Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

In the narrow, damp cave.

"Hoo!"

Chen Li exhaled a breath of stale air, opened his eyes, and concluded a cycle of Grand Circulation cultivation, fully recovering the depleted Spiritual Power.

He checked his game panel.

"State: Foundation Establishment Second Layer: 54/100"

"My cultivation level is now over half-way through the second layer of Foundation Establishment. Going by this rate, I should be able to step into the third layer next year at this time," Chen Li calculated silently, "And after that comes the middle stage of Foundation Establishment..."

In the entire Returning True Sect, there were only six people at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.

Most of them were old and decrepit.

Even if you included Xia Hongyi, who was at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and the Golden Core Ancestor, there were only eight of them.

"I don’t aim too high. If I am fortunate enough to reach the Golden Core in my lifetime and live to be eight hundred, my life would not be in vain."

Chen Li couldn’t help but indulge in a bout of wild speculation before stopping his thoughts.

He picked up some dry wood he had collected, used the Fire-Starting Skill to light it, and waited until the flames turned to charcoal. Then, he took out a big chunk of Second Order Demon Beast Meat from his storage bag, skewered it with his Green Jade Sword, and began to roast it carefully over the charcoals.

At that moment, the long-brewing thunderstorm finally arrived.

Large raindrops, accompanied by flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder, hit the leaves in the forest, making a loud pattering noise, creating a clamor.

Listening to the rain outside, Chen Li had his dinner.

After setting up a simple trap outside, Chen Li returned to the cave, leaned against the cave wall, and began to close his eyes and rest.

This primitive forest was far more dangerous than the sect’s mountain gate, filled with crises at every turn. Even someone at his level of Foundation Establishment would be in danger of capsizing in the gutter if he wasn’t careful—he had to be constantly at his best.

As night deepened, the rain had stopped without him noticing, and a bright full moon hung high above him.

"Awooo!"

A long howl suddenly startled Chen Li awake.

He quickly opened his eyes, "Could it be a Second Order Demon Beast?"

Having this thought, he burst out of the cave and used the Fortune Seeking and Disaster Avoiding Skill, quickly heading in the direction of the howl.

The tree branches whooshed by on either side.

Chen Li lowered his body and dashed through the forest, as swift as the wind.

He didn’t know how long he ran.

He paused, adjusting his breathing, and used the Earth Listening Technique, tilting his head to listen. Soon he heard the faint sound of heavy footsteps.

"It seems to be nearby!"

Activating his Breath-Concealing Skill, he suppressed his pounding heart, slowing his pace and gradually closing in.

After travelling another mile or two,

He parted the thorny bushes and peered cautiously forward, only to see the branches ahead moving, glimpsing through the trees a massive creature continually pushing forward.

He was already feeling the oppressive aura unique to a Second Order Demon Beast.

Taking a deep breath, he proceeded more cautiously.

This was a beast that resembled a horse but wasn’t quite one, with a pair of jade-colored sharp horns on its head. Additionally, it had a third horn above its nose bridge, much shorter than the previous two, glowing a lustrous dark green.

In the patchy light and shadow of the forest at night, its body emitted a yellow-green mystical glow. Its slender limbs and symmetrical physique moved gracefully and nimbly as it walked, like a spirit of the forest.

It would occasionally stop, selecting the most tender branches and leaves, wrapping them with its tongue, and stuffing them into its large mouth, constantly chewing.

"It seems to be a herbivorous Demon Beast..."

However, this wasn’t absolute.

At this level of Demon Beasts, the line between herbivores and carnivores wasn’t clear-cut.

In fact, even ordinary herbivores do not refuse meat when given the chance to eat it.

A second-order herbivorous-looking Demon Beast wasn’t necessarily much safer than a carnivorous-looking one.

Chen Li observed carefully, pondering the opportunity for a fatal strike.

Soon, he had a plan.

He cast the Invisibility Technique.

He moved slowly and carefully closer.

One hundred meters.

Fifty meters!

...

He was getting closer.

The Second Order Demon Beast suddenly stopped its movements, as if sensing something, listening attentively with an alert posture, issuing a deep warning growl. The glow on its body began to brighten gradually; it had a feeling of unease.

Chen Li immediately halted, remaining still as a rock.

He waited a long time.

Only when the beast resumed its feeding, seemingly relaxing again, did he notice its constantly rotating ears and twitching nose – the beast was clearly on full alert, ready for danger at any moment.

Chen Li moved again, this time excruciatingly slow, inch by inch.

Thanks to the Max Level Invisibility Technique, it lasted quite a while.

Otherwise, he likely would have been exposed.

After a tough approach to thirty meters, Chen Li decided not to wait anymore.

Taking a deep breath, he flicked a Golden Light Body Protection Talisman over his body, activating his Gang Qi.

Simultaneously, his body accelerated from a standstill, kicking up a spray of mud and dry leaves, charging toward the giant beast like a bolt of lightning.

One step, two steps...

The distance of thirty meters was covered in an instant.

Although the Demon Beast had been vigilant, it apparently did not anticipate such a sudden change. It only managed to tense its muscles instinctively, its body glowing brightly as it braced for the attack which arrived almost instantaneously.

Along with a flash brighter than the sun by a hundredfold in the night sky,

A blurred figure leapt forth, shot like a bolt of lightning, with the sword light already cutting through the thick air, slicing through the body’s protective Spiritual Power, splitting the solid skull from the forehead to the mouth, nearly bisecting half its head.

