Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

These giant camel creatures were of unknown species, larger than elephants, with broad backs that could easily carry a person on top despite being hung with mountainous cargo on either side.

After arranging a place for Zhang Shuniang,

Zhang Yan stayed by her side, dedicated to caring for the unconscious Zhang Shuniang.

When Yu Fan Zhen returned, she had a smile of exhaustion on her face, "I’ve just asked around, and we’re almost there. In a few days, we’ll see the secular villages. The road will be much easier then."

Having walked nonstop for nearly two days and nights, she too was disheveled and weary.

Chen Li’s spirits lifted upon hearing this and was tempted to ask what the secular world was like.

But he remembered that the original owner of this body could not possibly be ignorant of such common knowledge.

So he kept his questions to himself.

"This journey is so exhausting it could take half a life; not to mention Shuniang, the young girl, even I barely have the strength to lie down," Zhao Lin said with a wry smile, "I remember when I came here, I rode on the free Flying Boat of the Changsheng Sect. It took less than half a day to arrive. I didn’t expect walking to take this long. If only we had a Flying Artifact."

"You, a mid-stage Qi Cultivation cultivator, using a Flying Artifact wouldn’t be much faster than walking. Besides, you’d exhaust your Spiritual Power after flying just a few miles. Only those in the later stages of Qi Cultivation could use it for long-distance travel, like Big Brother and Fellow Daoist Yu here," Gu Mengqing explained.

"Flying through the forest is too dangerous. Walking is actually the safest option. But if we reach the densely populated inner lands, then we might barely manage to use it to speed up our travel. Also, the Flying Artifact must be of good quality; otherwise, it won’t get us very far!" Yu Fan Zhen said cheerfully.

Haha!

Chen Li, too, was extremely interested in flying and asked a long-standing question, "Fellow Daoist Yu, you are well-informed. I’d like to know, what should one do if they accidentally fall from the sky while flying?"

"Don’t mention it, when that happens, you just use a Luoyu Talisman. If you don’t have one, a Featherweight Talisman can also do, albeit barely. Of course, it’s best not to fly too high," Yu Fan Zhen thought for a moment before answering.

Chen Li had never even heard of Luoyu Talismans before.

Sigh.

Lacking a formal education in Qi Cultivation, his knowledge was limited.

For disciples of sects or children of cultivator families, these things might be common knowledge, and anything they wish to learn is easily within reach. But for Loose Cultivators like himself, obtaining even a bit of knowledge was extremely difficult, not to mention unstructured.

"Are there any spells that can be used for flying at the Qi Cultivation stage?" Chen Li continued to inquire.

"There are, such as the First Order Seventh Grade Wind Control Skill, and the First Order Ninth Grade Yuan Magnetism Evasion Skill, but the former is quite slow, and the latter is very fast, but its requirements are too high. You need to be at the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation to learn it!"

Yu Fan Zhen truly was a treasure trove of information.

"Can these spells be purchased in Luoluo City?" Chen asked.

"You’re looking to buy?" Yu Fan Zhen said, "I have a personal collection of the Wind Control Skill, which I will give to you later. However, the Yuan Magnetism Evasion Skill is kept in my family’s scriptorium, so it’s not as easy to give. I would need to report to my ancestors before making a decision about that."

"Thank you very much, Fellow Daoist Yu!" Chen Li promptly clasped hands in thanks.

"You’re too polite, Fellow Daoist Chen!" Yu Fan Zhen said with a smile, "In fact, aside from the Yuan Magnetism Evasion Skill, many common spells can be bought in Luoluo City. As for the price, I suppose it should be negligible for Fellow Daoist Chen!"

Chen Li then expressed further politeness.

...

Afternoon.

Inside a hole in a tree in the forest.

"Huff"

Chen Li exhaled a turbid breath and slowly lowered his hands, concluding the last cycle of his exercise.

"After reaching the seventh layer of Qi Cultivation, the effect of the Qi Replenishing Pills on me has weakened significantly, and the speed of my progression has suddenly slowed down quite a lot. I estimate it will take another half a year to advance to the eighth layer," Chen Li calculated mentally:

"Fortunately, even this pace is already quite fast. I am now forty-two years old, and in at most three years, by the time I’m forty-five, I can consider challenging the Foundation Establishment. I wonder if I’ll be able to get through that safely?

If I can make it through, then a smooth journey lies ahead.

Lifespan:

Two hundred+

If I fail...

According to what Yu Fan Zhen said on the road, challenging the Foundation Establishment is extremely perilous.

A failure could result in a minor loss of one’s vitality at best.

At worst, it could lead to death.

The former still offers a slim chance of starting over.

The latter would mean the end of everything."

With a furrowed brow, Chen Li thought for a moment, then shook his head:

"Now is not the time to think about these things. It’s better to wait until Qi Cultivation is complete."

Zhou Hong was still asleep.

Chen Li quietly left the tree hole.

In the afternoon forest, there was still very little light.

The snoring of fellow travelers rose and fell around him, clearly audible.

Having slept for a while and then practiced his Qi, Chen Li now felt revitalized with boundless energy.

He didn’t feel like sleeping anymore.

Walking on the soft fallen leaves, he wandered around.

This was a primeval forest resembling an ancient, prehistoric world.

The ground was covered with all kinds of strangely-shaped plants, with huge branches crisscrossing. Thick aerial roots grew from the branches, hanging down to penetrate the soil tens or even hundreds of meters below. Among them grew python-like vines intertwining with one another.

Surrounded by all this, it was as if he were standing amongst towering skyscrapers.

It was as if I had entered the world of giants.

Sadly, it was already deep autumn,

which took away much of the charm here.

If it were spring or summer, the scenery here would probably be even more magnificent and startling.

Of course, it would also be more dangerous.

At this moment, faint singing seemed to drift to my ears, ethereal and otherworldly.

Chen Li’s eyebrows rose.

Who had the leisure to sing at such a time?

With nothing pressing at the moment, he walked slowly toward the singing, gradually distancing himself from the camp. Soon, he came upon a lake shrouded in fog, where a woman with not a single thread on her body was bathing, her back to him.

Her fair body flickered in and out of view in the mist.

And the singing was coming from her.

The strangeness of the scene instantly made him feel that something was amiss, and he slowly backed away, hand on his sword hilt.

There were no clothes on the shore, and given the chilly weather of late autumn, not to mention the proximity to the camp, even if a woman from the team had a penchant for cleanliness and insisted on bathing, she would do so sneakily. She wouldn’t boldly sing while bathing as if she wanted to make sure others could hear her.

This was definitely not human.

One step, two steps—the woman continued her bathing as if oblivious to his presence. He breathed a sigh of relief and quickly retreated a hundred meters.

Then he prepared to return.

However, just as he turned around, his body stiffened and his scalp tingled.

The woman was standing just one meter behind him.

She stood naked, her cheeks sunken and fierce, her black eyes entirely void of whites relentlessly pounding Chen Li’s heart, which throbbed violently. Despite her expressionless face, her mouth seemed to carry a sinister smile.

When had this happened?

She had just been in the lake a moment ago.

The stack of Evil-Repelling Talismans on his chest was rapidly heating up, scorching hot.

Proving this was no illusion.

Unbeknownst to him, a mist began to spread on the ground, carrying with it a strange and ominous air.

Chen Li forced himself to remain calm and said with a smile, "Miss, may I know why you have stopped me? If there’s anything I can assist with, please don’t hesitate to ask."

The woman did not answer.

"I haven’t asked for the lady’s name yet. Are you lost?" Chen Li continued.

Still silence!

"Aren’t you cold like this?"

Silence!

"Do you need clothes?"

Silence!

"If there’s nothing, I’ll be taking my leave. Farewell!" Chen Li’s forehead was beading with cold sweat; there was no way to communicate.

He then began to step around the woman.

At the same time, he silently recited the spell for Palm Thunder, ready to fight.

Just as Chen Li was fully on guard,

the next moment, his vision blurred.

The woman had vanished without a trace, and even the chilling mist on the ground gradually dissipated.

In the distance, an elderly man approached from this direction.

It was Yu Cheng.

Apparently, my alarm had driven her away.

"Chen, why are you here? I can sense a heavy evil presence here; there must be an evil wraith. Let’s go!"

Chen Li finally let out a long sigh of relief, the crisis was averted, "Many thanks for the rescue, Elder. Had you been a moment later, it’s hard to say whether I’d be dead or alive."

He didn’t conceal anything and recounted the whole encounter.

"There are many spirits and ghosts here; one must not wander carelessly. You’re lucky; I too would have trouble dealing with such a situation," Yu Cheng sighed. "It must be because you’re carrying something that restrains evil wraiths."

A thought struck Chen Li, and he pulled out a thick stack of Evil-Repelling Talismans from his chest.

They were still emanating scorching residual heat.

He had specifically drawn these before departing.

He feared nothing else but encountering a powerful evil wraith.

There were more than thirty talismans in total.

But upon inspection, he was stunned.

The spiritual power on the talismans had nearly been depleted, all more than thirty of them.

No wonder the evil wraith hadn’t attacked immediately; it seemed the credit went to these more than thirty Evil-Repelling Talismans.

ps: Something came up today; this is all I have!