"The total value could reach 6.321 million Hunyuan Units."
Chen Beixun paused in surprise. He stood on the emerald-green water, pondering.
The treasures in the World Lord World had indeed shocked him, even left him breathless! But why was he always the one to come across these opportunities? The first time could be a coincidence, but now, a second time...
"Who exactly is guiding me? Could this be another inheritance?" The thought occurred to Chen Beixun.
He looked around again. The more he considered it, the more convinced he became. If it was merely a coincidence, then it was far too convenient.
Emerald-green waves rolled beneath him, lifting him up and down with them. He glanced unconsciously at the green liquid beneath his feet.
Chen Beixun suddenly smiled and said with some relief, "At least I survived."
After exchanging a few words with Qishan, he flew into the air. He still held out a faint hope that, against all odds, this place might not be dangerous.
So, as Chen Beixun explored the entire unknown space, he acted as though he were in a hurry. Qishan even scolded him for it.
"This place is huge. It covers a full 10,051 square kilometers." Chen Beixun hovered in the air, surveying the area below.
After exploring for a long time, he was able to confirm that the space was completely safe. There wasn't even a single unknown entity here. Apart from the sound of the waves, there was nothing else. The place was utterly lifeless.
Dark Universe.
A sword-shaped spacecraft sped forward at fifty times the speed of light.
Inside the spacecraft...
"Why didn't you bring him with you!" An Changyan gripped a long saber and swung it wildly, venting her emotions without restraint.
Her fourth brother, An Changlie, merely watched her in silence. He raised his hand several times, only to lower it again.
"Why!" An Changyan tossed aside the saber in her hand, covered her head, and crouched on the ground. She felt lost and helpless, as if she had fallen from heaven into hell.
Just a few days ago, she had thought she had everything. She had even harbored grand ambitions for the future. She wanted to enter the Virtual Universe Company's internal selection with Chen Beixun, distinguish herself, and fulfill her dream of joining the company's core.
Her dream had been beautiful. Reality was cruel.
He had left her behind in the perilous World Lord World—abandoned by the brother she respected, who was also her teacher.
"Even if you didn't approve of him, you could've at least brought him out!"
"Why!"
An Changyan screamed. She had completely succumbed to her grief, unable to pull herself out of it and willing to sink into despair.
An Changlie felt helpless about it, too. Before entering the World Lord World, he had heard that Chen Beixun often disrespected An Changyan. Of course, he didn't know about the World Castle. If he had, Chen Beixun would've been done for.
It was true that An Changlie detested Chen Beixun. He had even wanted to kill him outright. But the rules had stopped him.
He had gone back only because he wanted to bring Chen Beixun out and kill him afterward. So what if he'd failed to kill him? They could just let the matter drop. But An Changyan's reaction left him at a loss.
"Wait... Did I leave my sister's future husband in there?" An Changlie asked, confused and surprised.
He thought it over, piecing the relationship together as best he could. Then...
"An Changyan, I... I'll definitely bring him back. How does that sound?" An Changlie went over and crouched in front of her, speaking softly.
"Then go!" An Changyan lifted her head and shouted. Her face had lost all its color, and she had cried herself dry.
Normally, she carried herself with an air of nobility, every gesture elegant and composed. It was only her mouth that had no filter.
An Changlie shook his head, then ordered his Intelligent Life to change their course.
"An Changyan, contact him and ask him to send us his coordinates," An Changlie said.
An Changyan stared up at him in a daze, her eyes brimming with hope. In an instant, she was transformed. Her sorrow and fear vanished, and her old cheerfulness returned.
"Right away!" An Changyan rasped.
An Changlie grimaced and thought, She changes moods faster than the pages of a book turn.
Meanwhile...
When the ancient, rustic bell rang out, something unsettling crawled up from the emerald-green water again.
The creatures gathered together, piling themselves higher and higher.
"They're back." Chen Beixun watched the green creatures, which looked like bullfrogs that had become monsters.
The creatures roared relentlessly for a long time, their shrill cries echoing through the space.
Though they were unsettling and disgusting, at least they didn't attack anyone. Their cries were irritating, but there was nothing he could do about them.
The shrill, piercing sounds lingered without end. Combined with the clamor of the waves, they sounded almost like whispers. Perhaps the noises had driven him close to the edge, making him imagine things.
Gradually, Chen Beixun began to forget things. The sounds continued to ring in his ears. He stood motionless above the emerald-green water, dazed.
Chen Beixun seemed to see something. An intense, bewitching force revealed knowledge that would drive ordinary people mad, yet that they would desperately long to pursue.
An endless chorus of bewitching whispers echoed in his ears, tugging and pulling at him until, at last, he frantically chased after them. Suddenly, everything became transparent, as if a world of perfect clarity had opened before him.
Countless strange, intricately arranged patterns surfaced in his mind. They stirred something deep within him.
"What is this?" Chen Beixun murmured, his voice filled with confusion.
These patterns seemed like a key—a key that could unlock every mystery for him.
In the days that followed, Chen Beixun threw himself into unraveling the patterns' secrets, reaching a state of near-total self-forgetfulness.
Above the Endless Emerald Lake, ignorance and profound knowledge existed side by side, like Schrödinger's cat, in a state of superposition.
Qishan watched Chen Beixun lying on the water. By now, he had nearly gone mad, constantly muttering strange things.
Qishan recorded what he said, hoping to find something useful in it.
"10,081!" Chen Beixun suddenly began repeating the same number.
He was delirious because he could see it now... the hazy mist. Just then, the ancient, rustic bell rang again, its solemn, imposing sound circling down from above.
The bell sounded so cold. As it descended...
A towering wall rose from beneath the water, splitting the entire space in two. Then came a crackling sound. Following it, Chen Beixun walked to the wall, leaning against it as he took one labored step after another toward the end of everything.
When he reached the end of the wall, white mist suddenly rose all around him. Then it began to gather and intertwine.
Through the mist, Chen Beixun saw a door.
With trepidation, he walked toward it, lifted the latch, and stepped inside.
A jumble of complicated emotions surged through his mind.
"That's it?" Chen Beixun said, gradually relaxing.
Chen Beixun looked inside, speechless.
A Big Red Rooster wearing red shorts lay on a lounge chair, leisurely sipping tea.