Reverse flow of the Yellow Springs

"Li Yelai!"

The King of the Forbidden Zone roared as if he could shatter galaxies, endless rage and resentment surging within him. He almost wanted to punch through the ancient network that had been passed down for countless years, and in the chaotic spatial currents, to drag out that human scum who had inflicted unprecedented damage on the Throat of Return to Nothingness, and crush him into dust!
However, his clenched fist eventually loosened. He couldn't destroy this lifeline that maintained the strategic mobility of the sea creatures.

He turned abruptly back to the devastated restricted area, the cries of his compatriots and the tragic state of various key areas piercing his senses like sharp knives.

This king who reigned supreme over the deep sea could only suppress his overwhelming resentment and throw himself into the long and arduous cleanup work. These destroyed areas were all the core lifelines of the forbidden zone!
The appearance of the four marks foreshadowed a great danger that could overthrow the race, which is why the Blood Sea Supreme spared no effort to throw Li Yelai into the Net Path, intending to kill him.

However, this backfired, inviting trouble and causing disaster for the restricted area.

How ironic is fate!
A pang of regret and doubt, which even he himself was unwilling to admit, rose in the King of the Penalty Area's heart: "Blood Sea, perhaps you shouldn't have thrown him into the net."

...

On the other side, Li Yelai, who had just rushed out of the net channel, felt a splitting headache.

No, it has already cracked.

He could even feel his right eyeball partially detach from its socket due to the deformation of his skull and the immense pressure, causing his vision to become blurred and distorted.

It was so close! If he had been even a fraction later, his head would have been smashed to pieces by that supreme being like a watermelon!

Beside him, the little mad king's bewildered eyes were now filled with panic.

She frantically tried to carefully stuff Li Yelai's horrifying eyeball back into its place, her movements clumsy and anxious, yet unsure of how to proceed.

At least they've all escaped the internet.
If it weren't for her final, all-out sword strike, he would probably have had to make a third deal with that Mr. Shadow by now.

Li Yelai could still hear Mr. Ying's regretful sigh: 'Didn't even this force a trade? You were given a chance, but it was useless; you couldn't even hit the mark?'

At the same time, Li Yelai saw a blinding crimson in his left eye!

The scorching heat instantly enveloped him, and the pungent smell of sulfur filled his nostrils.

magma?

The abandoned exit that Immortal Lord Chang Le found actually leads to this godforsaken place? A volcano? Or something even worse, a fissure leading directly to the Earth's mantle?

"Where have you been?" Li Yelai asked with difficulty. A divine barrier unfolded, repelling the scorching magma.

"Your bad luck is my fault? Go away, unless you want to try swimming in lava. It would be a laughing stock if a celestial being (divine being) died here." Immortal Lord Chang Le responded, pointing in a direction again with his nanobots.

With the remaining divine barrier being consumed, Li Yelai, unable to think much, endured the excruciating pain and desperately tried to control Old Ma No. 8.

The Extinction Dragon roared in pain and rage, twisting its mangled body and carrying Li Yelai and the panicked girl on its back. It suddenly turned around and charged desperately towards the top of the lava lake!

After crashing violently through the thick mountain wall, the long-awaited sunlight finally pierced Li Yelai's eyes. So he really had fallen inside the volcano!

With Nergigante's desperate charge, the volcano's structure was destroyed, and even more violent, scorching magma erupted out, like angry blood.

Beneath the volcano, some ancient being seemed to be disturbed by the commotion, emitting unsettling, subtle fluctuations. However, seemingly restrained by the supreme aura remaining on Old Ma No. 8, it ultimately only let out a low growl of impotent rage.

Or rather, whispering?
This is naturally a good thing.

At this moment, Li Yelai had no energy left to deal with any potential new enemies.

With his skull shattered, his divinity exhausted, and his blood loss excessive, if it weren't for the tenacious vitality of a divine being, he would probably be soaking in lava waiting to be cooked by now.

He struggled to control Old Horse No. 8, whose body was still covered in flowing lava: "Immortal Lord, you take control. I can't hold on any longer!"

"I have no physical form and no psionic circuits," Immortal Lord Chang Le quickly replied. However, the nanobots still assisted Old Ma No. 8 in its flight.

