Reverse flow of the Yellow Springs

The appearance of Zhao Gang and Yan Yun was truly a pleasant surprise.

Almost immediately, they severely damaged the fleet on the side of the restricted area, saving the homecoming fleet from collapse.

Afterwards, the returning fleet was further concealed by sea fog, making it impossible for the restricted area side to continue their pursuit.

Li Yelai did not board the homecoming fleet or the Yanyun directly, but instead stayed on the old Ma No. 8 and waited for the curse to end.

He had just finished a battle, and the curse was still being triggered. If he boarded a warship, the assassin could not distinguish between friend and foe.

If it weren't for the durability of the old Mazda 8, it probably would have sunk.

So, Li Yelai piloted the Old Ma No. 8 to escort the fleet in mid-air.

Soon, several figures flew up from the warship below and landed on the broad back armor of the Old Ma No. 8.

Little Mad King was the first to rush forward. She remained silent, but her movements were as fast as a shadow. She went straight to Li Yelai's side and grabbed his arm tightly.

She had been coaxed by Li Yelai to go and support the fleet, thus staying away from the battlefield with the Supreme One.

She looked as if she had been abandoned, her face filled with fear and unease. Only now did her tense nerves relax.

This is better than before; it just means I can leave Li Ye for a while.
Next came Chu He and Immortal Lord Chang Le. Chu He still carried the lingering stench of blood, his eyes tired yet bright.

Immortal Lord Chang Le looked at Li Yelai and Little Mad King with a very interested expression.

"Thank goodness you came back, otherwise she would have been so scared that she would have cried." Immortal Lord Chang Le was always so eccentric.

Li Yelai chose to ignore it, comforting the little mad king while revealing some information: "The clone teardrop showed strange phenomena and resisted my orders at one point. Although it eventually obeyed, its condition is very unstable."

"I sensed that savage and ferocious yet grand and righteous aura of war. There's no mistake, it's the remnant of the War God Chi You. Human immortals are extremely sensitive to this aura. I won't be wrong." Immortal Lord Chang Le's expression was strange: "Judging from the previous anomalies in the forbidden zone order, and the fact that the two kings of the forbidden zone didn't dare to make a move at the last moment, it's highly likely that a fragment of the War God caused a great disturbance in their lair, holding them back."

"They dare to take something like this? In the Heavenly Court, it would be sealed away or banished again. If it grows flesh and blood, or even reshapes into a demon god, they'll be in big trouble. In the hands of alien races, these fragments are weapons of mass destruction."

Li Yelai thought to himself, "It's not just random taking; the king of the forbidden zone actually ate it."

Rounding it off, it means he took a bite out of Chi You.

remarkably brave!

“Immortal Lord, it can resonate with the imitation teardrop, so what benefits would it bring to the Old Mad King?” Li Yelai asked.

"There are risks involved. Its very existence implies enormous risks and uncertainties. Although that old bastard Mad King has awakened the Nine Li Demon Body, which gives him a slight qualification to inherit the Lord of War's legacy, it's hard to say whether directly contacting the fragment will bring him fortune or misfortune. It might allow him to break through his shackles and surge in strength, even reaching a higher realm. But it might also trigger the remaining violent will within the fragment, eroding his mind and turning him into something neither human nor demon. Of course, we need to study it first."

After pondering for a moment, Immortal Lord Chang Le replied, "There's nothing to regret now. We don't have the ability to snatch this fragment from the forbidden zone right now, but I recorded its resonance fluctuations, so we can try looking for it elsewhere when we get back. Or, you can continue to wander around with the replica teardrop."

"Yes, it's best to quit while we're ahead," Chu He remarked. "When we were unexpectedly discovered, I had already prepared for the worst. According to our original plan, if the King of the Forbidden Zone made a move, we would have to use the Azure Flame Arrows and abandon the Imitation Tear."

He didn't continue speaking. If they still couldn't escape the pursuit, he would take two warships to cover their retreat and use himself as kindling to ignite the fiercest blue flames, preparing to create a final chance for Li Yelai and the others to escape.

He would never allow his comrades who had traveled thousands of miles to come to his aid to be buried in this foreign sea.

They've come from afar to help us, how can I let him fall here?

"Fortunately, although there were many twists and turns, at least we escaped." Chu He said with emotion, extending his palm and clenching it slightly.

A strange and wonderful sense of ease.

For seventy years, in the lost land, the order of the forbidden zone has been like a night of despair, constantly shrouding the hearts of every pure-blooded human.

