9: Chapter 9 Second-Order World

The deep blue light slowly dissipated behind him. Su Bai stepped out of the threshold of Secret Chamber No. 3 and stood once again in the corridor of the War Hall.

The clock on the wall showed that only three hours had passed.

Three hours, and a world had fallen.

Su Bai looked down at the world mark in his palm. The newly added Yaksha Wasteland was slowly being permeated by Yin Qi. The Ghost Bride floated above the wasteland like a red butterfly after a full meal, contentedly digesting the resentment she had just absorbed.

"Conqueror, please wait a moment."

A gentle voice came from behind.

Su Bai turned around and saw the staff member who had just adjusted the equipment jogging toward him, holding a palm-sized metal plate.

"This is your loot list." The staff member handed over the metal plate, his attitude much more respectful than before. "Although the Yaksha Clan you killed in the Yaksha Realm was on the verge of collapse, their remains, leftover weapons, and a small amount of uncontaminated materials have been automatically recovered by the Association and converted into federal credits. You can choose to withdraw them directly or exchange them for resources of equal value."

Su Bai took the metal plate and glanced at the numbers on it.

[Loot Conversion: 32,800 federal credits]

It was actually a bit more than he had expected.

The Yaksha Realm was already a dying world. Out of three hundred thousand Yaksha, only a few hundred remained, and those few hundred were so poor they didn't even have a decent weapon. Being able to sell for over thirty thousand was already the Association being generous.

"Withdraw." Su Bai handed the metal plate back.

The staff member took it and operated on the terminal on his wrist for a few moments: "It has been transferred to your federal account. Please check it."

Su Bai nodded and turned to leave.

When he walked out of the Creators Association building, it was already late at night.

Neon lights flashed overhead, and traffic surged in the distance; this city that never sleeps was still bustling. Su Bai stood at the entrance, looking up at the giant metal badge, and remained silent for a few seconds.

Over thirty thousand federal credits.

Converted into faith crystals, it could only buy one-third of a single crystal.

Not even enough to create a hero.

He withdrew his gaze and walked toward the bus stop.

His school uniform fluttered slightly in the night breeze, and the young man's thin back was quickly swallowed by the city's neon lights.

It was 11:00 PM when he returned to the dormitory.

Su Bai pushed the door open quietly, sat down on his bed, pulled the curtain shut, and closed his eyes cross-legged.

His consciousness sank.

The Netherworld World.

Grayish-white Yin Qi rushed toward him, even denser than before.

Su Bai stood at the world core, sensing everything around him.

The change was obvious.

The concentration of Yin Qi had at least doubled. With every breath, he could feel that cold texture circulating in his lungs. The world's boundaries had expanded outward by twenty-nine kilometers. The newly added Yaksha Wasteland lay quietly in the grayish-white mist, like an abandoned ancient battlefield.

An even more obvious change came from the Ghost Bride.

She floated above the Yaksha Wasteland, her red clothes like blood and her black hair like a waterfall.

But the aura on her body was completely different now.

With a thought, Su Bai's consciousness instantly appeared before her.

The Ghost Bride opened her eyes, saw Su Bai, and a brilliant smile bloomed on her face.

"Master!"

"I've become stronger!"

Su Bai's consciousness scanned her status.

[Ghost Bride (Hero Unit)]

[Tier: 2]

[Rank: Three-star]

[Skills: Soul-Claiming Red Makeup (Active), Yin Energy Affinity (Passive), Resentment Absorption (Passive), Wraith Avatar (Active)]

[Description: A being condensed from pure Yin Qi and resentment, possessing extremely high growth potential. Can continuously evolve by devouring Yin Qi and the resentment of the dead.]

She was now Tier 2.

New skill [Wraith Avatar]: Can transform herself into a pure resentment form, granting immunity to physical attacks. During the duration, movement speed is greatly increased, and she can pass through physical obstacles.

The corners of Su Bai's mouth curled up slightly.

The Ghost Bride's promotion to Tier 2 meant his world had also officially entered Tier 2.

[World Level Up: Tier 1 → Tier 2]

[Yin Qi Concentration Increase: 100%]

[World Diameter Expansion Condition: Must devour a new world]

[New Effect: Can host more powerful beings]

Su Bai nodded with satisfaction; this was the benefit of upgrading the world.

The higher the world's level, the better its quality.

If it were an Immortal Cultivation World, the higher the world's level, the denser the spiritual energy inside.

If it were a Martial Arts World, the higher the world's Tier, the denser the true qi inside.

This also applied to Su Bai's Netherworld World.

Su Bai turned his gaze to the Slit-Mouthed Woman.

She still stood in that grayish-white mist, holding her giant scissors and wearing a white mask, as silent as a statue.

[Slit-Mouthed Woman (Hero Unit)]

[Tier: 1]

[Rank: Three-star]

She hadn't been promoted yet.

But Su Bai could feel that her aura was much heavier than before. She had also absorbed quite a lot from the deaths of the Yaksha and the impact of their resentment.

It should be soon.

Su Bai withdrew his gaze and his consciousness sank into the world core.

[Current World: Netherworld]

[World Level: Tier 2 (Highest unit Tier is Tier 2)]

[Civilization Status: None (No self-reproduction capability)]

[Size: Thirty-nine kilometers in diameter]

[Owned Terrain: Yaksha Wasteland]

[Power Of Faith: 288]

[Unit Count: 102 (Ghost Bride, Slit-Mouthed Woman, Yin Soldiers × 100)]

288 points of Power Of Faith.

What was this Power Of Faith enough for?

Su Bai closed his eyes and visualized in his heart.

Black and White Impermanence.

Claiming souls and reaping lives, impartial and incorruptible.

Grayish-white Yin Qi condensed in his consciousness, and two figures gradually took shape.

One with a tall white hat, one with a tall black hat; one with a long tongue sticking out, and one with a ferocious expression.

[Insufficient Power Of Faith]

The system's cold notification sounded.

Su Bai frowned slightly and gave up the visualization.

Ox-Head and Horse-Face.

Netherworld Ghost Soldiers, possessing immense strength.

[Insufficient Power Of Faith]

Still not enough.

Su Bai opened his eyes. There was no disappointment in them; instead, a sharp glint flashed through.

Although it was still not enough, this time he clearly felt that barrier.

When he tried to visualize Black and White Impermanence with 200 points of Power Of Faith before, the system didn't even give a notification; it was just a blank. But now, with 288 points, those two figures could already take shape in his consciousness, only to be judged insufficient by the system at the last moment.

What did this mean?

It meant that the cost of the Netherworld's official personnel, like Black and White Impermanence and Ox-Head and Horse-Face, wasn't so high that it was unattainable.

And he was only a little bit away.

Su Bai made a simple estimate: he probably needed about a thousand Power Of Faith to construct a Black and White Impermanence or an Ox-Head and Horse-Face.

And that wasn't all; Su Bai planned to construct all Ten Great Yin Marshals and ghost messengers.

Thinking of this, Su Bai took a deep breath and suppressed the excitement in his heart.

No rush.

The Netherworld had just started, the Ghost Bride had just been promoted to Tier 2, and the Slit-Mouthed Woman was about to be promoted as well. What he needed now was not to try to become fat in one bite, but to expand steadily, accumulate more Power Of Faith, and create more units that could adapt to the Yin Qi World.

Only when there were enough units could a civilization be born, and only then could Power Of Faith be generated self-sufficiently.

At that time, Black and White Impermanence, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, Meng Po, the Judges... even the Ten Kings of Hell would emerge one by one from the Yin Qi.