Clang.
The sword moved, following the path.
The sword strike that was unleashed astonished the passage of time.
There was no evenly matched battle, only a forceful advance.
The brush shattered.
This eighth-tier Emperor Weapon, in the face of the sharpness of the Tian Cong Yun Sword, lacked even the ability to resist slightly.
Simultaneously severed was the ninth-tier will within the brush.
"..."
An eerie silence fell over the scene for a moment.
Followed by even more fervent roars like tidal waves.
"City Lord is mighty."
"City Lord is invincible."
"City Lord, I love you."
"..."
"Damn, who yelled that last one?"
Just as he was savoring the feeling of being revered by thousands, a voice suddenly blurted out.
If it were a woman's voice, it would have been fine, but this was clearly a man's voice.
"Hahaha."
The scene became even more jovial.
Amidst the crowd, Lu Qi gazed with a soft gaze at the man who was peerlessly domineering yet possessed a hint of playfulness.
This was her idol, her faith.
As if sensing her gaze, Chen Fan glanced at Lu Qi, then fled in panic.
"Pfft."
Seeing his flustered state, Lu Qi chuckled.
"What are you laughing at?" Di Yu from beside her asked with a confused look.
Lu Qi's expression immediately turned cold: "None of your damn business."
Di Yu: "???"
...
"Dragon King, need any help?" Chen Fan walked over, looking at the battle-scarred Dragon King.
The Dragon King naturally did not refuse: "Of course I need help, this guy is too much of a counter for me."
Without the Dragon King needing to say it, Chen Fan had already sensed the chaos around them.
The disturbed chaos suppressed the Dragon King's abilities.
It had to be said, the Dragon King's luck was truly terrible.
"Swish."
Before Chen Fan could make a move, the Hun Luan Tian Dao directly retreated back into the rift.
However, a voice remained: "Young man, you are quite good. In two days, I will personally descend to slay you."
He left, retreating decisively.
He had witnessed Chen Fan's move just now and judged that he could not withstand that sword strike.
He was only a part of his will, and that arm was formed from the power of the Great Dao, not his true body.
Since his true body was coming, and there was no chance of victory, he naturally had to retreat.
Why stay and be killed?
Losing a portion of his Great Dao power and then losing an Emperor Weapon was not worth the gain.
It was better to withdraw.
With the "Luan Shi Kuang Dao" prefix, the powerful beings from the other two rifts, though unwilling, could only depart.
The four of them had joined forces, expecting to break through the Tenth Land in one fell swoop, but they had ultimately made a mistake.
Although regrettable, they had at least tested the strength of the Tenth Land.
No rush, there were still two days left.
"Hoo."
The Dragon King transformed back into his human form, gasping for breath.
He was truly exhausted.
His injuries were not severe, but his complexion was extremely pale.
He had bled too much.
"Need any help?" The chaotic power remaining in his wounds was being continuously eradicated.
"No need."
The Dragon King shook his head.
With the interference of the Hun Luan Tian Dao gone, he could easily eradicate these minor injuries.
On the other side, Huang, having disengaged from the battle, walked over with Ping Xi.
"Long time no see." Chen Fan looked at the Yin Yang Dao Master.
"Has it been that long?"
The Yin Yang Dao Master still had the appearance of a little girl: "Where is An Ying?"
"I left him in the Ninth Land. If anything happens, he will notify you, and you just need to let me know," Chen Fan said.
"Hmm, that's good too."
As she spoke, she asked again, "How are the other places doing?"
"The enemies in the Ninth Land have been repelled. I don't know about the others."
After speaking, he added: "You don't need to worry too much about other places either. Only the Seventh Land might be a bit weak, but it should be fine."
Only Yun Hai and Shan Zhu remained in the Seventh Land.
It was somewhat dangerous, but both of them had trump cards and should be able to withstand this wave of attack.
The Yin Yang Dao Master nodded: "Then what do we do next? Now that enemies are spread across the Lower Ten Lands, if even one place is breached, it will be troublesome."
Even if they held the Tenth Land, what if the Ninth Land was breached?
They would have to face attacks from above and be sandwiched by the Ninth Land, at which point they would truly have nowhere to go.
