Black Tortoise Cannon

The Yellow Springs Mouth Defense Line was a Level 6 fortification. Normally, that would have been plenty. After all, according to the tactical simulations run by Eternal Night Hall, the Yellow Springs Mouth Defense Line was an inland line. Its primary role was to hold back any ghost tide that swarmed onto Xihuang Island if the island itself fell. Level 7 was a massive threshold. To raise a wall to Level 7, every upgrade of each stretch required an exotic treasure of the earth, such as a monkey-head fruit. The expenditure was considerable. Under normal circumstances, Level 6 ought to have sufficed. Yet during the last attack, when the ghost tide had infiltrated from the hinterlands, the defenses had failed to hold them back. There was no helping that. One could hardly upgrade every defense line to Level 10 just to prepare for freak contingencies; Eternal Night Hall simply did not possess that kind of capability. And now, in mere moments... They watched as a Level 7 defense line rose into existence before their eyes, summoned by Fan Domain out of thin air. Every defender stationed along the Yellow Springs Mouth Defense Line and every builder on site climbed onto the battlements, staring blankly at the spectacle before them. It hit them like a shockwave. An absolute dimensional strike. Chen Fan, meanwhile, was riding the high of upgrading. Standing atop the ramparts, he watched ghost stones dissolve into liquid and surge through copper pipes into the wall, accompanied by a ceaseless stream of monkey-head fruits brought in by high-speed rail that melted straight into the stone. The Fan Domain Yellow Springs Mouth Defense Line upgraded once more! Level 8! Level 9! Level 10! In the blink of an eye, after consuming 2.58 billion ghost stones and 243,000 monkey-head fruits, this twenty-seven-kilometer stretch of the Fan Domain Yellow Springs Mouth Defense Line was pushed straight to Level 10! Towering two hundred meters high, it stood directly in front of the old defensive barrier. Behind it, the original thirty-meter-tall Yellow Springs Mouth Defense Line looked as delightfully quaint as an ornament on a shelf. The line's upgrade was complete, but there was still work to be done. Standing on the battlements, Chen Fan looked at the copper pipes lining the wall. With a thought, he phased most of them into an illusory state, leaving them hovering over the surface of the stone to connect the ghost fire altars to the wall. Before this, all pipe-laying in Fan Domain had to be done by his own hand. But that was far too inefficient. As Fan Domain grew larger and larger, relying on him alone to lay pipes would take until the end of time. And so, he had forged a vast stockpile of copper pipes in the warehouse, spending the past six months having Fan Domain members lay tracks for the high-speed rail. When he laid pipes, a simple thought could sink them a meter into the ground without turning a shovel of dirt. Fan Domain members, on the other hand, had to dig trenches, lay the pipes, and backfill the earth. It looked far slower than his method. But... Fan Domain had numbers on its side. By taking a stretch of track, splitting it into multiple points, working across several segments at once, and finally joining them together, their overall pace wasn't much slower than his. When Chen Fan laid pipes himself, he could shape them at will—curves, right angles, and whatever else was needed. The domain members couldn't do that. His solution had been to manufacture a variety of specialized copper pipe shapes and store them in the warehouse, allowing the workers to take whatever they needed. With that, he freed himself from the grunt work. Only installations like sky rails—which required illusory copper pipes—still demanded his personal touch. Nearly all other pipe-laying could now be delegated to the domain's workforce. Even laying pipes along the battlements was no exception. In the past, copper pipes had to be buried inside the walls so the stone could shield them. Now that they could be turned illusory, there was no need for such protection. Furthermore, structures like altars, ghost fire, Soul-Devouring Sculptures, and Heaven-Reaching Pillars were all movable, so he had already manufactured batches of them in advance in the warehouse. The result was what they saw today. Whenever he built a defense line, he only needed to erect the initial framework. A steady stream of Fan Domain members would then arrive by high-speed rail with supplies, completing the entire fortification around it. In a sense, it was like a prefabricated defense line. Everything was manufactured at home, then hauled over to be assembled on-site. It was nothing like building everything from scratch on the spot. Back when he had constructed the Jiangbei Defense Line, it had taken an eternity. Across all one hundred and seventy kilometers, he had labored alone, working until his arms were completely sore. He had known back then that such a workflow was flawed. Over