Reverse flow of the Yellow Springs

The rise of Chu He and others is undoubtedly a human miracle in the lost land.

The entire continent of the Lost Lands was swallowed up by the Forbidden Zone Order. The fundamental reason for this was that the powerful humans here failed to build giant cities, or rather, failed to withstand the initial and most intense attacks.

Even with the cultural legacies seized from other calamities, our predecessors ultimately could not withstand the relentless, tidal wave of attacks from the Dead Sleep Palace. The failure to build the colossal city meant the collapse of the sanctuary.

Without the protection of the giant city, humanity lost its very foundation on this land thoroughly eroded by the forbidden zone's order. Even the greatest talent could not flourish; instead, it was gradually assimilated and distorted under the corrosive influence of this order, reduced to beings that were humanoid but not truly human.

To become the servants, slaves, or even playthings of the creatures of the forbidden zone for all eternity!

This is the lost land, stripped of the protection of the great city, stripped of the protection of the supreme ruler and king. The very existence of humanity will be erased.

This is the utter defeat of humanity in its struggle against the forbidden zone.

However, the resilience of human civilization always shines brightest in the darkest of times.

Those fallen ancestors did not leave behind no hope. The sacred tree branch they brought became a priceless treasure, preserving the last embers of hope amidst the raging tide of despair. This sacred relic could create a small protective zone, tenaciously resisting the erosion of the forbidden zone's order, allowing the purest "human" bloodline to continue in the cracks.

These remaining pure-blooded humans constantly face annihilation.

Once discovered by the Forbidden Zone, they face slaughter or being thrown into a bloody arena to fight alongside assimilated Forbidden Zone humans and even extraordinary monsters. Those with exceptional talent will have their minds and bodies forcibly twisted, transforming them into new Forbidden Zone humans and turning them into tools of the enemy.

Even so, hope has not been extinguished.

There are still humans like Chuhe, like the most resilient wild grass, walking in the most remote and dangerous corners of the lost land, hiding in dangerous places that even the creatures of the forbidden zone would not care about, barely surviving, just to accumulate that meager strength to resist.

The first thing Chuhe learned from the time he could remember was to hide.

Those who couldn't learn have all disappeared into the shadows of history.

With his exceptional psychic talent, he obtained a magic potion through the preferential treatment of his race's resources, thus becoming a psychic.

The turning point in his fate came when he unexpectedly obtained the ticket for the Ark.

This appears to be the legacy of a fallen voter. A voter, a challenger, was teleported to the Lost Lands and did not survive.

Through the Ark, he came into contact with the outside world for the first time.

He was shocked to discover that in the normal world, there was no need to constantly hide psionic fluctuations, no need to consciously choose death after aging or serious injury to conserve resources, and no need to live in constant fear during endless hunts.

It turns out that not all humans live in such a desperate purgatory!
Giant cities, kings, champions, demon-slaying teams, heroes, prodigies. Human civilization continues to flourish in the outside world!
Human heroes are as numerous as carp crossing a river; even in the face of many forbidden zones, they have preserved civilization!

This realization filled him with ecstasy.

He eagerly absorbed all knowledge and resources from the outside world through the ark.

As for the details of the transaction...
In this lost land, tens of thousands of extraordinary creatures await your immediate slaughter!

He secretly killed extraordinary creatures one by one and traded them inside the ark for the supplies they needed.

Potions, food, equipment, medicine.

All of this became his greatest motivation to become stronger and persevere, completely changing the precarious lives of the survivors.

Subsequently, he found allies in the Ark and received the great blessing of the Lord of Dawn (Lord of Azure Flame)! He became the Chosen One of Dawn (Azure Flame)!
Ranger, giant city, clan, champion. His allies are growing, and the resources he acquires are becoming increasingly abundant.

Psionic weaponry, crimson sap, mimicking celestial soldiers, meridian array techniques, and the forging of generals.
Their strength continued to grow, and hope seemed within reach.

Sometimes even Chu He himself would wonder if it was that damned Book of Fate secretly manipulating things.

But is hope really just around the corner?

Yes, he has become the overlord, the chosen one of the Azure Flame God, wielding Azure Flame Arrows powerful enough to threaten even the supreme beings.

But what he was facing was a vast and terrifying forbidden zone!

His allies are scattered all over the world, yet he cannot send a single soldier in reinforcements.

The lost territory is isolated overseas, with the entire continent occupied by enemy territory. External support would require crossing the perilous ocean and even breaking through the blockade of multiple restricted areas, which is almost a pipe dream.

