Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

Thousands of Loose Cultivators had come over.

It took over an hour for everyone to disembark from the Flying Boat.

By that time, the sky had begun to darken, and the green protective shield on the surface of the Flying Boat shimmered with an eerie light under the night sky. Following that, the massive structure slowly turned around and headed back the way it came.

The distant woods rustled, and faint tremors could feel from the ground, clearly indicating the noise here had attracted the attention of many Demon Beasts.

Chen Li used both the Earth Listening Technique and Fortune Seeking and Disaster Avoiding Skill in succession.

Sounds quickly became clearer, indicating not just one Demon Beast was approaching, but several, though they did not dare to come close and were just peering from afar.

Under the organization of the disciples from the Returning True Sect who had come with them, the huge team quickly set off toward Green River District.

Six years had passed, and what used to be a wilderness had become part of a forest. Even Green River District itself was shrouded in trees and overgrown with weeds. Traces of Demon Beasts were everywhere, with intersecting animal paths and huge footprints scattered around.

"Aooooo!"

A long, train whistle-like beast roar echoed from a distance, chilling to the bone.

The originally noisy crowd gradually quieted down, obviously sensing the danger here.

"There are really fucking many Demon Beasts here!" a Foundation Establishment cultivator cursed aloud.

"Everyone, be careful. I heard that before it was abandoned, there were tens of thousands of Qi Cultivation practitioners here. Now, there is no trace of human activity to be found, which probably means all the nearby Demon Beasts have been attracted."

The speaker, named Zhou Yuanpeng, was one of the six mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Returning True Sect and the leader of this mission, "The day is already turning to night. After we reach Green River District, let’s set up the City Defense Array first before settling down."

"Fellow Daoist Zhou has thought things through, that’s the way to do it."

With the vast throngs of thousands, and the occasional deterrence from the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the crowd, no Demon Beasts dared to attack for the time being.

Half an hour later, the group successfully arrived at Green River District.

The tall city walls were covered in weeds and small trees, with many sections having collapsed. As for the roads, they were long gone, completely taken over by grass and trees. Most of the buildings inside had also fallen, and those that hadn’t were covered in vines.

Looking at the familiar yet somewhat unrecognizable surroundings, Chen Li couldn’t help feeling a little sigh.

If he had stayed in Green River District back then...

He hardly dared to think.

Even if he had managed to cling to life, it would have been impossible to achieve Foundation Establishment as he had now.

Next, the disciples from the Returning True Sect in the team arranged tasks. Some cleaned up, while others cut down trees. Zhou Yuanpeng took out pieces of Array equipment from his Storage Bag and, together with a few others, studied how to set up the Formation.

With nothing to do, Chen Li joined many other Foundation Establishment cultivators in moving closer to watch the excitement.

These magic Array instruments were all massive, each weighing hundreds of pounds. The thirty-odd instruments together would weigh several tons.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, what level of Formation is this?"

Zhou Yuanpeng glanced at Chen Li, recognizing him as a new Guest Elder, and replied indifferently, "It is a lower-tier third-order Earth Attribute Formation. Even a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator attacking with full force could only hold up for the time it takes an incense stick to burn."

Chen Li was not bothered by Zhou Yuanpeng’s coldness.

He was just silently astonished.

Formations are famously expensive, and third-order Formations more so. In remote regions like the Wilderness West, it’s probably not even possible to buy such Formations.

Setting up an Array is profound knowledge, not simply a matter of arranging them at random. It requires precise calculations of positions and sometimes even slight adjustments based on the flow of Spiritual Power, the terrain’s contours, and the local climate to maximize the effect of the Formation.

Furthermore, the higher the order of the Formation, the more complex the setup.

Zhou Yuanpeng occasionally performed calculations with his fingers, murmured incantations, and wandered around with a compass and various measuring tools to survey the points of the Array, commanding a few in-house Foundation Establishment practitioners to insert the Array instruments.

During the breaks, Chen Li humbly approached with caution and asked questions whenever possible, and although Zhou Yuanpeng seemed somewhat reluctant, he mostly answered due to face-saving considerations.

Chen Li compared and validated what he learned against his own max-level Qi-watching Skill, feeling immensely benefited and sensing a significant improvement in his Formation setting skills.

In the meantime, more and more Demon Beasts were gathering around. Chen Li and several other Foundation Establishment cultivators immediately went to exterminate them.

In the darkness of the jungle, pairs of ghostly eyes stared intently like lanterns at the area. Fortunately, all were lower-order Demon Beasts. Chen Li didn’t even use his Magic Artifact but simply used his Ice Skill from afar, instantly freezing the Demon Beasts in place.

Although Chen Li seldom practiced the Ice Skill.

After so many years, he had reached a master level, with power comparable to a ninth-level spell, far too much for lower-order Demon Beasts to withstand.

Luckily, it was late at night, and the Foundation Establishment cultivators were scattered in different locations.

No one noticed the abnormality of Chen Li’s spellcasting.

He walked quickly to the corpses of the Demon Beasts, skillfully butchered them, and packed the frozen meat into his Storage Bag. After all, even the smallest mosquito is still meat; a Demon Beast could be worth at least a dozen or so Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

It wasn’t a wasted trip after all.

Unfortunately, he only carried two Storage Bags with him.

One five-square, and the other three-square.

Another one-square Storage Bag provided by the Returning True Sect had already been given to Zhang Shuniang.

Just a single lower-order Demon Beast filled up more than half of one.

