C1 This Is Not a Dream

Around six o'clock in the evening, as the sun dipped low in the sky, bathing the horizon in a warm, red glow, the streets were bustling with the rush of people heading home from work. Despite a day's worth of fatigue etched on their faces, their steps didn't slow; if anything, they quickened with a renewed sense of urgency.

"Move faster, just a bit faster," they urged themselves, adjusting their grip on their briefcases to pick up the pace.

Thoughts of their children, likely home by now, and their spouses preparing a delicious dinner, brought a slight smile to their lips and a surge of energy to their weary legs.

They were the everyday people who make up the fabric of society, and this street was a snapshot of the city, the country, and society at large. In today's fast-paced world, to live comfortably means to move quickly—not just faster than before, but faster than everyone else.

Ordinary as they may be, each of them cherished a home that was both similar to others yet uniquely their own—a sanctuary in their hearts, worth defending with every ounce of their being. What was a little fatigue compared to that?

Chu Tianyu, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, meandered through the crowd at a leisurely pace. He occasionally looked up to admire the brilliant advertising lights and the opulent storefronts, critiquing the merchandise with a discerning eye. His relaxed demeanor set him apart from the hurried masses.

To the casual observer, Tianyu exuded the air of a successful man, but the struggle was his alone to know. Earning a decent salary, he spent his days in the office, enjoying the air conditioning, sipping coffee, and perusing newspapers—a comfortable routine.

Initially, he had reveled in landing the job, but two years on, he realized he'd achieved little beyond whiling away the hours. His dreams and ambitions for building a career had yet to materialize.

"Maybe it's time for a change," Tianyu mused, observing the men around him rushing home to their inviting families.

Their haste was driven by the promise of a warm homecoming, but Tianyu felt no such urgency. His small, cold apartment offered nothing but mess, chill, and silence. So he lingered on the streets, preferring to wander aimlessly rather than return to the unwelcoming solitude of his home.

It was impossible for him not to envy or long for such a home. After all, he was well into his twenties and had been out of college for several years. It was time for him to settle down, get married, and start a family.

Yet, there was a lingering sense of discontent in his heart. He was reluctant to settle for an ordinary life, to give up on his dreams without having seen them come to fruition.

He remembered the pride and ambition he felt upon graduating from a prestigious university, brimming with passion and vitality.

"I'm going to make a big name for myself," he had thought. "I want everyone to know who I am. I want parents to cite me as an example to their children. I want to achieve something grand and extraordinary."

But one setback after another taught him the harsh reality that dreams are beautiful, but reality is unforgiving. Without connections or influence, even the brightest of visions had nowhere to shine.

Reflecting on his once grand ambitions, Chu Tianyu felt nothing but bitterness.

"Just let it be. What else can I do?" he mused.

Time had worn down his edges and his fighting spirit; it had cooled his ardor, forcing him to come to terms with society, to face reality, and to compromise with life, becoming just another ordinary person in the world.

He was no longer the fiery young man fresh out of college, eager to carve out his own destiny and change the world. Instead, he had become a product of society, or rather, assimilated by it.

The thought of marriage and children sprouted in his mind like wild grass, growing wildly. In an instant, he envisioned adorable children, a gentle wife, and a cozy home. Lost in a reverie, his lips curled into a slight smile, and he quickened his pace, joining the flow of people heading home.

"Maybe the dreams I never achieved can be realized through my child!" This thought marked a near-complete farewell to his past. For the rest of his life, he would no longer live for himself but for his child.

It's true that parents wish for their child's success, but the mistake lies in imposing their own unrealized dreams onto their children, stubbornly believing it's for the child's benefit.

Entertaining such a thought and acting upon it was, in essence, an admission of failure in disguise!

Yet, it seemed the heavens were not ready for Chu Tianyu to fade into obscurity.

"Buzz!" As he dreamt of a future filled with happiness and beauty, an immense and ferocious shockwave hit without warning. People were caught off guard, feeling as though they'd been shoved from behind. Many toppled over, and Chu Tianyu was no exception, hitting the ground as one might expect.

Pedestrians gazed around in confusion, clueless about the unfolding events. It wasn't until the sound of shattering glass and the trembling ground reached them that they began to scream in terror, staggering as they hurried home.

Soon, the streets were littered with broken glass and random debris, with Chu Tianyu sitting amidst the chaos, looking utterly bewildered. He had been so engrossed in his thoughts that he had completely missed the chaos erupting around him.

"Hey, what on earth happened? Where did everyone go?" Still dazed, Chu Tianyu looked around, oblivious to the ominous black hole that had silently emerged behind him. It resembled a monstrous beast, its gaping maw ready to consume its prey, exuding an infernal presence.

