Chapter 409

Shi Hao stepped out of the cross-realm teleportation gate, patted his belly contentedly and stretched lazily.

These past few days of eating, drinking, and merrymaking had been utterly indulgent; the immortal energy and spiritual energy inside him had accumulated to the point he could barely keep up with digestion.

He hadn't expected that merely mentioning the counterfeit wine was weak would prompt his good brother Su Lin to generously lay out several full tables of real wine—truly filthy rich.

Shi Hao checked the empty bottles he'd collected; they shouldn't be discovered. He'd bring him some ingredients and a complete collection of human-form divine techniques next time to make up for it.

"Now I must deal with the Remnant Immortal. Huo Ling'er is still alive—I must return to the Other Realm and bring her back." In a daze, Shi Hao saw that scene again.

It was a grove of fire-sang trees, on a corner of Sin Province, the entire canopy blazing red, petals fallen, crimson as blood, drifting down in countless fragments.

Must I wait ten thousand years?

Never!

Not even ten thousand years, not even a thousand—I will bring Huo Ling'er back from the darkness.

Shi Hao gazed toward the heavens beyond, as if piercing through the void to see the essence; he clenched his fists violently, shattering the last remnants of the Zhe Xian curse within him.

"Is this what you wanted to make up for?"

He withdrew his gaze and strode firmly toward the Virtual God Realm; in a single thought, the fire-sang tree he had planted before the hut in Shi Village burst into full bloom with vivid crimson flowers, petals scattering, swirling and falling, one by one, translucent and gleaming.

The plan has changed—he must now announce his return to everyone!

Arriving in the Virtual God Realm, Chi Long immediately rushed over and asked Shi Hao: "Master, the realm gate is crowded—many people have come, claiming to be your old friends. Will you go meet them?"

Niao Ye and Jingbi Daye also stormed over to Shi Hao's side, cursing:

"Brat, you teamed up with that unknown Forbidden Zone lord and shattered the gate! Do you know how long it took us two old men to repair it?!"

"Those bastards knock on the gate every day—now the elderly can't even find a quiet place!"

Shi Hao laughed; these two old men were Immortal Kings from the Ancient Immortal Era—he'd been puzzled about their identities until he read the book.

He bowed to Niao Ye and Jingbi Daye, and the two, impatient, reopened the realm gate.

The instant the gate opened, the heroes from the Upper Realm rushed in without hesitation, countless voices calling out "Huang!"

Shi Hao altered his aura and arrived at the edge of the Mist Zone, originally intending to wait here for familiar friends and capture some disciples of major sects—but he unexpectedly spotted someone he hadn't anticipated.

Ye Qianxian walked through the mist like a celestial maiden descending from the Immortal Realm, solitary and detached from the world.

"Why are you here too?" Shi Hao revealed his true face and asked: "This is rare indeed."

Ye Qianxian's bright eyes flashed with eagerness as she demanded:

"Who is that Forbidden Zone lord you've been with? Is his real name Ye Fan?!"

"Uh…" Shi Hao hesitated, unsure whether to speak—he pressed his forehead, suddenly remembering this woman was Ye Fan's future granddaughter.

"Aren't you the one who teamed up with the Forbidden Zone lord Ye Fan and captured one of the Xiandian Sect's Supreme Beings?" Ye Qianxian pressed: "Speak up! Are you mute?!"

Su Lin, the Su Zongzhu, had pulled a trick that completely trapped both Ye Fan and him—how could he explain this?

Could he say, "I just had dinner with your grandfather, and now he's in the future fighting eight hundred rounds with a group of Four Poles cultivators"?

"I don't know any Forbidden Zone lord named Ye Fan. In fact, the one who acted that day was named Su Lin." He changed the subject, but Ye Qianxian's face showed clear disappointment.

Maybe he should just tell her? It might be interesting.

"Since you're here anyway, wait a moment."

Before he finished speaking, someone shouted: "Huang! You conspired with the Forbidden Zone to murder our Xiandian Sect's Supreme Being and Immortal Realm emissary—your crime is unforgivable!!!"

A crowd of cultivators flew toward them, clearly targeting Shi Hao, who was chatting with Ye Qianxian.

His words drew the attention of cultivators within a hundred li, all rushing over—including Yue Chan, Cao Yusheng, Tianjiao Yi, and others.

"Huang!"

"You're really alive?!"

An elderly Xiandian Sect member, along with numerous noble scions and Immortal Realm guests, rushed forward even faster, demanding:

"Release our Xiandian Sect's leader and Supreme Being immediately! That day, our Zhenxian shouldn't have shown mercy and spared your life!"

The Immortal Realm emissary also said: "Who is this Forbidden Zone lord you're allied with? Why did you slaughter our Immortal Realm disciples?!"

Su Lin and Ye Fan were right—the familiar flavor, even in the post-ancient era after countless millennia, remained unchanged.

"Shut your filthy mouth!" Cao Yusheng cursed outright: "Why didn't your Zhenxian go to the Emperor's Border and instead target Huang?! He's a coward!"

