In a lake, Lin Feng was seated cross-legged, surrounded by an illusionary Blue Uptala Lotus, and was also seated on a real Blue Uptala Lotus, that lotus Minister Uptala had given to him. There were other Blue Uptala Lotuses on the lake, growing because of the other lotuses. Lin Feng sensed the Blue Uptala Lotus intent at that moment.
He was in his spirit world, where rose a gigantic ancient tree, the Heavenly Grace Ancient Tree!
The way of the Blue Uptala Lotus could create the ten thousand things of creation. The Heavenly Grace Ancient Tree was a tree which also contained all sorts of cosmic energies. There was a connection between all those things.
They were similar in that they could both give birth to the ten thousand things of creation.
Lin Feng turned around and gazed into the distance, sensing the wind.
This is my world. I should be able to do anything in here, thought Lin Feng. If other people couldn't use cosmic energies in his world, how could the people who lived in there break through to the Huang Qi layer?
He could use a mysterious strength to create and shape his world. Even if the world evolved on its own, he could also be like a god and use the strength of the ten thousand things of creation to modify it as he wished.
His spirit allowed him to have a world, he was the god in his world. He had the power to understand any kind of cosmic energy, so why not understand all of them in his world?
Lin Feng was thinking, understanding more things. He remained motionless for a very long time.
—
"Brother!" someone interrupted Lin Feng. Wu Shang was smiling down at him.
"Bro, we're not in the same place anymore, are we?" asked Wu Shang. Lin Wu Shang was usually playful but in front of Lin Feng, he was usually serious. He also had some doubts. Even though the imperial palace hadn't changed, Yangzhou City hadn't changed, and nothing seemed to have changed, he still had the impression that Lin Feng had made them move somewhere else.
"Why are you thinking so much?" asked Lin Feng, tapping his brother's head and smiling.
"I want to go out and travel," stated Lin Wu Shang, raising his head. Lin Feng had started traveling when he was fifteen. Now, Lin Wu Shang wanted to travel too, he didn't want his family to protect him forever, he didn't want to live in a cocoon.
"When you break through to the Huang Qi layer, I'll let you go to the great world!" smiled Lin Feng.
Lin Wu Shang's eyes twinkled, "Alright, that's a promise!"
"That's a promise!" agreed Lin Feng. Lin Wu Shang left, and Xiao Ya and Liu Fei also came to see him. Liu Fei leaned against him. Xiao Ya pulled on Lin Feng's arm and said, "Brother, won't you be worried letting him go and travel?"
"I will take care of him," promised Lin Feng. He couldn't let Wu Shang live in his small world forever. He had to let him choose what he wanted to become.
"Now is so good, I can stay with you whenever I want," said Lin Feng sighed. He dragged Xiao Ya and Liu Fei closer to him and hugged them tightly. He was extremely happy. No matter where he was, he could visit his friends and family whenever he wanted.
...
"Lin Feng, you're done studying!" Qing Qing said to Lin Feng three days later.
"The Hell Fire is incredible powerful, I had to modify it entirely to make it fuse together with my own fire," admitted Lin Feng. Qing Qing's eyes glittered. She opened them wide and stared at him.
"What's wrong?" asked Lin Feng, not understanding her look.
"You completely modified the Hell Fire?" Qing Qing asked.
Lin Feng was surprised. What was wrong with that? He just nodded, though. "Is there a problem?" he asked.
"No… nothing," Qing Qing replied, shaking her head. Lin Feng had the impression something was wrong.
"Where is the Minister?" asked Lin Feng, glancing around. He couldn't see Minister Uptala anywhere around.
"Here!" answered Minister Uptala in the distance.
Qing Qing looked at him and asked, "Father, why did Great Emperor Song call you and Minister Kalasutra over?"
"A medium-level Hell appeared in the fire mountain. Great Emperor Song gave Minister Kalasutra and me the order to go and fight the leader," said Minister Uptala.
