Xi Qiu acknowledged Chen Fan's position.
Mountain Lord.
Qi Mu had fled, leaving Chen Fan as the Mountain Lord.
"Good."
Chen Fan smiled faintly.
This title, Mountain Lord, equated to an acknowledgment of his status.
"Excellent, excellent, excellent."
Chen Fan smiled faintly, implicitly accepting their address.
He raised a hand and grasped.
"Boom."
The sky tore open.
The already precarious heavens immediately shattered.
All the world-destroying locusts were swallowed by the void.
The origin of destruction appeared between heaven and earth, seized by Chen Fan's hand, and then consumed.
"This power."
After sensing the origin of destruction, he smiled, "Not bad, I like this power."
Chen Fan certainly liked the origin of destruction.
This power was one of the fortunes within the Imperial Palace.
Heaven and earth were purified.
The crisis was eliminated.
On the other side, the powerful cultivators of Tian Dang Mountain were slaughtering the world-destroying locusts.
Chen Fan paid them no mind, instead returning to Tian Dang Mountain.
Above the firmament, Chen Fan stood tall, looking down from on high.
The original cultivators of Tian Dang Mountain were pursuing the world-destroying locusts.
The immense roars echoed through eternity.
After a long while, the crowd slowly returned.
...
Silence.
A strange silence.
Half of the tens of thousands of cultivators on Tian Dang Mountain had been consumed by the world-destroying locusts.
Those still alive were the strong cultivators within Tian Dang Mountain.
This was also a form of selection.
The weak were eliminated, the strong remained.
Everyone looked up, gazing at the figure standing in the heavens.
Chen Fan watched them quietly from above.
For a long time, no one spoke.
Until Xi Qiu stepped forward.
"Brothers."
Xi Qiu's voice resounded across Tian Dang Mountain, "Our Mountain Lord abandoned us."
...
Silence.
Everyone knew, and had witnessed, the escape of Mountain Lord Qi Mu.
Xi Qiu continued, "The crisis that befell Tian Dang Mountain was... this person..."
He pointed at Chen Fan, "who stood out at the critical moment, resolving this crisis for Tian Dang Mountain and protecting the lives of our thousands."
"Everyone, I don't know how you feel right now, but I, Xi Qiu, am willing to acknowledge him as the new Mountain Lord of Tian Dang Mountain."
"His combat prowess, you have all witnessed. If anyone is unconvinced, you may leave now."
Those who were unconvinced could leave.
Though he said this, Xi Qiu was confident no one would leave.
This confidence was built on the foundation of peril.
Xi Qiu understood the current state of the Kuang Realm all too well.
Without the protection of a strong individual, they would be unable to escape.
Even if someone forced their way out, attempting to seek refuge with other forces, the journey alone was something they could not endure.
As expected, no one spoke.
Xi Qiu spoke again, "Since no one is leaving, then... join me in paying respects to the new Mountain Lord."
With that, Xi Qiu descended from the sky and knelt on one knee before Chen Fan, "Xi Qiu of Tian Dang Mountain, I pay respects to the Mountain Lord."
"Bang."
Behind Xi Qiu, two individuals immediately knelt.
It was Lao Ba and Dong Huo.
These two were renowned strong cultivators of Tian Dang Mountain and were very close to Xi Qiu.
They were too familiar with Xi Qiu's character.
Seeing him kneel, they followed without hesitation.
"Lao Ba of Tian Dang Mountain, I pay respects to the Mountain Lord."
"Dong Huo of Tian Dang Mountain, I pay respects to the Mountain Lord..."
These three were currently the strongest individuals on Tian Dang Mountain.
Their submission paved the way for everyone else.
Figures one by one knelt on one knee.
Submitting to the new Mountain Lord.
No one resisted.
What was there to resist for? For Qi Mu?
Heh, the man had already run.
The moment the world-destroying locusts appeared, he had abandoned everyone without a second thought.
...
Submission came about so naturally.
Without a ripple.
All the transitions became extremely simple.
Chen Fan remained calm and composed, quietly observing Xi Qiu handle everything.
Only after everyone had dispersed did Xi Qiu, accompanied by Lao Ba and Dong Huo, come to pay their respects.
"Mountain Lord."
"Call me City Lord. I'm more accustomed to that title."
Whether in the lower realms or the immortal domains, Chen Fan was accustomed to being called City Lord.
"Yes, City Lord."
The three complied readily.
At this moment, Chen Fan was looking at the peak of a high mountain before him.
At the summit was the residence of the previous Mountain Lord, Qi Mu.
This was a forbidden area of Tian Dang Mountain.
Without turning around, Chen Fan asked with a smile, "I presume Xi Qiu has already told you about my origins."
...
Dong Huo and Lao Ba were momentarily unsure how to respond.
The truth was, Xi Qiu had indeed told them about Chen Fan's origins.
"It matters not."
Chen Fan was unconcerned about this. "Knowing my origins is good. What I want to tell you is that I am not alone here. Countless prodigies from the Immortal Realm have gathered here. There are opportunities to leave once you enter, and it depends on whether you can seize them."
"Bang."
Lao Ba and Dong Huo immediately knelt, "We are willing to die for the City Lord."
"That is not necessary."
I, Chen Fan, never require others to sacrifice their lives for me.
He smiled and continued, "Dong Huo and Lao Ba, the two of you, inquire about the other outsiders for me."
"Yes."
"You may go. Xi Qiu, stay."
"Your subordinate takes his leave."
Lao Ba and Dong Huo retreated.
Xi Qiu remained in his place, standing quietly to the side.
Chen Fan spoke directly, "Tell me about this world."
"Yes, City Lord."
Xi Qiu dared not hesitate, stating directly, "This place is called the Kuang Realm, the inner world of the Kuang Heavenly Emperor. In the past, the Kuang Heavenly Emperor brought countless people into this inner world, and it has been passed down to this day."
"Anything else?"
"It is sealed off from the outside. I was among the first batch of residents to enter this place. The flow of time here is different from the outside. No matter how much time has passed outside, tens of thousands of years have gone by here."
"So long?"
Chen Fan was somewhat surprised.
Ten thousand years, that was truly a long time.
And this person before him was actually from ten thousand years ago.
"It has been a long time."
Xi Qiu sighed, "Here, we cultivate the path of the Kuang Heavenly Emperor. While strengthening the Kuang Heavenly Emperor, we also benefit. If one day we can achieve the Emperor Realm through the path of the Kuang Heavenly Emperor, we can break through this world and ascend."
"Mm."
Chen Fan nodded, understanding. "How long ago did the Kuang Heavenly Emperor perish? Do you know?"
"He perished fifty thousand years ago."
Xi Qiu was very knowledgeable about these matters. "Fifty thousand years ago, the Kuang Heavenly Emperor died, and the Kuang Realm began to decline. Fifty thousand years, and it has finally reached its limit, alas..."
"Does everyone know about these things?"
"No."
Xi Qiu shook his head. "We old ones know that this is the inner world of the Kuang Heavenly Emperor. There are not many people like me who have lived this long. In the entire Kuang Realm, there are less than twenty. The majority are the new generation. If no one tells them, they will not know that this is merely an inner world."
This was the reality of the situation.
Those who knew, understood.
Those who didn't, found it difficult to comprehend.
After a moment of silence, Chen Fan asked again, "Do you know of the Five Heavenly Emperors?"