Max-Level Effect: Sovereign Descent

Seven days later. Time slipped into early October of year 379 of the Eternal Night Calendar. Chen Fan stood atop the ramparts of New Continent Outpost No. 1, gazing out at the sea ships plying the waters in the distance, and at the Fan Domain members swarming like ants along the shore and across various offshore islands. Mining operations on the New Continent had found their groove. One high-speed rail car after another, packed to the brim with ghost stones, departed the New Continent bound for Fan Domain. During this time, Wang Mazi had returned once. He had constructed three more strategic-grade flying boats. However, to keep production costs down, he had not mounted max-level God-Slaying Cannons in all the turret slots, outfitting them instead with only a few lower-grade ones. The cost was relatively modest. Counting the ghost stones stocked inside, each flying boat cost only about two hundred thousand ghost stones to build. He had divided all members of the Commerce Pavilion into four teams and dispatched them to conduct a carpet search across the New Continent for ancient battlefields and anomalous sites. Over the past few days, he had also made several circuits across the land, erecting two signal towers along the perimeter of the existing coverage zone and expanding their communications range once more. Everything was advancing in an orderly fashion. Over these seven days, the ghost stones and ghost bones in front of the first defense line had been largely cleared by the monkeys—though, of course, that was only the section around Outpost No. 1. The first defense line stretched for hundreds of kilometers. And across that vast span, ghost stones and ghost bones lay heaped in mounds. To strip all the ghost stones and bones across all seven defense lines would take years to measure. Even more external members of Fan Domain shuttled endlessly among the offshore islands. Huge consignments of ghost stones were loaded onto sea ships, brought back to New Continent Outpost No. 1, and then ferried through the undersea tunnel to Fan Domain. The New Continent, once desolate and barren of human presence, had gradually grown lively with the arrival of Fan Domain. A breath of human life had returned to it. Now that things were on track, it was time for him to head back. Chen Fan lingered a while longer, watching, before turning and stepping down from the wall toward the rail station. "Let's go, Shao Qiu. Time to go home." Quehou was staying behind to oversee operations as the lead director of the New Continent extraction. Chen Fan needed an absolute confidant stationed here, and Quehou fit the bill perfectly. He trusted Quehou, just as Quehou trusted him. He had three primary objectives for this trip back. First, to prepare for the approaching rainy season. It was already early October; if the rains arrived on schedule, Jiangbei would see them by early November. Second, manpower was critically short. Although he had brought along more than a thousand external members, it was far from enough. He needed vastly more hands. Third, the single undersea rail line fell terribly short of their needs. Lately, fully loaded trains ran by day, and empty cars returned to Outpost No. 1 by night. This bottleneck severely choked transport efficiency; the warehouses at Outpost No. 1 were packed near bursting. He needed to lay a second track. Fortunately, the undersea tunnel Weiwei had excavated was quite broad, and Chen Fan had deliberately laid the copper pipes along one edge when he first came through. There was plenty of room to lay a second line without requiring Weiwei to widen the passage. Soon, after passing a few instructions to Quehou, Chen Fan left Outpost No. 1 and entered the rail station with Shao Qiu. Rather than boarding the train beside them that was loaded and ready to return, he waited until it pulled out before boarding an empty car. The high-speed rail car crept into motion, moving at a modest pace. As it rolled forward through the undersea tunnel, Chen Fan laid copper pipes rapidly along the adjoining side. Laying copper pipe was simple enough: it required only his gaze paired with his intent. Wherever his eyes fell, a single thought would set down a stretch of copper pipe. But if the train moved too quickly, his eyes could hardly keep up. The train naturally had to crawl while laying track. Consequently, during the installation, the rail line was completely shut down to prevent rear-end collisions from incoming trains. Only after the new line was fully laid would the undersea tunnel reopen