Chen Ying thought for a moment but shook her head, saying, "It's been over a hundred years since anyone from the outside world has come here. We, ordinary clans, have very little information. Only the Ten Great Clans and the Five Major Families might know."
Suo Nan nodded in understanding. A hundred years was a long time, and much information could be lost or forgotten over such a period.
An hour later, the three of them arrived in Bai Ma Town. This place was free from the threat of the Yao race and had no conflicts. Compared to the human territories in East Chen Province, this place was like a paradise.
The townspeople lived in peace, engaged in farming and weaving. Though smaller in scale compared to the city of Tianyun, the level of prosperity wasn't too different.
Even though it was nighttime, the streets were brightly lit, and the market vendors were still calling out their wares, resembling a night market in the real world.
This was a stark contrast to the chaos in East Chen Province, where Suo Nan hailed from.
After finding an inn, Suo Nan was planning to log out of the game and rest. However, Chen Ying entered his room, her face blushing as she said, "Master, let your servant serve you and help you rest."
"No need, you should rest early," Suo Nan waved his hand, clarifying that he had chosen the inn for their convenience, not because he needed someone to attend to him.
Chen Ying felt relieved as she heard this. She wasn't sure how to handle such a situation if Suo Nan had actually wanted her to serve him. She quickly bid him goodnight and turned to leave.
As she was leaving, Suo Nan remembered something and retrieved a few items: two jade plaques containing information about Yao techniques and a pair of bloodlines.
"I noticed that you and your servant have fused your bloodlines for a while now. Here are two bloodlines along with their corresponding Yao techniques, one at the Mortal level and the other at the Spirit level. You can use them to enhance your abilities."
Last time, Suo Nan had used most of the Yao beast essence blood on his person to enable the transfer to the real world. Only a few drops remained, which he had received as rewards from completing main quests. These drops came with corresponding Yao techniques.
Despite having killed the pursuers sent by the Ma Clan, there was still the possibility of them sending more in the future. Suo Nan couldn't be in the game all the time, so he wanted to strengthen Chen Ying and her servant as much as possible to protect themselves.
"Thank you, Master!" Chen Ying was both surprised and delighted. Yao beast essence blood was a rare resource in this world, and obtaining both a bloodline and the corresponding Yao technique was extremely difficult for her, even as the daughter of the Chen Clan's patriarch.
Now, Suo Nan effortlessly handed her a Mortal-level and a Spirit-level bloodline, as if they were everyday items. This further confirmed in her mind that Suo Nan was far from an ordinary Spirit-level cultivator. Ordinary cultivators wouldn't possess Yao beast essence blood or be able to provide bloodlines and Yao techniques so casually.
Chen Ying's initial reluctance to accept Suo Nan's authority had completely disappeared. She left his room feeling grateful.
After bidding farewell to Chen Ying, Suo Nan released the Great Princess from the Waters and Mountains Gourd, and she looked around curiously.
"Is this the Lost Lands?" The Great Princess sensed the changes in the world and her eyes lit up.
In this place, her ability to control the power of heaven and earth had significantly decreased compared to East Chen Province.
Suo Nan briefly explained what he had learned about the situation in the game.
Listening to his words, the Great Princess showed a surprised expression and said, "If Du Qiyuan went to such lengths to prevent outsiders from entering this place, there must be some significant secret hidden here."
Suo Nan nodded in agreement. "That's a possibility. According to the information I received, after leaving the Lost Lands, Du Qiyuan went to another Forbidden Zone in East Chen Province and never returned."
Although Zhou Lingyin had mentioned Du Qiyuan's departure from the Lost Lands, she hadn't specified which Forbidden Zone he had visited. Suo Nan hoped that this information would help him piece together more details.
"I need to temporarily leave this world. Please take care of yourself," Suo Nan instructed before logging out of the game.
Back in the real world, Suo Nan immediately checked on his avatar. The Female Yao King was still on Mount Song, and her body had mostly healed since the previous night. She was now in a stable condition.