The demon beast let out a piteous howl, its body swaying slightly before it collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Chen Li executed a mid-air somersault to land, seizing the opportunity to strike while the enemy was weak. He dashed forward a few more steps and condensed nearly two meters of Gang Qi, slashing at the beast’s neck with a sword that gleamed like a startled swan.

How thick was its neck?

By a visual estimate, it was almost the size of a round table.

The skin was thick, the flesh firm; its defense was not low.

Even Chen Li had to hack three or four times before he succeeded in severing the beast’s entire head.

For a moment, blood gushed forth like a fountain!

"Phew!"

Chen Li stood next to the massive, still-twitching corpse, with the blood spurts all blocked by his Grand Circulation of Gang Qi. He let out a breath of relief,

"That finally settles it!"

This demon beast was even larger than the one from Green River District.

The mere meat alone was estimated to weigh fifteen to sixteen tons.

His heart was filled with the excitement of a hunt and the joy of a bountiful harvest.

"All this hard work and danger tonight was worth it!"

"But, how to transport it back is a bit troublesome... Never mind, I’ll run back and forth a few times and move it in batches."

He immediately began to disassemble the carcass, skinning and deboning it and slicing off the flesh.

In no time, he had filled two storage bags, yet the majority remained.

The leftover carcass could not be left on-site; in such a primeval forest, where demon beasts and wild animals were rife, by the time he returned, there would likely be nothing left of it.

Chen Li quickly performed the Traction Skill and began digging a hole.

He dug until he was more than ten meters deep before stopping.

"This depth should be deep enough."

Next, he threw the partitioned demon beast carcass and the blood-soaked soil into the pit, applied several Ice Skills to freeze the carcass, and then completely covered it with earth.

"Making money really isn’t easy; it’s hard-earned indeed." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

...

The sky gradually lightened.

The entire Luoluo City was bathed in the first light of dawn, slowly awakening.

By a clear stream, early-rising Loose Cultivators carrying water, washing up, cleaning toilets, and washing vegetables were clustered together, chatting and laughing, presenting a scene of tranquility and harmony.

Since the Returning True Sect took over here, five years had passed.

The whole Luoluo City became even more bustling and prosperous, no longer bearing the slightest sense of desolation from before the war.

Chen Li flew through the night and arrived back at the sect by morning.

"How come you’re back so soon, is the task accomplished?" Zhou Hong and Zhang Shuniang came to greet him, with Zhou Hong expressing her surprise; she had thought it would take a few more days.

"Things went relatively smoothly, but I’ll have to head out again in a bit," Chen Li said with a smile.

"You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you? I’ll instruct the maids to prepare some food for you!" Zhang Shuniang said, then turned to call for the maids.

"No, I’m leaving right away," Chen Li stopped Zhang Shuniang.

"You’re in such a hurry!"

After a brief conversation, Chen Li went down to the underground chamber beneath his cave abode.

Over the years, he couldn’t resist making an underground chamber.

However, it was much smaller than before, usually used just as a root cellar.

Chen Li emptied the storage bags, placed the meat inside for freezing, and, not daring to delay, set off once again. Mid-flight, as he neared the forest, he suddenly heard the sound of intense fighting coming from afar.

Chen Li fixed his gaze and saw two Foundation Establishment cultivators locked in a battle, one chasing and the other fleeing, occasionally exchanging blows.

Their cultivation levels were clearly mid-Foundation Establishment stage or above.

"Is that a fellow daoist from the Returning True Sect ahead? I’m Ke Xian of the Hongshan Sect. Please come to assist me, and there will be a generous reward after!" The pursuing Foundation Establishment cultivator, upon seeing Chen Li, shouted loudly.

"I am Sheng Liwei from the Heavenly Star Sect, please do not intervene," the fleeing Foundation Establishment cultivator cried out in panic.

Chen Li’s heart tightened, realizing that his sect robe had given him away.

Sigh, what a hassle!

Now he’s stumbled upon this situation.

"I am but humble and weak, please forgive me for my inability to help!" Chen Li called out.

Seeing that there was a forest below, he quickly descended from the sky.

After casting an Invisibility Technique, he vanished without a trace.

The cursing of the Hongshan Sect cultivator could be heard from afar.

"Such poor character!" Chen Li muttered to himself.

Not helping was the right decision.

He hurried on his way until he was well away from the combatants, then resumed flight.

He successfully returned to where the demon beast carcass was buried and dug it up again, removing the bones and packing the meat into the storage bags. But even after the bags were full, there was still a small pile of bones that he couldn’t carry.

Having no other choice, Chen Li buried the bones back into the hole.

He prepared to return once more to transport them.

On the way back, he took a wide detour and thankfully did not encounter the two again. Upon returning to the sect and emptying the storage bags, he immediately set off once more for the forest. By the time he reached the site where the carcass had been buried, the sun had already tilted towards the west.

Since the previous night, he’d been traveling almost a day and a night without a bite to eat. Even he felt exhausted and parched.

It was the final trip anyway; there was no need to rush at this moment.

Chen Li simply shaved some scraps of meat off the bones, kindled a campfire, and ate whatever he could roast. Then he pulled out his water flask and in one go drank down half of it. Just as he was about to get up to return, he suddenly sensed a perilous presence through his Fortune Seeking and Disaster Avoiding Skill.

Chen Li was startled and swiftly scanned the direction of the danger, only to see the same Hongshan Sect Foundation Establishment cultivator approaching from earlier.

The two locked eyes.

Each was slightly taken aback!

Clearly, neither of them had expected to encounter the other here.