A fortune for a horse's bones
A corner of "Feng Qiya Continent".
Seven or eight people from the Counselors' Pavilion came here in person, their faces serious as they looked up at the dozens of Flying Boat hovering not far from the mainland.
They pondered what to do next.
These people include both men and women.
There were Elderly Man, some as old as seventy or eighty, with graying temples.
There were also beautiful women in their thirties and forties.
These people are all wise individuals selected through rigorous screening by the "Feng Qiya Continent," and they are responsible for offering their advice when the Feng Qiya Continent faces major decisions.
They have no decision-making power, but they have the right to make suggestions.
People from the Feng Qiya Continent, also value the suggestions put forward by these strategists.
At this time--
An Elderly Man, his face expressionless, spoke slowly and hoarsely, "The Punishment Hall was only a bit harsh on the first batch of people arrested; they weren't so harsh on the later ones, and no one died. There's plenty of room for maneuver."
"Let's see how the Mortal Domain reacts first."
"If the other side is willing to offer conditions for exchanging hostages, agree immediately and resolve this matter Peace as much as possible. No continent wants to start a war easily, and the other side certainly doesn't want to start a war easily either."
"Not to mention."
"We have a general idea of the strength of the 'Mortal Domain,' but we are unknown to the Mortal Domain. No one wants to provoke an unknown force."
The words had barely left his mouth.
The remaining members of the think tank also nodded in agreement.
It has reached the level of the Second-Level Continent.
It's no longer the time when the First-Level Continent were not unified. It's normal for a war to easily consume hundreds of billions or even trillions of Eerie Stone, and most wars are unlikely to break even.
Even if we win.
Its resources and foundation on the mainland have long been exhausted.
There won't be much to gain.
Therefore, apart from madmen, no continent would be willing to easily start a war, and the "Mortal Domain" is probably no exception.
Just as they were patiently waiting for the Mortal Domain to speak first.
Suddenly, the Flying Boat suspended in the air scattered in all directions. Then, one Flying Boat emerged from the group of ships, and a small, inconspicuous Silver-White Cannon Tower slowly protruded.
"Hold!"
The Elderly Man, who had just been so confident of victory, suddenly changed his expression. As a strategist, he needed to know the information about each building like the back of his hand. He was extremely familiar with this building; it was none other than Level-20 Heavenly Dao Cannon!
It can be placed on Flying Boat.
However, only one cannon can be fired from the Flying Boat; after that, the airship is destroyed and everyone on board dies.
Both the cost of using it and the consumption of a single shot are extremely high.
This is a tactic that is only used when a war between continents has reached its climax.
And the Mortal Domain...
They weren't given much time to think.
The small Silver-White Cannon Tower had begun to slowly emit White Light, indicating that it was charging up. After seeing through their mainland disguise, the enemy did not utter a single harsh word.
Start the war right now!
Moreover, by skipping the probing phase and using the Heavenly Dao Cannon, the war is about to enter a fierce stage!
Once this shot is fired...
The dream of "Feng Qiya Continent" Third-Level Continent shattered almost instantly, with no further chance of advancing to the Third-Level Continent.
"Stop!"
Without time to think, the gray-haired Elderly Man gripped the Exotic Treasure in his hand, capable of echoing throughout the Heaven and Earth, and roared, "Your men aren't dead! They're all alive! Composure down!"
"Mortal Domain!"
"Don't do it!"
However--
The energy storage of that Heavenly Dao Cannon showed no signs of stopping; on the contrary, the energy storage speed was getting faster and faster.
"It's over."
The Middle-Aged Man in charge of interrogating the "Slaying Immortal Holy Land Sacred Lord" turned deathly pale upon seeing this scene. He knew it was all over—not just him, but the entire Feng Qiya Continent!
The shot was fired.
A bloody war is inevitable between the two continents.
The kind of fight to the death.
Both continents would be completely dragged down by the immense pressure of war.
The one-eyed Elderly Man sat in the corridor of the interrogation room. Although he couldn't see what was happening, he could still hear it. He simply sighed softly and murmured, "So be it. At least I don't have to make my student a scapegoat."
There is no need for a scapegoat now.
That shot landed.
Countless people on the Feng Qiya Continent will die as a result, leaving no room for reconciliation. The two sides must fight to the death, and at this point, there is no need for a scapegoat.
The next moment--
"Boom!!!"
