This Is Jiangbei Fan Domain, My Turf!

Ghost Emperor Ninety-Five was dead. A sky-obscuring ghost tide surged across the Underworld Gate basin, sweeping over the earth like an oceanic deluge. This was merely the vanguard, yet at a single glance, the ground was packed so densely that not an inch of open soil could be seen. No one cared about the death of a ghost emperor. Or rather... One giant tortoise cared. Amidst the ghost tide, a colossal, ethereal Black Tortoise charged against the current. The moment the explosion erupted, it gazed far into the distance toward Ghost Emperor Ninety-Five. For the first time in all these days, it halted its running stride and stood frozen in silence. A few breaths later, it slowly dissolved. Turning into specks of white light, it dissipated entirely between heaven and earth. The target was dead. The Black Tortoise perished of its own accord. Closer. Closer, ever closer. Standing in person upon the ramparts of Fan Domain Underworld Gate Defense Line No. 1, Chen Fan stared expressionlessly at the stampeding ghost tide in the distance. He had never witnessed a ghost tide on such a scale. Had the defense line not existed, no one would have possessed the courage to face a horde of this magnitude. Even the Fan Domain members stationed along the battlements could not help but hold their breath, their legs trembling faintly. In the face of such numbers, humanity seemed far too insignificant. The next instant— Across the twenty-seven-kilometer Underworld Gate Defense Line, the inscriptions upon the twenty-seven thousand God-Slaying Cannons mounted atop it lit up in unison. Then, as though a fuse had abruptly ignited a fireworks show, all twenty-seven thousand God-Slaying Cannons, fed by copper pipes, flared to life and began to roar! The heavens trembled. The earth shook. When twenty-seven thousand God-Slaying Cannons unleashed an indiscriminate, carpet-bombing barrage in such a narrow valley entrance, the entire world shuddered. Crimson artillery shells arched high into the air like swarms of locusts, dyeing the entire battlefield red. They drowned out the ghost tide, rewriting the true color of this world. This world ought to be red. The crimson of the God-Slaying Cannons. *Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!* The ground quaked violently. Countless blood-colored pythons writhed endlessly through the ghost tide, each strike claiming the lives of several ghost creatures. Though Chen Fan remained silent, his hands gripped the parapet tightly, veins bulging on the backs of his hands as his gaze remained fixed forward upon the ghost tide. Behind him stood three tiers of God-Slaying Cannons arranged at varying elevations. Each row comprised nine thousand cannons, placed almost shoulder to shoulder. Behind the first row, a terrace of massive stone blocks had been raised to support a second tier of God-Slaying Cannons, followed by a third tier right behind it. Three tiers of God-Slaying Cannons. Twenty-seven thousand guns in total. This firepower vastly surpassed anything fielded before, outstripping Eternal Night Western Black Tortoise Front No. 1 many times over. Packed into a narrow twenty-seven-kilometer valley gap, he was confident this sheer volume of fire was enough to hold off the ghost tide for quite some time! As far as the eye could see, the twenty-seven-kilometer Fan Domain Underworld Gate Defense Line No. 1 was bathed in a radiant crimson glow. Viewed from high above, this blazing red line stood as the final beacon of light upon the Eternal Night Continent. Behind the line lay the warm hearths of countless homes. Before the line lay an infinite ghost tide surging through the eternal silence. "Come on... come at me..." Standing on the battlements, Chen Fan murmured under his breath as he watched the ghost tide being swiftly butchered beneath the ferocious onslaught of the God-Slaying Cannons. He knew this was only the beginning; the Ghost Clan's offensive would not stop here. Although the ghost tide was immense in number, before they could even reach the foot of the wall, they were engulfed by the sweeping deluge of crimson shells. The God-Slaying Cannon was an unconventional cannon tower specialized in single-target burst damage. Yet here, he had deployed them as conventional artillery towers in staggering density. Under these conditions, sheer numbers meant nothing to the ghost tide. The defensive line was only so long. The terrain was only so wide. No matter how vast their numbers, the bottleneck could only hold so many ghost creatures at once. As long as there were enough ghost stones to