I Was the Heavenly Emperor in the Primordial Age

Chapter 22: Black Mountain, Candle Shadows

The helicopter circled in the sky.

Luo Zhen looked at the scene below, his face full of worry.

This place was already close to the western frontier, with the national border right beside it.

It was the height of noon when the sun was strongest, yet a mountain below lay shrouded in pitch-black night, into which no light could penetrate.

The whole mountain was jet-black; whether rock or tree, all had merged into that dark silhouette.

Moreover, strange things had recently appeared within that shadow.

More and more human figures had shown up at the foot of the mountain, walking toward that black ridge—yet only the shadows could be seen, not the people.

They lined up in ranks, waiting for something unknown.

Even now—

there were those gloomy, eerie shadows lifting their heads to gaze upward, fixing their eyes on the helicopter overhead.

“Hiss!”

The helicopter was so loud, and yet Luo Zhen still heard the sharp intake of breath from the person beside him.

“More and more people.”

“What should we do?”

“This is a big problem.”

Luo Zhen looked down and said,

“We can’t delay any longer.”

Lately, some videos about extraordinary powers had been circulating online. Most were cheap tricks and nothing to fear, but the frightening thing was that some were real.

One kind of video was popular across platforms in various countries: as long as you shone a candle on your own shadow and followed a specific method, you could make your shadow move.

It was said that by this method one could walk into the underworld, at the price of abandoning one’s body in reality.

It had swept through many places and sparked quite a few attempts.

Elsewhere—

in the indoor training hall, several people who had been working out finally took a break. The others training with them were already exhausted, but Lu Gang and Zhao Nange seemed to feel nothing at all.

During the break, they, like everyone else, used their phones and followed outside news.

And over these two days, the biggest news and the most-watched figures online were, of course, Zhou Shentong and the Longevity Temple.

And also “Double Pupils” Li Jun.

From the day Zhou Shentong “plucked down” the sun, everyone had been searching for Zhou Shentong and Li Jun. All sides recognized that these two were the key figures at the advent of the so‑called extraordinary era.

Not only because they commanded extraordinary power, but more importantly because they could create extraordinary ones.

It meant that, at this moment, these two were akin to the Daoist Patriarch and the Buddha.

Unfortunately, Zhou Shentong did not accept just anyone. Even if you wanted to be his lackey, he still had to see whether you were qualified—whether you were what he wanted.

And not only had the power he “displayed” himself made all hearts quake, more importantly, the Longevity Temple hid within a small space that did not belong to the present world.

As for Li Jun, no forces had found him from beginning to end, and it was said he likewise hid in another space.

Only—

seeing Zhou Shentong called “Immortal Master” online while Li Jun was called “School Uniform Hero” made Lu Gang want to laugh.

“What do you think would happen if Li Jun saw that Zhou Shentong is called Immortal Master while he’s called School Uniform Hero?”

He had not realized that this scene had been taken in by someone else completely.

At this very moment—

Li Jun, drinking cola that was no longer cold, sat cross‑legged beneath the Divine Tree in the clouds and mist.

He watched what was happening in the outside world, and also saw Lu Gang secretly laughing at the name he was called online.

Meanwhile, Zhao Nange was pulling up all kinds of videos about Li Jun. After all, she had gained the Peach Shaman’s power thanks to this man’s gift—one could say he had saved her life—so naturally she wanted to know what kind of person he was.

Zhao Nange handed over the phone: “Do you feel that in the Tao Mountain Island footage you brought back, and in Nan’gang City, and in that group photo at the hospital—he looks somehow different?”

Lu Gang glanced and said, “Very different. At first he was just an ordinary person, then he was infected by the Double Pupils Virus, went through all kinds of upheavals, and finally became an extraordinary one. He was changing the whole way through.”

Zhao Nange shook her head: “Don’t you think he looks… smaller?”

Lu Gang nodded: “Maybe the consumption was too great—he got thinner?”

At this point, Lu Gang still had not noticed anything; the other changes in Li Jun were too great and enough to cover up some questions of detail.

