Yun Lintian startled for a moment before he reacted. "Are you the Blazing Sun Monarch?"
"I am." The ancient voice resounded along with an illusory silhouette that appeared above the throne.
Yun Lintian raised his head to gaze at the ethereal silhouette. The silhouette appeared as a handsome young man dressed in fiery red attire adorned with a dragon pattern in black. His eyebrows were sharp and slanted slightly upwards at the end. His eyes were like an eagle, it was as if nothing could be hidden under his gaze. Yun Lintian didn't know whether it was his imagination as he saw a small fire image within the man's pupils.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time." The Blazing Sun Monarch slowly descended to the ground. His eagle-like eyes stared at Yun Lintian for a while before he asked, "What is your name?"
Yun Lintian knew he might possibly encounter the typical guardian spirit trope at this moment. He cupped his fists and replied respectfully, "This Junior's name is Yun Lintian. I pay respect to Senior Blazing Sun Monarch."
"Yun Lintian... Good name." The Blazing Sun Monarch muttered to himself. His gaze inadvertently landed on the silver necklace around Yun Lintian's neck, and his pupils shrank slightly before returning to normal a second later.
"You can call me by my name directly. I am no longer the Blazing Sun Monarch." The Blazing Sun Monarch, Yan Qi, said. Without waiting for Yun Lintian to reply, he said further, "I know you have several questions in your mind right now, but we can put that aside first. I need you to come with me." Following that, he walked toward the end of the hall.
Yun Lintian hesitated slightly, but in the end, he still followed him. The two of them gradually reached the end of the hall. Yan Qi's illusory hand gently touched the wall, causing the lifelike fire pattern to promptly light up. In the next moment, a door had magically appeared on the wall, and Yan Qi beckoned Yun Lintian to follow in.
Yun Lintian had become accustomed to this kind of magical secret passage. He wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if there was another hidden passage right under his feet.
The moment he passed through the door, Yun Lintian immediately felt a scorching heatwave engulf his body. It was to the point he could feel an intense burning sensation on his skins. He quickly conjured a protective barrier around his body to shield himself from the heatwave.
"This is The Sun." Yan Qi spoke.
Yun Lintian didn't have leisure time to look around the place before as he just finished dealing with the heatwave. He cast his gaze to the center of the room and saw an adult human-size sun-like orb floating in the air. It glowed in orange-red color and small blasts could be seen on it occasionally. It resembled an image of the sun he saw when he was on Earth. Compared to the orb on the outside, this one was more realistic and more imposing.
While Yun Lintian was captivated by The Sun, Yan Qi added, "Since you've already read my diary, you should be aware that "that person" tasked me with protecting this... I have been safeguarding it for thousands of years, anticipating the arrival of the chosen one to claim it."
"During this period, I have witnessed numerous young practitioners attempting to reach this place, but none of them have been able to come close to The Sun... As the years passed, my determination began to waver, and my lifespan slowly approached its end. After I died, I left a trace of my soul here in case the destined person came to this place." Yan Qi paused for a moment and turned to Yun Lintian. He said slowly, "And that person is you."
"Wait a minute, Senior. I don't think I have done anything until now. Why are you so sure that I am the destined person?" Yun Lintian felt that this matter had escalated too quickly, and he hadn't even had time to consider it carefully.
A playful smile appeared on Yan Qi's ethereal face as he replied, "You would have been reduced to ashes by now if you were not the chosen one."
F*ck!... Yun Lintian cursed inwardly. That meant he had almost gone to the netherworld just now.
"Come here. You can try to touch it." Yan Qi beckoned.
Yun Lintian shook his head vigorously. "No!"
Yan Qi frowned in dissatisfaction. He waved his hand slightly. In the next moment, Yun Lintian felt a powerful force gathering around him before he was thrown into the air and propelled directly towards the Sun.
"You!... Ah!" Yun Lintian didn't even have time to curse as his body merged completely into The Sun. He felt a scorching burn all over his body, and his consciousness gradually faded into a completely dark world.
"As expected, he is the one." Yan Qi looked at Yun Lintian, who was floating in the center of The Sun, and nodded approvingly.
If Yun Lintian were to hear this, he would spit blood directly because Yan Qi actually didn't have confidence at first even though Yun Lintian didn't get burned after coming closer to The Sun. But now, he had confirmed that Yun Lintian was the one he had been waiting for all this time.
