Ninth Tier

"Stop howling, you won't die."

Chen Fan withdrew his hand and glanced at him.

"How's it going with things in the city?"

Wang Dafu immediately bowed and flattered.

"Reporting to Young Master, as you instructed, the private granaries of all the major families in Red Rock City and Xuanming City have been confiscated! A total of 9.7 million shi of Spirit Grain has been transported to the outer city to set up 360 soup kitchens!"

At this point, Wang Dafu carefully handed over a scroll of parchment.

"This old servant personally oversaw that any manager who dared to skimp on even a spoonful of rice had their legs broken on the spot and was thrown into the mine. All ordinary farmers and herb-gathering Mine Slaves within an 800-mile radius of Red Rock and Xuanming were exempted from taxes for three years. Now... millions of people outside are setting up longevity tablets for the Fire Crow Battle Banner at home."

As Wang Dafu spoke, he was also muttering to himself.

In the Great Wilderness, which of the sect patriarchs didn't treat mortals as mere ants and weeds, and blood sacrifices and soul refining were commonplace for them?

This young master of ours kills Eighth-Order ancestors without batting an eye, yet he is unbelievably lenient towards these peasants who can't even get enough to eat.

"Very thorough."

Chen Fan nodded, a rare occurrence, and tossed him a gray pill the size of a pigeon's egg.

"Here you go, it's a reward. Go back and keep an eye on things. If anyone dares to cause trouble, have the Profound Nether Iron Cavalry raze them to the ground."

Wang Dafu caught the fragrant Seventh Rank Lifespan-Extending Pill, his fat trembling with excitement. He knelt down with a thud. "This old servant swears to serve the young master to the death!"

"Get out of here. Anyone who approaches within ten miles of the ley lines without my authorization will be killed on sight."

"Promise!"

As Wang Dafu retreated cautiously, the entrance to the earth vein was sealed again by the array patterns.

Chen Fan sat cross-legged back in the center of the deep pit.

He slowly closed his eyes, his mind sinking into the depths of his Sea of Consciousness.

The "Myriad Realms Red Dust Scripture" floated above the Divine Soul, radiating an unprecedented pure white light.

Boom!!

In the darkness, the Void was pierced by invisible threads.

Thousands of villages above Xuanming City, inside and outside Red Rock City, and even at the foot of the Blackstone Mountains.

The elderly and weak holding hot porridge in the wind and snow, the wounded soldiers whose injuries were healed, the ordinary people struggling to survive in the mud...

Their heartfelt gratitude, their will to survive, and the wisps of smoke rising from chimneys transformed into a surging, milky-white halo that transcended the barriers between the city walls and the underground, rushing wildly into Chen Fan's body.

The black side of the Life-and-Death Millstone within Chen Fan's body had long since solidified into ink; it represented slaughter, destruction, and the Annihilation Dao Rhythm of the Ancient Martial Arts.

At this very moment, the white aspect, infused with the vast vitality of the mortal world, finally ceased to be superficial!

In the once desolate Miniature Divine Kingdom, the first gentle breeze blew by, the first drop of sweet rain condensed from nothingness, and tender green shoots sprouted from the withered ground.

At this moment, Life and Death are completely connected into a perfect closed loop.

"I see..."

A slight smile appeared on Chen Fan's lips.

"Without experiencing the endless struggle of life, how can one speak of mastering the cycle of Annihilation and death?"

He no longer suppressed the surging Qi and Blood within his body, allowing that power to surge freely deep within his meridians.

Time slips away silently deep underground.

Ten days.

The 20th.

The 30th.

In the blink of an eye, a whole month has passed.

The Great Wilderness outside has fallen into an unprecedented and eerie atmosphere.

Hidden by day, Ye Mu falls.

Above the sky, an enormous, scarlet Blood Moon slowly rose, its crimson light spreading across the entire Great Wilderness like a viscous liquid. Countless Primordial Ferocious Beasts from deep mountains and marshes roared to the sky, and the malevolent energy deep within the earth bubbled and churned like boiling water.

In the far north, a dark golden pillar of light pierced the Firmament, tearing through the heavens, and a vast and desolate Ancient Bronze Gate faintly appeared in the clouds.

Guixu has reappeared!

Almost at the same moment.

From the deepest part of the Xuanming City's earth veins, a muffled, thunderous roar suddenly erupted!

Buzz!

The phantom of the Life-and-Death Millstone Phantom within Chen Fan's body suddenly expanded, and the original rudimentary Domain Embryo was only three zhang in size, expanded wildly like a runaway horse!

Ten zhang!

Hundred zhang!

A thousand feet!

The entire rock strata of the Extreme Yin Earth Vein silently turned into nothingness. Within the thousand-foot -Law Domain, black and white energy circulated, and time and space were completely distorted.

Click!

A crisp cracking sound rang out deep within Chen Fan's Divine Soul.

That was an invisible shackle imposed on all living beings by this incomplete world of the Great Wilderness, but at this moment, Chen Fan shattered it with his absolute True Meaning of Life and Death and die!

Qi and Blood like a dragon, traversing the nine heavens.

The Water-Fire Totems completely transformed into two streams of chaotic Stream of Light, merging into the depths of the bones and meridians.

A ten-year-old body, Ninth Tier achieved!

Chen Fan slowly exhaled a breath of white air, which shot out dozens of feet like a sword, piercing a bottomless hole in the stone wall. In his dark eyes, black and white alternated, as if two rotating universes were hidden within them.

Having broken through to the Ninth Tier, he now stands at the pinnacle of all living beings in this flawed world.

"This clone's foundation is finally passable, at least."

Chen Fan muttered to himself and stretched his tender wrists.

The crimson moonlight poured down, staining the Northern Border of the Great Wilderness with an eerie dark red hue.

The Giant Spirit Main City, the Mountain-Viewing Terrace atop a towering cliff.

The Void surged with malevolent energy, and the entire majestic city, built of Mystic Astral Ironrock, emitted a muffled groan under the impact of the tide of malevolent energy.

Around the city, thirty-six hundred-foot-tall totem stone pillars shone brightly, and the Protective City Formation was operating at its maximum, forcefully blocking the Blood Moon demon descending from the Firmament.

Before the stone steps of the main hall, the Giant Spirit City Lord stood clad in a heavy, ancient mountain Mystic Armor. The heavy armor plates clanged as he walked.

He opened his rough, broad palm, and in his palm floated a dark yellow Earth Vein Life-Link Talisman.

The talisman's surface was dull, and the array patterns flickered, like a candle burning in the wind.

Still no movement?

The Giant Spirit City Lord suddenly stopped in his tracks, abruptly turning to look at Yue Heng, the guard commander who stood with his hands at his sides. His voice was low and hoarse, filled with barely suppressed anxiety.

Yue Heng tensed up and bowed respectfully, trembling with fear.

"Reporting to the City Lord, news came from Xuanming City three days ago that Netherworld Flying Vessel covered in black spikes appeared in the clouds, followed by an extremely terrifying fluctuation of death energy emanating from the direction of the City Lord's Mansion's ley lines. A spy reported that the Netherworld Heavenly Palace may have deployed Eighth-Order Peak Punishment Hall Commander with a powerful treasure across realms..."

At this point, Yue Heng cautiously glanced at his city lord's expression, and forced himself to speak in a low voice.

"My guess is that young master Chen... has probably already been dealt with by the Netherworld Heavenly Palace. Even if he was lucky enough to survive, facing the karmic attack of Ninth-Tier Venerable, he would most likely have already abandoned his promise and fled..."

Upon hearing this, the veins on the broad forehead of the Giant Spirit City Lord throbbed violently a few times.