"Why... wasn't he running?"

A night of drinking and revelry always flies by.

It was a rare occasion for the Mortal Domain Core to gather together. Although they didn't get drunk, they still drank quite heartily.

Drinking doesn't necessarily mean getting drunk.

A light buzz is the most alluring.

Until dawn.

As the Eternal Night's Passing and dawn broke, Chen Fan, along with Crippled Monkey, Shao Qiu, and several members of the Mortal Domain Shadow Pavilion, boarded the High-Speed Rail bound for the "Guandong Plains".

Chen Fan sat in the carriage, gently rubbing his temples, looking out the window at the Jiangbei Wasteland rushing past. He was still a bit groggy after waking up from drinking, and only felt a little better after taking a Clearheart Pill.

He doesn't like drinking.

He had never found alcohol pleasant to drink; it was always spicy and pungent. But when he was with the right people, it could be quite enjoyable.

"Young Master."

The Crippled Monkey beside him looked around the High-Speed Rail carriage with some excitement. "Are we going to stay in the Guandong Plains for a long time?"

He hasn't returned to the Mortal Domain for a long time.

The changes in the Mortal Domain were truly significant, making him feel somewhat unfamiliar with it. For example, this carriage was no longer the simple one it used to be; instead, it had been fitted with several chairs and armrests, and the interior had been renovated to increase comfort.

Previously, durability was all that mattered; now, comfort is being considered in addition to that.

Seeing this, he knew that the Mortal Domain had been developing quite well recently.

Otherwise, there's no time to consider comfort.

"Stay for three or four days."

Chen Fan glanced out the window and casually remarked, "Laying Copper Pipes and setting up Altars will take a lot of time. Let's also check how they handle the Strange Entities corpses at 'Defense Line Seven' every day, and see if we can establish a trade route."

In the Mortal Domain, there is a building called the "Sacrificial Tower".

Not upgradable.

The effect is also very straightforward: offering corpses to the Sacrificial Tower yields various materials, Exotic Treasures, Building Blueprints, and more. There aren't many Strange Entities corpses in the Mortal Domain, mainly because once the "Godslayer Cannon" fires, the corpses are instantly pulverized, making them impossible to offer as sacrifices.

Go to Defense Line Seven and see if the bodies there are still relatively intact.

If it can be kept to a certain extent intact.

The Mortal Domain could then purchase these Strange Entities corpses for sacrifice at the Sacrificial Tower, thereby further enriching its Mortal Domain.

"3.39 billion Eerie Stones."

He murmured to himself. Although he had been drinking yesterday, he had made this decision while sober, so he wouldn't go back on his word after waking up. He would have to start this plan after returning from this trip to the Guandong Plains.

The Northbank Defense Line cost 800 million yuan to build with Eerie Stones.

This is already the most costly project in the Mortal Domain.

The project to pave the New Continent requires a staggering 3.39 billion Eerie Stones, making it the largest project currently underway in the Mortal Domain, bar none. Such a massive project puts immense pressure on the Mortal Domain, and any unforeseen event could easily become unmanageable.

Therefore, before this project is completed, the Mortal Domain must seek stability.

He wouldn't wait until he had collected all the Eerie Stones before starting construction. He could start construction immediately after returning, since laying the Eerie Fire also took time. He would lay the Eerie Fire while digging for Eerie Stones.

The two lines are run simultaneously, with the time compressed to the shortest possible.

Three hours later.

This Mortal Domain High-Speed Rail traveled south to the south of the Jiangnan, crossed the West Pass Plains, entered the Guandong Plains, and slowly came to a stop in front of the Defense Line Seven.

It was late afternoon.

After the commotion at Defense Line Seven, an Elderly Man with a full head of white hair led several of his Subordinate and quickly walked towards the High-Speed Rail from the crowd. It was the first time in months that he had seen the High-Speed Rail again.

Chen Fan took out a mask from his pocket, held it up for a moment, but then thought about it and threw it aside. It didn't make much sense; these people had never heard of him, and even if they saw his face, they wouldn't know who he was.

When news of him reached the Mortal Domain, even without knowing his face, people knew who he was.

After the High-Speed Rail came to a complete stop.

He had just stepped off the High-Speed Rail and stood on this deathly land, where dust shrouded the entire sky, with only the seemingly endless, 30-meter-high Defense Line Seven Suppression the Coastline of the West Pass Plains.

"Who is this?"