A Blazing Pillar, almost illuminating the entire sky, shot out from the Heavenly Dao Cannon at the bottom of the "Flying Boat" Cabin, carrying an extremely terrifying aura of danger, and hurtled towards the Feng Qiya Continent.
Only...
It did not directly hit Feng Qiya Continent.
Instead, it streaked across the sky above the Feng Qiya Continent and fell into the Sea Domain, causing a large amount of seawater to boil and surge wildly.
This shot seemed to shatter the disguise of the "Feng Qiya Continent," revealing it completely, not just as a small part of the Feng Qiya Continent iceberg visible from the Watchtower.
Immediately afterwards.
A calm and undisturbed voice slowly echoed between Heaven and Earth.
"My Chen Fan, the Lord of the Jiangbei Mortal Domain Lord."
Within ten breaths.
Bring my men out.
"Send someone of considerable influence to see me."
"Otherwise--"
"This will be considered a formal Declaration of War by your continent against the mortal Mortal Domain. The Mortal Domain will fight with all its might in a fierce and thorough war against your continent."
He finished speaking.
Chen Fan stood patiently on the deck of the Flying Boat, his knuckles tapping lightly on the railing.
He didn't want to start a war.
The costs are too high, and it's difficult to recoup the investment.
The Eternal Night Continent is developing rapidly; what it needs is time to continue developing, not a war that will drag Eternal Night Continent down.
His building consumption, including Cannon Tower consumption, is less than that of other continents. After all, he has 100% energy utilization. Even he doesn't want to easily start a war, so other continents should be even less willing to.
But...
Not wanting to start a war doesn't mean acting softly.
A single Level-20 Heavenly Dao Cannon shot requires 500 million Eerie Stone.
He used 500 million Eerie Stone to buy face.
If this continent doesn't give him face, he wouldn't mind giving it 50 billion Eerie Stone as a gesture of respect.
He dared to act this way because when the Watchtower saw a corner of the continent, it spotted the city's Defensive Structure.
Generally.
A Second-Level Continent, not even worthy of being level three.
He had nothing to fear as long as it wasn't Third-Level Continent.
He believed that few Second-Level Continent had as many Eerie Stone as he had stored. He was unwilling to fight, but if a fight really broke out, he could sink a continent by randomly bombarding it with the Heavenly Dao Cannon.
Third-Level Continent is definitely not feasible.
Third-Level Continent completely dominates Second-Level Continent; Second-Level Continent could never defeat Third-Level Continent.
If a "Red Continental-Level Strategic Weapon" were to strike, the Second-Level Continent would be virtually wiped out.
Immediately afterwards.
He saw a Flying Boat rapidly ascend from the mainland and quickly approach the group. Standing on the deck was the Slaying Immortal Holy Land Sacred Lord, who was also the Boat Captain of Flying Boat number 222.
All the people captured from the other three Mortal Domain Flying Boat.
Besides.
Standing there was an Elderly Man with graying temples, who was now urgently raising a Message Talisman and shouting, "Greetings, Mortal Domain Lord! I am a member of the Counselors' Pavilion of the 'Feng Qiya Continent,' and this Message Talisman in my hand is directly connected to the Lord of the Feng Qiya Continent!"
Soon.
An Elderly Man's voice came through the Message Talisman.
His voice was filled with the air of someone in a superior position, but there was also a hint of embarrassment and anger in it.
"Lord Chen, you have great courage."
"Destroying a Level-20 Heavenly Dao Cannon and then firing another Level-20 Heavenly Dao Cannon will require at least 4 billion Eerie Stone."
"Four billion worth of Eerie Stone were thrown into the sea just to save a few Subordinate?"
Are they really worth that price?
Chen Fan calmly said in a low voice, "As Mortal Domain Member, you should be protected by the Mortal Domain."
"Don't hurt them even a little bit."
"These are all provocations against the Mortal Domain."
"The Mortal Domain will spare no effort to Slaying them."
The words had barely left his mouth.
The Slaying Immortal Holy Land Sacred Lord, who had been standing smugly on the deck of the enemy's Flying Boat, stiffened slightly, looked up at Chen Fan, and his lips trembled slightly.
The reason he hasn't made a move yet.
It's not that he's particularly loyal to the Mortal Domain.
Instead...
He didn't want to be seen as a coward; for him, that was worse than death.
