The ancient return was exposed by his sister's live stream.

The five people who were fighting suddenly stopped, their faces pale, and they subconsciously took several steps back, staring intently at the dark cave entrance.

Even the air seemed to freeze.

Ying Wenjie frowned and said gravely, "It's that big guy underground...it's coming out!"

Chen Siyao and Qin Xiaoyu exchanged a glance and simultaneously quickened their pace. They had to clear out the surrounding enemies before that thing appeared.

But before they could finish clearing, a huge black shadow shot up from the pit opening, accompanied by a piercing screech. The sound didn't seem to come from a throat, but rather from the resonance of air being torn apart—sharp, long, and so loud it made people's eardrums ache.

The dark shadow landed on the red earth dozens of meters away, creating a huge crater in the ground.

A gigantic monster, entirely black and as tall as a four-story building, with thick limbs, its forelimbs much longer than its hindlimbs, its front paws almost touching the ground when standing.

Each claw was a meter long, gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light under the moonlight, like five curved blades.

The most terrifying thing was its head. On its smooth face were three scarlet vertical pupils, and a huge gaping maw stretched from its cheek to the back of its head. It had countless fangs, and its saliva dripped down, corroding the ground and causing black smoke to rise from it.

The Commander-level Soul Devouring Abyss Demon has officially emerged!

Chen Siyao tilted her head back, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. She wanted to rush forward, but her legs wouldn't obey her. It wasn't fear, it was instinct—the hierarchical dominance between predator and prey, etched into her genes, unchangeable.

Qin Xiaoyu stood beside her, the sword tip pointing downwards, resting on the ground. Her hand did not tremble.

Wu Tian took a step forward, but Ye Chendong stopped him. Yang Wanqing stepped back to Ying Wenjie's side, and the two exchanged a glance without saying a word.

They realized that these trolls were beyond their capabilities.

Chen Hao stood up from the balcony.

He didn't go downstairs, nor did he leap; he simply stood there, raising his right hand, his index and middle fingers joined together, forming a sword gesture. The movement was very light and slow, like writing in the air.

A giant golden sword materialized in the night sky. A hundred meters long, its blade shimmered with golden light, and runes etched across its edge moved like living vines. It hovered in mid-air, its tip pointing towards the ruler.

The commander sensed the threat and looked up; the eyeless face was directly facing the greatsword.

It roared, crossed its arms to protect its chest, and its ten sharp claws intertwined into an iron net under the moonlight.

The giant sword moved. Not to thrust, but to fly. It wasn't fast, but it carried an unstoppable, overwhelming force. The commander caught the tip of the sword with both hands, and the red earth beneath his feet cracked. It was propelled backward dozens of meters by the impact of the giant sword, carving out two deep furrows.

But it caught it, and withstood the sword.

It actually caught Chen Hao's sword!

The six people at the cave entrance stared in disbelief.

This demon ruler is too powerful!

But they didn't know that this was just the beginning.

Another giant sword appeared in the sky. A third, a fourth, a fifth… countless golden swords, each a hundred meters long, floated in the night sky, densely packed, obscuring the moon. The blades pointed downwards, the hilts upwards, like an inverted forest of swords.

Chen Hao's fingers twitched slightly.

A multitude of swords were unleashed simultaneously.

They didn't fall at the same time; it was like a well-choreographed symphony—the ones in the front row fell first, piercing the leader's arms.

The middle row followed closely, piercing its chest and abdomen; the rear row fell last, pouring in from above and penetrating its entire body. The rain of swords lasted less than three seconds.

The commander's body shattered into pieces amidst the rain of swords. There were no screams, no struggles; it simply stood there, like a building subjected to a controlled demolition, collapsing layer by layer from the top. Its fragments turned into black dust before hitting the ground, scattered by the night wind.

The red earth was clean and tidy, leaving only a huge pit and the people who had been blown over by the wind at the edge of the pit.

Chen Hao withdrew his hand, sat back in his chair, and picked up his teacup. "Continue," he said calmly. His voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard him clearly.

Everyone snapped out of their daze, their blood boiling with excitement. They bowed respectfully to Chen Hao on the balcony, their voices ringing out in unison, filled with awe.

"Yes, Master!"

Just then, a crisp cell phone ringtone broke the silence of the plain.

The bell rang from Chen Hao's pocket, its melodious sound ringing out.

Last night, fearing her brother would be bored in this desolate forbidden area, Chen Siyao specially charged his phone and activated its global roaming and internet access.

In truth, Chen Hao's personality dictates that seclusion for decades or even centuries is commonplace; he has endured millennia of solitude and never finds himself bored. His sister's worries, in the end, were unnecessary.

Chen Hao's phone screen displayed an unfamiliar number. He answered it.

"Mr. Chen Hao, this is Qin Zheng." The voice on the other end of the phone was as steady as ever. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Qin Zheng explained the situation of the Penglai Islands.

Finally, Qin Zheng told him about how their bureau chief had asked him if he was interested in coming to oversee things.

After listening, Chen Hao remained silent for two seconds: "No need. I'm not in the country right now."

"Is Mr. Chen outside?"

"The Continent of Aozhou. Leading disciples on trials."

Qin Zheng didn't press further. He told Mr. Chen Hao that if he needed any help, he should just ask, as the Special Affairs Bureau also had an office in Australia. Chen Hao said "Thank you" and hung up.

Qin Zheng stood in the corridor of the Dinghai Island command center, put away his phone, and walked towards Han Songyue's office.

Time flies, and the sun and moon revolve.

The practical training in the Australian Abyss has passed in the blink of an eye, a full seven days have gone by.

The Australian sun rises and sets over the red earth, then sets and rises again. A week has passed in the clash of fists and blades.

The battle at the edge of the pit intensified, but the fighters became increasingly composed. Ying Wenjie's boxing style was no longer brute force; it began to follow a pattern—his powerful punches came when necessary, and his feints when appropriate.

Yang Wanqing's leg techniques were no longer just simple side kicks; she learned to use her knees, to perform spinning kicks, and even to switch legs in mid-air.

Qin Xiaoyu's swordsmanship has reached the peak of the Body Tempering Realm. Ye Chendong's fist technique is still a short-range burst, but his timing is much more accurate than a week ago. Wu Tian doesn't need to improve; he only needs to fight.

Chen Siyao also broke through to a new level one night seven days later. Chen Hao prescribed her a new medicine, which was more than twice as strong as the one he had given her in Jincheng.

She soaked in the medicinal bath for an hour, her skin burning red, feeling as if countless ants were crawling in her bones. She almost jumped out of the bathtub, but she managed to bite down on a towel and endure the pain.

The next morning, the moment she opened her eyes, she felt something was different. She had reached the Meridian Opening Realm. Her meridians were more than twice as wide as when she was in the Body Tempering Realm, and spiritual energy flowed within them like streams converging into rivers.