Runes • Rifles • Reincarnation

240. Epic Journey

“The portal will open tomorrow? Really?”Chen Ai Yun nodded. She had just finished explaining the reason for her and Sun Mei’er’s late-night visit.

“Yes. First thing tomorrow morning. It’s been confirmed by the various clan elders, along with myself.”

“Wasn’t it supposed to open a week from now?” Jin Shu asked. That was when he had originally planned to arrive—just before the portal to the hidden realm opened.

“That was what Mei’er’s investigation indicated at first,” Chen Ai Yun said. “However, when the various Divine Beast clans altered the surrounding terrain, the portal absorbed a surge of qi. That accelerated its opening.”

Jin Shu sighed. “I was hoping to get a few days of rest…”

“Well,” Sun Mei’er said with a laugh, “since we only have a few hours until sunrise, why don’t you regale us with the exploits of your epic and action-packed journey?”

“You know… I’d normally say you’re exaggerating,” Jin Shu said. “But it actually was pretty epic. And definitely action-packed.”

Under the intense stares of the surrounding women—and the slightly pink-tinged stare of one spider, which he chose to carefully ignore—he began recounting the events of the past few weeks.

Though, to him, it felt far longer than just a few weeks.

He started at the beginning of his journey: crossing the Demon Mountains.

“Wow! The python swallowed the rhino whole?!” Li Xue cried.

“Rock Men are certainly unique creatures,” Chen Ai Yun said thoughtfully. “Despite their weak strength. Although they’re said to be extremely difficult to kill, they actually can’t withstand even the weakest wood-attribute technique.”

“Oh yeah, I knew that Cave Dragon was still in there,” Sun Mei’er said with a soft laugh. “It was practically on the verge of death—a perfect opponent for your first life-and-death battle.”

Jin Shu paused mid-story and glared at her.

She simply shrugged innocently.

With an exasperated sigh and a roll of his eyes, he continued.

Eventually he reached one of the most unsettling moments of his journey—even more disturbing than the gods he had accidentally encountered.

“A mysterious village that worships a calamitous beast as its forest god?” Chen Ai Yun shook her head. “I’ve never heard of anything like that within that stretch of forest.”

“That Xiao Nuhai sounds just as cute as Yin’er and Ji Ji,” Tian Li said with a small pout, clearly disappointed she hadn’t met the child herself.

Naturally, his story also included the jewelry his mother had commissioned.

“Rings?” Li Xue asked, blinking in confusion. “What for?”

He explained the purpose behind them and promised that he had saved the three most beautiful for them. However, he insisted they wait to receive them before he continued the story.

“You really didn’t accept that shopkeeper’s offer?” Biyu asked with a displeased hmph. “Three beautiful women practically throwing themselves at you. What man could resist that?”

“I truly didn’t!” he insisted.

“But you still gave her one of those rings?” Li Xue asked with a mischievous grin.

“What else was I supposed to do with thousands of them?”

“He also gave four more away just a while ago,” Sun Mei’er added helpfully from the side.

Very helpfully.

Two pairs of eyes immediately turned toward him with clear displeasure, while another pair curved into crescents filled with undisguised schadenfreude.

Rather than get trapped in an endless cycle of explanations, Jin Shu decisively avoided the problem by continuing his story.

Fortunately, it worked.

They quieted down and resumed listening.

However, when he described his encounter with the mother-and-son duo—Wang Jiao and Wang Lan—he received several strange looks.

“Isn’t there a name for that kind of luck…?” Li Xue wondered aloud.

“Peach Blossom Luck,” Sun Mei’er said with a laugh.

Biyu and Tian Li exchanged curious looks. They had never heard the term before.

“It’s a type of luck where someone frequently encounters romantic opportunities,” Li Xue explained. “Basically a man’s dream luck.”

The three younger women glanced at each other.

Then they slowly turned their gazes back toward Jin Shu.

And nodded in agreement.

Ignoring them once again, he continued explaining how asking Wang Jiao about his inborn ability had somehow led to him facing the immortal child of a god.

Aka: Wang Yue.

This time, no one interrupted before he finished recounting the encounter.

“I… don’t even know what to say,” Biyu mumbled.

“Realms above immortality, gods… gods killing other gods… and plagues that can wipe out entire civilizations?” Tian Li repeated incredulously. “It sounds so far-fetched… yet it’s real?”

“You know,” Sun Mei’er said thoughtfully, “I always assumed you had a thing for older women. I mean, look at your current little wives—they’re all older than you. But I didn’t think you’d go for a million-year-old lady.”

Jin Shu—and everyone else—stared at her blankly.

“What?” she asked, blinking innocently. “They’re connected by fate. She even said it herself—‘My kids will call you father in the future.’”

Li Xue nodded after a moment. “Can’t argue with that.”

“No… you can definitely argue,” Jin Shu said weakly.

Before they could spiral further off topic, he hurriedly continued.

“Anyway, after that I stayed briefly in Setting Sun City. Interestingly, the rumors are true—the sun really does set early there.”

“We didn’t get to see it since we teleported straight here,” Chen Ai Yun said, a hint of anticipation in her voice. “But we’ll pass by it on the way back. I’m looking forward to seeing it myself.”

She had never traveled so far south before.

Jin Shu nodded.

“The last stop on Mom’s map was supposed to be one of the demonic cult’s sub-headquarters. Luckily, two Master Realm cultivators decided to have a battle in the sky. That’s what led me to Long Ling’s inn instead.”

“Oh? You didn’t go to the demonic cult’s base?” Sun Mei’er sighed. “That would’ve been the perfect chance to wreak havoc. Most of their strongest personnel are in the west right now.”

“They are?”

