Chapter 24: Code Above You

"Clang!"

The air was crisp and refreshing. Someone in the mountains was tolling a bell; the resonant, ancient sound of the bronze bell echoed far and wide, bringing an incomparable peace to the mind.

"In the Millet Dream..."

Chen Xuan looked out. Before him lay a vast expanse of golden fields, mature crops stretching endlessly until they merged with the horizon. The ridges were neatly aligned, and the crops—from their stalks and leaves down to the heavy ears of grain—radiated a golden luster. They looked like exquisite golden ornaments, casting a brilliant radiance that turned the very sky into a sheet of gold.

Heart Fasting!

As Wang Chan unleashed the Millet Qi, Chen Xuan had caught a glimpse of the Millet Dream!

Since the "Immortal Binding the Sun" painting on the celestial dome and the "Lesser Underworld" of Lady Mysterious Cat, this was the third time he had witnessed something beyond imagination. But this time, he had not just seen it; he had entered it.

"This is not a physical shell, but rather a manifestation of consciousness and soul."

Chen Xuan looked at his own hands. In the Lesser Underworld, he could only possess or peek; he could do nothing else. But here, in the Millet Dream, he had "spirit-wandered" inside, capable of speaking and even acting on his own volition.

"What secrets are hidden within the Millet Dream?"

Chen Xuan walked along the ridges, surveying his surroundings, when he suddenly stopped, hearing the sound of deep slumber.

"Someone is sleeping in the Millet Dream? There are others here?"

Frowning, Chen Xuan cautiously followed the sound. Before long, he found the sleeper in a field of heavy grain. It was a youth of about sixteen or seventeen, with refined features, wearing simple short clothes and straw sandals. The boy used the sky as his blanket, the golden crops as his mat, and a hoe as his pillow, resting in profound comfort.

"Wang Chan!"

Chen Xuan's expression turned cold. Just as he was about to clench his fist and move in, a surge of heat hit his eyes. Heart Fasting triggered once more, and he saw a series of "bubbles" rising from the head of the young Wang Chan. Within the bubbles, countless golden scriptures like tadpoles pulsed, accompanied by sequences of light and shadow.

Chen Xuan saw himself within those images. It was Wang Chan's perspective—a life that was supposed to have "reflected into the world" regarding "Chen Xuan."

...

In one bubble of light:

"Shen Lingfeng, you're going to die!"

Hidden in a river for days, Chen Xuan lunged out like a crocodile, dragging the water-fetching Shen Lingfeng into the depths. Crimson Qi boiled the icy river water, churning up a massive cloud of blood-red.

"Senior Brother Chen... he's caught up!"

Wang Chan, in the distance, was terrified out of his wits. As other Qinglu Mountain disciples roared and dove into the water, he alone scrambled and crawled backward, fleeing for his life.

...

In another sequence:

"Junior Brother Wang, Master Qing Yazi has descended upon the Southern Wilderness..."

"The Peach Blossom Spring has fallen, Chen Xuan has fled inside. Keep chasing!"

"Chen Xuan is skilled in magical combat; we've lost many men."

"He has made connections with a powerful benefactor..."

Wang Chan listened to the endless reports, trembling at the blood and fire. His hands and feet were cold, but he eventually gathered his courage. "Senior brothers, it was I who slandered him, leading to all this trouble. Use me as bait..."

Not long after, Chen Xuan fell for the trap, intercepted by great cultivators from Qinglu Mountain. Although he broke through the encirclement, he suffered grievous wounds, his vitality fading, and he eventually vanished without a trace. Wang Chan was injured in the battle, but the name Chen Xuan was erased from the Red Crow City region. The nightmare had faded.

...

Years later.

Qing Yazi aged, and Qinglu Mountain gradually declined. A passing supreme cultivator wiped the once-famed power from the earth with a casual gesture. Wang Chan, not being at the mountain gate at the time, survived by luck. With Qinglu Mountain's poor reputation, he was forced to leave the Red Crow City territory where he had spent half his life. Years later, in the capital of the Ancient Chu Kingdom, he saw Chen Xuan again.

It was a high-level banquet, gathering figures from many Qi-refining clans and ancient Daoist halls—people who only appeared in the legends of Chu. Chen Xuan was there. Though not at the very center, he was surrounded by people, a moon among stars, chatting and laughing.

