It was breezy by the lake.
On one side of the island, peach blossoms were waving in the wind. Crystal raindrops rolled down the petals of the peach blossoms, as a gentle airflow moved through the flowers.
On the terrace on the second floor of White Jade City Pavilion…
Lu Fan frowned. He looked like he was a little surprised.
He focused his attention on the quest on the system page and was suddenly a little disturbed.
[“Main Quest: Transform Wuhuang Continent to Wuhuang Universe (accepted). Current rate of progress: Low Level Martial World (Quest Rating: Not Activated).”]
[“Quest Reminder: Three people in Internal Organs Realm detected in this world. Appraisal quest to upgrade the level of the world can be activated. Do you want to activate it?”]
The system prompt made him involuntarily frown.
Appraisal quest to upgrade the level of the world?
He had had no idea at all that there was such a quest.
Lu Fan had estimated that Wuhuang Continent should be qualified to be upgraded to a Mid Level Martial World.
But this came faster than he had imagined.
Was it because of the number of people in the Internal Organs Realm?
With his eyes narrowing, Lu Fan was lost in his thoughts.
He vaguely had a hunch that this appraisal quest could not be simple.
However, a quest to upgrade the level of the world, he supposed it would not be easy.
Staring at the pop-up prompt…
Lu Fan was lost in thought for quite some time.
“System, what is the appraisal quest to upgrade the level of the world about?” Lu Fan queried the system silently.
[“Once triggered, the appraisal quest to upgrade the level of the world cannot be cancelled. If Host refuses to accept the quest now, it will be delayed for 30 days and be automatically activated in 30 days.”]
[“Reminder: Since Host triggered the appraisal quest to upgrade the level of the world in a very short time, the difficulty of the quest will be increased by 10%. Double awards for completion of the quest.”]
Lu Fan was stunned.
He kept tapping on the armrest of the wheelchair—a sign that he was indecisive and unable to make a decision.
If he did not accept the quest at this moment, it would be activated automatically in 30 days anyway.
Judging from the description of the system, this quest would in no way be easy.
“What will happen if I fail the appraisal quest to upgrade the level of the world?” Lu Fan asked the question that mattered to him most.
It was negative to think about failure before he even started.
But Lu Fan figured it was necessary to be aware of the consequence.
The system prompt popped up.
[“If Host fails the appraisal quest, the Power to Protect the World will be deactivated.”]
Lu Fan’s heart sank.
He read several deeper implications from this answer.
The Power to Protect the World… To protect Wuhuang Continent?
Why would the Power to Protect the World even exist?
Were there other worlds beyond Wuhuang Continent?
If the Power to Protect the World was deactivated, did that mean Wuhuang Continent would meet other worlds?
It would be fine if the worlds it met were also Low Level Martial Worlds.
But if it met Mid Level or even High Level Martial Worlds…
Then Wuhuang Continent might not be able to repel them.
Other worlds might merge it!
That was what Lu Fan did not want to see. He had experienced a lot here. And it was not only because he had put much effort into this world, but also because he had his family here.
Lu Changkong, Ni Yu, Ning Zhao, and the others were all like family to him.
White Jade City was a force he had put considerable effort into.
He did not want everything he had accomplished to turn out to be nothing in the end.
Leaning on the back of the Thousand Blades Chair, Lu Fan let out a deep breath, as if he was venting his frustration.
“I will have to face it sooner or later…”
Finally, Lu Fan narrowed his eyes. He made up his mind.
“System, I accept the appraisal quest to upgrade the level of the world…” Lu Fan said.
He did not get any response from the system for quite some time.
Then, a prompt finally popped up.
[“Quest explanation: There is a world beyond this world. As a mighty man who created this fantasy world, you must be able to protect the world you created from invasions.”]
[“Appraisal Quest: Resist the invasions from four wanderers from alien worlds and the Spiritual Sense duplicate of one Lord of the Plane from a Mid Level Martial World. (Criterion to close the quest: White Jade City remains uneliminated.)”]
Lu Fan’s eyes narrowed to slits. Extremely brilliant lights burst in his eyes.
When he had seen what the quest was about…
The Spirit Qi in his body suddenly tumbled. A dreadful Spirit Pressure spread across the entire Lake Island.
Suddenly, all the water around Lake Island receded toward the center.
Everyone on the island was astonished. They looked at the second floor of the pavilion on Lake Island, wondering why Lu Fan was so moody.
“As expected, there is a world beyond this world!”
Lu Fan closed his fist tightly.
As a time traveler, he totally bought into the idea that there was a world beyond this world. He even guessed at the very beginning that there were other worlds beyond Wuhuang Continent.
“Criterion to close the quest… White Jade City remains uneliminated? It sounds cruel.”
Lu Fan narrowed his eyes.
Another system prompt popped up.
[“Quest successfully accepted. The four wanderers will befall in three months.”]
However, after this prompt, no more information came from the system again.
In the sky, the dark clouds that had been smashed into pieces by Lu Fan gathered once more. They were keeping the sun from the world.
Gazing at the lake, Lu Fan was lost in his thoughts. He was super serious.
Three months… He still had three months?
However, Lu Fan frowned. The system said the four wanderers would befall in three months.
But…
It did not say that Lord of the Plane from a Mid Level Martial World would befall in three months as well!
******
South County.
Nanjin City.
It had been raining for days, as the dark clouds had blocked the sun.
