Two days later, in the underground chamber of the Yan Manor.
"Phew! After all this time, we've finally figured out the structure of this Nine Baleful Intent Yin Thunder Formation."
Now, as long as the magical artifact at the core of the formation is activated, the entire formation will be fully restored, and I can then retire successfully.
In the center of the secret chamber, a dark black giant hammer floated in mid-air, and the ground and walls around it were covered with newly drawn blood-red runes, making the entire secret chamber look eerie and mysterious.
At the edge of the secret chamber, Chen Mu sat cross-legged, surrounded by golden runes, looking completely out of place in the environment.
As his hand gestures changed, the blood-red runes on the ground and walls seemed to come alive, gradually spreading towards the black giant hammer in the center of the secret chamber.
Buzz...!
After a few breaths, the black giant hammer was covered with blood-red runes. The hammer gradually revived, radiating a dazzling red light and exuding an endless aura of ferocity, inspiring awe in all who beheld it.
"Heaven and Earth are boundless, Yin and Yang Thunder Techniques! Nine Fiend Thunder, heed my command, rise!"
Chen Mu spread his arms wide, and endless thunderous power emanated from the giant hammer, extending in all directions along the array patterns. Other linked arrays within Nine Yama City were also activated.
"Success!"
Seeing that the talisman array had been repaired, Chen Mu withdrew his spreading Dharma Power and closed his eyes to meditate.
This Nine Baleful Intent Yin Thunder Formation is of a high standard. The talisman master who oversaw its construction must have reached the Emperor Level, and it also required the assistance of hundreds of other talisman masters to complete such a massive project.
If you don't understand the design principles of this kind of rune array, it's very difficult to repair. No wonder the Yan Lineage hired so many rune masters and spent so many years but still couldn't completely repair it.
Only a super talisman master like Chen Mu, with a solid foundation in Dao of Talismans and the support of Biological Intelligent Brain computing power, could figure out the structure of the talisman array in a short time and completely repair it.
"Hahaha! Good! Chen Mu, I knew I wasn't wrong about you, you really did repair the rune array!"
Half an incense stick later, Yan Hongcai hurriedly ran into the secret room, his eyes filled with surprise and delight.
"I have fulfilled my mission!"
Chen Mu opened his eyes, appearing quite calm.
Yan Hongcai raised his hand and summoned the giant black hammer. He swung it twice, and lightning crackled across its surface. He trembled with excitement.
"Great! The Nine Baleful Intent Yin Thunder Formation has been revived; the Lineage is finally saved."
Last night, the Li and Wang families secretly attacked the Yan Lineage. Yan Zhen was injured in the conflict. He was in a state of panic, trying to figure out how to turn the tide, but he never expected Chen Mu to give him such a big surprise.
"Great! Chen Mu, you've done me a huge favor! Here's your reward, take it."
Yan Hongcai took out a cloth bag from his storage ring and tossed it to Chen Mu.
Chen Mu caught the cloth bag, examined it briefly, and then put it away with a satisfied smile.
"Thank you for your generosity, Yan Lineage! Now that our transaction is complete, I will take my leave."
Having been away from Iron Soul City for three days, he was a little worried. After dealing with matters here, he planned to take Gao Fenghai and the others back to Iron Soul City.
"Hehe, young friend, with such abilities, why not serve in my Yan Manor?"
"If you are willing to come, young friend, my Yan Manor is willing to reserve the position of chief talisman master for you."
Yan Hongcai, recognizing Chen Mu's talent, extended an olive branch to Chen Mu.
"Thank you for your kind words, Patriarch! Unfortunately, I dislike being constrained, so I can only thank you for your kindness."
Chen Mu clasped his hands in refusal.
Yan Hongcai thought for a moment, then nodded without insisting that he stay, saying, "Alright then! If you ever need my help in the future, feel free to come to me. You can go now!"
In his eyes, the reason why Chen Mu was able to repair the Nine Baleful Intent Yin Thunder Formation was not because Chen Mu was so powerful, but simply because Chen Mu came from the Divine Manor Gate.
Since Chen Mu had no intention of pledging allegiance to him, he didn't care. After all, there were several other King Level Talisman Masters in the Yan Manor, so it wasn't necessary for him to be Chen Mu.
After leaving the underground chamber, Chen Mu met Yan Lianfang at the door, and Yan Lianfang led him back to the guest room.
"My lord, you're finally back! I've been waiting for you for so long!"
As soon as Chen Mu returned to his room, he ran into Gao Fenghai, who had large dark circles under his eyes and looked very haggard.
"What's wrong? Tell me slowly."
Chen Mu said.
"My lord, I don't know where the news leaked from, but now everyone is saying that our Iron Soul City has a way to produce food quickly."
So now many people want to join our Iron Soul City. My place is already surrounded by people coming to pay their respects, and I can't make a decision, so I had no choice but to come and see you, sir."
Those people came with great enthusiasm, and Gao Fenghai couldn't very well turn them away, so he could only work through the night to organize their names, which is why he looked so haggard.
Chen Mu was not surprised to hear this. The truth will eventually come out. Although he kept the food production technology a secret, so many commoners in Iron Soul City need to eat every day. Anyone who pays attention can easily find out the clues.
"It's alright, just take them in. As long as they're willing to join, no matter how many there are, Iron Soul City will accept them."
Chen Mu didn't care; these people were a source of productivity, and taking them in would help him expand faster.
"However, newly joined members cannot reside within Iron Soul City. We will build some more houses on the outskirts of the city later so they can live in the surrounding area."
"But sir... most of these people are quite weak and not of much use to us."
Gao Fenghai couldn't help but remind him.
It's an obvious fact that people who choose to serve others for food are generally not very strong.
However, Chen Mu had a longer-term vision; he had his own plans.
"It's okay, just do as I say."
Also, have the brothers pack up; we'll head back this afternoon. Those who came to stay with us can come with us if they wish.
"Yes, I will arrange it immediately."
Since Chen Mu said so, Gao Fenghai had no choice but to agree and turn to leave.
" Chen Mu, I'm leaving too."
It was a pleasure working with you, and I look forward to your next visit.
After spending the past two days together, Yan Lianfang could sense Chen Mu's extraordinary temperament and had genuinely come to regard Chen Mu as a friend worth making.
Okay, I'll definitely come again next time.
Chen Mu waved goodbye to Yan Lianfang, then went into his room to pack his things and prepare to leave.
"Warning! Unidentified troops detected..."
Suddenly, Chen Mu received a remote message from the central AI of Iron Soul City. Chen Mu immediately closed his eyes and analyzed the message.
He soon saw a bandit group of about three hundred people about two kilometers outside Iron Soul City, using some kind of magical artifact to spy on the Iron Soul City.
Based on the information analyzed by the central AI, the weakest of these three hundred people are all Qi Nourishing Realm. If they are allowed to attack Iron Soul City, the city will likely suffer heavy losses.
Chen Mu immediately took out his communication jade token and contacted Mingye, who was inquiring about information in Nine Yama City.
" Mingye, something has happened in Iron Soul City. You need to rush back and assist Li Wei in defending the city..."