The Elder Seven arrived quickly. When they saw Shao Qiu following behind them, they quickly realized that the person in front of them had a much higher status than Shao Qiu in that unknown force.

"Nameless."

Chen Fan looked at the Elder Seven calmly and said, "The name is just a code. The Rainy Season is just around the corner. Although Defense Line Seven is Level-6 City Wall, it has no means of restoration."

"I'll add some recovery methods to Defense Line Seven, making it even stronger."

"This"

The Elder Seven were slightly taken aback at first, then their voices trembled slightly. "All members of the Defense Line Seven are..."

"Alright."

Chen Fan said softly, "Let's skip the pleasantries and get me to the city. I'm actually in a bit of a hurry."

On the City Wall.

This was Chen Fan's first time stepping onto the Defense Line Seven.

Standing on the City Wall, he saw the boundless Azure ocean, smelled the pungent sea breeze, and saw seagulls flying by from time to time. The Sea is romantic.

At the same time, it is filled with death.

It reveals different aspects at different times.

At that moment, in his eyes, the Sea was filled with death. He could hardly see a single corpse, yet he felt as if he were seeing countless corpses.

Chen Fan gazed at the horizon of this Sea, thinking that there should also be Thunderstorm Sea Sea the other side, Thunderstorm Sea that forms a circle around the entire Eternal Night Continent.

It could be imprisonment, or it could be protection.

He looked around.

The soldiers remaining on the Defense Line Seven looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and fear.

"Stop looking, everyone disperse!"

Noticing this, the Elder Seven hurriedly waved to the surroundings, signaling everyone to disperse. It was clear that the Elder Seven held great authority in the Defense Line Seven. With a single command, the area quickly became empty.

Then the Elder Seven explained somewhat embarrassedly.

"Please don't be offended, sir. They rarely see important figures, so this is the first time they've seen one in person at Defense Line Seven. It's quite a novelty." "An important figure?"

Chen Fan suddenly laughed, repeating those three words in a low voice. When did he, Chen Fan, become such a big shot? Big enough?

No, it's not big enough.

Only when he can completely control his own life and death can he be considered a great figure. Now, some people don't want him to live, or rather, there are ulterior motives. Only General Strange race can he be called a great figure.

"Lead the horse."

He said softly.

As soon as he finished speaking, someone quickly led over a Skeleton Horse.

Chen Fan didn't say much, but instead mounted his horse and began galloping along the City Wall, setting up an Altar and laying down Copper Pipes at regular intervals.

These Copper Pipes are embedded in the City Wall and connected to the Altar. The Altar can then be used to restore the damaged areas of the City Wall. It is an inconspicuous building that can greatly increase the speed of the City Wall's restoration.

And incidentally, connect those Cannon Tower and the Eerie Fire.

This eliminates the need for manual filling of the Eerie Stones.

This is equivalent to completely evolving the original semi-automatic system into a fully automatic one.

Three days later.

Chen Fan stood somewhat wearily beside the Mortal Domain High-Speed Rail, while the Elder Seven, along with a group of core members of the Defense Line Seven, came to see him off.

Within these three days.

Chen Fan completely transformed the Defense Line Seven. If the Defense Line Seven, which Chen Fan transformed, were to encounter another attack of the same scale as the Strange Tide during the last Rainy Season, it would be virtually impossible for it to fall again.

This help is considerable.

They fundamentally solved the problem of their Defense Line Seven.

"Gentlemen."

The Elder Seven's eyes were red-rimmed, and his voice trembled slightly. "I don't know how to thank you enough, but I want you to know, sir, that you saved the lives of 670,000 people on the Defense Line Seven."

"You saved the Guandong Plains, millions of people who are still alive."

Chen Fan stood on the Wasteland, looking towards the Defense Line Seven. In the past three days, he had been running around the Defense Line Seven with little rest, and had met many people. Now he was preparing to leave.

Countless people stood at the foot of the Defense Line Seven line, watching him go.

At a glance, the base of the Defense Line Seven line was densely packed with people, each with an indifferent expression on their face, an indifference that seemed to have transcended life and death, yet a glimmer of hope appeared in their pupils.

Everyone here is dead.

But then it seemed to come alive again.

He paused for a moment before speaking softly.

"I've observed that the main Cannon Tower of the Defense Line Seven is the 'Sword Rain Cannon Tower.' Strange Entities that die under these Cannon Tower often have their bodies almost perfectly intact." "How do you usually dispose of the Strange Entities corpses?"

