The crow flew and the rabbit ran; time slipped by.
Stone City in the Far Western Land grew increasingly stable in its development.
Dao Seal Cultivators such as Ruo Jinghong, Mei Niang, and Ma Qingqiu took turns returning to the Real World every day, leading the Orthodox and New-Method Cultivators in clearing abnormal weather.
None of them chased excessive merit. Each day, they stopped after clearing over ten thousand instances of abnormal weather.
For the rest of the day, they let the cultivators worship the great sun, practice their Fundamental Methods, refine spells, or craft magical artifacts.
These cultivators were endlessly grateful.
Because this way, although they were still cannon fodder sent to plug the front lines, they had time to improve themselves.
As long as their luck held, they could keep growing stronger and ultimately survive; they might even have a chance to enter the next realm.
As one instance of abnormal weather after another was cleared, and casualties among the cannon fodder mounted day by day, Stone City also began constructing special structures such as [Corpse Caverns].
Large numbers of corpses were piled into a pit. Once enhanced through spells, magical artifacts, rituals, and other means, these corpses would produce corpse qi, Yin Baleful Qi, and similar substances.
These substances could be used to refine spells and magical artifacts, and even to refine killing intent.
Both New-Method and Orthodox Cultivators could use them to improve their cultivation.
Moreover, empowered by rituals, the [Corpse Cavern] was like a sea-calming divine needle, like a super Earth Vein: its power drove into the earth and the heavens, stabilizing the surrounding seasons and weather and preventing abnormal weather from arising.
This thing counted as one of Stone City's foundations.
When Stone City expanded in the future, they could establish outposts and build