the past six months, he had refined the process. And from the look of it... the results were quite good. Chen Fan looked at the Logistics Pavilion members who were already marking off zones along the ramparts and beyond. Nodding with satisfaction, he began constructing the fortifications. Standard operating procedure. Fan Domain had its own style when outfitting a defense line. God-Slaying Cannons every twenty meters: 1,350 emplacements in total. Anti-Air Cannons every one hundred meters: 270 emplacements in total. The God-Slaying Cannons cost fifty-one million ghost stones in total. The Anti-Air Cannons cost ten million ghost stones in total. The entire process went off without a hitch. Before long, all defensive emplacements along the twenty-seven kilometers of the Fan Domain Yellow Springs Mouth Defense Line were completed. Next came the main event. Chen Fan looked at the rather ostentatious Black Tortoise Cannon on his Eternal Night Lord panel and broke into a grin. More than half a year ago, when he went to Eternal Night Western Black Tortoise Front No. 1, his greatest haul had been this blue-grade defense structure! The Black Tortoise Cannon! Over the past six months, one of his primary tasks had been gathering the exotic treasures needed to upgrade it. They were difficult to procure, but having established ties with Eternal Night Hall, he had managed to secure quite a few with Old Qiu's assistance. A moment later, a Black Tortoise Cannon composed of glowing white lines abruptly manifested high in the sky. The sight was majestic, as though an immortal had descended from the heavens. Its outward form was far larger than the Giant Tortoise. It did not solidify. Instead, it dispersed into countless translucent geometric shapes that constantly broke apart and reassembled in midair. Finally— those translucent shapes settled in orderly rows over the surface of the Fan Domain Yellow Springs Mouth Defense Line, protruding from the stone. They looked like decorative carvings, giving the wall an even heavier, more imposing presence. Indeed. There was no visible cannon barrel. It had dissolved into the structure itself. Structure Name: Black Tortoise Cannon. Grade: Blue. Level: 10. Structure Effect: Fortification. Max-Level Effect: Black Tortoise Manifestation: One of the Four Divine Cannons. If all four divine cannons are constructed, they can fuse into the Heavenly Dao Cannon. Chen Fan smiled as he read the description on his Eternal Night Lord panel. This was the first time he had built a max-level Black Tortoise Cannon, mostly because the weapon was remarkably picky. It could only be mounted on a Level 10 defense line. Lower-level walls couldn't support it at all. He walked outside the defense line. Standing in the open, he tilted his head to look up at the ancient stones protruding from the surface of the two-hundred-meter wall spanning the mountain pass. The translucent shapes had settled into bas-reliefs resembling weathered stone. Nothing about them resembled an artillery piece. Reaching into his robes, he produced a Heavenly Dao Stone, weighed it in his palm, and took a deep breath. Bending like a drawn bow, he hurled it outward. A moment later, another panel popped up before his eyes. You have used a Heavenly Dao Stone on the Black Tortoise Cannon and received three Heavenly Dao Blessing effects. Please choose one within one hundred breaths. A structure may only possess one Heavenly Dao Blessing effect. 1: Heavenly Dao Blessing (Soul of the Black Tortoise): The resource consumption of the Black Tortoise Cannon is greatly reduced. 2: Heavenly Dao Blessing (Black Tortoise Domain): All enemies entering the range of the Black Tortoise Cannon will be subjected to intense gravitational suppression. 3: Heavenly Dao Blessing (Death of the Black Tortoise): The destructive power of the Black Tortoise Cannon is slightly increased. "Hmm..." These were the two Heavenly Dao Stones he had kept from before, and he had now used one on the Black Tortoise Cannon. All three options were good. After a moment's thought, he selected the second effect: Black Tortoise Domain. It was essentially a crowd-control skill. He personally preferred not to choose effects that merely lowered resource consumption. Ghost stones could solve resource problems, but nothing could replace a unique utility effect. With his choice confirmed, he looked eagerly at the ancient stones studded across the wall, wondering if he ought to test a shot. This was the first Level 10 Black Tortoise Cannon he had ever built. It was also the very first one in Fan Domain. This structure was unique. Not only did it have no alternate upgrade branches—simply scaling in raw power, which was standard for high-end defenses—but more importantly, even before construction, the panel had clearly laid out all the required upgrade materials. It had also explicitly stated that whether at Level 1 or Level 10, it could only be mounted on a Level 10 wall. A thoughtful touch, really. It prevented