Chapter 115: Folded Space, Ancient Secrets, Emerging from Seclusion!

"This... this..." Zhu Qingyu was caught off guard by the question.

She felt that her response had been perfectly fine, and she hadn't revealed anything. Why, then, would he suddenly ask such a thing? Still, she clung to a glimmer of hope and continued, "Nothing is wrong, King Lu. You're overthinking it."

Her current mission was to keep the situation in the Bohai Sea and overseas a secret—only for a few days. They were about to take action on the other side, and by the time King Lu found out, the matter would hopefully be resolved. At the very least, he wouldn't need to worry about it.

"Even though we are in a new era," Lu Yuan began, his voice remaining calm, "as long as I turn on my communicator, I can find out almost anything. You cannot keep this from me."

As he spoke, he took out his device, ready to activate it. The more she acted this way, the more he felt something was wrong. Of course, if she said nothing, he still had plenty of other channels to gather information. Even if he couldn't grasp the full truth, he could deduce it.

Zhu Qingyu froze. Realizing the jig was up, she had no choice but to give in. Helplessly, she explained the entire sequence of events: the conditions set by the Three Immortal Islands, the kidnapping of the Pure Yang Young Celestial Master as a hostage, and the official plans for a counter-operation.

"Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou?" Lu Yuan did not speak immediately, his mind racing.

More than two years had passed since the initial mutation. Calculating the time, it did indeed make sense. In his previous life, after the Three Immortal Islands appeared and reached the mainland, they were arrogant and domineering. They eventually clashed directly with the authorities and other factions, causing massive casualties. Although the mainland possessed modern weaponry, the islands had extremely powerful individuals, leading to a war that dragged on for months. In the end, the authorities were forced to compromise, carving out "dojos" for the islands to control.

After those beings from the islands entered the mainland, almost all of them were haughty and overbearing. At the root of it, they believed they had taken the lead on the path of evolution and wanted to plunder the resources of the mainland. Back then, he had been filled with indignation, but he was too weak to do anything about it.

Lu Yuan had originally intended to leave temporarily because he had foreseen this and wanted to resolve it early; after all, he had the ability to do so now. He hadn't expected to miss the window due to his recent seclusion. The authorities, not wanting to trouble him further, had chosen not to inform him. Regardless, Lu Yuan knew he had to make a trip to the Bohai Sea and the Three Immortal Islands.

"Don't worry about the rest. Stay at Mount Tai," he said. Without another word, he walked out the door. Zhu Qingyu could not stop him. Seeing this, she knew she had to report the development and hurriedly headed in the other direction.

Just as Lu Yuan stepped outside, a figure appeared before him with a faint smile and two small dimples on her cheeks. It was Jiang Ningxian. She walked up to him directly and asked, "King Lu, are you heading out to deal with the Three Immortal Islands beyond the Bohai Sea?"

"Why? Does Miss Jiang have a suggestion?" Lu Yuan paused; he was not in such a rush that he couldn't spare a moment.

"Of course," Jiang Ningxian said. "Forgive my bluntness, but while King Lu’s strength is surely enough to crush those people with ease, sometimes one must be thorough. You should head straight for their nest and eliminate the root of the problem once and for all."

Lu Yuan smiled in response. "Is Miss Jiang very familiar with the people of the Three Immortal Islands?"

"Not particularly, just a few things mentioned by the elders of my clan." She thought for a moment before explaining.

The Three Immortal Islands were folded spaces within this world. In the ancient era, wars were frequent, and some chose to flee and hide overseas. They used special means to completely isolate the islands from the outside world. However, they would emerge periodically because, being mere islands, their resources were limited, and such resources were essential for evolutionary cultivation. Yet, whenever a great war broke out, the people on the islands would retreat into their shells, cutting off all contact with the outside.

After the Great Severance, the three islands were completely cut off. Outsiders could no longer enter, and those inside found it hard to leave. Because of this, the islands preserved the conditions for evolution from the ancient era. Of course, as time passed and resources vanished, the power of heaven and earth would also dry up. When the world began to mutate and recover, the elders of the Jiang clan concluded that these people would inevitably emerge. In the eyes of the Jiang clan, those people were a joke, not worth any concern. They only spoke of them to warn their descendants never to choose to hide when war broke out.

"In short," Jiang Ningxian sneered, "the resources of the three islands have been completely exhausted. They will emerge to plunder more resources, and once the great catastrophe descends, they will shrink back to their islands again."

She felt nothing but contempt for them. While everyone else was fighting, these people chose to hide. That in itself wasn't the issue, but the way they periodically stepped onto the mainland to plunder made them truly disgusting.

"I see," Lu Yuan nodded after hearing this. He had known of the Three Immortal Islands but didn't know their origins. Now, with this explanation, everything was clear. In other words, those on the islands were the descendants of cowards, which explained their wretched character. He didn't doubt her story; he knew she had no reason to lie about this.

