Chapter 51: Sword Tomb Aftermath: A Race Against Death Before the Secret Realm

Shen Yan’s foot had just taken its third step when three cracks abruptly burst open at the end of the light path.

Ye Shi’er remained standing in place, unmoving, but the “him” that had emerged from the void stood expressionlessly blocking the exit, a blood-colored scythe in hand. Behind him, two Shadow Erosion Assassins cloaked in dark-patterned capes floated twisted data runes in their palms, as if they had inscribed the entire formation into their skin.

“You’re serious about this?” Shen Yan narrowed his eyes.

The Ye Shi’er opposite him sneered, “What do you think? The Heavenly Dao route shouldn’t be monopolized by you.”

Before the words had fully faded, the scythe swept out, a black streak tearing through the air, aimed directly at Shen Yan’s throat. Ye Zhao reacted with lightning speed; Frost Soul Sword left its sheath in an instant, its Sword Qi slashing horizontally like a silver ribbon, forcibly intercepting the attack. The residual shockwaves surged, cracking the ground in a spiderweb pattern and shattering several stone steles on the spot.

“Binary Sword Formation, initiate.” Shen Yan barked in a low voice, his fingers swiping rapidly across his phone screen.

Dust-Severing Sword hummed and trembled, its blade glowing with faint green light patterns as countless tiny Code characters flowed along the sword’s edge, weaving into a net in the air. Simultaneously, Ye Zhao shifted her sword stance, her Sword Qi splitting into thousands of fine streams that precisely interlocked with those Code characters, forming a translucent defensive barrier.

Genuine Sword Intent and virtual Program merged perfectly, instantly constructing a rotating double-helix sword formation.

The two assassins struck at the same time, the runes in their palms exploding into two devouring Spiritual Power vortices. But the moment they collided with the sword formation, the Code reversed and parsed them, dismantling the Spiritual Power into fundamental particles that dissipated into nothingness like formatted Data.

“Nicely done.” Shen Yan grinned.

But Ye Zhao frowned, “They’re not targeting us; they’re targeting the Teleportation Array.”

Sure enough, the fake Ye Shi’er’s gaze was fixed intently on the cyan patterns emerging from the ground—the sign that the “Abyss Gate” was activating.

“Trying to run?” that person snorted coldly, thrusting the scythe into the ground, actually using his own Spiritual Root as a conduit to inject a segment of chaotic Code in reverse. Shen Yan’s Terminal immediately issued an alarm:

【Warning: Same-source Code intrusion Detected】

【Main Program Latency: 3.7 seconds】

【Recommend immediate termination of Run】

“Damn, they can even copy my homework?” Shen Yan’s expression changed, and he decisively severed the main control Protocol.

But the cost came.

A bloody gash burst open with a “crack” on the Meridians of his left arm, blood flowing down his sleeve. He grunted, his knees buckling slightly, nearly collapsing.

“You’re hurt!” Ye Zhao stepped sideways to shield him, her Sword Qi surging as she repelled a sneak attack.

“It’s nothing.” Shen Yan wiped away the blood. “Just fixing a Bug, and incidentally treating myself as an Anomaly too.”

He gritted his teeth and straightened up, staring at the Teleportation Array about to take form. He knew clearly in his heart—the Permission window period was less than thirty seconds left. If they didn’t leave now, they’d never get in.

“We have to forcibly expand capacity.” he muttered.

“What?” Ye Zhao turned her head.

“This formation was originally only meant to send two people.” Shen Yan looked at her, then glanced at the real Ye Shi’er. “Now there are three.”

“Then let me stay behind.” Ye Shi’er suddenly spoke up. “I’m not afraid of death, nor of being locked out.”

“Cut the nonsense.” Shen Yan sneered. “You’re the key Variable. Without you, the System authentication fails outright.”

With that, he suddenly bit through the tip of his finger, smearing the blood onto the blade of Dust-Severing Sword. As he swiftly drew talismanic patterns, he silently recited:

“Initiate Hidden Protocol—’Abyss Gate’! Identity authentication: Developer’s Return; Permission Level: S; Execute Command: Forced expansion, vehicle capacity increased to three!”

The sword trembled violently, a cyan light shot into the sky, and all the runes on the ground lit up, forming a massive Tai Chi-shaped magic array. A vortex slowly rotated at its center, swallowing and spewing chaotic spatial currents.

“It worked!” Shen Yan let out a sigh of relief.

