Chapter Seventeen: The Candlelight Battlefield (3)

Hearing the voice behind him, Hua Sheng spun around abruptly.

It was none other than the Young Lord of Supreme Purity standing right behind him.

"Young Lord! I was just worrying I wouldn't be able to find you! Where did you run off to just now?" Hua Sheng shouted with delight.

"That's what I should be asking you. At the very start, you dashed off so quickly—were you in a hurry to get eliminated?" The Young Lord strode forward unhurriedly. "The Celestial Eye Trial is not something to be rushed. Every moment of carelessness can result in instant elimination. That’s why most participants—the faster they charge ahead, the sooner they leave the field."

"I'm just inexperienced, that's all," Hua Sheng scratched his head.

"All the more reason to be cautious when you lack experience. And you still want to challenge Tianjizi? At this rate, you'll end up getting yourself killed first. The thought alone makes my palms sweat."

"Fine, I admit I was careless, okay?" Hua Sheng quickly tried to steer the conversation elsewhere. "Did you see those two people just now? They vanished suddenly."

The Young Lord stroked his chin. "Two? I only saw one when I arrived. So, one had already disappeared before that?"

"Exactly! I don't know what’s up with the glass dome over the candle flames. Before we entered this foggy forest, I touched the dome and nothing happened."

"It must be a trap set deliberately for the Candlelight Battle."

"A trap?"

"Indeed. To eliminate trial participants." The Young Lord gestured at the surrounding mist. "It seems many of the candle flames visible on this mountain are actually traps."

"And where do those who fall into the traps end up?" Hua Sheng asked.

"Let me see." The Young Lord stepped forward and murmured, "Transposition and Illusion Spell! By the power of the decree—dispel!"

Suddenly, the candle flame on the ground distorted and then vanished.

"Why is there nothing left behind?" Hua Sheng asked.

"Exactly as I thought," the Young Lord replied with a slight smile. "That spell must have been set here as a formation, aided by illusion magic, making it appear as a simple candle flame. Once touched, it instantly transports the victim elsewhere."

"Transported where? Among the disciples of the Academy, their abilities vary. How can they guarantee even the stronger ones will be teleported away?"

"The Transposition and Illusion Spell, if cast upon another, will send those with weaker spiritual power farther away. Those who are stronger can only be moved a short distance. But the cleverness of this trap is that it only needs to move the victim a few miles away," the Young Lord explained. "Besides, since these were likely set by Immortal Masters, most Academy disciples will be caught if they touch them."

"As long as it sends them off Guangji Mountain, they’re out," Hua Sheng realized. "So the trial automatically eliminates them!"

The Young Lord nodded. "That’s why putting the traps in this fog is so effective. If it were at the mountain’s base, with clear visibility, anyone caught by the spell would be seen by others, which would make everyone more wary."

"So, most of the candle flames in this foggy forest can’t be touched," Hua Sheng said, frowning. "But just by looking, how can we tell which are real and which are illusions?"

The Young Lord said, "I took a careful look just now—there’s actually a way to break through the illusion."

"How?"

"Temperature."

"Temperature?" Hua Sheng echoed, then suddenly understood. "Of course! Fire is hot."

"Perhaps the Thunderfire Immortal deliberately left a flaw here. Hua Sheng, just reach your hand toward the flame—by feeling the heat, you’ll instantly know whether it’s a real candle or an illusion."

Grasping the idea, the two of them continued riding the clouds toward the summit.

On the way, they spotted two or three more candle flames. Each time, Hua Sheng reached toward the flame, and though he kept his distance, he felt no heat at all. The Young Lord always confirmed his conclusion: "It’s an illusion."

"In that case, let’s keep heading for the summit!" the Young Lord declared.

They flew for a long while before the dense mist finally began to disperse. A clear night sky emerged overhead, and with his improved vision, Hua Sheng eagerly looked up at the fiery character floating in the air.

"Trial participants: 1,503.

Number of candle flames: 57."

So many disciples had fallen victim to the mist’s traps! Hua Sheng felt a surge of relief at his own narrow escape. Bathed in moonlight, he and the Young Lord searched the mountain forest, hoping to find the true candle flames. After searching for some time, though, they found nothing.

Hua Sheng grew anxious. "There ought to be over fifty left—why can’t we find even one?"

"That’s perfectly normal. Do you remember the Tiger Spirit at the beginning?"

"The one that destroyed nearly all the candle flames in an instant?"

"Precisely. That roar must have shattered the glass domes over the mountain’s candles. Outdoors, the wind would have snuffed them out, but those indoors might have survived. That means the remaining flames must be inside caves or buildings. Wandering around outside is useless—we need to look wherever candle flames could be hidden."

