Power of the Mundane World
A massive mushroom cloud rose from the very center of the White Marble steps, and a violent shockwave, mixed with Petrification, swept across the entire area.
Dozens of high-level cultivators were forced to retreat repeatedly, their protective auras trembling wildly.
After the dust and smoke were swept away by the gale, only a deep, blackened ravine stretching for dozens of feet remained.
As for Li Qianfeng and Shi Meng, along with their weapons and Dao Fruits, they had already been completely reduced to ashes under that extremely domineering blade power, leaving not even a trace behind.
The world was deathly silent.
With a slight tremor of his wrist, Chen Fan sent the Broken Saber tracing a graceful arc before it nestled securely back into the animal-hide scabbard behind him.
He brushed the dust off his sleeves, raised his head, and looked at the Profound Nether City Lord in the main seat with a gentle expression.
"Lord City Lord, I took care of those two unruly stray dogs for you. You... don't have any objections, do you?"
The hearts of all the cultivators present jumped into their throats, and they all turned their gazes toward the Profound Nether City Lord.
To publicly kill the leaders of two major sects in front of the City Lord's Mansion is undoubtedly a blatant slap in the face to the City Lord's Mansion!
Above the stone steps, the Profound Nether City Lord's eyes twitched violently a few times.
He stared at the deep, unfathomable knife wound, then at the composed Chen Fan, and took a deep breath.
The next instant, just as everyone thought the city lord was about to erupt in fury, a gentle smile, like a spring breeze, slowly appeared on the lips of this tyrant who had ruled the city for a century.
"Well done!"
The Profound Nether City Lord spoke loudly, his voice echoing throughout the entire square.
"Li Qianfeng and Shi Meng, though outwardly law-abiding, secretly betrayed their alliance, committing massacre and plunder while their comrades were away. They are a disgrace to our Profound Nether Main City! I originally intended to punish them personally, but young friend Chen Fan's actions are gratifying. What crime have they committed?"
Upon hearing this, the elders below the steps exchanged bewildered glances, their hearts filled with utter shock.
Even a city lord at the Half-Step Ninth Tier has bowed his head!
The Profound Nether City Lord stepped down the stone steps and stopped three zhang away from Chen Fan, his tone even carrying a hint of enticement and intimacy.
"The Myriad Sword Pavilion and the Wild Lion Valley have acted perversely and brought about their own destruction. Their spiritual veins, mines, and industries rightfully belong to the Fire Crow Tribe! Furthermore, since you, my friend, reclaimed the Black Wind Ore Vein from Red Rock City, from this day forward, it shall be considered the private property of the Fire Crow Tribe, and the main city will not take a single penny from it!"
Zhao Qianjue and the others in the audience gasped.
The city lord didn't even blink an eye at the enormous benefits of the centuries-old foundations of the Myriad Sword Pavilion and the Wild Lion Valley, plus a top-tier spiritual vein!
This is hardly a dispute resolution; it's clearly an attempt to curry favor with the young man!
Chen Fan understood perfectly.
He knew that the old fox was wary of his strength, and he also understood that the other party wanted to use the Fire Crow Tribe to completely suppress any possibility of a counterattack from Red Rock City.
However, he naturally had no reason to refuse benefits that were offered to him.
"Since the city lord is so understanding and righteous, this junior thanks you on behalf of the Fire Crow Tribe."
Chen Fan cupped his hands in greeting, and the cheerful smile unique to young people returned to his face, as if he hadn't been the one who had just killed two Eighth-Order experts with a single strike.
"There's still some game stewing in the village; I'll take my leave now."
After saying that, Chen Fan didn't linger. He lightly touched the gravel with his toes, and his whole body transformed into a long blue-white rainbow, soaring into the sky and disappearing into the horizon in an instant.
Only after the terrifying sense of oppression completely dissipated did the crowd in the square slump down in relief, their backs already soaked with cold sweat.
The Profound Nether City Lord stood with his hands behind his back on the broken stone steps, gazing in the direction where the rainbow had disappeared. The gentleness in his eyes vanished, leaving only an indescribable depth and awe.
"The skies over the Northern Border... have changed completely from this day forward."
Half an hour later, on the outskirts of the Black Wind Mountains, at the new camp of the Fire Crow Tribe.
The afterglow of the setting sun fell on the rough, massive wooden walls of the stockade, and the air was filled with the aroma of roasted meat and the bitterness of herbs.
Thousands of the Fire Crow Tribe members gathered on the open ground, looking up at the sky with tense and worried expressions.
The elderly, women, and children prayed silently, while the able-bodied soldiers on patrol gripped their Bone Spears tightly, their palms sweating.
They knew that their leader had gone alone to the City Lord's Mansion, a moment that would determine the life or death of the entire tribe.
Call out!
In the distance, a streak of Stream of Light approached from afar, then whistled down.
A young man in white robes landed steadily in front of the village gate, Broken Saber slung over his shoulder, a lazy smile playing on his lips.
"Dafu, go and set up the biggest stone pot in the storeroom."
Chen Fan strode into the village gate, casually tossing two Storage Rings to the short, stout priest who stumbled towards him, and chuckled and scolded.
"Stop looking so gloomy. The strongholds of the Myriad Sword Pavilion and Wild Lion Valley will henceforth belong to Fire Crow. Tell the brothers to prepare the carts; tomorrow morning, come with me to empty their lair!"
After a brief silence, the entire camp erupted in a deafening roar!
"The leader is invincible!"
May the Fire Crow prosper forever!
Dozens of veterans, some missing limbs, raised their bone knives high with tears in their eyes.
The Mine Slaves who had been rescued by Chen Fan knelt down with a thud, trembling with excitement.
The crowd surged forward, and the boy was excitedly tossed into the air by his tribesmen. The bloodshed and carnage that had filled the surroundings were completely dispelled at this moment by the pure and passionate human warmth.
Chen Fan did not use his True Essence, letting his clansmen catch him with great joy, his face beaming with a bright smile.
However, the moment he landed, the long-dormant Life-and-Death Millstone Phantom in the depths of his Dantian suddenly trembled slightly.
There were no grand celestial phenomena, nor any earth-shattering energy roars.
A faint rhythm originating from the life, death, joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness of countless living beings transformed into a gentle and cool breath, silently merging into the edge of that Millstone that was originally filled with slaughter and Annihilation.
Deep within that world constructed by divine power, a wondrous light, truly representing the endless cycle of life, was quietly ignited.
The campfire burned for most of the night.
The fat from the roasted lamb leg dripped onto the charcoal, sizzling and mingling with the pungent aroma of rough ale.
Chen Fan drank two bowls of strong liquor with several veterans who were missing arms and legs, listening to them recount their embarrassing stories of being chased by ferocious beasts on the edge of the Great Wilderness and having to run with their pants down, laughing so hard he almost fell over.
As night deepened and the clansmen dispersed, the smile on Chen Fan's face slowly faded.
Deep within his Dantian, at the edge of the slowly turning Black-and-White Millstone, the newly formed, warm glow did not dissipate; instead, it became even more translucent amidst the tangled aroma of alcohol in the marketplace.
The reliance, awe, and vitality of countless clansmen have transformed into the purest worldly thoughts, which are nourishing the Martial Dao foundation that was originally Annihilation any life force.
When opportunity knocks, it's unstoppable.
Chen Fan rubbed the tip of his nose, gave a few instructions to the short, stout priest beside him, and then turned and walked towards the lava chamber in the back mountain.