Returning to the Nine Provinces

At this moment, Xiao Chen's soul was as pure and holy as a celestial being, utterly unlike a creature of the Death World. He looked like a god from the celestial realms. He restrained his overwhelming pressure, and the resplendent light around his body converged inward. His Yellow Diamond skeleton was crystalline and translucent, as if carved from rare divine jade. When his powerful aura was contained, he gained a deeper, more reserved presence, full of hidden potential.

When Xiao Chen appeared among the cities of the Western Domain, it immediately caused chaos. A Yellow Diamond evolution king—no matter where he went, none dared to take him lightly. Especially the upper echelons, who knew his background: in the domain ruled by the Giant King, he had killed over a dozen Yellow Diamond second-order experts in a single night. The entire Eastern Domain was buzzing with the news.

And now, this Yellow Diamond king who had stirred up such turmoil seemed even more unfathomable. His entire body was translucent and sparkling, containing power that was difficult to gauge. The upper echelons of the Western Domain were naturally proud, always considering themselves a cut above the experts of the Eastern Domain. Yet facing this Yellow Diamond king who had entered the Western Domain alone, most chose silence, not daring to provoke him.

Of course, there were exceptions. Experts from the East and West rarely dared to enter each other's domains easily. Not even the Giant King dared to penetrate deep into the West, which made many Western experts confident. When Xiao Chen appeared at a large city, the city lord immediately showed himself. It was a skeletal griffin—a lion-like bony body with a pair of white wings. It loudly berated Xiao Chen, demanding why he had entered its city without permission.

In the skeletal griffin's understanding, any Eastern expert who entered the West would have to humble themselves out of fear of the Angel King. If it could drive off a powerful Yellow Diamond king, its prestige would surely soar. But this time, it was gravely mistaken. Xiao Chen struck out directly, annihilating the griffin utterly, body and soul, without even bothering to harvest its fire seed.

All the fire-seed beings who witnessed this were stunned into silence. To destroy a Yellow Diamond second-order expert with a casual wave of the hand—what kind of power was that? An arrogant angel who had come to support the griffin stopped dead in its tracks, nearly fleeing in terror. Trembling, it said, "Yellow Diamond king, do you know this is the Western Domain? All cities are under the rule of the Angel King. How dare you act like this? You have offended the Angel King's dignity!"

"Are you questioning me? And speaking of dignity, you have offended mine." Xiao Chen pointed a finger, and with a "boom," a powerful skeletal angel shattered amidst the onlookers.

The scene was震撼ing. One casual finger—and another Yellow Diamond second-order expert was crushed. Such profound methods awed every expert who witnessed it. Xiao Chen passed through the city without concern and continued to the next, as if he were a tourist wandering casually among the cities of the Western Domain, seemingly unafraid of the Angel King's wrath.

Only a few experts understood what was happening. Not long ago, three missing skeletal angels had gravely provoked this Yellow Diamond expert. Now, this seemed to be a polite return visit. In response, the Angel King made no reply at all. The masters of each city dared not make any rash moves either. To offend a king's dignity would likely lead to a death as meaningless as that unfortunate griffin's. When a Yellow Diamond king travels, none dare block his path.

Xiao Chen lingered in the Western Domain for several days, then left, heading east to visit the Giant King. He traveled eastward, no longer fleeing but passing directly through cities. As he entered the Eastern Domain, he instantly became the center of attention. He first returned to Broken Army City and released spiritual fluctuations that shook hundreds of li, summoning the fire-seed beings who had scattered in fear.

Sha Polang and the Yellow Diamond skeleton were the first to arrive. The two fellows had not wandered far. "Big brother, you are too powerful! I heard you paraded through the Western Domain, and even the Angel King grudgingly kept silent. Truly a model for our generation..." Sha Polang began flattering as soon as he met him. The scattered fire-seed beings gradually returned, their fear dissipating. Xiao Chen's return caused the entire Eastern Domain to stir. Many experts believed he now possessed the strength to stand against the three kings; otherwise, he would never dare to return.

After only three days in Broken Army City, Xiao Chen set out for the domain ruled by the Giant King. This blatant advance drew the attention of all the powerful fire-seed beings in the Eastern Domain. Xiao Chen became a focal point; all the powerful upper echelons watched closely to see how events would unfold.

As everyone speculated, Xiao Chen would inevitably have a life-or-death battle with the Giant King. In fact, Xiao Chen was ready for battle, determined to slaughter any who stood in his way. He traveled east, then turned north into the Giant King's domain. He entered every city, yet encountered not a single challenger, not a single obstruction. The powerful city lords all fled before his arrival. The lesser lords were more docile than kittens, not daring to oppose his will. Though he passed through many cities, there was not a hint of resistance.

Now that he had reached the Yellow Diamond extreme, Xiao Chen had no fear. He was not worried that the Giant King could pull any tricks. Heading north, as the Giant City came into sight, he strode forward and finally arrived outside the city walls. The imposing Giant City—the large section of wall destroyed last time had long since been repaired, still towering and majestic.

"Giant King, come out and meet me..." Xiao Chen shouted outside the city, shaking the entire giant metropolis. His terrifying pressure erupted without restraint—a demonstration of absolute power. At that moment, the great city gate rumbled open, and the Giant King strode out. At his side were two other kings whose presence was no weaker than his.

The expert on the left was like a monster, with even more limbs than an eight-legged spider: eighteen knife-like long legs, eight large hands, and nine skulls growing from his shoulders—tiger, lion, leopard, all different. He was truly a freak. The expert on the right was also peculiar, his entire body pitch-black like black jade—a rare sight. Xiao Chen's heart jumped. So the Beast King and the Hundred War King had also arrived?