"Then you should help her out." Li Yelai could only shove the scarlet reins controlling Old Horse No. 8 into Little Mad King's cold, trembling hand. Seeing that the girl, though panicked, began to try to control the ancient dragon, Li Yelai then painstakingly switched his mask.

The Eternal Chosen Face!
The blessing from the Father of Plague appeared, and a large amount of life force surged forth, rapidly repairing Li Yelai's injuries. Li Yelai felt even the brain matter that had been ripped out of his head was being restored.
However, repairing such injuries requires a huge amount of physical strength and energy.

As his dwindling strength was rapidly drained, an overwhelming sense of weakness washed over him, and Li Yelai's consciousness could no longer hold on, quickly sinking into boundless darkness.

He thought to himself, "Finally, I can get some sleep."

In that final, blurry moment, all that could be seen was that small, cold hand still gripping the reins tightly. The other hand clutched his blood-stained arm.
The volcano finally erupted completely.

Carrying the residual impact of the 'Cute Star Flying Collision', the old Ma-8 volcano almost snapped the entire structure of the volcano in half with its desperate collision.

The scorching magma erupted and poured wildly, boiling large areas of the sea. The crimson lava flow spread across the land and seabed like ferocious blood vessels, even reflecting a burning blood red onto the clouds high in the sky.

A hundred miles away, on the edge of a desolate and dangerous land region, a human army that was secretly marching was startled by this sudden change in the world. They all stopped and looked solemnly at the devastating scene in the depths of the sea.

The team is small, with both men and women, but they are all surprisingly young, though their brows reveal a maturity and experience beyond their years.

Among them were monks dressed in simple black robes and holding strange incense burners, women with graceful figures and sharp eyes, and young men with cold faces and reserved demeanors. Their attire varied, but they were subtly led by a woman supporting a pregnant belly and a man with a composed demeanor.

The group silently gazed at the apocalyptic scene in the distance, where the sea and sky were ablaze with red, and only the erupting volcano seemed to be proclaiming some unknown cataclysmic change.

Only the black-robed monk holding the incense burner seemed oblivious to everything around him. He kept his eyes slightly closed, his lips moving as he murmured profound prayers, as if the earth-shattering scene before him had nothing to do with him. His only mission was to pray.

Even with his eccentricities, his companions had no objections. Instead, they spontaneously moved to protect him and another female monk dressed in black in the very center of the group.

After a long silence, the composed male leader finally spoke, his voice low and deep: "Whose territory is that?"

"Judging from the location and the characteristics of the volcano," the woman, stroking her lower abdomen, said after recalling the past, "it seems to be one of the lairs of the Lava Ancient Dragon, Huo Yankede. It once fiercely fought with the Earth Flame Serpent, Ophit, for territory here."

"Could it be the Earth Flame Python fighting for territory again?" the man asked, instinctively taking the woman's arm.

"Probably not." The woman shook her head slightly. "The last time we got information about Ophit, it was being attacked and chased by two other ancient dragons. It was suspected that it stole or even devoured their dragon eggs, and its injuries were extremely severe. According to its habits, to recover from such severe injuries, it would definitely need a long molting process, which would be a period of weakness for it. It's unlikely that it would appear here causing trouble in the short term." "Then, it's highly likely that those creatures from the forbidden zone are hunting ancient dragons. Ancient dragons, step up your game and kill those bastards!" The man reminded, "Make a note of this information and find an opportunity to pass it on to the rear for record-keeping. Our next operation cannot afford any accidents. We cannot afford even one failure, not even once."

"Yes." The woman gently stroked her swollen belly. "Even if the hope is slim, I still hope that my child can grow up in a place unaffected by the distorted order of the forbidden zone, even if I can't see it."

The monk, who had been praying the whole time, raised his eyes slightly at this moment: "As long as our faith remains, then hope will endure forever."

"Holy crap, don't stop!" a companion exclaimed upon hearing this.

“It will be effective in the short term.” The monk calmly replied, “How could the blessing of our Lord be something so inconvenient? Besides, it’s time to change the person.”

Another woman, dressed in the same black robe, immediately stepped forward, solemnly offering her incense burner and taking over the prayer:

'A great being who suppresses the evil of the world, the lord of dawn who illuminates the night of despair.'

'I will offer you inhuman sacrifices, and walk through sin in this way.'