Li Jun, however, noticed Zhao Nange—this person seemed to have a remarkably keen eye.

And as they looked at their phones, they naturally also noticed the “Underworld” videos that had been going wildly viral online and which could not be suppressed no matter what.

Especially on foreign platforms, these videos spread even more broadly, and many within the Eastern Nation even scaled the wall to watch the related clips.

Just then, a man training alongside Lu Gang opened one such video.

The man: “Have you watched those videos about going to the underworld?”

Lu Gang: “I watched one. There’ve been quite a lot lately—some succeeded, some didn’t, and some supposedly caused a huge mess.”

Another person, wiping sweat with a towel, said,

“I saw one where, during that so‑called ritual, the shadow went berserk and moved on its own, killing the others around him—downright sinister.”

The video had already been downloaded. Its name was “Seven Steps to Let Your Soul Roam the Underworld.”

The footage was downright uncanny: a blond, blue‑eyed foreigner sat on a white cloth, turned off the lights, and lit a candle.

Then, as he chanted an incantation, he proceeded one step at a time through some mysterious rite; but from the video alone, you could not make out what exactly he was mumbling.

Yet as the ritual progressed, the foreigner kept his eyes closed, and in the candlelight his shadow began to move.

In the shadow’s hand there was likewise a candle held aloft.

The shadow slowly stood up and walked toward the wall behind him; on that wall, a blot of black seemed to appear, like a passage leading to the netherworld.

As it left, the shadow even turned as if to look toward the camera, and even reached out a hand in beckoning.

As if to say: “Come with me.”

At that moment, looking back down at the floor, the candle still burned bright—yet there was nothing behind the man.

And the one who had lost his shadow never woke again. As the rest of the video sped up, one saw the man’s body begin to rot; the clip grew ever more horrific, and even from the images alone a stench of death seemed to waft out.

In the end, the door was pushed open, frightened screams came from outside, and the video ended.

The one playing the video put his phone away and went on about it.

“Rumor has it that, at home and abroad, the number of people missing because of this has reached the hundreds—and it may keep growing.”

“And I heard from our people inside that this power might be related to the force Zhou Shentong used before to plunge the world into darkness. It’s highly likely the Longevity Temple is pushing from behind the scenes.”

“And the source is very likely Black Stone Peak of Zhangyin Mountain out on the western frontier. Quite a few of us have been transferred there recently.”

Someone else said, “What were these people thinking, to try anything and everything? If you want to die, there are better ways than this.”

Lu Gang, however, thought on another level: “With things getting this bad, we probably won’t have to wait long before we’re sent in too.”

Zhao Nange had stayed silent, but when she spoke she asked one question.

“What is the underworld like?”

Lu Gang: “Who knows.”

Zhao Nange: “If the underworld really is another world similar to reality, no wonder it’s so attractive to some people.”

Lu Gang: “With these uncanny things, who knows what’ll happen if they’re misused.”

In the middle of their talk, a ringtone sounded. Lu Gang connected at once, then stood up.

He glanced at the others, and finally his eyes fell on Zhao Nange.

He said, “Speak of the devil—we may have to take a trip to the underworld ourselves.”

Zhao Nange asked one thing: “That spatial transfer ability of yours—can you use it again?”

Lu Gang did not quite know how to answer; he could only say, “I’m working on it!”

The few of them had no time to chat further and left one after another.

Just then, a phone slipped out of one person’s pocket—and vanished into thin air.

Elsewhere—

Li Jun controlled a piece of peachwood and watched the downloaded video on the phone, scrutinizing every detail in it.

Even after reading it a few times, he was still puzzled.

“What kind of power is this exactly?”

“Candle Dragon?”

Li Jun recalled everything he had seen in the Primordial Age. It seemed he had never seen a trace of such a thing, nor anything similar to it.

Li Jun checked the time and saw that it was almost up. With a thought, he drew two circles before him, and two windows through which he could see the outside world appeared. Google seaʀᴄh NovєlFіre.net

Western Frontier.

