Luo Feng was somewhat surprised. Jiugang Marquis had always been reluctant before, but now, was he finally moved by the methods Luo Feng displayed during his confrontation with the Heart Shadow Sect? Such a large amount of Cosmos Sand was indeed significant for him.
“If the Lord Marquis is willing to offer one billion Cosmos Sand, Luo He would naturally be willing to join your forces,” Luo Feng said.
“Hahaha, good.” Jiugang Marquis nodded in satisfaction. “This one billion Cosmos Sand, do you want it transferred under your name at Yan Feng Pavilion, or would you like me to hand it to you directly?”
“Just give it to me,” Luo Feng replied.
“Alright, I’ll hand it to you personally within three days,” Jiugang Marquis said, raising his cup and looking towards Morosa. “Let’s drink together!”
Luo Feng and Morosa both raised their cups and drank together.
“This employment will end once the Heart Shadow Sect completely gives up, correct?” Luo Feng asked, concerned. The territories of Marquis Liu Yin and Jiugang Marquis were adjacent. Even if they succeeded this time, future provocations were inevitable.
“When the Heart Shadow Sect completely gives up, the employment will be considered finished. The longest employment time won’t exceed ten epochs!” Jiugang Marquis promised.
Luo Feng understood and raised his cup, “To the Lord Marquis.”
Although he had to part with some wealth, the strength of his forces had indeed greatly increased.
After the banquet, Jiugang Marquis instructed a servant, “Take Luo He and his servant to their residence.”
“Yes,” the servant complied.
Luo Feng and Morosa rose and followed the servant to their temporary residence within the small city.
In the pavilion, only Jiugang Marquis remained, sitting alone.
“Father.” A figure in a green robe stepped out from the side, a young man who bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Jiugang Marquis. He couldn’t help but say, “Spending a full one billion Cosmos Sand to hire this Luo He is too much. We only spent six hundred million Cosmos Sand to hire General Yue.”
Jiugang Marquis glanced at his son and shook his head, “The strength Luo He displayed previously was indeed not worth it. But in this battle, the chaos-level peak will he demonstrated is of great use on the battlefield.”
“With him there, most of those super-large mechanical treasures were rendered useless, not daring to rampage. If they encountered Luo He, even if they formed a formation, they were simply throwing their lives away,” Jiugang Marquis explained.
The young man suddenly understood, “Indeed, the Six Shadows Killing Array consisted of six super-large mechanical treasures. In terms of direct combat strength, it was enough to tangle with Luo He. But under the assault of his willpower, five of those super-large mechanical treasures lost their ability to resist and were easily swept away by Luo He.”
“Willpower has a miraculous effect in group tactics,” Jiugang Marquis sighed. “Eternal True Gods possess chaos-level peak will. It’s extraordinary! Even after countless years of cultivation, your father has only reached the chaos-level peak will.”
The young man nodded, “With Luo He present, those super-large mechanical treasures could only hide within the killing array, significantly reducing their threat.”
“Don’t forget, he also has a servant. How could a servant stand idly by when their master is in danger?” Jiugang Marquis laughed, “Hiring one brought us two.”
The young man nodded.
Indeed, one billion Cosmos Sand was well spent.
“Father, when will we take action?” the young man asked.
“Our strength is still insufficient. We need to wait a bit longer,” Jiugang Marquis said. His divine power incarnation had already gone to the capital to personally request reinforcements.
Originally, the strength difference between Liu Yin Chaos State and Jiugang Chaos State wasn’t significant.
However, with the Heart Shadow Sect joining the fray—a sect with the foundation of a Divine King-level faction—the situation had completely tilted. Jiugang Marquis had to find a way to get reinforcements; relying solely on Luo He and his servant wouldn’t be enough.
The temporary cave residence of Luo Feng and Morosa spanned over a hundred thousand kilometers and was quite exquisite.
In the cultivation chamber of the cave, Luo Feng sat cross-legged.
Inside the Star Tower.
A divine power incarnation of Luo Feng descended.
“Thank you, Divine Lord.” Many rescued cultivators gathered here.
“Everyone,” Luo Feng looked at them, “I have a deep friendship with Brother Entropy, so when Uncle Qiu asked me to help, I could only manage to rescue the cultivators from nine refining workshops. As for the other disciples of Tianyan Sect, I was powerless.”
The disciples of Tianyan Sect were numerous and scattered everywhere; he could only save the nine largest refining workshops.
“Saving nine refining workshops from the Heart Shadow Sect is already a great blessing for us Tianyan Sect disciples,” said Uncle Qiu, the metal lifeform, feeling greatly moved. He believed that Divine Lord Luo He had done more than enough.
“And the many guests at the refining workshops,” Luo Feng looked at them, “During the battle, to prevent collateral damage, I had to evacuate you all from Huyang City. If you wish to return, once the war subsides, I will send you back.”
“We are in no hurry.”
“We are willing to follow the Divine Lord.”
“The Divine Lord has already shown us great kindness.”
These guests included Void True Gods and many more True Gods. Surviving in Huyang City was already difficult for them, so being connected to Divine Lord Luo He was a stroke of great fortune.
After reassuring these cultivators, Luo Feng met with the Dream Flower Pavilion Master, Aloya, and the Moyu family.
“Dream Flower Pavilion Master thanks the Divine Lord for saving my life,” the Dream Flower Pavilion Master said gratefully.
“It’s not really a life-saving grace,” Luo Feng smiled, “The Heart Shadow Sect probably wouldn’t have killed you.”
The Dream Flower Pavilion Master shook her head, “With my meager skills in music and illusions, without the Divine Lord’s help, all my treasures would have been looted. I myself might have been captured by the Heart Shadow Sect’s high-ranking members to become a musician or even a plaything.”
