Chapter 157. Folded Space, Ancient Secrets, Emergence from Seclusion!

"Th-that's..." Zhu Qingyu found herself at a loss for words. She thought her answer had been perfectly fine; she hadn't let anything slip. So, why had he suddenly asked such a question?

Clinging to a sliver of hope, she pressed on, saying, "Nothing has happened, King Lu. You're overthinking it."

Her task was to conceal the ongoing situation at the Bohai Sea. She only needed to maintain the deception for a few days.

The operation was imminent, and even if Lu Yuan ended up discovering the truth a few days later, the issue would be resolved by then.

At the very least, he would not need to worry about it by then.

"Though we have entered a brand-new era, I only need to check my communicator to know everything. You cannot hide this from me," Lu Yuan said. His voice remained calm as he urged. "Tell me."

He retrieved his communicator, ready to turn it on. The harder she tried to conceal the truth, the more suspicious he became. Even if she stayed silent, he had other means to find out the truth.

Even without the full picture, he could deduce the truth on his own.

Zhu Qingyu froze. Knowing she couldn't hide the truth any longer, she yielded and revealed everything. She explained the Three Immortal Islands' demands, the hostage crisis, and the officials' plan to handle them all.

Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou?

Lu Yuan's mind raced as he fell silent.

Two years had passed since the Global Awakening. The timeline matched perfectly. In his previous life, the Three Immortal Islands appeared, looming over everyone with their domineering and arrogant stance.

They had fought the Aurora Academy and other factions, causing catastrophic casualties. Despite the mainland's modern weaponry, the islands had powerful beings, which dragged the battle on for months.

In the end, the Aurora Academy was forced to give up territories for the Immortal Islands to control, especially when those powerful beings from the Three Immortal Islands ventured into the mainland.

To make matters worse, those from the Three Immortal Islands acted with insufferable arrogance upon entering the mainland. They had embarked on the path of evolution first, and they believed they were entitled to a huge chunk of the resources on the mainland.

Lu Yuan had once burned with fury at the injustice, but he was too weak to do anything about it back then.

Lu Yuan had foreseen this and planned to resolve it early, as he was strong enough to do something about it. However, his seclusion had caused him to miss the timing, and the officials dared not disturb him.

Regardless, he had to visit the Bohai Sea and the Three Immortal Islands.

"Don't worry about it and just stay at Mount Tai." Lu Yuan strode out without another word. Zhu Qingyu could not stop him. She realized the gravity of the situation and hurried away to report it.

Just as Lu Yuan stepped outside, a figure appeared before him. The figure was none other than Jiang Ningxian standing there with a gentle smile tugging at her lips, revealing her two dimples gracing her cheeks.

"King Lu, are you heading to deal with the Three Immortal Islands?"

"Yes.

Do you have something to say, Miss Jiang?" Lu Yuan asked, his steps coming to a halt.

"I do have something to say," Jiang Ningxian said. "With your strength, defeating them is effortless. However, I believe you should be thorough. Go straight to their lair and deal with the root of the problem; this way, you'll be spared the trouble in the future."

At those words, Lu Yuan smiled. "I feel like you're quite familiar with them, Miss Jiang."

"Not really. I've only heard bits and pieces from the elders of my clan."

Jiang Ningxian thought for a moment before explaining.

The Three Immortal Islands existed inside an independent, folded space.

Wars were frequent during the ancient times, and some people chose to flee to the so-called Immortal Islands instead of facing such trials. They completely isolated the islands from the outside world using some special methods. Of course, they would still periodically venture to the mainland.

After all, islands were islands. With limited resources, such trips remained essential for those who wished to evolve. Whenever great wars erupted, the "turtles" on the islands would retreat into their shells, cutting off all contact with the outside world.

Thanks to the Separation of Heaven and Earth, the Three Immortal Islands became completely isolated from the outside world. Those outside found it even harder to enter, and those inside struggled to leave.

The isolation, however, allowed the islands to become a sacred ground for evolution.

Of course, as time went on, the abundant resources across the islands were slowly being depleted. Its Heaven-Earth Spiritual Energy would eventually be exhausted as well.

The elders of the Jiang Clan believed that those people would eventually come out of the islands upon noticing the great changes in the world.

In the eyes of the Jiang Clan, those islanders were nothing but a joke, hardly worth acknowledging. The elders only mentioned them as cautionary tales for the younger generation—a warning against those who retreat and cower in the face of great trials.

"In summary, the resources of the three islands have been completely exhausted. They've emerged to plunder more resources," Jiang Ningxian said. Then, she sneered and continued. "Once the Great Calamity descends, they'll turtle up on their islands again."

She held nothing but contempt for them. While others fought, those cowards hid, only venturing to the mainland to steal resources. They were truly a disgusting bunch.

"I see." Lu Yuan nodded. He knew of the Three Immortal Islands, but their background story eluded him. Now, everything was clear. Those islanders were descendants of cowards, which explained their vile character.

He had no reason to doubt Jiang Ningxian, and she had no need to lie about such matters.

He didn't dwell on it any further. Instead, he asked, "What did you mean earlier about going straight to their lair?"