Blackstone Peak.

From afar, the great mountain looked like a black dragon coiled upon the earth. Lu Gang was checking his equipment. Although it was very likely impossible to establish contact with the outside once inside, the footage recorded by these devices could still be of use.

This operation was a grand undertaking, drawing attention far beyond the ordinary.

Because the shadows gathering beneath Blackstone Peak were growing ever more numerous. Countless figures stood layer upon layer at the foot of the mountain, lining up in queues.

The longer their ranks stretched, the further the darkness encroached upon the light.

And on the other side of the border—

Personnel from foreign nations had set up their equipment to observe Blackstone Peak of Mount Zhangyin.

Lu Gang believed that at this very moment, a large number of satellites in the sky were also focused on this place. All kinds of people were analyzing the changes here frame by frame, as well as their various actions.

Lu Gang thought to himself: “Does this operation still have any secrets left at all?”

Through Lu Gang’s perspective, Li Jun also saw the shadows queuing in front of Mount Zhangyin.

Beneath the phantom of the Divine Peach Tree, Li Jun closed his eyes in thought.

“It seems that might be the existence of the Candle Dragon, and its power can only help these people change their forms.”

“But it does not possess spatial power. It cannot truly open the gate to another world, so they too remain blocked outside.”

“Next, either they wait for the Candle Dragon to fully enter the mortal realm, or they must rely on someone with spatial power to push open this gate.”

Li Jun thought this as he witnessed the scene.

Aside from Li Jun, indeed all kinds of forces were paying close attention to Lu Gang’s operation, the most direct being the numerous foreign observers stationed on the other side of Blackstone Peak.

Some had come on their own after hearing rumors, while others were personnel from various institutions, mixed with covert official teams. A dense black crowd clamored noisily.

“I heard the Eastern Nation’s first exploration is about to begin,” some had already received word.

“Do you think the Eastern Nation’s exploration this time will succeed?” People paused their monitoring and began discussing.

“It will definitely fail!” Many among them harbored malice toward the Eastern Nation.

“This is divine power. Since they do not obey the rules of the gods, they will surely suffer divine punishment.” Some, in recent days, had already fallen completely into being devout believers of gods and Buddhas—even though they had no idea what had actually caused all of this.

“I heard this god’s name is something like Candle Dragon?” Others spoke of rumors from the internet.

Longevity Temple.

At this moment, the entire Longevity Temple was also carrying out a certain plan. Inside the main hall, all kinds of instruments and equipment were laid out, and cables extended down along the cliffside.

At the same time, people constantly turned their gazes toward the shadow of the “black mountain range” within the void in the distance. One of them was Zhou Shentong.

Just then, someone came to report the situation outside to Zhou Shentong.

“Immortal Master, they are preparing to enter Mount Zhangwei.”

Zhou Shentong glanced over and smiled.

“A first-stage shaman, trying to open the gate?”

“Impossible.”

Though he mocked relentlessly, he still ordered the other party to keep observing and report back immediately if anything happened.

At the foot of the mountain—

Lu Gang asked Luo Zhen, who was directing the operation nearby: “What would happen if I just walked straight in?”

Luo Zhen replied: “You wouldn’t see anything, and your shadow would be left inside. When you came out, you’d be like someone who lost his soul. Up till now, none have ever woken up again.”

Lu Gang asked again: “Then why don’t we use the method spreading online? Wouldn’t entering the so-called Underworld be more convenient?”

Setting down his walkie-talkie, Luo Zhen answered: “We judged that method likely requires some heavy price. And I hope you can open the entrance from here into the interior. That will better aid our next steps.”

Lu Gang asked what should be done about those shadows. Luo Zhen said they couldn’t care about the rest, but some of their own people were also trapped inside. Their bodies were in vegetative states. He hoped Lu Gang could bring their shadows back so they could awaken again. Lu Gang nodded.

Finally, Lu Gang was ready. He looked toward the mountain range like a black dragon.

“We’ve always said since ancient times that after death one returns to the west. This should count as our west, shouldn’t it?”