for traffic. Two days passed. Over those two days, Chen Fan laid pipe almost without sleep or rest. Time was money; there was none to waste. Accompanying him in the car, Shao Qiu had grown restless with anxiety. The Domain Master was working himself to the bone, and standing idly by made Shao Qiu squirm with unease. He desperately wanted to help, yet there was nothing he could do. So he chose to stay awake as well. He had nothing to do without sleep, but at least it demonstrated his loyalty. If the Domain Master was toiling away while he slept soundly in the carriage, he might lose not just his post as Pavilion Master, but his head as well. Finally, after two days of ceaseless work, the train climbed up a steep, ninety-degree vertical ascent. It came to a gentle halt on the surface. Glaring sunlight stung Chen Fan's eyes, making them hard to open. Having gone so long without seeing the sun, he furrowed his brows and shielded his eyes, looking around. He had arrived at the Eternal Night Continent—Fan Domain Port. Finally... he was finally home. Glancing behind him into the tunnel shaft, two rail lines ran side by side in perfect order. From now on, their transit capacity would increase dramatically: one line carrying freight, the other returning empty cars, running around the clock without pause. "Not bad." Looking back at the two neat tracks descending into the deep shaft, Chen Fan felt much of the fatigue from the past few days melt away. A smile touched his lips. It truly gave a sense of accomplishment. Such a massive undertaking, finished by his hands alone. Only then did he take a closer look at his surroundings. Things looked somewhat unfamiliar. The rail exit at the port had once been bare, but it was now enclosed inside a grand hall. The ceiling rose seven meters above the floor, and decorative greenery and fixtures had been arranged throughout. They served no practical purpose, but they lent the place vibrancy and made it look far more legitimate. "Domain Master." Wang Kui, who had been waiting there with a team, hurried forward. "Mm." Chen Fan gave Wang Kui a slight nod and spoke in a low voice. "Notify the New Continent that the undersea tunnel is officially open for two-way operations. I'm going to get some sleep. If anything comes up, wait until I wake." "Understood." Chen Fan boarded his familiar Nine-Five Dragon Carriage and rode back to Fan Domain. Reaching Camp No. 1, he walked into his personal wooden cabin and collapsed onto his familiar bed. Without lingering a single moment, he sank straight into a heavy slumber. He had worked himself half to death over this stretch. No matter what, he needed to sleep. Not even heaven itself could stop him. Chen Fan slept for a full day and night. By mid-morning the next day, thoroughly refreshed, he changed into clean clothes and sat on his familiar rocking chair atop the ramparts of Camp No. 1. He casually browsed through a jade slip in his hands while listening to Wang Kui's report. Down in the camp, members of Fan Domain hurried back and forth. Fan Domain was no longer the little band of a dozen people it had once been. Many of the members bustled below were faces he had never even seen. "Domain Master," Wang Kui reported, holding up a jade slip. "At present, Fan Domain's warehouses hold a reserve of 51,320,000 ghost stones. By our initial estimates, our reserves have surpassed the combined total of every faction in the four regions of Jiangbei. "Of course, that does not account for the reclusive families. We still have no clear measure of their true wealth. "Over this past period, Fan Domain's expansion has proceeded entirely according to your plans and projections. Revenue from the high-speed rail sector has seen a modest decline, and daily returns from the Silk Road trade have also been tapering off." "Mm." Chen Fan nodded slightly without showing disappointment. Setting aside the jade slip he had finished reading, he kept his head down and remarked casually, "Only so many people across the four regions of Jiangbei can afford a Skeleton Horse. Those who can't afford one wouldn't buy it even if it were priced at a thousand ghost stones. "The market has its limits. Once it's saturated, returns naturally taper off. "Besides, how is the reserve only at fifty-odd million? We were nearing fifty million several days ago, and the New Continent must have sent over plenty of ghost stones recently, right?" Wang Kui smiled. "Domain Master, I saved that part to give you a surprise. "Over the past seven days, over a dozen rail cars have shuttled back and forth. The New Continent