He didn't dwell on it further and asked, "What did you mean by heading straight for the nest?"

"King Lu can certainly crush everyone, but what if they simply don't come out?" Jiang Ningxian smiled and flipped her hand to reveal a jade slip. "This was refined by the elders of my clan. It can temporarily open a passage, helping King Lu enter the three islands directly."

She had wanted to teach them a lesson when she first heard the stories from her elders, but it wasn't appropriate for her to act personally. Knowing Lu Yuan would not stand idly by, she decided to help.

"In that case, thank you." Lu Yuan was not one for false modesty. Regardless of whether it was true, the gesture was well-intentioned, so he accepted it.

"No need, no need! Just don't forget my kindness in the future." Jiang Ningxian smiled, showing her pearly white teeth, then turned around and skipped back to where she lived. She had been planning this ever since she learned the islands had emerged, and now that it was done, she was naturally pleased.

Lu Yuan shook his head slightly and looked toward the Bohai Sea. Mount Tai was in the same region, so it wasn't very far; there was no need to summon the Golden-Winged Peng. However, he couldn't walk there, so he climbed to the Jade Emperor Peak. The spirit monkey, upon learning of his intent, dispatched a lightning-fast Golden Eagle beast king. Lu Yuan boarded the eagle and set off for his destination.

Meanwhile, on the shores of the Bohai Sea, a series of thunderous roars erupted as gunfire poured out. Military units were present, including armored vehicles, tanks, and even armed helicopters. Below them, the ships of the Three Immortal Islands were already riddled with holes.

"You people of the mainland are despicable and shameless! To launch a surprise attack—do you not fear our retaliation?" Zhao Yuan, Zhang Yun, and their leader stood amidst the barrage. As practitioners in the Shackles Realm, bullets and grenades posed little threat to them. The problem was that the disciples they had brought were only in the Awakening Realm and could not ignore such firepower. They were suffering heavy casualties; in just a short time, over twenty had been gunned down. Elder Ji and the others had also joined the fray, pinning the three leaders down.

"Shameless? Who is truly shameless?" Elder Yun spoke with a solemn expression, his attacks growing heavier. They were the ones who had provoked this, yet they were the ones trying to shift the blame.

"Elder Ji, Elder Yun, they’ve been rescued!" A voice came from afar—it was the Ice Fairy and her group. Behind them were the Pure Yang Young Celestial Master and Gu Sang. Although they were still bound by the Immortal-Binding Rope, they had been brought to a safe zone. The Ice Fairy knew she had been too timid earlier when facing the islands, failing to act decisively, so she had taken the initiative to lead the rescue mission herself. Now, with the help of the heavy weaponry, the mission was a success!

"Good!" Seeing that they were safe, Elder Ji was invigorated. He exchanged a glance with Elder Yun and the others, and they immediately pulled back.

In the rear, the commander knew the time for the main assault had come and issued the order.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

In an instant, an even more powerful barrage of firepower rained down. The already battered ships could no longer withstand the modern weaponry and began to disintegrate. The authorities were, after all, the authorities. Once they made up their minds, provided the opponent wasn't vastly superior, they were not a force that ordinary factions could withstand. Despite being in the Shackles Realm, Zhao Yuan and his companions were suppressed. With the hostages rescued, the military no longer had any constraints. Powerful weapons from the sky, land, and sea were unleashed, demonstrating the true might of modern weaponry. For now, at least, it had not been rendered obsolete.

The number of disciples from the three islands dwindled until only the three leaders remained.

"Damn it! When our masters from the three sects arrive, all of you will pay the price!" Zhang Yun roared, her eyes filled with rage and a touch of madness. She felt a profound sense of humiliation. She truly hadn't expected the mainland's weaponry to be this powerful. Even with extraordinary powers and the path of evolution, they couldn't fully resist it. She was in the Shackles Realm and could ignore most things, but even a person has their limits. If this continued, the situation would turn dire. They would end up as prisoners, and with their ships destroyed, they had no way to retreat.

*Run!* Zhang Yun and Zhao Yuan exchanged a look, both intending to flee. They were Awakeners; they wouldn't die if they escaped into the sea.

"Elder Yun," a commander in the rear said, his face filled with shock. "We have detected many life signs on the horizon. Preliminary estimates suggest at least a thousand people."

What?

At these words, Elder Ji and Elder Yun’s expressions shifted. They looked toward the distant ocean. There, huge ships were appearing, moving at high speed. With their cultivation, they could sense multiple powerful auras among them, most of them in the Shackles Realm. There was no doubt—just as Zhang Yun had said, these were the masters from Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou, and they were rapidly approaching the shore.

I have seen the opinions of my brothers. Rest assured, I will make adjustments and corrections to ensure a better quality of writing. I may not have other virtues, but I am certainly willing to listen to advice! Thank you once again for your feedback! Finally, please show your support with some votes!