keep the God-Slaying Cannons firing, the ghost tide would never reach the wall, nor would they ever lay a finger on the defense line. The battle was joined in full fury. The advantage was his. Such firepower was an absolute nightmare for the ghost tide. Yet he felt no pride or complacency. He was waiting—waiting for the ghost tide's next move. Once their auras blanketed the field, the ghost creatures would undergo a qualitative leap in combat power. He knew this was merely a probing attack by the Ghost Clan. In front of the defense line, every ghost stone, anomalous treasure, and blueprint dropped by slain ghost creatures was enveloped in a faint white light, floating into the air before shooting back toward the rear at extreme speed to land directly inside a warehouse. Behind the line, twenty-seven structures sculpted like statues radiated a subtle white glow. [Building Name]: Effortless Harvest Sculpture [Building Quality]: Blue [Building Level]: Level 10 [Building Effect]: Automatically collects all ghost stones, anomalous treasures, and drops from ghost creatures within a 1,000-meter radius, provided the ghost creatures were slain by defensive structures belonging to the encampment. [Max-Level Effect]: 'Everywhere for the Taking': Capable of linking to external warehouses for automated storage. [Heavenly Dao Blessing Effect]: 'All Mine': The collection process cannot be interrupted or obstructed. Chen Fan looked toward the twenty-seven Effortless Harvest Sculptures behind the line. They depicted praying maidens whose features could not be discerned, their hands clasped and heads bowed, as though praying for their husbands' swift and victorious return from the battlefield. Over these past seven days, vast quantities of resources from across the Eternal Night Continent had poured into Western Desolate Isle. Precious, bottom-of-the-chest building blueprints that various factions had failed to comprehend in peaceful times were all delivered to Fan Domain in the face of imminent catastrophe. Everyone pinned their hopes on Chen Fan's title: the sole Heavenly Dao Architect of the Eternal Night Continent. Jiangbei Fan Domain, shield of all living beings. Much of his time over recent days had been spent rapidly inspecting every blueprint. Anything useful was immediately deployed to the front lines, and this Effortless Harvest Sculpture was one such piece. He no longer remembered whether it had come from the Eternal Night Hall or another faction. Everything had been far too chaotic to keep track of. Its Heavenly Dao blessing effect had also been secured by smashing a Heavenly Dao Stone into it. Fan Domain had already cataloged seventeen Heavenly Dao Stones, with vast quantities of uncounted resources still awaiting review. For every structure capable of reaching max level, he had invested a Heavenly Dao Stone. Fan Domain needed time. Massive amounts of materials were still being organized, and the panels of countless anomalous treasures remained unexamined. If he were given just one year—no, just one month—to fully digest this stockpile of resources, let alone launching a counteroffensive, he was confident he could hold Western Desolate Isle without giving up a single step. Just as he had declared back then: If Fan Domain swore to defend Jiangbei, they would damn well defend Jiangbei! Even if the Emperor of Heaven himself showed up, they wouldn't retreat an inch! Along Fan Domain Underworld Gate Defense Line No. 1, scattered amidst the dense array of God-Slaying Cannons, were a few White Tiger Cannons and... Azure Dragon Cannons! The Black Tortoise Cannon possessed no barrel, consisting instead of raised square blocks lining the wall face. The White Tiger Cannon was immense, sculpted like a prowling tiger poised to pounce. Its muzzle was the beast's gaping maw, embedded with thirty-six crystalline stalactites. The Azure Dragon Cannon was entirely different. It resembled a coiling bronze dragon, standing atop the ground like a monument. It had no visible muzzle and no barrel. Nothing about it resembled a cannon tower. Only the scales across its surface pulsed continuously with a breathing azure light. [Building Name]: Azure Dragon Cannon [Building Quality]: Blue [Building Level]: Level 10 [Building Effect]: City defense structure. [Max-Level Effect]: 'Azure Dragon Manifestation': One of the Four Divine Cannons. Crafting all four divine cannons simultaneously allows them to fuse into the Heavenly Dao Cannon. [Heavenly Dao Blessing Effect]: (Azure Dragon Domain): Enemies struck by the Azure Dragon Cannon will suffer excruciating pain. The Heavenly Dao