"There's no easy solution."
Chen Fan's expression was grave: "But it's not completely without hope. We need to plan carefully."
Ping Xi breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that there was a plan.
It was better than passively waiting for death.
Chen Fan nodded: "I'll return to the Realm of Life and Death first. I'll be back shortly to tell you my plan."
"Alright."
Since he had returned once, he had to go back to the Realm of Life and Death to check on it no matter what.
Weren't his brothers waiting over there?
"I'm off."
Chen Fan waved goodbye and, with the brothers who had been waiting for a long time, returned to the Realm of Life and Death.
The Realm of Life and Death was celebrating.
The City Lord's return had caused unprecedented excitement after days of gloom.
He was the spiritual faith of the Realm of Life and Death.
No one could remain calm after hearing the news of the City Lord's return.
In the Realm of Life and Death, upon the Dao Net.
The Realm of Life and Death was now teeming with talented individuals.
The upper realm, which was previously empty, was now filled with people everywhere.
Cities built upon the upper realm stood tall, and brilliant stars dotted the sky.
Tens of thousands of Emperor-level powerhouses gathered, celebrating the City Lord's return.
Chen Fan merely glanced at these rising talents before leaving.
Most of these people had never seen him before, and the Realm of Life and Death had no portraits or statues of the City Lord.
Among the crowd, a silver dragon caught Chen Fan's attention.
This silver dragon was the silver fish that Chen Fan had encountered in the Forbidden Sea when he was wandering in the lower realm. This silver fish had now, it seemed, received some gift to its bloodline and had completely transformed into a dragon.
Zhao Kai whispered beside him: "The Dragon King gave him a drop of blood."
This explained it.
This time, the silver dragon had truly leaped into the dragon's gate.
Then, Chen Fan saw Long Ling and others who had followed him from Sword City, as well as Hong Si of the Qin Family Army who had ascended with him from the lower realm.
With each person he saw, he nodded gently, as if greeting them.
Afterward, he left.
Time was short.
Only two days remained, there was no time for reminiscing.
His departure was known to only a few, but the seeds of faith in their hearts were even more deeply rooted.
Chen Fan was the faith of the Realm of Life and Death.
...
In the chaos.
Chen Fan had returned. This round trip had taken less than half an hour.
Time was pressing.
The Dragon King, Huang, and Ping Xi were still waiting in the same spot.
"Three of you."
Chen Fan spoke directly: "My plan is that we cannot sit and wait for death. We must actively attack into the Upper Nine Heavens."
His opening statement was like a thunderclap.
For a moment, Ping Xi and the other two were stunned.
"Attack... attack up there?" Shen Huang's voice even trembled.
It wasn't fear, but the idea was simply too audacious.
To attack into the Upper Nine Heavens, anyone would be shocked by such a thought.
"That's right."
Chen Fan nodded: "This is the only way to break the deadlock. We will go up from the Tenth Land. Although we don't know which day corresponds to the Tenth Land above, this is our only choice."
There was no other path to take.
The Dragon King pondered for a moment and nodded: "I think it's feasible."
Ping Xi: "..."
Since you all say so, what can I say?
"There's one issue."
Ping Xi frowned: "How will we get up there?"
Chen Fan remained silent and directly took out a broken brush.
This was something he had deliberately kept after shattering the previous brush. He had already had this idea before.
"Are you sure we can get up there?" the Dragon King asked.
"Not sure."
"..."
"So I need to go find someone."
"Who?"
"You'll know when I get back."
Chen Fan added: "Time is pressing. I'm going to find someone now. Before I return, you must ensure the safety of the Tenth Land. Destroy any rift that appears."
"Alright."
...
In the Sixth Land, Chen Fan had arrived again.
He walked directly into the ruins shrouded in demonic energy and met Zhan, who was in seclusion.
Zhan, having recovered his true form, had regained everything he had lost.
"You want to break into the Upper Nine Heavens?" Zhan was surprised upon hearing Chen Fan's plan.
He then added: "The Tenth Land should correspond to the Ninth Heaven. The Upper Nine Heavens are also divided by strength. Your plan should be feasible."