Yuan Ming looked at them, feeling the Desire Power flowing from them, and nodded.

"Everyone, please rise."

"Thank you for the grace of the Nether Moon God," the believers exclaimed as they stood up.

Although Yuan Ming had seen grand scenes, the chorus of a thousand voices still made him feel somewhat uncomfortable, so he took the initiative to ask, "Have my messengers, Xu Che and Zuo Qinghui, mentioned that you have matters to discuss with me?"

Qiao Saibei hurried forward and said, "We are troubled by the concern of the Nether Moon God. Everyone is somewhat anxious, not knowing if the Nether Moon God has any commands or arrangements for us to follow in the future."

"I have already eliminated all the cultivator supervisors in this area. You are now free and can go home. I don't need you to do anything for me. If anything, just recite my name a few times each day," Yuan Ming said.

However, upon hearing his words, most of the mortals did not show the joy he had expected; instead, they looked at each other, their faces filled with confusion.

Bai Qi hesitated for a moment before bravely saying, "But Nether Moon God, this place is our home. If we leave here, where can so many of us go? Which Underground City has the resources to sustain all these people? Moreover, without this place, where would we even begin to look for another Underground City?"

"That's what this is about. Rest assured, I have already made arrangements. I will lead you away from here when the time comes and find a place for you to settle. Of course, you can also decide on your own whether to stay or leave. I won't stop you," Yuan Ming explained, with a sudden understanding.

Upon hearing this, all the mortals were thrilled, once more kneeling down and loudly chanting the name of the Nether Moon God.

Yuan Ming waved his hand, signaling them to rise, before instructing Bai Qi and two others to gather some food from the area to hold a simple celebration for the mortals. He then told them that after the celebration, they should count the number of people, pack their belongings, and relocate to the large Flying Boat in the mine that was used for transportation. He also asked to allocate some people to move the ore from the mines there as well.

Afterward, he left the area with Xu Che and Zuo Qinghui amid the cheers of the mortals.

"Master, there are still quite a few spirit beasts here that the Guiyuan Sect cultivators couldn't utilize during the battle and are now confined. What should we do with them?" Xu Che asked as they walked.

"Check if there are any powerful or rare ones among them and send those to the Flying Boat as well. Ask the locals if anyone wants the rest. If not, just let them go. There are still many veins unmined here, and the Guiyuan Sect will surely return, so we shouldn't leave anything for them," Yuan Ming instructed.

Meanwhile, amidst the joyous celebrations of the mortals and cultivators at the mine, hundreds of miles away in the desert, a dull yellow light emerged from the sands.

As the light dissipated, the figures of Fang Dafu and another middle-aged cultivator appeared.

This middle-aged man seemed plain looking, with long hair and no beard, nothing noteworthy about him except a blood-red brand on the back of his neck.

"The situation was urgent before, and I could only drag you away forcibly to escape. Please forgive me, young master," the middle-aged cultivator said, bowing to Fang Dafu.

Hearing this, Fang Dafu came to his senses and shook his head, "It was chaotic at that time, Uncle Ding, it was hard enough for you to save me, let's not talk about that. Where is Elder Hai? What should we do next to meet up with him?"

Uncle Ding was Elder Hai's confidant, said to have been by his side since he was a child, always loyal and never faltering.

Faced with Fang Dafu's question, Uncle Ding's eyes flickered with a hint of sorrow, "My young master, please restrain your grief. The elder was killed by a villain, and I'm afraid you will never see him again."

Fang Dafu was stunned, his face going through disbelief, then astonishment and confusion, and finally tinged with sorrow.

He wanted to argue, but having seen Elder Hai's decline with his own eyes, and knowing Uncle Ding, who was his father's trusted aide, was unlikely to joke about such matters, he opened his mouth but found his throat dry, unable to speak, his vision blurred as if by tears, yet when he wiped his face with the back of his hand, it was dry.

Since he could remember, he had been dependent on his mother alone. He naturally despised the father who had abandoned them. But when his mother died and his much-maligned father appeared, wanting to vent his anger yet seeing his father's pain and sorrow when looking at his mother's memorial tablet, he was, just like now, unable to say anything.

Uncle Ding stood by for quite a while, seemingly waiting for Fang Dafu to vent his emotions, but seeing that he remained unresponsive, he chose to remind him.

"Young master, if I may be so bold, you should quickly return to the Sect base and report the situation at the Flame Scale Mine. Then, before the news spreads completely, take control of the assets left by the elder, lest they be seized by others in the family."

Fang Dafu took a deep breath and looked at Uncle Ding, shaking his head.

"Those assets, they'll never allow an illegitimate son like me to inherit them."

"The elder had only you as a child. As long as you are willing to acknowledge your ancestry, they'll have to accept it," Uncle Ding insisted.