Back when he was in the "West Pass Plains," he had almost no enemies. He could resolve any hostile relationship. At that time, he also had some conflicts with the Mortal Domain, which he also resolved.
But he always believed that it was a choice he made for the greater good, not a sign of weakness on his part. This was his long-held belief, so he could not back down at crucial moments, as that would mean the complete collapse of his life's convictions, and living would be no different from being dead.
And at this moment--
After hearing Mortal Domain's words, something inside him was suddenly touched. Despite his injuries, he looked at Chen Fan and grinned, feeling no pain in his body.
If you were to seriously follow a leader like that, it wouldn't be bad.
He knew.
This is like spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones.
But this sum of money is quite heavy.
They would gladly offer their horse bones in exchange for 4 billion Eerie Stone and the lives of a few of their own.
To put it bluntly...
How many people would have someone willing to spend 4 billion Eerie Stone to save their life when they're in trouble? If you could really meet such a leader in this lifetime, it would be worth dying for.
The same applies to the other Mortal Domain Member who were arrested.
Only.
The joy of being saved that had been in their eyes turned into guilt and pain after hearing Chen Fan's words.
The city lord spared no expense, spending 4 billion Eerie Stone to save their lives.
And they...
However, he couldn't withstand the interrogation and revealed many things about the Mortal Domain.
Only the No. 222 Flying Boat, the Flying Boat where the Slaying Immortal Holy Land Sacred Lord resided, remained undisclosed by anyone on board.
On the deck of the Flying Boat.
The Middle-Aged Man, already bound and used as a scapegoat, froze in disbelief, raising his head...
He looked up at Chen Fan, a flicker of despair crossing his faith deep in his eyes.
Mortal Domain...
To save his few Subordinate, he didn't hesitate to spend 4 billion Eerie Stone.
His master, who had worked diligently for the Feng Qiya Continent his entire life, was ultimately sent away as a scapegoat at the last moment.
The Elderly Man standing on the Message Talisman of the enemy Flying Boat suddenly fell silent, clearly realizing that the Lord of the Feng Qiya Continent had also realized that what he had said was wrong.
It wasn't just a gift of a memorial archway to the other side.
Furthermore, it made it seem as if he thought his Subordinate' lives were worthless.
But words spoken are like water spilled on the ground—they cannot be taken back.
It's difficult to recover.
They don't plan to make any further repairs.
Instead, he spoke slowly.
"Take him away."
"The other person is the Group Leader the Group Three the 'Punishment Hall.' He is in charge of the main interrogations. You are to handle the person as you see fit."
"This matter is settled."
"I hope that in the future, the 'Eternal Night Continent' and the 'Feng Qiya Continent' will not interfere with each other."
"Even if both are settled."
Soon.
The Mortal Domain Member captured on the enemy's Flying Boat, including the Middle-Aged Man, were all taken onto one of the Mortal Domain's Flying Boat.
Chen Fan spoke slowly and deliberately only after seeing the last captured Mortal Domain Member successfully return home.
"It has always been a matter of life and death for murder, yet you've tormented my people for so long."
"You think you can just settle this with a casual 'we're even'?"
"5 billion Eerie Stone, and any Purple Grade Building Blueprint."
I want to see it within a day.
If not seen.
"Let's start the war."
"The Mortal Domain is prepared to start a war at any time, and we hope that the Feng Qiya Continent is also prepared for this."
I've saved face.
He also needs substance.
He doesn't do unprofitable deals. A Level-20 Heavenly Dao Cannon is so expensive; do you think he'd fire it for free?
"You've gone a bit too far."
An angry voice, filled with embarrassment and humiliation, came from the other end of the Message Talisman: "So what if you tortured a few people? They're not dead yet. Do you think those few injuries are worth 5 billion Eerie Stone?"
"She deserves it."
Chen Fan calmly said in a low voice, "Their current net worth is 4 billion Eerie Stone. I will send someone to collect them in a day. If they haven't gathered enough..."
"I wouldn't mind letting their net worth rise to 8 billion Eerie Stone."
"This time it definitely won't be thrown into the sea."
"You can rest assured."
"Chen Fan." The voice on the other end of the Message Talisman turned cold. "Don't push your luck. You're not the only one with Level-20 Heavenly Dao Cannon; we have one too."
"You think we can't bombard you like this just because you can bombard us like this?"
"Good."