has sent over a full 1,970,000 ghost stones. They've already been warehoused, but haven't been added into that fifty-million figure yet. "It's just... I wonder how many ghost stones remain to be mined on the New Continent." Wang Kui was naturally delighted. Just as Fan Domain's two primary revenue streams were slowing down, the New Continent had yielded two million ghost stones in a mere seven days. Wouldn't that mean eight million a month? That was ninety million a year. It was an astronomical sum. "How many remain?" Chen Fan raised an eyebrow. He had never really considered the question. Nor did he know the answer. He only knew that the ghost stones gathered recently came almost entirely from the area around the first defense line near New Continent Outpost No. 1, along with a few nearby islands. As for how much was left? He had no idea. He only knew how much they had dug. Well, they had barely scratched the surface. Even if there wasn't a single ancient battlefield further inland, the ghost stones scattered along the stretch of the seven hundred-kilometer defense lines would be enough to stuff Fan Domain to bursting. Not to mention, Wang Mazi had already discovered three ancient battlefields within the interior. All they lacked now was the workforce to dig it up. They lacked people. They lacked vehicles. They lacked time. He needed enough Skeleton Horses and flying boats. "How many members does Fan Domain have in total right now?" Chen Fan asked, bypassing the question. "A total of 2,379," Wang Kui answered without missing a beat. "Fan Domain currently has 2,379 members. Among them, 471 are formal members, including core members, and 1,908 are external members. "Presently, 1,268 of those external members have been deployed to the New Continent. "Last month's payroll across Fan Domain totaled 210,000 ghost stones." He recited the numbers without the slightest hesitation. Upon learning the Domain Master was returning, he had memorized the key figures front and back so he could provide immediate answers the moment he was asked, rather than having to flip through last month's ledgers on the spot. "Mm." Chen Fan furrowed his brows and pondered for a long moment before asking, "Can the remaining external members be reassigned?" "No..." Wang Kui hesitated. "Those external members, along with part of the formal roster, are mostly assigned to outposts, train operations, and similar duties. If they are pulled away, those stations and facilities will be left unattended." Chen Fan said nothing for a short while, then spoke. "The rainy season is almost here. "A lot of people are going to die again. "Put word out to the world: "Fan Domain is recruiting external members on a massive scale. Aim for a target of fifty thousand. What Fan Domain offers is not just a monthly wage, but shelter and safety through the rainy season." "Fifty thousand?" Wang Kui froze on the spot, stunned for several seconds. Across the entire four regions of Jiangbei, no single faction had ever commanded such numbers. Fan Domain's current roster of over two thousand already made it the largest faction in the region. To recruit another fifty thousand... Though he knew better than to question his superior's orders, he couldn't hold back. "Domain Master... To recruit fifty thousand new external members, the monthly payroll alone would require a million ghost stones. And if any of them are promoted to formal members, the strain on Fan Domain's future monthly payroll will be enormous. "Furthermore, recruiting fifty thousand people before the rainy season arrives leaves very little time. "We won't be able to properly vet them all. We won't be able to weed out spies planted by other factions or opportunists with ulterior motives. It could easily muddy Fan Domain from within." Fan Domain had developed its own internal culture and values, which drove its healthy growth. If such a massive wave flooded in at once, Fan Domain wouldn't assimilate them—they would pollute Fan Domain. The danger that posed was far greater than any payroll deficit. Once people's hearts scattered, the team could no longer be led. Seated on the rocking chair, Chen Fan turned to look at Wang Kui and said calmly, "All fifty thousand will be dispatched to the New Continent to focus on mining operations. "Special circumstances call for special measures. "The New Continent is far too vast. Our current workforce is nowhere near enough to exploit it. We need more hands. Until the mining is finished, they will remain completely cut off from the outside world; no one will be able to leak word outside. "It