someone from painstakingly building one only to find out they couldn't even place it. Consequently, he still had no idea just how powerful the cannon actually was. It had eaten up a massive amount of resources—five million ghost stones alone, plus over a dozen rare natural treasures. By comparison, a max-level God-Slaying Cannon cost less than forty thousand ghost stones. Just then— the transmission talisman at his chest vibrated, and Xiao Qiu's voice came through: "Domain Lord, a ghost tide is surging toward the defense line!" Chen Fan turned his gaze toward the distance. At the far edge of the ghost fire's light, familiar fleshy spheres were rolling across the ground with the wind. Their surfaces were covered in contorted human faces—some weeping, some laughing—rolling eerily toward his newly built defense line. A familiar sight. The flesh worm ghost tide that only appeared during the rainy season. "Perfect." He chuckled. He would use this flesh worm ghost tide to test its power. He needed a rough idea of its damage and consumption for future engagements anyway. Time to see what Fan Domain's only blue-grade fortification could do at max level. With a single order, the Fan Domain members who had been marking zones showed not the slightest hint of panic. Following their squad leaders, they took the hanging baskets straight to the top of the wall and lined the edge, peering out at the oncoming swarm of flesh worm ghosts. They chatted and laughed amongst themselves, showing no fear whatsoever. "Times really have changed." Standing on the battlements and overseeing frontline command, Logistics Pavilion Master Xiao Qiu looked down at the flesh worm ghost tide rolling toward the wall. From this height, they looked like a swarm of ants marching into a sky-reaching pillar. Once upon a time, whenever a flesh worm ghost tide struck during the rainy season, despair had gripped nearly everyone. Yet today, facing them again, the members who had joined Fan Domain later were laughing and joking, completely unaware that the Domain Lord himself had once nearly died at the hands of those very creatures. Chen Fan flew up in his flying boat, looking down at the rolling horde, and activated the Black Tortoise Cannon. The next instant— the ordinarily quiet copper pipes carrying ghost fire turned violently turbulent, visible torrents of liquefied ghost stones roaring through them! On the surface of the Fan Domain Yellow Springs Mouth Defense Line, the first ancient stone lit up, radiating a teal light. Then the second, the third, the fourth. In the blink of an eye, all 1,024 ancient stones embedded across the battlements illuminated in sequence, their arrangement outlining the form of a Black Tortoise across the entire wall. The Fan Domain Yellow Springs Mouth Defense Line stood across a break in the mountain ranges. Directly in front of it lay a colossal gorge. And right now, the flesh worm ghost tide was tumbling through this vast opening, hurtling toward the line. Then— every last stone flared with blinding brilliance. Boom! An invisible shockwave erupted from the base of the defense line, the rumble echoing like a colossal beast rolling over beneath the earth. Immediately after, the roar of a Black Tortoise reverberated between heaven and earth, shaking the soul. Every ancient stone fired a beam of teal light. As all 1,024 beams converged, a semi-translucent, teal Black Tortoise materialized in the sky. It raised its head and roared. The sound was so dense it rippled visible shockwaves through the air. A towering colossus. Like a tiger leaping into a flock of sheep, it plunged into the ghost tide. Every sweep of its massive paw flattened a swath of flesh worm ghosts, while the dying creatures' suicidal detonations were ignored entirely. The beast's footprint alone spanned hundreds of meters wide. Chen Fan, who had landed back on the battlements, watched intently. Without hesitation, he commanded the God-Slaying Cannons to fire upon the teal beast. Scores of cannons bombarded the creature in a relentless barrage. Yet, not a single scratch appeared on its body. The shells passed right through the translucent form and exploded among the ghost tide behind it. Just as he had surmised. The teal Black Tortoise was entirely immune to enemy attacks and equally immune to friendly fire from the defense line. Lacking a physical form, it existed in an illusory state, much like his phantom copper pipes. "Now that... is impressive..." Chen Fan murmured, a bit dazed. The Black Tortoise Cannon didn't fire an energy beam; it summoned an enormous, terrifyingly powerful, illusory Black Tortoise. It was inherently invincible. The only way it could perish was by exhausting its energy. It couldn't be killed. Of course, it wasn't particularly efficient against flesh worm ghosts; quite a few bypassed the creature and slammed into the base of the wall, bursting into showers of green slime. However, against massive ghost tides containing numerous Ghost Kings and great ghosts, it