Instead of attacking, the Giant King welcomed him, without a trace of killing intent. The other two kings were also relaxed. "Congratulations on advancing to Yellow Diamond third-order. I daresay the throne of the Eastern Domain's top expert is yours for the taking." The Giant King's words greatly surprised Xiao Chen. In his imagination, the two would surely engage in a life-or-death battle. How could they peacefully coexist like this? "Giant King, spare me your tricks. Let us fight to the death!"

"Times have changed." The Giant King showed no intention of fighting. "Come, come, let me introduce you to two friends. This is the Beast King, and this is the Hundred War King." As expected, the other two kings were indeed the other two rulers. "What exactly do you mean? Are the three of you planning to join forces?" Xiao Chen stared at the three kings.

"Not at all. We two have come to resolve the enmity between you." The Hundred War King spoke. He was entirely black, with a lotus mark on his forehead. "Better to dissolve enmity than to keep it." The many-limbed Beast King also urged. The central skull of his main head bore a lotus mark on the brow bone. Xiao Chen calmed down, staring at them, and asked very calmly, "Why are you doing this?"

"Very well, I won't beat around the bush. I'll tell you straight," the Hundred War King lowered his spiritual fluctuations. "The powerful being within does not want turmoil in the outer domains. Not long ago, it issued a command, requiring us to restrain our subordinates." "Within?!" Xiao Chen looked incredulous, pointing toward the depths of the continent. "You mean the depths of the continent?" "Correct," the Beast King nodded affirmatively. "Now that you have successfully advanced, your strength can be considered that of a master in the outer domains. You are qualified to receive this command."

"Accept a command from within—" Xiao Chen was extremely surprised, but he was very dismissive. No one could command him. If bound, he would rather never enter the continent's depths. The Giant King chuckled. "You have excellent talent, more than enough to lead an army into the depths..." "Don't listen to his nonsense," the Hundred War King interrupted the Giant King, speaking to Xiao Chen. "When you are strong enough, you can naturally participate in the battles within the depths. But this time, we have no choice but to obey. The one who gave the command is an unimaginable existence. Do you still remember the Soul-Summoning Song you heard not long ago?"

"You mean the maiden's song from the depths?!" Xiao Chen was shocked. "Correct. One who has reversed death and returned to life, with flesh and blood reborn. Just what level her power has reached, we do not know..."

After that, Xiao Chen and the three kings entered Giant City and had a long, secret meeting in the lord's mansion. Ultimately, the battle the outside world had predicted never broke out. The Hundred War King, the Beast King, and the Yellow Diamond king departed Giant City peacefully... No one outside knew why.

Xiao Chen shook his head vigorously. He had learned some secrets of the continent's depths, which struck him forcefully. But for now, he buried them deep in his heart. Leaving Giant City, he headed back to Broken Army City. However, he was still dissatisfied. Along the way, he destroyed three city lords, causing the Giant King, upon hearing the news, to fly into a rage and accuse him of breaking faith. Xiao Chen sent word to the Giant King, claiming that the Giant King had hunted him for several days, so this was only fair. The Giant King was furious. He had lost over a dozen powerful subordinates—he was the one who had suffered. Calling this "fair" was infuriating. But in the end, he held back, not starting a major war over it.

"Disappointing..." Xiao Chen waited a long time for the Giant King to come at him, but it never happened. He was full of regret. If the enemy had come, he would have found an excuse to eliminate a king. Back in Broken Army City, Xiao Chen left the three powerful fire seeds and the large amount of colorful diamond bone shards in his spatial ring to Sha Polang and the Yellow Diamond skeleton. He was ready to hand over the reins and stop dealing with these matters for now. Because he was about to enter the Nine Provinces once more.

The hundred races had all emerged; peerless beauties and young kings of every clan danced together upon the world. He very much wanted to go back and see what changes had occurred in the Nine Provinces.

After a brief stay in the Divine Village, Xiao Chen took his leave and came to the city where the Bone Well was located. He covered his Yellow Diamond skeleton with white bone powder before entering the city; otherwise, he was too conspicuous and could easily be discovered by those with ill intentions. Cautiously entering that ruined building district, Xiao Chen stepped into the Bone Well and arrived once again in the Nine Provinces.

In an instant, he appeared before the Dead City in the Primordial Ancient Village. A bright moon hung in the sky, particularly pure and luminous. At the same time, the osmanthus flowers in the nearby grove were blooming with unusual brilliance. "Is it the Mid-Autumn Festival?" Xiao Chen turned into a streak of golden light and sped into the distance. After casually entering a few villages, he confirmed his guess. Today was indeed the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Walking under the moonlight, he passed by osmanthus trees growing along the dirt path, their crystalline clusters of flowers hanging like strings of gems. Once again, Xiao Chen seemed to smell the refreshing fragrance that soothes the heart. "I used to spend this festival with my family. But today... when will I ever smell the fragrance of osmanthus again?"

Just then, he suddenly saw a white streak of light. Under the watery moonlight, at an inconceivable speed, it rushed toward the Dead City. Then he heard faint, intermittent sobbing sounds. Xiao Chen was greatly startled. He hurriedly dashed in that direction.

Before the Dead City, a tiny snow-white beast, looking pitiful and forlorn, carried a large bamboo basket filled with food and candles. It wept as it lit the candles, then laid out all the food in front of the Dead City. Seeing all this, Xiao Chen felt a sour sensation in his nose. Those were all things he liked to eat... The little one still remembered. And on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, it had come to offer sacrifices. This moved him deeply.