223: Chapter 224 The Western Camp Begins to Fall into Chaos

Immediately, Lin Muyang led the pair of demon sisters—who had just been summoned from another world and were still full of unfamiliarity and wariness toward Blue Star—out of the villa and into the courtyard.

The afternoon sun was warm, casting its light upon the neatly trimmed lawn, while a gentle breeze brought with it the fresh scent of vegetation.

This was completely different from the air in their original world, which was likely filled with sulfur, the stench of blood, or chaotic energy, causing the tightly wound nerves of Mo Mingxue and Mo Yingmei to subconsciously relax just a little.

"I'll start by showing you the environment here," Lin Muyang said. Before the two sisters could react, he shifted his thoughts slightly, and a gentle yet irresistible invisible force lifted their bodies.

Immediately following this, under the enhancement of the [Power of Wind Control] Aura, the three of them, along with Lilia, Elabess, and the other young ladies who had followed, rose lightly into the high sky.

"Ah!" Mo Yingmei let out a soft cry, subconsciously grabbing her sister's arm.

Although they were not weak in their own right and were capable of short-term flight or gliding, this was their first time experiencing such a way of ascending—being lifted by an invisible force without needing to expend any effort themselves, all while moving so quickly and steadily.

Mo Mingxue was much calmer; though a trace of surprise flashed in her red eyes, she quickly steadied herself, though her grip on her sister's hand tightened slightly, revealing the turbulence in her heart.

In the blink of an eye, they had reached an altitude of several hundred meters. Their field of vision suddenly opened up, and the entire scene of Zhongnan City was laid out before their eyes.

Although Zhongnan City could only be considered a second-tier city in the Xia Kingdom, its scale far from comparable to super-metropolises like the Magic Capital or the Capital, for the Mo sisters—who came from a world plagued by constant war and a civilization with a development style leaning toward medieval fantasy—the sight before them was a soul-shaking spectacle!

Rows upon rows of high-rise buildings rose from the ground like a forest of steel, reflecting the luster of glass and metal under the sunlight.

Wide streets were like crisscrossing veins, with traffic flowing through them like colorful beetles.

In the distance, a cross-river bridge lay like a giant dragon, and further away, rolling green mountains were faintly visible.

Above the city, strangely shaped aircraft occasionally streaked across the sky, but for the most part, it was a scene of peace and tranquility.

There was no war, no smoke of gunpowder, no soldiers or demon hunters patrolling everywhere—only a bustling and orderly tapestry of modern urban life.

"Are... are these all houses?" Mo Yingmei widened her clear red eyes, her small mouth slightly agape, as she pointed to the skyscrapers below that were dozens or even hundreds of stories high, her voice trembling with disbelief.

In her understanding, buildings were mostly made of stone and wood, and a structure five or six stories tall was already considered magnificent; how could she have ever seen such a dense, cloud-piercing "spectacle" before?

Mo Mingxue was equally shaken, but she was better at controlling her emotions than her sister; her pupils merely constricted, and she gripped her sister's hand a little tighter.

She forced herself to observe calmly—the straight lines, the smooth surfaces, the massive glass windows, and those fast-moving iron boxes on the streets that didn't need livestock to pull them... all of this completely overturned her understanding of the world.

"In our world, there are occasionally exceptionally tall buildings, like mage towers or the castles of certain great nobles, but..." Mo Mingxue's voice was a bit dry as she struggled to find words to describe it: "But there could never be so many, so densely packed, and so orderly."

"Moreover, such buildings are usually the focus of contention between various factions; a single major battle could level them to the ground."

She spoke to Lin Muyang, but also as if explaining their original world to her sister beside her: "In our world, there are Daoist cultivators pursuing immortality and transcendence, Confucian disciples upholding principles to educate the world, high Buddhist monks saving all living beings, the demon race occupying mountains and great marshes, and human dynasties vying for dominance... and of course, there is our demon race, as well as several other factions."

"Everyone has different beliefs, conflicting ideologies, and tangled interests; we are almost constantly at war and slaughtering each other. A region might be a prosperous human town today, only to be trampled by a demon army tomorrow, and then jointly purged by Buddhist and Daoist experts the day after. Order? Stability? Those are luxuries."