blessing effect of the Black Tortoise Cannon had been the Black Tortoise Domain. Only the Vermilion Bird Cannon remained. Once he found that blueprint, he could obtain the Heavenly Dao Cannon. The Heavenly Dao Cannon would undoubtedly become one of his greatest assets! He was certain the blueprint for the Vermilion Bird Cannon lay somewhere among that mountain of supplies; he simply hadn't unearthed it yet. He needed time to comb through them swiftly. The trait of the Black Tortoise Cannon was absolute accuracy—once locked onto a target, it never relented until death. The trait of the White Tiger Cannon was absolute power—though charging took time and hitting targets was difficult, a direct hit exceeded even the power of a max-level Heaven-Reaching Pillar. And the trait of the Azure Dragon Cannon was absolute mortality. He had tested it. Any enemy struck by the Azure Dragon Cannon, even if not killed instantly, would have all healing effects nullified, whether from altars, medicinal pills, or defensive anomalous treasures. Weiwei's parents were currently receiving medical treatment, but had they been struck by an Azure Dragon Cannon, no healing method would have availed them; they would have bled to death. He had already dispatched scouts to the New Continent. He wanted to test whether the Azure Dragon Cannon's absolute mortality could kill the immortal ghost creatures inhabiting the Thunderstorm Sea. "Young Master." Right then, Quehou came hurrying up the wall with several men, carrying two large chests filled with blueprints. Having appraisers examine anomalous treasures one by one was simply too slow. Blueprints, however, even unappraised, were easy to distinguish—each was as thin as a cicada's wing. Tonight was the Ghost Clan's first assault. Chen Fan had stationed himself here not only to observe the enemy at close range, but also to bolster morale. He could sense their fear; even veterans of Fan Domain were visibly unsettled. Even so, he could not simply stand idle all night. Time was too precious to waste. "Mm." Chen Fan nodded slightly, casually fished a Heart-Clearing Pill from his robes, and swallowed it dry. Only then did he begin picking up blueprints to inspect them one by one. Three chests sat beside him. Duplicates and useless blueprints went into the first chest. Useful ones not needed immediately went into the second. Those ready for immediate deployment went into the third. Working like a human machine, he rapidly sorted through blueprint after blueprint. This one wasn't the Vermilion Bird Cannon, nor was that one, nor the next... Many blueprints were useful, but what he needed was a definitive game-changer that could anchor the entire situation! Among all the blueprints he had examined over these past days, the highest quality was merely blue. White, green, yellow, blue. Blue was the ceiling. However, the Heavenly Dao Cannon was a purple-grade structure. He needed a purple-grade building to command the field. The blueprint he yearned to see most right now was the Vermilion Bird Cannon, but sheet after sheet slipped through his fingers without a sign of it. He had asked the Eternal Night Hall, but they claimed never to have seen it. Before long, several large chests of blueprints had been inspected. Chen Fan waved his hand, and Quehou promptly led his men away with the sorted crates, hurrying them back to the warehouse. "Could it be... that the Vermilion Bird Cannon blueprint isn't on the Eternal Night Continent at all?" Chen Fan straightened his slightly aching back and stood at the edge of the rampart, murmuring as he looked out at the countless ghost creatures throwing themselves into suicidal charges against the artillery fire. Dawn gradually broke. The Eternal Night receded. Across the Underworld Gate area, the ghost tide continued its assault. The region had completely fallen, allowing ghost creatures to move freely during daylight hours, though their numbers had dwindled substantially. That horrifying initial wave was almost entirely wiped out. There had been no commander aura to trigger mass evolutions or birth new ghost emperors. There were ghost emperors among the horde, but they were scattered haphazardly throughout the ranks, posing no real threat to the defense line before being obliterated under the concentrated fire of the God-Slaying Cannons. Half an hour later, the ghost tide had run dry. Only scattered stragglers still stumbled toward the defenses. The Ghost Clan's first charge had fizzled out, ending in a hasty, ragged retreat. With exhaustion in his eyes, Chen Fan stood upon the ramparts, looking out over the