The Defense Line Seven produces a considerable number of Strange Entities corpses every day.

"Skinning, deboning, digging out Eerie Stone."

Although the Elder Seven didn't know why the person before them would ask this, they still answered immediately, "Some of the Wraith Hide and Ghost Bones can be used as Ghost Materials for Artifact Refining, Alchemy, or building structures."

"Normally, these items would be sold along with the corpses of the Strange Entities to various factions in the Guandong Plains, who would then be responsible for distributing them to the West Pass Plains." "But now..."

"Last Rainy Season, the Defense Line Seven fell, and three out of ten people in the Guandong Plains were gone. The remaining forces all fled, and now there are no more Trade Association coming to visit. We only keep the Wraith Hide and Ghost Bones; we've thrown away the Strange Entities corpses and the like."

"Good."

Chen Fan nodded slightly. "In the coming days, several High-Speed Rail will be constantly traveling Guandong Plains and our territory. Your task is to transport these Wraith Hide, Ghost Bones, and even the corpses of Strange Entities onto the High-Speed Rail."

"And I will pay you with the Eerie Stones."

"The specific price will be discussed with you when we get back. It won't be too high. We're actually quite short of Eerie Stones ourselves, but we won't let you lose money." "No need, no need."

Upon hearing this, the Elder Seven hurriedly waved their hands in refusal. "Sir, the thousand Soul-Devouring Sculptures you sent have already been a great help to the Defense Line Seven. Now, as the leader of a faction, you have come in person."

The sound stopped abruptly.

The Elder Seven suddenly froze on the spot, as if they had said something wrong.

"Elder Seven."

Chen Fan suddenly laughed, "I never said I was the boss."

"This"

The Elder Seven gave a wry smile, somewhat helplessly. "Sir, your demeanor and every word and action are really not what one would expect from Builder of your faction. Moreover, for such a large-scale trade, no Builder would dare to make a decision on their own."

But, anyway.

"Sir, you can take these Strange Entities corpses. We threw away the old Strange Entities because they were useless, but since it's the Rainy Season, we're sure there will be plenty of Strange Entities. We'll transport all the Strange Entities corpses we collect to the High-Speed Rail."

"I will not accept a single Eerie Stone."

"You have already helped me a lot. I have the opportunity to repay you, so how can I accept the Eerie Stones?"

He followed along the entire time.

He knew all too well what kind of aura a person in power possessed—the aura of making decisions, rather than thinking about whether or not to report to their superiors first. Chen Fan smiled, said nothing more, and turned to walk towards the High-Speed Rail.

"That's settled then."

"You can send someone to arrange it."

"There will definitely be some Eerie Stones, but not many. Let's go."

Within these three days.

He expanded the High-Speed Rail in the "Guandong Plains" to ensure that the High-Speed Rail Track could have multiple branches leading to various areas of the 97-kilometer-long Defense Line Seven, thus maximizing the efficiency of collecting the Strange Entities corpses.

This is the significance of the Mortal Domain High-Speed Rail.

If there were no High-Speed Rail...

Transporting millions, or even tens of millions, of the corpses of Strange Entities to the Mortal Domain using Horse-Drawn Carriages, Skeleton Horses, or Flying Boat would be an enormous undertaking.

The Mortal Domain currently possesses 100 fully equipped Flying Boat.

It looks like a lot.

There is also Mustard-Seed Room inside.

But if you were to actually do the work, the earnings from a single trip might not even be as much as the amount of Eerie Stones consumed by the Flying Boat's round trip.

Another advantage of the Mortal Domain High-Speed Rail is its extremely high cost-effectiveness, as it consumes almost no energy during operation.

Affordable and durable are always powerful terms; if you can add "easy to use," then it's a miracle product.

The High-Speed Rail slowly started moving.

They disappeared from sight shortly afterward.

Chen Fan left, and left quite decisively.

The Elder Seven stood there, watching the High-Speed Rail disappear into the distance, before murmuring softly, "These people... they really did their best." He could tell that these people were not from the West Pass Plains.

First of all, their accents don't match.

Secondly, given the speed of the High-Speed Rail, it wouldn't take long to travel from the West Pass Plains to the Guandong Plains. However, when the High-Speed Rail, it was covered in dust, and the passengers looked tired as they got off, indicating that it had clearly been traveling for a long time.

Given the speed of High-Speed Rail, the fact that it takes so long indicates that the other party is clearly located in an extremely distant area.

In other words.