just so happens that this period will allow us to thoroughly filter through them. "Once the extraction is done, the survivors will be seasoned and dependable. "Wang Kui, the ghost tide landing three years from now will be the greatest battle Fan Domain has ever faced. Relying on our current numbers is far from enough. We need more people. "Coordinate with the Logistics Pavilion to handle this. Gather enough people before the rainy season and ship them to the New Continent." "Understood." Wang Kui nodded with solemn resolve. After Wang Kui took his leave, Chen Fan turned his gaze toward the Sinkhole Camp outside the wall. His memory was sharp; he clearly recalled that a few months ago, a pseudo-human ghost had slipped into Fan Domain carrying a forged ancient text inscribed with a single line: *Late in the 382nd year of the Eternal Night Calendar, in Jiangbei, the Nether Ghost Tide shall make landfall without ceasing. Utmost calamity.* The moment he saw that line, he understood: some great ghost did not want him staying in Jiangbei and was trying to scare him away. He had not left. Since the entity could not reach Jiangbei outside of the rainy season, it would surely come once the rains fell. That was precisely why he had rushed back to Jiangbei in early October: to bolster Fan Domain's defenses. Under normal circumstances, the rainy season arrived in early November. Yet no one could say for certain whether it might come early once again. Having had a good rest, he felt revitalized. Time to get to work. The next instant— The wall beneath him suddenly began to squirm, unrooting itself from deep underground and shifting over to the Sinkhole Camp. Immediately after, every segment of the wall was uniformly upgraded to Level 7. And that was not all. At the far end of this twenty-one-meter-long rampart, phantom outlines of additional wall segments materialized one after another, rapidly solidifying as they traced through the canyon and extended beyond the perimeter of Nameless Mountain. The ancient Jiangbei defense line spanned 170 kilometers. However, constructing a wall to completely enclose Nameless Mountain, Fan City, Sunset City, and Fan Domain Port required only 10.8 kilometers. He intended to build a 14.8-kilometer wall first, encircling the foundation he had carved out to see them safely through this rainy season. Under the legendary qualitative change effect, "Great Wall of Ten Thousand Li," these walls could seamlessly merge into the larger Jiangbei defense line in the future. Before the astonished eyes of Fan Domain's members, segment after segment of wall solidified in rapid succession, surging out of the canyon and following the coastline into the distance until they vanished from sight. With 148,000 ghost stones poured in, a 14.8-kilometer Level 1 wall fully materialized. With 740,000 ghost stones poured in, the wall along this defense line reached Level 2. Every wall segment gained the same qualitative change effect: *Thorn Spikes (Common): All walls connected to this wall segment shall gain the Thorn Spikes effect. Before reaching the wall's maximum tolerance, a small fraction of an enemy's attack strength will be reflected back onto the attacker.* With each upgrade, the dragon-like wall underwent massive transformations, rising taller and broader. Standing on the rampart, Chen Fan watched with a composed expression, his heart undisturbed by the slightest ripple. Continue. Another 7,400,000 ghost stones were poured in. All wall segments reached Level 3, and he uniformly selected Ghost Blood Patterns. Identical patterns radiating eerie energy spread across the entire wall, presenting a breathtaking spectacle as far as the eye could see. Level 3 walls? Not enough. He didn't know the full strength of that great ghost, but he knew one truth above all: he would rather overprepare than fail to hold the line. Continue. Another 14,800,000 ghost stones poured in. All wall segments reached Level 4. And every wall gained the same qualitative change effect: *Great Wall of Ten Thousand Li (Legendary): All walls connected to this wall segment shall gain this qualitative change effect. The wall may move freely within the camp perimeter like a sprawling dragon.* Still not enough. Another 29,600,000 ghost stones poured in. All wall segments reached Level 5. This time, he uniformly selected the third upgrade path for every wall: *3: No-Fly. Before the wall is destroyed, no living creature may fly over it.