Reverse flow of the Yellow Springs

Chapter 401 Returning Home
Inside the moving Yellow Springs Train, the powerful officials stared in shock as Li Yelai took away the blood-red cloak.

Everyone was stunned for a moment. Why was the champion's cape here?

The cape is only bestowed upon the current champion when a successor is identified and the champion is no longer able to bear the responsibilities of the title. Alternatively, it may be reclaimed and given to the champion after the champion's death in battle.
Back then, Captain Yang Chen was one of the successors, or rather, the only one who could wear the champion's cape at that time.

The remaining heirs either died in battle or were crippled.
Now, the cloak that should have been draped over Captain Yang Chen is here, causing many official experts to momentarily lose their minds.

"Could it be that Captain Yang Chen..." Some of the experts couldn't believe it.

However, before he could finish speaking, a team leader interrupted him with a frown: "Pah, what are you saying that's so unlucky?"

"With Lao Yang's strength, he could knock us and the Yellow Springs Train flying together and we wouldn't even get hurt!"

"That's the champion, don't talk nonsense!"

“Indeed, Yang Chen is extremely powerful now. Without the intervention of a Supreme Being, he is invincible. Even I, an old man who has been a Hegemon for over thirty years, am no match for him. And as you all know, once a Supreme Being makes a move, it signifies an escalation of the situation. A war between monarchs, or even a full-scale war, could break out at any time. Currently, we have not received any news of war breaking out between any giant city and a forbidden zone.”

Sword Mad Overlord spoke up: "Moreover, this is not Yang Chen's champion cape, or even a champion cape from this era. This cape has more bloodstains. This is a champion cape from the future!"

“Night General, back then, the Yunling Civilization must have used this cloak as a medium to launch a causal attack on you.” Sword Madman looked at the cloak and smiled: “Now, it is indeed time to return it to its rightful owner.”

From the future, yet returned to its rightful owner.
The powerful officials immediately realized what was happening, and their gazes toward Li Yelai were filled with understanding and respect.

This is a champion's cape from the future, yet it belongs to Li Yelai. This means that Li Yelai in the future is a human champion!

They are heroes who wear champion capes and fight bloody battles for humanity!
The champion team wasn't too surprised by this; in fact, they were quite pleased.

Especially the elite Night Scouts of Team One, they were already aware of Li Yelai's talent and also knew Captain Yang Chen's expectations for him.

The other branch leaders, after their initial shock, nodded silently; they too had their own guesses.

After all, there has been speculation about who will succeed the champion.

Champion Agent, Night General.

Deputy Captain, Zu Chao.

Liu Yun, the leader of the Xuanjia Group.

All three are suspected to be heirs, or at least candidates.

Previously, within the Immortal Palace, Li Yelai's terrifying battlefield dominance and his fearless spirit further solidified their belief in this point.

However, when they actually learned that Li Yelai from the future route would be the champion, they still felt a sense of shock and excitement.

Li Yelai was equally shocked.

'That future me, is actually the champion?' Li Yelai was somewhat incredulous.

In the early days of joining the official organization and becoming a handler, Li Yelai displayed extreme bravery.

Isn't he afraid?
No, of course he was afraid!
But he remembered that he had Mr. Shadow behind him to back him up.

If an insurmountable crisis arises, one can make a deal with Him.

With a little effort, I can save even more people. Compared to other powerful humans, I'm already much better off.

Just as he had initially thought, the risks and potential deaths that followed would all be paid for by the 'Shadow' Young Master!

Suppressing his fear, he raised his axe at the illusory creature. At worst, he'd die and waste a trading opportunity.

If you die, Mr. Shadow will cover for you; but if your comrades die, they are truly dead.

That's why he was so brave, even daring to face those terrifying calamities head-on.

At the same time, he didn't consider himself a hero. He saw himself as nothing more than an imitator. Blood River was blind to have taken a liking to him.

In that future, he didn't have Mr. Shadow, but became the champion and shouldered the responsibility of being the champion of humanity.

Was he simply braver? Or was he truly capable of shouldering this responsibility?
After experiencing so much danger and suffering, he could no longer distinguish between things. Everything on the battlefield seemed to have become instinct.

Li Yelai was briefly lost in thought, staring at the cloak in the brocade box. The cloak swayed slightly as if it were alive, revealing a strange sense of intimacy.

A champion's cape from the future, worn by countless generations of human champions as they fought their way through the heavens. But in the end, it fell into the hands of the Yunling civilization.

