Zhang Wen stood silently, watching the fusion process unfold.

  Before him, an enormous new collection of special body origins flowed endlessly within the massive blood droplet, which was connected to the twenty four droplets surrounding the bodies of the Black Crow Secret Unit members.

  Crimson energy spiraled continuously like a colossal vortex that would never cease. Those origins were fused, layered, and reinforced repeatedly until the bodily structures of each individual began to surpass the limits of Heaven level bodies.

  Zhang Wen did not hesitate in the slightest to use all of those origins.

  To him, they were not resources meant to be hoarded.

  They were investments meant to produce greater returns.

  Origins of various body types merged layer after layer, strengthening foundations, reinforcing meridians, and expanding the potential of their physical bodies without pause.

  At this point, the bodies of every Black Crow member were already approaching the peak limit of Heaven level bodies along their respective paths, yet they were still unable to reach anywhere close to the Sacred level.

  Zhang Wen's gaze remained calm.

  Then he spoke softly.

  "System…"

  The system's voice responded immediately.

  [Host, is there something you need me to do? Lately I have been extremely bored.]

  Zhang Wen looked at the body origins swirling within the blood droplet and asked calmly.

  "Can these body origins be used for investment?"

  The system answered without hesitation.

  [Yes, Host!]

  Zhang Wen narrowed his eyes slightly.

  "And what kind of return would I receive? Is there a possibility of obtaining a Sacred body?"

  The system fell silent for a brief moment before replying.

  [That would be unlikely, Host. The twenty four members only possess luck between White and Green levels. The investment returns will mostly remain close to their current level, around 1 and not exceeding 10.]

  Zhang Wen nodded in understanding before asking calmly.

  "How many investment opportunities do I have left right now?"

  The system answered immediately.

  [Six remaining, Host.]

  Zhang Wen pondered briefly before making his decision.

  All of the corpses he had gathered earlier, except for those at the Half-Emperor level, had already been crushed and refined into the massive blood droplet connected to the twenty four Black Crow members.

  The enormous reserves of life force and spiritual power extracted from cultivators below Saint level, Saints, Saint Kings, and Saint Emperors had all been turned into fuel for strengthening them.

  At the same time, Zhang Wen took out twenty four Emperor Phoenix Flame Pills.

  Each pill burned with a crimson gold flame, its life force blazing like the heart of a phoenix.

  Without hesitation, he sent the pills directly into the massive blood droplet.

  The power of the phoenix began to merge with the life force of the twenty four individuals, stabilizing their foundations so that their bodies would not collapse under the strain of refining so many corpses to rapidly increase their strength.

  Their cultivation began rising rapidly.

  Some advanced from Saint to Saint King.

  Some rose from Saint King to Saint Emperor.

  Their spiritual power broke through limit after limit.

  Before long, the entire fusion process reached its final stage.

  The twenty four water spheres began trembling violently.

  Then they exploded simultaneously.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Boom!!!

  A terrifying spiritual pressure surged into the sky.

  Vast power spread across the violet grassland like a storm gathering strength.

  At the same moment, a spatial crack appeared in midair.

  Long Yantian slowly stepped out from within the rift.

  His gaze swept across the scene before him, then paused slightly.

  Above the violet grassland, twenty four miniature worlds had begun to form.

  Each one slowly revolved like a small planet.

  At the center of it all stood Zhang Wen, calmly shaping and refining their laws as if he were a creator god.

  Every Black Crow member received the Law of Space from Zhang Wen as their first law.

  Their second law varied according to the suitability of their bodies.

  Some received the Law of Poison.

  Some received the Law of Wood.

  Some received the Law of Ice.

  Others received the Law of the Sword.

  The power of these laws began merging with the miniature worlds.

  Soon, the cultivation of each individual stabilized between Saint Emperor Level Six and Saint Emperor Level Nine, depending on the amount of power Zhang Wen had refined for them.

  …

  …

  When the twenty four Black Crow members regained consciousness, they saw the transformation that had occurred within their bodies.

  Without hesitation, they all dropped to their knees simultaneously.

  The sound of their knees striking the ground echoed loudly.

  Every one of them pressed their heads to the ground and shouted in unison.

  "Thank you for your mercy, Master!"

  Zhang Wen simply nodded slightly.

  Then he flicked his finger lightly.

  Snap!

  Boom!!!

  The earth trembled.

  Within the boundless violet grassland, a massive mountain slowly rose from the ground.

  A silver white waterfall poured down from towering cliffs, forming a pure and winding river that flowed across the grassland.

  Zhang Wen's voice echoed across the quiet violet plains.

  "Cast a fragment of your souls into this waterfall."

