As a qualified angler, Luo Xiu knew that wasting a good fishing spot was a shameful act. It was tantamount to a commander squandering a strategic opportunity on the battlefield—a truly grievous sin. Therefore, to avoid wasting the spot Yue Tianyang had so kindly prepared, Luo Xiu decided to stay an extra day in Henghai Provincial City.

Unfortunately, he still failed to catch a hundred-pound giant green carp. Instead, Dou Dou, who knew nothing about fishing, casually cast her line out of boredom and immediately hooked one. Luo Xiu was so incensed he nearly disowned her on the spot.

「The next morning.」

Yue Tianyang, the Henghai Admiral, personally escorted Luo Xiu and his party of four to the base's port.

"That girl, Xiao Xue, should be arriving in Henghai this afternoon. Aren't you going to wait for her?"

Luo Xiu gently shook his head. He hated meetings, because meetings always led to partings. What he truly hated wasn't the reunion, but the inevitable farewell.

He took out the Vermilion Bird Inner Elixir and handed it to Yue Tianyang. "When Xiao Xue returns, please give this to her for me. Also, please tell her to do what she truly wants to do. We will meet again."

Yue Tianyang solemnly accepted the Vermilion Bird Inner Elixir. "I will. Mister Luo, take care."

"Take care."

...

The Thunderbolt Divine Boat surged through the waves, sailing away until it vanished completely over the horizon. Only then did Yue Tianyang turn to leave.

"There is always a deceptive calm before the storm," he muttered to himself before turning to his men. "Warriors, this is when we can least afford to relax! Hurry and deploy our forces! Be ready for battle at any moment!"

"Yes, sir!"

That afternoon, Yue Tianyang went to the Ye Family estate and met with Ye Ningxue.

"Xiao Xue, your master asked me to give this to you. It seems to be some kind of inner core. He also wanted me to tell you to do what you truly want to do."

Ye Ningxue's eyes grew moist. "Why didn't Master wait for me? He wouldn't even let me see him once."

Yue Tianyang smiled. "You will meet again."

Ye Ningxue snatched the Vermilion Bird Inner Elixir, fuming, "That rotten master of mine! The next time we meet, I won't let him get away again!"

Yue Tianyang reached out and ruffled her hair. "I heard our Champion Ye has joined the Martial Alliance and even become a Valkyrie."

"You got a problem with that?"

"Not at all. I was just thinking that old rascal of a grandfather of yours must be waking up from his dreams laughing."

...

「...」

Aboard the Thunderbolt Divine Boat, Luo Xiu sat on the deck, frowning at a map of the world. He was currently struggling with how to enter Sakura Country's territorial waters unhindered to reach Kun's Tomb. His plan was to follow the route he had taken before to enter the tomb, and from there, pass into the Shanhai Territory.

Here on Earth, however, one was bound by many rules, morals, and laws. Not everything could be resolved with fists. Therefore, a ship this large could not just barrel straight into the territorial waters of Sakura Country. If they were surrounded and expelled by Sakura Country's warships, a careless response could destroy the fleet. That would undoubtedly cause another global uproar, and Di Xuanji would be left to clean up the mess.

As Luo Xiu pondered this, a fragrant breeze wafted over. Luo Ying approached with a plate of sliced fruit and sat beside him. Gently tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, she said, "According to what Ying'er knows, the Seal Clan's Thunderbolt Divine Boat has a stealth function. We can turn invisible."

Luo Xiu's eyes widened. "How come I didn't know that?"

Luo Ying looked at him as if he were the foolish son of a wealthy landlord. "The Thunderbolt Divine Boat actually has many functions, Young Master. You just haven't taken the time to explore them."

...

「...」

Time flowed like water, and in the blink of an eye, a month quietly passed.

Luo Xiu first entered the waters of Sakura Country, found Kun's Tomb, and finally passed through it into the Shanhai Territory. The journey had been quite smooth, aside from the few mishaps caused by Dou Dou, who kept dozing off at the helm and steering the ship off course.

「Shanhai Territory, Mount Luwu.」

Luo Xiu stood on a cliff's edge, gazing out at the vast green mountains. He couldn't help but recall the events of his first visit. He remembered encountering a Gu Diao almost immediately upon arrival. The very fissure connecting Kun's Tomb to the Shanhai Territory had been opened by that Gu Diao for the purpose of "fishing."

"Young Master, where are we heading now?" Luo Ying asked.