Therefore, even with so much support, Chu He never dared to relax in the slightest. His companions might be full of confidence, but only he knew how dangerous the road ahead was; the slightest bump could lead to total defeat.

However, right now, at this very moment!

The turning point came in a way he had never imagined.

Reinforcements are here!

He smiled happily.

Yun Yue and Jing Lin shared the same sentiment. The lost land was isolated overseas, and its geographical location made it difficult for the outside world to provide direct and effective military support. Even those wilderness wanderers who were used to fighting injustice all over the world found it difficult to break through the numerous blockades to get close to this land of despair.

However, who could have predicted that the accident in which Li Yelai and Little Mad King were forcibly dragged into the net by the Supreme Sacrifice would unexpectedly send them to the lost land, making them a heaven-sent ally for the struggling humans on this land!

What is even more undeniable is that the quality of these two "reinforcements" is frighteningly high.

One of them was once the most powerful assassin, striking fear into the hearts of countless nobles in forbidden zones. If she could regain her memories and strength, and with thorough preparation, assassinating the Supreme Being wouldn't be impossible. With her around, those nobles in the Dead Sleep Palace would probably have to sleep with one eye open.

Li Yelai, with a stunning counterattack, proved himself unparalleled at the overlord level; it's unlikely anyone else could rival him. He truly deserves the title...
'Below the Supreme Being, there is no one invincible; above the Supreme Being, it's a one-for-one exchange!'

In fact, they all looked forward to seeing what kind of expression the bookholder would have during the Ark assembly.

I guess they're already at their breaking point, right?
"It really is a lost land." Li Yelai sighed. "Well, this time we can finally meet in person, Brother Chuhe."

"Hahaha, if I wasn't afraid of being overheard by the forbidden zone, I would have shouted in the virtual realm, 'Great! It's the champion! We're saved!'" Chu He laughed, "You've come at the perfect time! You can never have too many champions!" Li Ye grinned, "But how am I supposed to find you? The Deathly Sleep Palace occupies the entire continent, and its internal space is probably tens of millions of square kilometers, right?"

“It’s very large. The intelligence about the volcano came from a survey team. Their mission is to investigate the troop deployment in that restricted area. You can try to find them. I’ll give you a list of their possible camp locations. If you can’t find them, just follow the map I gave you to find me.” Chu He took out a map made of animal hide and had Li Ye take a picture of it.

"By the way, they are all followers of the Lord of Dawn, also known as the Lord of Azure Flames. If they are cautious and do not trust you for the time being, you can directly summon Dawn to testify; they will recognize the power of our Lord," Chu He reminded him.

"Why is he called the Lord of Dawn?" Li Yelai asked.

“We cannot roam the world freely like wilderness knights, upholding justice and suppressing injustice. We can only struggle in eternal darkness and despair. What we pray for is the first ray of dawn to tear through this long night. Aren’t there branches within the Chaos faction also formed due to different understandings?” Chu He spread his hands.

Li Yelai nodded thoughtfully.

Within the Blood God faction, there are two main approaches: focusing on quantity and focusing on quality.

The former believes that killing is the only option, regardless of the strength or weakness of the target; civilians, children, and prisoners are all KPIs.
The latter believe that the true essence of the Blood God faith lies in killing the strong and brave. Therefore, they deliberately capture the strong after a war and then take turns fighting them one-on-one until someone beheads that strong person.

Different interpretations of the same belief have led to the emergence of different factions.

The wandering knights see the flames ignited in people's despair, so they travel to various places to suppress injustice and challenge the powerful. If they can't win in battle, they call in reinforcements!
The people in the lost lands naturally cannot do this; what they want is stability and development in a desperate environment.

If you place the Rangers in the Lost Lands, the result will either be swift annihilation or a Pyrrhic victory; there is absolutely no possibility of a prolonged stalemate.

This is the difference in doctrine.

"We have recently discovered that the Dead Sleep Palace seems to be planning a large-scale operation. A large number of legions are being mobilized unusually, which must be for a major purpose. This may also be a rare opportunity for us to escape from the lost territory. That is why we have sent out a large number of reconnaissance teams in the hope of finding the most suitable breakthrough and evacuation route."

Li Yelai was somewhat surprised: "A big move? The Lost Lands has occupied an entire continent on its own, with no other restricted areas to compete with it. Is it ready to develop and now plan to venture into the sea, to challenge a forbidden ocean area like the Throat of Return to Nothingness?"

