Fang Chen nodded slightly. "Ten thousand Yin Lifespan Coins is not a small amount, but it's not much either. Only thirty percent of Yin Walkers have accepted the rules, and that's not enough. I want them all to accept my arrangements. You'll need to work harder."

"All of them?" Du Yunxu smiled wryly. "My lord, if that happens, we would practically be disturbing the livelihoods of the major Yin Monarchs. They might...."

Fang Chen wore a faint smile. "Those who are willing to cooperate will not end up hungry. Those who refuse to cooperate should step down from their positions as Yin Monarchs."

He now held the Monarch Yan's Seal. Both in name and fact, he was Monarch Yan of the Underworld. However, he still wasn't powerful enough to have a significant impact on the Underworld. Many dangers were lurking within this place.

However, the situation in the Lesser Underworld was different. As long as he controlled the authority there, Yin Lifespan Coins would continuously flow into the Monarch Yan's Seal, giving it the power it was meant to possess.

Fang Chen still had some concerns. Monarch Yan of the Lesser Underworld was the one who had conferred the Day Walker Monarch onto him. He wasn't sure if this Monarch Yan was the same person from the Killing Spiritual Division, which was why Fang Chen had not sought him out yet.

If the two weren't connected, Fang Chen could summon Stone Dragon and swiftly establish order in the Lesser Underworld.

Du Yunxu bitterly smiled in his heart.

My lord is truly domineering. He's planning to completely reform the rules of the Underworld.

Du Yunxu could hardly imagine what would happen if all the Yin Monarchs joined forces to resist Fang Chen. Would the Day Walker Division collapse overnight? Even the Night Walker Monarch might not be on their side.

Just as Du Yunxu was about to speak up, Fang Chen asked, "During the reform, has Monarch Yan expressed any stance?"

Du Yunxu shook his head slightly, "The Monarch Yan has not made any statements."

"Understood. Continue with the reform," said Fang Chen.

Du Yunxu thought for a moment, then softly asked, "My lord, what should we do if some Yin Walkers refuse to cooperate?"

"Expel them from the Underworld, and they shall never walk the Path of Yin again. Since they want to use Yin Lifespan Coins to increase their cultivation but refuse to pay the tax, they can't have it both ways. If any of them have the cultivation of a Yin Monarch, I will personally intervene.

"If one lesson isn't enough, we'll give them two. For now, organize a list of names. In addition, all wandering souls and Yin Walkers who worship the Spirit God should also be included in the list."

Fang Chen's gaze shifted slightly as he calmly looked at Du Yunxu. "You need to be careful with this list. Do not let outsiders find out."

Du Yunxu froze for a moment, then quickly nodded. "Understood."

Fang Chen asked, "Which two cities did Little White and Little Black take control of?"

Du Yunxu replied, "Lord White took control of Xianyang City, and Lord Black took control of Hujiao City."

"And what places do these cities correspond to in the mortal realm?"

Du Yunxu thought for a moment, then answered, "Xianyang City corresponds to the Five Elements Region, and Hujiao City corresponds to the Nine Stars Domain."

After a pause, he gave a slightly awkward smile. "For the specifics, I will need to check the roster."

"That's fine. Go ahead and do what you need to do," said Fang Chen, waving his hand.

Du Yunxu nodded and turned to leave.

"Five Elements, Nine Stars, Ancient Desolate, True Martial..." Fang Chen murmured. "No wonder the Immortal Realm is not necessarily more vast than the Mortal Realm. The Mortal Realm alone, with its countless stars, is vast enough, let alone the Nine Domains."

Mirror of the Universe asked in shock, "Brother, where did you learn all this?"

Fang Chen smiled lightly. "I heard about it here and there. Anyway, it's getting late. We should return to the Ancient Desolate Region."

In Baiyue City, Fang Chen once again met with Marshall Xiao Lang.

As the Day Walker General of Baiyue City, Xiao Lang had been frequently traveling to the Mortal Realm over the past few years, gathering valuable information.

