"Vicious enough!"

"And"

King Mazi paused for a moment before continuing, "The Northbank Merchant Association of Commerce is extremely powerful. We cannot start a war against the Sky-Pacifying Merchant Association without any justification. The Northbank Merchant Association has intervened."

"The Northbank Merchant Association will not tolerate this kind of vicious competition, as it will disrupt the stable procurement environment of the Northbank Merchant Association."

"At that time, our enemies will not only be the Sky-Pacifying Merchant Association, but also the Northbank Merchant Association."

"Unless there's a completely unassailable reason for it."

King Mazi's statement makes a lot of sense.

But-

He wouldn't listen.

He thought that would be too much trouble.

The establishment of the chamber of the Trade Association is a must. He can see the effects of Exotic Treasure without appraisal, which means that as long as he establishes his own Trade Association, he can keep all the good Exotic Treasure for himself.

All the inferior rare Exotic Treasure were sold off.

The profits from this are much greater than those from other Trade Association!

He just felt there was an easier way; instead of slowly eroding them, he could simply eliminate the "Sky-Pacifying Merchant Association."

He had already come up with a reason.

Chen Quan, the current heir of the North River Chen Family, is the only daughter of the President the Sky-Pacifying Merchant Association. He was persecuted and sent to the Wasteland. He returned to Northbank City to take revenge, first destroying the North River Chen Family, and then destroying the Sky-Pacifying Merchant Association.

That's perfectly reasonable.

No one could say for sure.

As the saying goes, "A cause must have a legitimate reason."

There is more than -

"The Eldest Legitimate Son the North River Chen Family, persecuted by a villain, returns to the Chen Family to reclaim his rightful place as heir and exterminate the villain's entire clan."

Is there a more meaningful name?

"Hey."

After figuring out this chain of events, Chen Fan suddenly laughed. This name was incredibly useful. Now, there was only one thing to consider: how to destroy the "North River Chen Family" and the "Sky-Pacifying Merchant Association."

If Cultivator were to charge in head-on, they would be defeated and would surely die.

He had previously invented a method of placing Arrow Tower on Three-Wheeler made of Ground Spikes, but these were heavy, slow, and lacked defense.

Under heavy fire.

They definitely couldn't out-bomb the Arrow Tower the enemy had placed on the City Wall.

"Call..."

He sighed deeply, unable to think of a better solution for the time being. Cross-territorial warfare was indeed a headache. If only his predecessor had studied hard, there must have been a solution in history.

Unless...

His expression gradually became strange.

He came up with a plan that seemed feasible.

"King Mazi."

"Tell me, if I find the Sky-Pacifying Merchant Association's territory, then build a City Wall around it to surround it, and then install a ring of Cannon Tower on the City Wall, could I destroy the Sky-Pacifying Merchant Association?"

"That's definitely possible."

King Mazi nodded firmly. "As long as the City Wall and Cannon Tower are of a higher level than those of the Sky-Pacifying Merchant Association, it's definitely possible, but... it's a bit of a loss, as high-level City Wall and Cannon Tower are very expensive."

"And there are patrols around the territory."

"It was discovered as soon as the building was completed..."

"I understand, you can go now."

Chen Fan laughed and waved his hand, indicating that King Mazi could go back to sleep.

Like...

A solution has been found.

Deficit?

The buildings he constructs aren't that expensive.

Discovered by patrol?

His buildings were constructed instantly, so there was no question of discovery. By the time they were discovered, the City Wall were already in place.

Now he knows how other factions earn Eerie Stone.

Good idea.

He also needed his own Market and chamber of the Trade Association; he wanted everything that others had.

One night passed.

By mid-morning of the second day, the Camp gradually became lively.

Today is the 18th day of the Rainy Season.

The Rainy Season will end in about 10 days.

These days, "Millennium" seems to have disappeared and has not come. In order to lure Millennium to this place, Zhou Mo even deliberately left some Strange Entities corpses that form a line leading to the Canyon in the wilderness when he went out.

Still no luck.

There was absolutely no further movement.

But inside the Cave today.

The group was gathered together to discuss something very important.

The formal establishment of a faction definitely requires a banner to be displayed to the outside world, and after thinking about it for the past few days, everyone has come up with their own solutions.

"Station Master."

Little Qiu spoke first, "According to your requirements, Station Master, we need to design a flag that is both understated and high-profile. It shouldn't make us seem too ostentatious, but it also shouldn't make others think we're easy to bully."

"My idea is to name the faction ' Heaven Valley), with a single character 'Tian' (Heaven) on its banner."

Zhou Mo looked at Little Qiu strangely. "Are you being low-key? Aren't you just high-profile all you've got? But you're thinking the same thing as me."

"Since we live in Canyon, let's use 'valley' as a suffix."