...

Everyone was busy until late into the night, and only then was the formation fully set up.

Inside a cleared stone chamber.

Zhou Yuanpeng stuffed dozens of top-grade Spirit Stones into the concave control center of the formation, took out the control token to activate it, and with a burst of dim light, more than a dozen array instruments buried underground resonated with one another, and the entire City Defense Array slowly began to operate.

A yellowish spiritual power shield enveloped the entire Green River District.

Feeling the formation surrounding them, everyone in the market felt a great sense of security; even the chill of late autumn was dispelled, eliciting cheers from the crowd.

The temporary wooden huts had already been built, and one of the benefits of becoming a Guest Elder of the Returning True Sect was that these tedious and trivial matters no longer required personal effort; the disciples of the sect would take care of them, and even bedding and other necessities of life had been prepared.

...

"As for Second Order Demon Beasts, to my knowledge, there is at least one, but with so many years passed, it’s hard to say what the situation is now," someone said. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The campfire crackled merrily.

Feng Qi, upon hearing that Chen Li came from the Green River District, enthusiastically pulled him into the conversation.

There were several circles within the Foundation Establishment practitioners of the Returning True realm.

There was one circle for those within the sect, another for Guest Elders, and yet another for the Foundation Establishment families outside; among these, those within the sect stood at the top of the hierarchy, often proud and aloof, typically maintaining only superficial relationships with the likes of Guest Elders, which generally suited everyone fine.

"I’ve never seen so many Demon Beasts gathered in one place, and by logical deduction, there must be more than one Second Order Demon Beast in the vicinity," said a burly Foundation Establishment practitioner whose eyes shone brightly. This man, surnamed Song and named Baifeng, like Feng Qi, also cultivated the Mixed Yuan Cultivation Skill.

This cultivation technique consumed a lot of Spirit Stones, and no matter how many one had, it was never enough—everyone who practiced it was perpetually broke.

"I think so too!" Feng Qi exclaimed excitedly: "This time, I estimate we could make a fortune. Chen, do you want to join us?"

"Fellow Daoist flatters me!" Chen Li showed a bitter smile, "I have only recently entered Foundation Establishment, my power is modest, so I will not join this excitement."

These Second Order Demon Beasts were each exceptionally dangerous, with unknown specific abilities. A single mishap could mean capsizing in the gutter.

He wasn’t particularly short of money, so why take the risk?

He always kept his distance from such needless adventures whenever possible.

"Haha!" Feng Qi slapped Chen Li’s shoulder forcefully and laughed loudly, "Fellow Daoist is modest, I can see you are also a Body Refinement practitioner, though your cultivation is indeed a bit weak."

...

"Such terrifying strength, it’s like a mountain bearing down," Chen Li thought to himself as he returned to his wooden hut and touched his shoulder, which was still slightly numb.

He keenly sensed the difference between the Mixed Yuan Cultivation Skill, which was practiced in conjunction with magic cultivation, and his own Body Refinement technique. It seemed the former leaned more toward strength and defense, while his Body Refinement was geared towards agility and explosive power.

Furthermore, those who practiced the Mixed Yuan Cultivation Skill were each impressively built, exuding an overpowering presence. In comparison, his physique had hardly changed; he appeared only slightly more robust than an average person when wearing robes and moved with grace.

As an insect flew past, Chen Li’s hand flickered slightly, and he pinched the bug, gently crushing it.

"The biggest weakness of my Body Refinement technique is that my physical strength can’t keep up with my attacks. If I fully exert myself, at best my muscles tear, and at worst bones break. After a battle, I often end up badly wounded," he reflected.

He opened the game panel.

’Basic Swordsmanship Grandmaster: 1683/3200’

"It will take about...three more years to reach max level in swordsmanship—too long. After I return this time, I should choose a true Body Refinement technique," Chen Li calculated and thought to himself.

He then used the ’Insect Repelling Skill’ and started to meditate and cultivate on the bed.

...

Early the next morning, the crowd began to clear the wasteland with fire.

However, unlike the last time when he followed the team like a lackey, this time as a Foundation Establishment practitioner, Chen Li was leading a team of several hundred people.

Feeling the gaze of Qi Cultivation practitioners, which held either reverence or admiration, Chen Li couldn’t help but marvel at the peculiar twists and turns of life.

As the fire blazed, smoke billowed through the sky, and countless wildlife dashed wildly. Occasionally, a low-order Demon Beast that panicked and lost its way would be pointedly killed by Chen Li’s flying sword.

He regretted selling that Second Order, low-grade flying sword.

Fortunately, there was still one top-grade First Order flying sword in his Storage Bag. Combined with his Foundation Establishment spiritual power, its power was decent, and it was more than enough to kill low-order Demon Beasts.

...

By the evening, just as the fire was about to reach the slum area,

suddenly, a disheveled practitioner with unkempt hair and indiscernible features flew unsteadily over the flames on a flying sword, approaching excitedly toward the group setting the fire, shouting shrilly:

"Stop burning, stop burning, there are still people here!"

Chen Li quickly called for a halt.

He didn’t expect that after six years, there would still be people alive here.

The person staggered down from the flying sword, collapsed on the ground with weak legs, and only then did Chen Li realize that this was a woman.

She got up, looked around at the crowd, her mouth moving constantly as she momentarily lost her ability to speak: "Finally... finally, someone has come, woowoo..."

Before she could finish her words, she burst into tears.