Chen Qi solemnly rose and knelt to his master.
Chen Fan, as his master, did not stop him.
By any measure, he was worthy of this kowtow.
"Thank you, Master, for clearing my doubts." At this moment, Chen Qi was cleansed from the inside out.
He had once again become the young man who aspired to create a peaceful and prosperous era.
"Very good."
Chen Fan was also very happy.
He touched the withered sapling and said softly, "Meatball, it's time for you to wake up too."
Life and death, manifested.
Boom.
Endless power of life and death surged through heaven and earth.
The mighty river of the Great Dao swept across the land, plundering all the vital essence from the eight directions and injecting it into the sapling.
Simultaneously... a tattered physical body appeared in the world.
This body belonged to the Yin Death Dao Master.
Chen Fan had preserved the ninth-tier physical body he had slain, and it finally found its use at this moment.
Chen Qi by his side was stunned.
Gulp.
He swallowed hard, looking at his master in disbelief.
How... strong are you, precisely?
If energy intensity were the measure, Chen Qi had now reached the level of a Heavenly Emperor.
And the power of a ninth-tier expert had shocked him back then.
A green leaf grew on the withered tree, and the vital essence of the Yin Death Dao Master was entirely poured into the sapling.
The sapling began to grow, eventually transforming into a towering tree.
A ball of flesh was spat out from the ancient tree.
"Squeak squeak squeak."
The meatball, incomparably excited, pounced onto Chen Fan.
Its fist-sized body tumbled and leaped all over him.
Swish!
The ancient tree swayed, and its spiritual branches, like a child, gently brushed against Chen Fan.
"Heh heh."
Chen Fan gave a wry smile.
These three beings from the beginning of chaos—Chen Qi, the ancient tree, and the meatball... they were all like children.
Swoosh.
Endless sword light bloomed.
The Amaterasu Sword appeared before Chen Qi. "Go, take your master's sword and shatter the injustice of this chaos. Your master... will be waiting."
"Okay."
Chen Qi excitedly grabbed the divine sword.
In an instant, a feeling akin to water and milk blending surged through him.
There was no separation between the sword and Chen Qi. Chen Qi could even sense the Amaterasu Sword's joy, as if this sword had always belonged to him.
But he didn't dwell on it. Gripping the long sword, he instantly shot towards the sky.
A powerful aura spread in all directions.
"Kill."
Sword light swept across heaven and earth, fiercely slashing in all directions.
"Roar."
Growls echoed.
"Chen Qi."
Humans shouted, "You dare to show yourself again? Today, we shall slay you."
Of the ninety-nine betrayers, half were chaos beasts, and half were human.
This betrayal had wounded Chen Qi deeply.
Chen Qi's voice carried boundless coldness, "You traitors, today, I will wreak havoc."
His master's sword gave him the ultimate confidence.
"Kill."
Sword light crisscrossed heaven and earth.
"Ah..."
Screams echoed. "What kind of sword is this? How is it so powerful?"
There was no reply, only sharper and faster sword light.
With every sword strike, a life was reaped.
At this moment, Chen Qi was an invincible being.
No human or chaos beast could withstand a single strike from him.
The beginning of slaughter.
...
Chen Fan had long since retracted his gaze.
When he lent out the Amaterasu Sword, the outcome was already sealed.
"Little fellow."
Chen Fan played happily with the meatball.
The little creature constantly changed shapes, leaping onto Chen Fan.
The ancient tree swayed, its branches gently caressing Chen Fan's body like silken threads.
"Haha."
Chen Fan burst into laughter.
He hadn't laughed so heartily in a long time.
The weariness of the future was all washed away at this moment.
The slaughter outside continued, and no one dared to step foot here. This was... the Chaos Forbidden Zone.
Slowly, Chen Fan fell into deep thought.
"What did I come here for?"
Accompanied by the meatball, Chen Fan walked through the ruined wasteland. "Is it trying to tell me something?"
It must be, but he couldn't be sure.
The ancient tree, the meatball, Chen Qi... all of this seemed to foreshadow something.
He couldn't figure it out.
"The Lord of Order inherited this place, didn't he?" Chen Fan guessed.
He was almost a hundred percent sure that the Lord of Order's power came from this place.
He had to admit, the Lord of Order had great luck.
To stumble upon such a treasure trove in the nether realms, who would have believed it.
"Right."
Suddenly, an idea formed in Chen Fan's mind. "If I leave something here, will the future be altered?"
Without further thought, he began to arrange it. Yin and Yang, Life and Death... Boom!
Two forces surged through heaven and earth, and their immense power, upon encountering the power of Order, immediately merged into it.
"Wind and Thunder, gather..."
Hum.
Just as he was about to embed the power of wind and thunder, a powerful suction force from the nether realms pulled at him, intending to take him away.
"So soon?"
Chen Fan was somewhat surprised.
This control was irresistible, belonging to the will of heaven and earth.
If he didn't resist, there might still be a chance to return.
If he resisted, something bad might happen.
"Forget it."
He gave up resisting and smiled as he stroked the meatball.
He reached out and patted the sapling again, saying with a smile, "I have to go. I'll come back to see you next time. Yes... remember to tell Ah Qi to live well, and wait for me to return."
Swoosh.
Divine light flashed, and the Amaterasu Sword instantly returned to its place.
His figure had vanished without a trace.
The battle over there was nearing its end. Chen Qi had already killed many, and victory was assured.
So Chen Fan left with peace of mind!
...
Whoosh.
He opened his eyes once more.
As if sensing something in the nether realms, Chen Fan's gaze instantly shot upwards, towards the sun shining above.
"As expected."
A smile appeared on Chen Fan's face. "You are truly bold, hiding here."
Within the sun that illuminated the nine heavens and ten earths, Chen Fan sensed a familiar aura, one that belonged to his power.
"So your power comes from me."
Past and present converged.
This was the power of time, the strongest Great Dao in chaos.
No one could escape time's erosion, not even the most powerful.
Ninth-tier experts, right?
Some lived for millions of years, the most ancient approaching tens of millions.
But Chen Fan knew that a lifespan of tens of millions of years was the limit for a ninth-tier being.
Perhaps a few could live for tens of millions of years, but very, very few.
Perhaps... beings above the Emperor Realm could.
But all living beings would eventually die, such was the power of time.
...
Chen Fan did not know.
At the moment he looked towards the sun.
The slumbering Lord of Order within the sun was awakened.
The gaze from the nether realms made the Lord of Order feel a tremor of fear.
It was a feeling he couldn't quite comprehend.
It was as if... a thread in this world had connected him to someone.
"What is happening?"
The feeling from the nether realms came and went quickly.
After pondering for a long time, the Lord of Order could not find an answer.
Finally, he could only snort coldly, "I don't care."