Even if the Defense Line Seven falls, it may not have much impact on the enemy.

In this situation, the other side has already sent reinforcements, and even before the Rainy Season arrived, the leader of the faction came to the Defense Line Seven to reinforce their defenses.

There could be no greater kindness than this.

A greater favor than this is called enmity.

"Give the order."

The Elder Seven took a deep breath and looked somewhat dazedly at the people behind them. "In the future, when digging up Eerie Stones, try to keep the corpses intact and collect all the General Strange creature corpses."

"We've finally managed to get something done, don't mess it up."

He looked at the person behind him.

The core members of the Defense Line Seven now had smiles in their eyes, a stark contrast to their usual gloom.

Obviously.

With the Soul-Devouring Sculpture and the reinforced Defense Line Seven, everyone was brimming with confidence that the Rainy Season would be no problem this year. In particular, the addition of a stable trade route provided them with another source of Eerie Stones in the future.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

This trade route is for fishing.

The Defense Line Seven is getting better and better.

They were naturally happy.

Seeing this, the Elder Seven laughed as well, then turned to look eastward, murmuring somewhat absentmindedly, "I wonder how the situation is on the Eternal Night Front. The Rainy Season is coming again; I wonder if we can hold the Frontline this year."

The Eternal Night Front will only fall during the Rainy Season.

During the Rainy Season, the attacks of the Strange Tides will be extremely fierce and almost irresistible. If the Eternal Night Defense Line has not fallen during the Rainy Season, it will enjoy a year of safety. It will be almost impossible for it to be breached before the next Rainy Season.

This also means...

Once the Rainy Season arrives.

Each defense line on the Eternal Night Continent is under immense pressure, facing Strange Tide of supernatural forces.

The Eternal Night Calendar, year 380, Shiyue 31st.

It was nearing Dusk.

The Mortal Domain High-Speed Rail, returning from the Guandong Plains, is speeding across the Jiangbei Wasteland, heading straight towards the Nameless Mountain.

Outside the window, the rain pattered against the carriage.

A slight coolness seeped into the carriage.

It's raining.

The Rainy Season has arrived again this year.

No one knows how the Rainy Season is formed, nor what Rainy Season effects are; all that is known is that different Strange Entities undergo different changes during the Rainy Season.

For example, the Meatworm Wraith that only rolls with the wind can only be seen during the Rainy Season.

For example, the Doppelganger Wraith completely loses its rationality during the Rainy Season and begins to reproduce continuously.

But one thing is clear.

That is, once the Rainy Season, the number of Strange Entities will increase dramatically, and they will become extremely violent.

It's like a buff that the Heaven and Earth adds to the Strange Tides.

"What about the human buffs?"

Chen Fan sat by the window, gazing at the vast expanse of dark clouds above the Jiangbei Wasteland. His thoughts drifted away, as if there were no summer, Autumn Season, or Winter Season seasons that specifically provided buffs for humankind.

For example, the cost of building structures can be halved when summer arrives.

That doesn't sound fair at all.

As the High-Speed Rail penetrated the Wasteland, the dark clouds over the Jiangbei Wasteland began to thicken, sink, and churn at a visible speed, as if the Firmament were slowly collapsing.

The clouds are rapidly changing color from gray to pure black.

Lightning could be faintly seen flashing inside, but no thunder rumbled.

The rain began to fall in a light drizzle.

The transformation happened without any buffer.

One moment it was a light drizzle, the next the sky seemed to be torn apart, and countless raindrops were condensed into violent white whips by the sudden roar of the gale on the Jiangbei Wasteland, lashing towards the earth and the High-Speed Rail.

Almost instantly.

Torrential Rain has begun.

The patter outside the car instantly turned into a roaring Torrential Rain that swallowed everything. The Wasteland landscape outside the car became completely blurred, and the Nameless Mountains that were originally faintly visible spread out rapidly, like ink dripping into water.

A rapid, rhythmic drumbeat filled the car; it was the sound of raindrops hitting the car's surface.

Despite being well-sealed, you can still smell that unique scent of the Rainy Season.

The High-Speed Rail beneath me began to gradually accelerate.

On the Jiangbei Wasteland, it sped through the torrential Torrential Rain, unmoved by the downpour, heading straight towards the Nameless Mountain. Like a silver-gray blade, it was tearing the Jiangbei Wasteland apart.

Shao Qiu stood to the side, looking out the window with a complicated expression, and said, "Domain Lord, how... how did you survive that Rainy Season two years ago?" He was only standing in the carriage.

