After finishing his intimate exchange with Mia.
Only then did Roger leave the courtyard and have a subordinate summon Allen.
After all these years, Allen was still a Lowgod, but his comprehension of the profound mystery of strength had reached its limit. He could break through to Midgod at any moment.
That pace was already far from slow within the Nether Luo Tribe.
But when Allen saw that Roger's death clone had actually reached the Highgod level, he still could not help exclaiming in shock:
"Roger, I thought Mia was the one who broke through. I never imagined it was you!"
Allen walked over and thumped Roger hard on the shoulder. "Your cultivation speed is ridiculous, but that's a good thing!"
In the Netherworld of that era.
Becoming a Lowgod gave someone the most basic dignity. As long as they knew when to yield, they could survive.
A Midgod could already be considered a powerhouse, fully capable of gathering a force, occupying territory, and founding a tribe.
Anyone who became a legendary Highgod was fully qualified to establish a city!
But that was the stuff of legends.
Allen had only heard from Midgods who occasionally passed through that a city existed far to the east.
Dozens of tribes surrounded that city.
And its city lord was a Highgod.
Allen had even asked how long it would take to get there from the Nether Luo Tribe.
That Midgod, who traveled the Netherworld, only remembered that the journey alone had taken ten years.
If even a Midgod had spent that long just traveling, the distance had to be immense.
Across such a vast distance, there was only one city.
That alone showed how scarce Highgods were in the Netherworld at the time.
Highgods willing to establish a power and shelter an entire region were rarer still.
After all, a city lord always had to step forward when danger struck. How could that compare to the comfort of cultivating quietly in seclusion?
"Haha, it was just luck." Roger was not nearly as excited.
With the Jade Disc at his disposal, if Roger could not cultivate this quickly, he might as well bash his head against a block of tofu and die.
"Heh, Roger, are you planning to build a city, then?"
Allen asked with a grin.
Now that his good friend had become a Highgod, his own status and authority would rise along with Roger's.
If Roger intended to build a city, their friendship ought to get him a deputy city lord position at the very least...
"Of course. Allen, notify everyone in the tribe who's a Lowgod or above. Have them gather in the assembly hall."
Roger had long since decided whether to build a city and establish his own power.
To gather intelligence across somewhere as vast as the Netherworld, establishing an organization was essential.
"Okay! I'll go right now!"
Allen's eyes lit up at those words. Earth-yellow divine power surged around him as he swiftly flew toward the residences of Hagson and the others.
Before long.
Inside the Nether Luo Tribe's assembly hall.
Roger sat on the largest, highest throne.
Below him to the left sat Mia, Hagson, Allen, and the others.
At the lowest level were the tribe's Lowgods.
Their numbers had nearly reached a hundred, including longstanding members and those who had newly broken through over the years.
The majority, however, had come from the surrounding regions to join after hearing of the tribe's reputation.
That also showed how attractive the tribe had become.
In the Netherworld of that era, powerful individuals were beginning to emerge more frequently.
The number of Lowgods kept growing.
Even Midgods had begun appearing in large numbers.
Over the years, the patrols had occasionally spotted unfamiliar Midgods passing through the Nether Luo Tribe.
Most were Ascetics, tempering themselves through long and dangerous journeys.
"All right, everyone is here now."
Roger stood, and the overwhelming pressure of a Highgod burst outward. Then he looked down at everyone and said:
"I've now broken through to the Highgod level, and I intend to expand our tribe's territory until we can build a city. But building a city is a major undertaking, so I'd like to hear your opinions."
After speaking, Roger looked around at everyone.
Their reactions to the prospect of building a city varied.
But most had longing in their eyes.
Over the years.
More and more Ascetics had passed through the Nether Luo Tribe, bringing news from distant lands and revealing another world that belonged to the powerful.
Hagson, Beverly, and Croya-the three former tribal chiefs who were now deputy chiefs.
A simple exchange of glances was enough for them to confirm one another's thoughts.
"My lord, we believe we should build it!" Hagson stepped forward and said. "With your strength, protecting a city would be no problem at all. Given the Nether Luo Tribe's current size, we also have the foundation needed to build one."
"My lord, we agree!"
"Agreed!"
With Hagson taking the lead, the others immediately voiced their support.
"Very good. Then starting today, we'll build a city! We'll name it Netherlo, after our tribe."
"Netherlo City... a fine name," Mia said with a soft laugh.
When deciding where to build, Roger chose Frostwhisper Plain, tens of thousands of li away.
The tribe currently occupied a valley, which was no longer suitable for building a city.
Frostwhisper Plain, covering several million square li, offered more than enough room for a large city.
Once the site was settled, Roger assigned the remaining specific tasks to Allen, Hagson, and the others, leaving the actual execution to them.
Over the next few years.
The Nether Luo Tribe first relocated to Frostwhisper Plain, then launched a massive construction effort.
In the Netherworld.
Building materials were plentiful. Manpower was what they lacked.
After all, many ores here could become divine artifacts with a little smelting followed by a period of nourishment with divine power.
Thus, the main construction force had to consist of Lowgods at the very least. Those at the Sanctuary level could transport materials and lend a hand.
According to Roger's preliminary plan.
Once fully built, Netherlo City would cover at least a million square li.
But constructing such a vast city with only a little over a hundred divine-level experts was clearly unrealistic.
So Roger first had everyone build an inner city covering just a few tens of thousands of square li.
Once they recruited more Lowgods and Midgods, they could continue expanding outward.
After all, there was no need to build the city all at once.
Once the city's layout was settled, Roger handed full responsibility to Allen and began cultivating in seclusion.
After reaching the Highgod level in the death edict.
The world of edicts revealed to Roger had indeed changed.
To use Charles's analogy, he had now seen the second layer of the "thousand-layer cake."
Within this second layer of the death edict's world.
Roger glimpsed how its six major branches fused with one another.
Unlike elemental laws.
The death edict was naturally fused together. All Roger needed to do was continue comprehending it fully.
It was not like the water law or the laws of wind, which required finding points of compatibility between individual profound mysteries before fusing them.
Although edicts seemed somewhat simpler at first glance.
When he actually began comprehending them.
Roger discovered that it was anything but easy.
Just as with fusing the profound mysteries of elemental laws, a thousand people would have a thousand different methods of fusion.
Edicts were no different. Everyone understood them differently, and what they comprehended was not entirely the same.
Much of the cultivation insight Charles had recorded consisted of his own methods of comprehension.
Roger discovered that the vast majority differed from his own approach.
At this point.
Other people's experience had almost entirely lost its usefulness.
Before you continue