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

One phrase was repeatedly mentioned in this person's fragmented memories:

"There are three thousand great paths, all leading to the same destination. The way of Heaven is to take from the excess and give to the deficiency. To educate and guide all living beings is the true path."

This is the core doctrine of the Tongtian Sect.

On the thirtieth island, there was another demonic beast—a three-tailed spirit fox.

Four islands, three demon cultivators, and one human cultivator.

The Tongtian Sect's principle of "education for all" was not just empty talk; it was truly put into practice.

Every night when she returned to the base, Chen Siyao would compile her findings into a report and send it to Han Songyue.

The amount of information is growing ever larger, including cultivation manuals, residual data on formations, and inherited memories related to ancient geography and the distribution of power.

Han Songyue's team has been working through the night for five consecutive days.

"Director Han, please take care of yourself," Chen Siyao said over the phone.

"Body? What body?!" Han Songyue's voice was hoarse, almost cracking. "Do you even know what this data means? We're reconstructing an entire civilization system that's been lost for thousands of years! This kind of opportunity comes once in a millennium, once in ten thousand years! There's no time for sleep!"

Chen Siyao silently hung up the phone.

Making these people in power sleep less is harder than killing them, and vice versa, making them sleep more is harder than killing them.

For a whole week, the area around Penglai remained quiet.

There was no second wave of foreign infiltration. No suspicious vessels approached. Even the surveillance buoys deployed by the Secret Service in the open sea did not issue a single warning.

It's too quiet.

But Chen Siyao knew in her heart that it wasn't because that live broadcast scared everyone away.

It's because the whole world has been busy with other things during this period.

The news pushed to my phone is more and more explosive than the last.

First, it was Japan.

Mount Fuji.

The story of Japan begins three days ago.

On the western slope of Mount Fuji, a geological exploration team, during routine operations, drilled through a bedrock 47 meters underground.

The drill bit is broken.

When it was taken out, a piece of the top had melted—not because the rock was too hard, but because it encountered an extremely hot substance after drilling in.

Orange-red crystals with flowing patterns.

Flame Spirit Stone.

Not just one or two pieces.

It's an entire vein of ore.

Less than two hours after the exploration team reported the findings, the Japanese Ministry of Defense sealed off the site.

The military then intervened, and large drilling equipment was transported to the foot of Mount Fuji overnight, with three shifts working day and night.

The news wasn't contained.

The Japanese internet is buzzing – there are Flame Spirit Stones on Mount Fuji! And it's one of the largest known deposits in Japan!

The public reaction was divided into two camps.

They were filled with excitement: the Flame Spirit Stone represents the nation's destiny. With this, Japan would have the confidence to thrive in the new era.

Another group is uneasy: Mount Fuji is a sacred mountain, dig it up? Are you crazy?

The uneasy group didn't shout for long.

On the third night, the military's excavation tunnel broke through a giant cavity at the bottom of the ore vein.

Then... the earth shook.

It wasn't an earthquake.

Something crawled out of that cavity.

Nine heads.

Each head was as big as a truck. Their bodies were coiled up, their scales were jet black, and dark green slime seeped from the gaps.

When it opened the hole from underground, all the equipment within a radius of 300 meters was squeezed and deformed.

The Japanese Self-Defense Forces stationed there opened fire immediately.

12.7mm heavy machine gun, Type 89 anti-tank rocket launcher, Type 90 tank main gun...

All hits.

Not a single shot caused effective damage.

The bullet struck the scales, sparks flew, and it bounced off. The rocket exploded, creating a cloud of smoke, which cleared, leaving not even a scratch on the scales.

The Hydra didn't take these things seriously at all.

It slowly crawled out of the hole, shook its body... and all nine heads opened their mouths at the same time, letting out a roar that made one's stomach churn.

That night, the first batch of Self-Defense Force troops stationed on Mount Fuji were completely wiped out.

Number of dead: 473.

This number was blocked in Japan for a full twelve hours.

But satellite images cannot block them.

Infrared images taken from high orbit clearly show a massive heat source moving northeastward from the western foothills of Mount Fuji, with surface temperatures soaring abnormally along its path.

It is heading towards densely populated areas.

Fuji City. Resident population: 3.54 million.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense issued an emergency evacuation order, but the snake moved much faster than expected.

By the time the evacuation notice was sent to citizens' mobile phones, its first head had already crossed the industrial park on the outskirts of the city.

The video was taken by a citizen using their mobile phone.

It was shaking violently.

In the footage, a massive black silhouette occupies half the sky. Nine heads sway in the air, the lowest one less than twenty meters above the ground. Wherever it passes, buildings are knocked down and crushed by its body.

The video was only 43 seconds long.

Because the ground beneath the photographer's feet had cracked.

This video garnered over 100 million views within the first hour of being uploaded.

It went viral on social media platforms worldwide.

[Which movie is this special effect from?]

[It's not special effects! Japan's NHK is already broadcasting it live!]

Nine heads...wait, could it be Yamata no Orochi??

The Yamata no Orochi has eight heads, but this one has nine.

[Never mind how many heads there are, run!!!]

The anger of the Japanese people came faster than that of the Hydra.

The day after the incident, large-scale demonstrations broke out simultaneously in Kyoto and four other major cities in Japan.

The slogan was written very plainly:

"Stop excavating Mount Fuji!"

"It was you who awakened the Orochi God!"

"The government must apologize!"

The Japanese government's official denial came at a timely time, but it was also powerless.

The Prime Minister personally held a press conference, speaking clearly and deliberately to the cameras: "In mythology, the Yamata no Orochi has eight heads. The creature that has appeared has nine heads. It is not the Yamata no Orochi god, but a monster of unknown origin. Please remain calm—"

Nobody listened.

"Who cares how many heads it has!" a protester yelled at the camera. "If you dig up Mount Fuji, how can it not be angry?!"

Logically it doesn't make sense, but emotionally it makes perfect sense.

The destruction in Fuji City continues to expand. The hydra has been rampaging through the city for three whole days, flattening a third of the urban area.

The Self-Defense Forces mobilized all available firepower—tank formations, armed helicopter squadrons, and Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers launched cruise missiles from the direction of Suruga Bay...

Conventional ammunition had no effect. The cruise missile hit twice, revealing a denser, dark red armor layer beneath the shattered scales.

The thing shook its head and slammed a helicopter into the ground.

Japan can't hold on any longer.

An urgent request was made to the Allied forces stationed in Japan for assistance.

The United States reacted quickly—not because they wanted to help, but because they had been eyeing the Flame Spirit Stone mine beneath Mount Fuji for a long time.

Within 48 hours, two guided-missile destroyers of the Pacific Seventh Fleet entered Suruga Bay.