He could clearly feel the terror of the Rainy Season. But before the Mortal Domain was created, the Mortal Domain Rainy Season much larger, with only nine people.

They managed to survive the entire Rainy Season.

After that Rainy Season ended, the Mortal Domain truly rose to prominence, its Slaying the Wraith King making it an instant sensation, and it has grown into the behemoth it is today, spanning several regions.

That time?

Chen Fan gazed out the window, his thoughts drifting far away. After a long while, he chuckled softly, "We were lucky that time."

The Rainy Season has arrived.

When darkness sweeps across the Jiangbei Wasteland, countless long-dormant Strange Entities will awaken once more under the baptism of Torrential Rain.

As the High-Speed Rail slowly came to a stop inside the Nameless Mountain.

The Eternal Night arrived as scheduled.

An extremely thick and dark darkness quickly enveloped the entire Jiangbei Wasteland, and deafening thunder began to rise and fall incessantly. Chen Fan walked towards the High-Speed Rail and looked towards the Harbor.

Nameless Mountain blocked his view, and he couldn't see it.

But he knew that the Sky-Piercing Pillar placed there had already begun storing energy.

The Northbank Defense Line began to move slowly in the darkness, no longer standing on the Jiangbei Coast, but encompassing the entire Nameless Mountain, the Harbor, Sunset City, Mortal City, and Northbank City.

The 170-kilometer-long Northbank Defense Line was no longer responsible for Suppression Jiangbei, but for protecting the Mortal Domain.

It's like using a cannon to shoot down a mosquito.

No matter how many Strange Entities there are or how rampant they are during the Rainy Season, they cannot cause any damage to the fully equipped Northbank Defense Line, nor can they even activate the Altar.

If the Northbank Defense Line, which he built with a staggering 800 million Eerie Stones, couldn't even survive a normal Rainy Season, then all his efforts would have been in vain. After returning to the Nameless Mountain...

Chen Fan went straight to the Wooden Hut and went to sleep. He was indeed quite tired these past few days. Similarly, the Mortal Domain Member were not too affected by the Rainy Season and continued to busy themselves with their tasks as usual.

In the past, the arrival of the Rainy Season was a big deal.

But since joining the Mortal Domain, the Rainy Season has arrived... Aside from the heavier rain and colder weather, I haven't noticed anything particularly special.

He slept very well tonight.

Perhaps because nothing was weighing on her mind, she drifted off to sleep, thinking about what she would be grateful for after waking up the next day. Meanwhile...

Northbank City.

"Hurry!!"

At this moment, the Northbank City was extremely noisy. One after another, burly men dressed in the "Jiangbei Li Family" attire were carrying boxes of Eerie Stones onto the City Wall in an orderly manner amidst the chaos, preparing to begin resisting the Rainy Season as before.

"The Eerie Stone Cannon Tower haven't been replenished yet, Xiao Qi, you're in charge of replenishing them."

"Received, Family Head."

Xiao Qi's urgent voice rang out.

Meanwhile, the chubby man known as the Family Head was inspecting the City Walls. With the Rainy Season approaching, the Northbank City's Defensive Structure needed to be properly prepared.

He used to be the Market Master of the North River Market.

Later

For reasons known to all, and by sheer coincidence, he became the most powerful force in Northbank City. Not only did he become the Northbank City lord, but he also renamed his North River Market "Jiangbei Li Family".

He leaped up and now had a Family of his own.

That's fate.

Just then, endless darkness poured down from the Nine Heavens, and Eternal Nightfall.

Almost at the same moment.

He felt the ground trembling slightly, his expression changed drastically, and he rushed to the City Wall, looking out into the pitch-black darkness. This commotion was even greater than the commotion caused by the Meatworm Wraith Tide attacking the city during the last Rainy Season.

The Eternal Night has just begun.

With this kind of commotion, it seems we won't be able to get through this year's Rainy Season.

I don't know how much time has passed.

As dawn approached and the Eternal Night began to fade rapidly, the Family Head, his pupils bloodshot, stood somewhat bewildered at the edge of the City, gazing into the darkness.

Based on the commotion from the earthquake in the Jiangbei Wasteland last night, he had expected a terrifying Strange Tide to strike.

Result

He didn't see a single Strange Entities last night.

There weren't any.

During the Rainy Season, Strange Entities can attack the Eerie Fire, but he didn't see a single Strange Entities. Even the Jiangbei Li Family members who had been guarding the City all night were looking at each other in bewilderment.

