Chapter 36: Sealing the Demon at Penglai

Li Chen’s adventures on Penglai Island brought him face-to-face with magical beasts and one wondrous encounter after another, until he set his heart on ascending to Heaven.

Just as Li Chen marveled at the island’s fantastical beauty, a distant and mysterious flute song rang through the clouds and split the stones, stirring the surrounding mist into turbulent waves and revealing a rainbow bridge stretching toward the heavens. Following the music, he saw an immortal maiden standing at the far end of the bridge, clad in a gown of shimmering rainbow feathers and holding a jade flute in her hand. Starlight seemed to flicker within her eyes.

The maiden parted her vermilion lips. “Warrior Li Chen, your heart is filled with lofty ambition, and your destiny is extraordinary. This bridge leads to the Nine Heavens, but only those who exchange sincerity for sincerity may cross it. You must pass three trials and defeat six guardians before you can behold the True Dragon and fulfill your dream of flying to Heaven.”

With that, she gave the jade flute a gentle wave. Li Chen felt a surge of power pour into his body, and he stepped onto the unknown, dazzling road to the heavens.

Li Chen set foot upon the rainbow bridge. Every step seemed to carry him across a thousand years, while the scenery around him shifted unpredictably—at one moment a brilliant river of stars, at the next a world wrapped in drifting clouds and mist.

Just as he was becoming intoxicated by the extraordinary spectacle, the bridge suddenly blazed with light. Three gates of trial appeared, woven from radiance and shadow.

The first gate slowly opened. From within came deep, rolling dragon roars. Beyond it lay a battlefield where illusion and reality intertwined, and countless monsters formed from sheer will surged forth, testing both his courage and his wisdom.

Li Chen drew a deep breath and unsheathed his sword. Its radiance flashed like a dragon. He vowed to shatter the layers of mist by his own strength and march toward the true edge of Heaven.

Like a dragon, Li Chen rode his sword straight into a seven-colored spatial portal. Yet because he had entered with such overwhelming momentum—rising directly into the lofty sky, where the clouds churned across the upper heavens—he had not even had time to admire the scenery or strike a heroic pose before he was involuntarily sent plunging downward. Falling back to earth was considerably faster than ascending to Heaven.

With a thunderous crash, Li Chen slammed several yards into the desert sand. Fortunately, he had not landed on hard ground and died on the spot. Though he had experienced the novel sensation of racing from earth to Heaven and back again, nearly every bone in his body felt broken, and he was utterly unable to rise.

Li Chen lay sprawled across the sand and circulated his energy to heal his wounds, only to discover, to his dismay, that this place not only forbade flight but was also as barren of spiritual energy as the mortal realm below.

“Where has the spatial portal sent me?” he groaned.

Enduring the pain, Li Chen pulled a handful of healing pills from his robes and swallowed them. Several hours later, he was able to stand, crawl out of the sand, and take in the surrounding scenery.

Gurgle, gurgle.

His stomach chose that moment to protest. Li Chen could not help sighing. “The laws of this place forbid flight, yet somehow they cannot silence an empty stomach!”

Seeing smoke curling upward from a mountain settlement not far ahead, he thought, This looks like an ordinary place where people live. They should eat ordinary grains and food. I’ll go there and ask for directions first.

In tattered clothing and swaying unsteadily, Li Chen made his way to the foot of the mountain. He found a wooden pole and used it as a walking stick. After taking a few steps, he nodded approvingly.

“Much steadier.”

With such extraordinary natural talent, he was clearly destined to become a disciple of the Beggars’ Sect.

And so this gifted young genius entered the village leaning on his staff.

In a vegetable plot by the roadside, a rather beautiful young married woman was busy at work. She possessed a full figure, generous curves, and a face touched by springtime allure, as though the east wind had stirred the rain behind a delayed jade gate.

Li Chen hobbled toward her, trembling with each step. In a clear voice, he called, “Sister, I lost my way and have come here by chance. Could you tell me where I might find food and lodging?”

The woman looked up at the sound of his voice and saw a handsome young man with fine brows, bright eyes, and an extraordinary air.

She dropped her vegetable basket to the ground and swayed toward him with a playful, dance-like step. Her waist was slender as a willow, her features fair as jade, and her eyes carried the allure of peach blossoms. Even before her lips parted, a bewitching charm had already blossomed across her face.

Like a young monk descending the mountain without fear of tigers, Li Chen knew nothing of danger; birds and beasts all seemed capable of becoming immortals, while he alone remained in a ruined temple chanting the Buddha’s name. Having been separated from his beloved wife for so long, his thoughts fell into confusion, and his body swayed as though he were about to collapse.

At that moment, the woman reached him just in time, swiftly catching and supporting him so that he did not fall.