If she had been willing to become a musician or a plaything, she wouldn’t have come to Huyang City to establish Dream Flower Pavilion. Many powerful family factions were eager to take in Eternal True God-level musicians.
“Then you must cultivate diligently. Relying on yourself is the only long-term solution,” Luo Feng advised.
“Is cultivation really that easy?” The Dream Flower Pavilion Master shook her head. Aloya, who was listening nearby, felt even more conflicted. As a Void True God of the Thousand Leaf Vine Grass Clan, her skills in music and illusions were still far inferior to those of the Pavilion Master.
“As long as you keep accumulating, you’ll eventually see results. Aloya, you should work hard too,” Luo Feng smiled at Aloya.
Luo Feng then turned to the Moyu family, including Moyu Qingyan, Moyu Liefeng, and the pregnant Mo Youchang.
“Thank you, Divine Lord, for saving our Moyu family,” Moyu Liefeng said gratefully.
Luo Feng sighed, “Moyu Liuxing was very clever, but unfortunately, he encountered this disaster.”
Mo Youchang was the saddest at this moment.
The death of her mentor, ‘Entropy Tianyan’, who was like a close relative to her, was already a tremendous blow. Now, her husband, Moyu Liuxing, was also dead. The only thing that kept her going was the child in her womb, her only remaining attachment in this world.
“Thank you, Divine Lord, for avenging Liuxing,” Mo Youchang said gratefully.
In another space within the Star Tower.
Luo Feng had cultivated for countless ages, witnessing many joys and sorrows along the way. Even for him, there were many times when he felt powerless.
“Swoosh,” “Buzz,” “Whoosh.”
In the distance, chaotic layer creatures flew about happily. These were fifteen creatures that Luo Feng had captured alive over the course of five epochs in the chaotic layer, each containing complete chaotic laws.
These fifteen chaotic layer creatures belonged to six different species.
For instance, Luo Feng had captured three of the silver-glow creatures: one composed of 108 silver droplets, another of 397 droplets, and the last of 1091 droplets.
The other species had their own unique characteristics as well.
Studying these creatures deepened Luo Feng’s understanding of chaotic laws.
“To date, I have comprehended a total of sixteen chaotic-level techniques. Moreover, I can combine these chaotic-level techniques,” Luo Feng pondered. Some precious mechanical treasures could contain several chaotic-level techniques that could be combined to significantly enhance their power.
“Even with such deep accumulation, I still haven’t grasped the chaotic laws,” Luo Feng felt a sense of frustration.
It was as if the chaotic laws were right in front of him, clearly visible.
But whenever he reached out to touch them, they seemed to slip through his fingers, impossible to fully grasp, always just a little out of reach.
“Just a little bit more.”
“When I had comprehended ten chaotic-level techniques, I felt I was just a little bit away from mastering the chaotic laws. Now, with sixteen chaotic-level techniques, I’m still just a little bit short.”
Luo Feng was exceptionally gifted, far surpassing others in history. His enormous divine body granted him a powerful soul! Coupled with his Divine King-level will, Luo Feng’s comprehension efficiency was naturally high.
Yet, even so, he found understanding the chaotic laws to be a torturous process.
Always feeling just a little bit short.
“As long as I keep accumulating, I will eventually reap the rewards.” Luo Feng sat
cross-legged, focusing intently on his comprehension.
Time passed day by day.
Huyang City gradually returned to peace, but the Void True Gods and Eternal True Gods within the city had almost been completely plundered. The Heart Shadow Sect had made a substantial profit.
In the Chaos Armor District, atop the highest peak.
The Heart Shadow Sect Master and the Eighteen Elders gathered, all looking towards the direction of the City Lord’s Mansion.
“Sect Master, shouldn’t we pay some cost in casualties and break through the City Lord’s Mansion?” the one-eyed elder suggested.
The Heart Shadow Sect Master looked at the distant City Lord’s Mansion, “We’ve already completely sealed off the City Lord’s Mansion. They can’t get out and pose no threat to us.”
“The City Lord’s Mansion is, after all, the core of Huyang City. This super-large city, constructed over generations by various rulers, is a terrifying super-large mechanical city,” the one-eyed elder said. “If this super-large mechanical city falls into the hands of a formation master, it could be incredibly powerful.”
“Jiugang Marquis will likely send a formation master into the City Lord’s Mansion,” the Heart Shadow Sect Master said, “All we need to do is wait patiently. We’ll kill them one by one as they come.”
By leaving the City Lord’s Mansion intact, they could ambush all reinforcements.
“We have indeed set up a large formation in advance, completely trapping the City Lord’s Mansion. Any formation master sent to assist can be intercepted and killed. However, I still think we should take the City Lord’s Mansion early, so Jiugang Marquis won’t be able to control Huyang City,” the one-eyed elder said.
Elder Xin Yan spoke up, “I agree with the Sect Master. Killing the formation masters is the key! After taking Huyang City, we’ll next target Xuyin City. In the future, we might even be forced to attack Jiugang City!”
“There are a total of three large cities, and top-tier formation masters are rare. Even if Jiugang Marquis invites experts from outside, getting just one would be fortunate. Killing the formation masters is far more important than taking the City Lord’s Mansion,” Elder Xin Yan said.
“Without formation masters, the three large cities pose little threat,” the Heart Shadow Sect Master said.
Large cities were perfected over generations. Even Yuguo’s previous Divine Kingdom had strengthened the cities.
Thus, the formation complexity of each large city was exceedingly high.
The greater the formation master’s skill, the more power they could draw from a large city. In fact, the potential was even greater than the Heart Shadow Sect’s ‘Great Destruction Formation.’