In an instant, the black hole vanished, taking Chu Tianyu with it. It was as if he had never existed, as if Chu Tianyu had never been a part of this world.

In the Heavenly Spirit Continent, on the Vast Continent, lies the Qin Empire!

The Qin Empire, with a history spanning over a thousand years, stretches across more than a hundred thousand miles. With its towering mountain ranges, vast resources, and fertile lands, it's a place where geniuses are as common as the clouds and mighty warriors emerge in droves. Thanks to the enlightened and valiant Emperor Qin, the empire enjoys internal harmony and commands respect from neighboring nations, its power growing stronger each day.

With no internal strife or external threats, and a benevolent ruler at the helm, the nation should be enjoying a time of peace and prosperity. Yet, inexplicably, the heavens and earth chose this day to unleash their power without any sign.

The Jiannan Mountain Range, situated in the southern part of the Qin Empire, spans nearly a hundred thousand miles from east to west and serves as a formidable natural barrier for the southern reaches of the empire.

"Chi, chi, chi!" Countless raindrops, large as thumbs, plummeted from the heavens, causing ripples in the air as they fell. Each one seemed to carry the weight of ten thousand kilograms, snapping trees and crushing mountains beneath their might!

"Rumble!" Lightning streaked across the sky like serpents and dragons, their fangs bared and claws lashing out, cleaving through heaven and earth, reducing everything in their path to ashes!

"Hu, hu, hu!" The piercing west wind howled, sweeping away towering trees and leveling mountain ridges. Forests were stripped bare, and peaks were flattened into plains!

Beyond the rain, lightning, and west wind, snowflakes descended, encasing the world in ice. Forests, rivers, flora, and fauna... Each was rendered in vivid, crystal-clear detail, as if plucked from a fairy tale. Yet, this enchanting scene was fragile; a single gust of wind could erase it all, leaving nothing but void.

The Jiannan Mountain Range, ancient and enduring, was home to numerous sanctuaries, though most were claimed by formidable demons. Even the Qin Empire dared not challenge them lightly. But today, before the might of nature, they stood defenseless, their expressions etched with terror, bodies quaking with fear and uncertainty.

"Pfft!" A colossal ape, several dozen meters tall, lay prostrate, trembling uncontrollably as it pleaded for mercy. However, its only reply was a single raindrop that effortlessly extinguished its life force.

Dozens of massive Wind Wolves fled in terror, covering miles in mere moments. The Wind Wolf King, graceful and swift as the breeze, was transformed into an ice sculpture mid-stride, vanishing into the wind.

"Boom, boom, boom!" The cataclysm in the heavens never ceased, growing fiercer by the moment. The calamity spread across the land, reaching ten, a hundred, a thousand miles, with no end in sight. The oppressive force of the heavens and earth followed, an overwhelming presence!

"Roar!" A dragon's roar suddenly pierced the silence, resonating through heaven and earth, sending shivers down the spines of all creatures. The ancient and noble pressure emanating from the depths of their souls left them with no thoughts of resistance, only submission.

A dragon's roar echoed, the cataclysm intensified, and pieces of space shattered like a mirror, revealing dark, gaping voids that not even the laws of nature could fully mend.

Beneath this upheaval lay a young man in silver-white attire, his complexion deathly pale, lying still among the rubble. He was young, with delicate features and a hint of fuzz on his lips, yet his eyes were tightly closed, devoid of any sign of life.

Perhaps because this spot was directly under the cataclysm, the destruction here was less severe than further away; otherwise, there might have been nothing left of the young man but bones. Even so, the mountain had crumbled to gravel, partially burying him.

"Ah, my head is killing me!" The youth suddenly winced, crying out in pain.

As Chu Tianyu came to, an unbearable pain flooded over him like a tidal wave. His head felt as though it was about to burst, his brows furrowed tightly, and his pale lips were bitten, drawing blood. However, the excruciating pain throughout his body soon distracted him from the agony in his head.

His whole body ached, the earth trembled, and the shards of glass scattered on the ground mercilessly jabbed at Chu Tianyu's mind. The chaos of his memories, the wreckage, and the widespread desolation drastically altered his expression.

"Ah, it's an earthquake!" The young man's eyes snapped open!

Feeling the pressure around him, Tianyu's slender arms strained to push aside the rocks, forgetting the pain that racked his body as he summoned a strength far beyond his usual capacity. Miraculously, he extricated himself from the debris!

When Tianyu took in his surroundings, his body seized up as if a high-speed machine had come to an abrupt halt.

Gone were the skyscrapers of his memory, replaced by a landscape of endless rubble stretching to the horizon.

With a look of utter bewilderment, he murmured to himself, "This has to be a dream. Ouch, it hurts so much, my whole body is in pain." The sharp sting served as a harsh reminder to Chu Tianyu that this nightmare was, in fact, reality.