothing but scrap iron before me!" Xiao Chen faced the ever-shrinking golden bell and unleashed his strongest power. At the same time, he advanced to the fifth step of the Inverse Dragon Seven Steps.

The Heavenly Hand struck nine more times. The immense, irresistible force was unimaginable. The entire golden divine bell became nearly transparent, and Ye Tian could clearly see Xiao Chen's movements from outside.

Those jade-like palms weighed as heavily as Mount Tai. With each strike, golden divine light scattered from the bell's body. The golden bell grew more and more transparent, turning into something like a crystal bell.

"Boom!"

The sixth step of the Inverse Dragon Seven Steps elevated Xiao Chen's momentum to a new peak. The Heavenly Hand came down with full force, and this entire region of heaven and earth trembled.

"Dong!"

The incomparably heavy palm struck the bell's body. Fine cracks spread across the bell's wall. The divine bell was about to shatter!

The Inverse Dragon Seven Steps had propelled Xiao Chen's momentum to its zenith. He struck out with another palm.

"Boom!"

With a deafening explosion, when Xiao Chen's palm made contact with the divine bell, heaven and earth erupted. The divine bell shattered completely, golden divine light sweeping in all directions. The entire sky was a brilliant gold, yellow mist rolling.

Ye Tian spat out a mouthful of blood, his face deathly pale. He staggered back more than ten steps in the air, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Shattered… how can this be!" He was utterly crestfallen. His undefeated myth had been broken just like that.

An outstanding Nirvana realm cultivator like Ye Tian was far more terrifying than an ordinary Deathless Longevity expert.

Xiao Chen shot forward like a meteor, covering a hundred feet in one step, arriving in an instant. The Heavenly Hand slashed down diagonally.

Ye Tian's shock turned to fury. A storm of magical treasures flew through the air, but under the Heavenly Hand, most of them were shattered immediately. He roared to the heavens, stretching his body and bursting forth with dazzling radiance as he engaged Xiao Chen in combat. As a cultivator who did not follow the path of refining artifacts alone, he also possessed formidable battle skills, though he could never match a pure martial artist.

"I will shatter your divine bell with my palm and trample your flesh-and-blood body with my foot!"

The Inverse Dragon Seven Steps were supremely powerful. With each step Xiao Chen took, all directions shook, rocking the entire sky. Ye Tian dodged continuously, but how could he be a match for a martial artist supremely skilled in combat?

The fourth step of the Inverse Dragon Seven Steps landed on Ye Tian's shoulder, and with a crack, his entire arm was pulverized. The fifth step seemed to tear heaven and earth apart, shaking the ten directions, and landed precisely on Ye Tian's chest.

The sound of shattered ribs echoed clearly across the scene. Ye Tian screamed in agony. His shattered heart was coughed out of his mouth, and then his body split apart, crashing down from the sky.

Ye Tian, one of the top ten young talents of the cultivation world, was slaughtered by Xiao Chen before everyone's eyes. Blood stained the fragments of the golden bell on the ground, striking terror into the hearts of all cultivators.

Even Ye Tian, the King of Huashan who surpassed Deathless Longevity cultivators, had fallen. Hai Yunxue, Fang Tianqi, and the others were shaken to their cores, finally recognizing the full extent of their enemy's power and terror.

Fang Tianqi, clad in his five-colored immortal armor, prepared to fight, but the Tiger Family experts moved before him. Figures flashed as the Tiger Family's demonic shadows swiftly surrounded Xiao Chen.

"Where is his nascent soul?" Xiao Chen swept his gaze around, puzzled. He had not found Ye Tian's nascent soul—it seemed not to have been destroyed along with the body.

"Boom!"

A blast of heavenly wind poured down like the Milky Way, its oppressive pressure unimaginable. All the Tiger Family's demonic shadows were blasted away. The heavenly wind swept toward Xiao Chen.

But at that moment, the Yellow Clay Altar trembled violently, and the two primal forces of Xuan and Huang surged into the sky, meeting the attack and shaking the heavens.

"A Half-Ancestor has made a move!" Xiao Chen understood in an instant what had happened.

A white tiger tore through the void, stirring up demonic energy in the sky—it was the White Tiger Saint Emperor. At the same time, another torrent of power descended, and the Three Infant Grand Monarch appeared.

The two primal forces surged upward, sweeping toward the two Half-Ancestors.

It was as if the vast ocean had overturned and poured into the sky, or the Milky Way had fallen to the earth. Heaven and earth were turned upside down; chaos reigned in all directions.

The Yellow Clay Altar seemed to respond only when Half-Ancestors acted.

When all was calm again, the White Tiger Saint Emperor and the Three Infant Grand Monarch re-manifested in the sky, having used substitutes to take the fatal blow.

The Yellow Clay Altar hung silently. Xiao Chen stood upon it, the ancient lamp burning steadily by his left shoulder.

"I knew you would do that," Xiao Chen said calmly, looking at the two great powers in the sky.

If he had not brought the Yellow Clay Altar out, even though this place was close to the ancient village, he likely would not have been protected and would have died.

The White Tiger Saint Emperor said nothing. The Three Infant Grand Monarch gently moved his hands, and the void split open. A nascent soul emerged from a dimensional space.

"Ancestor, I have lost…" Ye Tian's voice was bitter, utterly hopeless.

"Do not judge a hero by a single victory or defeat. In the future, he will surely die by your hand," the Three Infant Grand Monarch said. He pointed, and the shattered body on the ground flew into the sky, reassembling completely. Ye Tian's nascent soul flew over, and in a brief moment, he was fully restored.

The golden divine bell on the ground trembled lightly and then spontaneously gathered itself, reforming. The bell's sound was clear, ringing through heaven and earth. A perfect golden divine bell soared into the sky.

"This bell is imperishable through the ages. Even if shattered, it can be reborn with irresistible power—none can stop it. Ye Tian was born holding this bell, and he will surely revive our cultivation lineage. You cannot destroy him. His future opponents are not on your level," the Three Infant Grand Monarch said coldly, sweeping his gaze over Xiao Chen.

"Ha ha…" Xiao Chen laughed heartily. "Are you trying to put psychological pressure on me? You yourself cannot do anything to me, let alone him."

"Ye Tian's potential is boundless; the divine bell is indestructible, and he is undying. Every time he survives a death tribulation, he will reach a new height," the Three Infant Grand Monarch said, turning to Ye Tian and nodding. "In the future, you will kill him yourself."

"I will!" Ye Tian nodded firmly.

Xiao Chen's hair streamed in the wind as he stood tall in the sky. "He has already been defeated. To me, he is no more than a withered weed. I can defeat him once, and I will defeat him ten, a hundred, a thousand times. He can be reborn—in the future I will kill him again and again until he dies forever."

"Arrogant presumption. You will have no such chance, because you will die soon," said the Three Infant Grand Monarch, his voice calm but icy, spreading across heaven and earth.

Xiao Chen, calm as a dead lake, cold and aloof, replied, "When the day comes that there are no more Half-Ancestors on this land, I will see your entire lineage utterly destroyed."