Someone Else Steps Forward

Chen Fan forced a smile, a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Mom, why are you crying? I just stepped on a big firecracker when I went out, and it blew off the outer layer of skin."

He gently touched his mother's cold hand with his only remaining right hand and whispered, "Your son is very resilient. The King of Hell thinks I eat too much and won't take me. Go and seal the secret room. I'll be fine after a nap. Don't panic."

The woman bit her lip tightly, tears streaming down her face, and nodded repeatedly, "Okay, okay, Mother, don't panic. Mother will guard the door for you, and won't let anyone in!"

Chen Fan was carefully carried into the lava chamber deep within the back mountain.

The stone gate slammed shut, and layers of runes lit up.

Lying on the scalding hot Profound Yang Warm Jade Bed, Chen Fan let out a long sigh, his smile instantly vanishing.

"Ouch... that fucking hurts."

He cursed under his breath, veins bulging on his forehead.

If it were an ordinary Eighth-Order cultivator, such a Dao injury would have already caused their Divine Soul to Annihilation.

But he was different.

Deep within his brow, a wisp of the Martial God's true essence quietly awakened.

The remaining gray-white Millstone in his Dantian slowly turned, forcibly drawing out the earth vein fire energy from thousands of feet deep underground, transforming it into a surging crimson torrent that seeped into his body through his pores.

"No destruction, no construction; destruction precedes construction."

Chen Fan closed his eyes and activated the True Meaning of Life and Death.

Deep within the depleted blood and marrow, new flesh sprouts, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, intertwine and entwine at the broken bone at a visible speed.

Time flies.

Outside the sealed room, the seasons change from cold to hot; inside, flames rage.

Layers of charred, old skin peeled away, and jade-like bones regenerated. Water-Fire Totems etched even more intricate and profound Dao patterns deep within the marrow.

I don't know how much time passed.

In the silent, secret room, a clear heartbeat suddenly rang out.

Thump!

Like the beating of heavenly drums.

Immediately afterwards, a massive storm of Qi and Blood and blood swept through the entire Cave, causing the restrictions on the rock walls to crack inch by inch.

The newly formed meridians were more than three times wider than before, and the grayish-red Qi and Blood surged and roared through the body like a great river.

Eighth-Level Mid Stage, achieved!

Click.

Chen Fan stretched his brand-new neck, and his knuckles cracked like popping beans.

Its body is tall and slender, its skin is as smooth as jade, yet it possesses a terrifying power capable of shattering mountains.

"Those three old geezers in Red Rock City probably think I'm long gone, reduced to dust."

Chen Fan patted the broken Broken Saber at his waist, which had been restored to its original state, and a sinister smile appeared on his lips.

It's time to snatch that fragment of the divine array scroll.

Boom!

Chen Fan casually pushed open the Dragon-Breaking Stone Gate, weighing tens of thousands of kilograms.

The sunlight outside was blinding, but instead of the usual hustle and bustle, a somber and oppressive atmosphere greeted us.

Around the square, dozens of the Fire Crow Tribe warriors, fully armed, stood with tense expressions.

A cacophony of shouting and cursing could be faintly heard from outside the courtyard wall.

"Wang Dafu, get out here!"

Chen Fan stepped into the courtyard.

A round, chubby figure tumbled and crawled out of the side hall.

Wang Dafu was bruised and swollen, his left eye socket was black as black as the bottom of a pot, his right arm was in a sling, and his clothes were torn to shreds.

Seeing Chen Fan, who was completely unharmed and whose breath was even unfathomable, Wang Dafu rubbed his swollen eyes and then burst into tears.

"Chief! You're finally alive! If you hadn't come out, our Fire Crow Tribe's stronghold would have been wiped out!"

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow, picked up the teapot on the stone table, took a sip, and spoke calmly.

"What happened? Who beat you up like this?"

Wang Dafu wiped away his tears, gritting his teeth.