Mo Yingmei also spoke in a low voice: "We could only hide and dodge, wearing cloaks and trying our best to Disguise ourselves as ordinary humans, going to chaotic border areas to trade for necessities. Even so, we were often discovered, followed by endless pursuits..."

Her tone carried a numbness born of habit, yet deep in her eyes, a trace of lingering fear flashed.

Listening to the sisters' account, Lin Muyang raised an eyebrow slightly. Although the young ladies he had summoned previously all had their own misfortunes and difficult pasts, this was the first time he had heard of a survival environment where an entire race was listed as a "public enemy," requiring them to hide their identities at all times and live in constant insecurity.

This gave him a bit more understanding of the sisters and made him realize why they were so wary.

"It seems your previous world was indeed quite turbulent," Lin Muyang said, overlooking the peaceful city below in a calm tone: "But here, on Blue Star, at least in the Xia Kingdom, on this land within your sight, you no longer need to worry about being hunted because of your racial identity."

"Although there are disputes and dangers here, the overall order exists, and the law is in operation. More importantly..."

He turned his head to look at the two demon sisters beside him, who were dazed by the completely different scene, his voice carrying a reassuring power: "Here, you have me. As long as you are my people, no faction will dare to brazenly act against you because of your race. If I say I can keep you safe, I certainly can."

Upon hearing this, both Mo Mingxue and Mo Yingmei looked at Lin Muyang. The sunlight spilled onto his profile, outlining his clear features; his eyes were calm and profound, not boasting, but simply stating a fact.

Combined with the relaxed, natural, and fearless attitude of the other young ladies in the villa earlier, as well as Elabess's words, the string in the sisters' hearts that had been pulled tight for over a dozen years seemed to finally be able to relax just a little.

They exchanged a glance, both seeing a sense of relief in each other's eyes, as well as a trace of confusion about the future and a faint sense of anticipation.

Indeed, since they could be summoned to this relatively peaceful world—at least one with an orderly surface—and this master seemed to possess unimaginable power and confidence, why should they continue to cling to the days of walking on eggshells and hiding?

As for going back to take revenge? With their current strength, it would be no different from throwing their lives away. It would be better to settle down here first, improve their strength, and then make plans.

"Master, we understand," Mo Mingxue took a deep breath and spoke first, her tone having less of the deliberate detachment from before and more of a genuine relaxation: "Being able to come to such a peaceful world is our good fortune. We are very grateful."

Mo Yingmei also nodded vigorously. Looking at the bustling streets below, the ordinary people walking by without fear on their faces, only the busyness of striving for a living or casual leisure, a trace of yearning also appeared in her eyes. Perhaps they really could start a different kind of life here?

"There's no need to say words of gratitude for now," Lin Muyang waved his hand, bringing the topic back on track: "The top priority is to improve your strength as soon as possible. Your talents are both good, but with me, SS-grade is just the starting point. I have ways to make them even stronger. However, before that, you need to adapt to the rules of this world and raise your levels."

He paused, looking at the two sisters: "Here, as long as you follow the basic rules and don't go looking for trouble, there is basically no pressure to survive. But as my partners, there will inevitably be times in the future when you need to participate in battle. It might be exploring dangerous secret realms, or it might be dealing with some... short-sighted enemies."

"Rest assured, Master." Mo Mingxue answered quickly this time. She straightened her back slightly, that heroic spirit of a female general once again revealing itself, and a sharp light flashed in her ruby-like eyes: "You have given us a safe place to stay and promised to help us improve our strength. We sisters will keep this kindness in our hearts. Whatever orders you have, or whatever enemies we need to face, we will go all out and never retreat!"

Mo Yingmei also clenched her small fists and nodded vigorously: "Mm! Sister is right! We are not afraid of fighting!"

Lin Muyang looked at their serious expressions, smiled, and remained noncommittal. He could naturally see that the sisters' declaration of loyalty at this moment was more out of survival instinct and a probing of the new environment, as well as the natural affinity brought by his "Friend of Beautiful Girls" constitution and his status as their summoner.

True trust and bonds would still need to be cultivated slowly through fighting side-by-side and living together in the future. However, he was not in a hurry; he had plenty of time and methods.

From his storage ring, he casually took out several pieces of equipment and several skill books. There were metal bracers that shone with a dark red light and had a ferocious design, lightweight boots flowing with cyan wind elements, leather armor engraved with mysterious runes, and several books with ancient-looking covers that radiated different energy fluctuations.

