The swirling Death Qi gushed out like a flood.

Thick as a liquid, it collapsed in all directions.

Xie Jun and his companions' pupils contracted. They retreated again and again, seemingly unable to escape the onslaught of this black torrent.

But just then, the Death Qi that had been flowing outwards suddenly shrank back and then flowed inward.

An inexplicable suction force emanated from the center of the restricted area.

Under this suction force, the immense Death Qi formed a huge black vortex. Even the sky transformed into a funnel shape.

Xie Jun and his two companions, protected by a shield of light, stood in the open wilderness.

They watched as strands of Death Qi, like smoke, gathered from all directions: from near them, from their surroundings, and even from the farthest reaches of the Secret Realm behind them. All of it converged into the massive vortex, like myriad streams returning to the sea, and the entire Lament Ruins seemed to vibrate with it.

The faint, sorrowful whimpers in the air suddenly intensified, turning into sounds akin to loud wailing.

Countless Dead Spirit Crows flew in, flapping their wings. They spiraled around a specific direction, as if in worship.

Xie Jun and his companions looked up blankly.

They observed the forbidden area, now completely exposed under the dome of the sky.

Vaguely, they could see that beneath the massive Death Qi funnel, at the center of the vortex, a sixth stone pillar stood tall. Boundless Death Qi converged on a huge black egg at the top of the pillar, as if... something was brewing inside.

At this moment, every Yellow Bear Member in every corner of the Lament Ruins Secret Realm felt this unexpected transformation.

An indescribable, deep unease arose within everyone.

Unprompted, a singular phrase surfaced in their minds: Something big is about to happen....

「」

"Alright, if nothing's wrong, I'll be going. I just dropped by to see you. I'm still on vacation..."

Su Zhaohui put down his square liquor glass and stood up from the sofa. Looking at the indifferent Song Cong before him, he joked, "Remember me when you're truly riding Lord Tong's coattails. Song, if you get rich, don't forget your old friends."

A flash of exasperation crossed Song Cong's face as he waved his hand dismissively, adopting a "no need to see me off" posture.

Su Zhaohui yawned lazily, preparing to leave.

But before he could take two steps, both he and Song Cong stopped in their tracks almost simultaneously.

Several seconds later, one rose and the other turned, their eyes meeting. Each of their pupils reflected the other's surprised face.

"Did you get the message too?"

"No kidding!"

Su Zhaohui frowned, quickly muttering the message he had just received, word by word.

"...Half an hour ago, Gold Bear Xie Jun sent out a distress signal from the forbidden area in the Lament Ruins. Two Gold Bear members of Xie Jun's squad had their consciousnesses downloaded and clones revived, confirming the death of their original bodies... It's confirmed: the original S-rank Secret Realm, Lament Ruins, has experienced an Evil Energy eruption. The danger level has been temporarily raised from S-rank to SSS-rank. We are now urgently summoning S-rank and above Gold Bears and Flying Bears for suppression..."

"Damn!"

Su Zhaohui couldn't help but curse, "What the hell did Xie Jun and his crew do in the Lament Ruins? Usually, those who accidentally wander into the restricted area and die don't cause such a big commotion! An Evil Energy outburst, temporarily raising the Secret Realm's danger level by two whole ranks. Directly from a normal S-rank to Sub-legendary level... I haven't seen anything like this in decades!"

"What damn good is talking about that now? The priority is to solve this!"

Song Cong's face was even darker than Su Zhaohui's. He squeezed out through gritted teeth, "Lu Yuan is still in the Lament Ruins."

"I know. But an SSS-rank danger level, a Sub-legendary Evil God Secret Realm... sending ordinary S-ranks like us in there would be suicide, wouldn't it?"

Su Zhaohui was sighing in frustration. Suddenly, his expression changed slightly. "Huh?"

"The conscription order has been canceled. A top-tier, four-winged Flying Bear General has accepted the suppression mission. Now they only need ten Gold Bears below SS-rank to assist with search and rescue... Song!"

Su Zhaohui called out to Song and looked up at him, only to find Song Cong had already donned his combat suit and looked ready to depart immediately.

"Lu Yuan is a Pure Martial. Even the S-rank Lament Ruins was dangerous for him. Now it's escalated to Sub-legendary level...." Song Cong's face was grim, his teeth clenched. "We don't even know if he managed to upload a backup of his consciousness. Even if he did, if he 'dies' even once, his talent and potential will be drastically reduced...."

As he finished speaking, only deep concern remained on Song Cong's face.

Su Zhaohui listened to him, silent for a moment, then said, "I'll go with you!"

He started taking off his casual denim jacket, cursing all the while.

"That Xie Jun is a real jinx, always stirring up shit for the organization... Lu Yuan's lucky he didn't join his team. Don't worry, Song. Just based on that, Lu Yuan is someone blessed with great fortune. If we can bring Lu Yuan back safe and sound this time... Lord Tong's immense riches will be waiting for us!"

「」

Hmm?! Lu Yuan, struggling with the surge of memory fragments in his mind, also immediately sensed the changes happening around him.

He saw the collapse of the Death Qi Boundary and the formation of the Death Qi vortex.

And, atop the sixth stone pillar, that giant black egg emitting strange fluctuations of consciousness waves.

The battle had also unilaterally, and temporarily, ceased.

When the strange transformation began, the three Walker-level Crowmen who had been besieging Lu Yuan turned almost without hesitation and headed towards the square in front of them.

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