Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Hi Everyone, Welcome to Yun Zhou Continent

Song Jiu Lai stared.

The System definitely hadn’t mentioned that part when she first arrived.

The System’s reply came instantly.

“I said this place was safe. I never said it would always be safe.”

Song Jiu Lai ground her teeth. “You really aren’t human.”

“You don’t need to repeat the facts,” the System said, briskly. “It makes you sound long-winded.”

Song Jiu Lai clenched her fists.

Bastard.

Her fear turned real now, cold and prickling. “A demon beast riot… is it what I think it is?”

Shui Ping nodded, face sober.

“Every few decades, Devil Cave Valley has riot events. Demon beasts may surge into cultivator territory. Great experts will respond in time, but if it truly happens, we’re on the border. If Myriad Immortals Sect doesn’t arrive fast enough, Wangan County could be hit head-on.”

And if demon beasts surged, the ones leading the charge could reach Fifth Rank and above.

Not to mention First Mountain itself had a Seventh Rank demon beast stationed there.

Wangan County wouldn’t stand a chance.

“It’s been thirty years since the last riot,” Shui Ping said. “But it might not happen.”

She hesitated, then tried to lighten it.

“I’ve never experienced one in my life.”

Song Jiu Lai almost choked.

Of course you haven’t. You’re fifteen.

You weren’t even alive thirty years ago.

But hearing it said out loud made everything feel worse, like Yun Zhou Continent had just activated a new dungeon the moment she learned about it.

Shui Ping recovered quickly, as cultivators did.

“If it comes, then it’s our fate. Everything is destined. Besides, Myriad Immortals Sect set up a guardian Grand Array here. If there’s any abnormal movement, they’ll detect it quickly. Don’t worry too much.”

Song Jiu Lai wanted to shout: Then why tell me?!

Instead, she pinched the bridge of her nose, forcing herself to breathe.

Shui Ping meant well.

Realizing she’d rattled Song Jiu Lai, Shui Ping stuck her tongue out sheepishly. “Anyway, Junior Sister, be careful when you train on First Mountain. Don’t overthink it.”

Then she left.

Immortal Sacrifice Grand Ceremony.

Demon beast riot.

It all sounded like a giant red flag.

Song Jiu Lai prayed it wouldn’t happen… but praying didn’t change odds.

At least delay it.

If she had a few years, if luck smiled, she could reach Golden Core Stage. If disaster struck, she could run faster.

The System finally offered something vaguely reassuring.

“You don’t need to panic. When I arrived, I checked the data. The probability of a major disaster here in the near term is not high.”

Song Jiu Lai’s eyes narrowed. “You can check data?”

“I calculate probabilities by my own methods.”

It couldn’t exactly toss her into a guaranteed death trap.

Devil Cave Valley was dangerous, but places packed with cultivators caused even more trouble. With Song Jiu Lai’s mouth, if she landed in a major sect with rich spiritual energy, one careless sentence could offend an entire nest of cultivators.

Song Jiu Lai stared at the air like she could glare the System into honesty.

“Define ‘near term.’”

“One day to one hundred years.”

Song Jiu Lai went silent.

Of course.

The System could be genuinely wicked.

Still—she was on the cultivation path now. She had to broaden her mindset.

She decided to stick to the original plan and head for First Mountain.

—

The players were ready too.

They’d set log-off schedules, shifting their real lives around the event. Some worked day shifts in reality and would be forced into all-nighters in the game.

When Zhou Xiao and the others heard Han Tian had been granted livestream permissions, they were stunned.

“You mean your Weibo post gave the official hype, so this is your reward?” Zhou Xiao asked.

Han Tian nodded. He’d already arranged the streaming details with a platform. All that remained was to go live on schedule.

And the timing was perfect—they were about to travel to First Mountain. The scenery along the road would be proof no one could fake.

Jiang Tian Ya joined the team with his cousin Xue Yao. His eyes flicked thoughtfully.

“Big Shot Han—if trending topics get rewarded… if it trends again later, can they keep giving livestream slots?”

Han Tian hesitated. “I’m not sure. You want to stream too?”

Jiang Tian Ya shook his head. “Not to stream.”

He wanted to understand what this game really was.

And who—or what—sat behind it.

Was the so-called official game designer connected to the person he suspected?

He wanted to ask Sect Master too, but he didn’t quite dare.

He and Xue Yao had already checked the real-world Song Jiu Lai. Orphan. Clean records—almost unnaturally clean. Even her friends were mostly just coworkers.

People raised in that kind of environment tended to be reserved.

But from what he’d learned through calls, the real Song Jiu Lai had been lively. Bright.

And her education and career had nothing to do with gaming. Not even close.

So what was the relationship between the game’s Sect Master Song Jiu Lai and the real-world Song Jiu Lai?

What kind of existence was she?

Han Tian said, “I asked the System for you. They said livestream slots can only be exchanged for points in the future. This time I probably got lucky—I hit number one on the trending list.”

After all, the one-million bounty was still up.

The temptation alone was enough to drag crowds in.

Jiang Tian Ya nodded slowly.

Han Tian clapped his hands once, refocusing. “Alright. It’s eight p.m. in real life. I’m starting the stream too.”

He looked around at the group.

“In the game, our faces aren’t our real faces. Everyone’s fine being on camera, right?”

They all nodded.

Han Tian logged off once to confirm the platform and the game were properly connected—then he went live.

Viewers who’d been waiting poured in like a flood.

The second Han Tian posted the announcement, people swore they’d come to expose it as fake.

A full-dive virtual game. A one-million bounty. No one able to identify a real-world location that matched anything shown.

The bait was irresistible.

Even passersby who didn’t care about the game got swept in by the spectacle.

In an instant, the stream hit one hundred thousand viewers—right at the start. Anyone who knew the livestream industry understood how insane that number was, especially with more still pouring in.

After a brief black screen, the feed snapped on.

A girl’s face filled the camera.

“Well?” Zhou Xiao asked. “Han Tian, are you live?”

She’d crafted her in-game appearance beautifully—striking, delicate, unmistakably attractive.

She’d even spent money in Wangan County to tailor a few outfits. Dressed in flowing white, she looked like a young immortal stepping out of a painting.

The chat exploded the moment viewers saw her.

“Holy shit, there’s a beautiful girl!”

“So pretty… so pretty…”

“This production team is seriously professional…”

While the barrage scrolled, Jiang Tian Ya leaned closer to Liang Xue Yao and spoke quietly.

“Did you message that person?”

Liang Xue Yao nodded. “I did. I’m not sure he’ll believe me. I told him to get someone to watch the stream first.”

If the game was truly abnormal, the right people would spot it fast.

Jiang Tian Ya nodded once.

Han Tian’s perspective was still his own, and he could adjust the camera with a thought. He realized he could see the chat in his vision—dense, bright, like a half-screen floating in front of him.

It didn’t slow him down at all.

He turned the camera to his face, revealing an avatar that wasn’t carefully sculpted but still looked a bit more handsome than reality.

Then he smiled.

“Hi, everyone. I’m Han Tian—welcome to Yun Zhou Continent!”