would be devastatingly useful. Putting himself in the ghost tide's shoes, encountering an unkillable behemoth while trying to siege a city would be an absolute nightmare. Meanwhile, as the flesh worm ghosts approached the wall, their movements slowed dramatically, as if played back at half speed. The gravitational effect of the Black Tortoise Domain was taking hold. "Very good!" Chen Fan smiled. Whether it was truly great depended on the cost. Checking his Eternal Night Lord panel, he saw that this single activation had cost one million ghost stones. Not bad at all. Cheaper than he had feared. Furthermore, the panel clearly stated that the Black Tortoise Cannon had no cooldown and could be fired at any time. In other words, as long as he had enough ghost stones, firing it a hundred times simultaneously would unleash a hundred illusory teal Black Tortoises to trample the ghost tide. Soon, the flesh worm ghosts were wiped out. Having lost its targets, the teal Black Tortoise lingered on the ground, standing idle for a long while before slowly fading into the air. "Two incense sticks." Chen Fan glanced at the pair of incense sticks that had burned down beside him. The summon lasted roughly that long, which was quite durable. Still, he had yet to see its peak combat strength, or whether it could take down a great ghost. A pity there wasn't one around to test on. By now, every section of the Fan Domain Yellow Springs Mouth Defense Line was fully outfitted, and the domain members reassigned here had taken their posts. Even the mess hall had lit its fires. The defense line was ready for full-scale operation. Copper pipes linked this stronghold directly to Nameless Mountain. Whether ghost stones or reinforcements via high-speed rail, everything could arrive without delay. There was only one problem left. Who should take charge of this defense line? The pavilion masters were out of the question; they held vital roles across Fan Domain and didn't have the bandwidth to stay here. Low-ranking members wouldn't do either. The commander of a defense line required ample administrative skill, logistical experience, mental fortitude, and the ability to make rapid decisions in emergencies. They also needed a firm grasp of the grand situation on the Eternal Night Continent and Fan Domain's present circumstances. Such a person was not easy to find. Fan Domain simply hadn't existed long enough, and its talent pool remained limited. Aloft the Fan Domain Yellow Springs Mouth Defense Line, celebrating the establishment of Fan Domain's second defensive barrier, the core leadership had gathered. Aside from Wang Kui, who stayed behind at Nameless Mountain to coordinate logistics, nearly every pavilion master was present. "Speak up. Who gets command of this line?" Chen Fan looked at his gathered pavilion masters. These were the core members of Fan Domain. The loss of any one of them would be a heavy blow, which was why their security details were always top-tier. "Why not..." Qi Chong ventured hesitantly, "let the original commander of the Yellow Springs Mouth Defense Line run it?" "He might seem a bit stubborn—refusing to open the gates even when the Domain Lord himself arrived—but that kind of temperament is actually a virtue in a commander. In my view, that's precisely what a line commander needs to be. Even with a powerful foe at the gates, they shouldn't open up without direct orders from their superior." "Hmm..." Chen Fan pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "No. Fan Domain is about to take over Defense Line No. 7. The Yellow Springs Mouth line and Defense Line No. 7 are both vital to Xihuang Island and Fan Domain." "They determine whether our home base is secure." "Only when our rear is fortified like an iron barrel can Fan Domain operate out in the open without hesitation, doing whatever we please." "Therefore," "the commanders of these two lines must be thoroughly trustworthy and possess a solid understanding of how Fan Domain operates. If you put him in charge, he wouldn't even know how much a God-Slaying Cannon consumes or how fast our logistics can move. He'd be completely in the dark." "Still," "you have a point. The man did command the Yellow Springs Mouth line, after all. We should recruit him first as part of our talent reserve." With that, Chen Fan pulled out a Mother-Child Stone and contacted Old Qiu. Once the connection was established, he cleared his throat. "Old Qiu, I need a few people from you." "Name them, and they're yours!" Old Qiu's hearty laughter echoed through the stone. "Thanks to you, this old man gets showered with praise wherever I go in Eternal Night Hall. Frontlines everywhere are envious of Fan Domain's aid to Eternal Night Western Black Tortoise Front No. 1." "They keep asking me when they'll get to bask in Fan Domain's glory too." "You've made quite a name for yourself in the hall, lad." "However..." "the ghost race has taken note of you as well. Prepare yourself as best you can. If you need anything, tell