Chapter Seventy-six: Homecoming

Once the bow is drawn, there is no turning back. Having meticulously devised an effective plan for the hunt and reached the very threshold of its execution, Old Demon Lan would not be swayed even if Jin Buhuan were to plead, "Stop, Lan, I’ll grant you permanent passage rights." Lan Yi would simply press forward, seizing victory before considering any other consequence!

Deep within the four-thousand-meter fissure beneath the sea, the perfect explosive ratio of hydrogen and oxygen gas, crafted by the electromagnetic avatar that flickered like a superfluid rope, had built up to a level nearly breaching the subterranean lava river. Were his true self present, Lan Yi would have fled long ago. The force unleashed by the accumulation of hydrogen and oxygen—triggering the eruption of the planetary lava veins—could only be measured in tens of thousands of tons of TNT, bordering on the energy of a nuclear weapon. Standing at the edge of such an explosion, the real Lan Yi would have been obliterated instantly. Only the immortal, fearless electromagnetic avatar dared to revel in such peril.

At a certain moment, the avatar’s oscillating movement abruptly halted. In the dim depths of the sea, within the enormous bubble of mixed gases, the avatar clapped its hands with an air of nonchalance. As its palms met, a burst of electric sparks ignited.

The spectacle was like lighting a cigarette in a gas-filled dark room—magnified thousands of times. Even far above, both Jin Buhuan and Lan Yi noticed the faint ripple across the sea’s surface as the hydrogen-oxygen mixture ignited.

Was it over? Certainly not! An explosion takes time to unfold.

The victim, the young form of the Hundred-Eyed Giant, had been sealed for ten thousand years—imprisoned, exiled from its homeland. Now, intruders dared trespass upon its domain; it was an act of suicide!

The moment the steel spikes were wrenched free by the first shockwave, every eye pinned to the cliff opened wide. Before the giant could vent its fury and hunt down the insect that had darted about, it sensed a sudden warmth beneath its feet. Peering down through many eyes amidst the explosive blaze, its tendrils reached downward in unison, and the Hundred-Eyed Giant was stunned.

Something was wrong.

The first shockwave had shattered the fragile geological layer above the lava river, as if squeezing a festering wound—at the breached fissure, the planet unleashed a furious spray!

Eighty meters tall? Eight thousand tons of flesh? A mythic breed? In the face of the planet’s unleashed might, such distinctions became laughable.

Thunderous booms echoed.

In the next instant, the Hundred-Eyed Giant, along with tens of millions of tons of matter, was hurled above the ocean’s surface, shot skyward. Torn and battered by the extreme forces, its highly adaptive body was shredded, then crashed headlong into the rolling thunder pool a thousand meters aloft!

Lan Yi left his electromagnetic avatar behind. His true self had already retreated hundreds of meters.

The scene was breathtaking.

A near-stationary pillar of pure white rose above the azure sea, its crown branching out in countless forks. This column, formed from evaporated seawater, bridged heaven and earth, arching as the wailing Hundred-Eyed Giant was slammed into the thunder pool. Its vaunted adaptability was useless; the pervasive assault of the thunder pool destroyed it utterly as it floundered in weakness.

Jin Buhuan, unable to bear the brutality that followed, clicked his tongue and looked away.

The giant’s self-healing abilities would last no more than ten seconds.

Within ten seconds, its tattered, ruptured body would be annihilated by the omnidirectional attack of the thunder pool, losing all vitality. It couldn’t adapt in time to this compound assault.

Lan Yi’s hunting method was like a cold, sharp scalpel—slipping precisely into the prey’s fatal weakness during the interval of its abilities.

In its final moments, the Hundred-Eyed Giant, powerless in its rage, unleashed torrents of thermal microwave sorcery from its eyes in all directions, causing bursts of explosions within the thunder pool and water column. From afar, swathes of dark-red decay appeared amidst the pristine pillar.

That was the end.

Only as its consciousness faded did the Hundred-Eyed Giant finally see its hunter.

Lan Yi’s electromagnetic avatar manifested within the thunder pool, then gradually dissolved.

"Success." Lan Yi’s true self, several hundred meters away, opened his eyes and spoke in a low voice.

Through the avatar’s observation, the mythic infant had been utterly exterminated: ninety percent of its body carbonized, bioelectric signals nullified, and its form shattered completely. For prey of this caliber, unless it possessed some extraordinary protection, death was absolute.

If it did possess such protection, Jin Buhuan would never have assigned the task. The merchant, though morally dubious, would not offer a suicide mission.

"Yes, your damage output exceeded expectations. The higher-dimensional computer is calculating your reward..." Jin Buhuan felt a pang of melancholy.

With Lan Yi’s departure, he would lose another friend with whom he could converse freely in Artificial Divine Realm 1909. Though most realms boasted an adventure merchant, each was unique in sentiment, and forging a friendship was equally unique.

A sorrow beyond words.

Jin Buhuan finished the last dose of spirit powder, soon feeling invigorated.

"Give me your left hand."

Lan Yi extended his left hand.

Jin Buhuan grasped something invisible and, with a playful slap, pressed it onto the spatial bracelet on Lan Yi’s left wrist. Though unseen and unfelt, Lan Yi understood: quantum foam had been embedded into his storage item, granting him temporary passage rights.

Upon returning to the main world, whenever necessary, he could focus his attention to communicate and open the temporary channel. Typically, such channels served as short-term double portals, subject to time and material limits. Yet, with task completion and a period of destiny’s favor, Lan Yi would enjoy preferential rewards.

Becoming permanent was hardly an issue.

Re-entering Artificial Divine Realm 1909 would be effortless.

Lan Yi nodded slightly, establishing communication with the Battleground Space.

He had harvested a wave of life clusters and completed his strengthening. With the mission fulfilled, he felt no lingering attachment and prepared to return to the main world.

"Hey, be a decent person—don’t just leave without a word," Jin Buhuan grumbled, almost in despair.

Lan Yi truly seemed devoid of emotion.

And he hadn’t even undergone modification yet—indeed, a born fiend!

Lan Yi ignored the merchant.

He had completed all the basic tasks arranged by the Battleground Space; the return option was ready for activation.

There was a pitfall here.

The return process of Battleground Space seemed ordinary, but inexperienced psionic cultivators often treated it as a lifeline, allowing themselves to run wild in the Artificial Divine Realm.

In truth, when a psionic cultivator chose to return, Battleground Space required that they not be disturbed—that is, their environment must be safe and stable, free of interference by others’ innate energy or psionics. Otherwise, return was impossible.

Thus, within the culture of psionic cultivators, if one is tagged with psionics or innate energy during the return period, it’s tantamount to a declaration of war.

"Return," Lan Yi uttered.

In the next second, his figure vanished without a trace.