Luo Zhen patted his shoulder. “Don’t say such inauspicious things. Try again this time. If your spatial ability can open the gates to worlds not belonging to the mortal realm, then many things will become easier for us.”

Lu Gang was uncertain, but matters had come to this point.

“I’ll try.”

With that, Lu Gang donned his equipment and arrived at the foot of the peak.

As he drew closer, the pitch-black mountains grew taller and taller, and the surroundings darker and darker.

He passed by countless invisible figures, and at this moment, one after another of those shadows turned their gazes toward him. This scene, with the brightness dimming ever further, made it feel as though he were walking the road to the Underworld.

Finally, when Lu Gang reached the boundary of darkness and light beneath Blackstone Peak, the darkness before his eyes no longer seemed void, but became something tangible—like a black high wall.

This invisible wall existed between the mortal world and the void. Only by breaking through this barrier could they truly enter within.

Lu Gang was nervous. He stretched out his hand toward the black ridge.

“Peach Tree!”

“Peach Demon, Peach God, or the ancient shamans of old—whatever you are.”

“Help me.”

Lu Gang, always an atheist, now muttered prayers like a superstitious believer invoking a god’s possession.

At that moment, deep within Tao Mountain Island, Li Jun—bound by luminous vine-like tendrils—raised his right hand ever so slightly.

Then before Lu Gang, a great disturbance arose. First, a violent wind surged forth. That strange wind even stirred the darkness that light could not pierce.

“What’s going on? Where did this wind come from?”

“Something’s off.”

“Look, those shadowy figures queued on the ground are being blown about by the wind.”

Lu Gang could not hear the voices from afar behind him, but in his ears resounded mysterious chanting.

“Boom!”

Everyone raised their heads to see—a gate opened within the darkness. A massive black vortex spun endlessly, leading into the unknown.

The dark mountain range within grew ever more real. A rugged winding path followed along the ridgeline into the depths, like the return road leading to the Underworld and the end of death.

Lu Gang held his hand aloft, staring in disbelief at the sight before him.

“I opened it.”

“I really did it?”

Lu Gang was overjoyed, while on the other side, Li Jun also lowered his hand.

The shock was not only Lu Gang’s alone. Everyone who could see this scene was stunned, though for different reasons.

All present stared at the wide-open gate to another world, gazing at the endless black mountain range within.

“Is that the world belonging to gods, demons, immortals, and Buddhas?”

“What’s inside? Could there truly be immortals?”

“If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I’d never have believed it.”

Some were shocked that the Eastern Nation had mastered such power, fearing what stronger means they might possess.

“They’ve already gained control over the power that appeared on Tao Mountain Island before.”

“If they use this power against us, what then?”

“What’s the name of that man—the one who opened the gate to another world?”

“I want all his information immediately.”

“We must also have such power. We must have our own Extraordinary Ones.”

Inside the main hall of Longevity Temple—

When Zhou Shentong saw Lu Gang raise his hand to open the gate, his jaw dropped wide open, as if he had seen a ghost.

But he quickly recovered. Aside from Li Jun, no one knew better than he the power of the Peach Tree’s shaman. Such power could not possibly belong to Lu Gang.

“No… it’s not him.”

Zhou Shentong immediately walked to the other side, standing in the corridor and gazing afar.

“It’s Li Jun!”

“He’s here.”

The gate to Mount Zhangwei of true mythology had opened. Yet the first to enter were not Lu Gang, but those shadows that had queued at the foot of the mountain for who knew how long.

Once those shadowy figures entered the gate, they turned into people holding candles.

Within the darkness—

They raised their candles, following the dim mountain path upward, forming a long winding dragon.

Seeing the gate gradually shrink, Lu Gang looked back.

“Hurry!”

“Follow me!”

Lu Gang and Zhao Nange led a field team into the interior, stepping into the shadowy darkness of the mountain range.

But Lu Gang did not know—on the other side, someone was already waiting for him.

Or rather, waiting for Li Jun.