Chaos churned.
The battle of five sixth-order Heavenly Emperors shook the entire Four Directions Domain.
Countless worlds, hidden in the shadows, watched.
However, as the aura of the surging Great Dao spread, the hidden worlds began to flee in a frenzy.
If they didn't run, they would die.
...
The Life and Death Realm was also running.
"Hahaha."
Within the realm, bursts of excited laughter echoed.
"I've reached third-tier, hahaha, I've reached third-tier..."
This was Xi Qiu's laughter.
He was the first to surrender from the Mad Realm, having served under the Mad Emperor in his past.
But with the destruction of the Mad Realm and the fierce competition among the four Half-Emperors, his future became uncertain.
Finally, he surrendered due to Chen Fan's arrival.
Later, when the Mad Emperor and Old Demon Chu successively became Emperors, even if he had become an Emperor, he was of little use in the eyes of the City Lord and never participated in the great battles.
Today, after plundering the Stony Realm and madly devouring its Great Dao power.
He had finally reached the pinnacle of an Emperor Venerable.
For low-tier Emperor Venerables, third-tier was the limit.
From first-tier to third-tier, no comprehension was needed; progression occurred naturally when enough energy was accumulated.
He was not the only one to achieve third-tier; Zhao Kai was also among them...
The initially-following Heavenly Calamity, White Bone Forest, and Huang Die, along with others, had entered the Emperor Venerable realm, though only at the first tier.
Even so, it was enough for them to be proud.
"City Lord."
From a distance, Wu Sheng approached.
This son of the Boundless Supreme did not remain in the Immortal Realm with his father, but followed the Life and Death Realm into the chaos.
Boom.
With each step Wu Sheng took, the Great Dao roared.
Lotus flowers bloomed with every step, and his aura continuously increased.
Clang.
In the depths of the Life and Death Realm's starry sky, a grey star flew over.
The star, carrying a monstrous sword intent, hovered above Wu Sheng.
"I am leaving."
Wu Sheng spoke, "My life cannot always be lived under your protection."
"You're leaving already?" Chen Fan frowned.
"Yes."
"...Alas."
After a moment of contemplation, Chen Fan sighed.
He never obstructed the path of others' enlightenment, especially not Wu Sheng.
Seeing Wu Sheng's determined gaze, Chen Fan sighed, "First-tier Emperor Venerable is difficult in the chaos..."
"I know."
Wu Sheng nodded, looking at the star above his head with a hint of a smile.
Then, he clenched his fist...
Bang.
The star, the Sword Star, exploded.
The Way of the Sword dissipated, returning to the Life and Death Realm.
Laughter echoed through the heavens and earth: "I, Wu Sheng, have never been inferior to anyone in my life. Today, I disperse the Way of the Sword to repay the Life and Death Realm..."
Whether it was the Dao or comprehension, it all came from the gifts of the Life and Death Realm.
Chen Fan had once said that anyone could leave, but they needed to compensate for the losses to the Life and Death Realm.
Wu Sheng was the first to voluntarily disperse his Great Dao and leave behind his own comprehension.
What he took with him was only his own strength...
"City Lord."
Wu Sheng ascended into the sky and took a step out of the Life and Death Realm: "We shall meet again in the chaos in the future..."
No melodrama, no wasted words.
He left as he said he would.
"..."
The Life and Death Realm was silent.
Wu Sheng's departure was abrupt.
The moment he became an Emperor, he chose to leave.
"Alas, never mind."
Although Wu Sheng's departure was sudden, Chen Fan was not surprised.
They were similar in nature, both unwilling to be subservient.
Wu Sheng had been very silent during this period.
Chen Fan understood him, but due to the dangers of the chaos, there hadn't been time for in-depth conversation.
If that was the case... so be it.
As long as they lived, they would meet again in the future.
"Everyone."
Chen Fan spoke, "Does anyone else wish to leave?"
"..."
No one responded.
"Don't overthink it."
Seeing that no one else spoke, Chen Fan decided to reiterate his words from that day: "The Life and Death Realm is not just my Life and Death Realm; it belongs to all of us.
Anyone who wishes to leave is welcome, but before leaving, they must repay the equivalent energy they have gained from the Life and Death Realm over the years."
The nurturing of the Life and Death Realm was not for naught.
Since they had chosen to join the Life and Death Realm, they had to be responsible for it.
Of course, for those like Wu Sheng, who was a first-tier Emperor Venerable, there wasn't much energy. Leaving behind their comprehension would suffice.
Only Heavenly Emperors leaving would require repayment.
Otherwise, the Life and Death Realm would suffer a significant loss of energy due to the departure of a Heavenly Emperor.
In the future, if one were to reach the Great Emperor realm, the departure of a Great Emperor could even cause a tier to collapse. The higher the realm and the stronger the power, the greater the damage to the world upon departure.
This was unavoidable.
"Understood."
The newly promoted Emperor Venerables nodded.
This was inevitable.
Even if they left, they were still people who had come from the Life and Death Realm. With that bond, when they met in the chaos in the future, they would have an additional connection compared to others.
After all, no one wanted to fill the entire chaos with enemies.
"Good."
Chen Fan spoke again, "Now, there is one more opportunity. Everyone, watch carefully..."
As his voice fell, a stone appeared in Chen Fan's hand.
"This is..."
Old Demon Chu and the Mad Emperor had seen the Stony Realm.
That's right, what he took out was the compressed stone of the Stony Realm.
On the stone was a powerful seal.
"Fourth-tier world."
Chen Fan's face was filled with a smile.
The greatest gain from the surprise attack on the Stony Realm was not the absorbed Great Dao and world power, but these worlds.
"Prepare yourselves."
Chen Fan's tone became more serious, "Within this Stony Realm are billions of living beings. When our Life and Death Realm ascended to fourth-tier, there were no sentient beings. From now on, the people of the Stony Realm will be residents of our Life and Death Realm."
The Life and Death Realm currently only had a few thousand inhabitants.
A vast fourth-tier world would not live up to its name without billions of inhabitants.
After all, every fourth-tier Great World had evolved for tens of millions of years.
Only the Life and Death Realm, from its evolution from the Imperial Palace to a world, took less than a year.
The next moment, Chen Fan directly removed the seal on the Stony Realm.
Boom.
As the seal disappeared, the Stony Realm immediately began to expand.
This was already a fourth-tier Great World, comparable to the Life and Death Realm.
Its expansion speed was astonishing, covering the sky and sun in the blink of an eye.
"Clang."
The Ame no Murakumo appeared, "Slash..."
With a single slash, it tore open the sky above the vast Stony Realm.
"All Emperor Venerables, enter the Stony Realm and move the living beings." Chen Fan roared.
"Yes."
No one hesitated.
Emperor Venerables entered the Stony Realm one by one.
The Stony Realm, with its Great Dao and world power long gone, was now just a barren land.
An Emperor Venerable, entering such a world, could destroy it with a single strike and annihilate all life.
Apart from its structural integrity, this world had no other use.
...
Within the Stony Realm.
Having lost its energy, the Stony Realm had long become a world inhabited by mortals, though its technology was quite advanced.
Towering skyscrapers stood on the land, and even airplanes soared through the sky.
In the evolution of a barren world, cultivators had long since vanished.
And when a large rift appeared in the sky, everyone was stunned.