Since Nanjin City lay on the border of South County, there was only wilderness beyond the city. And beyond the wilderness was Nanman’s territory. Nanman was one of the Five Barbarians that bordered Great Zhou.
Nanman was constantly at war with Nanjin City. And this wilderness was like a burial ground for unidentified bodies. The bodies of many barbarians from Nanman were left here.
In the continuous downpour…
After a series of battles, the soldiers from Nanjin City threw the dead bodies that Nanman’s army had left behind into the wilderness.
An armored soldier from Nanjin City wiped his hands with disgust.
“Let’s go. None of these barbarians is a good person. Just leave the bodies here.”
“Beasts living in the wilderness will deal with these bodies,” a soldier said.
Some of the other soldiers also agreed.
They had no good feelings for the barbarians from Nanman.
Because of the feud between these two territories, Nanjin City would lose a significant number of soldiers every year, who either died or got injured, thus resulting in many broken families.
However, the soldiers here had to guard the city, because once they lost the city to Nanman, the entire Nanjin City would fall into disaster.
Rumble!
Suddenly, thunder struck in the overcast sky.
Its deafening sound seemed like the roar of some fierce beast, tearing the rainy sky apart.
Somewhere in the wilderness…
The growls of starving wolves came. One by one, the rain-soaked wolf walked out of the wild grasses. Their green eyes were full of cruelty and greed.
They were looking at the barbarians’ dead bodies in the wilderness.
And drool dripped from their muzzles.
Several of the starving wolves exchanged a look. Then they all rushed toward the barbarians’ bodies, splashing the stinking muddy water around.
All of a sudden…
Among the dead bodies that piled up on the ground…
In an instant.
A body sat up.
Muddy water splashed all over.
The wolves suddenly stopped. They bared their teeth to the shadow sitting up among the dead bodies.
Crack. Crack. Crack…
That shadow kept turning its head.
Its bones were cracking.
“Oh?”
It snorted in a low voice.
Several of the starving wolves lunged at the shadow. The rain suddenly smelled pungent, and a strong stench of blood wafted in the air.
The body stumbled to his feet.
Rolling his eyes, he glanced over at the wolves.
The fierce light in the starving wolves’ eyes as they lunged at him all dimmed down. They fell on the ground.
Unable to move, their bodies twitched, and gradually the starving wolves died.
The rain continued to pour heavily, leaving the icy wind to sweep over the dead bodies of the wolves.
“How fragile these creatures were. How lucky I am. I came to a new Low Level Martial World…”
Gently stroking his own cheek with his hand in the shape of “orchid fingers,” with the tip of the thumb touching the bottom of the middle finger, he burst out laughing.
******
In Nanjiang City.
Tang Baiyun was feeling a little uneasy.
A person in a black robe and wearing a veil was standing quietly opposite him. Tang Baiyun could perceive the sharp and enthusiastic look behind the veil. It was wild and fierce.
“First Young Master Tang… Mayor Tang and the Greatest Priest of our clan are allies now. We genuinely want to collaborate with you, so the Young Master Tang should show your sincerity to us too. I heard that there is a Dragon Gate in the Secret Realm in South County. What about letting the warriors of our clan have a look at it to widen their knowledge? How does that sound to you?”
Tang Baiyun did not speak. He looked awkward, but he was still smiling.
“The Dragon Gate in the Secret Realm is not involved in the agreement my father and your Greatest Priest reached,” Tang Baiyun said. “The Dragon Gate in the Secret Realm is a place of ill-fortune. For the safety of your warriors, it is better you stay away from it, you know, just to avoid unnecessary casualties.”
The man in a black robe broke into a hoarse laugh.
“First Young Master Tang…”
“As far as I know, the Third Young Master, Mayor Tang’s third and youngest son, Tang Yimo, seems to be one of the mysterious cultivators that have created a big disturbance in Great Zhou. He is powerful, even as strong as Grandmasters.”
“Oh? You mean my youngest brother? Yes, he got an Immortal encounter. He has been a great help of my father lately.”
Tang Baiyun looked very calm.
“A great help? Will he be the successor to the position of Mayor of South County? Heh-heh.”
The man in a black robe broke into an insidious smile.
Tang Baiyun narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist tightly.
“He is just a love child of a maid. My father despises him… Only half of his blood is noble. My father is not dumb. How would he make Tang Yimo his successor?” Tang Baiyun said with a smile.
“Tut. Tut. Tut…”
“Well, it is hard to say. After all, your father thinks highly of cultivators. It seems your youngest brother’s strength is higher in comparison to yours. So… It is still possible, isn’t it? Aren’t you worried about that, too?” the man in a black robe said.
“Huh, I am also a cultivator!”
The smile faded from Tang Baiyun’s face. A clouded expression appeared on his face.
“But he is still stronger than you are…” said the man in a black robe.
Boom!
Tang Baiyun’s eyes narrowed. He pounded the table hard. His face was livid with anger.
The man in a black robe looked at Tang Baiyun calmly, with sarcasm in his eyes.
“We, Nanman, believe in strength. Even if you are the clan’s leader, you might be dismissed if you are not strong enough… So strength is the most essential thing. First Young Master Tang, you’d better watch out. Heh-heh.”
Tang Baiyun’s face seemed to be slightly twitching.
After quite some time…
He opened the palm of his hand.
Looking at the man in a black robe, he gradually showed a smile.