'We will grow amidst sin, transforming into the blue lotus that greets the dawn.'

As her distant and ethereal prayer rang out, the blue smoke from the incense burner rose again, as if it had a life of its own, swirling around each team member and forming an invisible barrier.

Under the effect of this green smoke barrier, certain forces that should have affected them were completely suppressed.

“Praise be to the Lord of Dawn,” the male leader murmured devoutly, then decisively ordered, “Continue onward. We must find a suitable ley line node to establish a shelter before nightfall. Otherwise, we’ll have to rely on the two of them taking turns to hold out.”

“We’re almost there. According to the map from twelve years ago, there should be a remnant of a ley line in the valley ahead,” the pregnant woman said. “Perhaps we can save the trouble of rebuilding our camp.”

"Hopefully."

The group set off again, trudging arduously into the depths of the valley under the increasingly dim light.

Fortunately, although the camp ruins from twelve years ago were long abandoned and covered by vines and moss, the earth's spiritual energy fluctuations still existed.

This made everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

The male leader immediately stepped forward and carefully took out a branch that emitted a soft, pale golden light from the seemingly ordinary but heavily sealed package behind him.

As the branch was solemnly planted into the ley line node, a circle of pale golden light quietly spread out from its center, dispelling the uncomfortable oppressive atmosphere around it, though the light still appeared somewhat dim.

Without further ado, several team members stepped forward one after another, each taking out a sealed small bottle containing a faintly glowing, pale red, viscous tree sap.

As the precious sap dripped onto the soil, the branches seemed to receive some kind of replenishment, becoming increasingly dazzling at a visible speed, and the golden mist they emitted also became brighter.

Only then were the two black-robed monks, who had been praying the whole time, finally able to stop for a moment and catch their breath.

Given their team's strength, there are only two paths they can take to navigate this sky shrouded in the powerful order of the restricted zone.

Alternatively, one could find a still intact ley line node and obtain the protection of a branch from the sacred tree.

Alternatively, they could rely on the blessing of the Lord of Dawn to forcibly isolate the erosion of order with a barrier of blue smoke.

Otherwise, it won't be long before they are influenced and distorted by that pervasive order and rules.

Under such influence, even if a child is born, it is highly likely to be another unfamiliar species.

Even if they look human, their thoughts and stances could never be aligned with those of humans.

This distortion, unlike the rapid and violent corruption of chaos, is omnipresent, like a slowly seeping poison.

They had witnessed too many tragedies, and at one point, they were too desperate to have children.

the other side.

Li Yelai didn't know how long he had slept when he opened his eyes. What came into view was the solidifying and cooling lava on the distant sea.

Immediately afterwards, he sensed the presence of hundreds of mimicking celestial soldiers. They silently blended into the shadows of the surrounding mountains, forests, and rocks, forming an invisible perimeter to protect this temporary refuge.

Then, he saw the face that was lowered and staring at him.

It's Little Mad King.

She was bent over, her dirty little face mixed with dried dark red blood and gray-black mud stains. Her original combat suit was tattered and covered with holes burned by sparks, and she looked miserable.

But those clear eyes, which had been filled with confusion, suddenly lit up with joy the moment they realized Li Yelai had woken up.

A warm smile appeared on that usually aloof face.

'You laugh like that too? Old Mad King would be so pleased to see that.' Li Yelai instinctively wanted to retort, but stopped himself.

Because he found himself resting his head on the girl's lap, and as the girl moved, his vision was blocked by a patch of white.

Li Yelai's face twitched, then instantly shrugged, before he silently looked at the core of the Machine God beside him.

"Not bad, it was taught by this immortal lord." The image of Immortal Lord Chang Le appeared, but this time in the form of a female fairy: "How was the experience? No need to thank me, we're all fucking buddies!"

Wow, Li Yelai finally understood why the immortals wanted to besiege Immortal Lord Chang Le back then.

This person, this immortal, didn't get beaten to death; it really shows how powerful he is.

Taking advantage of the girl's memory not being restored, tricking her into doing these things—is this something a normal immortal would do?
Li Yelai touched his still cracked skull. He used the Eternal Chosen Face Mask again to completely repair his injuries.

(Holy crap, I missed it, my perfect attendance bonus is gone again.) (End of Chapter)