Chen Fan laughed, "Then let's have a showdown, whoever backs down is Grandson."
"I'm telling you this: I'll back down, I'm your pet."
That's all.
Dozens of Flying Boat immediately turned around and began their return journey.
Feng Qiya Continent, the core area.
The Lord of the Feng Qiya Continent, whose aura seemed to be failing, calmly looked down at the note handed to her by her group of strategists after a quick discussion.
"At this point, Slaying Chen Fan at all costs has a success rate of only 0.28%."
"Assuming that the Flying Boat Chen Fan was on didn't have Teleportation Formation, and that Chen Fan left in a hurry without bringing the Mortal Domain Jade Seal, there's a certain probability Slaying."
"But after failure."
"The probability of starting a war is 100%."
"Feng Qiya Continent are unknown, but it's roughly a 40/60 split."
"Regardless of victory or defeat, the probability of advancing to the Third-Level Continent is 0%."
"..."
The Lord of the Feng Qiya Continent, looked down at the note in her hand for a while, and after a long time, she said softly, "Don't leave yet, I agree to your conditions."
"5 billion Eerie Stone are possible."
"Purple Grade Building Blueprint is impossible; at most, I'll give you a 'Purple Grade Exotic Treasure.'"
"Can."
The other party agreed.
After a long silence, the Lord of the Feng Qiya Continent, turned to his subordinate who was managing the Warehouse and rubbed his temples, whispering, "Send someone to transport 5 billion Eerie Stone over there. When the Mortal Domain sends someone to receive them, also throw over that Purple Exotic Treasure that the Appraiser Warehouse n't been able to identify yet."
"I only said it was Purple Grade Exotic Treasure, not what kind of Exotic Treasure it was."
"It's none of our business if we can't identify it."
He really didn't want to be so pathetic.
He truly hated Chen Fan, and he yelled, "Whoever Grandson is a coward! At worst, we'll just exchange blows. We're all one-horse-and-two-eared, who's afraid of who?"
But he really didn't dare say that.
The mainland needs to develop.
War is something no continent wants to face unless it is unavoidable or the benefits are enormous.
"..."
On the way back.
Chen Fan stood on the deck, chuckling to himself as he faced the sea breeze. "Not bad. I destroyed a Level-20 Heavenly Dao Cannon and fired another shot. The total cost was 590 million Cang Stone, but I got 5 billion Cang Stone in return."
Good deal.
He hadn't expected the other party to provide the Purple Grade Building Blueprint in the first place.
It's impossible to give it to them.
Even for the Second-Level Continent, Building Blueprint of this caliber is an extremely top-tier Building Blueprint; it's impossible for him to be given it so easily.
However, it's still necessary to give the other party some room to negotiate.
Purple Grade Exotic Treasure are also acceptable.
There are no bad ones as long as they are Purple Grade.
Hello.
Chen Fan turned his head and looked at the Slaying Immortal Holy Land Sacred Lord beside him, and laughed, "When did you join the Mortal Domain? You didn't even tell me. If you had told me, I could have arranged a higher position for you."
Hehehe...
The Slaying Immortal Holy Land Sacred Lord chuckled somewhat awkwardly, "Mainly because I didn't dare disturb you, and after achieving Great Unification in the Mortal Domain, there are no more Strange Entities on the Eternal Night Continent, so I just wanted to go and take a look from afar."
"It just so happened that the Mortal Domain Commerce Pavilion was recruiting at that time, so I led a group of disciples from the Slaying Immortal Holy Land to join the Mortal Domain."
Does it hurt?
At this moment, Zi Qi's injuries had been healed by the Altar and were no longer bloody, but the pain in his memory could not be erased.
"It's okay, it doesn't hurt, I don't feel anything."
Chen Fan rolled his eyes at Zi Qi, then looked at the First Elder of the Slaying Immortal Holy Land beside him and several other disciples of the Slaying Immortal Holy Land, a strange light flashing in his eyes.
"You are the first group of Mortal Domain Member to be arrested."
"Why have you endured so much torment without revealing a single piece of information about the Mortal Domain?"
"I am not a coward." The Slaying Immortal Holy Land Sacred Lord shook his head, giving an extremely straightforward answer.
"If the Holy Lord doesn't say, I certainly can't say either; that's the rule." The First Elder of the Slaying Immortal Holy Land also shook his head.