Future champions, you have stained your capes with the blood of your enemies, and with your own.

Li Yelai subconsciously thought of the thirtieth generation human champion who risked his life to kill the Time Worm in the future of the Scaled Skeleton Civilization.

When the young man's head was severed, Li Yelai felt an overwhelming grief.

The passing of a champion. In the future, how many more champions and how many more human warriors will sacrifice themselves?
Can one bear the weight of the glory of a human hero?
Li Yelai pondered for a moment, then silently closed the brocade box.

"Why don't you try it on?" Sword Madman asked with a laugh.

Li Yelai observed the expressions on everyone's faces. Before speaking, he changed his words to: "I'm not wearing armor; it doesn't really suit me."

Li Yelai's armor was severely damaged in the battle of the Immortal Palace. The mysterious substance within it was shattered.

The plan is to rebuild a painting after returning to Border City No. 3.

He's wearing a black trench coat now. It would indeed look a bit out of place if he were to wear a champion's cape as well.

"No rush. The Champion's Cloak has undergone some wondrous changes after slaying many powerful enemies. Try wearing it again after your Soul Well has recovered," Sword Madman laughed.

The champion's cape, a team heirloom, was originally a secret treasure. But after drinking the blood of humanity's enemies, it underwent a mysterious transformation, becoming the symbol of the champion.

On the battlefield, the cloak fluttered in the wind, like a distant battle song, announcing the arrival of the human champion!
That is why the champion's cape is difficult to replicate.

"And now, humanity has obtained a champion's cape from the future. Doesn't that mean that a human will have two champions at the same time?" An official captain's eyes lit up.

"Indeed. Old Yang is probably very confused. He woke up to find himself suddenly a retired emperor."

"It's all messed up, the generations are all messed up."

"One is the eighth generation, the other the ninth generation. With two champions appearing at the same time, wouldn't the penalty area be terrified?"

"Just escaped from the champion, and now you've run into the champion again. Hehehe, even the dominant force in the penalty area, or the supreme one, must be terrified."

Yin Huo's expression was somewhat strange. If the Church knew that their chosen two gods had become the human champions, they would probably crash on the spot.

Especially the Blood God faction, how many years have they wanted to corrupt the champion?
The undercover agent's chosen one has become the champion; they must be overjoyed and weeping with happiness.

I wonder what those chosen ones will think?
The official experts were excitedly discussing it, while the doll was looking at the brocade box.

That was the future of the Yunling civilization. In that future, Xiaoye was not familiar with him, but he still joined a team and became the human champion.

And in that future, what will accompany him is...
A beautiful short-haired girl appeared in the doll's mind.

Thinking about this, the doll felt a bit conflicted.

But deep within her consciousness, the mocking voice rang out once more.

"What? Feeling like you've taken something from someone else?" "You're feeling guilty because you discovered that your Xiaoye wasn't supposed to be yours?"

'Are you starting to be afraid of seeing that little guy?'

'How foolish.'

'Since you care, then kill her.'

'We should be able to do whatever we want!'

The doll frowned. Although Cheese was less than 1.6 meters tall, shorter than herself, calling her a dwarf was going too far.

As for the rest, the doll chose to ignore it.

This voice sometimes tempts the dolls to do extreme and terrible things.

After studying the inheritance of the Immortal Palace, the authorities believe that this may be the so-called inner demon, or the Three Corpses.

It was also mentioned in religious culture before the calamity.

There are three kinds of evil desires within the human body.

They were called the Three Corpses.

Taoists believe that the Three Corpses are the Upper Corpse God, the Middle Corpse God, and the Lower Corpse God, which correspond to selfish desires, appetite, and sexual desire, respectively.

This is similar to the Buddhist concept of "breaking attachments".

Different factions have different interpretations.

The Immortal Palace's lineage contains the theories of good, evil, and the three corpses.

Official speculation suggests that the figure was most likely the evil corpse among the three corpses of good, evil, and wielding.

The cause is currently unknown, but regardless, we should ignore this kind of thing.

The doll calmed down and looked out the window through its headpiece. It was unclear what it was thinking.

The train traversed the wilderness and returned to Border Town No. 3. The journey was uneventful; nothing dared to obstruct such a large group.

Looking at the familiar scenery of their hometown, everyone felt as if they had been transported to another world, but they did not linger or express their feelings.

The reason they returned early was to escort back the forbidden items used in this battle.

