I Was the Sun Before I Became an Immortal

Li Tiezhu's tearful yet boastful declaration still drifted faintly through the mountain wind.

Heishan dug a finger in his ear, turned to Si Chen and Chifeng, and grumbled, "That kid — sure, he's a bit of an eyesore, but damn if he doesn't blow his own horn loud. Still, Immortal Em— hm?"

"So… what in the world is an Immortal Emperor, anyway? Is that even a real cultivation stage?"

Chifeng wriggled his rear end, equally baffled, and shook his head. "Never heard of it. Human cultivation systems are complicated — maybe it's just some supreme realm they dreamed up in their heads."

Both demons turned their gazes toward Si Chen. He was the only proper human among them.

Neither of these two locals had ever heard of it, and Si Chen had never come across the term either. This "proper human" of theirs shook his head. "No idea. Maybe… it has something to do with what comes after Ascension?"

"After Ascension?"

Heishan rolled his eyes and flatly dismissed it. "Give me a break! That kid isn't even at Foundation Establishment — how would he know anything about what comes after Ascension?"

"He definitely just picked up some flashy-sounding word from a roadside stall's storybook and decided to use it because it sounded impressive!"

"Immortal Emperor — why not just say he's the son of the Heavenly Dao while he's at it?"

Heishan declared his verdict with full confidence, then promptly tossed the matter aside and turned his attention back to that earth-shattering strike from earlier.

Still shaken, he patted his chest and said to Si Chen, "Brother, not to lecture you, but that move of yours just now was terrifying! Goodness — that spectacle was even more intense than the tribulation lightning I took when I transformed back in the day! Nearly scared my bear gallbladder right out of me!"

"When you transform… do you also have to cross a tribulation?"

Si Chen asked, genuinely curious.

He had only known that human Cultivators faced heavenly tribulations when breaking through major cultivation stages — he hadn't known that demons faced something similar when taking on human form.

"Of course we do!"

Heishan wore the expression of someone who had just been asked exactly the right question.

"That stingy old sky — it sizes up each demon and hits us as hard as it can! If you want to break through, you have to take a brutal beating first! Back in my day, I nearly got struck back into my original form — took years before my fur grew back properly!"

Chifeng clearly recalled some unpleasant memories of his own and added, "Such are the rules of the Heavenly Dao. For us of the Demon Race, awakening our spiritual intelligence, condensing our demon cores, and even taking on human form — the Heavenly Dao views all of it as defying the natural order, so it sends down trials accordingly."

"Fortunately, both this blockhead and I made it through."

Heavenly tribulation… tribulation lightning…

Si Chen fell into quiet thought.

Within his body, a strand of the tribulation lightning of the dragon's transformation was diligently at work at this very moment — obedient and docile.

Hearing the two demons' experiences, he couldn't help but wonder: what would his own heavenly tribulation look like?

The moment that thought arose, he found himself quietly looking forward to it.

After all, he could attempt to condense his Nascent Soul at any time now.

The group chatted idly as they went, the mood light and easy, riding their escape light away from the scorched wasteland they had left behind.

As the three of them debated which city might have the best food, Red Bean — who had been sleeping soundly on Si Chen's shoulder — suddenly stirred.

Then, whoosh!

Without any warning, a blazing torrent of fire erupted from its tiny body, instantly wrapping it in a roaring fireball!

"What the — !"

Heishan and Chifeng were startled by the sudden change, let out a yelp, and leaped back a short distance.

The flames were ferociously aggressive. In an instant they spread from Red Bean onto Si Chen's shoulder and arm, and in the blink of an eye swallowed him whole!

"Brother! You're on fire!"

Heishan shouted in a panic. His mind went blank, and on instinct he thrust out his palm, intending to slap the flames out.

But the moment his palm touched the crimson fire, his own hand caught alight, and a searing, bone-deep pain shot through him!

"What the —!"

Heishan bared his teeth in agony and shook his hand frantically, but the flames clung like a festering sore and would not come off.

Chifeng, seeing this, opened his mouth and blew out Astral Qi to try to smother the fire — but the stronger the wind, the fiercer the blaze burned, and it could not be extinguished.

"What kind of ghost-fire is this?!" The two demons were alarmed and frantic, yet completely helpless.

"I'm fine — don't move." At that moment, Si Chen's voice came from within the flames.

The two demons froze. They watched as Si Chen raised his hand, and the bizarre fire that had made Heishan howl in pain was instantly extinguished.

Only then did they see clearly: Si Chen had been engulfed in flames, yet he was completely unharmed — his robes were not even singed.

"Brother… you… what…" Heishan cradled his still-smoking palm and stared, jaw hanging open.

Chifeng let out a breath of relief, then frowned in bewilderment. "That fire… can't hurt you?"

As a former star, harmed by fire?

Si Chen shook his head without further explanation, his gaze falling on Red Bean perched on his shoulder.

Heishan and Chifeng exchanged a glance. Each saw in the other's eyes a mix of shock and a faint numbness — a numbness not unlike what Si Chen's Third Uncle had once shown…

Well. Their brother could knead tribulation lightning with his bare hands. No matter how outrageous something was, if it happened to him, it somehow seemed… perfectly reasonable.

