172: Pingshan Town Construction

A colossal shadow rose from Chu Shengfan's body, several thick tentacles whipping out like long whips towards the Contract Masters and their Source Beasts who were attempting to ambush him.

"What is that thing?" The three people being attacked hadn't even clearly seen the full form of the Source Beast Chu Shengfan summoned before the thick tentacles struck.

Two canine Source Beasts reacted quickly, brandishing their claws laced with sharp spikes to meet the attack, but a spiritual light flashed across the tentacles,

only producing a 'clanging' sound upon impact, yet failing to break the skin.

Following that, the immense force carried by the tentacles sent them flying backward.

Even two Upper Tier of the Extraordinary Rank Source Beasts couldn't withstand it, let alone the Contract Masters themselves and the other four Source Beasts of lower Realms.

As they flew into the air, more tentacles emerged, wrapping around them and yanking them back down.

The tentacles gradually tightened, and with a 'crunching' sound, the Contract Masters were the first to break, sounds of bones and internal organs fracturing coming from within them.

Then came the four lower-tier Source Beasts; cracking and snapping sounds echoed as their bodies were twisted and broken.

Only the two canine Source Beasts struggled fiercely, but once their Contract Masters gradually lost their breath within the tentacles, the two canine Source Beasts seemed to suffer a heavy blow, their spirits instantly wilting.

For a moment, they appeared to lose the will to resist, the energy within their bodies dimming. The tentacles of the Spirit Origin Cloud Mother applied a slight squeeze, and the two Source Beasts fell silent.

The small group was completely wiped out before anyone could see the full appearance of the Source Beast that 'killed' them.

However, Chu Shengfan felt no psychological burden. For one, they had tried to kill him first, and secondly, this death wasn't a true demise, but merely an expulsion from the assessment area.

There was no point in 'looting' the bodies they left behind. The Spirit Origin Cloud Mother's tentacles casually released their grip, tossing the corpses of the three people and their Source Beasts aside.

It then quietly hovered above Chu Shengfan's head, like a massive canopy, warding off dangers from all directions.

Chu Shengfan let out a soft breath, his gaze shifting to the battlefield where the 'Nether Blood Queen Bee' was located. By now, the blood mist there had become exceptionally thick; apart from faint sounds transmitted, it was impossible to see the actual scene unfolding inside.

But just then, the voice from the heavens sounded again,

"The Subterranean Giant Pythons are being deployed. All examinees, please prepare."

Chu Shengfan looked up at the sun in the sky; unknowingly, it was already noon. The assessment involving the 'Nether Blood Queen Bee' hadn't even officially concluded, yet new Source Beasts were appearing.

He wondered if this assessment involved a whole species of Source Beasts or just a single Big Boss.

'Subterranean Giant Python,' Subterranean. Chu Shengfan looked up at the sky. The voice had faded quite a while ago, but there weren't many unusual movements.

Chu Shengfan had an idea and called out to the 'Spirit Origin Cloud Mother,' "Take me onto your head."

Hearing his command, a tentacle gently wrapped around Chu Shengfan's waist, lifting him up and placing him on top of its head.

Chu Shengfan settled himself on its head and patted the extremely smooth surface of the 'Spirit Origin Cloud Mother,' "Stay higher off the ground."

The 'Spirit Origin Cloud Mother' did whatever Chu Shengfan said, its body rapidly ascending towards the sky.

As his vantage point rose, Chu Shengfan could see a much broader area of the ground.

He saw the dense forest in the distance beginning to collapse, and the ground appeared to undulate like waves, with clumps of earth bulging upwards, spreading out into deep ravines.

The danger in this assessment indeed came from underground... Heyu Town, Qixia Mountain.

Today, the Main Family issued an order: all villagers of Qixia Village were forbidden from entering the two adjacent mountains.

On the third day after receiving this order, a massive rumbling sound suddenly erupted from the mountain closest to Qixia Mountain,

and under the horrified gaze of all the villagers, the peak of that mountain shattered into fine soil, which then cascaded down the slopes towards the base of the mountain.

A sweep of golden dust passed by, pulverizing all the various plants that had lived on the mountain for many years into dust, which was then buried around the base of the mountain along with the dust.

As time passed, the entire mountain visibly shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the base of the mountain gradually rose due to the accumulation of so much dust.

Finally, by evening, the mountain had completely vanished, leaving behind only an extremely vast plain in its place.

Calling it a plain wasn't entirely accurate, as its elevation was still somewhat higher than the truly flat plains nearby, but from a visual perspective, the location of that mountain had truly been flattened.

The next day, the other mountain beside Qixia Mountain was also leveled, and after a few more days, the soil resulting from the transformation of these two mountains into plains was transported elsewhere.

With the assistance of Source Beasts, these tasks were completed quickly; in just a few days, the area had undergone earth-shattering changes.

Three large mountains had become one, resulting in a plain that seemed visible at a glance. The villagers, who had lived here for generations, had never seen such flat terrain.

Recently, during their leisure time, the villagers were all discussing what the Main Family intended to do by converting the mountainous land into a plain.

But the pace of construction never stopped. Chu Qinhui made a broad gesture, selecting the center of the plain created from the mountain to the left of Qixia Mountain.

He circled an area with his finger, "Build sufficient residences here. To maximize land utilization, I want all residences to be constructed as six-story buildings."

Hearing Chu Qinhui's request, the recruited craftsmen showed expressions of difficulty,

"Six stories? We have never attempted construction of this height before. If it were three stories, following the style of your village here, we could modify and manage it.

But for six stories, we are concerned about structural safety."

"You do not need to worry about the feasibility of construction. What you need to do is plan the layout of the buildings, the arrangement of the town's residents, and the appearance and location of basic public facilities like the school and the administrative office.

The construction itself will be handled by Source Beasts specifically assigned to the task; there is no need to worry about whether it can be built."

The dozen or so craftsmen summoned from Heyu Town exchanged glances, and then the one at the head nodded, "Main Family Master, we will return to discuss this immediately and strive to produce the blueprints you require as soon as possible."

Chu Qinhui nodded. He pointed to the steward beside him, "If you have any questions regarding specific facilities, you must ask him."

"Yes."

This town construction was unlike the previous one in Qixia Village, which was rushed and focused only on practicality, lacking a certain charm in terms of aesthetics.

This time, he entrusted the design of the blueprints and the layout of various buildings to professional personnel, precisely to ensure the entire town could attract more people to settle down.

Following Ancestor Chu's reminder, population seemed to always be a crucial factor for developing into a large Family or for increasing the Family's Luck.