Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

Yu Cheng’s lips twitched when he saw the stack of low-grade Evil-Repelling Talismans.

This is truly... a wonder in quantity.

"The effect of Evil-Repelling Talismans is still a bit weak. For those in the Qi Cultivation Stage, it’s best to use the First Order Ninth Grade Evil-Breaking Talismans," Yu Cheng gave a piece of advice.

Chen Li felt helpless in his heart.

Where would he get Evil-Breaking Talismans?

He had never even heard of them in the Green River District.

Fortunately, the old and cunning Yu Cheng, who was adept at currying favor, quickly took out three from his storage bag with a chuckle and handed them over: "I happen to have a few here which are of no use to me. Take them for your protection."

The First Order Ninth Grade Evil-Breaking Talisman was the pinnacle of the first-order talismans.

It was on the same level as the Golden Light Talisman.

It was certainly not useless to him.

Even if he had no use for them, many of his juniors did.

It was just a favor, after all.

Since it was a matter of life-saving importance, Chen Li could not refuse openly and could only brazenly accept with both hands before sincerely expressing his thanks.

...

Because they had encountered a powerful Evil Wraith nearby.

Not long after returning, the group set off once again.

On the road, he couldn’t help but touch the Evil-Breaking Talismans at his chest again.

He was still terrified.

Over the past year, he had faced many dangers.

But this time was undoubtedly the most perilous.

When the Evil Wraith had its eyes on him, his soul trembled, and his whole body stiffened, hardly able to muster any resistance. If it weren’t for the stack of Evil-Repelling Talismans that greatly delayed the time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"Once we settle down in Luoluo City, I must purchase more Evil-Breaking Talismans, though I have no idea how much they cost."

In the following days, he no longer dared to wander away from the group.

Although he appeared strong, he was only powerful at the Qi Cultivation level. In this world full of dangers, even self-preservation was difficult, not to mention his own situation; even the Yu Family’s Foundation Establishment patriarch was extremely cautious and wary on the road, fearing encountering dangers that could not be dealt with.

Luckily, the rest of the journey went exceptionally smoothly.

Aside from several attacks by low-level Demon Beasts, there were no significant dangers encountered.

...

Three days later.

The forest gradually became sparse, and traces of human activity began to appear one after another.

By this point, they were pretty much safe, and the mood in the group lightened again, with faces relaxing and returning to the chatter and laughter of the beginning.

After walking half a day more, they emerged from the forest, and the scenery changed again.

Large fields appeared on both sides; since it was late autumn, the crops had been completely harvested.

A few farmers and children, carrying baskets on their backs, were picking up missed grains in the fields.

These people were dressed in gray, worn-out cloth that made it impossible to determine the quality of the material; their hair, unwashed for a long time, had become slick and greasy, sticking together in clumps.

As for their feet, they were completely bare, and they had pulled their pant legs up high, revealing many sores of different sizes, their bodies smeared with mud.

Seeing the large troop passing by, they immediately looked over with stiff smiles that were a mix of awe and humble flattery. Some children wanted to run over to see the spectacle, but were firmly held back by the adults.

These people were clearly suffering from long-term malnutrition.

They looked yellow and skinny, frail and feeble.

Many were visibly sick.

A short-statured woman was even holding a wailing infant; her pallid face made her seem as if she were in her fifties. Seeing the infant cry, she hurriedly pulled aside her tattered clothes, exposed her dry, milkless breast without any concern, and began to feed in public.

Is this what the secular world is like?

Chen Li suddenly felt somewhat fortunate and at the same time indescribably panicked.

Luckily, he had transmigrated into a Cultivator.

If he had transmigrated into a farmer,

That would really be a fate worse than death.

After passing the farmland and walking for a while, some dilapidated, low-rise buildings appeared in the distance. These houses were mostly made of wood and thatch and were, without exception, broken and miserable—an apt depiction of this place.

Compared to Chen Li’s shock, the others had long since grown accustomed to it.

This was already within the bounds of Luoluo City in the core area of the Longevity Domain. Still, it seemed sparsely populated, with forests, marshes, and wetlands visible everywhere. It was often a long time on the road before they saw any villages.

The occasional passerby had a profound respect for Cultivators, stepping aside from afar, not daring to get close. If they were too late to avoid them, they would kneel on the ground in terror.

They obviously feared these people who looked unmistakably like Cultivators and lords.

This situation improved slightly after another day’s journey.

Human habitation began to densify—relatively speaking.

They would occasionally see some towns—places with a population beyond ten thousand.

At the same time, the circumstances of the ordinary people here were somewhat better. There were fewer patches on the clothes, their faces and hair showed signs of frequent cleaning, and occasionally there were wealthy individuals dazzling with gold and silver, dressed in luxurious clothes.

...

In the evening, the group finally stopped to rest in a small secular town.

The lord of the town, an old Cultivator in the late stages of Qi Cultivation, upon learning of the presence of a Yu Family patriarch, promptly offered the use of the lord’s mansion, and arranged accommodations for the other members of the group with the town’s wealthy inhabitants.

Chen Li didn’t know about other places,

But in the Longevity Domain, Cultivators directly managed and protected the secular world.

They eliminated various hidden hazards within their territories, unearthed local talent with potential for Cultivation, and gathered various resources, using the sustenance of the secular world to continuously support the Cultivation World.