Chapter 2: Nirvana

  The morning sunlight had just risen, and the dew on the leaves was dripping drop by drop to the ground, making a faint sound.

  "Huff...huff..."

  In the dense forest behind Lianyun Sect, a sudden and intense gasping sound was heard. Upon closer inspection, on a patch of empty ground, a somewhat robust figure was seen with both feet hooked onto tree branches. The robust body, using its full strength, continuously moved up and down, causing all the muscles in the body to move together. This person was none other than Ye Chen, whose cultivation had been crippled by Xufeng.

  Nowadays, Ye Chen has lost the cultivation of Shu Ti Ba Zhong and has become an ordinary person. If he wants to recover his strength, everything must start all over again, facing the hardships of training once more.

  As Ye Chen's body continued to heave, sweat also flowed out from all over his body and into his pair of bright red eyes.

  As time ticked by second by second, Ye Chen felt that his muscles had reached a certain limit!

  "Hold on! Hold on! Just hold on a little longer!"

  Ye Chen gritted his teeth tightly, and the voice in his heart shouted non-stop: "I must stand up again, I want to become a strong person, I want to have the power to protect Xiang'er!"

  Bang!

  A dull thud, Ye Chen's legs could no longer support the weight of his entire body, and he fell directly from the branch to the ground, making intimate contact with it before passing out.

  Before long, Ye Chen slowly came to, feeling no enhanced power within his body, and a wave of disappointment washed over him.

  Ye Chen lay on the ground, his eyes filled with furious light, staring fixedly at the azure sky, and let out a frantic roar: "Why! Why! My life is so bitter! Why, after I've worked hard for thousands of hardships, my painstakingly cultivated skills would be directly ruined by someone! I won't accept it!!!!!"

  The sky seemed to be sympathizing with Ye Chen, the originally clear and cloudless sky suddenly turned dark with thick clouds, thunder and lightning, and a torrential downpour!

  As he watched the rain getting heavier and heavier, Ye Chen directly got up, raised his head to look at the vast sky, and roared: "Damn it! Even you are playing me!"

  The dark sky seemed to be enraged by Ye Chen's roar, and a bolt of lightning suddenly appeared above Ye Chen, charging directly at him.

  Ye Chen was shocked and hastily jumped up: "Damn! You're serious!"

  Another bolt of lightning shot towards Ye Chen as soon as his words fell!

  Ye Chen was scared!

  I'm really scared!

  The most mysterious and powerful forces in the world are these natural powers, Ye Chen had never heard of a strong man who could rely on his own cultivation to contend with the heavens, at least not yet.

  Ye Chen looked at the lightning rushing towards him, not daring to stay for a moment. He immediately activated his martial skill "Riding Cloud Swallow" and ran directly towards the outside of the forest. Although Ye Chen was now just a useless person, he still deeply remembered the technique of "Riding Cloud Swallow".

  "Scoundrel of an old heaven, you're kicking me when I'm down!"

  "Damn it! You're really something else!"

  "My goodness! If one day I have the power to fight you, I'll definitely pierce through the sky!"

  However, the lightning in the sky seemed to understand Ye Chen's insults, and the originally small lightning suddenly became thicker, unwilling to let Ye Chen go, tightly following behind him.

  "Boom!"

  "Boom!"

  Ye Chen listened to the rumbling sound behind him, only feeling a slight numbness on his scalp, and didn't dare turn his head back, fearing being struck by lightning. He could only keep rushing forward, feeling the increasingly fierce thunderstorm behind him, Ye Chen harmonized with it~~~

  "I was wrong! I said something wrong earlier! You can stop scolding me now!"

  "I was really wrong!"

  "My god, I already said I was wrong, but you're still pursuing it!"

  Ye Chen was now filled with regret. He never could have imagined that his one angry remark would push him to the brink of life and death!

  At this time, Ye Chen was no longer the warrior with a cultivation of Shattered Body Eightfold, but an ordinary person who had been crippled in his cultivation. Although his physical strength was still much stronger than that of an average person, facing such a high-intensity run, Ye Chen felt his stamina gradually declining. Before long, he would probably be unable to run anymore and could only wait quietly for death.

  As Ye Chen continued to run, he felt his eyelids were as heavy as a thousand pounds, and he knew that he had reached his limit, and was probably unable to hold on any longer.

  Thinking of this, Ye Chen also stopped running and stood still, his face gray as he muttered to himself: "Xin'er, I'm afraid I can no longer protect you!" Then, he raised his head towards the thunderous sky and roared in anger: "Damn it! Bastard Heaven!"

  Ye Chen's words were not yet finished, when Ye Chen felt a numbness all over his body. As the vitality in his body rapidly flowed away, scenes from eighteen years ago appeared before Ye Chen's eyes.

