299: Yinghuo

"Exit! We can finally go out!"

"I can't stand this damned place for another minute!"

"Haha! I'm free!"

The crowd who had undergone Physical Body Transmigration shouted excitedly, rushing outwards.

But once they emerged from the ancient bronze coffin, they all stopped, frozen like clay and wooden figures.

The ground looked as if it had been stained by blood, a reddish-brown permeated with cold hardness and desolation, a lingering barrenness hanging over the vast land, with only scattered giant rocks like tombstones providing points of reference.

Someone looked up, instinctively shielding their eyes from the sun, but quickly lowered their hand.

Because this space only had dim, hazy light, so deathly silent it was like a lonely black mist.

A sense of unease rose in everyone's hearts.

Ye Hei looked at the reddish-brown ground, and his ominous premonition completely came true.

The nine dragons coffin pull had already taken them away from Earth, through an unknown space channel, to an unfamiliar area.

Simply put, they were no longer on Earth... Ye Hei and the others stepped out of the coffin and soon saw something new on the reddish-brown ground.

"Five-Colored Altar!"

"There's a Five-Colored Altar here too!"

"Is this what summoned the coffin?"

The nine dragons coffin pull had stopped above a Five-Colored Altar, the bronze sarcophagus inverted into a peculiar posture, allowing everyone to land smoothly down the slope.

"Does the nine dragons coffin pull need a Five-Colored Altar?"

Little Cabbage frowned.

The first time he rode the coffin, he didn't pay attention to the coffin and had forgotten if there was a Five-Colored Altar.

Later, when he arrived at the Xuanhuan World main map, he remembered being in the mountains and not seeing any Five-Colored Altar... Wait, could the altar be hidden underground?

"What do we do now? How do we get back to Blue Star?"

"Where exactly is this place?"

"Hold on, this environment, this sky..."

Someone noticed something amiss, their expression greatly shaken.

"I feel like this is Mars... but I'm not entirely sure..."

"Mars? Are you kidding? Aren't we in the Xuanhuan World game?"

"But this celestial phenomenon, this environment, it really looks like Mars..."

Everyone discussed animatedly.

The debate yielded no results, so everyone carefully climbed down the slope.

Soon, everyone landed on the reddish-brown ground.

Normally, players would boldly explore outwards, even creating some grand events.

But because Ye Hei and the others had Transmigrated directly with their Physical Bodies, a shadow fell over the players' hearts.

Their attitude towards the Xuanhuan World underwent a magical change; they no longer dared to play recklessly, but instead cherished this special starting point.

Everyone was cautious, unwilling to take risks.

"I think we should stick together. It's best not to split up."

"I think so too."

Everyone felt fear in their hearts and were hesitant to explore boldly outwards.

At this moment, someone exclaimed:

"Look! There are words on that giant rock!"

Everyone immediately gathered around.

On the side of a giant rock facing the light source, ancient, massive characters were carved, two in total, each five or six meters high. The script was unique and grand, resembling two coiling, angry Dragons.

The characters were complex, full of Xuanhuan elements, and ordinary hikers would not be able to recognize them.

A player with deep knowledge of Xuanhuan World culture spoke up:

"These two characters are ancient even in the Xuanhuan World. They spell 'Yinghuo,' which I think is a place name."

Other players suddenly understood:

"So that's it, this place is called Yinghuo?"

"Then does that mean this isn't Mars after all?"

"I knew it, the Xuanhuan World is still a game, how could it be related to reality?"

"The previous Xuanhuan World map had no relation to Blue Star. I guess the Xuanhuan World's worldview must be independent of Blue Star."

"Since it's still a game, it's much easier."

Seeing the road marker, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

What was that? They almost thought it was Mars.

Turns out it was an original planet of the Xuanhuan World.

Ye Hei, however, frowned. He surveyed his surroundings, increasingly finding the environment here similar to Mars.

He looked up again, and the stars he could see matched the images from Mars; he could even distinguish which was a satellite and which was Blue Star.