This was a situation they had never encountered before.

Suddenly, a sense of unease arose in the hearts of countless people. Could it be that these Strange Tides, gathered during the Rainy Season, were preparing to gather together and launch an attack once their numbers were sufficient?

But soon...

As the Eternal Night completely faded away, the unease in everyone's hearts vanished instantly.

All that could be seen was the far distance.

A series of City Walls, each 20 meters high, stretched out from the Jiangbei Wasteland like Heavenly Chasm, enveloping the entire Northbank City. "Whoosh."

In an instant, the unease in the chest of the Family Head vanished, and he grinned. "Rainy Season? Isn't this the bathing season?" He finally understood why the Jiangbei Wasteland had trembled after the Eternal Nightfall last night, and he also finally understood why not a single Strange Entities could be seen last night. If they could be seen, there would be a ghost.

The next moment.

Excited shouts echoed from the City Walls, and the news gradually spread throughout Northbank City. Soon, excited screams erupted Northbank City. They no longer had to worry about Strange Entities breaching the city Rainy Season.

This Rainy Season.

This will be the most peaceful sleep they've ever had, more peaceful than usual.

With the Northbank Defense Line protecting them, Northbank City was virtually impossible to capture.

Thanks.

Hearing the excited shouts coming from inside the city, the Family Head looked towards the Mortal Domain, put his hands to his mouth like a megaphone, and roared.

Although he knew that Domain Lord Chen definitely couldn't hear him.

Even if he heard it, he wouldn't care. The Mortal Domain was developing faster and faster, and he had long forgotten about the person who was once called Little Li by Domain Lord Chen. But that didn't matter.

The first night of the Rainy Season has passed, and as darkness fades, the sun gradually rises.

West Pass Plains.

The Slaying Immortal Holy Land Sacred Lord, who hadn't slept all night, sat at the tea table, staring blankly at the letter in his hand. He had remained in this position for the entire night. "Holy Lord."

The First Elder pushed open the door and entered, frowning as he looked at the Holy Lord still sitting there. "Holy Lord, you didn't sleep all night, did you? As the Holy Lord of the Slaying Immortal Holy Land, and with the Rainy Season being such a turbulent time, there are many things that require your attention. You can't afford to be without rest."

Where did you run off to last night?

I'm going to bed.

The Holy Lord of the Slaying Immortal Holy Land turned his head expressionlessly to look at the First Elder: "Have you gone silly from sleeping too much? During the Rainy Season, people don't sleep at night; they catch up on sleep Daytime."

Do you sleep at night during the Rainy Season?

"Do you think the Strange Entities sleeps at night?"

The First Elder suddenly froze on the spot, his old face flushing red. To be honest, he was probably getting old and had forgotten about it: "Uh... Holy Lord." "Don't mention Holy Lord."

The Holy Lord tossed the letter in his hand into the First Elder's arms and said in a weary, hoarse voice, "Take a look at this letter."

Only then did he pick up a cup of tea to moisten his throat.

The letter was delivered to him just before the Rainy Season.

The First Elder looked down at the letter in his hand, and the more he read, the more his brows furrowed.

"The Jiangbei Sea-Calming Node has been broken for a long time. In the past, That One who suppressed the Sea Prison with his life force."

That One is gone, and their legacy is fading.

"About two years later, the aura dissipated, the Sea Prison collapsed, and Wan Gui emerged."

"The Black Tide will surge upstream, engulfing fertile fields, destroying the Jiangbei, and threatening to wipe out countless Living Beings."

"This... this"

A look of shock flashed in the First Elder's eyes, and he asked in alarm, "Is this news true? How could the key point in Jiangbei have already been destroyed? For so many years, Jiangbei hasn't had a single line of defense!"

"If the Jiangbei Node had shattered, Jiangbei would have already been submerged by the Strange Tide."

Beneath the Eternal Night Continent lies a Grand Array.

The Undersea Strange Tide can only land in areas where the nodes of the Grand Array are broken, such as the area in the Guandong Plains where the nodes are broken. In areas where the nodes are not broken, the Undersea Strange Tide cannot land.

He always thought that the Jiangbei junction was intact.

"True."

The Holy Lord of the Slaying Immortal Holy Land leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples wearily. "This information came from a special channel." "What channel? How come I don't know about it?"

"If I let you know everything, how about you become the Holy Lord?"

"I was just asking."