* Only then did he draw things to a close. Looking upon the dragon-like wall, standing twenty meters high and stretching 14.8 kilometers long, Chen Fan broke into a grin. This was the foundation he had accumulated over all these days. This wall would boast a unified set of upgrades: Thorn Spikes, Ghost Blood Patterns, Great Wall of Ten Thousand Li, and No-Fly. It was a pity so few ancient records survived from antiquity. Otherwise, he would have loved to see whether any faction in the entire history of the Eternal Night Continent had ever built a wall like this. It wasn't merely about reaching Level 5. It was about having every single upgrade path align in total harmony. During the upgrade process, seven different prompts for qualitative change upgrade paths had appeared. The probability of triggering a qualitative change was exceedingly low, but he was building on a massive scale. Quantity, pushed far enough, always induced qualitative change. After inspecting them, he dismantled every wall segment that had triggered a separate qualitative change prompt. When a qualitative change path popped up, it meant he couldn't choose the structure's innate upgrade option, such as No-Fly. For instance, one qualitative change path had been: *Qualitative Change (Nourish Back - Rare): Drastically reduces wall defense, but drastically increases wall recovery speed. All walls connected to this wall segment shall gain this effect.* All seven qualitative change paths that appeared were mediocre; their effects did not appeal to him. He demolished them immediately and rebuilt. Had any of them been a truly desirable qualitative change, he would have preserved that segment and rebuilt around the gap. The qualitative changes he favored were those that propagated to all connected wall segments, like Thorn Spikes and Great Wall of Ten Thousand Li. He could never have too many of those. The more, the better. However, aside from Nourish Back, the other six upgrade paths applied only to an isolated wall segment. What good was that? And the only one that could affect all connected walls happened to be useless to him. Standing on the rampart and gazing at the sprawling, dragon-like wall, Chen Fan felt a surge of pride, immediately followed by a pang of heartache. This wall had consumed a staggering 52,688,000 ghost stones. Over fifty million! Building it had felt magnificent, but Fan Domain's vaults were practically emptied in an instant. The warehouses that had once been brimming with ghost stones were now reduced to a meager, hollow layer—barely six hundred thousand ghost stones remained. He couldn't even cover the payroll. He hadn't even begun building cannon towers and other logistical support structures yet; those would have to wait until ghost stones arrived from the New Continent. Even so, he couldn't help laughing. The ancient Jiangbei defense line had been Level 4. His wall now stood uniformly at Level 5. He looked forward to seeing the great ghost's expression once the rainy season descended. Come attack. Please, attack! Put your back into it, and don't hold anything back! Moreover, from this moment on, the skies above Fan Domain were placed under a complete no-fly zone. No ghost creature, nor any flying boat, could cross the airspace of Fan Domain. Chen Fan turned and walked back into the camp to continue upgrading. Although only six hundred thousand ghost stones remained, it was plenty to upgrade basic structures. The next thing he intended to upgrade was the ghost fire—a structure that hadn't seen an upgrade in a very long time. While the legendary qualitative change effect, Great Wall of Ten Thousand Li, allowed the wall to move freely, it was confined within the camp's boundaries. He needed to expand the camp's perimeter. The main ghost fire in the camp was currently Level 5, providing a camp boundary of one thousand meters in diameter. After expending five hundred ghost stones, the ghost fire reached Level 6. A panel materialized before him: *Ghost fire upgraded to Level 6. Safe zone expanded to 2,000 meters in diameter. Deterrence against ghost creatures enhanced.* *Please select an upgrade path:* *1: Reduce resource consumption of cannon towers within the camp perimeter.* *2: Enhance deterrence against ghost creatures.* *3: Slightly reduce crop maturation time.* Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Fan picked the first option. What was there to deliberate? Deterrence? That was practically useless. Outside the rainy season, ghost creatures wouldn't rush a ghost fire anyway; even against a Level 1 flame, they rarely dared charge in. But during the rainy season, even if deterrence were maxed out, they would swarm all the same. Continue. In truth, upgrading most white-grade structures cost very little. Raising the ghost fire from Level 5 to Level 6 took only five hundred ghost stones. Even the walls didn't cost an absurd amount individually; it was just that he had built them exceptionally long and in massive numbers. Reaching Level 6 required no special treasures, but reaching Level 7 was a different matter. *Note: Upgrading to Level 7 requires 1,000 ghost stones and any one heavenly material or earthly treasure, such as Ghost Grass, Seven-Star Grass, etc.* He immediately sent a voice transmission to Wang Kui, asking if the warehouse held the required treasures. Wang Kui answered affirmatively. Moments later, Wang Kui came jogging out from a nearby warehouse holding a box. Inside lay a stalk of spirit grass with seven star-like markings across its leaves. "Very good." Chen Fan gave a slight smile. It seemed Fan Domain's recent initiative to stockpile rare materials had borne fruit. Why had he gathered so many treasures they had no immediate use for? For moments like this. When an upgrade called for a rare material, they could draw it straight from the warehouse rather than scrambling to buy it. By the time you hunted one down, the chance would have slipped by, assuming you could even find it in time. Most importantly, the price of an urgent purchase was completely different from a leisurely one. Acquired at leisure, such an item might cost two thousand ghost stones. But under emergency demand, the price was anyone's guess. Besides, no heavenly material or earthly treasure ever went to waste; it was only a matter of using it sooner or later. With one thousand ghost stones and the Seven-Star Grass cast in, the camp's main ghost fire successfully reached Level 7. *Ghost fire upgraded to Level 7. Safe zone expanded to 3,000 meters in diameter. Deterrence against ghost creatures enhanced.* *Please select an upgrade path:* *1: Expand camp perimeter to 5,000 meters in diameter.* *2: Enhance deterrence against ghost creatures.* *3: Slightly reduce crop maturation time.* *Note: Upgrading to Level 8 requires 3,000 ghost stones and any one heavenly material or earthly treasure, such as Black Soul Worm, Dog Flower, etc.* He naturally took the first option. With a five-thousand-meter diameter, Fan Domain's main ghost fire now blanketed the entirety of Nameless Mountain. "Do we have those?" Chen Fan turned to Wang Kui, rattling off a string of material names. "Yes, we do, we do!" Soon, Wang Kui returned carrying four boxes. One held a Black Soul Worm, another a Dog Flower, and the remaining two held other eligible treasures. Upgrading the ghost fire to Level 8 required three thousand ghost stones plus any one of seven listed treasures. As it turned out, Fan Domain's warehouse held four of those seven. It was the first time Chen Fan had ever fought such an abundant battle. Back when he upgraded the cannon towers, the system had listed numerous compatible treasures, but he had possessed only the mourning lantern and nothing else. Now, he found himself faced with an embarrassment of riches. Which one should he use? "Which treasure does the warehouse have the most of?" "Black Soul Worms. We have seven stalks in stock. They were sold by a clan from Jiangxi; we acquired the whole lot for a bundle price of ten thousand ghost stones," Wang Kui reported promptly. All material purchases required formal appraisals. Anything exceeding a certain threshold required approval from higher-ups: purchases over ten thousand ghost stones went through Wang Kui, and anything exceeding fifty thousand required the Domain Master's personal consent. This safeguard prevented Fan Domain personnel from colluding with outsiders to inflate prices. "Then we'll use this one." Chen Fan took the box, picked out the Black Soul Worm, and tossed it into the ghost fire. It felt squishy to the touch, like an insect, but it was actually a plant. It resembled an enlarged cordyceps—thicker, darker, longer, and softer. Once three thousand ghost stones and the Black Soul Worm were fed in, the ghost fire rose to Level 8. *Ghost fire upgraded to Level 8. Safe zone expanded to 8,000 meters in diameter. Deterrence against ghost creatures enhanced.* *Please select an upgrade path:* *1: Expand camp perimeter to 10,000 meters in diameter.* *2: Enhance deterrence against ghost creatures.* *3: Slightly reduce crop maturation time.* *Note: Upgrading to Level 9 requires 5,000 ghost stones and any two heavenly materials or earthly treasures, such as Black Soul Worm, Dog Flower, etc.