Chapter 277: Waiting for You to Break Out

Somewhere above the eastern sea, countless figures darted and clashed. Helicopters circled them, capturing the battle on camera. Calling it chaotic wasn't quite accurate. It was mostly just one side thrashing the other.

On the edge of the battlefield, Xi Lian observed the fight with Mu Wanxuan by her side. When she saw what Mu Wanxuan had typed out, her lips curved into a pained smile.

Fei Yu's alive?

No one could have survived what had happened that day. A Heavenly Immortal had possessed Wang Sheng, a Golden Core Realm cultivator. He had no chance of surviving such a procedure.

Xi Lian was right above Hell when the Earth Qi Seal was sealed again. She had just broken free from her devilish nature and was enveloped in Lady Meng's cyan light, allowing her to regain control over herself.

When the seal was closed, Xi Lian distinctly sensed the severance of her connection with Wang Sheng. She even felt slightly relieved at escaping the threat of death, making her certain that Wang Sheng had died heroically.

Xi Lian grieved for several weeks, then turned her sorrow into strength. In an attempt to fulfill her duties as a senior, she helped purify the Hua Republic's internet environment and aided many young people in overcoming internet addiction.

The lines that Mu Wanxuan had typed made Xi Lian once again focus her senses inward, but she still felt no response from Wang Sheng. However, when she looked into Mu Wanxuan's bright eyes, she couldn't bring herself to say anything. Instead, she simply reached out and gently patted her head.

"Come stay at the villa with me. I get lonely most days since I'm not living with anyone."

Mu Wanxuan blinked, then typed.

Mu Wanxuan: I want to wait for him to come out. He's in there by himself and can't even use his phone.

Xi Lian was now completely certain that Mu Wanxuan's Dao Heart and mental state were still intact, but she had already developed an obsession over her junior brother's alleged survival.

Perhaps Fei Yu's image has already taken root within Little Xuanxuan's sea of consciousness...

With nowhere to rest, the heart could only cling to love.

Xi Lian felt a deep sense of sympathy. "My silly girl."

She was about to hug and comfort Mu Wanxuan when water jets burst up from the sea. Two hideous, giant tentacles lashed out toward them.

"Senior, watch out!" a nearby cultivator shouted. "The corrupt cultivators in Sakura Island raised that sea fiend!"

Xi Lian snorted coldly. "

Hmph!

"

Her eyes unleashed a faint white flash. However, recalling Qing Yanzi's instructions, she stopped herself from joining the fight. She simply flew up over ten meters with Mu Wanxuan, easily evading the sea fiend's surprise attack.

Two Golden Core Realm Daoist elders quickly flew to their defense. A flying sword was the first to reach the scene, followed by a burst of flames. The sword radiance severed the two tentacles, and two fiery pythons then constricted them, making them smell like grilled squid.

Mu Wanxuan raised her tiny fists. "Fighting."

"Go ahead. They're all just a bunch of weaklings anyway. Make sure not to hurt yourself," Xi Lian reminded. She watched Mu Wanxuan charge downward.

Mu Wanxuan hovered in midair, her gaze fixed on her palm. She pressed her hands gently down, then slowly raised them. Towering waves surged all over the sea as a Tai Chi diagram lifted out a giant octopus with tentacles dozens of meters long. It had been frozen like a specimen!

Standing on top of it were two pale-faced girls dressed in ceremonial robes. Over ten Daoist masters immediately rushed over, quickly dismembering the fiend and casually crippling the two girls' cultivation.

By the time they were done, Mu Wanxuan had already turned and flown toward another surging wave. Mu Wanxuan covered the area with Tai Chi diagrams, while Ice Crystal emitted cold aura after cold aura.

The battle wasn't all that nail-biting. It was completely one-sided right from the start.

Perhaps this embodied the quote, "two hours to charge, three minutes to talk."

From mobilization to assembly, the two sides had prepared for over half a month. Just getting to the designated battlefield had taken most of the Sakura Island cultivators half a day.

The battle then ended in a matter of minutes. Even hawks used their full strength to catch rabbits.

The Hua Republic's Daoist masters had invited several Special Warfare Unit officers who were well-versed in ancient military strategy to serve as field commanders. They deployed a crane formation, assigning Golden Core Realm Daoist elders and Daoist masters as its "beak" and "claws" to instantly tear through the enemy's ranks and suppress the momentum of over a thousand enemy cultivators.

In a way, it could be seen as a bit of bullying.

The Hua Republic's cultivation world only allowed those who could cross the sea to join as combatants. Hence, no one was below the Illusory Core Realm. To ensure that they would not suffer any losses, some elite Special Warfare Unit cultivators also blended in.

Meanwhile, most of Sakura Island's cultivators... had to ride a boat.

The disparity in strength was vast.

Even the sea fiends that Sakura Island had somehow acquired and regarded as trump cards were no more than food ingredients before Hua Republic's Golden Core Realm experts. Naturally, no one would actually eat them.

According to the rules that Qing Yanzi had given them earlier, some of their enemies had to be killed, while others just had to be incapacitated.

