It was raining!
The rain did not disperse the smoke in the sky but made the area even darker.
On the official road between Luzhou and Taiyuan, a young man dressed in white with a red scarf and a straw hat was galloping alone on horseback.
The young man didn't care about the rain hitting him in the face; he just lowered his hat slightly, letting the rain hit below his eyes.
"Hyah!"
Apart from the rain, there was a cold wind.
It was the transitional period from winter to spring, and the ground had yet to warm up. The rain made the temperature even colder.
But the young man didn't care. He whipped his horse furiously, only wishing it could run faster.
The young man's name was Li Cunsi, formerly known as Lan Si. He was originally a member of the Blue Star Orphanage and a firearms enthusiast. He loved assembling all kinds of guns. Having just finished the college entrance exams, he should have been heading toward a bright future, but on the day of his enrollment, a beam of light suddenly took him away, transporting him to the world of "Hua Jianghu: Zhi Bu Liang Ren" (A Portrait of Jianghu: Bad Guys).
As a fan of Chinese animation, Lan Si was familiar with this world, but rather than excitement, his heart was filled with fear. The story took place during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, one of the darkest and most chaotic times in Chinese history, a world of survival of the fittest.
Fortunately, he had good luck and met King Li Keyong of Jin. For some reason, Li Keyong took a liking to him at first sight, recognizing Lan Si as a martial arts prodigy. He adopted him as a foster son, taught him the "Sacred Universe Technique," and gave him the name Li Cunsi, making him the fourteenth protector after the famous Thirteen Protectors.
A few years later, Li Keyong's prediction came true. Lan Si was indeed a martial arts genius, rising from a complete novice to a master at the "Middle Heaven" level.
Aware of the dangers in this world, he remained low-key, often practicing in seclusion and rarely appearing in public.
The outside world knew little about him, and even his martial arts abilities were only known to Li Keyong and the only female protector, Li Cunren.
Until half a year ago...
Realizing that his martial arts progress had reached a bottleneck and that he couldn't break through to the "Great Heaven" level in a short time, Lan Si set his sights on the "Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Technique" of Zhang Xuanling, the Celestial Master of Mount Longhu.
After months of searching, he found Zhang Xuanling in Luzhou, driven mad by a scheme of Li Siyuan. Using his knowledge of the story, Lan Si spent half a month tricking the crazed Zhang Xuanling into giving him the "Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Technique."
With his knowledge of the technique's core principles, Lan Si successfully mastered it. Combining it with the "Sacred Universe Technique," he merged two of the world's top martial arts techniques, and his power broke through to the "Great Heaven" level.
This one move, however, pushed Lan Si into the abyss.
He had attracted the attention of Yuan Tiangang, the only supreme figure in this world, an ancient monster who had lived for 300 years.
Boom!
A thunderclap exploded.
The sky suddenly brightened and then returned to darkness.
The rain poured harder and harder!
The official road became wet and difficult to traverse.
After days of rushing, Lan Si was exhausted, and his steed was letting out pained cries.
"We're almost there. Once I reach Taiyuan, not even Yuan Tiangang will dare attack me directly," Lan Si thought as he saw Taiyuan City not far ahead. His hand tightened on the whip, and he pushed the horse to go faster.
Boom!
Another thunderclap.
The world lit up again.
In that brief moment of light, Lan Si caught sight of a figure standing a hundred meters ahead, a masked man in gray with a straw hat, standing with hands behind his back, coldly watching him.
"Yuan Tiangang!"
Lan Si was shocked. Instinctively, he threw several concealed blades and pulled the reins to change direction, leaving the official road.
"Hyah, hyah!"
When he glanced back, the road was pitch black—there was no sign of Yuan Tiangang.
Lan Si did not relax his guard, speeding up again, planning to enter Taiyuan via a side path.
Once he crossed the side path and cut the suspension bridge, not even Yuan Tiangang could catch him.
The dark, rainy night was filled only with the sound of rain and galloping hooves.
Just as Lan Si approached the suspension bridge, thunder roared again.
Boom!
A snake-like bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating everything.
On the other side of the suspension bridge, Yuan Tiangang stood there, as if he had been waiting for some time.
"Damn it!" Lan Si hadn't expected Yuan Tiangang to arrive so quickly. Caught off guard, his horse slipped, and he fell off the cliff with his horse. But thanks to his martial arts skills, he managed to push off the horse's back mid-fall and return to the ground unharmed.
The rain gradually stopped, a gentle breeze blew, and the clouds dispersed. Moonlight poured down, lighting up the earth.