"Uncle Ding, there's no need to persuade me any further. I won't change my name, nor do I wish to get involved with the Hai Family's affairs. From now on, you shouldn't follow me or call me young master either. I am thankful for your help today in rescuing me, and I will surely find a way to repay you in the future," Fang Dafu shook his head.

Uncle Ding remained silent for a moment, then asked, "Young master, I am an outsider and should not interfere in your family affairs, but there are some things I cannot keep to myself. You feel that the old master has wronged you and your wife, but after so many years, the old master has devoted himself to you wholeheartedly. Isn't that enough to make up for his past mistakes?"

And, stepping back ten thousand paces, even if you still resent the old master, he has given so much for you. He was harmed by criminals, yet do you not feel the slightest urge for revenge? How could you bear to watch the legacy that the old master spent half a lifetime building be taken away by those who have always looked down on you and your wife?"

Fang Dafu fell silent, pondering deeply for a long while before he finally let out a deep sigh, "What should I do then?"

"Firstly, you must return to the family and acknowledge your ancestors by changing your surname back to Hai. After this, I will arrange trustworthy people to help you take over the old master's property. You can also place some of our own people, but this can only ensure momentary safety. Next, you must hasten your Core Formation, only then can you truly secure your position. The items needed for Core Formation have already been partially gathered by the old master, there are only a few missing items left which you'll have to find yourself," Uncle Ding quickly explained.

Then, he took out several Storage Bags and Spiritual Beast Bags: "When I helped you escape, I seized the chance to take some precious items and all successful experimental bodies from the old master's residence. The abilities of the old master's experimental bodies are outstanding and can be controlled for self-defense before you break through."

Fang Dafu took the Storage Bags and Spiritual Beast Bags, looked inside, and found that among the experimental bodies in the Spiritual Beast Bags was the figure of Shi Chuan he had previously captured.

However, he paid it no mind. After placing the Storage and Spiritual Beast Bags aside, he looked towards the direction of the mines, his gaze distant as if he was viewing his past.

Quickly enough, he turned around, took out his Flying Artifact, and flew towards the Guiyuan Sect's base with Uncle Ding.

...

The next day at noon, a massive Flying Boat loaded with a large amount of ore and thousands of mortals slowly left the mine.

After a night of celebration, the other cultivators at the mine dispersed, and now only Zuo Qinghui and Xu Che remained by Yuan Ming's side on the Flying Boat.

These two were also the ones controlling the Flying Boat, while Yuan Ming sat in the quiet room of the Flying Boat, tallying the gains from his slaying of Elder Hai.

There wasn't much of interest in Elder Hai's residence, nor was there much noteworthy in his Storage Bag.

However, the number of Spirit Stones was quite impressive, about sixty to seventy thousand, with the rest being a couple of Jade Scrolls, some elixirs, spiritual materials, and several Cultivation books.

Most of the Cultivation books were related to demon beasts, the rest were a miscellaneous collection, including some on elixirs and Battle Formations.

A Battle Formation is actually a special kind of Formation that uses cultivators as central nodes to gather the power of various cultivators in one place for an attack, thus achieving extraordinary power.

The Guiyuan Sect is renowned in the Central Plains for this method, and Yuan Ming had seen those disciples employ it during the battle in the mine tunnels.

However, those disciples stationed in the mine had been out of practice, and their application of the Battle Formation wasn't as exquisite as that of the core disciples, hence they didn't shine in the battle.

But this doesn't mean that the Battle Formation itself is worthless.

Yuan Ming perused these books with extra care.

Currently, his Corpse Control ability could manipulate up to twelve bodies. If he could combine that with a Battle Formation, maybe he could unleash even greater power.

While examining, Yuan Ming discovered that there are various forms of Battle Formations, but ultimately, they focus on the manipulation of Spiritual Power and Magic, requiring coordination between these two to unleash their power.

However, the book mentioned a concept of a Body Cultivation Battle Formation, but it was only briefly touched upon and wasn't very clear.

The bodies controlled by Soul Crow cannot manipulate Spiritual Power nor utilize Magic, so they were not suitable for the Battle Formation Technique.

It seemed that if he wanted to use Battle Formations in the future, he would have to rely on bodies controlled by Soul Splitting.

Yuan Ming felt somewhat disappointed and set the book down. But just then, a new idea suddenly struck him.

If he could form a Battle Formation directly using Soul Crows, substituting Soul Power for Mana, and have them simultaneously use their 'Crow Cry' ability, perhaps he could enhance their power even further.

He envisioned several formation methods in his mind, but since he was on the Flying Boat, he worried that experimenting with this attack-capable ability might affect the mortals below, so he decided to wait until he returned to try it out.

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