Chapter 408 Going Home

A flash of white light streaked across the sky. One second it was a solitary peak in another world, shrouded in turbulent winds and thunderous tribulations, and the next second, everything around it had changed.

The dense spiritual energy that enveloped my body receded like a tide, replaced by a familiar, thin, and peaceful air.

Zhou Jue opened his eyes and saw nothing but pure white.

Smooth metal walls, ceiling panels inlaid with softly glowing lights—this is the passageway.

She's back.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing the main quest! Hooray!]

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing the side quest: Establishing a Sect!]

[Task Rewards: Top-Grade Spirit Vein*1; Space Upgrade Card*1; System Upgrade Card*1.]

"You're back?"

Ah, home is so comfortable!

"Spiritual energy... the spiritual energy is so thin!"

"I didn't feel this way when I was on Earth."

The team members behind him looked around, their hearts filled with the relief of being home.

Welcome back. Disinfection and testing procedures are currently underway.

Mechanical sounds filled the room, and countless metal nozzles emerged from hidden compartments in the ceiling and walls, spraying out a fine, cool mist.

Beams of red light slowly swept across each person's body from top to bottom.

"Ugh!" One of the team members instinctively tried to summon a protective aura.

"Don't move," Cheng Gan said in a low voice. "This is our procedure."

The crowd quieted down, letting the mist and light fall on them.

A few minutes later, the mechanical voice sounded again.

The program has completed execution; no abnormal bioenergy or memetic contamination was detected.

[Inner cabin door, about to open.]

The pure white wall directly in front of us slid silently to both sides.

Outside, separated by a thick layer of special glass, stood several familiar figures.

The leader, Chief Zhang, was in high spirits, and his eyes were still bright.

Commander Qi, standing beside him, had a few fine lines around her eyes. She stared intently at the glass wall, her gaze sweeping back and forth over the 101 people, as if she were counting heads.

Chen Jianguo and Sun Jiuchou stood behind them, one looking tense and excited, the other with his hands behind his back, his face revealing little emotion.

They had spent ten years in the Cangyun Realm, but less than five months had passed here.

“Clatter.”

The glass wall slowly rises.

Zhou Jue took a deep breath, stepped forward, walked out of the time-travel room, and stood on that familiar land.

Behind her, a hundred team members marched out in perfect unison, quickly forming a standard ten-column, ten-row square formation.

They took off the Taoist robes they had worn for ten years in the Cangyun Realm and put back on their original military uniforms, school uniforms, or researcher's clothes.

Her ten years as a sect elder, hall master, and senior sister quietly faded away at this moment.

They transformed back into those one hundred elites of China.

Zhou Jue faced Commander Zhang and Commander Qi, straightened her back, raised her right hand, and gave a perfectly standard military salute.

"Reporting, Commander!"

Her voice, clear and resonant, echoed in the empty isolation hall.

"Xuantian Special Task Force, led by Captain Zhou Jue, with one hundred members!"

"Mission accomplished!"

"All 101 people have returned safely!"

The hundred-person formation behind her raised their hands in unison to salute, their voices blending into a mighty torrent.

"Reporting, Commander! All 101 people have returned safely!"

The sound waves rolled in, pounding the eardrums of everyone present and striking their hearts.

Chief Zhang's eyes instantly reddened.

He suddenly raised his hand and returned a solemn military salute, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He said "good" three times in a row.

"Comrades, you've worked hard!"

Commander Qi, Chen Jianguo, and everyone in military uniform stood at attention and saluted at the same time.

Welcome home.

These four words were not spoken, but everyone understood them.

After the ceremony, the tense atmosphere finally relaxed.

Commander Qi strode forward. She didn't say anything, but simply reached out and grabbed Zhou Jue's arm tightly, looking her up and down as if to see if she was missing any weight.

“Xiao Jue…” her voice was a little hoarse: “You’ve lost weight.”

"Qi Si, these are all muscles, feel them." Zhou Jue grinned, showing off his biceps with a touch of smugness.

"You little rascal..." Qi Si's emotions were instantly broken, and he burst out laughing.

Chen Jianguo also rushed up, his eyes shining. He circled the team members and finally his gaze landed on Cheng Gan.

"Late Nascent Soul stage? My god...you, you fifty-odd Nascent Soul cultivators..."

He rubbed his hands together excitedly. This was truly a comprehensive upgrade! With this strength, even now that spiritual energy had fully recovered, he would have even more confidence to cope!

"This...this is simply unbelievable! How could you improve so quickly? Quick, quick, what is the Cangyun Realm like? What happened to you? Tell us quickly."

"Staff Officer Chen, calm down," Sun Jiuchou said with a smile, standing next to him. "Maybe there will be other surprises later."

Chen Jianguo couldn't stay calm: "What do you know! This isn't just a triumphant return home, it's like a god descending to earth!"

"Alright, everyone, calm down." Chief Zhang stepped forward and patted Zhou Jue on the shoulder with a firm pat.

"Let's get a full check-up first. Is your body still adjusting to the environment there?"

What he cares about most is people.

“There’s nothing seriously wrong,” Zhou Jue replied. “It’s just that the concentration of spiritual energy has changed too much. It’s a bit like someone who has been living on a plateau for a long time suddenly returning to the plains. They need some time to adapt.”

"That's good, that's good." Chief Zhang breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked at Zhou Jue, then at the hundred warriors behind her with resolute eyes and terrifying energy, and was filled with emotion.

In less than half a year, the hundred promising young talents sent out had grown into towering trees when they returned.

This is no longer just a simple strategic force; it is a trump card capable of changing the world order.

"Let's go to the conference room first," Commander Zhang decided decisively. "We need to hear your detailed report."

"Old Chen, you organize the men and let the soldiers go back to rest first. All the leaders, please stay and report!"

"Understood!" Chen Jianguo accepted the order and left hurriedly, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement.

In the isolation hall, only a few core leaders and Zhou Jue and others remained.

Chief Zhang looked at Zhou Jue, his expression turning serious.

“Xiao Jue, while you were in the Cangyun Realm, the energy of Blue Star was also gradually bursting forth.”

He paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully: "Ever since our last showdown, other countries have also been monitoring their own energy anomalies, and now the whole world is dealing with these places."

"Some countries handle these issues themselves, while others ask us to handle them."

"We'll discuss the specifics in the meeting room."