Lan Si glanced at the misty abyss, then looked up at the moon, and finally turned his gaze to Yuan Tiangang, who now stood at the entrance of the suspension bridge. His heart sank.
"Senior, we have no grudge between us. Why are you pressing me so hard?" Lan Si lowered his posture, knowing that unless Yuan Tiangang intended to let him go, he had no chance of survival.
Yuan Tiangang's raspy voice ignored the question: "Li Cunsi, birthdate unknown, origin unknown, real name unknown. No one knows your past. Three years ago, you caught the attention of King Li Keyong of Jin, who adopted you as his son, giving you the name Li Cunsi and making you the fourteenth protector under his command."
"To think someone as insignificant as myself would attract your attention, senior. I'm truly embarrassed," Lan Si said respectfully, subtly surveying his surroundings.
"Heh, insignificant? You are far from that. Who else could rise from a complete novice to the Great Heaven level in just a few years?" Yuan Tiangang sneered. "You are an anomaly that should not exist. Keeping you around will only cause trouble. You have two choices now."
"One, die."
"Two—"
Before Yuan Tiangang could finish, Lan Si interrupted, "I choose two."
Yuan Tiangang's voice deepened: "Two, die like that horse at the bottom of the cliff."
"Uh..." Lan Si's mouth twitched. Both options led to death! He raised his hand and asked weakly, "Can I choose a third option?"
Yuan Tiangang's voice was cold: "What do you think?"
"Of course! How about I swear loyalty to you, work as a spy for Jin... After all, I've reached the Great Heaven level, and even though I'm far weaker than you, it could be useful..."
Before Lan Si could finish, Yuan Tiangang's figure vanished and reappeared behind him, throwing a powerful punch imbued with the force of the "Heavenly Gang Technique," accompanied by a fierce wind.
If this punch landed, Lan Si would be either dead or severely crippled.
Sensing the terrifying force behind him, Lan Si, already on guard, activated both the "Sacred Universe Technique" and the "Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Technique" simultaneously. Surrounded by lightning and blue flames, he barely dodged the blow, then dashed toward the suspension bridge, as fast as a ghost. Once he crossed the bridge, he would be safe.
But Yuan Tiangang was faster. In the blink of an eye, he caught up.
Lan Si had no choice but to meet Yuan Tiangang's attack head-on. In just one exchange, his right arm was broken, and his internal organs were gravely injured. He fell heavily onto the suspension bridge, on the verge of death.
"Ugh!" Lan Si coughed up a mouthful of blood. He had known the gap between them was large, but he hadn't realized it was this immense. His Great Heaven power was nothing more than an ant in front of Yuan Tiangang.
Yuan Tiangang, showing no mercy, prepared to deliver another strike, even though Lan Si was already powerless.
Knowing that survival was impossible, Lan Si wasn't about to give up. He raised his left hand, pulling out a black gun from his coat.
This was the only firearm he had successfully crafted in secret, unknown to Li Keyong. It held only one bullet, reserved for moments of absolute necessity.
Due to the poor refining skills of this world, Lan Si knew little about forging weapons, and he had been afraid of arousing Li Keyong's suspicion. That's why he had only managed to create this antique gun.
Bang!
The barrel exploded, and a black iron ball the size of a dragon's eye shot out, speeding toward Yuan Tiangang.
Yuan Tiangang hadn't expected Lan Si to have any strength left to fight back, and for a moment, he was caught off guard. The bullet grazed his mask.
Clang!
The mask fell to the ground. When Yuan Tiangang looked again, Lan Si had used his last bit of strength to jump into the abyss while he had been dodging the bullet.
"Such unwillingness..." These were Lan Si's final thoughts.
He plummeted into the abyss, his body losing control in midair, like a helpless leaf in the wind. The air around him felt like icy blades, piercing his skin, and the sensation of falling seemed like an endless descent into the abyss of fear. Darkness slowly consumed his consciousness, and the rain hitting his face was as cold as the fingers of death.
However, just as he was about to be completely engulfed by the darkness, a mysterious force within him suddenly awakened.
The Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Technique in his chest, along with the power of the Sacred Universe Technique, activated...
----
P.S. : The two techniques are mentioned in this chapter are just normal cultivation techniques just like Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Technique. But since MC has both of them, he will have an advantage which will be discussed in the later chapters. And no, the world used in this chapter will have little to no relevance in this story.
The main world is Douluo Dalu and MC will have all of his adventures here only. Also, I have picked up this fiction because it has good comedic elements and a lot of bashing which actually makes sense. So I hope you enjoy this fic.