As for the name Yinghuo... perhaps it was an alien term for Mars?

Regardless, a shadow hung over his heart, a much larger shadow than that of the other players.

After all, he had truly come with his Physical Body, not through a VR device as a game character.

He firmly believed in the real existence of the Xuanhuan World.

He also felt a deep unease about his current situation.

"Huh? Why are there tiles (tiles) here?"

"Does that mean there's a building nearby?"

"Great! Let's go check out the building, maybe there'll be some special quest."

Following the traces of buildings, everyone moved forward. In the distance, a peculiar architectural outline was faintly visible, seemingly the ruins of a palace... At the same time.

Blue Star.

Capital of a major Western country.

In the core urban area, amidst dense high-rise buildings, stood a villa with a large courtyard and a swimming pool.

A group of white-haired old men were gathered in the villa.

They were all power-holders of the country, with vast wealth at their disposal.

At the same time, they were old men whose lives were nearing their end.

To prolong their lives, they had tried many methods: organ transplants, genetic modification, and even illegal biological experiments involving thousands of people.

The older they got, the more deranged they became.

And recently, they had come into contact with a novelty called the Xuanhuan World and heard about a life-extending method called Cultivation.

At this moment, they were gathered together watching a projected screen.

"Is that... Mars?"

"No, that should just be a scene from the game."

"Both the terrain and the sky, aren't they Mars?"

"That altar, and the buildings next to it, shouldn't be on Mars."

"Hmph, the Mars detection equipment was launched by the Chinese. What if they've hidden something?"

"You mean...?"

"What if the Xuanhuan World is real?"

"Perhaps, there really is a Five-Colored Altar on Mars, and methods of Cultivation?"

The old men discussed animatedly, their eyes gleaming with greed.

"I heard that as long as you become a Cultivator, you can extend your life..."

"Old man, do you believe such things? The Xuanhuan World is just a game."

"With Chinese technology, it's not difficult to create a completely realistic world, and virtual people that are indistinguishable can also be achieved."

"This is what I'm concerned about... Everyone, think carefully. If the Xuanhuan World is real, then we can extend our lives through Cultivation. And if everything in the picture is simulated..."

The old man who said this paused, then revealed an extremely eager expression.

"Then it means that Chinese VR technology has reached its peak. They can already simulate Mars as if it were real, and I even suspect that a simulation of Blue Star is completely feasible.

"This is completely different from those small-scale VR worlds of the past; it can already be called a new world.

"They also seem to be researching a new generation of VR equipment? They say they've discovered the Soul and consciousness of the human body, calling it something like Yaoguang?

"So, if we upload our consciousness and live in a virtual world... what kind of scene would that be?"

These top figures, the power-holders of Western countries, were discussing the future at this moment.

"The Xuanhuan World will inevitably overturn the entire society.

"We need to prepare on two fronts.

"Firstly, heavily invest in China's aerospace industry. If possible, we must secure tickets to Mars; there might be something there.

"Secondly, we must support research into next-generation VR technology, preparing for consciousness uploading."

At this point, someone showed an emotional expression.

"Reality is too heavy. Even for those of us in high positions, we only enjoy a few decades.

"If we can truly achieve immortality in the Xuanhuan World, we can abandon everything in reality.

"Let China handle all industry. Let finance collapse if it will. There's no need to bother with those commoners below.

"Everything must be sold off so we can live better in the new world."

At this moment, someone else thought of something and asked curiously:

"By the way, the NPCs in the Xuanhuan World are simulated just like Immortal Masters. They should also have similar thoughts to us.

"According to current intelligence, even at the Nascent Soul Realm, one will gradually age due to continuous wear and tear of the Soul Power, eventually experiencing the Five Declines of Heaven and Man, and completely exhausting their lifespan to merge with the Dao.

"Perhaps higher Realms also cannot escape the exhaustion of lifespan.

"So, what would these supreme powerhouses do before their lifespans run out?"

Everyone thought for a moment.

The oldest person trembled and said:

"I guess, that would definitely be a bloody storm."