Chapter 158
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Chapter 158: Heart Tribulation
Back in the tribe, Yi Chen focused on his training.
The subsequent cleanup and aftermath seemed unrelated to him.
This did not mean he did not care about the cleanup and aftermath.
On the contrary, he was very concerned; he just didn’t want to waste time monitoring and following every detail.
He opened and checked the information and data that the Intelligence Organization and the Political Council sent through the gap under the stone door as soon as it arrived.
He had to stay informed about the aftermath situation, as it was crucial for maximizing benefits.
In this battle, he also incurred considerable costs.
Time and energy were secondary; the main issue was that all the geniuses in the Spirit Consciousness stage from the four armies were deployed to the Misty Forest, causing their expansion to come to a complete standstill.
After more than half a month, his sphere of influence had increased by nearly 400,000 square kilometers.
Moreover, after successfully defeating the Sacred Water Tribe, the geniuses in the Spirit Consciousness stage from the four armies couldn’t return.
They would need considerable time to integrate and recruit those powerful fierce beasts while also remaining in the valley for a while to ensure they had enough strength to suppress the entire Sacred Water Tribe.
After all, the population of the Sacred Water Tribe totaled more than 35,000.
Adding in the scattered tribes he had previously subdued, there were also over 15,000 people.
In a short period, the valley saw an influx of more than 50,000 people, nearly quadrupling the Flame Mountain Tribe’s previous total population.
Along with the numerous fierce beasts, the geniuses in the Spirit Consciousness stage from the four armies had to stay in the valley for a while to ensure that the tribe would not experience major chaos.
This meant that restarting the expansion would have to wait a little longer.
According to Yi Chen’s estimates, this added up to at least 600,000 square kilometers of lost territory.
Six hundred thousand square kilometers represented a 0.6 times additional talent bonus.
Of course, if everything went smoothly, this loss would be negligible.
The addition of over 4,000 fierce beasts with decent strength would be enough to significantly boost the expansion rate.
Not to mention, this time, the population of the Flame Mountain Tribe skyrocketed from 13,000 to around 63,000.
At most, within six months, the newly added 50,000 people would gradually contribute outstanding talents to the four armies.
In just one or two years, the four armies’ strength could grow from 1,300 to 6,000 or 7,000 soldiers.
The reproduction rate of the 50,000 humans would also considerably increase.
The benefits and advantages from this would far outweigh the current losses by hundreds or thousands of times.
And the premise was that everything went smoothly.
The newly incoming humanity needed to integrate well into the Flame Mountain Tribe and gradually assimilate.
Yi Chen did not want to see any unexpected situations arise.
The Political Council, surprisingly to Yi Chen, was outstanding.
This kind of population boom, in theory, would surely bring various troubles one after another.
Especially for these newly joined humanity, they lived in the Misty Forest.
Their various living habits and environmental conditions were vastly different from those of the Flame Mountain Tribe.
As a result, management distribution, ideological guidance, and training were bound to face numerous conflicts, slowing the merger process.
However, the Political Council handled everything methodically, making proper arrangements that kept the entire integration moving forward rapidly.
They even anticipated the future food sources shifting from hunting to various plant cultivation and made detailed plans for it.
This made Yi Chen feel that the Political Council was brimming with talented individuals.
Regardless of whether they truly had exceptional talent, at least the progress was faster than Yi Chen had expected.
In just over ten days, the geniuses in the Spirit Consciousness stage from the four armies began to leave the valley in batches.
The valley, which originally stretched several kilometers wide and was somewhat empty, had begun to feel crowded with the rise of various houses and buildings.
In a few days, the Northern Army could even once again advance into the Misty Forest to search for those scattered tribes.
Before long, the population of the tribes would increase.
…
Inside the flying treasure shaped like a stone house, Yi Chen was breaking through to a new major realm after reaching the pinnacle of the Spirit Consciousness stage.
His mind was free of distractions, and his spirit was pure and empty.
Suddenly, it felt like an instant, yet it also seemed to span countless years.
When Yi Chen opened his eyes, he was astonished to find himself in a realm of nothingness.
He could see nothing.
It was as if he had fallen into an endless abyss, surrounded by the chilling cries and howls of demons.
These cries and howls echoed in this formless abyss, as if they were right next to him, yet also seemed to come from a distance, carrying a haunting sorrow.
Deep within his soul, a feeling of trepidation and fear began to arise.
Yi Chen’s expression changed dramatically.
He tried to calm himself and attempted to open his divine consciousness.
To his shock, he still couldn’t sense the source of the cries and howls.
A chilling wind swept around him, bringing a strange coldness that suddenly pulled him deeper.
The ghostly howls clung to him like a relentless parasite.
These terrifying sounds and the icy dread seemed intent on dragging him into the dark abyss of hell.
Even with Yi Chen’s composure, his heart raced and sweat poured down his face.
The terrifying sensation of plunging into the depths of hell, as if he would shatter into pieces at any moment, only intensified the fear that brewed deep within him.
He tried to gather his spirit power to slow his descent.
But to his horror, his Qi Sea was completely empty.
In the endless abyss, a massive, gaping mouth capable of devouring everything suddenly appeared.
A nauseatingly foul odor assaulted his senses.
His body felt as if it were trapped, continuously falling toward that gaping mouth.
No matter how he struggled, he couldn’t move even a little.
The distance kept closing in.
Helplessness and fear intertwined, causing his soul to tremble.
He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to suppress the fear within, and exerted all his strength to break free from this binding, to escape the chilling grip that was freezing his body.
Bang!
Deep in his soul, it felt as if something had shattered.
An invisible shackle suddenly collapsed.
That gaping mouth vanished without a trace.
The ghostly howls faded away.
Yi Chen was astonished to find himself suddenly inside a grand temple.
He sat high above in the temple, standing upon endless stars.
Amid these stars, countless beings could be seen prostrating and trembling.
The divine staff he held seemed to possess limitless power, capable of commanding all things in the world.
In the temple, the sounds of birds singing and swallows dancing filled the air.
There were enchanting goddesses, pure and flawless fairies, and his first love who had once stirred his heart…
They danced with graceful movements, gazing at him with deep affection, or softly biting their red lips.
With a myriad of enchanting postures, all aimed to capture his attention and affection.
Deep within Yi Chen’s heart, an invisible flame burned and expanded.
His gaze shifted between clarity and haze.
He was the deity who ruled the world, but his struggling will reminded him that this was not real.
He refused to believe that such absolute power and dominion were mere illusions, yet he sensed something was not quite right.
A glimmer of determination flashed in his eyes.
He tossed aside the staff in his hand.
His chaotic thoughts finally began to clarify.
What he sought was not a staff that could control all, but the strength to master everything.
Buzz!
The entire world collapsed and vanished.
He suddenly opened his eyes, a powerful aura surged skyward.
The wind rose and the clouds swirled.
The sky over the valley, which had been clear and bright, suddenly filled with dark clouds, with terrifying flashes of lightning faintly visible.
The dreadful aura made the thousands of people in the valley look up, their hearts racing.
Outside the stone house, two guards knelt on the ground.
The overwhelming pressure made them tremble uncontrollably.
As Yi Chen reined in his gaze, the dark clouds dispersed, and clear skies returned.
The chaos of flying sand and rolling stones outside gradually settled.
Everything returned to calm, as if nothing had ever happened.