But in the next instant, the fake Ye Shi’er abandoned his defense, transforming into a dark shadow that lunged toward the Formation Eye at the center—as long as the core node was destroyed, the teleportation would be interrupted!

“Seeking death!” Ye Zhao tried to pursue, but was tightly entangled by two assassins.

Shen Yan had no time to think. He grabbed the Dust-Severing Sword and stabbed it backward into his own chest!

“Are you insane?!” Ye Zhao screamed.

“Every programmer knows—” he coughed up a mouthful of blood, the sword tip already half an inch deep in his chest, “the most critical patches must be written with Life Essence Blood.”

Blood flowed down the sword blade, seeping into the Formation Patterns. The energy field, originally only supporting two people, began to fluctuate violently, forcibly opening a third channel. The Teleportation Array’s light surged, and spacetime distortion intensified.

“Go!” Shen Yan roared.

Ye Zhao hesitated no longer. She grabbed his arm and leaped into the light stream.

Just as her figure vanished, Ye Shi’er hesitated for a moment. He looked at that back fighting desperately for him, his mask completely shattered, revealing a face identical to Shen Yan’s.

Then, he also jumped in.

The moment the three entered the light vortex, a deafening explosion erupted behind them—the fake Ye Shi’er’s final strike finally hit the Formation Eye. The entire Sword Tomb entrance shook violently, stone tablets collapsed one after another, and the Secret Realm’s gate slammed shut!

Spatial currents cut like knives, scraping their skin painfully. Ye Zhao gritted her teeth and channeled Sword Qi, forming a protective barrier around the three to barely withstand the tearing force. Shen Yan, with the sword still embedded in his chest, was pale-faced but still tightly clutching his phone. The screen continuously refreshed:

【Transmission Progress: 23%…】

【Unknown interference encountered】

【Emergency deceleration recommended】

“Don’t stop…” he gasped, “if we stop, we can’t go back…”

Ye Shi’er floated beside him, reaching out to support his shoulder, and whispered, “Do you remember when we were kids? Hiding in the data pod, you always said my code was too sloppy.”

“Your code now is even worse,” Shen Yan coughed blood, “and you still dare to steal my account…”

Before he could finish, the entire space shook violently!

【Warning: External locking signal detected】

【Suspected tracking anchor present】

【Clear?】

Shen Yan forced himself to raise his hand and tapped twice in the air.

“Clear.”

【Confirmed execution】

【Releasing Purification Protocol】

A cluster of golden-red flames ignited out of thin air, burning along the Data Stream toward the rear, incinerating the secretly implanted tracking code into ashes.

Ye Zhao looked at him and suddenly asked quietly, “You knew this would happen all along?”

“Mm,” Shen Yan nodded, “I started writing contingency plans from the day Old Ancestor dragged me away. Only… I never thought I’d actually have to use myself as a USB Drive.”

She couldn’t speak, only gripping his hand tightly.

Transmission continued.

56%…

67%…

72%…

Suddenly, Ye Shi’er’s expression changed: “Something’s wrong! The coordinates ahead are shifting!”

Shen Yan looked up. At the end of the light path, where there should have been a stable spatial channel, now appeared a massive crack. Inside, crimson thunderstorms churned, as if leading to some abandoned Server Graveyard.

“This isn’t the original route!” He slammed his phone. “The System has been hijacked! Someone altered the destination!”

“Who?” Ye Zhao asked.

“Don’t know.” Shen Yan gritted his teeth. “But it definitely isn’t Shadow Erosion—their Permissions aren’t high enough.”

He quickly pulled up the underlying Log, scanning line by line for anomalous Processes. Suddenly, a hidden record popped up:

【Last Modified By: Mother of Tribulation】

【Additional Command: Bring back the child】

Shen Yan’s pupils contracted.

Mother?

Before he could think further, the entire space shook violently again, and the three of them were thrown uncontrollably forward. Ye Zhao clung tightly to him, Ye Shi’er positioned himself in front as a shield, and the three were hurled mercilessly into that crimson rift!

Wind howled, lightning danced wildly.

The last Image Shen Yan saw was Ye Zhao’s lips pressed against his ear, as if she had said something.

Then, the world plunged into chaos.

The transmission progress bar halted at seventy-eight.

A fragment of broken Code drifted in the fractured void, like an unfinished sentence:

【Welcome home, son】

(End of Chapter)