"Nine thousand nine hundred years, nearing the completion of my merit. Just one hundred years short of ten thousand. Could the Candle Dragon's 'completion of merit' refer to ten thousand years? And what does 'completion of merit' even mean? The Candle Dragon doesn't appear in later parts of the game. Could this be related to the completion of merit?"
The Candle Dragon's words made Daniel fall into deep thought. A hundred years might be a long time for ordinary people—most wouldn't even live that long—but for the Candle Dragon, a hundred years was likely just a blink of an eye.
"Completion of merit... It's a shame I can't ask him what it means." Although Daniel was extremely curious and wanted to know the answer, he understood that at this stage, it was impossible for him to get one. The gap in strength between them was too vast, and there was no way for them to communicate as equals.
With his current strength, Daniel wasn't weak in the world of *Xianjian*. He could likely defeat most immortals and even some of the lesser gods in the Heavenly Realm. However, if he encountered beings like the Candle Dragon, Ju Mang, or the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden, he would have no choice but to flee as far as possible—and he'd have to do so in advance.
It had to be said that the strength of the immortals in the *Xianjian* world was somewhat underwhelming.
"This is a barrier."
While Daniel was pondering the Candle Dragon's earlier words, the space around the four of them suddenly changed. Although their position seemed unchanged—they were still on the platform at the top of the Coiling Dragon Pillar—they had actually been transported to another space.
"Not wanting to damage the Coiling Dragon Pillar during the battle, huh? But releasing a phantom of yourself from before you achieved enlightenment... You're the Candle Dragon, a god. Shouldn't you have been born with immense power?"
The biggest difference between gods and immortals was that gods were born with immense power, while immortals had to cultivate it over time. Being born with such power had its advantages, of course, but it also had its drawbacks. The main drawback was that it was extremely difficult for gods to increase their power.
However, "extremely difficult" didn't mean it was impossible. For example, the Candle Dragon now claimed to be nearing the completion of his merit. Once he achieved it, his power would undoubtedly increase.
"Lingsha, you shouldn't participate in this battle. Step back." As Murong Ziying spoke, the sword case on his back opened, and a sword flew out.
Their opponent was the Candle Dragon, even if it was just a phantom from before he achieved enlightenment. This was not something an ordinary person could handle. Han Lingsha was already the weakest of the four, and her condition was further weakened by the Wangshu Sword. If possible, it was best for her not to fight. Given the Candle Dragon's status, he wouldn't hold it against her if she didn't participate.
"Alright." Although she felt somewhat unwilling, Han Lingsha knew Murong Ziying meant well. She also didn't want Yun Tianhe to worry, so she nodded and quickly retreated.
"You two, stay back and act according to the situation."
As Murong Ziying spoke, he flew into the air on his sword, his hands forming a sword seal. He immediately unleashed the *Five Spirits Return to Origin* and *Thousand Light Remnant Sword* techniques.
The *Five Spirits Return to Origin* of the Qionghua Sect was completely different from its portrayal in the game. In the game, it was just a defensive skill, but in the real *Xianjian* world, it was both an offensive and defensive technique. The sword energy used for defense could also be applied to attacks. When combined with the *Thousand Light Remnant Sword*, as long as one had enough spiritual energy, they could unleash an endless stream of attacks.
"Let's attack."
Daniel immediately gripped his *Kaiyuan Chasing Moon Bow*, nocking an arrow. At the same time, Yun Tianhe also picked up his *Jade Waist Bow*. With Murong Ziying in the air, the two archers just needed to keep firing.
This battle was about whether they could enter the ghost realm, so Yun Tianhe went all out from the start.
"Sword Control Technique?" The Candle Dragon's phantom looked at the dense array of sword shadows Murong Ziying had summoned in the sky and suddenly let out a cold laugh. Then, the sky lit up—not because the sun had appeared, but because endless lightning descended from the heavens. In an instant, it shattered Murong Ziying's *Thousand Light Remnant Sword*. Fortunately, Ziying had already used the *Five Spirits Return to Origin*, and the sword energy's defense prevented him from being directly hit by the Candle Dragon's phantom's lightning spell.
"Are you sure this is the Candle Dragon before he achieved enlightenment?" Watching Murong Ziying being forced back to the ground by the lightning and seeing the arrows he shot from his *Kaiyuan Chasing Moon Bow* merely sparking off the Candle Dragon's body without causing any damage, Daniel felt a wave of helplessness.