the hall, and we'll do whatever we can to help. Don't let your guard down. You may only be shipping grain, which seems trivial to them, but who knows when the ghost race might go mad and come after you again." "Naturally." Chen Fan glanced down at the Level 10 wall beneath his feet. "Don't worry. I still remember what you told me before you left: protect yourself first before trying to protect the Eternal Night Continent." "I'm doing everything I can to stay safe." "It just doesn't feel like enough yet." "Which is why I'd like a few hands from Eternal Night Hall." "Name them." "Seventh Elder, commander of Defense Line No. 7, and the commander of the Yellow Springs Mouth Defense Line. Hand both of them over to Fan Domain." Silence fell on the other end of the stone. After a long pause, Old Qiu's voice returned. "Domain Lord Chen, that would leave both lines completely without leadership..." "Fan Domain will take over both lines." "Are you saying the commander of the Yellow Springs Mouth line will command your new Fan Domain Yellow Springs Mouth Defense Line?" "Something like that," Chen Fan replied evasively. "Actually, I've been meaning to ask: the Yellow Springs Mouth line is Level 6. Is your new line stronger than that?" "Naturally." "Then why didn't you just build on top of the existing Yellow Springs Mouth line? I could easily hand that line over to Fan Domain." "Its foundation is too weak." Chen Fan curled his lip. A defense line without uniform Ghost Blood Patterns had virtually no growth potential. Level 10 was the ceiling for a wall. On the New Continent, all seven Level 10 walls had fallen. If he wanted his fortifications to hold, the only path was to raise their upper limit. Since Level 11 was unreachable, Ghost Blood Patterns became crucial. In truth, any Level 10 wall lacking Ghost Blood Patterns wasn't truly a max-level line. It fell short of greatness and lacked growth potential. After another lengthy silence, Old Qiu spoke again: "Personnel transfers aren't within the authority of the Western Operations Group, especially for overall commanders of defense lines." "However..." "the Master of the Western Strategy Hall happens to be having a drink with me right now. He oversees personnel. Let me pass him the stone and see what he says..." Before Old Qiu could finish, a distinctly older, urgent voice broke through the stone: "Domain Lord Chen, I've already heard about the Soul-Devouring Sculptures you supplied to Eternal Night Western Black Tortoise Front No. 1 tonight." "Not supplied. Sold." "Fine, sold! One hundred thousand ghost stones each, correct? What I want to know is... can you supply those Soul-Devouring Sculptures to other western fronts as well?" "Those structures are vital to us." "Of course I can, but it will take some time." "Deal!" The raspy voice snapped back with absolute finality. "They're yours! Everyone at Defense Line No. 7 and the Yellow Springs Mouth line is yours! The fortifications are yours too! From now on, all of Xihuang Island belongs to Fan Domain! I'll issue the order immediately!" Click. The connection was severed before Chen Fan could even reply. Chen Fan's mouth twitched. The frontlines must truly be under terrible strain if even grand figures like that were resorting to such petty maneuvers. He had only asked for two men. Yet the hall had dumped everyone on him. Clearly, Eternal Night Hall could no longer keep those lines supplied, so they had seized the chance to wash their hands of the whole affair. Still, it worked in his favor. None of the defenders on those two lines drew wages; they were all volunteers, meaning taking them in wouldn't put much financial strain on him. He just had to keep them fed. And when it came to food, Fan Domain never skimped. "Bring that fellow over." Down on the original wall, the commander of the Yellow Springs Mouth Defense Line looked at the Fan Domain messenger with unease. Though he had no idea what was happening, he stepped into the hanging basket and ascended to the top of the Fan Domain Yellow Springs Mouth Defense Line. There, he saw the domain's leadership gathered together. "Domain Lord Chen, you asked for me?" "Yes." Chen Fan gave him a casual glance. "Keep an eye on your messages." "Uh... right." Baffled, the commander gripped his Mother-Child Stone. Moments later, it grew scorching hot, and a drunken, raspy voice came through. "Zhang Qiuba, this is the Master of the Western Strategy Hall." "I am issuing an order." "Awaiting orders!" Zhang Qiuba's expression turned dead serious as he quickly stepped back, away from Chen Fan and the others. His direct superior hadn't called him—the Strategy Hall Master himself had, which meant an assignment of paramount importance. "As of this moment, you are stripped of your post in Eternal Night Hall." Zhang Qiuba froze, instinctively looking down at the stone to check if he was holding a counterfeit. What in the world was this? A high-ranking superior had bypassed every chain of command just to tell