blood-soaked terrain beyond the wall. He had a rough idea of what had happened: the VIP Ghost Emperor Ninety-Five claimed to have pinned down must have been the supreme commander of this assault. Deprived of command and auras, the ghost tide had crumbled upon first contact. There were no corpses. The God-Slaying Cannons left no bodies behind—only massive, blood-drenched craters several meters deep. "What a pity," he sighed quietly. To catch the bandits, one had to capture the king. He didn't know whether the Ghost Clan wanted him dead, but he desperately wanted to kill the head of the so-called Royal Clan. While that might not bring about their total defeat, it would spark internal succession struggles, buying him enough time to develop his forces. To that end, he had deliberately stood openly upon the ramparts all night, harboring the faint hope of drawing out the leader hiding behind the lines for a parley. Ghost Emperor Ninety-Five had helped him three times. First, by seeing Weiwei's parents safely through the Underworld Gate region. Second, by pinning down the commander of this offensive. And third... by standing aside while Fan Domain prepared a earth-shattering gift for the Royal Clan right here in the Underworld Gate basin. A single leaf can blind the eye. To hide a leaf that sits right in front of someone, there are only two ways: place it close enough, or make it large enough. He had chosen the latter. Morning had come. They had weathered the ghost tide's opening assault. Underworld Gate possessed three level-10 defense lines, and last night the enemy hadn't even breached the first. Cheers erupted along the fortifications, deafening and triumphant. The dread in the defenders' eyes had diminished significantly, replaced by a glimmer of hope as they began to daydream of launching a counteroffensive to reclaim the Eternal Night Continent. Steaming pots of plain noodles were carried up to the wall one after another. Chen Fan felt little joy. Pulling his robes tightly around himself, he curled up inside a nearby troop shelter, planning to catch some sleep. He was at his limit. He hadn't slept in far too long, to the point where he had almost developed an immunity to the Heart-Clearing Pills. It was winter. The air was bitter cold. Not far away, heat rippled gently from a crackling fire. *** Elsewhere on the Eternal Night Continent, atop a fallen, abandoned defense line. A ghost creature holding a scepter and wearing a crown hopped down from the shoulder of a towering ghost emperor. Stepping onto the rubble, he surveyed his surroundings with a satisfied smile. "This will be the third continent conquered by our Royal Clan." He had already received the report: the initial strike on Western Desolate Isle had ended in complete failure. The commander had been locked onto and obliterated by Fan Domain's Heaven-Reaching Pillars before the battle even began, dooming the offensive from the start. Without aura buffs, the final order received by the ghost tide had simply been to charge forward. Let alone adapting their formations, no one had even ordered the ghost emperors to concentrate their strength and punch through a single point. "Good riddance to useless trash." The diminutive ghost creature showed little reaction. A dead incompetent was no great loss; they had only been sent out to probe the waters anyway, while the true grand host was still gathering. Before that, however... "Come with me to the Underworld Gate region." He chuckled, glancing around. He was deeply intrigued by that New Continent. If he could secure its exact coordinates, the Royal Clan could conquer four continents. Most importantly, that continent lay beyond the Thunderstorm Sea, and he was intensely curious about how Fan Domain had crossed those waters. *** Late dusk. Chen Fan had finished washing up and was ravenously devouring a bowl of noodles brought by an orderly. After a solid sleep, he felt completely refreshed. Ever since the Ghost Clan's failed assault last night, they had launched no further attacks, granting them a vital breather. Even so, they were far from safe. The moment he had opened his eyes, he had seen three fresh chests of building blueprints beside him. The instant he finished his noodles, he went right back to inspecting and sorting them. Digesting supplies took time. And time was what he needed most. Right then— The ground rumbled faintly. Sirens wailed along Fan Domain Underworld Gate Defense Line No. 1. The ghost tide had returned. "They're here." Chen Fan halted his hands, stood up, and looked out. The ghost tide was advancing, but instead of