Chapter 179: Hero Key

Suddenly, Yu Xian's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and immediately answered. "Director."

Yu Lie cut straight to the chase. His voice was extremely serious, clearly weighed down by the immense pressure after watching the video Yu Xian uploaded.

—Two things. First, that video of yours. Can we release it to the public?

Yu Xian nodded. "Yes, but I worry it may cause widespread panic."

—Second, the government has decided to launch a comprehensive supernatural education program nationwide.

Yu Xian immediately understood. If releasing the video would cause widespread panic, then making supernatural education universally available could help counterbalance that fear. Clearly, Huaxia had already recognized the threat Edward posed. This was precisely the message Yu Xian hoped to convey when he edited the video.

Edward was now occupied with subjugating the Blue Planet, giving the Huaxia Pocket Dimension a brief reprieve. However, the moment he consolidated his reign and turned his attention to unraveling the truth behind Huaxia's disappearance, its real crisis would begin.

Before hanging up, Yu Lie offered a few words of encouragement.

—All right, I won't bother you any longer. Grow stronger as quickly as possible. Of everyone I've ever met, your potential is by far the greatest. Don't waste your talent!

Yu Xian slowly lowered his phone. He wanted to smile, but could not bring himself to. In the end, he let out a quiet sigh. He had once believed that his potential was extraordinary as well. However, after learning the requirements for advancing to Star rank, he understood that his potential was not nearly as great as he had imagined.

About ten minutes later, the phone Yu Xian kept for entertainment vibrated. The news began playing automatically. On the screen, a female anchor reported that Edward had returned to the Blue Planet and embarked on a massive killing spree. The broadcast then cut to the video Yu Xian had edited. After the video ended, the broadcast remained completely silent for a full minute before the anchor reported on the nationwide rollout of supernatural education.

Yu Xian's phone was not the only phone broadcasting the two reports. Across every city, virtually every screen was showing the same news. Only now did many people finally understand the true significance of moving Huaxia into a pocket dimension.

At that moment, countless people sincerely gave thanks for everything Yu Xian and the others had done.

"That was terrifying. Thank goodness Huaxia has already been moved to a pocket dimension. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

"Thank goodness we're safe inside the pocket dimension, or what happened to the Glorious Dragon Empire would have happened to us."

"That Edward bastard was obviously planning to come after us. Thank goodness we escaped in time. Thank you, Fish God! Thank you to our country!"

"So, the pocket dimension was prepared for this moment. As expected, every move the nation makes has a purpose. Even my son's brain damage wasn't entirely meaningless."

"Oh my god! Supreme Hero actually knelt! He used to be my idol!"

"Hahahaha! We can finally cultivate! I'm going to become an immortal swordsman and cut Edward down with a single strike!"

"All hail the Fish God! All hail the Huaxia Pocket Dimension!"

Yu Xian's popularity had just begun to decline, but this news sent it skyrocketing. Those who had previously failed to understand his contribution finally did after watching the video. They also understood what a huge undertaking moving Huaxia into a pocket dimension had been, as well as why that was needed. The government had anticipated the threat Edward posed long ago and made preparations in advance, allowing the nation to escape a bloodbath.

At the Island Pocket Dimension, Yu Xian felt a faint warmth slowly spreading through his chest. The Giant Serpent Heart frantically absorbed the endless stream of positive thoughts pouring in from across Huaxia—worship, gratitude, appreciation, trust, emotion, joy, and countless other intensely positive feelings.

If previously, only ten percent of Huaxia's population had felt grateful for his and the others' contributions, after this broadcast, that figure had surged to over ninety-five percent.

The only reason it did not reach one hundred percent was that no matter where one went, there would always be people eager to stir up chaos, as well as those who had long since lost interest in anything happening in the outside world. Even so, positive thoughts of ninety-five percent of the population were more than enough to stuff the Giant Serpent Heart close to bursting.

Yu Xian clutched his chest, feeling as though the Giant Serpent Heart would explode. As the saying went, a greedy heart was like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. The Giant Serpent Heart was both a heart and a serpent, so it did not care in the slightest that it was about to burst. As long as positive thoughts continued pouring in, it absorbed them without restraint.

Yu Xian's face rapidly flushed crimson. He hurriedly entered his Integrator - Black Blood Form to reinforce the Giant Serpent Heart, doing everything in his power to keep it from actually bursting.

This is way too much! Don't you dare explode! Hold it together!

Time passed little by little. His complexion shifted repeatedly, and he even considered using the Heaven-Mourning Sword to strengthen his body once more. In the end, the Giant Serpent Heart, which had already been purified until it could scarcely become any purer, underwent a qualitative transformation just before it exploded.

Yu Xian's consciousness was instantly drawn into the Giant Serpent Heart. There, he first saw the giant serpent Ba, followed by its mother, Xi, and then Xi's mother, Su. It was as though time were flowing backward. His consciousness continued tracing the giant serpent's lineage farther and farther into the past. As it turned out, the Soaring Mirage Serpent was a hybrid descended from hybrids descended from hybrids descended from yet more hybrids.

As Yu Xian traced the bloodline backward, each serpent he saw was larger than the last. There was a white serpent with dragon horns, as well as a colossal serpent whose body resembled crystal and whose size rivaled that of a planet. There was even a strange red serpent hidden on the Red Planet.

It could be said that Yu Xian had seen more serpents during this brief experience than throughout the previous seventeen years of his life combined. Fortunately, he was not afraid of serpents. Otherwise, the experience would have been utterly unbearable.

Finally, his consciousness reached the very beginning of the giant serpent's bloodline, where he saw an Azure-Flame Purple-Ring Giant Serpent. Nothing appeared to be remarkable about the Azure-Flame Purple-Ring Giant Serpent itself. Yu Xian also had no way of knowing what had happened to it after it produced its offspring.

However, the moment he saw it, Yu Xian vaguely felt as though an unknown existence was watching him. The other party did not attempt to conceal its gaze, merely glancing at him once before looking away. The next second, the vast tide of positive thoughts stopped pouring into the Giant Serpent Heart and instead surged directly into Yu Xian's consciousness.

The endless stream of positive thoughts gradually condensed into a golden key. At the same time, Yu Xian instinctively learned its name—the Hero Key.

The moment the Hero Key finished taking shape, Yu Xian's consciousness was expelled from the Giant Serpent Heart. He opened his eyes and subconsciously raised a hand toward his forehead. The Hero Key slowly emerged from between his brows and dropped neatly into his palm.

Holding the Hero Key, Yu Xian instinctively understood that it could open a certain door. What lay beyond that door, however, was unknown.

Yu Xian immediately held up the key to Eternal Purity. "Auntie, what's going on?"

Eternal Purity stared at the key. After a brief silence, she said, "I'm sorry, but I don't know what just happened. This key... where did it come from?"

Yu Xian was astonished. "Auntie, you didn't see it? It just came out of my head. You really didn't see that?"

Eternal Purity shook her head. She reached out, intending to take the Hero Key for a closer look, but her hand passed right through it. Her fingers brushed across his palm as she frowned. "I cannot touch it. It may be an extremely unusual creation formed from some kind of law."

This was the first time Yu Xian had ever seen Eternal Purity frown. Until now, no matter what she had encountered, she had always faced it with a smile. The Hero Key had clearly surpassed even Eternal Purity's understanding.

Intense curiosity welled up within Yu Xian. What could be waiting behind the door opened by the Hero Key?