For this mission to support the Celestial Palace, various major cities have risked sending out a large number of forbidden items, which must be handled carefully.

After getting off the bus outside the high wall, the team leaders each led their teams away.

Li Yelai, along with the puppet, Yin Huo, and other captains of the East City branch, returned to the East City branch with the forbidden items.

They watched as these forbidden items were returned to the Black Prison and re-enclosed before finally departing.

In the branch office, Li Yelai signed the compensation agreement for the soldiers who were injured or killed in this incident.

In this battle for the Celestial Palace, the fifty-one members of the champion team who entered the Celestial Palace suffered heavy losses.

Eleven of them died in battle, and the rest were seriously wounded.

Eight night watchmen could no longer remain on the front lines.

Looking at the names of his comrades, Li Yelai felt heavy-hearted.

He looked at the deputy captain Zu Chao beside him and asked, "Have their families come here?"

"No. The families were already prepared when they became handlers. Handlers and night scouts are inherently enemies of calamity, one after another."

Zu Chao said, "You've done very well. Even Captain Yang Chen, who has six senses, couldn't do what you've done. Don't put pressure on yourself."

"How are those new recruits doing?" Li Yelai asked.

"They are currently in the testing phase, and regardless of whether they can join the team in the future, they will choose to become handlers."

"Has there been any news from Captain Yang Chen?" Li Yelai continued to ask.

Most of the elite members of the champion team were dispatched. One group went to the Immortal Palace with Li Ye, while the other group followed Captain Yang Chen to investigate a mysterious area.

"Everything is normal. The last message was delivered a week ago. A team delivered Captain Yang Chen's S-class weapon and returned, bringing back a message and some personal letters." Zu Chao replied, "Among them is yours, which has been delivered to your home and should have been signed for by Binghe."

A letter? Li Yelai was taken aback, then nodded slightly.

After finishing his official business, Li Yelai did not rush home, but instead secretly met with Yin Huo.

Now, both factions are eager to know intelligence about the future.

That's something we can take advantage of.

Especially the resurgence of the restricted area.

At the same time, Yin Huo provided a list, which mostly consisted of beings from forbidden zones, future powerhouses who were being sought and assassinated by the authorities.

“We can use them to eliminate some powerful figures from the forbidden zones. The Chaos forces are also at odds with the forbidden zones. They certainly won’t sit idly by and watch the forbidden zones rise. However, we must guard against them launching a surprise attack from behind while we are attacking the forbidden zones. As the chosen one, you must keep an eye on their plans,” Yin Huo said. “As for the assassination list, it’s a classified information that the captain can access. It wouldn’t be unreasonable for you to take it.”

"As for your two future identities, there's no need to hide them. After all, they can't be hidden anyway. Many people heard that the Holy Emperor directly address you as the Dawn Lord. As for the champion, you'll have to wear the cloak sooner or later."

"If they knew that I, the Chosen One of the Two Gods, am their mortal enemy in both timelines, would it have any impact?" Li Yelai asked.

The followers of the Fifth God were already a thorn in the side of the other Chaos followers. And yet, Li Yelai turned out to be the Azure Flame True Lord.

As for the human champion, well, that goes without saying. An old rival.
"It's highly unlikely. The timeline has changed. In their eyes, your becoming the chosen one of the two gods is a foregone conclusion. It can't be changed. They'll just be secretly pleased that you've stolen the man from the giant city and the Lord of Azure Flame," Yin Huo said. "Concealing this future identity will only arouse their suspicion."

"Secondly, there's the Ark. Last time, you failed to enter the Ark gathering. Jing Lin also didn't stay on the Ark for long. The Ark voters probably deduced that you were also in the Celestial Palace at the time. You can reveal some information as appropriate, which can also serve as a reminder to the major cities in various places."

After they finished discussing, they each went their separate ways.

Li Yelai also returned to his home after a month's absence.

In the family apartment, Li Yunyan, whose hair was slightly disheveled, circled around Li Yelai several times to make sure that Li Yelai was not missing any limbs.

They seemed to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"It's good that you're alright," she said softly. "Welcome home, brother."

Looking at the girl in front of him, Li Yelai recalled the charred corpse he had seen during the causal attack.

Suppressing the excitement in her heart, she said, "Yes, I'm back."

(Writing transitional chapters is really my weakness. It took me fifteen hours to finish this, I'm sorry.)

(End of this chapter)