A moment later, the mass of flame on Si Chen's shoulder suddenly contracted inward — then shot straight up into the sky!

Cry——!

A clear, resonant, and prolonged cry rang out across the heavens.

The flames unfurled in the air and transformed into a magnificent, blazing great bird!

Its size was several times larger than before, and trailing behind it were several gorgeous tail feathers composed of pure flame, carving brilliant arcs through the sky.

It circled just once, and a faint but profound pressure emanating from the depths of its bloodline spread outward — enough to make Heishan and Chifeng below feel a pang of unease in their hearts.

Heishan's eyes went wide, his voice cracking: "…A Ph— Phoenix Clan?!"

Chifeng was equally stunned, but observed more carefully. Suppressing the tremor in his heart, he shook his head. "Doesn't seem like it… The Phoenix Clan manifests in five colors, noble and majestic. Red Bean does carry a divine aura, and its pressure is extraordinarily powerful… but it is absolutely not of the Phoenix Clan!"

The great bird in the sky seemed to have heard their discussion. With an elegant dive, it swooped straight toward Heishan, its flame-burning eyes carrying a glint of mischief.

"Mother of bears! Don't come any closer!"

Heishan stumbled backward in fright — the claw that had been burned earlier was still throbbing!

Red Bean executed an elegant dive and deliberately skimmed low over Heishan's head. With a flap of its wings, a tiny cluster of sparks dropped right onto Heishan's head.

Heishan's hair whooshed alight — but unlike before, the fire quickly died out on its own.

"Ow ow ow! Hot hot hot!"

Heishan hopped around in pain, cursing at the sky: "You ungrateful little thing! First thing you do after waking up is bully your Uncle Bear! All that affection wasted on you!"

Red Bean let out a burst of bright, cheerful cries — seemingly laughing at him — and only then, satisfied, drew in its flames, shrank back down to its palm-sized form, and lightly settled back onto Si Chen's shoulder.

"Full and well-rested?" Si Chen asked with a smile.

It nuzzled his cheek affectionately, letting out soft, contented little chirps, as if this small form was still the most comfortable for it.

The rest of the journey became considerably more lively and pleasant.

Red Bean seemed especially excited by the great surge in power from its long slumber. Several times it took off from Si Chen's shoulder, circled in the air with bright cries, then gently nudged Si Chen with its head, gesturing for him to climb onto its back.

"You want to carry me?"

Si Chen was amused. He ignored the strange flames entirely and vaulted onto Red Bean's back.

Red Bean let out a joyful long cry, spread its wings wide, and transformed into a streak of flowing fire, carrying Si Chen as it wove through the cloud layers at breathtaking speed — fast enough that even Chifeng nearly couldn't keep up.

A bright, carefree smile spread across Si Chen's face without him even realizing it.

Red Bean flew with pure exuberance, pulling off all manner of high-difficulty aerial maneuvers, drawing laughter from him again and again.

Heishan and Chifeng followed behind, watching the scene.

Heishan smacked his lips. "I'll say — that little bean, now that it's grown, carrying our brother through the sky actually looks pretty impressive."

Chifeng's eyes held a smile as well. "It wants to share the best of itself with Si Chen."

They flew on, laughing and talking, heading toward the next city.

* * *

At the same time, in a dim, vast hall located an untold number of miles away.

This was the assassination organization that the Liuyun Sword Sect had once contacted — the Night Rain Tower.

A figure shrouded entirely in black knelt on one knee, reporting in a low, measured voice to a graceful silhouette seated behind a curtain.

"Tower Master, it has been confirmed that the Liuyun Sword Sect has been completely annihilated. Their mountain gate has been razed to the ground. Fang Yong, the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator of the Fang Clan, and all those under his command, have been confirmed… with not a bone remaining."

The silhouette behind the curtain listened in silence, saying nothing.

"In addition, the Fang Clan has just submitted a contract targeting Si Chen. The bounty… is extraordinarily high. Dead or alive."

From behind the curtain came a soft, ambiguous laugh — languid, yet laced with cold.

"The Fang Clan? Hah."

"Their own disciples are worthless, their guardian incompetent — lost out there in the world — and instead of cleaning up their own house and disciplining their people, they have the nerve to come to my Night Rain Tower and throw money at a killing?"

Her tone was contemptuous, as though she held this supposedly prominent Cultivation Sect noble family in very low regard.

"Keep watching."

She paused briefly in thought, then issued her order, her voice cooling: "Furthermore — make it clear to everyone: no one is to privately accept any contract related to Si Chen. Those who defy this order… you know the consequences."

"Yes! Understood!" The figure immediately accepted the command without daring to ask a single question, and silently withdrew.

The vast hall returned to silence.

Behind the curtain, the woman slowly rose and stepped into a sliver of faint light, revealing a strikingly beautiful face.

The corner of her lips curved into a playful smile. She murmured to herself, her voice so soft only she could hear it:

"Si Shuo… Si Shuo… that nephew of yours is truly no ordinary troublemaker…"