Chapter 177 – Re-entering the Instance: Ancient Cultivator's Sword Tomb

“Xiao Gao, next time some blind fools like these come around, don’t wait for them to break the seal. Just open it directly and I’ll deal with them personally.”

“What era is this already? Still dreaming about conquering the world – how boring is that?”

“Never mind whether you can actually do it, even if you succeeded, they probably wouldn’t let those mortals have enough energy to properly develop games.”

“What’s the point of a world without games?”

“Alright, I’m off. Keep guarding the door properly while I go back to gaming.”

Go out and cause trouble with the Black Lotus Sect?

Not a chance in hell!

Causing trouble can’t compare to how fun games are – it has no interest in making trouble at all.

Besides, it had recently discovered a game called ‘Source God’ and was having great fun playing it.

Only someone with a screw loose would go outside with these guys!

Under the complicated gaze of Shanhai Bureau guard Gao Riping, Taowu twisted its chubby body and returned to the underground prison on its own.

Though called an underground prison, the place actually resembled an e-sports room filled with various gaming equipment.

Soon after, Taowu’s body shrank to the size of a normal pet.

Then it ran to its sofa, picked up the game controller from the floor, and looked excitedly at the large screen.

“Source God, start!”

Sealed Land of the Four Fiends – Hundun.

“What’s going on? Didn’t we set up the formation in advance? Why is Hundun’s cultivation still rising so quickly, and why won’t it communicate with us at all!”

Rabbit looked at the twisted mass of flesh in the valley with an unpleasant expression.

They had clearly followed the plan and done everything right.

Not only had they successfully dealt with the Shanhai Bureau guardians of Hundun’s Sealed Land,

they had even released Hundun from the Sealed Land afterwards.

And for safety’s sake, they had prepared the formation in advance.

All to prevent Hundun from recovering its power too quickly, which would make it impossible for them to subdue it and take it out of the Mountains-Seas Realm.

But despite all their preparations, things had still gone wrong somehow.

After emerging from the Sealed Land, Hundun had somehow achieved cultivation comparable to the Golden Core Stage in a very short time.

And this power was still rapidly increasing.

Even though their formation was applying significant suppression on Hundun,

they still couldn’t stop its cultivation from rising.

Besides that, they had tried multiple times to communicate with Hundun,

to see if they could persuade it to leave the Mountains-Seas Realm with them.

But these attempts had all ended in failure.

Because Hundun seemed to lack any concept of self, making communication impossible.

Watching the continuously expanding Hundun, Rabbit couldn’t help asking: “What should we do? Should we try to suppress it now and force it to come with us, or should we abandon this place and head directly to the teleportation formation I prepared?”

Boar thought for a moment before saying: “We should still try. After all, if the Leader finds out we ran without accomplishing anything, he’ll definitely punish us.”

Serpent nearby nodded and said: “Let’s follow Boar’s suggestion. We’ll try first, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll reconsider.”

Seeing that both shared this opinion, Rabbit had no choice but to agree with the decision.

Soon, all three unleashed their Golden Core Dharma Bodies

and began launching attacks against the Hundun below.Though their attacks were powerful, they caused little real harm to Hundun.

Witnessing this, the three of them grew grim-faced.

They felt the situation had spiraled beyond their control.

This Vicious Beast, Hundun, was far too bizarre.

After yet another futile assault, Rabbit said anxiously, “Let’s go. We can’t possibly subdue it. If we stay, we’ll die by its hand before the Shanhai Bureau even gets to us.”

Hearing this, Pig chimed in, “Agreed. Staying would only be a futile struggle, with no benefit to the bigger picture.”

Since both Rabbit and Pig were of the same mind, Serpent naturally didn’t insist on staying.

“Let’s go.”

Soon after, the three hurried off in a certain direction within the Mountains-Seas Realm.

Freed from their restraints, Hundun’s body swelled faster and faster, quickly transforming into a colossal mountain of flesh.

Once it had expanded to a certain size, Hundun grew dissatisfied with just the valley and began moving beyond it.

Wherever it went, not a blade of grass was left alive.

In a special valley within the Mountains-Seas Realm, Rabbit had set up a unique teleportation array capable of temporarily opening a special passageway there.

It was through this method that the other members of the Twelve Earthly Branches had entered the Mountains-Seas Realm without using the Shanhai Bureau’s realm gates.

Not long after Rabbit and the others returned, Dragon and Tiger of the Twelve Earthly Branches also came back.

Accompanying them was a fierce-looking, extraordinary beast—Qiongqi, one of the Four Fiends.

It resembled a tiger, was as large as an ox, and had a pair of wings.

Qiongqi eyed the group, narrowing its eyes slightly as if gazing upon a delicious meal.

Had it not struck some sort of deal with Dragon and Tiger, agreeing not to easily attack members of the Black Lotus Sect, it would have long given in to its cannibalistic urges.