charging, they strolled forward at a deliberate pace. At the vanguard, hundreds of gigantic ghost emperors standing tens of meters tall marched toward the defense line with imposing strides. Compared to last night's disorderly charge, today's force was visibly far more organized. Yet the moment they reached a point several thousand meters from the defense line, the entire horde halted in unison. A lazy voice drifted from their ranks: "Hey, lower life-forms across the way! Summon Chen Fan. I am Zhitian, King of the Royal Clan, here to have a word with him." At those words, Chen Fan's heart began thumping wildly against his ribs atop the wall. His body trembled with uncontrollable excitement. *He's really here... He actually came to the front line in person!* This trump card could only be played once. As long as the leader had truly shown himself, Chen Fan was confident he could make him die right here. "Young Master!" Quehou grabbed Chen Fan in a panic, his voice hurried. "Don't show your face! He doesn't know what you look like; let me pretend to be you and speak with him!" "No need." Chen Fan tucked the emerald cane and the glazed figurine securely into his robes, stepped onto the battlements, and raised the Fan Domain banner high. Looking out toward the ghost tide thousands of meters away, he took a deep breath and roared, his voice resounding across the world: "Chen Fan of Jiangbei Fan Domain stands before you, unyielding and true to his name! "Where is the toddler Zhitian? Hiding away like a rat!" Every pair of eyes along the defense line locked onto the silhouette of the man standing atop the wall. Standing upon the ramparts, his body fully exposed to the open air and to the enemy's gaze. That was Chen Fan. Domain Lord of Jiangbei. The Fan Domain banner in his hand fluttered boldly in the wind. A soft chuckle drifted from the ghost tide. Immediately, the hundreds of towering ghost emperors at the vanguard split into two running files, sank onto one knee, and bowed their heads. Behind them, the endless ghost tide knelt in unison. A diminutive creature clad in a crimson cape, carrying a scepter and wearing a crown, strolled out from the ranks. This was Zhitian, King of the Royal Clan. The dwarfish Zhitian stood in stark contrast to the towering ghost emperors flanking him. The ghost creatures that normally snarled and howled incessantly were eerily silent today, kneeling reverently before their monarch. Even the hundreds of ghost emperors looked upon him with total subservience. Before long, Zhitian reached the absolute front of the formation, looking toward Chen Fan atop the defense line with a faint smirk. "I am Zhitian, King of the Royal Clan. "The tide you encountered last night was merely our vanguard, and what you see before you today is only a fraction of the Royal Clan's forces. Our main host is still assembling; crushing Western Desolate Isle will take mere moments. "Oh... Three level-10 defense lines. Very impressive. "Pity it is like throwing eggs against a boulder. "However... "I am willing to grant you a chance to live. Evacuate to the New Continent and abandon Western Desolate Isle. The Royal Clan will claim only the Eternal Night Continent, and neither of us shall interfere with the other." His purpose in coming was simple, consisting of only two goals. First, he wanted to posture. Conquering an entire continent was an immense feat that filled him with pride, and he wanted to show off his glory in front of the enemy. Second, he wanted to see if he could claim Western Desolate Isle without bloodshed. While his forces could certainly breach the island's fortifications, doing so would cost troops. If losses could be avoided, so much the better... and he wanted to pry loose more information regarding the New Continent. He wanted the Eternal Night Continent. And he wanted the New Continent as well. Standing upon the wall and holding the banner high, Chen Fan squinted toward the diminutive figure among the host. The distance was immense, requiring intense focus just to make out the small form standing at the forefront. His heart was pounding violently with tension, and his body trembled faintly. He barely even registered what the creature was saying; he only cared about confirming one thing: was this truly the King of the Royal Clan? He would only get one chance. If he succeeded, it would be a total decapitation! It wouldn't be done with Heaven-Reaching Pillars, nor with God-Slaying Cannons. Since this being dared to step forward openly, he could not be slain by simple pillars and cannons alone. With a flick of his mind, behind the three