Techniques and Dao

Chapter 70 Prayer Lanterns
Hua Sheng felt as if he had been struck by lightning!

"Humans created immortals? What nonsense!"

All that could be heard on the other end of the phone was the deafening roar of battle cries. Tai Shang Xiao Jun's voice sounded somewhat weary: "Hua Sheng, we are facing an enemy unlike any we've ever faced before. The Ruyi Jingu Bang is the only weapon capable of shattering Sui Xing Sha, and the only weapon that can strike the true form of You Ming. Only then can we find out who she really is and where she comes from! You are our last hope! The last hope to save humanity!"

The phone was disconnected.

Hua Sheng left only a blank in my mind.

He knelt alone on the edge of the skyscraper.

Before rain. The netherworld. The veil of Jupiter.

The heavens turn a blind eye, and Saint Pingning remains detached.

The fragmented clues began to connect. But the gaps in their connection remained unanswered.

Hua Sheng had no idea how much ability he truly possessed, nor how the Magic Academy should face this battle. He didn't even know who that once-familiar girl was.

He looked down, taking in the breathtakingly beautiful and bustling city skyline. If he were to abandon the war, it would be a catastrophe for humanity.

By the way, that glass incense stick is about to burn out. Time is running out, and little is left for him.

All he knew was that whether it was fighting or fleeing, whether it was winning or losing.

What I keep for myself.

There was only despair.

The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month.

Wisps of clouds drifted across the Pearl River in Guangzhou, creating an exceptionally tranquil atmosphere. The sky was a deep, clear blue, and a gentle breeze rustled the willows along the riverbank, casting slivers of the golden sunset across the horizon.

The entire city of Guangzhou was unusually quiet; the streets, usually bustling with traffic, were deserted. There was no noise of cars, no pungent smell of gasoline, and only the faint fragrance of osmanthus blossoms remained in the air.

In the distance, the setting sun, like a fiery red ball, hung in the sky, dazzling and bright, burning the west into a magnificent crimson. At this moment, the sky became a deep blue sea, with clouds like fish swimming towards the sunset, nestled in the golden afterglow. At other times, it transformed into a magical prism, arranging beautiful shards of glass in shades of orange-red, purple-red, and fiery red neatly around the fireball.

The heavens and the sky transform into a vast and magnificent stage.

Several cruise ships were moored on the wide Pearl River. The setting sun dyed the river water gold, making the surface seem as if it were wearing a magnificent brocade. As the cruise ships sailed across the river, it was as if they were stirring and dancing a brightly colored silk with fish-scale patterns, making it dazzling and colorful for a moment.

The sun gradually dimmed, slowly meeting the distant horizon, melting like ice cream.

Beside a deserted, quiet street, the wooden door of an old-fashioned brick house opened, and a little boy of about seven or eight years old stepped out. The boy wore brand-new black overalls and a brand-new white shirt, with a brooch shaped like a prayer lantern pinned to the shirt. He was dressed neatly, as if he were going out to visit someone, or perhaps it was a festive occasion. But in his hands, the little boy carried a prayer lantern almost as tall as himself.

The little boy turned around and called into the house, "Mom and Dad! Grandpa and Grandma! Come quick! We're leaving!"

"Coming, coming!" came the kind response from inside the house.

The boy's prayer lantern looked very light, yet its craftsmanship was exquisite, clearly showing the considerable effort the maker had put in. The bamboo-like structure inside the lantern was faintly visible through the translucent paper. As the boy turned, the calligraphy on the left and right sides of the lantern was revealed. The left side read: "Peace and Tranquility." The right side read: "Peace and Harmony." The calligraphy was beautiful; though not from a master's hand, the writer must have expressed profound hopes and expectations.

At this moment, the little boy's father came out of the house.

"Be careful not to break it, give it to Dad instead."

"Don't worry~" the little boy hugged the sky lantern tightly, looking very happy with it. "I won't break it!"

Grandpa also came out and said to the little boy's father, "Let him be. You and I are from the previous generation. This world ultimately belongs to them. Since it belongs to them, it should be handed over to them to protect. We must not distrust them. Protecting some things is not about being a few years older, but about having faith and feelings in our hearts. We may not be able to do it better than these children."

The grandmother standing nearby said, "Leave it to them without worry, trust them."

"That's right!" the little boy pouted. "Don't underestimate me!"

The mother, dressed elegantly with bright red lipstick and high heels, linked arms with her husband and said, "You just need to take care of my happiness!"

Dad laughed heartily: "Alright, alright! Even if we can't be together every moment, we're still family! Today's a good day, let's go!"

Five members of a family, spanning three generations, walked onto the empty street. Not far away stood the Guangzhou TV Tower, nicknamed "Little Waist." The family arrived at the plaza at the foot of the tower, where several staff members were already waiting to guide them. A woman in a uniform said, "Welcome! You all saw the news about the top floor of the TV tower opening today, right? You're the first family to arrive!"

