You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

That…that’s at least a World Lord-level inheritance right! How precious! Countless people would risk their lives for such an opportunity! And you just…just gave it to some complete stranger? Who does he think he is?”

Her chest heaved with anger, heartbroken that Chen Yang had missed such a tremendous opportunity.

Seeing Liu Piaopiao's anxious expression, Chen Yang felt a warmth in his heart, but could only shake his head and smile bitterly. He pulled her away from the crowded area quickly, and only after confirming that no one was following them did he whisper.

"Piao Piao, you know what those things are. Inheritance, authority, the status of a realm lord... Have you forgotten who I am?"

Liu Piaopiao was taken aback upon hearing this.

"You...you mean that..."

"Not bad!"

Chen Yang's expression turned serious, and he interrupted her.

"I already possess the nascent form of a blessed land within me, and even a projection of the core World Tree! I myself am already a growing 'World Lord.' To accept the inheritance of another blessed land, especially one clearly monitored by a higher power system? Wouldn't that be tantamount to exposing my identity?"
At best, it would attract the attention of the will monitoring this place; at worst, it would be directly identified as an 'alien invasion' and eliminated by the core power of the opposing side! Li Rou just reminded me of this in my mind. Compared to exposing this greatest trump card, a mere inheritance and authority are nothing to worry about. If you lose your life, even the best inheritance is meaningless.

He patted Liu Piaopiao on the shoulder.

Don't be too regretful, for fortune and misfortune are intertwined.

I have already memorized that Fiery Immortal Technique; this is the real benefit that I can actually gain.

After hearing the explanation, Liu Piaopiao thought about the thrilling parts and couldn't help but shudder. Her previous anger turned into deep worry and lingering fear.

"So...it's this dangerous? I was too reckless; I only saw the benefits and not the deadly danger behind them."

Brother Yang, what... what do we do now?

"Hurry up and keep going."

Saving as many lives as possible is the greatest reward.

Chen Yang glanced at the crowds struggling in the trial grounds or embroiled in new conflicts over the ownership of the mountaintop inheritance, then decisively turned and left.

Along the way, the two deliberately avoided areas of intense fighting and made a low profile.

But in some remote corners, Chen Yang didn't hesitate to "strike" again.

Some teams struggled to survive in perilous places, some even sustaining injuries while fighting for trial remnants; some lone cultivators were surrounded by monster squads and on the verge of annihilation; and a small group was recuperating in a mountain valley when they were ambushed by hostile forces and were in dire straits...

When the time was ripe, Chen Yang suddenly appeared and made his move. He would either use overwhelming force to forcibly intimidate and disperse the threat, or, taking advantage of the opponent's serious injury, exhaustion, and mental unease, swiftly capture them into his spatial dimension, all within a few breaths. His methods were highly skilled and increasingly cunning.

"Rebels? Die. Cooperators, live!"

Faced with angry and accusatory questions, he would often only offer a cold declaration. Liu Piaopiao cooperated tacitly, sometimes providing cover, sometimes pretending to be a passerby, and sometimes directly intercepting the pursuers.

During these processes, hundreds of cultivators who were lucky enough to survive were also included.

As evening fell, the two found a safe place to rest. Li Rou's figure reappeared, her voice filled with a satisfied smile.

"Master, Miss Liu, this trip has been very fruitful. A total of 918 new people have been added. The more than 200 people who were secretly taken from the trial grounds have also been treated in this space and their lives are no longer in danger."

So it goes like this…

She paused for a moment, then announced an encouraging number.

"The total number of registered and stable residents within the cave has now exceeded five thousand!"

"Five thousand!"

Chen Yang and Liu Piaopiao spoke in unison, their eyes gleaming with barely suppressed excitement!
A newly born blessed land with a population of five thousand, abundant spiritual energy, and a stable origin!

This is no longer a prototype, but a "small world" that is truly self-sustaining and full of infinite possibilities!

Its very existence is a miracle!

"Excellent! Wonderful!"

Chen Yang could not hide his excitement and slammed his fist on the table in admiration.

"With these five thousand roots, the World Tree sapling will grow faster, and spatial expansion and the stabilization of its laws will be just around the corner!"
All the hard work was worth it!

That night, the two rested on the edge of a hilly area with craggy rocks and a wide view.

The night was as dark as ink, and sporadic demonic howls and explosions echoed from the depths of the distant ruins.

Chen Yang sat cross-legged, his eyes filled with both sharpness and anticipation.

"Piaopiao, if there's a battle later, I'll lead the attack, and you'll provide support. There might be more than one wave tonight."

Liu Piaopiao nodded, placed the immortal sword horizontally on her lap, and released her divine sense, which, like a spider web, vigilantly surveyed the surrounding darkness.

Sure enough, at midnight, a deep, unsettling tremor came from the depths of the earth!

"Roar!!!"

