Chapter 404: I’m Freaking Back Again! (Fifth Update)
Chapter 404: I'm F*cking Back Again! (Fifth Update)
A remote stretch of ocean overseas.
Deep beneath the sea surface lay a pitch-black chasm where waters converged, surrounded by thousands of fiery veins spreading outward like stars encircling the moon.
[Earth Fire Heart Furnace]!
At the volcano's core stood a handsome, scholarly-looking young man holding a jade slip, scanning it with his divine sense.
After a moment, he lowered the slip with a troubled expression.
"The overseas regions have been restless lately."
Suo Huan had been in secluded cultivation within this [Earth Fire Heart Furnace] for decades—more precisely, ever since Chongguang achieved the [Heaven of Non-Existence].
What else could he do? The tides of fate dictated it.
When Chongguang attained the [Heaven of Non-Existence], he took all True Lords with him in one sweep. The overseas regions celebrated this most enthusiastically—even the Dragon Lord departed with roaring laughter.
With the True Lords withdrawn from the world, the True Dragon Clan immediately mobilized en masse, sweeping through overseas territories to gather spiritual materials for Crown Prince [Tian Qiu]'s Golden Core formation. Against such overwhelming momentum, a lone rogue cultivator like Suo Huan could only choose temporary retreat.
At this thought, he sighed again.
"Ai..."
While Chongguang taking away all True Lords was a great boon for most cultivators, for him alone it struck like a thunderbolt from clear skies.
Because unlike others, Suo Huan needed True Lords for his Golden Core formation!
Never mind other requirements—just reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection, the basic prerequisite for Golden Core formation, required the Dao Court Emperor personally bestowing an [Official Position] upon him.
But now, the Dao Court Emperor had withdrawn from the world.
The Crown Prince acting as regent held an entirely different attitude. After several negotiations, he outright refused to grant Suo Huan a Foundation Establishment Perfection [Official Position].
Thus Suo Huan found himself stuck.
For a moment, despair flashed across his face: "My lifespan approaches its end... Could the [Huanxu Realm] truly face extinction through me?"
He refused to accept this!
But what could he do even with his refusal? Suo Huan lowered his head dejectedly: "At this point, all I can do is wait—endure until the True Lords return..."
Yet at that very moment—
"Boom!"
The entire [Earth Fire Heart Furnace] suddenly began trembling violently. Frowning, Suo Huan looked toward the source of the disturbance.
He immediately leapt to his feet.
"Bastards!"
Before his eyes, the remote seas where the [Earth Fire Heart Furnace] stood were being forcibly lifted by some tremendous power, raising billions of tons of water!
Squinting into the distance, Suo Huan saw hundreds of thousands of monstrous soldiers arrayed across the sea surface, channeling heaven and earth's spiritual energy to lift the waters. At the vanguard stood a man and woman with prominent draconic features—both old acquaintances of Lü Yang.
Dragon King Suiying and Dragon King Sui Ling.
These two mid-Foundation Establishment Dragon Kings, empowered by hundreds of thousands of monstrous soldiers, were staring directly at Suo Huan.
"Just as we suspected."
"You're Suo Huan?"
Ignoring their questions, Suo Huan trembled with rage—his [Earth Fire Heart Furnace] had been destroyed!
This furnace had been constructed through feng shui principles, making terrain and positioning critically important. By lifting the sea, the two Dragon Kings had disrupted the feng shui and ruined his furnace!
'Impudent monsters...'
Though these words burned in his heart, Suo Huan dared not voice them—he couldn't afford to provoke the currently dominant True Dragon Clan.
"...What brings you two fellow Daoists here?"
Suo Huan smoothed his sleeves, observing proper etiquette.
Suiying smiled faintly, draconic pupils glinting with amusement: "We heard this wandering cultivator possesses a [Blessed Land of the Numinous Ruins]. True or false?"
Suo Huan's heart sank.
'So that's their aim—they've set their sights on my Blessed Land! Do they intend to consume it as ritual material for Golden Core formation?'
This crossed the line!
Were it any other treasure, Suo Huan might have surrendered it given the True Dragons' might—he'd bowed his head many times before, once more wouldn't matter.
But the [Blessed Land of the Numinous Ruins] was different.
This was the seed for [Huanxu Realm]'s revival, his greatest hope for survival all these years. Surrendering it would mean the realm's true extinction!
'...Seeking death!'
Rage surged from his heart as murderous intent flashed in Suo Huan's eyes while he glared at Suiying and Sui Ling.
True, the two Dragon Kings had hundreds of thousands of monstrous soldiers enhancing them, but they were only mid-Foundation Establishment. As a late-stage cultivator further empowered by his Blessed Land, Suo Huan could crush these two young dragons effortlessly!
Yet as his aura shifted—
Almost simultaneously, Sui Ling and Suiying seemed prepared. They produced a trident and raised it skyward, refracting crystalline ripples of light.
'[Commanding Sea Trident]!'
As this weapon hovered midair, dazzling radiance erupted with a thunderous boom—the clear skies suddenly echoed with roaring water.
"This is—"
Suo Huan's pupils constricted in recognition—this was Crown Prince [Tian Qiu]'s personal weapon, a supreme spiritual treasure!
Now empowered by [Tian Qiu]'s pre-cast divine abilities, the trident granted the two Dragon Kings Foundation Establishment Perfection-level enhancement when activated. The once-insignificant threats suddenly multiplied severalfold in danger!
Instantly, Suo Huan's heart turned to ice.
'They mean... to kill me?'
Clearly, Sui Ling and Suiying had come fully prepared—likely with [Tian Qiu] himself secretly observing!
With this realization, all murderous intent drained from Suo Huan.
'Forget it—just another escape.'
Closing his eyes, he abandoned all thought of resistance. Since arriving in this wretched place, defiance had always been fantasy.
Yet just as he prepared to fight desperately for survival—
"BOOM!"
A deafening explosion suddenly erupted across the heavens, reverberating throughout all overseas regions. Countless cultivators looked up to see the firmament split apart as boundless spiritual energy came pouring down from beyond the skies!
As if the heavens had collapsed!
"Is this... a falling realm?"
Gazing upward, Suo Huan felt transported back to the past—his [Huanxu Realm] had been similarly seized from beyond the skies by True Lords.
But this seemed different.
It appeared to be entering... voluntarily?
Before Suo Huan could process this, an even more astonishing sight unfolded—a colossal hand descending from the heavens, vast enough to blot out sky and earth.
The billions of tons of seawater lifted by Sui Ling and Suiying had already formed an awe-inspiring spectacle, further enhanced to Foundation Establishment Perfection level—truly resembling heavenly river waters. Yet when this descending hand opened, it effortlessly pressed everything into its palm!
"Who goes there?!"
Terrified, Sui Ling and Suiying transformed into their true dragon forms to flee, but couldn't escape the hand's grasp.
"BOOM!"
Without any suspense, the fingers clenched like someone catching chicks, effortlessly crushing the two Dragon Kings.
"Fellow Daoist, show mercy—"
[Tian Qiu]'s voice carried across the distant seas.
The response came as a soft sound.
"Pop!"
Flesh and blood sprayed as the two Dragon Kings instantly disintegrated. The giant hand's radiance dimmed, divine light swirling back to reveal a tall, straight-backed young figure.
"This shithole—I'm back!"
Surveying his surroundings, Lü Yang's face twisted into a ferocious grin.
As for [Tian Qiu]'s plea for mercy?
He paid it no mind.
Mercy?
He'd returned precisely to wage total war!