After all, having been sealed away for so long, it hadn’t properly feasted on humans in ages.

Dragon looked at Rabbit and the others who had returned to the teleportation site and asked gravely, “What of the Vicious Beast Hundun?”

Rabbit replied, “We failed. Hundun is impossible to communicate with, and our cultivation levels aren’t enough to suppress it. We had no choice but to return.”

Dragon studied Rabbit intently for a long moment, as if gauging the truth of her words.

Rabbit showed no fear in response, for everything she said was true.

Seeing her reaction, Dragon seemed to believe her and said calmly, “Understood.”

Hearing this, Rabbit and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

Although they were all part of the Twelve Earthly Branches, Dragon’s strength far surpassed theirs.

For reasons unknown, Dragon had no desire to become a Protector of the Black Lotus Sect.

Otherwise, he could have long shed his identity as an Altar Lord and risen higher.

Dragon scanned the surroundings and noticed that aside from them, six others had yet to return.

“Has Ox and the others not returned either?”

Rabbit shook her head. “No. I tried contacting them earlier but couldn’t reach them at all. They must have run into trouble as well.”

At this, Dragon’s expression darkened.

Of the four Vicious Beasts in the Mountains-Seas Realm, had only he and Tiger succeeded in their mission?”Hehehe, it seems your Black Lotus Sect is even more useless than I imagined.”

“So, do you need me to help you capture the other Four Fiends?”

“Though if you want me to take action, you’ll have to prepare enough food for me, hehehe…”

Dragon turned his head to look at Qiongqi, who was watching them with a mocking expression.

Although he was quite dissatisfied with Rabbit and the others’ failure, they were ultimately his own people.

While Qiongqi had agreed to join them, he did so as a collaborator rather than joining the Black Lotus Sect.

Therefore, out of loyalty to his companions, Dragon said coldly: “Our affairs don’t require your concern.”

Then Dragon said to Rabbit and the others: “Three days. If Ox and the others haven’t returned in three days, they probably won’t be coming back. We’ll leave directly then.”

“Understood.”

Qingzhou Shanhai Division

“How goes it? When can the realm gate be opened?”

Seeing Ao Ze, the Director of Qingzhou Shanhai Division appear before him, the person in charge of preparing to open the new realm gate stepped forward.

“Reporting to Guardian Ao, we’ll be able to reopen the realm gate in three more days.”

“As you know, the realm gates of the Mountains-Seas Realm are quite complex. Opening them repeatedly in a short period requires assistance from colleagues in other divisions.”

“We’re doing our best and striving to open the realm gate as quickly as possible.”

Though aware this was the truth, Ao Ze still said: “Find a way to make it faster.”

“Yes.”

After speaking, Ao Ze stared coldly at the realm gate before him.

Just a few days ago, he had suddenly received news.

That the Seals on the Four Fiends in the Mountains-Seas Realm had loosened.

Among this batch of people who entered the Mountains-Seas Realm, someone seemed to have used some method to release the sealed Four Fiends.

This was not good news for Ao Ze.

Because the Four Fiends were extraordinary – once they regained their strength, they would undoubtedly become a major threat to the Immortal Alliance.

Therefore, almost immediately upon receiving the news, the entire Immortal Alliance began mobilizing.

And within an extremely short time, they had uncovered the general details of the incident.

What surprised Ao Ze was that according to the investigation results,

The starting point of this incident actually turned out to be the Qingzhou Shanhai Division under his jurisdiction.

The Demonic Path Cultivator who infiltrated the Mountains-Seas Realm had entered precisely through his division’s realm gate.

This was undoubtedly a major stain on Ao Ze’s record.

That’s why he was so urgently trying to resolve this matter quickly.

At the very least, he needed to minimize the impact of this incident as much as possible.

If the Four Fiends remained in the Mountains-Seas Realm, the situation wouldn’t be too serious.

But if even one of the Four Fiends managed to leave the Mountains-Seas Realm, he as the Guardian of the Shanhai Bureau would inevitably face charges of dereliction of duty.

After all, that Demonic Path Cultivator had entered the Mountains-Seas Realm through the Qingzhou Shanhai Division’s realm gate.

Thinking of this, Ao Ze’s eyes turned icy cold.

He’d better not find out who was helping that Demonic Path Cultivator.

Otherwise, he would definitely make that person understand what it means to wish for death rather than continue living!

Three days later, at the Black Lotus Sect’s temporary base in the Mountains-Seas Realm.

“Let’s go. It seems Ox and the others won’t be returning.”

This was already the final day of their seven-day timeframe.

With Ox and the others still not back by this day, Dragon felt certain they wouldn’t be returning and naturally didn’t plan to wait any longer.Because if they waited any longer, what they might encounter wouldn’t be Ox or the others, but hordes of Shanhai Bureau cultivators instead.

Even though Dragon was quite confident in his own strength,

if he had to face multiple Scripture Masters of the Shanhai Bureau simultaneously, he stood absolutely no chance of winning.