"It won't be long before she wakes up," Suo Nan noted. His mental attack had heavily damaged her soul, but it wasn't as severe as the Great Princess's injuries had been initially. Although her soul might take some time to fully recover, she wouldn't remain unconscious for too long. That's why he had been keeping an eye on her.
Ensuring there were no immediate issues, Suo Nan then checked the online forums.
"It's terrible. According to incomplete statistics, at least a million people have died overseas in this event. Some areas occupied by Yao beasts haven't been accounted for yet, and those areas are the hardest hit."
"In addition to our Huazhou, at least eight other countries out of the eleven provinces have experienced Yao Kings' appearances. Some of these Yao Kings disappeared after their appearances, and some have been openly attacking humans, with the United States being the unluckiest."
"In the United States, two Yao Kings wreaked havoc, and the authorities had no choice but to enter the game. They paid a considerable price and managed to summon a King-level warrior to finally repel the Yao Kings. However, it's said that two King-level warriors entered the portal, but only one managed to come back. The other disappeared within the portal."
The impact of the game's intrusion into reality had been massive. This was the most significant crisis humanity had faced in history. Many countries were ravaged by Yao Kings, and those with access to the game had struggled to defend against them.
However, unlike other nations, the impact on Huazhou had been relatively mild. The two King-level Yao Kings had been dealt with swiftly, and millions of people had entered the game during the night.
Suo Nan was aware that the situation was far from over. Yao Kings might be lurking in the ocean, and their attacks could be even more devastating. The time to act was now, to become stronger, to prepare for the inevitable future battles.
Suo Nan muttered to himself, "I hope those Yao Kings won't act too soon."
Chapter 266: Threat from the Ocean
Chen Ying thought for a moment and shook her head, saying, "It has been more than a hundred years since outsiders last arrived. Many of us common clans have no knowledge of many things. Perhaps only the Ten Great Clans and the Five Great Houses know."
Su Nan nodded in agreement.
A hundred years, whether long or short, was enough time for ordinary people to have several generations. It was normal for some information to be lost, even if it had once been known.
An hour later, the three of them arrived at White Horse Town.
In this place, there was no threat from the Yao clan, and there was no war. Compared to the human race in the Eastern Chen Province, this place was like a paradise.
The people lived in peace and harmony, with men farming and women weaving. It was just a small town, and while it might not be as large as Tianyun City in terms of size, it was not much different in terms of prosperity.
Even though it was already nightfall, the streets were still brightly lit, with vendors calling out their wares. It resembled a night market in the real world.
This was unimaginable in the Eastern Chen Province.
After finding an inn, Su Nan prepared to log out of the game and rest. However, Chen Ying came to Su Nan's room and blushed, saying, "Master, this servant is here to serve you for rest."
"No need, you should rest early," Su Nan waved his hand.
He chose the inn mainly for the convenience of Chen Ying and her maid's rest, as well as for his own ease of logging out of the game. He didn't need to rest in the game, and he certainly didn't need someone to wait on him.
Upon hearing this, Chen Ying breathed a sigh of relief. If Su Nan had really asked her to serve him, she wouldn't have known how to continue.
Chen Ying bid farewell and was about to leave when Su Nan remembered something and took out a few items.
These were two jade plaques containing information about Yao techniques and corresponding bloodline samples.
"I believe that you and your servant have fused bloodlines for some time now. Here are two bloodlines along with their corresponding Yao techniques, one ordinary and one spiritual. Take them and fuse them."
Last time, in order to transport them to reality, he had used up most of the blood essence from the ordinary and spiritual Yao creatures on him, leaving only a few drops. These drops were rewards for completing the mainline quests and came with corresponding Yao techniques.
Even though he had killed the Ma family members who were chasing Chen Ying, it was inevitable that the Ma family would continue to pursue her. He couldn't stay in the game forever, and if the Ma family came looking for Chen Ying when he logged out, it would be a disaster for her. Strengthening this servant-master duo was the best solution.