At these words, Hua Sheng immediately looked up toward the summit. On the cliffs at the peak stood a three-story wooden building.

"There! With a building that large, there must be candle flames inside," Hua Sheng pointed.

The Young Lord nodded, and together they hurried over. In moments, they stood before the main doors. Hua Sheng pushed them open, revealing an empty hall, but at the far end stood a row of candle flames. Unfortunately, all of them had already gone out. The pair checked either side and saw a staircase leading up to the second floor, so they hurried up.

The second floor was empty as well. Undeterred, Hua Sheng dashed up to the third floor.

Halfway up, he already saw candlelight above. Elation surged within him, and he raced up the steps.

Before him stood four neat rows of candle flames—more than fifty in total.

"Wonderful—" Hua Sheng was about to cheer, but then he saw, standing before the flames, the one person he least wanted to encounter.

"Tianjizi!" Hua Sheng blurted.

It was none other than Tianjizi himself.

Hearing someone arrive, Tianjizi turned and immediately spotted Hua Sheng. "Isn’t this the little ant? Who’d have thought you’d make it to the summit?"

"Not only am I here," Hua Sheng declared, "but I’m going to win the ‘Path to Victory’ token!"

Tianjizi laughed. "You? You think you’re fit to meet the Great Sage, Sun Wukong? Dream on—and don’t be surprised if people laugh at you for it."

"I believe that dreams people laugh at as impossible are the ones worth pursuing."

Tianjizi’s eyes narrowed. "You talk big. And you’ve got the Young Lord of Supreme Purity to go mad with you—"

He broke off, his laughter freezing. The Young Lord, who had just been beside Hua Sheng, had vanished. From behind, there was a sudden rush of wind. Tianjizi spun around and saw the Young Lord standing behind him, already clutching two candle flames.

Tianjizi reached to snatch them, but he was too late. The Young Lord leapt backward, just dodging Tianjizi’s grasp.

"Take your time chatting, Tianjizi—don’t mind me!" the Young Lord crowed, protecting the flames with his hands and looking thoroughly pleased. "The candle flames are mine!"

But before he could finish, there was a dull thud. The Young Lord had smacked the back of his head on a beam, tumbling to the floor along with the two candle flames.

The flames snapped in several pieces, and the fire was, of course, extinguished.

Clutching his head and rolling on the floor, the Young Lord cried out, "Ouch! That hurts!"

Hua Sheng rushed to help him up. The Young Lord rubbed the back of his head irritably. "Serves me right for gloating too soon!"

"In front of me, you’d best not try any more tricks," Tianjizi said coldly, "lest you pay a heavier price."

Hua Sheng whispered to the Young Lord, "Fly to the upper left, I’ll go to the lower right—let’s see which side he can guard."

The Young Lord nodded, and both shot off in opposite directions. Tianjizi moved like lightning and appeared directly before Hua Sheng, who immediately grabbed Tianjizi’s arm.

"Let’s see how you deal with the two of us together!" Hua Sheng clung tightly to both of Tianjizi’s arms.

Meanwhile, the Young Lord bounded to the rows of candle flames and grabbed two. But Tianjizi, with a flick of his finger, snuffed out both flames instantly. The Young Lord threw aside the extinguished flames and went for more, but wherever his hand reached, Tianjizi snuffed out the flames with another flick.

In just a few passes, over half the flames in the room had been extinguished.

Tianjizi seized the chance to shake himself free, hurling Hua Sheng more than ten feet away. He raised his hand and incanted, "Wind Summoning Spell! By the power of the decree!"

Suddenly, a fierce wind blasted the Young Lord, flinging him toward a wooden window. In a flash, he was blown clear out of the building. The icy wind swept into the room, and the Young Lord, seeing the chill, cursed inwardly. He quickly chanted a spell, turned, and flew back inside, closing the window behind him.

But, as he had feared, upon re-entering, he found the room nearly pitch dark. The combined force of the Wind Summoning Spell and the mountain’s cold air had extinguished nearly every remaining candle flame. Only one still burned—the one closest to Tianjizi.

Without even glancing at the flame’s position, Tianjizi extended two fingers. "How could a mere ant survive the Candlelight Battle? As for you, Young Lord, you might have stood a chance. But with this deadweight dragging you down, your fate is uncertain."

With that, he pinched his fingers together. There was a faint hiss, a wisp of blue smoke rose, and the last candle flame in the room went out. A ring of white light swirled around Tianjizi, and with that, he vanished within the glow.