The slightest misstep could distort the order and cause irreversible distortions. That feeling of walking on thin ice every minute has long been deeply ingrained in their life instincts.

At this moment, in this sea area far from the restricted zone, that feeling finally disappeared.

No more.

The air was filled only with the pure salty smell of the sea breeze, the lingering smell of gunpowder, and the vibrant presence of our compatriots.

Chu He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

“It really is,” he murmured softly, as if afraid of disturbing something: “a dreamlike feeling.”

Seventy years have passed. Pure-blooded humans have finally escaped that nightmare.
"Stop daydreaming, Old Chu." Li Yelai patted Chu He on the shoulder: "Once we get to Jucheng, you'll be busy. There are so many companions to settle down."

"I haven't even joined the champion team yet, and you're already planning to exploit me?" Chu He chuckled and teased.

"Alright, enough of this nonsense. Although we've escaped the lost territory, we haven't created any real distance yet. Don't let your guard down," Immortal Lord Chang Le reminded them. "Especially you, the champion, your identity has been exposed. Who knows if other forbidden zones will find out and come to ambush you. The Throat of Returning Ruins and the Heavenly Evolution Walker are both offering bounties on you."

Li Yelai and Chu He nodded; they were well aware that the danger was far from over.

The Underground Palace of Death's Sleep is in a state of chaos due to the fragments of Chi You, the orcs, and the Calamity Heirs. Furthermore, Li Yelai has sunk their nearest fleet, rendering them incapable of pursuit. However, there are still several forbidden zones in the ocean, meaning they would have to drift at sea for over half a month before seeing land.

During this period, they must remain vigilant.

The Little Mad King, seeing them nod, nodded in agreement, eliciting several good-natured laughs.

After confirming that his curse had ended, Li Yelai retrieved Old Horse No. 8 and boarded the Yan Yun with Chu He and the others.

As if welcoming the reunion of old friends, the Yan Yun emitted a deep whistle.

On the bridge, everyone saw Captain Zhao Gang. Li Yelai introduced Chu He and Zhao Gang to each other. Chu He didn't care about Zhao Gang's zombie identity; instead, he was extremely grateful for Zhao Gang's assistance and for his honor as a soldier!

Zhao Gang, on the other hand, was amazed by the perseverance and resistance of the pure-blooded humans within the lost land.

Then, Li Yelai asked, "Captain Zhao, how did you get here and gain control of this sea fog? Moreover, your firepower seems to be too strong."

"Back then, we fought against the Nine-Headed Serpent, which caused a large number of Dead Sea ships to break up. After you and Lord Jinglin left, I and the Yan Yun wandered in that sea. With the assistance of the Yan Yun, we formed a new fleet, and we experienced a lot along the way." Zhao Gang took out a stone hammer, and a trace of reminiscence appeared on his gaunt face: "It was a wonderful encounter, and it took me a long time. But it was all worth it."

Zhao Gang slightly raised his hand, and the thick sea fog in the distance parted, revealing rows of warships patched with various markings. Clearly, these warships were in poor condition. They varied in style, but most were warships from human civilization.

Two Type 052D destroyers and one Type 054A frigate—these three ships should have been the former teammates of the Yan Yun, the human warships that ruled the oceans before the Age of Calamity.

The item used to repair them is a Class C forbidden item: the Repairing Stone Hammer.

The effect is that with every ten strikes, the first nine strikes gradually repair the struck area. The tenth strike carries powerful destructive force.

These were forbidden items originally carried by the border fleet, and Zhao Gang used a stone hammer to repair each warship bit by bit.

Li Yelai pictured Zhao Gang alone, carrying a stone hammer, climbing up and down the wrecked ship and frantically hammering away.

Alternatively, they could carry the heavy missiles and carefully lower them into the missile silo.
Alone, even with the Yan Yun machine spirit revived and extremely active, there are certain things that Zhao Gang can only do by himself.

Fortunately, Zhao Gang was the legion's political commissar and a military psionicist before his death. Otherwise, he really wouldn't have been able to do all this.

"Initially, I wandered the seas and obtained some firepower and fuel. Unfortunately, I couldn't find an exit, nor did I encounter any new machine spirits. For a considerable period of time, we were adrift in that Dead Sea."

Li Ye arrived.

Although he and Jing Lin sank some of the Dead Sea wrecked ships, the Yan Yun was still trapped in the secret realm.

Zhao Gang continued, "Then, we encountered a group of strange humans."

"Humans?" Li Yelai asked in surprise.