Hearing Dragon’s words, Rabbit and the others ultimately decided not to linger any longer.

They glanced toward the direction outside the stronghold, their expressions complex.

They hadn’t expected that, despite having a complete plan and catching their opponents off guard,

they would still lose over half their personnel within the Mountains-Seas Realm.

Recalling their earlier encounter with Hundun,

Rabbit and the others cast extremely wary looks at Qiongqi beside them.

As one of the Four Fiends, equally notorious as Hundun, Qiongqi had been behaving quite docilely recently.

But Rabbit and the others always felt this was only because he feared the formidable strength displayed by Dragon and Tiger.

In different circumstances, he might have long since devoured them all.

Cooperating with such a Vicious Beast was undoubtedly like bargaining with a tiger for its skin.

Had it not been for the Leader’s insistence on this course of action,

even notorious figures like Rabbit and the others wouldn’t want to be associated with an ancient Vicious Beast like Qiongqi.

Because if their evil was merely the wickedness of human nature,

then Qiongqi’s evil was pure malevolence.

As the group stepped into that eerie teleportation array,

Qiongqi, one of the Four Fiends, completely left the Mountains-Seas Realm,

escaping the place that had imprisoned him for thousands of years.

Meanwhile, at the realm gate of Qingzhou Shanhai Division within the Mountains-Seas Realm…

“Little Lu, Little Yezi, are you both alright!”

Yu Tianqi emerged from the realm gate and immediately spotted Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye sitting nearby.

Seeing them unharmed, his previously anxious heart finally settled.

He’d been constantly worried that this Four Fiends incident might affect the two youngsters.

If anything had actually happened to them during this event, he—the one who brought them to Qingzhou Shanhai Division—would have truly become the culprit.

Facing the concerned Yu Tianqi, Mu Xiaoye stood up and said with a smile: “We’re fine, Uncle Tian. Not only did Little Lu and I avoid any danger, we actually helped reseal Taotie, one of the Four Fiends.”

“What?!”

Yu Tianqi stared at Mu Xiaoye in astonishment, taking quite a while to process her words.

Looking at both of them in amazement, he said: “You mean you and Little Lu worked together to reseal Taotie near Tianshan?”

Mu Xiaoye nodded, confirming that was exactly what she meant.

Hearing this, several Scripture Masters who had entered the Mountains-Seas Realm with Yu Tianqi were equally shocked.

One Scripture Master couldn’t help exclaiming: “Young lady, these aren’t words to be spoken lightly. Are you certain you completely sealed Taotie?”

“You must understand the Four Fiends don’t just affect the Mountains-Seas Realm—their influence extends to the Immortal Alliance outside as well.”

“I’m not doubting you, but with your Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, even a recently escaped Taotie shouldn’t be something you two could handle.”

Seeing the Scripture Master doubted her words, Mu Xiaoye said discontentedly: “Whether it’s true or not, you can just go check Taotie’s Sealed Land later. Why would I need to lie about this?”

“…”

Hearing this, the Qingzhou Scripture Master fell silent.

Because as Mu Xiaoye had said, this matter was easily verifiable—she had no reason to fabricate such a story.If everything was truly as Mu Xiaoye had described, then they had indeed done a great favor for the Shanhai Bureau, and even for the Immortal Alliance.

Thinking of this, the Qingzhou Scripture Master immediately said seriously, “Little girl, if all of this is true, I will personally visit you to apologize later. For now, you all should leave first. Leave this place to us.”

As Lu Chen and this group of Mountain and Sea Walkers departed from the Mountains-Seas Realm,

the next to enter the Mountains-Seas Realm were Scripture Masters from various branches of the Shanhai Bureau.

It was only due to the special restrictions of the Mountains-Seas Realm that a large number of Grand Scripture Masters were not able to enter at the moment.

Three days after the chaos of the Four Fiends had ended.

“Little Lu, do you think these people from the Shanhai Bureau have gone mad? We helped them deal with Taotie,

yet they’re treating us like suspects, investigating us thoroughly for three days. Isn’t this repaying kindness with enmity?”

To this, Lu Chen calmly replied, “They’re probably investigating who helped those Black Lotus Altar Lords enter the Mountains-Seas Realm, so this isn’t entirely unexpected.”

Although she knew Lu Chen was speaking the truth, Mu Xiaoye was still a bit unhappy.

After all, she had worked so hard to suppress Taotie, only to be treated like this.

“Forget it, I don’t want to think about it anymore. Let’s go find something to eat. I’ve been so annoyed by all the questioning these past few days that I haven’t even eaten properly.”

“Alright.”

As Lu Chen followed Mu Xiaoye to a restaurant on Penglai Immortal Island in Qingzhou,

he lowered his head to look at his phone.

On his screen, the icon symbolizing the Instance: Ancient Sword Tomb had lit up once again.

This meant that this instance… had respawned.

(End of Chapter)