"Thank you, Master!" Chen Ying was pleasantly surprised.
Yao creature blood essence was extremely rare in this world, and fusing blood essence was not as simple as having blood essence; one also needed the corresponding Yao technique. It was not easy to satisfy both conditions, and even as the daughter of the Chen family's clan leader, it was very difficult for her to obtain both blood essence and Yao techniques.
But now, Su Nan could easily provide an ordinary and a spiritual bloodline, as if these things were just common items in his hands.
At this moment, she was certain that Su Nan was definitely not an ordinary spiritual level cultivator.
An ordinary spiritual level cultivator would not casually offer spiritual blood essence and Yao techniques to others.
With joy in her heart, Chen Ying's lingering resentment for sacrificing her life had disappeared completely.
After sending Chen Ying away, Su Nan thought for a moment and released the Great Princess from the Water and Mountain Gourd.
The space inside the Water and Mountain Gourd was like a small world, but compared to the real world, it was still quite different. He couldn't just put people in and out at will; it had to be done when necessary.
"Is this the Lost Land?" The Great Princess felt the changes in the world and her eyes showed surprise.
Here, she could control the power of heaven and earth less, and the power of heaven and earth was different from that in the Eastern Chen Province.
Su Nan briefly explained what he knew.
After listening, the Great Princess's eyes revealed a sense of wonder. "Then why did Du Qiyuan go to such lengths to prevent outsiders from entering this place? It's very likely that he discovered some great secret here."
Su Nan nodded, "That's indeed a possibility. According to the information I received, after Du Qiyuan left this Lost Land, he went to another forbidden area in the Eastern Chen Province and never came out."
Zhou Lingyin mentioned Du Qiyuan's departure from the Lost Land, but unfortunately, she didn't specify which forbidden area in the Eastern Chen Province he had gone to. Otherwise, he might have been able to deduce something from it.
"I need to temporarily leave this world. Be careful on your own," Su Nan instructed, then logged out of the game.
Back in reality...
Su Nan immediately focused on the female Yao King.
Last night, he didn't bring the female Yao King back with him; she remained on Song Mountain under his avatar's watch. Compared to last night, the female Yao King, whose body had been pierced, had now recovered considerably, and her aura had stabilized.
"It seems she will wake up soon."
Under his psychic attack, the female Yao King's soul had been severely damaged, but compared to the injuries suffered by the Great Princess back then, her condition was much better.
After all, his soul's eruption had only reached the mid-stage of the King level, just one small realm higher than the female Yao King.
It might take a long time for her soul to fully recover after she woke up, but she wouldn't remain unconscious for too long; she could wake up at any moment. This was the reason why he had the avatar keep a close eye on her.
Confirming that there wouldn't be any unexpected incidents, Su Nan opened a forum to read.
"It's terrible. According to incomplete statistics, at least a million people have died overseas this time, and some areas occupied by Yao creatures have not been counted yet. Those areas are the worst-hit."
"Besides our country, eight out of eleven states corresponding to the provinces have had Yao Kings appear. Some Yao Kings disappeared after their appearance, and some Yao Kings have openly attacked humans, with the United States being the unluckiest."
"In the United States, two Yao Kings caused havoc. In the end, the US government had no choice but to enter the game. I don't know what price they paid, but they managed to summon a King-level martial artist to stop the two Yao Kings."
"But it is said that originally, two King-level martial artists entered the spatial channel, but only one appeared, while the other disappeared in the channel."
The impact of the game's invasion into reality last night was massive. It could be said that this was the biggest crisis humanity had ever faced in history.
Many countries were destroyed by Yao creatures, and many people who had obtained game qualifications were killed by Yao creatures before they even had the chance to enter the game.
"Compared to land, the ocean is even more dangerous now! The Yao creatures that landed on the land were mostly dealt with
, but there are still unknown numbers of Yao creatures lurking in the ocean, and their attacks could be even more devastating!"
