Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

Chen Li finally relaxed, strolled around the vicinity again, and, seeing that the sun was about to set, leisurely made his way back home.

He was almost home when,

he noticed the young and beautiful woman had come again.

In just one day, she had made three trips back and forth.

Chen Li grimaced, almost afraid of her now.

Upon seeing Chen Li, Feng Min’s eyes brightened, and she quickly approached him, anxiously asking, "Fellow Daoist, have you seen my husband?"

Chen Li was speechless, shook his head, "I haven’t seen him yet!"

Feng Min’s expression darkened upon hearing this, and she became visibly worried.

"Ah, I fear something terrible has happened," Chen Li feigned a sigh, "According to what you’ve said, first your husband disappeared, and then Fellow Daoist Lin quickly left to avoid disaster. It seems you may have provoked a formidable enemy."

"What kind of enemy doesn’t even send a message?" Feng Min’s face turned pale, and her lips trembled uncontrollably as she spoke, her eyes quickly reddening.

Though her words were questioning, her heart believed Chen Li’s statements to some extent.

The evening before the incident, her husband came home with an odd look in his eyes, tinged with excitement. As he approached, she could vaguely smell the lingering scent of blood on him.

At the time, she didn’t think much of it.

But now, in hindsight,

it seemed like a harbinger!

She didn’t know whether her husband was alive or dead now...

From last night to the present, she had a constant ominous premonition.

"I don’t know about that; maybe the situation was too urgent at the time," said Chen Li, looking like a good Samaritan, and with all earnestness advised, "You’re probably in a similarly grim situation now. In my opinion, you should leave Red Pillar City as quickly as possible to avoid disaster, just like Fellow Daoist Lin. The faster, the better!"

"Feng Min thanks Fellow Daoist for the guidance," she said, looking at Chen Li with a grateful, yet sorrowful gaze, unable to hold back her tears.

"Ah, go on, hurry up!" urged Chen Li, "And don’t come back again. Your three trips here in a day might bring disaster upon me."

"I’ve troubled you, Fellow Daoist," Feng Min apologized, then deeply bowed and hesitantly walked away.

’Ah, I’ve gone soft after all, but good that she’s gone,’ Chen Li sighed, withdrew his gaze, and turned back to his residence.

...

The night was like a pool of water.

In the distance, giant trees touching the sky emitted a misty red glow against the night sky.

The whole of Red Pillar City seemed to be shrouded in a faint layer of blood.

Yellow Jade, drunk as a skunk, was walking while drinking from a jug of wine.

"Damn it, they all deserve to die!"

He muttered to himself, and then his emotions crumbled, sobbing out loud, "It’s my fault, I failed you all, boo hoo hoo..."

He alternated between crying and laughing, looking utterly insane.

A few Qi Cultivation practitioners coming toward him got so scared they quickly avoided him.

These past two days, he had been going out early and coming back late, voluntarily standing guard at the city gate, watching the passersby in an attempt to find any remnants of the Returning True Sect. He had been unable to move past his pain over the years, and upon hearing of the annihilation of the Returning True Sect, he was undoubtedly the most proactive one of all.

Alas, all of it was destined to be illusory, like flowers in a mirror or the moon’s reflection on water.

When Yellow Jade, with uneven steps, reached his own doorstep, opened the Array, and pushed the courtyard door inside, he was completely unaware that a figure had followed him like a ghost, silently slipping in behind him.

...

More than three hours later,

Chen Li, smelling strongly of blood, used an Invisibility Technique and stepped outside.

’Indeed, I feel no remorse killing men,’ he thought to himself,

’It’s just that I hadn’t expected this Yellow Jade to be so poor.’

As a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, he wore a cheap, Second Order low-quality robe to put on appearances and wielded a second-rate, mid-grade flying sword typical of the miserly.

He was inferior to many early Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The storage bag was utterly empty.

Enough to make a thief cry.

All the scattered Spirit Stones on him added up to less than ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

He was truly destitute.

Only the Second Order low-grade array in his mansion was slightly valuable.

The night grew deeper.

Chen Li walked briskly down the streets, recalling the information he had just extracted from the interrogation.

Indeed, there were five people in the group.

However, one of them had not come to Red Pillar City but had parted ways, and now, his whereabouts were unknown; Chen Li could only let it go.

The second piece of news was about the unfortunate Returning True Sect cultivator.

The man’s surname was Wu, with the given name Hou Cheng.

An middle-aged cultivator.

Chen Li didn’t have much interaction with him, having only met him a few times; he could only say they were acquainted.

’Thankfully it wasn’t Hu Buwei or Xiao Yuan,’ Chen Li mused to himself,

’This hidden danger is resolved. As for Feng Min, leaving Red Pillar City, I probably won’t see her again in the future!’

Chen Li made several twists and turns through the streets and alleys and soon arrived home.

He took off his clothes, jumped into the small lake for a bath to wash off the bloodstains, and then headed to Zhang Shuniang’s room. In the past few days, he had been either cultivating or sleeping in Zhou Hong’s room, and today it was Zhang Shuniang’s turn.

...

In the following days,

Chen Li didn’t see Feng Min at all; she must have already left Red Pillar City, and his life returned to its peaceful routine.

After a little more than a month,

The underground shelter was basically excavated, with only a few odds and ends left to finish up.

The entire underground shelter was located over fifty meters below the ground, covering an area of over a thousand square meters. It had three escape routes, two within the city and one outside. The two within the city connected to two residential properties, which usually housed Qi Cultivation practitioners for rent.

The one outside the city was located in a secluded valley about five or six miles away, with the exit concealed by large rocks and vegetation.

It was the City Defense Array of Red Pillar City, except for the city gate, which was one-way, allowing exit but not entry.

Otherwise, there would be no need to pay an entry fee every time one entered the city.

The entire project was massive. The excavated earth alone could pile up into a small hill.

To deal with this soil, Chen Li even flew over a hundred miles to a swamp to fill it in, of course, all these tasks were carried out by several illusions.

During the excavation process, Chen Li made great efforts to avoid those roots that extended from the tree.

For the great red tree in the center of the city, Chen Li always held deep reverence.

To not provoke it was a certainty.

As for its roots, Chen Li didn’t harbor even the slightest covetousness.

A very subtle yet terrifying truth. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

The grade of this giant tree was at least Third Order, and it might even be Fourth Order. Everyone knew that the materials from this giant tree were valuable, and its roots spread almost throughout Red Pillar City. Why then did no one dare to covet them?

Perhaps it wasn’t that no one was tempted, but that those who took action generally met with misfortune.

A tree that turns into a demon typically loves tranquility and dislikes movement by nature. It doesn’t usually show its might, but that doesn’t mean it allows itself to be slaughtered at will.

Chen Li couldn’t help but visualize the imposing face formed by countless gullies and ravines on the vast trunk of the tree, as well as the City Defense Array built around its body as the central axis.

Perhaps this being was the true protector behind Red Pillar City.