him he was fired? "You and everyone stationed at the Yellow Springs Mouth line are hereby transferred to Fan Domain." Before he could answer, the connection went dead. Before he could even process the shock, Chen Fan walked over with a smile. "Got the message? Head back and take inventory of everyone on the line. Note down any special cultivators, builders, and the like, then tell the folks to get ready to eat." "We whipped up some midnight snacks—plain Yangchun noodles." "Something warm to fill their bellies." With that settled, Chen Fan returned to Qi Chong and the others, instructing, "Once Zhang Qiuba joins Fan Domain, Zhou Mo, you'll be responsible for showing him the ropes and helping him understand how we operate." "Also, take a full tally of the builders from the Yellow Springs line." Those builders were a valuable asset to Fan Domain. They could be put to work on countless projects. "One more thing." "Admit the special cultivators as official members of Fan Domain, but keep a tight lid on information. Do not let news of the New Continent leak out. The Shadow Pavilion remains responsible for this." Many official members of Fan Domain already knew about the New Continent. After all, plenty had bathed in that golden downpour. Furthermore, high-speed rail trains laden with ghost stones were seen departing the docks all the time. Suppressing the news entirely was impossible. The Shadow Pavilion handled internal monitoring. For now, the secret held. He didn't expect to conceal it forever—just long enough for Fan Domain to forge Xihuang Island into an iron triangle. Once that was done, it wouldn't matter if the ghost race found out. The night slowly slipped away. By daybreak, the aroma of Yangchun noodles drifted between the two defense lines. Breakfast was served. Garnished simply with chopped scallions, it looked modest enough, but to the original garrison of the Yellow Springs Mouth line, it was an absolute feast. The Fan Domain Yellow Springs Mouth Defense Line was officially complete. Fan Domain now possessed two Level 10 fortifications: the Jiangbei Defense Line and the Yellow Springs Mouth Defense Line. As the sun climbed into the sky, Chen Fan returned to the Jiangbei Defense Line. Standing on the wall, he looked down at the faction members below gathering ghost stones. The Logistics Pavilion was conducting a census. Once the numbers were tallied, a portion of the personnel from the Yellow Springs Mouth line and Defense Line No. 7 could be redeployed to Jiangbei for daily duties. That would free the various factions across the Guanxi Plain from having to send laborers. It would liberate the local powers. He weighed the Heavenly Dao Stone in his hand. This was Fan Domain's last one. These stones were infuriatingly hard to come by. "The very last one." With a sigh, Chen Fan slammed the stone down against the rampart beneath his feet. A moment later, another panel popped up. You have used a Heavenly Dao Stone on the wall and received three Heavenly Dao Blessing effects. Please choose one within one hundred breaths. A structure may only possess one Heavenly Dao Blessing effect. 1: Heavenly Dao Blessing (Indestructible): The wall's defense is slightly increased. 2: Heavenly Dao Blessing (Majestic Grandeur): The wall appears more imposing, and the effects of all upgrade paths are slightly enhanced. 3: Heavenly Dao Blessing (Impregnable Bastion): The wall becomes immune to fifty percent of all long-range attacks. After pondering for a while, Chen Fan chose the second effect. Back when the wall had reached Level 8, he had chosen the upgrade path: "Enhance pattern effects on the wall." Coupled with this Heavenly Dao Blessing, those patterns would be further amplified. After all, Ghost Blood Patterns counted as an upgrade path, and their potency would increase alongside the rest. Other upgrade paths would receive a slight boost as well— such as Thorns Spikemail and the Great Wall of Ten Thousand Li. These enhancements provided an overall improvement to the entire defense line. A moment later, both the Jiangbei Defense Line beneath his feet and the Fan Domain Yellow Springs Mouth Defense Line trembled faintly. They didn't grow taller, but they felt distinctly more majestic. Having reached Level 10, not only was the wall towering, but the width of the battlements had expanded considerably. The top was now wide enough for dozens of Fan Domain high-speed trains to run side by side. With that finished, he turned to gaze toward the Guandong Plain. Defense Line No. 7 was ninety-seven kilometers long. A considerable distance. To build a ninety-seven-kilometer Level 10 defense line from scratch would require 9.27 billion ghost stones and 873,000 monkey-head fruits. Fan Domain's reserves were insufficient. Currently, they held only 7.3 billion ghost stones and 537,000 monkey-head fruits. He couldn't dump every last stone into wall construction; maintaining defensive fire also consumed vast resources. Furthermore, a defense line wasn't just