Through Yu Xian's tireless efforts, one stone stele after another was lit, until brilliant golden light surged forth in torrents.
High above, the spatial barrier descended rapidly, cleaving the churning sea in two and instantly bisecting countless sea beasts.
Along the coast.
Gong Qian and the others were still locked in combat with the Bayao people.
Suddenly, the earth shuddered violently. Far out at sea, the waters parted by the spatial barrier surged backward in a colossal tidal wave.
Gong Qian's squad and the Bayao warriors alike froze, gazing around in sheer shock. Nothing seemed to have outwardly changed, yet an indefinable, profound shift had clearly occurred.
Back on Earth, the landmass that had belonged to Huaxia looked as though a gigantic scoop had been carved out of the globe. Looking down from the stratosphere, one could even catch glimpses of the Earth's molten mantle and core.
Huaxia had vanished into thin air.
In the neighboring countries bordering Huaxia, countless powerful experts rushed to the edge of the chasm. Staring into the bottomless abyss, every face was pale with shock. The problem was that no one had any idea what had just transpired.
Had Huaxia come under attack?
Had the Abyss swallowed Huaxia whole?
Wild theories ran rampant. News media across every nation broadcast nonstop coverage, temporarily eclipsing even the reports about the Blood Clan Progenitor.
Only when the oceans began cascading into the abyss and violent earthquakes rattled national borders did the world's powerhouses finally snap to attention, scrambling for ways to stem the impending catastrophe.
Of course, whatever was unfolding on Earth no longer had anything to do with Huaxia.
***
Huaxia Grotto-Heaven.
Having charged the very last stele, Yu Xian pulled off the bracelet without a second's delay. Teleporting straight into his home, he collapsed onto his bed and fell into an immediate, dead sleep.
In Yanjing, countless people burst into wild cheers the moment news broke that the Grotto-Heaven Plan had succeeded. Concurrently, under directives from high command, news broadcasts aired nationwide, flashing photos of Yu Xian, Xuanming, and Zhu Yuan across television screens.
The citizens, previously brimming with grievances and confusion, were first struck dumb, then washed over with profound guilt. Finally, they etched the trio's faces deep into their hearts. These were the true stars worthy of admiration—the real heroes of their nation.
By the shore, Gong Qian and her team finished watching the broadcast and tossed a phone straight across to the Bayao warriors. When the Bayao saw the news, they stood utterly bewildered. After a heavy silence, the shark-headed commander lowered his weapon and sank to his knees in surrender.
Fighting had lost all meaning.
They were like turtles trapped in a jar; stubborn resistance would only lead to certain death.
……
……
Three days later.
Yu Xian let out a long yawn as he slowly stirred from sleep.
Staring at the familiar ceiling, he waited a few moments for his groggy brain to fully reboot. He lay motionless on the bed, soaking in this fleeting pocket of tranquility.
After five minutes, he finally climbed out of bed.
Almost immediately, he noticed something bizarre about the giant serpent's heart beating inside his chest.
Focusing inward, he discovered that what had already resembled a serpentine heart now looked uncannily alive. The delicate capillary patterns mimicking scales appeared vibrant and lifelike, and two bead-like red eyes gleamed with a distinct radiance.
The instant he concentrated his attention on the heart, a tsunami of emotions completely submerged him.
"Yu Xian, I love you!"
"Salute to you, Yu Xian! You're my hero!"
"Yu Xian is so handsome! I'm applying to school in Silver City just to be his classmate!"
"Yu Xian, you're my god! Please bless me so I ace the college entrance exams!"
Every single sentiment was positive—not a shred of negativity remained. This torrent of fervent goodwill had thoroughly purged the giant serpent's heart.
Originally, the giant serpent had favored fear and dread, making its heart thrive on dark emotions. Yet this time, the sheer volume of positive conviction had washed the heart inside and out, scrubbing it clean from pitch-black to pure white.
Yu Xian drew a deep breath. Without needing sunlight to recharge, he directly channeled this immense reserve of positive energy to kindle the heart's dormant power. In an instant, the Venomous Fire of Sinan was awakened.
Yet something seemed amiss with the flame.
He cast Appraisal on himself at once. Sure enough, transformed by the massive influx of positive conviction, the flame was no longer the Venomous Fire of Sinan.