"First to Thunder Swamp," Luo Xiu said. "To find my Brother Xiong."

"But Dou Dou wants to go to Zhangwei Mountain and kill that Fire Dragon!" Dou Dou interjected. "We can use the Kun-stewing Divine Cauldron to cook and eat it!"

"There's no need to waste time on that," Luo Xiu said. "We still have to gather herbs along the way. After we cure Brother Xiong, we'll go to Mount Green Hills to find Su Fox. While we're there, I'll have the Fox Clan Elder help me remove my seal."

Dou Dou threw up her small hands in resignation. "It seems you have no respect for me, the Adventure Team Leader. Well, fine. We'll do it your way. After all, what else is an Adventure Team Leader for?"

Luo Xiu reached out and ruffled her hair, then used his left eye to open a spatial passage to the Land of Lawlessness.

A short while later, Hua Muyan walked out of the portal, trembling. Head bowed, she whispered, "Master, you summoned me?"

During the journey to the Shanhai Territory, Luo Ying, Dou Dou, and Yaya had spent nearly a month entering the Land of Lawlessness to thoroughly tame Hua Muyan. The "Demonic Flower God," who was once second only to the leader of the Holy Boi Religion, was now merely Luo Xiu's maid.

She had no choice but to submit. Luo Xiu had planted her very essence in the Land of Lawlessness and bound her Divine Sense with his Soul Capturing Technique. He could obliterate her, body and soul, whenever he wished. Furthermore, an Earth Immortal like Luo Ying was always by his side. Hua Muyan herself had participated in the ambush on Luo Ying all those years ago. Even then, though gravely injured, Luo Ying had fought five Upper Nine Deities at once. The Holy Boi Religion had paid a terrible price to finally "kill" her.

"From now on, you are in charge of finding herbs along our route," Luo Xiu said in a commanding tone.

"Yes, Master."

"If you see any tasty fruits, you must also pick them for Dou Dou to enjoy," Dou Dou added.

"This young lady loves to eat cute little animals," Yaya chimed in. "If you find any, you must catch them for me."

This is maddening... How could I, a mighty Upper Nine Deity, have fallen to such a servile state? Hua Muyan cried out internally but dared not let any of it show on her face.

For the next few days, the group traveled by day gathering herbs and rested at night in the Land of Lawlessness, feasting on delicacies prepared in the Kun-stewing Divine Cauldron. Hua Muyan lived up to her name as the queen of flowers. Her efficiency at finding herbs far exceeded Luo Xiu's expectations. In just a few days, she had already gathered all of the three hundred-plus herbs he needed to concoct elixirs for Kuang Pi's injuries. It was the least he could do; he could not neglect the affairs of his sworn brother.

「Half a month later.」

The group entered Thunder Swamp. The swamp was filled with Heaven and Earth Treasures, so they began to plunder them as they went, like a band of robbers. For some reason, however, Luo Xiu felt that the atmosphere in Thunder Swamp was off this time. It seemed as if an unknown danger lurked in the very air.

That day, as the group was traveling, three tall figures suddenly burst from the marsh, blocking their path. Luo Xiu recognized them instantly. They were the Three Bandits of Thunder Swamp he had met before: a crocodile, a hippopotamus, and a giant python.

The crocodile's demonic title was "King of the Poisonous Crocodile."

The hippopotamus was known as "Big Mouth."

The giant python was known as "Tian Bang."

Together, they were the Three Bandits of Thunder Swamp.

"Well, well, well, little brat," the King of the Poisonous Crocodile sneered, looking at Luo Xiu with disdain. "Didn't expect to run into you again."

"The Ancient Mystic Realm has opened," Tian Bang added with a cold laugh. "You're here to scavenge some benefits, aren't you, you little punk?"

He continued, "Last time, you had Kuang Pi to protect you, so we three brothers didn't dare lay a hand on you. But now, Kuang Pi can barely protect himself! The Heavenly Gods are on their way to the Burial Sword Tomb of the Thunderstorm to eliminate him. It won't be long before he's finished. Who's going to protect you now?"

Hearing this, Luo Xiu's brow furrowed. The Heavenly Gods are going to kill Kuang Pi? Have those riffraff from the Upper Realm come down to stir up trouble again?

With that thought, he shot a look at Luo Ying.

"Ying'er, handle them."

Luo Xiu had initially wanted to deal with them himself to avenge the beating the three had given him last time. But now, he had no time to waste.

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