Fang Chen said, "You mean to say that in recent years, Xia Xuanji has been waging wars but with minimal casualties, often taking entire nations without losing a single soldier?"

Fang Chen's eyes flickered, sensing something unusual. This didn't align with the Spirit Blood Sect's usual methods.

What is Xia Xuanji up to?

Xiao Lang nodded slightly. "According to the information I've gathered, that's indeed the case. Over the past few years, Grand Xia has expanded its territory extensively, even more so than before, swallowing up countless empires, from nine to eight and even seven-tier empires. The number of casualties is, in my view, surprisingly low, even lower than I had expected. Now, Great Xia's border is almost at the Flame Empire."

After a brief pause, he continued, "There was one battle I observed from start to finish, and I did not see any Spirit Blood Sect cultivators using Blood Spirit Pills."

Fang Chen fixed his gaze on Xiao Lang. "What is he trying to do?"

Xiao Lang pondered for a long while, then shook his head lightly. "I can't tell."

Fang Chen pondered thoughtfully,

If Xia Xuanji keeps expanding at this rate, he won't just swallow the Flame Empire, but even the Fifth-Tier empires like Grand Qian. Is he trying to incorporate the entire Hidden Cloud Region into Grand Xia's territory?

Could this be related to what Xia Xuanji had mentioned in the past?

However, the matter of a certain second-tier empire attempting to ascend to the first tier seemed completely unrelated to what Xia Xuanji was doing now, and it wouldn't impact the former in any way.

Xiao Lang analyzed. "I only know one thing: he doesn't do things that are pointless. Given his cultivation, there's no need for him to stay in Grand Xia. I suspect there's something in Great Xia that he must return to."

Fang Chen mused, "Grand Xia was once only a ninth-tier empire. It was once nearly destroyed by Qing Song. What reason could there be for him to return? But your guess isn't without merit."

Xia Xuanji shared some special relationship with the Corrosive Dragon King. If that were true, then such an existence appearing in a place like Grand Xia was definitely something to think deeply about.

Xiao Lang's expression became strange. "By the way, how have you arranged the 100,000 soldiers you retrieved from the Forgotten River?"

Although the souls in Bai Yue City were nearly innumerable, the arrival of 100,000 soldiers was merely like a drop of water in a vast pool. However, their identities were special, and no one dared to treat them lightly.

Fang Chen said with a calm smile, "The soldiers aren't all here yet. Once they are, someone will take them away."

Xiao Lang didn't speak further. Though he didn't know the full details, he had already guessed that Fang Chen's position in the Underworld was anything but ordinary. Sometimes, he wondered, if he had killed Fang Chen that day at Three World Mountain, what would the world look like now? Perhaps his daughter would still be oppressed, or maybe he would still be trapped in the Forgotten River.

"Cause... and effect..."

Xiao Lang thought deeply about these two words.

By the time he came back to his senses, he realized Fang Chen had already left.

***

Grand Xia's Imperial Capital.

In front of the royal palace gates, the guards exchanged glances. There was a shabby and worn-out Daoist heading their way. They had initially thought that the Daoist was just curious and having a look around. However, that didn't seem to be the case.

The leading guard furrowed his brow and stepped forward to block the way. "Daoist, this is the Grand Xia Palace. You cannot enter freely."

Fang Chen smile faintly and said, "Tell Xia Xuanji that Fang Chen has arrived."

Fang... Chen!?

The guards at the palace gates froze, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief. When they saw the Daoist's appearance, which closely resembled the portrait they had seen, goosebumps rose on their skin, and their scalps tingled with fear.

The owner of this name hadn't been seen in Grand Xia for decades. They had never encountered the real person and had only seen his portrait.

"Wait, wait! I'll inform him right away!" the head guard stammered.

He then turned and rushed toward the palace at top speed, disregarding the palace's rule against the use of martial arts. At this moment, he couldn't care less about that!

Fang Chen smiled and turned to look at the street. It was both familiar and unfamiliar. He still preferred the lively atmosphere of the human world; it helped calm his mind.