Chapter 2: Heavenly Fire Descends

## Chapter 2: Heavenly Descending Fire

**Pat! Pat!**

Along a secluded ancient road shrouded in the deep night, a scrawny horse ambled slowly, its hooves striking the ground with a soft, rhythmic cadence.

Ye Chen lay weary upon the horse's back, his gaze fixed silently upon the void above. Since being driven from the Zhengyang Sect, he had remained sprawled on this skeletal steed, carried aimlessly forward, with no destination in sight, no knowledge of where he could go. He had been an orphan from childhood, brought to the Zhengyang Sect and raised there. He had no home, no parents, and even in his memories, no trace of kin could be found.

He had always regarded the Zhengyang Sect as his home, and his senior brothers as his family.

Now, expelled and cast out, he was a homeless child, and an unprecedented sense of loneliness made him involuntarily curl into a ball.

"Where is home?" he murmured. In the deep darkness of the night, his words echoed with stark clarity. Unconsciously, Ye Chen's eyes began to blur, weariness urging him toward sleep.

However, just as his vision swam in that hazy moment, a brilliant star pierced the deep night sky above, descending with striking radiance.

At the sight, he suddenly sat upright, his gaze following the trajectory of the falling star. The star was golden, seemingly gathering the brilliance of countless others, traversing ancient ages, enduring the vicissitudes of ten thousand worlds. A scorching golden light descended, illuminating the entire starry sky.

"What... what is that?" Ye Chen stared, mesmerized, at the night sky. He could even discern the interconnected bolts of lightning accompanying its descent.

**Boom!**

Lost in his stupor, a sudden crash resounded. The star fell, the ground trembling beneath its impact. The scrawny horse, startled, reared and neighed, and Ye Chen, too, was thrown from its back.

A falling star, a marvel of the ancient world.

Ye Chen scrambled to his feet, treading upon the scorched earth, slowly approaching through the rolling heatwave.

Only upon drawing near did he discover that what had fallen from the starry sky was not a star at all, but a golden flame, no larger than his palm.

A sudden daze washed over Ye Chen. He had never imagined that something capable of creating such a disturbance would be a mere cluster of flame.

Soon, the golden light dispersed, and the flame, like the candle flame of a lamp, hung alone there. Though it was fire, Ye Chen felt not the slightest trace of heat. The tiny flickering wick swayed, solitary, like a child without a home.

"You... are you also homeless?" A shared sense of loneliness seemed to draw him in. Ye Chen couldn't help but extend his palm, gently reaching out.

The flame, as if possessing sentience, actually leaped into the center of his palm, like a naive, bright child, playing in his hand.

"Interesting," Ye Chen couldn't resist extending a finger to touch the flame.

With that touch, the flame transformed into a golden light and burrowed into his body.

"You!" Ye Chen's expression changed abruptly. He hadn't been able to react in time.

And that flame, seemingly playful, circled his body once before whooshing into his broken Dantian.

Soon, a scorching heat emanated from his lower abdomen, prompting him to quickly examine his body from within.

He witnessed a shocking scene: because of the flame, his broken Dantian was healing at a visible speed. A warmth flowed throughout his body, as if he were bathing under scorching sunlight in the bitter cold of winter.

"This..." Ye Chen's mouth fell open.

But this was not the end.

The flame leaped within his Dantian, seemingly sensing the narrowness of its capacity. The tiny flickers of its form rapidly grew immense, radiating dazzling golden light, until it transformed into a vast golden sea of fire. And as it transformed into a sea of fire, it simultaneously expanded Ye Chen's Dantian.

**Ugh...!**

Ye Chen clutched his lower abdomen and let out a muffled groan, falling to the ground on the spot. A searing pain, as if tearing through his body, spread from his lower abdomen to every limb.

**Pop...!**

Such a sound echoed in the darkness. Ye Chen's newly restored Dantian actually shattered again, forcibly broken by the flame. It became a expanse of white mist, like a self-formed heaven and earth, with white mist swirling above and dazzling golden light below.

Only then did the flame obediently cease its activity, floating there, as if touring its newly created home.

Yet, even as it remained as if nothing had happened, Ye Chen's state was far from good.

