C2 Young Man Chen Yi

"Brother! Brother! Brother!"

A voice as clear as a warbler's song lingered by his ear, rousing Chen Yi from his slumber. His eyes fluttered open, the world a blur, but he could make out a figure standing close by.

"Brother!"

The call came again, snapping him to attention.

Something clicked in Chen Yi's mind, his pupils dilating, "I... I'm not dead?"

Before he could process further, the voice chimed in once more, "Brother, Father's birthday celebration is about to start. Why are you still in bed?"

Looking up, he saw a young girl in a yellow dress, her lips pursed in a pout, eyeing him with impatience.

"Yue... Yue Er?"

Recognition dawned on him as he saw the girl's face, disbelief widening his eyes, "You... You're alive?"

"Dead?"

Chen Yue's brow creased slightly at his words, "Brother, what are you talking about?"

Staring at the girl, Chen Yi's frown deepened, "No, Yue Er, how have you become so young?"

The girl before him was unmistakably his sister, Chen Yue, but she looked nothing like the sister he remembered. The Chen Yue of his memories should have been over three hundred years old, her appearance that of a mature woman in her thirties despite her well-kept youth. Yet here she stood, seemingly just fourteen or fifteen.

What in the world was happening?

He had witnessed her fall to the Sword Abyss Monarch, and he himself had self-destructed. How were they both still alive?

His mind swirled with confusion.

Chen Yue's frown deepened, "Brother, what exactly are you saying? You're talking nonsense since you woke up."

"Hmm?"

Chen Yi's frown persisted as he glanced around the room. He was in a chamber, a thick brown carpet underfoot, a table and chairs set in the center. A painting adorned the left wall, a calendar on the right.

His gaze froze on the calendar date.

Blue Cloud Calendar, 1602, August 6th.

Blue Cloud Calendar... Was this the Blue Cloud Realm?

1602... Wasn't that three hundred years in the past?

And his body...

"Meditation Stage... Level Seven!?"

A gasp escaped him as a realization struck.

His esteemed Venerable cultivation had regressed to Meditation Stage Level Seven?

"Brother, are you okay?"

Chen Yue watched, puzzled by his alternating stunned and bewildered expressions.

What had changed her brother so, just from waking up? Had a nightmare shaken him?

Lost in thought, Chen Yi didn't respond to Chen Yue. At the Destiny Ruins' entrance, he had chosen to self-destruct, taking Sword Abyss Monarch and Lu Hee with him. Yet now, he was very much alive. Considering his surroundings, there was only one explanation...

He had been reborn!

His self-sacrifice at the Destiny Ruins had somehow sent him back to his sixteen-year-old self!

"Could it be?"

He stared at his hands, struggling to accept the reality.

Rebirth.

He was no stranger to the concept. In his past life as a Venerable of the Holy Heaven Realm, he had encountered many tales of rebirth. But such stories often involved supreme beings reincarnating through powerful divine magic. A rebirth three hundred years into the past, however, was unheard of.

This was tantamount to reversing time, turning the clock back on years already spent.

Such a feat was beyond even the greatest of Emperors!

"Is it the Destiny Ruins?"

The thought flashed through Chen Yi's mind.

The Destiny Ruins, a place of enigma and certain death within the Holy Heaven Realm, held secrets unknown to all. His self-destruction at its gates had catapulted him back three centuries. There seemed no other link to this phenomenon.

A hum resonated within him.

Startled, Chen Yi peered inward and saw a dimly glowing blood-red bead nestled in his dantian.

"The Blood Holy Bead!?"

His eyes widened in shock.

The Blood Holy Bead had been reborn with him!

"Brother, what's on your mind? Come on, get up. If you don't, you'll miss Father's birthday banquet!"

Chen Yue's voice interrupted his thoughts once more.

"His birthday banquet?"

Chen Yi blinked in realization.

Blue Cloud Calendar, 1602, the sixth day of the eighth month...

That was the date of his father's fiftieth birthday.

He had been reborn on this very day...

Memories of his past life flooded back, and he inhaled deeply, "It seems fate has granted me a second chance at life!"

Though bewildered by his rebirth, Chen Yi was not deterred from seizing this opportunity.

His past life's experiences were etched into his memory. Now granted a second chance, he was determined to alter the destiny of his family – a destiny that, he recalled, would soon meet a tragic end starting with today's birthday banquet.

"Bro, what are you spacing out for? Get dressed and let's go!"

"Alright, alright, I'm on it!"

Under Chen Yue's watchful eye, Chen Yi quickly got dressed, and the siblings left the room, heading in a determined direction...

The Chen family was one of the two major cultivator clans in Wood County City, located in the South Domain of the South Wind Empire within the Blue Cloud Realm.

Today marked the 50th birthday of the Chen family's patriarch, Chen Shanheng.