"After learning this news, I finally understood why that That One had stayed in 'Nameless Mountain' for so many years. That One was suppressing the Northbank Undersea Strange Tide with their own aura. Although they left more than a hundred years ago, they left behind their aura."

"That aura is about to dissipate."

"Two years from now, the Northbank Undersea Strange Tide."

Do you know?

"Upon receiving this news, my first thought was 'Northbank Defense Line.' Before the Rainy Season, 'Jiangbei Mortal Domain' built a 170-kilometer-long Northbank Defense Line in Jiangbei."

"A uniform 5th-Level City Wall."

"Countless Godslayer Cannons."

"It caused a sensation throughout the Jiangxi Plains. At the time, countless people couldn't understand why the Jiangbei Mortal Domain would do this. The Jiangbei Node hadn't been destroyed, so why invest so many resources to build a Northbank Defense Line that was completely useless?"

"I don't understand either."

"But I felt that Chen Fan wouldn't do something pointless, so I started looking into information about the Jiangbei Node. After half a year, I finally received this letter yesterday."

"The Jiangbei Node shattered long ago. It was that That One's aura that kept Suppression Jiangbei. Otherwise, there would have been no Living Beings in Jiangbei long ago, and our West Pass Plains would not have escaped death either."

What shocked me the most was

"The Jiangbei Mortal Domain clearly knew about this news a long time ago."

"If I were in Chen Fan's position, Slaying Immortal Holy Land was located in Jiangbei, my first reaction upon hearing this news would be to run away, the farther the better. But Chen Fan..."

He didn't run away.

"Instead, they poured everything they had into building a 170-kilometer-long Northbank Defense Line."

The Holy Lord leaned back in his chair, somewhat dazed, gazing at the ceiling and murmuring, "What incredible courage! When did he find out?" "He..."

Why not run?

The First Elder remained silent, his expression complex. If the Slaying Immortal Holy Land were in that position, even if the Holy Lord didn't flee, he would have to. It was a certain death situation.

Even if the Holy Lord had the courage, he didn't have the resources.

Even if the Slaying Immortal Holy Land were to go bankrupt, it would be impossible for it to build a defensive line. Building a defensive line is not a matter for any power to consider; it is a matter for the Eternal Night Hall to consider.

No matter how powerful the force.

It's also impossible to produce enough Eerie Stones to build a defensive line.

He didn't know the strength of the forces in the Eternal Night Hinterlands, but he felt that even for those forces, it would be extremely difficult to produce so many Eerie Stones at once.

Especially.

This isn't about repairing a defensive line; it's about building a new one. Even with so many Eerie Stones, where are we going to find so many Builder? Building a defensive line requires a considerable number of Builder.

It also takes quite a bit of time.

This kind of defense line project, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly, is simply beyond the capabilities of any single force. However... Jiangbei Mortal Domain accomplished it. The 170-kilometer-long Northbank Defense Line Suppression the Jiangbei Coast.

In the months leading up to the Rainy Season, many people took the High-Speed Rail to Jiangbei every day to experience firsthand the awe-inspiring power of the Northbank Defense Line. The awe was mixed with a sense of heartache; it was like building a massive, immobile Sea Ship on land—no matter how magnificent the Sea Ship, it was useless if it couldn't be started.

After a long while.

The Holy Lord sighed deeply, slowly closed his eyes, and said wearily in a low voice, "Before the Rainy Season last year, the Defense Line Seven asked us for help, but many forces ignored us. I gritted my teeth and gave them 5 million Eerie Stones."

"Because I don't want to see Defense Line Seven fall."

"I thought I already had a lot of guts."

"But"

"I never imagined that a force would build its own defensive line after a regional node has fallen; this is completely beyond my comprehension."

"Could it be..." the First Elder hesitated, "... the aid from the Eternal Night Hall? Otherwise, the accounts don't add up, do they? Building a 170-kilometer defensive line, all of it level 5th-Level City Walls, would require at least 2 billion Eerie Stones, wouldn't it?"

Where did the Mortal Domain get so many Eerie Stones?

High-Speed Rail?

"Even if the High-Speed Rail worked themselves to death, they wouldn't earn that many Eerie Stones. The ticket price is only one Eerie Stone; how much money can they make?"

"Impossible."

The Holy Lord shook his head firmly. "There's a very distinctive feature unique to Mortal Domain architecture on the Northbank Defense Line: they're all covered in 'Wraith Blood Patterns.' Do you know how terrifying that is?"