With just that one lightning spell and the Candle Dragon's incredible defensive capabilities, it seemed impossible for them to defeat this phantom.
As a born god, even the Candle Dragon's phantom before achieving enlightenment was still a god.
"Kaido should really come and see what a real divine dragon is like." Looking at the Candle Dragon still floating calmly in the air, Daniel suddenly had this thought.
The dragon transformed by the Devil Fruit was still very different from a true divine dragon.
"Keep going."
Even though their attacks were ineffective, Yun Tianhe didn't lose heart. He threw his *Jade Waist Bow* to Han Lingsha, who was further back, gripped his *Tianhe Sword* with his left hand, and flew toward the Candle Dragon on his sword.
Murong Ziying and Daniel immediately began attacking the Candle Dragon to cover Yun Tianhe. Daniel continued firing arrows, while Murong Ziying used his sword techniques.
Unfortunately, Yun Tianhe's *Tianhe Sword* didn't reach the Candle Dragon. Just as he was about to strike, a gust of wind suddenly appeared around the Candle Dragon, blowing Yun Tianhe back.
"Cover me."
After Yun Tianhe was blown back, Murong Ziying's voice rang out in their ears. He then began using a Qionghua Sect sword technique he normally wouldn't use—the *Shangqing Cloud-Piercing Sword*. A massive sword, dozens of meters long, seemed to break through space as it appeared above the Candle Dragon, descending toward him.
Unfortunately, this attack didn't have the intended effect. With a flick of its tail, the Candle Dragon shattered the giant sword.
"*Ao Han Six Strikes*."
Seeing Murong Ziying's attack fail, Daniel suddenly flew into the air on his sword, leaping above the Candle Dragon. Using his *Ziyun Sword* as a blade, he summoned a massive icy sword and slashed at the Candle Dragon, only for it to be shattered by a single swipe of the dragon's claw.
"Is this really just a phantom before achieving enlightenment?"
Seeing his full-power attack so easily shattered by the Candle Dragon, Daniel couldn't help but voice his thoughts. He knew he was no match for the Candle Dragon, but even a phantom that he couldn't even scratch was a bit too much.
"Of course. I wouldn't deceive mere mortals."
"That's true."
Daniel accepted the Candle Dragon's words. The reason he had spoken out earlier was simply because he couldn't accept the reality of the situation.
In truth, Daniel had simply chosen the wrong opponent. This wasn't a game. In the game, Yun Tianhe and the others had defeated the Candle Dragon, but that was just a game.
Just as Daniel was feeling disheartened and unsure whether to continue attacking, Yun Tianhe charged forward again. Unlike Daniel, who would consider giving up after seeing the vast difference in strength, Yun Tianhe, for the sake of Liu Mengli, would never give up as long as he could still move.
Watching Yun Tianhe's back, Daniel hesitated for a moment before resuming his attacks. Murong Ziying did the same. A rare target like this, coupled with the lack of life-threatening danger, was perfect for testing their strength.
After a long time, Daniel and Murong Ziying, their hair standing on end and breathing heavily, stopped their attacks. Not far in front of them, Yun Tianhe was kneeling on the ground, using his *Tianhe Sword* to keep himself from collapsing.
Despite their all-out assault, the Candle Dragon's phantom hadn't moved an inch. Its occasional counterattacks, however, had left the three of them in a sorry state. The phantom's attacks consisted of the five elemental spells, each of immense power.
"It seems this is the end. For mere mortals, your strength is quite impressive." As the Candle Dragon's phantom spoke, its figure vanished without a trace. The four of them returned to the top of the real Coiling Dragon Pillar.
"Mortals, you are interesting, and somewhat amusing. Today, I will grant your wish and send you to the ghost realm. But since you have a request, you must pay a price." As the Candle Dragon spoke, a ball of light flew from its body toward Yun Tianhe, merging into him.
"A price? What did you do to Tianhe?" Han Lingsha rushed to Yun Tianhe's side, supporting him as she nervously addressed the Candle Dragon.
"Nothing much. Just a little joke between me and the King of Hell." The Candle Dragon waved its right claw, and four beams of light immediately fell upon Daniel and the others.
"Mortals entering the Hall of Impermanence would be nothing more than a death sentence. This spell will conceal your living aura from the ghosts, but it will only last for twelve hours. That is the entrance to the ghost realm." As the Candle Dragon finished speaking, a glowing circle appeared not far in front of the four.
"Thank you." Supported by Han Lingsha, Yun Tianhe stood up and sincerely thanked the Candle Dragon.