"Brother, I heard that when you returned to Chu this time, you visited Red Crow City to see old friends?"

"Time is ruthless; most of those old friends have withered away..."

"Haha, we live as long as heaven, do not be saddened. As for me, my grandson's grandson grew old and died last night. Though you are young, you must gradually grow accustomed to worldly friends leaving one after another..."

"..."

Passing by the entrance, Wang Chan heard this conversation. Terrified, he fled immediately, deciding then and there to leave Chu and never return. Behind him, he seemed to hear a man's sigh, like an autumn wind sweeping through fallen leaves.

...

Years later.

An elderly, frail Wang Chan drifted to a vaster ancient dynasty, where he heard news of Chen Xuan once more.

News of his death.

White-haired and dazed, Wang Chan watched the passing Qi-refiners discussing the matter with fervor.

"Did you hear? Chen Xuan, that Qi-refiner from the small Chu Kingdom who made a name for himself, has fallen!" someone said excitedly.

"A mortal bone, yet he fought his way to the [Tao of the Red Dust] step. Truly remarkable, worthy of the word 'genius'... What a pity he ran into a Destiny-Chosen." Another sighed.

"This era, after all, belongs to the Destiny-Chosen..." The Qi-refiner's eyes were filled with helplessness.

"..."

Wang Chan thought that the nightmare that had hovered over him for years had finally vanished. Yet, a massive sense of emptiness filled his heart. He had lived his whole life in that man's shadow. In his youth, he could still compete, but he was quickly cast aside, forced to hide in dark corners, secretly looking up at him.

Destiny-Chosen... a being even more powerful than Chen Xuan...

If he could live again, wouldn't it be wonderful to be a Destiny-Chosen favored by fortune? This was the life Chen Xuan was supposed to have lived, as experienced in Wang Chan's dream.

...

"It seems my future goes quite well; I had a time of glory."

Chen Xuan finished viewing the images and chuckled to himself. It was a pity Wang Chan had so little real intersection with him; most of what he saw was hearsay, offering little concrete information. He had enough conviction, but he hadn't expected to go so far, becoming a renowned great cultivator in Chu—even if, once he left Chu, he realized there were heavens beyond heavens, and he was promptly finished off.

"[Millet True Scripture]..."

Chen Xuan focused on the golden scriptures flowing through the bubbles, entranced. He saw the [Twelve Spirit Qi Breathing Method] within them. Though he had never practiced the breathing method Wang Chan left in Willow Town, he had studied it carefully and praised it for its brilliance. Now, seeing the complete version, he became immersed in it. It was obscure and profound, an ancient, vast aura rushing toward him. This was a supreme immortal scripture!

"The essence of the Millet Dream is all in this scripture!"

"The Millet True Scripture can refine and sublimate Green Qi, cultivating the rare Millet Qi..."

"This is a supreme law belonging to one person alone."

"A true immortal scripture; in any given era, only one person is permitted to learn it."

Chen Xuan was shocked. He felt a sudden, inexplicable awe: "All other practitioners are but illusions. If that one person meets with an accident, the cultivation of all others instantly turns to nothing—a mirage, a dream."

Was it only the Millet True Scripture, or were other ancient, orthodox scriptures the same? At the same time, he realized the deep malice hidden within the breathing method Wang Chan had left behind.

"If I had practiced the Twelve Immortal Qi Breathing Method and killed Wang Chan today, wouldn't I have suffered the bitter fruit myself? My cultivation destroyed, instantly regressing into an ordinary person?"

Once you learn the law within the Millet True Scripture, there is no other path but to follow loyally and be bound to Wang Chan! Furthermore, this master-servant-like bond would only become more unbreakable over time. Shen Lingfeng of Qinglu Mountain, with his deep background, knew some of these secrets. Even though he was obsessed with Wang Chan's tricks, he dared not learn them for fear of being shackled.

"The Millet True Scripture is evil..."

Chen Xuan felt a jolt of horror. Nevertheless, he couldn't wait to commit this supreme scripture to memory. Whether he could practice it was a matter for later, but securing such a priceless treasure was the priority.

Just then—

"Hiss!"