"The Eternal Night Hall cannot build a defensive line entirely composed of Wraith Blood Pattern."

"We have the resources."

"That's enough to build several lines of defense!"

"Even the Defense Line Seven isn't entirely composed of Wraith Blood Pattern."

"This could only have been created by the Mortal Domain itself. As for where the Eerie Ore Eerie Stones came from... I don't know, but I guess they might have been unearthed from Ancient Battlefields in Jiangbei."

"Sharp."

The Holy Lord suddenly shook his head with a wry smile, "If I had unearthed this Eerie Ore, I probably would have just run away; I definitely wouldn't have bothered to build any defenses."

"After all, building a defense line isn't just a one-off task; both activating and maintaining it will require a large amount of Eerie Stones." "This responsibility shouldn't be borne by a single faction."

"It's too heavy, I can't carry it."

"And"

"Some time ago, many people saw that when the Mortal Domain was building the high-speed High-Speed Rail Track, it extended deep into the Guandong Plains without registering Stations, thus prohibiting people from the West Pass Plains from taking the High-Speed Rail to the Guandong Plains."

"These past few months."

"Almost no Trade Association from the Guandong Plains have come to the West Pass Plains, which means that the Defense Line Seven in the Guandong Plains may have fallen during the last Rainy Season, resulting in many deaths in the Guandong Plains during that Rainy Season."

"Even if the Defense Line Seven is held, the losses will be heavy."

"The High-Speed Rail Track that the Mortal Domain built deep into the Guandong Plains was also to support the Defense Line Seven. Didn't quite a few people see an extremely long High-Speed Rail carrying a large number of sculptures deep into the Guandong Plains last time?"

"That should be the building that the Mortal Domain provided to the Defense Line Seven."

Do you feel like a failure?

"The Mortal Domain is the strongest force in Jiangbei."

"Our Slaying Immortal Holy Land is one of the strongest forces in the West Pass Plains."

"The Mortal Domain has already set its sights on the world, while we're still worrying about whether we can safely get through this year's Rainy Season and whether we can earn more Eerie Stones after next year's Rainy Season ends."

"No."

The First Elder shook his head firmly. "With great responsibility comes great power. We've already done a remarkable job by sending 5 million Eerie Stones to the Defense Line Seven."

"We're trash, this is the limit of what we can do."

"That... the Slaying Immortal Holy Land is one of the strongest forces in the West Pass Plains."

Isn't there also the word "one of"?

The Holy Lord's expression gradually became strange. The word "waste" was a bit jarring, but for some reason, once he accepted the word, he seemed to gradually lose that feeling of tightness in his chest.

He had always considered himself to be on the same level as Chen Fan, both of them being overlords of Jiangbei and Kansai respectively.

Chen Fan has already set his sights on the world, while he is still huddled in Kansai, which is causing him great pain.

But once you admit you're useless, it seems like the pain stops.

"That seems to be true. What you said makes some sense."

"But you were wrong about what you just said. Isn't it true that with great power comes great responsibility?"

"My Holy Lord, I ask you, when the Undersea Strange Tide Landing two years from now, will you support the Northbank Defense Line?"

"Isn't that inevitable?!"

"That makes sense. Mortal Domain has taken on the responsibility of Suppression Jiangbei, it will receive support from various regions. Isn't that a case of 'the greater the responsibility, the greater the ability'?" "What kind of twisted logic is that? Few forces will respond to a request for reinforcements from the Defense Line Seven."

The First Elder said quietly, "That's because the Defense Line Seven can't come. The Northbank Defense Line is not only mobile, but the Mortal Domain also has a hundred fully equipped Flying Boat. If the Mortal Realm were to ask for help, I would respect even the slightest force that doesn't respond."

"It's quite clear that the Mortal Domain hasn't established any connection with the Eternal Night Hall yet."

"When the Eternal Night Hall learns that a certain force has built its own defensive line, guess what the Eternal Night Hall will think? Won't they support it?" "The Jiangbei Mortal Domain has taken on the responsibility of Suppression Jiangbei, and resources from all directions have poured in like snowflakes, making it stronger and stronger. This is because with great responsibility comes great power."

"Wait a minute, let me sort this out. This is the first time I've heard this argument. It sounds like you're spouting nonsense, but it also seems to make some sense." The Holy Lord of the Slaying Immortal Holy Land frowned as he pondered.

"You mean that since we've taken on the responsibility of Suppression Jiangbei, we'll become stronger?"

"No, we will die."