“Yeah. Didn’t I tell you? They’re all searching for clues about their young cult leader. Unfortunately for them, they don’t know I’ve hidden him in our imperial city.”

Jin Shu blinked.

He vaguely remembered her mentioning that the demon worshipers were occupied in the western region.

But she definitely hadn’t said that.

“Wait… was that little kid I met back then the demon cult’s young cult leader?!”

“The one I sent Sun Li to fetch? Yes,” Sun Mei’er replied. “That was him. Mo Bai.”

Jin Shu opened his mouth, wanting to ask more—

But a thin thread of sunlight slipped through the window and stretched across the floor.

Dawn had arrived.

“Time to go,” Chen Ai Yun said wistfully.

Jin Shu and the others soon arrived at a wide plaza in the center of the city.

Resplendent rays of sunlight poured down upon a shimmering white portal suspended above the stone ground. Light radiated from its surface, warping the surrounding air and conjuring faint visions of an ancient, otherworldly realm beyond.

Across the plaza, members of the four Divine Beast clans were already gathering, along with the disciples and elders of the Immortal Phoenix Sect.

The Divine Beasts stood in a variety of forms. Some remained in their towering original bodies, their sheer presence casting long shadows across the square. Others had taken human shapes. A few existed somewhere in between—strange half-beast, half-human manifestations.

There were dragon clan members with human bodies and draconic heads.

Vermilion Bird clan members with flaming avian bodies and human faces.

And countless other variations besides.

Glancing through the crowd, Jin Shu spotted several familiar figures.

The four Ling Sisters.

Liu Hua.

Bing Hou.

Ling Shi.

And many more.

The Immortal Phoenix Sect members gradually separated from the rest of the gathering and moved to join Jin Shu’s group.

A streak of crackling electricity suddenly flashed before him.

Liu Hua appeared at his side.

“When did you get here?” she demanded. “Why didn’t you come see me?”

“I only arrived late last night,” he explained, feeling a flicker of guilt. “Everything happened so quickly that I didn’t get the chance.”

“Hm.” She studied him for a moment. “Fine. But next time, you come find me first.”

He nodded.

“Alliance Leader Chen!”

Four massive Divine Beasts stepped forward from the gathered crowd and lowered their heads respectfully toward Chen Ai Yun.

They were the four Master Realm elders she had defeated to claim leadership of the human–Divine Beast alliance within the city.

She acknowledged them with a calm nod.

Moments later, they shifted into human forms—largely for convenience. It was easier to converse when she didn’t have to crane her neck to look up at them.

Jin Shu immediately recognized the White Tiger elder.

In human form, he resembled an eighty-year-old man with white hair streaked sparsely with black.

The Azure Dragon elder was an aged fire-tribe dragon with faded red hair and equally faded crimson scales. One of his horns was broken.

The sight startled Jin Shu.

A dragon’s pride lay in its horns. When one broke, most dragons fell into despair and suffered severe setbacks in cultivation.

The elder carried a heavy, solemn presence. From the way the other elders unconsciously gave him space, Jin Shu guessed he had once been the strongest among them—before his cultivation regressed after the injury.

The Vermilion Bird elder assumed the form of a beautiful mature woman just past her prime. Fine wrinkles rested beneath her eyes, yet her figure remained strikingly seductive.

The Black Tortoise elder took on a far stranger appearance.

An old man sat astride a pitch-black tortoise. Matte black scales lined his arms and legs, and a forked tongue flickered between his lips.

He was clearly the serpent half of the twin beast.

The tortoise beneath him was his brother.

When they spoke, their voices emerged in perfect unison—a sign they had entered the threshold of the coveted state known as Unity of Mind, a pinnacle all Black Tortoises aspired to attain.

The dragon elder stepped forward.

“We will remain outside to guard the portal,” he said simply before falling silent.

He was clearly a man of few words.

The Vermilion Bird elder smiled and elaborated in his stead.

“As we explained earlier, only those under fifty years of age may enter this hidden realm. However, the qi radiating from the portal will inevitably attract all manner of fierce beasts.”

“Our promising youths will enter alongside the four chosen of our clans to assist them,” the White Tiger elder continued. “Since most of your human disciples fall within the age limit, you may bring more with you if you wish.”

Chen Ai Yun frowned slightly. “Will that be acceptable? I had planned to limit our numbers since we don’t yet understand the dangers inside.”

The Black Tortoise twins spoke as one.

“This trial was designed for the younger generation. Though dangers exist, they should remain manageable—especially with two geniuses like yourselves entering. You will likely outshine even our own youths.”

“In that case,” Chen Ai Yun said, “we will leave the elders above fifty behind with you to defend the plaza.”

The four Divine Beast elders nodded in agreement.

The dragon elder glanced over his shoulder.

“Time to enter.”

Everyone turned toward the portal.

It had taken on a deep golden hue. The shimmering visions floating around it had solidified into clear, flat panes—like luminous screens revealing glimpses of another world.

The four elders returned to their respective clans, offering final words of advice before sending their juniors forward.

The Ling Sisters soon approached Jin Shu.

“Would you like to enter together?” Ling Long asked.

“My elders told me to take Yin’er with me,” Hu Ling added, gently cradling the sleeping child. “But I thought it would be better to return her to you so you wouldn’t be separated.”

“Thank you,” Jin Shu said. “And yes… let’s go together.”

Their group stepped toward the portal.

Even before crossing the threshold, they could sense the difference in the world beyond. The qi was heavier… older. It pressed faintly against their senses like an unseen tide.

Jin Shu drew in a slow breath as he stepped fully into the golden light.

He had a feeling many things would change within this hidden realm.

And that when they returned…

They might not be the same people who had entered.

VOLUME 4 END