level-10 defense lines, a short section of wall merely a dozen meters long began to shift rapidly. After docking against one of the level-10 lines, it acted like a serpent's head, slowly steering the massive fortification into motion. This short, dozen-meter segment was the serpent head he had detached from the Jiangbei Defense Line. It was the wall segment bearing the legendary qualitative mutation 'Great Wall of Ten Thousand Li'—any fortification connected to it could be moved at will. He kept its speed as slow as possible to minimize the rumble, his voice trembling slightly with suppressed excitement: "If the Royal Clan is truly willing to give us a chance to survive, nothing could be better. But how can I be sure you are truly the King of the Royal Clan? How can I know your words carry any weight?" "Heh." A flash of annoyance crossed the small creature's eyes. Sensing that Chen Fan was stalling for time, an undercurrent of anger rose within him. He had magnanimously offered them a chance at life, yet the human dared to play for time. He glanced sideways into the distance. There was no sign of incoming Heaven-Reaching Pillars. He did not know Fan Domain's stockpile of pillars, but if the domain lord thought pillars alone could kill him, he sorely underestimated his prey. "Never mind." He chuckled abruptly. "A victor ought to maintain poise when addressing the vanquished. "It seems you lack sincerity. "Allow me to rephrase. "If you open the defenses right now to let us land on Western Desolate Isle and reveal how to cross the Thunderstorm Sea to reach the New Continent, the Royal Clan will spare your lives. "But if we must fight our way in... "Not a single soul or beast upon Western Desolate Isle will be left alive." *That's pretty much confirmed then.* Standing on the wall, Chen Fan murmured as he looked at the massive host in the distance, his palms slick with nervous sweat. He didn't know if this would work, but he had to try. Just like the decoy walls that hadn't ended up being used, not every decision he made would change the course of destiny. Yet he had to try. Perhaps it would succeed. The next instant— Chen Fan drew a deep breath, his face flushing crimson as his muscles coiled. Putting every ounce of his strength into waving the Fan Domain banner, he roared at the top of his lungs: "Let the wind rise!" "Rise, rise!" In an instant, as Chen Fan's roar tore through the air, a searing pillar of light erupted straight into the heavens from the perimeter of the Underworld Gate basin! Then a second, a third, a fourth... More and more blinding pillars of light surged skyward from the edges of the Underworld Gate region, rising in relentless succession! Innumerable blazing beams enveloped the entire Underworld Gate basin! Immediately after, countless glowing patterns surfaced across the ground of the Underworld Gate basin and blazed to life in an instant. The next moment! Every ghost creature across the Underworld Gate wilderness vanished into thin air, replaced by blinding white radiance—the sign of a teleportation array activating! An unfathomably massive teleportation array had been laid across the entire floor of the Underworld Gate basin. Now, it initiated a forced teleportation. And the destination was... Above the Fan Domain Underworld Gate region, where the three level-10 defense lines had now linked end-to-end to form a complete circle! High above the clouds, far above the sky rail, countless copper pipes were mounted, now flaring with light one after another to form a receiving teleportation array. This array suspended thousands of meters above the earth served as the drop point. The moment it illuminated, countless ghost creatures began tumbling out of the sky like dumplings dropping into boiling water, plummeting straight down. However— The three level-10 defense lines had formed a closed loop. The instant their head and tail connected, total air denial took effect! The ghost creatures falling from the array instantly froze mid-air, completely paralyzed. They could only be crushed downward by the surging waves of more and more creatures continuing to materialize out of the portal. To any observer, a colossal pillar of writhing flesh hung suspended in the empty sky above Underworld Gate—a gigantic column formed from millions of frozen ghost creatures, stretching and lengthening by the second! This was the latest masterpiece of Formation Pavilion Master Zhang Qianqiu. Forced teleportation! Over the past seven days, legions of Logistics Pavilion members had toiled across the Underworld Gate region. With countless hands joining the