Chapter Sixty-Nine: Sky Lanterns for Blessings

The moment, Hua Sheng felt as if thunder had struck him from all sides.

“Humans created immortals? What nonsense is this!”

On the other end of the phone, the sound of battle cries thundered, and the voice of the young Lord Taishang sounded weary. “Hua Sheng, what we face is an enemy unlike any before. The Ruyi Golden Staff is the only weapon that can shatter the Saturn Veil, and the only one that can strike at the true body of Netherworld. Only then can we discover who she really is, and where she comes from! You are the last hope—the last hope for the salvation of the human world!”

The call ended.

Hua Sheng was left in a state of utter emptiness.

Alone, he knelt at the fringe of the towering skyscraper.

Weiyu. Netherworld. Saturn Veil.

The indifference of Heaven, the detachment of Saint Pingning.

Fragmented clues began to connect, yet the gaps between them seemed impossible to fill.

Hua Sheng did not know how much power he possessed, nor how the Academy of Arts and Dao should confront this war. He didn’t even know who the once familiar girl truly was.

He lowered his head to gaze below, and the breathtaking city skyline unfolded before his eyes. If he abandoned the fight now, it would spell disaster for all humankind.

Right—the glazed Buddhist incense was burning low; it would soon reach its end. Time was running out. What remained for him was scant.

He only knew, whether he fought or fled, whether victory or defeat awaited him,

What he left for himself—

Was nothing but despair.

The fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, Mid-Autumn.

Above the Pearl River in Guangzhou, wisps of gentle clouds drifted by, casting a rare serenity. The sky was deep blue and unfathomable; a cool breeze rustled the willow trees along the riverbank, shaking loose flecks of golden sunlight at the horizon.

The entire city of Guangzhou was strangely quiet; streets once bustling with traffic now lay empty. The noise of engines was gone, along with the pungent smell of gasoline, leaving only a faint fragrance of osmanthus in the air.

In the distance, the setting sun hung like a fiery orb at the edge of the sky, dazzling and bright, painting the west in brilliant crimson. Now, the sky became a dark blue sea, clouds like fish swimming toward the sunset, nestling in the golden glow. Sometimes, the sky turned into a magical prism, arranging beautiful pieces of glass in neat rows around the fiery orb, glowing orange, purple, and red.

Heaven and earth transformed into a vast, resplendent stage.

On the wide Pearl River, several cruise boats were moored, their hulls gilded by the sunset, the water draped in splendid brocade. As the boats moved, they seemed to stir a dazzling silk with fish-scale patterns, momentarily brilliant and blooming with colors.

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

Beside the quiet, deserted street, an old brick house opened its wooden door, and out stepped a boy of about seven or eight. He wore brand new black suspenders and a crisp white shirt, pinned with a brooch shaped like a sky lantern. He was dressed neatly, as if headed to visit guests, or celebrating a festival. Yet he cradled a sky lantern almost as tall as himself.

He turned and called into the house, “Dad, Mom! Grandpa, Grandma! Hurry up, we’re about to leave!”

“We’re coming, we’re coming!” came the gentle voices of the elders from inside.

The boy’s lantern seemed light, but its craftsmanship was exquisite; its maker must have devoted much effort. Through the translucent paper, the bamboo frame inside could be glimpsed. When the boy turned, the calligraphy on either side of the lantern became visible. On the left: Tranquility. On the right: Peace. Though not written by a master, the script carried deep hope and longing.

At that moment, the boy’s father stepped outside.

“Careful not to break it, better give it to me,” he said.

“Don’t worry,” the boy hugged the lantern, unwilling to let go, “I won’t break it!”

Grandpa followed, speaking to the father, “Let him carry it. We’re the older generation now; this world belongs to them. If it’s theirs, it’s up to them to protect it. We must trust them. What matters in guardianship isn’t age, but faith and feeling. We may not do any better than these children.”

Grandma added, “Let them have it—trust is essential.”

“Exactly!” the boy pouted. “Don’t underestimate me!”

Mom, adorned with elegant lipstick and high heels, fashionably linked arms with her husband. “Just make sure my happiness is looked after!”