a wall—it required God-Slaying Cannons, Black Tortoise Cannons, altars, ghost fire, and a complete suite of infrastructure. For now, the ghost stones weren't enough. Give him another six months, however, and it should be well within reach. Then, the three gaps around Xihuang Island would be sealed tight. Xihuang Island wasn't the frontline, nor was the ghost race's main force concentrated here, but he was building these three lines to frontline standards nonetheless. That way, even if the ghost race tried another covert crossing, no tide could hope to breach his defenses. He had to ensure his own safety before recklessly aiding other fronts. "May this rainy season pass in peace," Chen Fan murmured, standing atop the wall. As long as they weathered this year's rains safely, Fan Domain would officially earn a seat at the table next year, taking part directly in the struggle against the ghost race. He glanced toward the rear of Nameless Mountain. There, two Fan Domain Missile Reserve Bases sat firmly entrenched, charging continuously. By the end of this rainy season, they would be fully powered. "Squeak, squeak!" On an island surrounded by open sea, countless little monkeys scurried about, busily planting saplings. This was an island untouched by the ghost race. Even when the undersea ghost tide made landfall, not a single ghost creature approached this place. It was like a forgotten paradise. What had been a quiet, industrious day was suddenly interrupted by a low growl. Weiwei stepped off a Fan Domain high-speed rail train at the platform alone, letting out a satisfied rumble at the sight of the busy little monkeys. The next instant— a flurry of monkeys chattered excitedly, darting and leaping through the branches to gather around Weiwei. Weiwei opened his maw, and a mountain of luzhu poured out from the Sumeru space within his robes. "Roar." He growled once more, as if telling them to work hard. After a quick inspection, he returned to the platform and boarded the train bound for the New Continent. Ever since Fan Domain had recruited these monkeys, they had kept busy. With no more infighting, their birth rate had naturally soared. Moreover, Chen Fan had specially constructed an Exotic Beast Breeding House on this island and another on the New Continent. These max-level structures had also bathed in the Heavenly Dao Blessing and received a blessing effect of their own. Exotic Beast Breeding House has received a Heavenly Dao Blessing effect. Heavenly Dao Blessing (Bear Many, Bear Early): Exotic beasts residing within the Exotic Beast Breeding House experience a significant boost to their fertility rate. Exotic beasts were exceptionally rare, largely because of their abysmal reproductive rates and difficulty conceiving. With this structure in place, the monkeys' birth rate accelerated dramatically. They bred like crazy. The newborn monkeys planted trees like crazy. The grown trees bore monkey-head fruits like crazy, and those fruits were shipped to Fan Domain like crazy. Once the monkeys grew a bit older, they were dispatched to the New Continent to herd sheep. These monkeys didn't need sleep. Their boundless energy was almost terrifying. They were simply born laborers. Weiwei was still young—at least by the lifespan of his kind. Though he had lived for over a century, he knew nothing of mating and had no idea what those strange noises coming from the Exotic Beast Breeding Houses every day meant. Fortunately, Weiwei didn't care. And it was just as well he didn't understand; finding another Sky-Swallowing Crocodile would be no easy feat. Over on the New Continent, the landscape had been completely transformed. Not a trace of devastation remained, showing none of the scarred desolation left behind by a great war. Under the relentless, almost manic push by Fan Domain's Logistics Pavilion and Hundred Grains Pavilion, as far as the eye could see, fertile fields stretched for tens of thousands of mu. The entire continent radiated vibrant life. Out across the grasslands, vast flocks of sheep grazed leisurely on lush green grass. Guarding the flocks were adult monkeys dressed in Fan Domain uniforms, riding Skeleton Horses. These were Fan Domain's shepherd monkeys. Perhaps from long days of wind and sun, the fur along their cheeks had turned slightly gray, and their eyes had grown deep and serious. They looked less like carefree savages and more like civil servants who had secured a permanent post. Weiwei managed the monkeys. Chen Fan managed Weiwei. Layer upon layer, Fan Domain branched out like countless threads with Chen Fan at the center, governing the entirety of the domain. Further in the distance, Fan Domain members were piloting the new Giant Ghost walkers. These massive humanoid vehicles were not only formidable tools for heavy construction, but also exceptional at excavating natural ghost mines. Mining efficiency had risen drastically. One towering Giant Ghost after another toiled away across the natural ghost mines, hard at work.