A shrill and eerie roar ripped through the night sky, unlike anything heard before! Immediately afterward, countless crimson lights shone across the dark hills!
The "Corpse Nightmare," larger than the red monster, with a deep, dark carapace and reeking of rotting corpses, roared as it charged forward. Close behind it was the "Shadow Demon," moving faster than a ghost and exuding a chilling aura, which stealthily moved forward!
The two demonic forces, like black, murky torrents, instantly overwhelmed several groups of cultivators stationed in the hilly area!
"coming!"

Liu Piaopiao gave a low shout, and her sword was already drawn, its cold light flashing.

Chen Yang's eyes flashed like lightning, instantly locking onto the positions of several small teams that were on the verge of collapse and were retreating towards them, especially one team in particular, which consisted of three or four elders protecting several young people as they fought their way back to a ditch.

He speaks extremely fast.

"Same old method! Piaopiao, you keep an eye on those three old men protecting the young man in that crater, and those unlucky guys on the right rock wall who are stubbornly holding out! I'll lure the majority away and give them some 'push'!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already darted away like a cheetah.

Driven to the limit by his movement technique, without the slightest hesitation or evasion, he plunged headlong into the most turbulent and chaotic center of the mixed Corpse Nightmare Demons and Shadow Demons! The Soul-Splitting Iron Fork flew out of his hand with a sharp whooshing sound, first cleaving a Corpse Nightmare Demon that was rushing towards the human group in two!
This provocative act thoroughly enraged the surrounding demons!
"Roar!!!"

Countless hideous heads turned, their crimson and deep blue demonic eyes locking onto Chen Yang! An overwhelming barrage of attacks instantly engulfed him! Foul-smelling demonic flames, sharp bone spikes, icy shadowy icicles... the ferocious attacks were like a storm tsunami!

"Mysterious Yin! Soul Seal!" Chen Yang roared, his body surging with dark energy, forcefully suppressing the demons that approached him; "Pure Subtlety! Primal Descent!"

His palms moved like mountains, his immense Yuan energy transforming into a tangible, luminous giant palm that swept across, forcefully blasting away swarms of Corpse Nightmare Demons that were rushing towards him; "Soul Splitter Fork! Kill!"

The magical artifacts moved with the ease of an arm, weaving and strangling; the procession banners were swirled so tightly that they created a distorted spatial force field within three feet of the user, deflecting and reversing the deadly ice spikes shot by the Shadow Demon.

He was like a small boat battling through raging waves. Although he was incredibly brave and killed countless demons, the pressure he faced was far greater than ever before!

These advanced demonic creatures are far more coordinated and ferocious than the previous red and white varieties! Chen Yang's black robes were corroded and mottled, and his protective aura trembled frequently, indicating a huge drain on his energy!
"Not enough!"

He observed the surroundings and noticed that although the groups, terrified by the monsters, had begun to retreat towards the pre-arranged mountain pass, their numbers were large, their retreat directions were mixed, and they were dragging their feet! He needed to add fuel to the fire!

"Lead the snake out of its hole!"

He deliberately left a seemingly weak back opening during a gap in his wide-ranging attacks.

puff!

A long-awaited shadow demon transformed into a blur that almost melted into the night, its claws sharp as knives, silently tearing towards Chen Yang's vest! The timing and angle were extremely tricky!

Chen Yang's body suddenly stiffened! He hadn't been hit!
The moment the sharp claws touched his skin, his seemingly ordinary outer robe, the "Heavenly Silkworm Armor," instantly emitted a soft, silvery-white halo!

A gentle yet exceptionally strong power erupted from the depths of the armor!

Clang!
With a crisp sound like metal clashing, the Shadow Demon's claws, powerful enough to tear apart a True Immortal's body, were forcefully repelled! Furthermore, a concentrated force of divine soul rebounded through the claws and surged upwards!

The Shadow Demon's body trembled violently, as if struck on the head by an invisible hammer, letting out a painful, twisted screech, and its movements became fatally slowed!
"die!"

Without turning his head, Chen Yang's Soul-Splitting Fork seemed to have eyes; with a single twist, the dark light pierced precisely through the head of the Shadow Demon!

"Gray... gray..." Before dying, Chen Yang caught a fleeting glimpse of a strange gray light deep within the demon's translucent body!
This is not a solid red and white color!
"There's an ambush!"

A sense of foreboding suddenly rose in Chen Yang's mind!

This unprecedented anomaly instinctively made him feel uneasy! Using the recoil from killing the Shadow Demon, he unleashed his full power without hesitation, abandoning the fight and beginning his retreat towards the mountain pass! He had to end this operation as soon as possible!
"Roar!!"

A sound far deeper and hoarseer than any of the previous demonic howls, as if it came from the deepest abyss, with a chilling echo that made one's soul tremble, suddenly exploded in the pile of rocks behind Chen Yang!