Qing Qing looked surprised and asked, "Who will control that place then if you defeat him?"
"Wang Zhen, Great Emperor Song wants his descendant Wang Zhen to take control of it. He asked Minister Kalasutra and me to go and fight him, but Wang Zhen and the army will come too. It's all for him."
Wang Zhen was a descendant of Great Emperor Song. Qing Qing understood what her father meant. While he was there, Wang Zhen would be able to gather experience too.
"Wait for me. I'm going to call people," Minister Uptala told Lin Feng and Qing Qing.
After the Minister left, Lin Feng looked at Qing Qing and asked, "The ten main cities of Hell also compete?"
"Of course!" Qing Qing smiled. "I don't know much about the history of Hell, but there are many strong cultivators here. Some of them have their own small worlds, the strongest ones can modify their worlds better than others. Their small worlds can then become a region in Hell. Sometimes, some new regions of Hell appear suddenly, and then strong cultivators fight over them. There are many resources in small worlds, and people are also resources."
"Indeed. When those people become strong, you can use them," agreed Lin Feng. There was a huge difference between Hell and the Continent of the Nine Clouds. In the great world, the ancient clans competed all the time, and people wanted to become stronger using resources. In Hell, the Ten Yama Courts' kings controlled everything.
After a short time, Minister Uptala came back, now wearing silver armor. There were many marks carved on it.
Behind Minister Uptala, there was a strong cultivator wearing Blue Uptala Lotus armor. He looked dignified and majestic. Many people rapidly appeared.
"That's my father's Blue Uptala Lotus Army," said Qing Qing, smiling at Lin Feng.
"Lin Feng, come with us," Minister Uptala nodded at Lin Feng. "Let's go!"
—
After a short time, two other armies joined them: Minister Kalasutra's army and Wang Zhen's army.
Hmph!" Lin Feng heard someone grunt icily. He turned around and saw Qin Yao, who was looking at him icily.
"Brother Lin Feng!" said someone at that moment. Lin Feng turned around and saw Wang Zhen, smiling and nodding greetings to him.
"Everybody is here, let's go!" Wang Zhen waved. The three gathered armies started moving together.
Lin Feng followed the Uptala army. They all jumped onto a gigantic Blue Uptala Lotus and started flying at full speed.
Lin Feng looked at the world under his feet. He finally understood how vast Great Imperial Song City was now. It was as big as several countries!
—
After they had been flying for a while, Lin Feng saw a gigantic mountain range ahead in the shape of a tortoise.
"That's the exit of Great Imperial Song City," explained Wang Zhen, pointing in the distance. There was a hole in what looked like the abdomen of the tortoise. The armies were heading towards that hole.
"People from Chu Jiang City found out about it, but nobody said anything about it. Then, some rumors spread and Great Emperor Song went there and broke the mountain open to create a passage, sealing it afterwards," said Wang Zhen.
The armies walked up to the entrance, crossed over, and suddenly, they were in another world.
It was a fiery mountain range. There were flames everywhere, it looked just like purgatory.
"Let's go!" said Wang Zhen, taking the first step. After a short time, the armies arrived in a sinister place. There were burnt corpses on the ground and wrecked buildings everywhere. Wang Zhen was furious.
"There was a battle?" asked Minister Kalasutra.
"Indeed. I had already given the order to build a city here, I hadn't thought people would discover it that fast, they even killed our people." said Wang Zhen. Lin Feng was stupefied. The competition between those ten big cities in Hell was fierce and cruel.
"Lin Feng, the competition in Hell is fierce, especially when people compete over territories. Usually, there's lots of blood involved," Qing Qing whispered to Lin Feng. Lin Feng nodded. He had heard that there would be five powerful groups in this place. There would definitely be lots of bloodshed involved.
"And the natives will also suffer a lot. They won't be able to keep some of their homes." said Qing Qing. Lin Feng realized that a deadly battle was about to happen.