"There are two very famous Alchemy factions in Jiangnan: one is called 'Pill Sect' and the other is called 'Medicine King Valley'."

"I think we should call it 'Villains' Valley'."

The flag bears only the single character for "evil."

"That's awful!"

"Very intimidating!"

Zhou Mo was clearly satisfied with his idea, his eyes full of anticipation, as if he expected Chen Fan to be amazed by his idea and immediately decide on this plan.

However...

He noticed the Station Master looking at him like he was a fool, so he immediately shrank back and whispered, "How about calling it 'Goodfolk Valley,' with just the single character 'Good' on the flag?"

A few days ago.

Chen Fan then instructed everyone to go down and think about it over the next few days.

The purpose of our discussion here today is to formally decide on the name and banner of our faction. After the Rainy Season ends, this faction, which has grown up during the Rainy Season, is ready to officially take center stage!

"I think we can break away from the old ways and achieve instant success!"

King Mazi seemed very interested. After all, the flag was mainly used in the Trade Association, which meant that the flag was with him for a long time. It was like his second piece of clothing, so he naturally valued it more.

"These days, all the powerful factions are called things like 'Pill Sect,' 'North River Chen Family,' 'Qiuhe Wang Family,' 'Medicine King Valley,' or 'Northbank Merchant Association.' They're all the same, lacking any unique characteristics."

Some are named after bloodlines.

Some are named after industries.

Some are named after their area of expertise.

Let's go for something powerful!

"Let's call it the Eternal Night Hall!"

"The flag is you, Station Master, standing tall on the ground, holding a greatsword in both hands, gazing at the horizon."

The words had barely left his mouth.

Zhou Mo looked at King Mazi speechlessly. "This is too much..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Station Master's approving voice rang in his ears. "Sounds good."

"... That's great."

Zhou Mo swallowed the words that were about to slip out, and then realized what he had said.

"Young Master."

The Crippled Monkey opened its mouth.

"You are the absolute backbone of our organization. Without you, this organization would have disbanded on the spot."

"I suggest naming the faction 'Mortal Domain'."

"Wherever you set foot, Young Master, is your territory."

"Any territory you haven't yet set foot in, Young Master, is your target for conquest."

"The single word in the flag is the word "fan"."

"Hmm... that sounds good too."

Even Weiwei came over, as if it understood, and excitedly used its front paws to draw a twisted little worm on the ground.

What does that mean?

Zhou Mo glanced at Weiwei: "Should we call him Caterpillar?"

"Roar!"

Weiwei, lying on the ground, first patted the ground a few times with her front paws before turning her head to look at Zhou Mo and growling in dissatisfaction.

After Incense Stick discussion...

The name and banner of the faction have finally been decided.

Faction Name: "Mortal Sect"

The Faction Banner: "A single character, 'Fan'."

The ordinary.

The mortals are ordinary.

It could also mean the self-important or the extraordinary.

In the end, they didn't name it "Mortal Domain." The word "domain" was too grand and didn't seem to match their strength. If they gave it such a grand name, some powerful force might take a dislike to them and come to attack them.

"We'll build a small gate outside the Canyon then."

"Once you enter this gate, you are all members of my Mortal Sect."

"Little Qiu."

"The design of the flag is now in your hands."

"No problem." Little Qiu nodded confidently.

After deciding on the name of the faction.

The crowd gradually dispersed and returned to their posts. Chen Fan followed Qi Chong to the edge of the Farmland, looked at the rows of Sunflower, smiled, and walked up to check the panel.

Qi Chong told him that the batch of Sunflower planted seven days ago had ripened.

He's seen it all these past few days.

Qi Chong stayed by this Farmland almost day and night, his mouth dry and his voice hoarse.

However, the harvest looks pretty good.

There are quite a lot.

One of the "Exotic Treasures": Sunflower (ripe).

Exotic Treasure Grade: Green Grade.

"Effect of Exotic Treasure": Consuming this after it matures will increase one's cultivation Cultivation. Due to the excellent care taken during cultivation, its quality is the best. Consuming this will increase one 'Cultivation 50% compared to a normal mature Sunflower.

P. S.: Each person can only refine one plant per day.

"Two is good."

Chen Fan gave his positive assessment and couldn't help but sigh, "Indeed, everyone has their own strengths." He immediately picked a Sunflower and headed towards the "Spirit-Nurturing Pavilion" to see how it would work.

There are at least sixty or seventy Sunflower here.

He didn't remember having this many seeds.

Spirit-Nurturing Pavilion.

After Incense Stick.

Chen Fan opened his eyes, clenched his fists, and felt the power flowing through his body. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. The refining speed was extremely fast. In just the time it takes for Incense Stick to burn, he felt that he had finished refining the Sunflower.

And...

It feels like it can be refined further.