"You're strong enough to crush them, King Lu. However, what if they refuse to come out of their shells?" Jiang Ningxian asked back. "A folded space... it's difficult to enter something like that."

She smiled and flipped her hand, revealing a jade slip. "An elder of my clan crafted this thing. It'll open a temporary passage that will allow King Lu to enter the islands directly."

She had long wanted to teach those people a lesson. However, she couldn't make a move herself. Knowing Lu Yuan was going to make a move against them, she decided to lend him a hand.

"In that case, thank you," Lu Yuan replied. He wasn't one to stand on ceremony. Whether it was going to work or not, she had offered it with good intentions, so he accepted it.

"No need for thanks. Just don't forget my goodwill in the future, King Lu." Jiang Ningxian grinned, revealing her pearly whites. Then, she turned and skipped toward her residence with her hands behind her back.

She had been planning to do this ever since she learned about the appearance of the Three Immortal Islands. Having accomplished her goal, she happily skipped away.

Watching her go, Lu Yuan shook his head and turned in the direction of the Bohai Sea. Mount Tai was in the same region, so it wasn't particularly far. There was no need for him to summon the Golden-Winged Great Peng.

Of course, he couldn't exactly walk there on foot either, so he first made his way up to Jade Emperor Peak.

Upon learning of his intentions, the Spirit Monkey dispatched a golden eagle renowned for its exceptional speed.

And so Lu Yuan rode the golden eagle toward his destination...

***

At the shores of the Bohai Sea, the thunderous roar of gunfire erupted across the coastline as various weapons unleashed torrents of fire.

Troops arrayed in formation along with armored vehicles, tanks, and even armed helicopters riddled the coastline.

Ahead of them, the ships of the Three Immortal Islands were riddled with holes.

"You mainlanders are utterly despicable and shameless! How dare you ambush us like this?! Are you not afraid we'll retaliate?!"

Zhao Yuan, Zhang Yun, and the white-robed man stood before the rain of bullets and artillery shells. As Unfettered Realm experts, bullets, grenades, and artillery shells posed virtually no threat to them.

However, the issue was that the disciples they had brought with them from the three sects were only at the Awakened Realm and couldn't ignore such attacks.

The casualties mounted rapidly. In the blink of an eye, more than twenty of them had already been gunned down.

Even Elder Ji and the others joined the fray, fighting the three young leaders.

"Shameless? Who's truly shameless here?!" Elder Yun asked, looking stern. His attacks were heavier than ever. The three young leaders had started this first, and they actually had the audacity to blame them for what was happening.

"Elder Ji, Elder Yun! They're safe!" Ice Fairy's voice rang out from a distance. Behind her were Chunyang and Gu Sang. The Immortal Binding Rope still bound them, but they were already safe.

Ice Fairy knew that she had been too timid and indecisive against the three young leaders. When the operation began, she volunteered to lead the rescue team herself. Thanks to the support of a literal army, the rescue mission succeeded!

"Great!" Elder Ji's face suffused with relief upon seeing that everyone remained safe. He and Elder Yun exchanged a glance. Then, they retreated.

At the same time, the commanding officer in the rear knew that the time for the real attack had come. He wasted no time, immediately issuing orders to launch what ought to be launched.

BOOM!

Powerful explosions devastated the battered ships, and they crumbled beneath the onslaught of modern weapons.

The officials were truly decisive and powerful. Upon committing to a course of action, they made use of all their resources to overwhelm their enemies. Even Zhao Yuan and the others found themselves suppressed despite being at the Unfettered Realm.

Since Chunyang and the others had already been rescued, they no longer had to hold back. From the sky, the land, and the sea, all manner of powerful weapons appeared as the power of modern technology bedazzled everyone.

Modern technology had

yet

to become obsolete, after all.

The disciples of the three islands dwindled until only the three strongest remained.

"Damn you all! Once our teachers are here, all of you will pay the price for this!" Zhang Yun screamed in fury. Her eyes blazed with rage, and her voice tinged with madness. This was a humiliation, a complete and utter humiliation.

She truly hadn't expected the mainland's modern weapons to be so powerful. Despite embarking on the path of evolution and obtaining transcendent powers as a result of it, they still couldn't completely withstand those weapons.

She was at the Unfettered Realm and could ignore most attacks, but there was a limit to it. At this rate, things would only grow worse for them. Eventually, they would end up being prisoners.

Even worse, their ships had already been destroyed, so retreat was impossible.

We've got to run!

Zhang Yun and Zhao Yuan exchanged glances, both gripped by the urge to flee. As Awakened, they would survive the treacherous seas.

"Elder Yun!" the commanding officer in the rear exclaimed, and his face was filled with shock as he said, "We've detected numerous life signatures on the distant horizon! There are at least a thousand of them!"

What?

The news sent a chill through Elder Ji and Elder Yun. They raised their heads and gazed toward the distant horizon. Soon, massive ships came into view, and they approached the coast at considerable speeds.

Elder Ji and Elder Yun were strong enough to sense that most of the passengers on the distant ships were at the Unfettered Realm.

Just as Zhang Yun had warned, it seemed their teachers were now racing toward the coast along with quite a few people from Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou.