Lin Feng walked toward the pile of energy crystals, crouched down, and picked out the Green Crystals and Blue Crystals one by one, putting them into his bundle.

There were over thirty Green Crystals and seven or eight Blue Crystals. Combined with the existing stock, Fenghuo County's Blue Crystal reserves surpassed twenty.

As for the remaining White Crystals and Gray Crystals, there were over two hundred white ones and more than ten thousand Gray Crystals, covering the ten-plus square meter area beneath the Rotting Dragon Beast like an off-white carpet.

With so many crystals, the two of them couldn't possibly fit them in their bundles.

They could only return to Qingmu County first, have Liu Ming arrange personnel, and then have Ye Lan take charge of the escort.

He turned back to Jiang Yelan: "Ye Lan, after we return to Qingmu County today, I'll have to trouble you to come back tomorrow with the personnel Liu Ming arranges to transport these crystals."

Jiang Yelan nodded, her voice cold and clear: "Alright, I'll bring a squad of Beacon Guards. The road isn't safe; we can't let the transport team travel alone."

Lin Feng stood up and patted the dust off his knees.

One after the other, the two walked out of the cave, traversing the steep slopes and rocky ridges of the Tiansji Mountains along the route they had come.

The night grew deeper, and the moon emerged from behind the clouds, casting a deathly pale light on the gravel and withered trees of the ridge.

Lin Feng maintained a speed of twenty meters per second, with Jiang Yelan following behind him. Their shadows lengthened and shortened under the moonlight.

Two hours later, the walls of Qingmu County appeared in their field of vision.

The West Gate was wide open, and torches flickered on the walls. Seeing the familiar figures, the soldiers guarding the city straightened up and saluted.

Lin Feng swept past them and stepped onto the main street of Qingmu County.

The shops on both sides of the street had long since closed. Only the windows of the taverns still let out an orange light, from which the sounds of Adventurers clinking glasses and boasting could be heard.

In front of a blacksmith shop, Lin Feng stopped, turned to Jiang Yelan, and said, "I'm going back to Fenghuo County tonight to build the wonder. Wait for me at the North Gate for about half an hour."

Jiang Yelan's eyelashes fluttered slightly.

A wonder! 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

She naturally knew what that was; it was one of the conditions for a county-level territory to be promoted to a city-level territory. Moreover, a wonder provided a qualitative leap in a territory's defense.

She nodded and replied softly, "Okay."

Lin Feng kicked off the ground and swept out from the East Gate of Qingmu County, speeding toward Fenghuo County.

He exerted the fastest speed he could currently achieve, fifty-five meters per second.

The wind whistled past his ears, and the waves of grass on the Golden Ear Plain were pulled into blurred lines. The abandoned villages on both sides of the road flashed by, their outlines unrecognizable.

This speed was more than twice as fast as usual, consuming a lot of stamina, but he couldn't wait a moment longer.

In less than twenty minutes, the walls of Fenghuo County appeared in his field of vision.

Lin Feng didn't «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» use the gate; instead, he rose into the air and flew over the walls.

The guards looked up and saw a dark shadow sweep past. Just as they were about to sound the alarm, someone with sharp eyes shouted, "It's the Lord!" and the alarm remained silent.

Lin Feng landed in the southeast corner of the Inner City, where the walls of the Great Qin Elite Camp unfolded before him.

Two Beacon Guards stood at the entrance. Upon seeing him, they quickly pressed their right fists to their chests.

Lin Feng nodded, walked to the stone gate, and pressed his hand against the cold stone wall.

With a slight thought, the operation interface unfolded before his eyes.

His gaze swept directly past the troop recruitment options and landed on the final item—【wonder】.

He took a deep breath and clicked it.

Two options popped up on the light screen: 【Great Wall (Unique)】 and 【Terracotta Army (Unique)】.

Lin Feng clicked on the Great Wall, and the list of construction requirements unfolded before him.

Stone: Satisfied.

Wood: Satisfied.

Iron Ingots: Satisfied.

Mithril: Satisfied.

Gray Crystal: Satisfied.

dragon heart: Satisfied.

All conditions had been met, and the construction button glowed with a golden light.

Lin Feng didn't hesitate and clicked "Construct."

The runes on the stone gate suddenly erupted with a blinding golden light, and the entire Great Qin Elite Camp trembled.

A massive holographic map projected from the stone gate and hovered over Fenghuo County. Mountains, rivers, plains, and hills—every stream, every forest, and every hill was clearly visible.

The map's boundaries extended west to Lucky Town, east to the Endless Sea, south to the Endless Sea, and north all the way to the Tiansji Mountains.

Within an area 270 li long and 130 li wide, phantoms of city walls slowly emerged along the boundaries, like a sleeping dragon stretching its limbs.

A system prompt popped up.

【Great Wall under construction. Please select the location for the Array Eye Pass.】

Lin Feng's gaze moved quickly across the map, passing over Fenghuo County, the walls of Lucky Town, and the walls of Qingmu County, stopping at a location fifty li north of Lucky Town.

The terrain there was flat and the view was open.

Zhenyue City was to the northwest, and Osaka Castle was directly north. No matter which direction the enemy came from, they would have to face the obstruction of a city-level territory.

He reached out his finger and tapped that spot.

【Set the Array Eye Pass here? The location of the pass can be adjusted once a month. Please choose carefully.】

【Confirm.】

【Please name the Array Eye Pass.】

The corners of Lin Feng's mouth curled up slightly as he typed three characters—Hangu Pass.

He silently added in his heart: I'm not hiding it anymore, I'm laying my cards on the table. I am the First Emperor. Give me resources, and I'll make you a general.

【Great Wall: Phase One construction beginning.】

Within the entire sphere of influence of the Beacon Fire Territory, from Lucky Town in the west to the Endless Sea in the east, and from the southern coastline to the Tiansji Mountains in the north, a golden light shimmered simultaneously.

It wasn't a weak, firefly-like light, but a thick, dazzling radiance, like the sun rising from beneath the earth.

The golden light dyed the pitch-black night sky gold, and the pillar of light rising into the sky could be seen for a hundred li around.

Amidst the light, city walls rose from the ground. Bluish-gray boulders emerged from the void, piece by piece being joined, stacked, and fixed.

The foundation was fifteen meters wide, the top was eight meters wide, and the wall body tapered layer by layer. An enemy tower was set every thirty meters, and a beacon tower was erected every hundred paces.

In just a few breaths, a majestic forty-meter-high city wall wound along the boundaries of the Beacon Fire Territory, like a sleeping dragon coiled upon the land.

The body of the wall was bluish-gray, its surface carved with dense defensive runes that shimmered with a pale golden luster in the night.

The top of the wall was eight meters wide, enough for two carriages to drive side-by-side. On the outside were serrated battlements, and on the inside was a parapet wall. Stone steps were set at intervals for the garrison to move up and down.

A ten-thousand-li majestic pass, ten thousand li long; Beacon Fires fill the sky, forging a solid defense!