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

"These are some equipment and skill books for Warrior and Archer classes. Their grades are decent, so take them for now." Lin Muyang handed the items to Mo Mingxue and Mo Yingmei. He even picked out a thick skill book with a flaming pattern on the cover and a piece of light golden leather leg armor that emitted a faint mythic grade Aura and felt as light as air: "This is the mythic grade Warrior skill book [Blazing Wild Dance], and this is the mythic grade Archer leg armor [Wind-Treading Moon-Chaser], which greatly increases movement speed and evasion. Unfortunately, your levels are currently too low, so you can't use them for the time being."

Mo Mingxue took the mythical grade skill book that emitted fluctuations making even her heart palpitate, her fingers trembling slightly. In her original world, a high-level skill book was enough to cause a bloodbath, let alone this kind of mythic grade item that only existed in legends! As for that mythic grade leg armor, Mo Yingmei didn't even dare to touch it, merely looking at it with eyes full of awe and longing.

Lin Muyang saw their embarrassment and shoved the equipment and skill books into their hands: "Take them. You can use them once your levels are up. To me, although these things are precious, they aren't exactly scarce. Level up well; there will be even better things in the future."

"Yes... yes, thank you, Master!" Mo Yingmei's little face flushed with excitement as she tightly held the light golden mythic grade leg armor, as if she were holding the most precious treasure in the world. Mo Mingxue also solemnly put away the skill book and equipment, her gaze toward Lin Muyang filled with a touch of emotion that wasn't there before, amidst her complex feelings. This master seemed even more... generous and unfathomable than they had imagined.

Lin Muyang said no more. Recently, he had indeed collected quite a few secret realm scrolls through various channels. Some were gathered by members of the "Oracle" organization, contacted by Shen Muyao, and retrieved by Chiba Ruri; some were collected by the Gu sisters of Tianhai City, Gu Shuanglin and Gu Xiaoyu, using their family's influence; and of course, the most came from the various levels of the Great Xia National Treasury, sent as regular quotas by that mysterious old lady.

These scrolls ranged from Emperor Level to epic-grade. Although there were no legendary-grade ones for now, the quantity was considerable, enough for him to lead his new partners in rapid leveling. Now that Mo Mingxue and Mo Yingmei's levels had reset to 1, they were exactly in need of a large amount of experience.

"Come, I'll take you to a place and let you witness the 'leveling' method of this world while we're at it." Lin Muyang said, gesturing for everyone to follow.

With the enhancement of the Power of Wind Control Aura, the group moved like lightning. In just over ten seconds, they had crossed more than two hundred kilometers and landed on the waterfall plain in the western suburbs of Zhongnan City.

The massive waterfall looked like the Milky Way hanging upside down, roaring as it poured into the deep pool below. The water wound along the riverbed, forming a peaceful river on the open plain. The grass by the river was lush green, and in the distance were continuous primeval forests; the scenery was magnificent and serene.

The blonde beauty Marianne, who had arrived first, was carefully directing the six dragons—which had shrunk in size but were still massive—to drink and rest by the river, trying to avoid making too much noise. Seeing Lin Muyang's group suddenly descend from the sky, she hurriedly bowed respectfully: "Master."

Then, she saw that after Lin Muyang landed, he barely paused before casually taking out a scroll from his storage ring. The scroll was dark red all over, with complex patterns outlined in golden lines, emitting powerful and stable spatial fluctuations.

"An epic-level secret realm scroll?" Marianne recognized the grade of the scroll at a glance, her pupils shrinking slightly. This level of secret realm scroll was an extremely precious strategic resource even in the American Empire, usually requiring careful preparation and the organization of an elite team to be opened only when success was guaranteed. Lin Muyang... he just took it out like that? Right here, in the wild, he's just ready to open it?

Before Marianne could recover from her surprise, Lin Muyang had already torn the scroll open.

Buzz—!

Dark red light surged out from the torn scroll like a tide, instantly enveloping the plain for several kilometers around! The sky seemed to be stained with a layer of blood, and the grass beneath their feet, the distant woods, and the roaring waterfall were all covered in an ominous red glow. Powerful spatial laws vibrated as a massive, complex blood-colored portal over a hundred meters in diameter slowly rotated into shape before them. Inside the portal was a deep darkness that seemed to connect to an unknown hell, with faint, heart-palpitating roars and growls echoing from within.