The mansion was festooned with lanterns and streamers, awash in celebratory red.

Yet the epicenter of activity was the mansion's sprawling two-thousand-square-meter open-air square.

This was the venue for the birthday banquet, already bustling with tables laden with food and drink, welcoming a host of guests.

By the time Chen Yi and his sister arrived, the square was already teeming with people, with over eighty percent of the tables occupied. They found their seats and settled in.

At their table sat the young men and women of the Chen family.

The arrival of Chen Yi and Chen Yue drew varied reactions from the other youths—some respectful, others envious, but all shared a look of disdain when their gaze fell on Chen Yue.

Chen Yue responded to their scorn with a gentle smile, seemingly unaffected. However, Chen Yi was all too aware that her smile was a brave front.

In the Blue Cloud Realm, a realm of cultivators, being the daughter of the patriarch yet unable to cultivate due to blocked meridians had made Chen Yue a subject of shame for the Chen family. From a young age, she had endured scorn and cold shoulders.

Despite this, she always appeared optimistic, seemingly unscathed. But Chen Yi, her brother, knew just how fragile her brave heart was—he had caught her crying quietly to herself on more than one occasion.

Observing the young men and women at the table, Chen Yi remarked coolly, "If there's something wrong with your eyes, perhaps you should seek a physician's care."

"Hmph."

At his words, the youths and girls huffed but ceased their stares at Chen Yue.

As the young lord of the Chen family, Chen Yi commanded a significant presence among the clan's younger members.

"Brother."

Chen Yue tugged at his sleeve, silently pleading with him not to antagonize the other young men and women on her account.

Chen Yi gave her a reassuring smile, signaling that all was well.

In his past life, he had never regarded these young members of the Chen family with much concern, and even less so in this life.

For Chen Yi, whether in his past life or the present, he would never tolerate anyone bullying Chen Yue!

"The Wang Family has arrived!"

At that moment, a voice called out, drawing the attention of everyone present.

A procession of finely dressed individuals entered the plaza, led by a distinguished middle-aged man and a strikingly handsome young man.

Their arrival stirred the crowd.

"Patriarch Wang and his son, Young Lord Wang Yun, have graced us with their presence!"

"It's quite unusual to see them here. To think the Wang family patriarch and his son would personally attend the Chen family's birthday banquet!"

"That must be Young Lord Wang Yun beside him, right? He's incredibly handsome!"

"Indeed. He truly lives up to his reputation as the top young prodigy of Wood County City. Such an impressive bearing!"

...

The Wang and Chen families, both prominent cultivator clans in Wood County City, had a notoriously strained relationship. As the saying goes, "Two tigers cannot share one mountain," and as the two most powerful families in the city, conflicts over interests were inevitable, leading to a well-known animosity between them.

Thus, the sight of Patriarch Wang arriving in person was a surprise to many. Given the history between the Chen and Wang families, it would have been more than courteous for the Wangs to send an elder representative to Patriarch Chen Shanheng's 50th birthday. The personal appearance of the Wang family patriarch was unexpected by many—but not by Chen Yi.

He watched the Wang family's arrival with a cool detachment, his memories from a previous life informing him of their true intentions. The disaster that befell the Chen family in his past life was inextricably linked to the actions of the Wang family on this very day.

"The guest of honor makes his entrance!"

Soon after the Wang family's arrival, another shout focused everyone's attention on the pavilion at the front of the plaza.

A figure emerged, a middle-aged man in a vibrant red birthday robe, his hair a distinguished mix of black and white, exuding an air of distinction. This was none other than Patriarch Chen, Chen Shanheng.

"Father..."

Seeing the middle-aged man, Chen Yi, despite his centuries of experience, felt a surge of emotion, his eyes brimming with tears.

In his previous life, his father had perished soon after the Chen family's downfall. To Chen Yi, his father had been gone for three hundred years. Reuniting now was overwhelmingly moving.

"Thank you all for coming to celebrate my birthday!"

Atop the pavilion, Chen Shanheng greeted the guests with a warm smile and a wave, "The banquet is ready, with fine food and wine for all. Please, enjoy yourselves without reserve!"

As the last note of the announcement dissipated, the guests in the hall eagerly picked up their chopsticks and bowls, bringing a burst of energy to the room.

The attendees of the Chen family's birthday celebration were none other than the most prominent figures of Wood County City. Now gathered together, they engaged in animated conversations, creating an ambiance of harmony and friendliness.

However, it was clear that not everyone was interested in maintaining such a congenial mood.

"Seeing is truly believing! Is this the infamous prodigy of Wood County City who is unable to cultivate? Could this be the Chen family's young Miss Chen Yue?"

An abrupt voice cut through the buzz of the hall, turning heads in its direction.