He lay on the ground, panting violently, his entire body drenched in sweat. The intense pain caused veins to bulge on his forehead, his eyes were filled with bloodshot threads, and his face became distorted.

He didn't know when, but the severe pain gradually dissipated, and a warm heat once again permeated his entire body, restoring Ye Chen's clarity.

At this moment, he stared, mesmerized, at the earth-shattering transformation of his Dantian. His mouth was open, his throat dry. "This... is this a Dan Sea?"

A cultivator's six major realms: Qi Condensation, Human Yuan, True Yang, Spirit Void, Empty Nether, and Heaven Solitude.

The reason for Ye Chen's shock was that the so-called Dan Sea was a level higher than the Dantian. Only upon reaching the Empty Nether realm could a true Dan Sea be opened. He had never imagined that this flame would not only repair his Dantian but also open up a Dan Sea for him.

Suddenly, the thin spiritual energy between heaven and earth began to fluctuate.

Soon, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth flocked towards Ye Chen, gathering around him to form a spiritual energy vortex. It poured into his body through all of his acupuncture points and pores, then surged into his Dan Sea. His body was like a bottomless pit, swallowing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

And at this time, the flame became active again. But whenever the surging spiritual energy entered the Dan Sea, it was forcibly refined by the flame into pure golden True Qi. The somewhat dry Dan Sea, which had just been opened, became resplendent with golden light, the True Qi surging like a golden ocean.

Staring at his Dan Sea, Ye Chen's eyes became somewhat blurry. His body swayed a few times before he fell to the ground.

The night passed without a word. In the blink of an eye, dawn arrived.

In the early morning, warm sunlight streamed through the window and sprinkled upon Ye Chen's face.

Slowly opening his eyes, Ye Chen was met with a childish face, large eyes blinking as the child looked at him.

"Big Brother, you're awake," the boy showed two rows of white teeth.

"Who are you?" Ye Chen sat up abruptly, looking at the boy, then at his surroundings, which were completely unfamiliar. "What is this place? Why am I here?"

"My name is Hu Wa," the boy said simply and honestly, laughing. "This is the Hengyue Sect's Small Spirit Garden. You fainted in the mountain forest last night. My grandfather and I brought you back."

"Heng... Hengyue Sect?" Ye Chen was startled.

The Great Chu Country had one hall and three sects. The Bloodthirsty Hall dominated North Chu, while the Zhengyang Sect, Qingyun Sect, and Hengyue Sect dominated South Chu. In a sense, the Hengyue Sect and the Zhengyang Sect were enemies.

Ye Chen never imagined that having just been driven from the Zhengyang Sect, he would arrive at the enemy's Hengyue Sect today.

"Are you hungry? I'll make you some food," Hu Wa said, seeing Ye Chen's daze, and had already run out.

On the bamboo bed, Ye Chen remained in a daze for a while, his consciousness gradually regaining clarity. Only then did he remember the events of last night.

"Last night?" Thinking of last night's events, Ye Chen quickly checked his body. His Dan Sea was a golden expanse, like a world of its own, with hazy white mist above and surging golden True Qi below.

"Not a dream. This is all real."

Ye Chen's breathing quickened. Upon waking, his broken Dantian was not only repaired but he had also opened up a Dan Sea. Even the True Qi within the Dan Sea had become even more refined. Clenching his fist, he found the long-lost feeling of being a cultivator. His vision and strength had also undergone an unprecedented sublimation at this moment.

And all of this was thanks to that golden flame.

Thinking of the golden flame, Ye Chen's gaze subconsciously turned toward the golden flame suspended within his Dan Sea. Its flickering wick swayed, still lively like a child.

"You won't be true fire, will you?" A thought crossed Ye Chen's mind, and he summoned the flame into the center of his palm.

Suddenly, the temperature in the room instantly climbed. Yet, he felt no terrifying heat, instead having a sense of intimacy with the flame.

"You will follow me from now on," Ye Chen smiled, gently stroking the true fire, his mood filled with an inexpressible joy.

"Big Brother, come out and eat!"

"Coming!" Receiving the true fire, Ye Chen flipped and jumped off the bed.