"How dare you insult our Zhenxian?!" The Xiandian elder's beard trembled with rage.

Tianjiao Yi asked curiously: "Isn't your Xiandian Sect's Zhenxian insane? Why aren't you back home taking care of his shit and piss, standing here blabbering?"

At these words, many others immediately agreed.

"This is karma!"

"Yes, Huang accomplished great deeds in the Upper Realm, yet your Xiandian Sect acted this way—Heaven itself must have been disgusted."

"An insane Remnant Immortal, your Supreme Being and Sect Leader missing—if you hadn't persecuted Huang back then, would any of this have happened?"

These people weren't necessarily acting from conviction—only because Huang now held that value.

"The Remnant Immortal went insane?!" Shi Hao exclaimed.

"Yeah, the very day you and that Forbidden Zone lord made the Xiandian Sect's Supreme Being and Sect Leader vanish, the Remnant Immortal lost his mind—everyone in the Upper Realm saw him slashing at himself." Cao Yusheng leaned over, grinning:

"I thought you did it—turns out you didn't even know?"

"Still, you've got to admit—his aura at the time was terrifyingly strong. Many suspected he was going to break through by burning all bridges—but he failed in the end."

"Now he's probably clinging to life somewhere—hmm… at least he won't be moving for another one or two thousand years."

The Xiandian Sect members turned pale at Cao Yusheng's tirade—it was true. Their Remnant Immortal had indeed gone mad, killing anyone he saw, even himself, muttering about "demons."

"Huang! I ask you—where are the Immortal Realm's my lord and the Jin family's disciples?!" A Jin family cultivator barked: "Who exactly are you allied with?!"

Shi Hao pondered, answering instinctively: "The humanoid ones were eaten. The rest were slaughtered."

"You?!" All the cultivators sucked in a breath—they hadn't expected Huang to be even more lawless than before, openly stating such things in public.

"You're hoarding it all!" The Taiyin Jade Rabbit glared with wine-red eyes: "Not even a bite for us?!"

"Sorry—the lifeforms inside that Forbidden Zone were just too greedy." Shi Hao swiftly blamed the group chat members, then suddenly changed his tone:

"Better to act now than wait for a lucky day; look over there, there's another golden crane."

The Immortal Realm envoy roared: "Huang, how dare you!!!"

What he didn't know was that, including himself, many hostile cultivators had already been listed by Shi Hao—ranked by cultivation technique priority and ingredient priority.

Shi Hao said to Ye Qingxian beside him:

"I just remembered there's someone named Ye Fan inside their forbidden zone—if you help me gather some ingredients, I'll ask if they'll let you come along too."

Ye Qingxian smiled at this and said: "I can't act directly; at most, I can block the Supreme Beings rushing over."

She didn't belong to this era; direct intervention would incur karmic retribution.

"Enough." Shi Hao grinned. "I'll ask that guy who likes to smash things with his cauldron right away."

Ye Qingxian, who had thought Shi Hao was joking, froze in place. A flicker of shock and doubt passed through her eyes; after nodding at Shi Hao, she instantly flew toward the boundary gate between the Spirit Realm and the Illusory God Realm.

Shi Hao smiled faintly, looking at the enemies who had summoned their artifacts, and said: "This time, keep the humanoid ones too!"

Cao Yusheng and the others, who had been rubbing their hands together, instantly turned back, eyes wide with disbelief.

Has this guy finally walked the path of no return!?

Su Su Tuoni Stark: "Friends, isn't this a messaging app?"

Su Su Tuoni Stark: "Why does it feel sometimes lively here, then suddenly dead quiet?"

Su Lin: "Mr. Stark, what time is it over there?"

Su Su Tuoni Stark: "Six o'clock. I'm having breakfast with Pepper. At nine, I have to attend a memorial for disaster victims—they invited the Pope to preside, and the Avengers must be there too."

Su Lin: "May their souls find peace in heaven. But it's two a. m. here—time zones, my friend!"

Miss Kelaien: "Hey guys, can we switch to a different tone? I swear to God, this is even more rigid than Uncle Sam's classic leather boots."

Su Lin: "I swear to the Three Pure Ones—I'll kick your ass with Uncle Sam's classic leather boots!"

Meng Qi: "Amitabha Buddha, oh my, how cruel."

Zhang Chuanyan: "Lords, I was just about to sleep—now how am I supposed to sleep…"

This group is too wild—I'm wide awake now.

Meng Qi: "Wu Liang Tian Zun. Speaking of sleep, this Daoist finally gets to rest and head home. @Su Lin, leave me a schedule—I'll drop by someday."

Su Lin: "Before you go, give me back my sword!!!"

As the seal was lifted, the value of the Tianqing Yu Xu Sword continued to rise—it wasn't something comparable to an ordinary Emperor Artifact.

Sensing his property was being quietly stolen, Su Lin reminded the increasingly forgetful Meng Qi once again.

Su Su Tuoni Stark: "Where's Ge Xiaolun? I haven't seen him these past few days—I promised him a suit of armor if he came to help me with a research project."