* "'Slightly' again?" Chen Fan sighed. "It's already Level 8, and you're still giving me 'slightly reduces crop maturation time'? If you threw in 'drastically,' maybe I'd give it some thought." He immediately chose the first path again. The camp perimeter reached ten thousand meters in diameter. In truth, this area was already plenty large. His 14.8-kilometer wall was only 14,800 meters long; the width of this camp perimeter was almost as broad as the wall stretched out flat. Still, since he was already upgrading the ghost fire and possessed the matching materials, he might as well push it straight to max level. As for the enlarged area increasing the daily ghost stone upkeep from one stone to five hundred, that was negligible to him. The daily consumption of the high-speed rail exceeded that by far. It was entirely acceptable. Soon, after tossing in another five thousand ghost stones and two Black Soul Worms, a new panel appeared: *Ghost fire upgraded to Level 9. Safe zone expanded to 15,000 meters in diameter. Deterrence against ghost creatures enhanced.* *Please select an upgrade path:* *1: Reduce resource consumption of cannon towers within the camp perimeter.* *2: Enhance deterrence against ghost creatures.* *3: Slightly reduce crop maturation time.* *Note: Upgrading to Level 10 requires 10,000 ghost stones and any one heavenly material or earthly treasure, such as Sea Embryo, Mountain Embryo, etc.* He chose the first option. The camp boundary expanded to 15,000 meters across. That was larger than Jiangbei City itself. The modest eggshell of the past had grown into an enormous dome. Looking at the requirements, he curled his lip. "Fetch me a Sea Embryo from the warehouse." Having used this many rare materials already, he wouldn't scrimp on a Sea Embryo. Besides, he wanted to see what the ghost fire's max-level effect would be. Moments later, with the Sea Embryo and ten thousand ghost stones cast inside, Fan Domain's main ghost fire attained Level 10. A panel materialized before him: *Ghost fire upgraded to Level 10.* *Maximum level reached. Further upgrades unavailable.* *Gained max-level effect: Sovereign Descent. Your ghost fire shall draw energy from the darkness of night, requiring no daily ghost stone upkeep. When you kindle ghost fire across all regions of an entire continent, you shall unlock the special reward: Sovereign Descent.* Chen Fan raised an eyebrow and broke into a wide grin. At Level 10, the daily upkeep would have been one thousand ghost stones. While he could easily afford it, getting it for free was naturally better. Who didn't like free things? At the same time, the camp's safe zone expanded to twenty thousand meters across. As for the second part of the prompt, he disregarded it entirely. Blanket an entire continent in ghost fire and illuminate every single region? Setting aside what godlike prowess that would require, upgrading each to Level 10 demanded a Sea Embryo. The Dead Sea would need to churn them out by the thousands for him to amass enough Sea Embryos to build that many fires. What reward could ever offset that kind of cost? He ignored the line completely. For now, it was impossible anyway. If he had the capability down the road, he could reconsider whether to claim that reward. With the ghost fire fully upgraded to Level 10, the 14.8-kilometer wall began shifting rapidly across the wasteland, enclosing the entirety of Nameless Mountain, Fan City, Sunset City, and the port within its perimeter. It formed a colossal barrier of ramparts. Every segment stood twenty meters tall. At the gates of Fan City, merchants from various trade associations stood watching the spectacle across the wilderness, completely dumbfounded. As word spread, more and more people poured out from Fan City to watch. Chen Fan made no effort to hide it from them. After all, this was not an undersea tunnel. Concealing a project of this scale from everyone was practically impossible. Qi Feng, the young valley master of Medicine King Valley, stood by the gates of Fan City, staring into the distance in shock. He gazed at the colossal wall enclosing a vast swath of the Jiangbei wasteland. That wall had to be at least Level 4 or Level 5. He had never seen ramparts so towering. He knew the rainy season was fast approaching, and every faction was busy preparing for it. He could understand Fan Domain preparing for the rains—that was only natural. But wasn't this preparation taking things a bit too far? This didn't look like preparing for the rainy season at all! This posture looked as if they were gearing up to reinforce the front lines directly! He had vaguely heard rumors...