"Bold and amusing mortal, today I have granted your wish. But when you one day taste the bitterness of the world, you may come to resent this fate. When your mortal life ends, I will come to see if you are still as carefree. Hahahaha."
With a series of laughs, the Candle Dragon's figure vanished without a trace.
"When your mortal life ends... With what you've done, his 'mortal life' is going to be very long. Perhaps you noticed Han Lingsha's problem, but you definitely didn't expect him to have another beloved companion—one with a long lifespan." Watching the Candle Dragon disappear, Daniel suddenly smiled.
For the Candle Dragon, giving Yun Tianhe the Dragon's Breath wasn't purely out of kindness. For a human, an excessively long lifespan wasn't necessarily a good thing, especially when everyone around them eventually passed away.
The Candle Dragon's goal was likely to wait until that time, when Yun Tianhe was filled with regret, and then mock him. For a normal person, granting someone immortality just to laugh at them later would be unthinkable, but for a being like the Candle Dragon, it was just a trivial matter—like a billionaire casually giving someone a hundred dollars.
When the Candle Dragon eventually saw Yun Tianhe living happily with Liu Mengli, he would probably be quite frustrated. But no matter how frustrated he was, he'd have to accept it. As the Candle Dragon, he couldn't possibly take back what he had given—that would be too humiliating.
"Tianhe, are you okay?" After the Candle Dragon left, Han Lingsha looked at Yun Tianhe with concern.
"I'm fine. Now we can go to the ghost realm." As Yun Tianhe spoke, he suddenly let out a loud cry of pain, his arm flinging out and sending Han Lingsha flying.
"Tianhe, what's wrong?" Stumbling back several steps before regaining her balance, Han Lingsha rushed to Yun Tianhe's side, not caring about herself. But the moment her hand touched him, she let out a cry and quickly pulled it back.
"It's so hot!" Yun Tianhe's body was burning like fire, scorching to the touch.
"It's so hot... so cold... My body keeps switching between hot and cold. It's so uncomfortable." Due to his natural constitution, Yun Tianhe had never experienced heat or cold before. But now, he was finally feeling it.
"What's going on? Calm down and focus on your breathing. I'll help you regulate your energy." Hearing Yun Tianhe's words, Murong Ziying's expression changed. He had Yun Tianhe sit down and focus on his breathing, then placed his hands on Yun Tianhe's back to help him regulate his energy.
But the next moment, Murong Ziying felt a shock from his hands, and an irresistible force pushed him back nearly ten meters.
"How is this possible?" Standing up, Murong Ziying looked at his trembling hands in disbelief. He knew Yun Tianhe's strength well, which made this even more shocking.
"Ziying, what's wrong with Tianhe?" Han Lingsha called out anxiously.
"He should be fine. His breathing is stabilizing. It's probably something the Candle Dragon did." Watching Yun Tianhe's breathing calm down, Daniel couldn't help but click his tongue.
The protagonist is the protagonist, after all. A single Dragon's Breath from the Candle Dragon had instantly elevated Yun Tianhe's strength to the pinnacle of humanity. Those who had trained their entire lives without making much progress would be extremely frustrated if they knew.
But unfortunately, such opportunities were rare. It was only because it was Yun Tianhe that the Candle Dragon had been so accommodating. For anyone else, the Candle Dragon wouldn't have been so kind.
This Dragon's Breath not only greatly increased Yun Tianhe's strength but also marked him as someone under the Candle Dragon's protection. He had a powerful backer now.
This was similar to Luffy in *One Piece*.
"That feels great." After regulating his breathing for a while, Yun Tianhe suddenly let out a contented sigh and stood up.
"Tianhe, how do you feel?" Seeing that Yun Tianhe seemed fine, Han Lingsha was still a bit worried.
"I feel amazing. Earlier, I was alternating between hot and cold, but now it feels like they've merged." Yun Tianhe excitedly jumped a few times.
Under the influence of the Candle Dragon's Dragon's Breath, Yun Tianhe had now achieved a state of balance between yin and yang, fire and water.
"I'm fine now. We can go to the ghost realm."
"I've never seen you fight so hard for anyone. You're really good to Mengli." Watching Yun Tianhe eagerly prepare to enter the ghost realm, Han Lingsha's expression darkened. By the end of her sentence, her voice had become almost inaudible.
"What?" Yun Tianhe didn't catch Han Lingsha's last words and asked.
"If—I mean, if one day I disappeared like Mengli, would you also go all out to find me?"
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