“Yes! I thought they were compatriots, but I found out they were creating.” Zhao Gang frowned, seemingly extremely disgusted: “Machine Souls, or rather, Returners!”

In Zhao Gang's description, it was an island piled with a large number of relatively intact ship wrecks salvaged from the shipwreck area, as well as various old-era weapons, ammunition, and missiles that had been sealed away.

Meanwhile, there are about three hundred people on it, including many powerful psionicists and an even larger number of researchers.

They are researching and experimenting with methods to create machine spirits, which involve torturing and killing living humans in a particular way.

The intense negative emotions that arise at the moment of death will cause the deceased to return to their origin.
And those people are replacing the Returners with the mechanical souls of those warships!
In front of their parents, they used a hydraulic press to crush their young child's bones and internal organs inch by inch.
In front of her husband, she allowed multiple abusers to take turns raping, torturing, and murdering his wife.
In front of innocent children, they used chainsaws, acid, or psionic flames to 'dismantle' their parents piece by piece.
To artificially replicate the scene of hell.

In the instant the victim takes their last breath, seize the negative emotions of extreme pain, despair, hatred, and madness, and transform them into the returnee.

They bound the artificially created Returners to their warships and restricted and controlled them.

Thus, it is transformed into the fleet's 'spirit,' that is, machine soul!
They seem to have set up bases on the islands specifically to build this kind of fleet.

Li Yelai and Chu He's expressions changed slightly; they seemed to see the style of the Heavenly Evolution Traveler in this method.

It's very likely those bastards!
"And then... attacked them? annihilated them?" Li Yelai asked.

The Heavenly Evolution Walkers' foundation is truly formidable, especially considering it's their research base.

The Yan Yun and Zhao Gang alone shouldn't be able to take down that kind of base.

This kind of base must also be guarded by a powerful ruler, right?

"No, not entirely," Zhao Gang replied. "Just as the Yan Yun and I were choosing our attack opportunity, a powerful figure led his elite troops away. Subsequently, the remaining defensive forces seemed to have suffered some unseen attack, and several powerful psychic beings suddenly died from brain explosions."

As he spoke, Zhao Gang took out several blue and white broken beads from a drawer to the side.

"These things seem to have fallen out of their heads and died because of this," Zhao Gang said.

Li Yelai examined the beads and felt they looked familiar. After a moment of recollection, he realized who they were.

Isn't this the bead that that son of a bitch, Zi Shu, buried between the eyebrows of his clone?

That guy even tried to use this to unite many travelers to launch a causal attack on Li Ye, but Li Ye turned into a causal-level divine being and countered him.

This resulted in the retaliation against over seventy Celestial Walkers worldwide who were connected to the Rat. They were instantly and brutally killed.
It seems that Zhao Gang found them at the perfect time!
Moreover, the departure of elite troops is likely a strategic deployment made by the Heavenly Evolution Walker to surround and kill Li Yelai!

"So that's how it is. No wonder the Heavenly Evolution Walkers wanted to kill you so much. Not only did you operate outside the Book of Destiny's calculations, but you also drastically altered the fate they had woven." Immortal Lord Chang Le laughed, "If it weren't for you, the Yan Yun ship wouldn't have been able to escape the Dead Sea's ruins. To kill you, the overlord of the base left. Also, to kill you, several cautious elite walkers were caught in the crossfire and died. If I were the one holding the book, I would have thought of killing you first too. All the plans related to you have been disrupted!"

"That's given me a few more assists!" Li Yelai then asked, "Looks like your attack was successful."

"Well, actually, those who were forcibly controlled began to fight back after the sudden deaths of those psionicists. Yan Yun and I were just going with the flow," Zhao Gang said. "Even the psionicists could only take the beating on the island. They didn't encounter much resistance, perhaps because their means of countermeasures were completely lost due to the sudden deaths of those people."

"After eliminating those people, I found this lantern. As long as the lantern is there, sea fog can be condensed."

"Sea fog can block all senses and disrupt visual space. It is precisely because of this that I have been able to safely cross the sea areas occupied by various restricted zones."

Zhao Gang said, "Based on the remaining data on the island, I liberated those who returned. Those who could not be liberated became my comrades and formed the current border fleet. After we emptied the island of its supplies and weapons, we left the space where the Dead Sea shipwreck was located and came to the Pacific Ocean. We drifted and hid along the way, and today, we detected the fluctuations of your battle."

The good deeds sown in the past have finally borne fruit. (End of Chapter)