Ge Xiaolun: "Dude, Su Su Tuoni, you're not seriously trying to get me registered as an alien the moment I land, right?!"

Su Su Tuoni Stark: "I'll post your bail—don't worry."

Ge Xiaolun: "No way!"

Zhongli: "Actually, there's no need to worry too much. After multiple experiments, we've confirmed the chat group and cross-realm talismans have certain unique properties."

Zhongli: "The chat group offers some protection to the soul. When our bodies are invaded by another powerful force, our souls remain independent and retain partial awareness."

Zhongli: "The portal opened by the cross-realm talisman has the property of being unobservable except by non-visual means. I suspect that if we travel to other worlds via the talisman, as long as we don't actively reveal ourselves, there's a chance we won't be detected by other powerful beings."

Su Lin: "Well said. I know the first two points—so who's going to test the last one? I think the Marvel universe would make a great experimental base. @Ge Xiaolun"

Miss Kelaien: "@Ge Xiaolun"

Meng Qi: "@Ge Xiaolun"

Li Huowang: "@Galen"

Song Shuhang: "@Power of Demacia"

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan: "@Grassland Lun"

Ge Xiaolun: "Lords! I'm just a five-strength weakling! Is this really necessary!?"

Ge Xiaolun jolted awake from his top bunk, leaping up, his whole body covered in goosebumps.

This must be it—the special treatment for new members.

【Penglai Penglai Shan Huiye has entered soul state】

【Penglai Penglai Shan Huiye has been revived】

Penglai Penglai Shan Huiye: "Want some turkey giblet soup? @Su Lin, that purple old hag has been watching me for days—come see my true form and I'll treat you to giblet soup."

Su Lin: "Creepy. No thanks."

Penglai Penglai Shan Huiye: "How about grilled skewers? This could be a great chance for Paradise-ification!"

Su Lin: ". I don't understand."

Penglai Penglai Shan Huiye: "Song Shuhang said you had this on your computer—I thought you liked it."

Su Lin: "?"

Song Shuhang stared at his screen, flooded with application notifications, panic rising—he'd just been enjoying the plot progression with White Senior on Heaven Island, happily imagining what kind of tractor he'd prepare, when his mood instantly soured.

Song Shuhang: "When did I ever say that!!! Huiye, you're slandering me—don't spread lies!"

Penglai Penglai Shan Huiye: "Maybe I misheard when you were drunk? Something about your senior's computer having Japanese study materials?"

Su Lin: "Stop joking—Song Shuhang will be troubled."

Song Shuhang exhaled in relief. That's right—it was English study material, not Japanese. The old Zhang Mama was right after all: the prettier the woman, the better she lies. (A Shiliu, Yu Rouzi, Ye Si whom he'd never met, Xiao Yin Zhu, Cong Niang… the exceptions are omitted.)

Seeing Song Shuhang's face shift again like Sichuan opera, King Dou Dou looked at him curiously—but this time, Song Shuhang shook his head. Some things couldn't be widely spread; the consequences would be severe.

King Dou Dou sighed: "When will you, as administrator, add a function to invite people into the group?"

"King Dou Dou's suggestion is good. Once you become administrator, you can propose adding this feature to the chat group," White Zunzhe smiled.

"Of course," Song Shuhang smiled. "But it'll be much better once Senior Meng Qi's Ten-Thousand-World Knowledge Sphere is out."

It seemed he had once established a similar "Jiuzhou No. 2 Group" in the future—but that was a matter for later. Song Shuhang glanced at his cultivation, crushed to its absolute limit, and sighed inwardly.

What do I do if I'm cultivating too fast? Online waiting, very urgent.

Song Shuhang: "What do I do if I'm cultivating too fast? Online waiting, very urgent."

Ye Fan: "???"

Song Shuhang: "Did I even post the message?"

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan: "Heaven above!!!"

Han Li: "."

Li Huowang: "Brother Song, if I read more books in the future, can I become like you?"

Song Shuhang: "Probably… uh, did I not post any info about Elder Su Lin?"

Su Lin: "What were you trying to post?"

Song Shuhang: "Nothing."

Su Su Tuoni Stark: "Quite lively, everyone? Looks like I don't need to watch boring morning news during breakfast."

Ye Fan: "Not lively at all. My heart is as cold as iron, brittle as glass."

Weigong Shilang: "President, as long as you're happy."

Shi Hao: "@Ye Fan, can I bring a friend to your future era?"

Ye Fan: "No problem, as long as you don't yell 'Serve the dishes!' beside me. Our End-Dharma Era can't handle your antics."

Shi Hao: "Alright."

While trying to find a suitable tiny dosage for Li Huowang and conducting anomaly-free experiments with the help of enthusiastic netizens, Su Lin suddenly shuddered, turning the Yin-Yang Sect's prospective Holy Son into a being of light.

'Maybe I should take a break?'

Let's go take a stroll in Ye Fan's world and return these guys—they can handle far less than Li Huowang.

(End of Chapter)