Led by staff, the family took the elevator to the "Spider-Man Walkway" in the center of the tower. They walked through this aerial staircase, past the revolving restaurant, the Ferris wheel at the top, and the "Sky Drop" ride, finally arriving at the "Canton Tower" outdoor platform. Looking down from the platform, they could see many families carrying prayer lanterns walking towards the tower.

Looking up from above, the sky seemed closer, and the clouds appeared almost within reach. Even standing outdoors at a height of about 500 meters, the wind didn't feel particularly strong. "It's a perfect day for releasing sky lanterns!" Grandpa exclaimed. "It's been over seventy years since I last released sky lanterns with my family."

The little boy held up the sky lantern: "Mom and Dad! Grandpa and Grandma! Please help me!"

"Okay!" the whole family said in unison.

Grandpa then asked the boy's father, "Did you bring your lighter?"

Dad said, "How could you not bring something so important? Dad, you always say we should trust our children, but you can't forget about us!"

"That's right!" Grandpa patted the boy's father on the shoulder.

The boy's father took out a dark red lighter, and the little boy held up the prayer lantern, revealing the cotton inside the lantern that was soaked with alcohol.

"Such a big ball of cotton, it should fly really high!" The boy's father lit his lighter, just about to ignite the alcohol-soaked cotton, when a gust of wind blew out the flame. He tried to light it again, but the flame was blown out once more. Although the wind wasn't strong, the flame in his hand was too small and easily extinguished.

Grandma said, "Let's all gather around, this little flame is too weak." So the two old people reached out their hands, and the boy's mother also reached out her hand, gently protecting the tiny flame.

The small flame flickered back and forth, like a fragile, young seed of hope, finally preserved under the family's careful care. The cotton ball was successfully ignited! At that moment, the prayer lantern became translucent, transforming into a giant orange gem.

The family of five gently held the edge of the lampshade.

"Make a wish!" the boy said. "Don't we all make a wish before releasing sky lanterns?"

Everyone closed their eyes and made their most cherished wish.

"Okay, one! Two! Three!" the whole family shouted in unison.

"Takeoff!"

The prayer lantern flew up from my hand, spun slightly, and drifted leisurely into the deep blue sky.

"So high! So high!" The little boy clapped his hands and jumped for joy, asking in his still-childish voice, "If it flies so high, can my grandparents in Taipei see it?"

"Yes, it's possible!" Grandpa said thoughtfully, gazing at the rising prayer lanterns. "It's definitely possible."

Mom said, "I bet Grandpa and Grandma are releasing sky lanterns right now! Because we're a family!"

"Really? That's great!" The little boy clapped his hands happily. "I hope I can see my grandparents' prayer lanterns too."

At that moment, another prayer lantern slowly rose from the ground not far away, dancing into the air. Then came the third, the fourth, the fifth, followed by ten, twenty, thirty, then one hundred, two hundred, three hundred…

More and more prayer lanterns are rising from this city.

Looking down from the tower, the vast Haixinsha Square stretches out opposite. The entire square is covered with prayer lanterns ready to take flight. Further along the Pearl River, rows of container trucks are neatly parked in an open area. Workers open the back doors of the containers, and countless prayer lanterns soar out.

At the same time, high-speed trains were rapidly traveling from all over the country towards cities on the southeast coast. Before entering the train platform, the trains were parked on the open tracks, and staff skillfully and quickly opened the doors, revealing carriages filled with handmade prayer lanterns from all over the country. These lanterns flew out of the carriages and soared into the sky.

More and more lights gathered in the sky, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of prayer lanterns taking flight in these coastal cities. Like countless stars and diamonds rising from the ground, they adorned and decorated the night sky with crystal clarity.

"Wow! It's so beautiful!" the child exclaimed happily, and the whole family couldn't help but cheer as well.

The sunset deepened, and the sky turned a deep, almost purple-red.

The universe is vast, and the bright moon hangs high in the sky.

Countless prayer lanterns released from Fujian, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and other places painted an unprecedented, magnificent spectacle stretching for thousands of miles across the sky.

In this wondrous scene, the enormous Taoist Academy resembled a colossal warship rising from the sea. The pavilions and towers within the academy, scattered with varying sizes, were already adorned with fluttering, embroidered battle flags, soaring into the heavens alongside countless beautiful sky lanterns drifting from the shore!
Residents along the coastline dozens of kilometers away can see the towering waves, over 700 meters high, that surge out of the sea, as well as the enormous rainbow connecting the blue sea and the sky.

The battle in the skies that will decide the fate of humanity and defend the universe—

finally--

The curtain opens!

(End of this chapter)