"I'm not sure, but it's highly unlikely. The lost territory is too vast, so vast that even with the population of the Dead Sleep Palace itself, it's impossible to completely fill and control all areas. Otherwise, we, a few thousand people, wouldn't have been able to hide until now; we would have been discovered long ago." Chu He analyzed, "My guess is that a forbidden zone in the ocean is actively causing trouble for it."

"Who cares who initiates it? Dogs fighting, it's all good!" Li Yelai responded.

"Let's talk about the rest when we meet. I have some important matters to attend to." Chu He didn't say anything more, nodded to the other two, and returned to the physical world with the new batch of mimicry soldiers sent by Jing Lin.

He is currently the only human overlord in the Lost Lands, and indeed cannot remain detached from the real world for too long.

"You fought in the simulated universe for over a month, then were dragged into the forbidden zone by the Sea Clan Supreme, and now you're trapped in the Lost Land. Although it's unfair to Chu He to say this, you must be exhausted." Jing Lin sighed softly, "Since becoming the champion, you don't seem to have had a proper rest."

"Once we've crushed the restricted area, we'll have plenty of time to rest," Li Yelai said, shrugging.

"Be careful," Yun Yue warned. "After this attack on you, the existence of the Heavenly Evolution Walkers has been completely exposed, and under the guidance of certain forces, the existence of the Book of Destiny has also been learned by the higher-ups of various major cities and forces."

“It’s normal that the Traveler was exposed this time, after all, the commotion was too great, pulling out more than a dozen overlords and two supreme beings in one go. Such power is enough to make any forbidden zone or giant city wary.” Li Yelai asked curiously, “But why expose the Book of Destiny?”

Yunyue only said two words: "Choose a side."

"During this operation, many people from within the giant city assisted the Traveler. Even that Zhou Tian Overlord, who hated evil as if it were his enemy, showed no mercy when cracking down on Chaos and traitors, and was even a good friend of Captain Yang Chen. In the end, he ambushed Captain Yang Chen and stood on the opposite side of us," Jing Lin said. "And in the simulated universe, besides the Traveler, you must have also been besieged by powerful human beings, right?"

Now, Li Yelai understood.

Yes, faced with the predetermined future and optimal solution presented by the Book of Destiny, some people have chosen to follow and accept it.

Like a deep abyss.

They truly believed that the predictions of the Book of Destiny were correct, even if it meant sacrificing themselves.

Or do they simply believe that following the arrangements of the Book of Destiny will bring them tangible benefits and power?

Perhaps, both types of people exist.

This became a seemingly complex but actually simple multiple-choice question.

The holder of the book once revealed that the original trajectory of the Immortal Palace Battlefield would have resulted in the deaths and injuries of nearly ten million people, but it would also have given rise to several geniuses who could reach the realm of the Supreme or even the King.

Millions were sacrificed in exchange for the birth of a few supreme rulers or monarchs.

Is this deal worthwhile?
Note that it's cost-effective, not reasonable.

When someone starts to really think about this question, they have already given their own answer, and that answer is often enough to convince themselves.

That's a king! How many kings does humanity have? Sacrificing the population of a giant city for a king and a few supreme beings allows them to protect even more people.

Therefore, the appearance of the Book of Destiny has been made public. Even though everyone is angry that their fate has been altered, some people may still accept the Book of Destiny in their hearts.

Like the heavens, like a deep abyss.

They genuinely believed that the Book of Destiny was correct, and that Li Yelai, as a variable, was a major obstacle to the Book of Destiny's deductions.

Must be eliminated
“Alright, I have a feeling that I’ll be facing assassination attempts from all sides once I return to the giant city. I’d better have my partner protect me.” Li Yelai chuckled, “The Heavenly Evolution Walker’s move was indeed brilliant. He’s built up a bunch of allies without even realizing it.”

"We don't know the reaction from the major cities yet, but generally they should reject the Book of Destiny. No one would risk the wrath of the world to target you, the champion. At least not openly!"

Jing Lin said, "Your role as a variable has influenced far too many destinies and saved too many people. Perhaps many people hate you, but many others respect you. No matter which great city, if any of them dares to acknowledge the Book of Destiny, those human comrades who survived in Border City No. 3, the Immortal Palace battlefield, and the No. 49 Disaster Fog, will tear them to pieces! No great city dares to take such a risk!"

"But in secret, there will inevitably be people who agree with the Book of Destiny."

Upon hearing this, Li Yelai sighed inwardly. He had always regarded the various forbidden zones and chaos as enemies of humanity.

It now seems that humans will soon be among the enemy. (End of Chapter)