  Everyone turned their gaze toward the enormous waterfall that had just come into existence.

  Silver white water flowed down from the towering cliff before gathering into a crystal clear pool that radiated deep spiritual power.

  Zhang Wen continued calmly.

  "When you die, that fragment of your soul will allow you a chance to be reborn once more. I have invested far too much in all of you."

  "So I cannot allow you to die so easily."

  The twenty four members of the Black Crow Secret Unit did not hesitate in the slightest.

  They raised their hands simultaneously and carefully pulled fragments of their souls out from their seas of consciousness. Small points of light floated out from each of their foreheads before being cast into the waterfall.

  Those lights sank quietly into the flowing water.

  Like seeds planted deep within its depths.

  Zhang Wen watched the scene calmly before turning his gaze toward the man standing beside him.

  Long Yantian.

  "Did you enjoy the final trial I prepared for you?"

  Long Yantian chuckled softly.

  "It almost made me swear never to go into deep water again. But it also feels like I've grown another step."

  A faint smile formed beneath Zhang Wen's mask.

  "Who do you think will come out next?"

  Long Yantian turned to look at him with a slight smile.

  "Aren't you surprised that I came out first? That means you already knew who would come out before and after, didn't you?"

  Zhang Wen shook his head slightly.

  "I only guessed that if it wasn't you, it would probably be Lin Taiji."

  Long Yantian's smile widened.

  "Would you mind telling me your judgment first? I would like to hear it before making my own decision."

  Zhang Wen answered without hurry.

  "First place is you."

  "Second should be Lin Taiji."

  "Third is Gui Ying."

  "Fourth Ming Yuan."

  "Fifth Liu Long."

  He paused briefly before continuing with confidence.

  "As for the last place… it should be Kang Hao."

  Long Yantian nodded slowly in understanding.

  "That's exactly what I thought as well."

  At that moment, the space beside them began to distort.

  A spatial rift slowly opened.

  A figure stepped out from within.

  Lin Taiji.

  She walked out gracefully, then glanced toward Long Yantian with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

  "You red lizard… how did you come out faster than me?"

  Long Yantian immediately pointed at himself with a bewildered expression.

  "Me? A red lizard? It seems your brain might have been shaken after getting your heart rejected by your own senior Sister."

  Lin Taiji did not respond.

  She simply shifted her gaze behind Zhang Wen.

  The twenty four members of the Black Crow Secret Unit stood neatly in formation behind him.

  Behind them, an enormous waterfall poured down from the newly risen mountain.

  Soon after, another spatial rift opened.

  Gui Ying stepped out.

  Her Sacred Body of Time radiated power silently, like the flow of time passing unnoticed.

  Next came Ming Yuan.

  The possessor of the Sacred Body of Stars stepped out from the rift with the same calm expression as always.

  After him came Liu Long.

  The bearer of the Sacred Body of Void.

  Finally, another spatial rift slowly opened.

  Kang Hao walked out while rolling his neck from side to side with visible exhaustion.

  He had taken the longest among all of them.

  After stepping out, he looked around.

  Then he noticed that every pair of eyes was fixed on him.

  Kang Hao sighed softly before speaking immediately.

  "I know I'm amazing for coming out last. You can keep your compliments for yourselves. I don't need them. All of you are already very impressive."

  Long Yantian burst into laughter.

  Lin Taiji frowned slightly before turning toward Zhang Wen.

  "Are you sure you chose the right people? It seems like he forgot to bring his mind back from the ocean."

  Zhang Wen replied playfully.

  "This is actually the most normal state for him… trust me."

  Kang Hao immediately turned toward Zhang Wen.

  "My mind is perfectly intact, so don't worry. But you still need to settle something with me first."

  Zhang Wen tilted his head slightly in confusion.

  "What is it?"

  Kang Hao spoke at once.

  "When we fought in Heavenly Sword City, the script you wrote for me clearly said you would only stab my throat, didn't it?"

  "But when it actually happened, you stabbed my head instead! Not once either. Twice! Twice! I was almost scared to death, and it really hurt like hell!"

  Everyone began looking at him strangely.

  Kang Hao tried to find the script Zhang Wen had written for him so he could show it to everyone.

  Then he suddenly remembered.

  He had already burned it.

  Because Zhang Wen had told him that once he finished reading it, he should destroy it.

  Zhang Wen smiled happily beneath his mask and said,

  "I did everything for the sake of realism. Weren't you the one who said earlier that your Law of Life and Death was extremely powerful? That no matter what kind of attack you receive, you can recover."

  Kang Hao forced an awkward smile.

  "That doesn't mean you can stab or cut anywhere you want…"