Su Nan muttered to himself, "I hope those Yao Kings in the ocean won't act too soon."
Unfortunately, he couldn't do anything about the ocean. The ocean was vast and could easily hide many Yao Kings. Su Nan could only focus on strengthening himself and preparing for future battles.
He glanced at his avatar in the game, which was still located on Song Mountain.
"I hope she wakes up soon."
With that thought, Su Nan decided to get some rest.
In the game, he had spent nearly a day fighting against the female Yao King and dealing with the aftermath. He needed some rest to recover his energy.
After lying down for a while, Su Nan fell asleep.
When he woke up again, it was already evening, around seven o'clock.
The female Yao King in the room still showed no signs of waking up.
Su Nan ate some food casually, then logged back into the game.
In the game...
The sun was rising.
Looking at the dazzling sun, Su Nan couldn't help but want to try practicing the Great Sun Golden Body Scripture.
In the game, he could use future sight, and he also had the essence of the Fire of Departure, so he wasn't worried about being burned to death by the Fire of the Great Sun.
"Let's wait a little longer. The second time I practice the Great Sun Golden Body Scripture is not like the first time. The first time only requires ten minutes of perseverance, but the second time, the longer the time, the better. After half an hour, the Twelve Star Palace will open, and I'll miss it if I start practicing now."
"Moreover, after the Fire of the Great Sun burns out, the body will definitely be in a severely injured state. Even with the essence and energy, it will take a long time to recover. I can only practice it again after entering the Twelve Star Palace."
The Great Princess was not in the room, and Su Nan wasn't worried about her leaving. With the Bloodline Symbiosis Art, he could make the Great Princess listen to him unconditionally, even if he couldn't control her life and death.
"Master, you're awake."
Opening the door, Chen Ying had already brought a basin of water and stood in front of Su Nan.
"From now on, you don't need to do these things. I don't need anyone to wait on me," Su Nan said.
"But..." Chen Ying wanted to say something, but Su Nan interrupted her with a wave of his hand.
"I've noticed that your strength has improved a lot. It seems you've successfully merged with the bloodline," Su Nan commented.
Thinking about the bloodline, Chen Ying's face couldn't help but show a hint of joy. "It's all thanks to Master's reward."
Now, she had also reached the middle stage of the Mortal level. In this world, she was still not considered top-notch, but she had surpassed many so-called top experts.
Chen De, the old man named Chen, also came out of another room and expressed his gratitude. "I will never forget your kindness, and in the future, if you have any orders, I will do my best to fulfill them, even if I have to give my all."
He had also successfully merged with the bloodline Su Nan had given him last night and had reached the middle stage of the Mortal level. In terms of aura, he had even surpassed Su Nan who was disguised as a pseudo-king level expert with the Fake Breath Stone.
At this moment, the Great Princess appeared at the end of the corridor and walked towards Su Nan. She said, "This place seems quite strange. I suspect that some force has deliberately sealed off this space, preventing the flow of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy."
"Deliberately sealed off?" Su Nan frowned.
Once again, he thought of the Dead Sea and the so-called ancient god's tomb. In his opinion, the secrets of this world were definitely related to these two places.
"Master, who is she..." Chen Ying couldn't help but ask when she saw the Great Princess.
"She is a friend who came here with me," Su Nan replied.
"Friend?" Chen Ying was puzzled. She remembered that Su Nan had come alone yesterday, so how could he suddenly have a friend today?
As she looked at the Great Princess, Chen Ying felt a sense of awe-inspiring beauty emanating from her. It was as if she had stepped out of a painting, giving off an unreal feeling.
For some reason, when facing the Great Princess, Chen Ying felt a sense of invisible pressure.
The Great Princess continued, "In this place, there is no Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, which is not conducive to my recovery. It's even worse than your gourd."
"Oh? Is there Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy in my gourd?" Su Nan asked in surprise.