effort and Ghost Emperor Ninety-Five intentionally clearing the area, an earth-shattering teleportation array had been etched across the entire Underworld Gate basin! How does one conceal a leaf that sits right before someone's eyes? By placing it close enough, or making it large enough. His teleportation array was simply too immense to see. Chen Fan burst into laughter—a wild, cathartic laugh that tore at his lungs. Standing alone on the wall, he looked up at the boundless ghost horde frozen mid-air, violently waving the banner as he shrieked with all his might: "Remember this! "This is Jiangbei Fan Domain! "My turf! "What bloody King of the Royal Clan? Even if the Emperor of Heaven shows up, he kneels before me!" The next instant— Along the eighty-one-kilometer Fan Domain Defense Line, now linked into a colossal ring, ghost fire surged through the copper pipes. God-Slaying Cannons blazed to life one after another, tilting their barrels straight up at the sky. Anti-Air Cannons lit up in rapid succession. The most breathtaking moment of a firework is the instant its fuse is lit. The moment you see that spark catch, you know that tiny flame is about to blossom into a cataclysmic display. Like an eighty-one-kilometer fuse catching fire, countless inscriptions lit up along the unbroken ring of walls. The next second, the earth shook and mountains crumbled! Eighty-one thousand God-Slaying Cannons unleashed their fury, hurling crimson shells toward the heavens like water from a burst dam, accompanied by emerald beams from vast arrays of Anti-Air Cannons. Nearly ten thousand emerald beams shot toward the firmament from every corner of the looped defense line, converging onto a single point! It was as if they were tearing the very heavens apart. The spectacle was staggering beyond words. A torrential rain of blood showered down upon the earth. Jiangbei Fan Domain had weathered many heavy storms, but never a blood rain of this scale. Chen Fan's manic laughter echoed across the fortifications. Over these days, crushing pressure had made sleep impossible; he had no time to rest. He had made countless preparations, never knowing if any would work. No one could give him the right answers; he had to stumble forward in the dark. Everyone looked to Fan Domain for salvation. He hadn't known if he could shoulder it. It had been so long since he had laughed. Especially after learning of the deaths of familiar faces like Tian Yi and Old Qiu, laughing had felt impossible. Yet now, he could finally laugh his heart out. "Come on!" "Come get some!" Vast cascades of blood, green ichor, and mangled limbs rained down. Every defender on the line stared upward in stunned silence; this was likely the most awe-inspiring sight they would witness in their entire lives. Ghost emperors capable of shattering entire defensive lines were being slaughtered like pigs and dogs. High above, the diminutive creature holding the scepter watched his protective treasures shatter one after another—crown, scepter, bracelets, pendants... Each shattered relic meant he had died once, breaking to shield him from a fatal blow. "Damn it! Damn it!" All visions of the future and anticipation of victory had vanished from his eyes, replaced by pure terror and panic. His trembling hands fumbled inside his robes to pull out the Heaven-Inquiring Bell. His lips quivered as he gasped frantically, "Hurry! Tell me! I'll pay any price to survive! Is there a way? Tell me! Quickly!" "Heaven's secrets must not be revealed; no answer can be given." A cold, familiar voice whispered in his ear. "To hell with your heaven's secrets!" Driven to madness, he hurled the Heaven-Inquiring Bell away with all his might. Looking down at the carnage below, despair welled in his eyes. His entire attention had been focused on the Heaven-Reaching Pillars; he had never imagined a forced teleportation array could exist. Under normal circumstances, teleportation arrays were far beyond what a Rank 1 continent should possess. As for building a forced teleportation array, even Rank 2 continents struggled to achieve such a feat. He had never even considered the possibility. The rain of blood continued to pour. Across the rest of the Eternal Night Continent, large swarms of ghost tides hurrying toward the Underworld Gate region came to an abrupt halt. Sensing that their king had fallen, the various ghost generals narrowed their eyes slightly. The king was dead. There was no longer any need to assemble swiftly, nor to seize Western Desolate Isle first. They needed to choose a new king. And that throne... Every single one of them wanted it.