[Sacred Fire of the Hero: Each eye can unleash golden sacred flames of retribution and green sacred flames of healing, and can manipulate their forms at will.]
Looking at the newly activated ability, a large question mark popped up in Yu Xian's head.
Hero?
Is that supposed to mean me?
He closed his status window and pulled out his personal phone to check the news.
"Yu Xian, the Youth Who Once Saved an Entire City Single-Handedly: He Didn't Just Become a Hero Today!"
"Shocking Truth: Yu Xian's Tragic Past Revealed!"
"Zhang Shou Recounts Yu Xian's Early Days: He Truly Deserves Everything!"
"Thirty Cities Submit Petitions to Declare Yu Xian, Xuanming, and Zhu Yuan National Treasures; Giant Pandas Reportedly Devastated."
"Universities Nationwide Extend Open Invitations for Yu Xian's Enrollment."
Yu Xian stared at the headlines, completely dumbfounded by the endless barrage of articles centered around him, Xuanming, and Zhu Yuan.
No wonder he had absorbed such an astronomical amount of positive sentiment—the entire country knew what they had done. Had he seriously become a household name overnight?
Pocketing his phone, he tiptoed cautiously out onto the balcony. Sure enough, a massive crowd had gathered below.
Although combat police officers were doing their utmost to maintain order, the moment Yu Xian stepped outside, a deafening screech erupted from the crowd beyond the perimeter wall. Men and women alike swooned, shouting breathless confessions of love.
"Holy crap!"
Yu Xian had never seen so many people gathered in one place.
What unnerved him even more was the crowd's clear division—the girls stood neatly on one side, while the men congregated on the other.
Evidently, his looks appealed not only to women, but to men just as intensely. Terrified, he bolted back indoors. Feeling that even his apartment wasn't safe, he immediately teleported to Su Zhuo's residence in Tianjing City.
Collapsing onto the sofa, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fame was truly a double-edged sword: the upside was that his serpent heart's abilities had grown vastly stronger; the downside was that his rear end might be in mortal danger at any moment.
He could just about tolerate the adoration of girls, but what in the world was up with those hulking muscleheads?
Just then, the phone issued to him by Qilin rang. Seeing Yu Lie's name on the screen, Yu Xian picked it up immediately. Yu Lie's voice came through: "Little Yu, you're awake? Take the coming month to properly relax. Whatever business comes up can wait until next month. I won't disturb your rest."
"Wait—" Yu Xian began, but a dial tone had already cut him off.
Sighing helplessly, he opened the Qilin app to review the past few days' developments.
Even though Huaxia had relocated into a grotto-heaven, the state still maintained surveillance over the situation back on Earth. Over the past few days, the various world powers, unable to restrain themselves any longer, had finally launched missile strikes against Rome Huchen.
The entire territory of Rome Huchen had been blanketed by missile bombardments. Forget living souls—scarcely a ghost could have survived.
Yet the Blood Clan Progenitor had not shown himself once, and the nations were still hunting for any trace of him.
Next, Yu Xian checked on Xuanming and Zhu Yuan. Both were in dire condition—Xuanming had suffered severe brain damage, while Zhu Yuan had lost her sanity.
Although Zhang Shou had healed Xuanming's physical wounds and replenished his mental energy, the damage to his cognition proved irreversible. His mental age was now equivalent to a three-year-old child's, and the Black Tortoise branch had placed him in a sanatorium.
Zhu Yuan had collapsed out in the wilderness, where wild beasts had mauled and devoured large parts of her body. By the time search teams found her, she was on the brink of death. Although her body had been saved, her mind had fractured into delirium—alternating between vacant giggles and violent frenzies, even exhibiting aggressive tendencies toward caretakers.
And when she attacked, she wasn't lashing out randomly; she was wielding spatial abilities. In the end, she had to be sealed in ice before being taken away by members of the Vermilion Bird branch.
"Xuanming..."
"Zhu Yuan..."
Back in Li Zhangzong's grotto-heaven world, the two had been so brilliant, sharp, calm, and composed.
After reading their reports, Yu Xian closed the thread and let out a long, heavy sigh. That day, it turned out he wasn't the only one shining. Two others had blazed with an even more radiant light, burning themselves completely to ash in the process.
Chapter 167