  Ye Chen thought of his parents, thought of the reluctant look on their faces when he was brought to Lianyun Sect, thought of his grandfather, and thought of his grandfather's care for him!

  At the last moment of his life, Ye Chen realized his mistake.

  He regretted it!

  Regret why I came to Lianyun Zong for eight years, and I haven't returned to the place where he was born and raised once. Not once have I gone back home to see my elderly parents!

  Ye Chen smiled helplessly: "Is that it? Goodbye, Xiang'er! Goodbye, parents. If there's a next life, I'll definitely come home and take good care of you, even if I have to give up cultivation!"

  Lightning struck directly at Ye Chen's head, instantly spreading throughout his entire body. A strange smell wafted from Ye Chen's body as he fell straight down.

  ——

  Ye's village, Ye Chen's parents' home, Ye Chen's mother suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest: "Old man, I suddenly feel a sharp pain in my heart, is something wrong with Chen'er?"

  A middle-aged man who was repairing something on the side turned his head to look at his wife, furrowed his brow, put down the tool in his hand, and muttered: "Chen Er, it's been eight years since he came back, I don't know how he is now, but you can rest assured that I asked a fortune teller to calculate Chen Er's fate, saying that Chen Er will definitely become rich and noble in the future!"

  Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman nodded worriedly and silently prayed for her son Ye Chen to live a long life. In this world, those who care about you the most, love you the most, are always your parents who gave birth to you and raised you!

  ——————

  Ye Chen had a very long and strange dream. In the dream, Ye Chen was in a white space that was endless and infinite. A mysterious voice kept echoing in his ears: "The origin is united, the whole becomes zero, turning the universe upside down, this is the way of God!"

  Ye Chen looked around in shock and shouted in terror: "Who is it? Who's speaking!"

  "Who is it! Come out quickly, don't hide!"

  Ye Chen's voice kept echoing in the white space...

  The mysterious voice did not respond to Ye Chen's roar, but continued to repeat the words from earlier: The origin is united, transforming entirety into nothingness, reversing heaven and earth, this is the divine way!...

  As the mysterious voice continued to come, Ye Chen felt a gentle power surge into his body, and then he fainted...

  Ye Chen suddenly opened his eyes, looking at the familiar surroundings in front of him, and suddenly sat up: "I didn't die?" Then, looking at his own body that was only slightly charred, without any discomfort, he burst out laughing, and with a sudden movement, he stood up.

  Ye Chen had not yet reacted from the excitement of being rescued when he felt a sharp pain in his brain, and the voice continued to echo in Ye Chen's mind: "The origin is united, the whole is transformed into zero, reversing the universe, this is the divine way!..."

  Ye Chen's eyes were tightly closed, his hands clasped over his head, and he fell directly to the ground in agony, rolling back and forth incessantly.

  A moment later, Ye Chen felt the sharp pain in his brain slowly disappearing. He sat on the ground with a frown: "What happened? What did that sentence mean? Why was I struck by lightning and still alive?"

  A string of questions appeared in Ye Chen's mind...

  "Aw, forget it! I don't want to think about it anymore. After all, this life was picked up for free!"

  Ye Chen shook his head, and a hint of determination flashed in his eyes as he muttered to himself: "No matter what happens to me, I will definitely become stronger. I will definitely trample Xu Fei and Xu Feng under my feet!"

  Ye Chen immediately smelled the burnt smell on himself, shook his head with a bitter smile, and did not return to his residence in Lianyun Sect. Instead, he walked towards the inside of the forest.

  Ye Chen is a man, and he's a man with great self-esteem. He can't bear the strange looks from others. However, now that he has become trash, he can't change the current situation. The only way for him to regain respect from others is to get stronger and recover his strength!

  Ye Chen walked towards the small lake in the woods, now the most important thing was to give himself a bath first, otherwise he would find it hard to bear the smell coming from his own body.

  Ye Chen washed up and squatted by the lake, looking at his reflection on the water's surface, slightly astonished: "Is this still me?"

  The original Ye Chen had an extremely strong physique, with muscles that were clearly defined, and combined with his wheat-colored skin, he was full of masculinity. At just eighteen years old, he looked like a twenty-five or six year old young man.

  But now, the reflection in the lake has overturned all of this. The current Ye Chen's height hasn't changed a bit, but his originally wheat-colored skin has turned into that white jade color, and the distinct muscles have gradually become not so prominent, looking like a weak scholar who lacks some masculinity.

  At this moment, the mysterious voice that had originally disappeared sounded again in Ye Chen's mind: Nirvana Rebirth, a new beginning!

  "Rebirth! A new beginning!" Ye Chen stared blankly at his reflection in the lake, muttering out loud the mysterious voice that had appeared in his mind.