"It's all those bastards from Profound Nether Main City! The Myriad Sword Pavilion, the Wild Lion Valley, and several other second-rate sects! They somehow heard about your critically injured and dying condition and said you'd already died in Red Rock City!"

"Three days ago, the Wild Lion Valley led men to block the mines in our Black Wind Mountains, and the Myriad Sword Pavilion even seized our three spirit medicine shops in the main city and killed two of our brothers!"

"They declared today that we must get out of the Black Fiend Gate's old site by sunset, or else... or else they will massacre the Fire Crow Tribe!"

Chen Fan rubbed his wrist, listening to the faint cursing coming from outside the courtyard wall. Instead of getting angry, he slowly grinned, revealing an extremely bright smile.

"You think you're all invincible while I'm recovering from my injuries, huh?"

The boy drew his Broken Saber, casually twirled it, and his eyes were as deep as the night.

"Perfect, saves me the trouble of going door-to-door to find an excuse."

"Wang Dafu, straighten your back."

Chen Fan casually picked up a slightly astringent green fruit from the stone table and tossed it into his mouth, chewing it with a crunching sound. With his other hand, he lightly patted Wang Dafu's shiny bald head.

"The high priest of the Fire Crow Tribe, reduced to a steamed bun by someone else, people will think we're short of flour in the kitchen if word gets out."

Wang Dafu covered his swollen cheek, his mouth twitching, and tears almost welled up in his eyes again.

"Chief! The Valley Master of Wild Lion Valley brought three full-fledged Eighth-Order Battle Formations, and the Grand Elder of the Myriad Sword Pavilion even planted the Seven-Star Annihilation Banner behind our ancestral graves! This isn't just robbing a shop; it's clearly trying to skin us alive and burn us alive!"

The dozens of the Fire Crow Tribe warriors who had gathered around gripped their Bone Spears tightly, their eyes filled with panic. But when they saw the relaxed-looking boy, their chaotic breathing miraculously calmed down.

"What's there to be afraid of? The sky won't fall down; even if it does, there are tall people to hold it up."

Chen Fan chewed on some fruit and gestured with his chin toward the few old hunters peeking out from the side hall.

"Go, bring out my Wisteria Rocking Chair and put it on top of the stone steps at the mountain gate. Mother, you go inside and continue making chicken soup. I'll come back and have some hot soup after I've finished tearing apart these noisy stray dogs outside."

The woman wiped her reddened eyes at the threshold, looked at her son's tall and steady back, nodded heavily, and turned to go into the kitchen.

Boom!

Outside the mountain gate, another deafening roar erupted.

The protective Light Screen of the Black Fiend Gate, which had been passed down for hundreds of years, suffered a violent dent, and spiderweb-like cracks spread wildly.

High above the formation, dust swirled and rose.

Two figures stood in mid-air, their bodies surging with powerful true energy, like two blazing suns, pressing down on the grass and trees in front of the mountain gate, turning them into dust.

The burly man on the left was nine feet tall, clad in heavy reddish-yellow armor, his face bulging with menacing flesh; he was none other than Shi Meng, the deputy valley master of Wild Lion Valley.

The old man on the right, dressed in a grey-white crane cloak, stood with his hands behind his back on a three-zhang-wide blue steel giant sword. His face was withered and his eyes were sinister. He was Bai Wuhen, the Grand Elder of the Myriad Sword Pavilion.

"Listen up, you barbarians of the Fire Crow Tribe!"

Shi Meng gathered his inner strength, and his roar echoed through the valley like rolling thunder.

"Three breaths have passed! That brat Chen Fan has already had his soul extracted and bones shattered by the Red Rock City Ancestor. You toothless ravenous dogs, how dare you occupy the earth's veins and spiritual veins? Within half an incense stick's time, kneel down at the mountain gate, hand over all the spiritual mine Land Deeds, and the men will be exiled to the Black Prison Mine Cave. Women and children may still be spared! If you dare to resist, today we will make sure that not a single chicken or dog from Black Fiend Mountain is left alive!"

"Why waste words with these Shi Valley Lords?"