[Level 98 epic-level secret realm—Blood Hell Corridor, has opened!]

A system notification rang in Lin Muyang's ear. At the same time, the majestic pressure unique to an epic-level secret realm caused Mo Mingxue and Mo Yingmei, who were only level 1, to turn pale instantly, their breathing becoming somewhat labored. Even the dragons nearby stopped drinking and growled uneasily, their dragon eyes showing wariness.

Marianne was even more dumbfounded, nearly crying out in shock. It... it opened? Just like that? Without even basic tactical arrangements, personnel allocation, or status checks? And looking at Lin Muyang, he seemed to intend to just take these few young ladies inside? This was a level 98 epic-level secret realm! Even in her prime, she would have needed to assemble an elite squad and make full preparations before daring to challenge it!

However, Lin Muyang's next move completely sent Marianne's brain into a brief blank state.

Lin Muyang acted as if he had done something trivial, casually discarding the remains of the used scroll. He turned and nodded to the curious and slightly nervous Mo Mingxue and Mo Yingmei, as well as the calm and eager Lilia, Elabess, and the other young ladies.

"Let's go, I'll show you around. Xiao Xue, Little Charm, stay close to me and pay attention to safety, but don't be nervous. Just treat it as sightseeing." Lin Muyang's tone was as relaxed as if he were inviting everyone for an outing.

Then, he stepped forward and was the first to enter that blood-colored portal that emitted a terrifying Aura and seemed capable of swallowing all life. Lilia, Elabess, Seraphina, Gui Wanwan, and the other young ladies followed closely behind, filing in one after another. Their faces showed no nervousness; instead, they looked slightly expectant or even bored? Yes, Marianne even saw expressions of boredom on their faces, as if they weren't going to clear an epic-level secret realm that could make countless top experts turn pale, but were just visiting their own backyard.

Finally, Mo Mingxue took a deep breath, pulled her still-fearful younger sister Mo Yingmei, and followed them inside with gritted teeth. Although their levels were low, they didn't lack combat instincts and courage. Since their master said it was for sightseeing, they would believe him this once!

As the figure of the last young lady vanished into the blood-colored portal, the massive entrance began to slowly rotate and shrink, eventually turning into a dark red point of light suspended in mid-air, signifying that the secret realm was in progress.

The entire plain, aside from the roar of the waterfall and the sound of the wind, was left with only Marianne and several equally bewildered dragons, standing dazed in the afterglow of the blood-colored light.

"They... they just went in like that? Taking two level 1 newcomers? To clear a level 98 epic-level secret realm? For sightseeing?" Marianne felt her worldview being struck once again. She knew Lin Muyang was strong, ridiculously so, but this was too... too much of a disregard for an epic-level secret realm, wasn't it?

However, thinking of the scene on Crocodile Shark Island where Lin Muyang had counter-killed over a dozen top experts while chatting and laughing, and then subdued Hansa Bami and herself, Marianne felt that perhaps it wasn't impossible after all. Maybe to that being, a level 98 epic-level secret realm really was just like a backyard garden?

She shook her head with a bitter smile, forcing herself to accept this reality. Then, as if remembering something, she took out a specially encrypted communicator from her storage necklace. This was for her one-way contact with certain hidden channels in the American Empire; it was rarely used, but now it was flashing red continuously, indicating a flood of urgent messages.

She hesitated for a moment before opening the messages. After just a few glances, her expression became extremely dramatic, showing shock, lingering fear, relief, and a hint of indescribable complexity.

The information was varied, but the core message was clear: the Crocodile Shark Island incident had completely ignited global public opinion, especially within the American Empire and its allies, triggering an unprecedented earthquake! The experts involved in the operation were nearly wiped out, Hansa Bami was suspected of betrayal, and she, Marianne Cersie, was also missing and suspected of having met with an accident... The news swept through the high-level circles of the American Empire like a hurricane, with voices of panic, anger, questioning, and mutual accusations echoing incessantly. Australia and several other participating countries were also in a mess; families and factions that suffered heavy losses were applying frantic pressure, demanding an explanation. Some even began to question the national policy of continuing to be enemies with Great Xia and Lin Muyang...

The entire Western Faction, because of the battle at Crocodile Shark Island, had already fallen into massive upheaval and chaos!