At the assembly, the Special Investigation Unit had distributed a pair of glasses to every participating Daoist elder and Daoist master. Some of their features included real-time communication and adjustments for nearsightedness or farsightedness. They were especially popular among cultivators, specifically Daoist elders.

However, their most important function was vision-based danger alert and target identification. If a target appeared red in the glasses, they were irredeemable scum that had to be killed immediately. If the target appeared yellow or orange, then they were to be crippled but spared. Killing too many people would leave a bad impression.

The main objective of this battle was to eliminate all corrupt Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect cultivators whom the investigation unit had identified. The Sakura Island cultivators who had been deceived could just be rendered unfit for combat for as long as they didn't pose a threat to the Hua Republic. That would give them a second chance at life.

Leaving room for others and avoiding total annihilation had always been part of the precepts that Daoist sects passed down from their ancestors.

Even so, Xi Lian still flew over to Qing Yanzi and muttered, "What's going on with today's cultivation world? The barbarians have come right to our doorstep, and we're just crippling their cultivation? Daoist Master Qinglin and the others would have slaughtered everyone within three hundred miles and offered their blood to the heavens."

Qing Yanzi, who led the operation, smiled awkwardly. "The international climate is different now. We have to maintain a kind and friendly image."

He then cleared his throat and shouted across the sea, "Get a few helicopter cameras in position. Focus on capturing our cultivators helping the enemy out of the water."

Refusing to waste more time complaining, Xi Lian just rolled her eyes.

Sakura Island's cultivation world suffered heavy losses in the battle. Despite the steep cost, though, they still failed to grasp the Hua Republic's true strength.

When the Hua Republic's army of a thousand walked back over the waves, all they left behind for the world were the lingering legends of that ancient nation. Once they had regrouped at the beach and assessed casualties, Qing Yanzi offered some words of encouragement before the army disbanded and returned to their respective mountains.

The battle had shown the Hua Republic's style and power to the world, securing it several years of peace.

***

Mu Wanxuan stayed in the outside world for three days. After receiving the supplies that the Special Investigation Unit had allocated to her at her master's request, she eagerly made her way to Mount Pingdu. Xi Lian wanted to go into seclusion with her, but the Small Nether Realm's negative effects on her were far too much.

Before leaving, Mu Wanxuan informed her master that she'd be waiting for Wang Sheng. She didn't tell anyone else about her return to the Small Nether Realm. Qing Yanzi wanted to dissuade her, but he feared agitating his eldest disciple further. Hence, he instead gave her his blessing.

In their eyes, Mu Wanxuan was behaving somewhat abnormally, but she couldn't care less. She had already stopped expecting anyone to believe her. Sensing the heavenly might and hearing Wang Sheng's call had fully convinced her that her junior brother was simply trapped inside the Earth Qi Seal.

"Qianlin..."

"Welcome back," Lady Meng greeted from within Mount Pingdu. A projection of the Nether Gate opened before Mu Wanxuan.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Stepping through, Mu Wanxuan returned to the Small Nether Realm. In front of her stood Lady Meng.

"This way, please, Fairy." Lady Meng gestured.

Mu Wanxuan timidly nodded a little and then handed over a prewritten note. There was only one sentence on it.

Could you go over what happened one more time? I'd like to understand it in more detail.

"Come with me, Fairy," Lady Meng calmly said.

Using enchanted power, she carried Mu Wanxuan swiftly across the Small Nether Realm, deep into Hell, and to the Earth Qi Seal's site. She then raised her hand and tapped Mu Wanxuan's smooth forehead. Through that gesture, Lady Meng showed Mu Wanxuan dozens of multicolored auras coming from the small mountain of celestial crystals that had formed over the Earth Qi Seal. The lights spread outward in all directions, creating quite a vibrant scene.

"In the three days since you left, the rate of primal qi diffusion here has increased slightly," Lady Meng revealed. "It's as if someone is deliberately testing how much impact from primal qi the Earth Qi Seal can withstand, gradually increasing the speed of primal qi being released."

Mu Wanxuan nodded excitedly. "

Mm!

"

"If you need anything, just call out to me."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Lady Meng replied, then vanished.

Mu Wanxuan breathed out gently. She then happily landed in front of her usual spot: the celestial crystal closest to the Earth Qi Seal.

She placed her hand on it.

Junior brother, are you in there? Can you hear me? I'm right here, waiting for you to come out. It doesn't matter if it's ten years or twenty years. Once you're back, I won't let anything separate us ever again.

***

Inside the Earth Qi Seal.

While nourishing his spiritual perception, Wang Sheng furrowed his brow, feeling as though he had heard a whisper from somewhere. He then relaxed, and his lips curved into a smile.

Just moments ago, Yaoyun had loosened her suppression on the Earth Qi Immortal Spring. She then once again reminded him that as the total primal qi inside the Earth Qi Seal decreased, the pressure on the seal itself also weakened. That allowed her to widen the gaps slightly and let the primal qi flow out faster.

As long as there wasn't another massive eruption like before, the Small Nether Realm wouldn't be overwhelmed. Even if the primal qi intensified too much, Lady Meng was already standing by outside to assist. She could simply release the excess qi into the Mortal Realm, much like opening floodgates.

At this rate, Wang Sheng might not require another ten years to break out.