Yan Qi glanced at the rat that got ignored for all this time and said with a smile, "It's been a long time, my friend."
The rat stood on two legs and nodded its head slightly. Yun Lintian would be shocked if he saw the rat's current appearance because it was exactly like a human and it didn't look stupid like it appeared to be earlier.
***
"Where is this place? Am I already dead?" Yun Lintian found himself in a dark world.
He recalled the scene earlier and couldn't help but become angry. "F*ck that simp! I swear I will f*cking kill you when we met next time!"
After venting his anger, he slumped powerlessly to the ground. He laughed to himself while muttering, "Yun Lintian, since when did you become so stupid? You got tricked by that simp so easily… Is my brain got nerfed somehow after coming to this world?" He then let out a helpless sigh. "Goodbye, my beautiful and sexy godmother. This godson of yours probably never has a chance to see you again. I hope you can ensure everyone's safe escape."
A flood of memories from sixteen years ago replayed in his mind like a movie. From the first day he opened his eyes in Yun Qianxue's bosom, the image when he was taken care of by his several beautiful aunts, to the moment he left the Sect under Yun Qianxue's reluctant gaze. Everything was vivid as if it happened yesterday.
Buzzzz—
Just as Yun Lintian immersed into his own memory, a bright red light flashed on his right side, causing him to subconsciously glance at it.
Yun Lintian used his hand to block the light before his eyes and tried to comprehend the situation. Although he didn't know what was going on, this red light undoubtedly brought him hope. Perhaps he could transmigrate for a second time?
He plodded toward the red light. The closer he moved, the brighter the red light became. At the same time, he could feel a trace of heat seeping into his body, making him raising his doubt further.
Buzzzz—
Instantaneously, the red light blended into a small fireball and shot into Yun Lintian's glabella at lightning speed that Yun Lintian couldn't even have time to react.
"Argh!" Yun Lintian screamed painfully as he felt an immense scorching heat spread through every part of his body.
His muscles involuntarily bulged up and veins could be seen clearly. Within ten seconds, his entire body was drenched in sweat, and it constantly evaporated, surrounding him in a white mist.
Yan Qi was currently talking with the rat outside. When they noticed the change in Yun Lintian, both of them quickly turned to him with a look of great surprise on their faces.
"He absorbing it?" Yan Qi exclaimed in shock as he saw The Sun slowly shrank in size.
"Sure enough. That thing is not ordinary." Yan Qi spoke. His eyes fixated on the silver necklace that was greedily sucked The Sun's aura like a vacuum machine. He turned to the rat. "Did you bring him here because of that necklace?"
The rat gave a nod to confirm Yan Qi's statement. When the rat first saw Yun Lintian, its keen eyes immediately noticed the silver necklace around his neck. Even though it was concealed beneath his clothing, it couldn't evade the rat's sharp vision.
The rat's intuition told it this necklace was not an ordinary object. It could be something that even surpasses The Sun. Hence, the rat decided to bring him here in case he was the one Yan Qi had been waiting for. Coincidentally, Yun Lintian turned out to be one.
"You did a good job. I can rest in peace now." Yan Qi gave a thumbs up to the rat, but the latter looked at him with a sad expression.
Yan Qi laughed slightly upon seeing this. "Why don't you go out with this young man after this? After all, this mythical realm will cease to exist when he completely took The Sun away."
The rat shook its head stubbornly, with a firm determination filling its eyes.
Yan Qi fell into silence for a while. He sighed. "Little Flame, you still have several years left. Why are you insisting to accompany a dead man like me? I have wronged you before by bringing you here, and I have always felt guilty about it even now… Listen to me, you should leave this place with him. Look at his pitiful strength. Don't you feel he needs someone to protect him? Also, he didn't treat you badly, isn't he?"
"Squeak!" The rat, Little Flame, appeared hesitant, but it still shook its head in the end with a loud squeak.
Yan Qi stared at Little Flame for a long time before he let out a deep sigh and gave up on trying to persuade it. He turned to Yun Lintian, who had already absorbed half of The Sun, and stayed silent.
All of a sudden, Yan Qi's eyebrows raised slightly. He said with a smile, "We have newcomers."
Little Flame tilted its head slightly and looked back at the entrance, wearing a thoughtful expression.