"He's been beating us for so long, if he talks now, then all that beating was for nothing." Several disciples from the Slaying Immortal Holy Land shook their heads.
"..."
Chen Fan looked at Wang Xu with a slightly strange expression.
The Slaying Immortal Holy Land is certainly known for its "softness" in the "West Pass Plains".
But this time...
Yet it exhibited remarkable toughness.
It wasn't just the Holy Lord who was stubborn; even those below him were incredibly stubborn, and thus they were the ones who suffered the most severe and longest punishments.
The atmosphere within this faction is rather strange.
Perhaps it's because it's always been soft.
I'm afraid others will think I'm really weak.
Therefore, when faced with critical periods, one must be tough, even if it means risking one's life.
"Domain Lord..."
Just then--
The remaining Mortal Domain Member who had been captured stepped forward, their faces filled with shame, and whispered, "We... we..."
"It's nothing."
Chen Fan shook his head, not paying much attention. "Later, report what you revealed to Shao Qiu, and let Shao Qiu summarize it to see what Feng Qiya Continent knows about us."
"I'll reveal more later."
"It's not really important news that you all know, so it's fine to reveal it."
"Suffer less."
"As long as you survive, the Mortal Domain will definitely come to your rescue."
The people on those three Flying Boat received the lightest punishments; after learning of the overall strength of the Mortal Domain, no one interrogated them anymore.
Shao Qiu arrived at that moment as well.
He was frantically taking notes, recording the story of the Domain Lord's daughter buying horse bones—a story worth publicizing.
"..."
After doing all this, Chen Fan casually glanced at the Middle-Aged Man in charge of the interrogation in the corner of the deck, leaving him to be dealt with as he pleased. He knew, of course, that this was a scapegoat.
He saw in the other person's eyes a collapse of faith, and a sense of injustice.
From this person's mouth.
Perhaps we can learn... about the specifics of the "Feng Qiya Continent," and information about how the Feng Qiya Continent fights against the Strange Entities, etc.
So far.
During the days of exploring the Eternal Night Continent, there has never been a large-scale Strange Tide race like the "Royal Clan" or the "Strange Entity Clan".
But just because we haven't met now doesn't mean we won't meet in the future.
He has been preparing for a potential future enemy.
No one can predict the future.
Unless you've already thought about this matter countless times and prepared countermeasures for every possible scenario.
And...
The name of this continent is really strange. He initially thought it might be something like a queen, but the leader of the power is actually an Elderly Man.
After the Mortal Domain Flying Boat.
On the Feng Qiya Continent, countless people looked up at the lingering traces of the Heaven Cannon in the air, their faces showing unease. They vaguely realized that the Peace that the Feng Qiya Continent had maintained for so many years was very likely to shatter soon.
And Chen Fan's extravagant purchase of horse bones...
Under the operation of the "Shadow Pavilion," it quickly spread to all members of the Mortal Domain.
If the cohesion of the Mortal Domain were displayed with a specific numerical value.
Then you will see it clearly.
The cohesion of the Mortal Domain has risen to another level at this moment.
Not everyone can be a leader.
Most people follow the leader.
We're all in this together, who wouldn't want a boss who'd give you 4 billion Eerie Stone and personally lead an expedition to rescue you? Working for a boss like that is truly exhilarating.
"You're really daring."
"Eyi Continent".
The Weird Emperor Jiu Wu was leisurely lying in the moist hot spring, leaning against a huge natural rock, lazily flipping through the "Mortal Domain Daily" in his hand, which contained news from the Mortal Domain in recent days.
For example...
"The transportation network of the Mortal Domain has completely covered the entire Eternal Night Continent."
For example...
"Mortal Domain Member were captured by the 'Feng Qiya Continent' while exploring. The entire crew of their Flying Boat No. 222 were tortured for a long time without uttering a single word. Chen Fan personally led the expedition, using swift and decisive measures to intimidate the enemy, successfully bringing back the captured Mortal Domain Member and receiving War Reparations from them!"
People always look at what their ex-girlfriends are like now.
After selling a stock, I will occasionally check on its current status.
Even knowing that nothing can be changed.
But at least I want to see if my past decisions were right or wrong.
Just like him.
He is now extremely concerned about the development of the Mortal Domain, and he studies every single "Mortal Domain Daily" carefully. After learning about the rapid development of the Mortal Domain, he feels fortunate and admiring how correct his initial decision was.