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

"I will communicate with Mr. Chen to see if we can speed up the process."

"This isn't communication," the old man said calmly but firmly. "It's a request. Remember your tone—Mr. Chen isn't our subordinate, he's our partner. Use a requesting tone."

"clear."

The video call ended.

Han Songyue leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples.

The global landscape is being reshaped by a mysterious resurgence. The heritage of the Penglai Islands may be China's greatest asset in this new era of competition.

And this bargaining chip is in the hands of a young man who is drinking tea and walking his dog.

He picked up his phone, edited a message and sent it to Chen Siyao, carefully considering the wording three times before sending it.

The thirty-fifth island.

The professor's team's ship docked at noon.

After Wen Zhong's legacy was taken away, the power of thunder on the island completely disappeared.

Those rocks that were once electrified now feel cold to the touch, no different from ordinary stones.

Professor Li stepped onto the rocky ground, squatted down, used the instrument to test it, and shook his head.

"There's nothing left. The energy has completely dropped to zero."

Professor Sun stood beside him, looking at the empty hall in front of him: "Once the inheritance is taken away, the entire island's energy system will collapse."

This indicates that the lightning was not a natural phenomenon, but rather an artificial field maintained by a inherited magical artifact.

"The ancient science of energy engineering." Professor Li stood up, filled with emotion. "We still can't even grasp the principles."

The professor's team split into several groups and began a comprehensive survey and sampling of the island.

Meanwhile, another group of researchers is working on Island Thirty-Six.

The data from the two islands will be aggregated at the command center for cross-analysis.

The legacy of Ji Li and Wen Zhong—the relics of two disciples of the Tongtian Sect Master—has opened a door to ancient civilization for China.

Behind this door, there are thirty-four more.

That evening.

The internet exploded.

It's not just China's internet—it belongs to the whole world.

As footage from the live stream of Penglai went viral on various platforms, governments around the world could no longer suppress the news of its mysterious resurgence.

At an emergency press conference that evening, the Japanese Prime Minister admitted: "There have indeed been abnormal energy fluctuations in the Mount Fuji area, and relevant departments are investigating."

The US spokesperson used more cautious language: "We have noted reports of unusual phenomena globally and are assessing their nature and impact."

Western Europe issued a joint statement: "calling on all countries to share information and work together to address this unprecedented global event."

And among the common people—

On social media platforms around the world, topics related to the "mysterious resurrection" have topped all the trending lists.

Mountaineering enthusiasts flock to famous mountains and rivers all over the world.

The training grounds in Japan suddenly became overcrowded.

Indian yoga practitioners claim to have felt an "enhancement of cosmic energy."

New pagan groups in Western Europe began holding ceremonies at Stonehenge.

The whole world changed overnight.

And China, thanks to the legacy of the Penglai Islands and the existence of Chen Hao, has already stood at the forefront of this new era.

Chen Siyao lay in bed, scrolling through the overwhelming news on her phone.

The world has changed.

Starting today, everything has completely changed.

She turned off her phone and closed her eyes.

They'll continue tomorrow. Island Thirty-Four awaits them.

What she didn't know was...

At this moment, on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, a warship is sailing across the Pacific. There are no markings on its hull.

There were twelve people sitting in the cabin, each with a deep and reserved aura.

The leading man opened his tablet, which displayed a screenshot of Chen Siyao's live stream... showing the Mo Qilin riding the waves.

He pointed his finger at the coordinates of the Penglai Islands and said something to the person behind him.

Chen Siyao stood at the bow of the ship, the sea breeze making her hair a mess.

Behind them, Yang Wanqing was flexing her wrists, Qin Xiaoyu was flipping through a book of formation notes, Ye Chendong and Ying Wenjie were sitting side by side, and Wu Tian was leaning against the cabin door with his eyes closed, resting.

After a night's rest, his injuries had recovered to about 70-80%.

That's one of the advantages of a cultivator's physique—they recover quickly.

"Where are Xiao Yuanfeng and the others?" Yang Wanqing asked casually.

"I'm not coming." Chen Siyao didn't even turn her head. "I sent a message last night saying that I haven't fully recovered."

Yang Wanqing pursed her lips: "Hasn't he fully recovered? Didn't he say last time that he had super strong recovery ability?"

"Never mind," Ye Chendong interjected. "They've figured it out, as long as they don't get in the way."

Chen Siyao did not respond to that.

It was expected that Xiao Yuanfeng and his group of four wouldn't come. Their experiences on the first two islands had made them realize one fact: these inheritances were not something anyone could touch.

Instead of forcing your way in and making things worse, it's better to back out gracefully.

The boat was moving very fast.

The outline of the thirty-fourth island gradually emerged from the sea, its entire body emerald green, appearing from a distance as a huge forest island.

There was no thunder, no flames, only a dense canopy of trees.

"It's all trees." Ying Wenjie glanced around. "This island is quite quiet."

"Don't relax," Wu Tian said, opening his eyes.

Ship docked.

Chen Siyao was the first to jump down, but as soon as her feet touched the sand, her body suddenly stopped.

coming.

An invisible barrier appeared in front of them, the air slightly distorted, with pale golden patterns—an array.

"There's a chance," she called out as she turned around.

Qin Xiaoyu had already walked up, squatted down, and gently traced her fingertips across the ground.

"The Five Elements Escape Formation, a variant." She frowned. "It's more complex than the last one, but it's not a killing formation; it's a forbidden formation."

Yang Wanqing asked, "Junior sister, can you break the formation?"

"Yes. Give me ten minutes."

Chen Siyao stood by to provide support, while Qin Xiaoyu began setting up the nodes to break the formation. Her technique was swift and efficient; spirit stones were embedded into the ground in specific positions, creating a counteracting effect with the formation's patterns.

Yang Wanqing looked around, alert to any movement around him.

"This point... isn't right." Qin Xiaoyu suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?"

"There's a reverse node here; the conventional method of breaking the spell will bounce back." She looked up at Chen Siyao. "Master, you pour energy in from the southeast, and I'll press it in from the due north."

Without wasting any words, Chen Siyao walked directly to the southeast position and condensed a ball of cyan energy in her palm.

"Three, two, one—"

Two forces were poured in at the same time.

The formation trembled violently for a moment, and the golden barrier shattered, turning into countless points of light that dissipated into the air.

"It's broken." Qin Xiaoyu dusted off her hands and stood up.

The chat in the live stream went crazy.

Holy crap, less than ten minutes! Those two are incredibly fast!

[Little Rain Fairy's array formations are getting more and more skillful!]

[Yaoyao's coordination was so smooth]

What did I say earlier? That you can't do it without a senior brother? Isn't that a slap in the face?

Chen Siyao didn't look at the comments; she stared at the entrance to the forest ahead.