A sharp pain pierced his chest, as if something was truly closing in on his heart. His eyes flickered, and his Heart Fasting sent out an urgent warning.

"Wang Chan!"

Chen Xuan immediately ended the Heart Fasting and withdrew from the Millet Dream.

...

"Chen Xuan, I thought someone with your steadfast character could resist a trace of Millet Qi?"

Wang Chan, his hair disheveled like a demon, his fingertips flickering with Green Qi like sharp blades, stabbed toward Chen Xuan's chest. "I didn't expect that even in your youth, you'd be so useless."

"Haha, even if I cannot subdue you, killing someone like you is a magnificent enough feat for this lifetime, leaving no regrets!"

Even if he couldn't shackle someone like Chen Xuan—who would rank among the best in the Chu Kingdom—at the end of his life, he felt only slight regret. After all, with the memories of a lifetime as a foundation, a grand immortal future still awaited him!

What "gifted" Chen Xuan? He was just a bit of frost encountered along the way, to be extinguished with a flick of a finger... He was the Destiny-Chosen!

The finger did not advance further.

A palm radiating golden-white light reached out and gently swept Wang Chan's arm aside. Wang Chan was stunned for an instant, and that familiar voice—like a nightmare from his memories—drilled into his mind.

"Wang Chan..."

Chen Xuan instantly gripped his throat. With his other hand raised, his five fingers clenched into a fist. White Qi surged and gathered, manifesting a giant, mountain-like white ape silhouette—red-faced, fanged, and terrifying. A vortex of airflow spun rapidly around the bucket-sized fist—

Wang Chan was struck as if by lightning. He muttered, "Impossible, this is impossible... you were clearly..."

"Bang!"

A thunderous punch shattered the Millet Qi and Green Qi swirling around Wang Chan's body. If mere past memories could shake Chen Xuan's mind, he would never have spent three years in a martial arts hall practicing the basics. A man who could do such a thing had a heart of iron that nothing could sway! Had his Heart Fasting not triggered, pulling him into the Millet Dream, Wang Chan would never have had the chance to get close to him.

"Bang!"

The second punch sent Wang Chan's head snapping back, his entire face caving in.

"You can't kill me... you learned..."

Wang Chan's mind was a chaotic blur. He reached out unconsciously, as if trying to grab something from the air. Blood foam bubbled from his mouth, his tongue moving incoherently: "My... great... cause..."

He could grasp nothing.

"Wang Chan..."

Chen Xuan spoke, expressionless. "The incompetent, even if they are reborn, will always be incompetent..."

As the words fell—

"Bang!"

The third punch shattered Wang Chan's head, scarlet blood and bone fragments splattering outward.

The Millet Dream, thus, dissolved into nothingness.

"..."

Lady Mysterious Cat’s heart trembled. The Millet Dream had died, right before her eyes. "He used a mortal body to kill a Destiny-Chosen..."

She knew the Millet Dream would die tonight, but she hadn't expected Chen Xuan—the man she thought could not be compared to a Destiny-Chosen—to be the one to do it!

"I misjudged him..."

The old White Turtle stared, eyes wide at the sudden reversal of the situation, falling into a long silence. Was he truly getting old? Was his vision failing? The little fish-thief not only wasn't hooked into the Red Dust by the Millet Qi, but instead relied on his tenacious heart to force his way through the illusion and kill the Millet Dream. Such a heart was rare in this world.

"Hiss, the little thief has a heart of absolute sincerity for martial arts. He is a seedling for the Ancient Martial Path..."

...

Under the night sky in the distance.

Shen Lingfeng ran wildly, finally escaping the Southern Wilderness. He looked up and laughed, ecstatic.

"Haha! I escaped!!"

The next moment, the sound cut off abruptly. His body froze, and he was forced to kneel in terror, looking up at the figure of a middle-aged Daoist standing with his hands behind his back.

"Master... I..."

The middle-aged Daoist lowered his head, his wide sleeves fluttering. A profound majesty poured down with his gaze. In his dark green pupils, a thousand strands of brilliant green light surged, supporting an ancient three-legged alchemy furnace...

"Your junior brother, Millet Dream, is dead... Did you know? The immortal pill in the furnace I chose is gone."

Dan Ding Dao, Qing Yazi!