A near-illusory "demonic shadow," like a condensed fog, with only a blurry humanoid outline and exceptionally clear gray-white, lifeless pupils, ignored the chaotic Corpse Nightmare Demons and Shadow Demons and instantly appeared on Chen Yang's only retreat route!

Its speed is beyond the limits of visual capture!

The gray shadow thrust out a claw! There was no strong wind, no explosion, only a pale, illusory claw shadow, exuding an aura of death and decay!

This claw shadow was silent and invisible, treating the faint light shield on Chen Yang's body and the distorted defense of the patrol banner as nothing, and directly penetrated through it, grabbing his head!

"A soul attack!?"

Chen Yang was terrified!

The gray shadow's target was actually a pure primordial spirit! If it weren't for the Heavenly Silkworm Armor protecting it, its divine sense would have been severely injured by this claw strike from afar! In desperation...

The "Born Light" magic erupted with dazzling light, forcibly disrupting the illusory claw shadow's lock-on.

scoff!

Although his divine sense was not directly torn apart under the dual protection of the armor and the light of life, the terrifying, soul-freezing impact was like a boulder crashing into his mind! His vision suddenly went black, blood spilled from his mouth and nose, and his sea of ​​consciousness trembled violently, as if he were being pricked by needles!

An unprecedented sense of impending death enveloped his entire body! His movements were inevitably slowed by the intense pain in his mind!

It's that momentary delay!

Another massive, fanged, and gray-dying "skeleton troll" suddenly appeared from behind the gray shadow demon like a ghost!
Its massive, hill-like body possessed an incongruous explosive speed. Its giant fist, covered in thick bone armor and shrouded in dense death energy, slammed into Chen Yang's chest with the power to crush everything! The timing was perfect, precisely at the moment when he was most vulnerable and his movements were frozen!

"Oops!"

Chen Yang forcibly bit the tip of his tongue, and under the stimulation of the intense pain, he barely managed to activate his true energy, crossed his palms to block, and at the same time used the Wind Control Immortal Technique to retreat as far as possible.

But he knew that in such a rush, he simply couldn't completely block the deathly fist of this terrifying troll!

Boom! A deafening roar! The shockwave exploded, creating a huge crater in the ground!

Chen Yang's figure was sent flying backward like a stone projectile hurled from a catapult! Blood gushed from his mouth! A sharp, agonizing pain shot through his arms, as if they were being broken!
The dense death aura that permeated the air ignored his defenses and frantically eroded the life force within his body, instantly turning his face as pale as paper! If it weren't for the formidable physical defense of the Heavenly Silkworm Robe, coupled with the fact that his physical body had undergone numerous temperings, he would probably have had his ribs shattered and perished on the spot from this attack!
"asshole!"

Chen Yang's eyes widened in anger, his heart surging with murderous intent.

These two "gray monsters," which are significantly stronger and appearing for the first time, are surprisingly intelligent and know how to ambush and attack from both sides!

"We can't get entangled with them here!"

Without hesitation, he used the immense impact of being blasted away to forcefully activate the Wind Control Immortal Technique, burning his true essence. Dragging his mangled body, he left a phantom image and frantically rushed towards the mountain pass that was already crowded with escaping cultivators!

Behind them, the gray demonic shadow and the skeletal giant roared furiously, relentlessly pursuing them! More red and white demons, intimidated by this terrifying gray leader, also went berserk, chasing after Chen Yang and the crowd forced towards the mountain pass!
The mountain pass was crowded with people, and Liu Piaopiao's shouts struggled to stay afloat amidst the waves of fear.

"quick!

Here! Go in quickly! Don't hesitate!

Chen Yang's figure rushed to the depths of the stone crevice like lightning, opening the portal to the Sumeru space once more! The moment the soft light appeared, it was like a beacon in despair!
"Go in!"

Chen Yang's voice shook the surrounding area! At this moment, blood was dripping from the corner of his mouth, his black clothes were tattered, and his arms hung limply at his sides. He looked extremely disheveled and in grave danger!

This only fueled the crowd's fear, causing them to rush in!

The gray skeletal troll let out an extremely unwilling roar, its massive body shrinking involuntarily, transforming into a streak of gray light. It then slammed into the portal of light in the last surging crowd of people and monsters!

Boom! The portal was forcibly shut!

**Within the Sumeru Space, calamity strikes suddenly!**
The survivors, who had just escaped from the depths of hell to a paradise, had barely caught their breath when the shadow of death descended once more!

The moment the skeletal troll entered the space, it unleashed an absolutely terrifying aura! Dense gray death energy spread like a plague, instantly withering and killing the surrounding vegetation!
Its enormous bone fist slammed directly into the dozens of terrified cultivators who were near the entrance!
If that punch lands, it will surely send flesh and blood flying! (End of Chapter)