Father laughed heartily, “Alright, alright! Even if we can’t always be together, we’re family! Today’s a fine day—let’s go!”

Three generations, five family members, walked onto the empty street. Not far away stood the Guangzhou Tower, known as “Little Waist.” The family arrived at the plaza beneath the tower, where many staff were waiting to guide them. A woman in uniform greeted them, “Welcome! You must have seen today’s announcement about the tower’s top floor being open. You’re the first family to arrive!”

Led by the staff, the family took an elevator to the central “Spider-Man Walk,” crossed the cloud bridge in the sky, passed the revolving restaurant, the rooftop Ferris wheel, and the “Sky Drop,” finally reaching the outdoor platform of the “Little Waist.” Looking down from the platform, they saw other families arriving, each carrying sky lanterns.

From this height, the sky felt closer, the clouds within reach. Even at five hundred meters, the wind seemed gentle.

“Perfect weather for sky lanterns!” Grandpa sighed. “The last time I released one with family was over seventy years ago.”

The boy lifted his lantern. “Dad, Mom! Grandpa, Grandma! Help me together!”

“Of course!” the whole family replied in unison.

Grandpa asked, “Did you bring the lighter?”

Father said, “How could I forget something so important? Dad, you say we must trust the kids, but don’t forget us!”

“Exactly!” Grandpa patted his son’s shoulder.

Father produced a deep red lighter. The boy raised the lantern, revealing the cotton soaked in alcohol inside.

“With such a big cotton ball, it should fly high!” Father lit the lighter, ready to ignite the cotton, but a gust blew out the flame. He tried again, but the small flame was easily extinguished by even the mild breeze.

Grandma suggested, “Let’s all shield it; this little flame is too fragile.” The two elders and mother stretched out their hands, cupping the tiny flame.

The flame flickered, like a fragile seed of hope, but with the family’s care, it finally caught. The cotton was lit! At that moment, the lantern became translucent, glowing like a giant orange gem.

All five gently held the edge of the lantern.

“Make a wish!” the boy said. “Don’t we always make a wish before releasing a sky lantern?”

They closed their eyes together, offering their heartfelt wishes.

“One! Two! Three!” they called together.

“Lift off!”

The sky lantern rose from their hands, spinning gently, floating toward the deep blue sky.

“So high, so high!” The boy clapped and jumped with joy, asking in his childish voice, “It’s flying so high—will Grandpa and Grandma in Taipei be able to see it?”

“They will!” Grandpa gazed at the rising lantern, thoughtful. “I’m sure they will.”

Mom said, “I bet Grandpa and Grandma are releasing lanterns right now, too! Because we’re family!”

“Really? That’s wonderful!” The boy clapped happily. “I hope I’ll see their lanterns too.”

Just then, another lantern drifted up nearby, then a third, a fourth, a fifth—then ten, twenty, thirty, then a hundred, two hundred, three hundred…

More and more sky lanterns soared from the city.

From the tower, across the broad Haixinsha Plaza, the ground was covered with lanterns ready to ascend. By the river, lines of container trucks were parked neatly. Staff opened the rear doors, releasing countless lanterns.

At the same time, high-speed trains from all over the country sped toward the southeastern coastal cities. Before entering the stations, they stopped on open tracks, staff swiftly opened the doors, and every carriage was packed with handmade lanterns from across the nation. They floated skyward from the trains.

The lanterns clustered together, thousands, then tens of thousands, rising in coastal cities like budding stars, diamonds illuminating the night sky.

“Wow! So beautiful!” The child exclaimed joyfully, and the whole family cheered.

The sunset deepened, the horizon glowing purple-red.

The universe vast, the full moon shining bright.

From Fujian, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, countless lanterns painted an unprecedented spectacle across a thousand miles of sky.

Amid this wondrous scene, the immense Academy of Arts and Dao soared from the sea like a colossal warship. Its pavilions and towers were adorned with fluttering banners, joining the countless lanterns drifting from the shore, all reaching for the heavens!

Residents along the coast, dozens of kilometers away, could see the seven-hundred-meter waves the academy stirred as it burst from the sea, and the giant rainbow connecting ocean and sky.

The battle that would decide humanity’s fate, defending the cosmos—

At long last—

Had begun!