The tenfold cultivation speed of the Spirit-Nurturing Pavilion even helps in refining the Exotic Plant.

He felt that his Cultivation had increased by about one-tenth, and that he could reach the Level-Two Cultivator after absorbing nine more plants.

Give it a try.

Let's try it then.

He went to the Farmland again and picked nine Sunflower to take back to the Spirit-Nurturing Pavilion. Wang Kui was bending down and pulling up Sunflower to stuff them into the Warehouse.

Two more hours later.

Chen Fan, sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, vaguely felt something inside his body being broken through, followed by a surge of heat flowing from his dantian to his limbs.

Breakthrough achieved.

He has now become Level-Two Cultivator.

"Call..."

Chen Fan slowly opened his eyes, exhaled a long breath, and then sighed, "The Cultivator of this world are truly pitiful."

Before that.

He wasn't entirely clear about the specific differences between Level-One Cultivator and Level-Two Cultivator, but he did after his breakthrough.

There's basically not much difference.

That was a bit too strong.

That's all.

There are no methods to project spiritual energy into the body to harm others, nor are there any methods to Sword-Riding Flight. Perhaps there will be in the future, but one thing is certain: a Level-Two Cultivator is definitely no match for a Level-1 Arrow Tower.

"It's not bad, though."

Chen Fan stood up, stretched, and said happily, "After breaking through to the Level-Two Cultivator, my body does feel much more comfortable and flexible than before. The backaches and pains I used to have are gone."

At this moment, he could clearly feel that he could no longer refine the Sunflower.

The "Spirit-Nurturing Pavilion" will help with the refining process, allowing him to refine ten Sunflower a day.

He then spoke into the air.

Zhou Mo.

"The Sunflower in the Camp are ripe. With the help of the Spirit-Nurturing Pavilion, you can quickly break through. I promised you back at the Old Camp that I would help you break through. Come back early today, go to the Warehouse to find Wang Kui and get the Sunflower, and break through to Level-Three Cultivator as soon as possible."

The sound traveled through space, through the Meat Strange Parent-Child Fruit, and reached Zhou Mo's mind as he rode Skeleton Horse across the Wasteland.

After doing all this.

Chen Fan walked out of the Cave with a sigh of relief, looking at the pits Weiwei had dug the night before on the rock walls on both sides of the Canyon. He prepared to continue installing Cannon Tower and perfect his "Meat Grinder Phase Two."

The Camp now has a sufficient Eerie-Stone Reserves.

A total of 92,000 pieces.

That's enough for him to completely complete the "Meat Grinder" defense!

As for the 20 Eerie Fire that were lit last night, they have been dismantled. He needs to rebuild 20 unlit Eerie Fire and place them in them. The Meat Grinder Phase Two is all about surprise.

If the enemy becomes wary, its power will not be as strong.

After consuming 1260 Eerie Stone, the General Strange Fires were reburied.

Chen Fan used 10,800 more Eerie Stone to place a Level-5 Cannon Tower in each of the 20 new "pits" he dug last night.

Last night's work was much more efficient.

The first night was slow mainly because the path from the Cave to the Canyon was difficult to dig; it became much easier after the main passage of the Meat Grinder was completely dug.

And at this time -

There are a total of 40 Level-5 Cannon Tower on the rock walls on both sides of the Canyon.

Including the 38 sinkholes surrounding the Sinkhole walls.

There are a total of 78 seats!

If we also add the ones on the City Wall...

That's 89 Tier Level-5 Cannon Tower and 1 Tier Level-6 Cannon Tower!

Chen Fan stood inside the Sinkhole, looking at the pits and craters left by the Meatworm Wraith Tide that had swept through the Canyon the night before. His eyes were full of satisfaction; he finally felt a little safer.

The Wraith King?!

Do you dare to come and see me?

Let me show you what Mortal King is!

I don't know the specific City Defenses layout of Northbank City.

How does his place compare to Northbank City?

The remaining Eerie Stone can't be spent for the time being; Weiwei's digging speed can't keep up with his rate of earning Eerie Stone.

However, he could understand it.

After all, the mountain is hard.

It definitely took some effort to dig it up.

On the other side...

Northbank City.

Inside the Council Hall of the North River Chen Family.

The Chen Family Head, with graying temples, sat in the main seat, leaning back in his chair, his eyelids slightly lowered, saying nothing. He looked somewhat tired, but his spine remained as straight as ever, as if he would rather die than bend it.

The Chen Family's retainers, Chen Quan, and Chen Family Elder were all seated there.

No one spoke.

Much later.

The Elder of the Chen Family hesitated as he looked at the Ghosthide Map on the table.

"Today is the 18th day since the Rainy Season began. Northbank City has not yet been breached. As things stand, if there are no major crises later, Northbank City should not suffer too many casualties this time."