Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

Four illusory bodies looked around in all directions.

But the street was bustling with people, and on both sides were shops, restaurants, and alleys; it was impossible to find anything in such a short time.

"No, I can’t give up like this."

With the Spirit Crystals and the remaining Spirit Stones in the storage bag, that would amount to fifteen hundred top-grade Spirit Stones. If lost,

Chen Li felt he would never be happy again.

"There’s only one option left. If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll have to stake it all," he swore to himself.

However, that was a last resort.

The hope for success was slim.

Illusory body number four quickly walked while chanting spells and forming seals. Seizing an opportunity, it swiftly submerged into the ground and travelled stealthily.

Illusory body number two accelerated along the corner of the walls, and suddenly dropped the storage bag. Before it could touch the ground, a hand emerged from the surface, grabbed it in one swift motion, and then disappeared back underground. The whole process was seamless and perfectly coordinated.

In just the blink of an eye, the storage bag had changed hands.

The nearby crowd didn’t even notice.

Illusory body number four took the storage bag and quickly dived deeper into the ground.

The premonition of danger still followed like a shadow.

Fortunately, as it went deeper underground, the premonition grew fainter and after reaching a hundred meters deep, it finally disappeared completely.

"I’ve finally gotten away!" Chen Li’s tense spirit relaxed a little, "It seems even the Divine Sense of a Golden Core is hard pressed to penetrate a hundred meters underground."

He didn’t dare linger and quickly left the area.

The other three illusory bodies also scattered in different directions, preparing to find opportunities to escape underground.

Of course, he could directly dispel the illusory bodies, for it was simple and saved trouble, but revealing his max level illusory bodies under the "watchful eye" of a Golden Core was truly unwise.

Even if he wasn’t certain whether the other party had seen through his trick or not, if they hadn’t, then all was well. If they had, there was nothing he could do. Fortunately, these illusory bodies vastly differed from Chen Li’s real appearance, not only in face but also in height and build.

They shouldn’t be traceable back to his real body.

"What a brilliant method!" A faint voice reached the ears of one of Chen Li’s illusory bodies.

The illusory body paused and respectfully saluted, "Senior flatters me! I also thank senior for showing mercy."

"Hmph!"

The other party snorted coldly and then no more sounds came.

...

Illusory body number four didn’t dare to be careless and kept on moving stealthily.

This area was close to the city center where the Red Pillar Tree was located, with tree roots crisscrossing underground; it was practically impossible to advance even an inch. The larger ones were like city walls, and even the smallest were the size of water buckets. Whenever he encountered them, he had to carefully avoid them by a wide margin.

So deep underground, not even the Divine Sense of a Golden Core could detect him, let alone the Spiritual Sense of Foundation Establishment. If not for the indistinct connection between the illusory body and the real body guiding him, he would have been lost long ago.

It took Chen Li a full half an hour to reach the doorway of his home.

His real body opened the Formation from inside, waited for the illusory body to enter, then quickly closed it again. Only at that moment did Chen Li finally let go of his worries, now certain of his safety.

Not to mention that the Fortune Seeking and Disaster Avoiding Skill had not sensed any danger, even if that Golden Core powerhouse were to break in at this moment, with the hidden Second Order Mid-grade Wu Earth Bright Light Array in his residence, he could ensure the intruder would not return.

Chen Li took the storage bag and dispelled the illusory body.

Soon, the Spirit Crystal appeared in his hand.

The morning sunlight shone on the Spirit Crystal, casting a mesmerizing luster with a halo of rainbow colors.

"That was a narrow escape!" he exhaled deeply.

Only now did Chen Li have the leisure to consider the gains and losses of this venture.

He had been too anxious before.

As soon as he got his hands on the Spirit Crystal, he was eager to leave.

The auction had only just started a short while ago, and they were still auctioning off third-order expensive items. Leaving in such a hurry at this point was rather foolish.

Of course, the truth might not necessarily be so.

It is also possible that the auction had been premeditated.

The Spirit Crystal was too precious.

Sufficient to evoke wicked thoughts in a Golden Core cultivator.

Especially since the one who obtained it was just a minor Foundation Establishment—no one would believe they could resist such temptation. And if that Golden Core cultivator happened to be the one in charge of overseeing the auction, then no amount of caution would be useful.

"Alas, survival of the fittest. If it were an ordinary Foundation Establishment, they probably would have disappeared without a trace by now," Chen Li sighed inwardly.

"Eh!"

At this moment, Chen Li suddenly let out a light "Eh!"

Earlier, he had practiced the God Disturbing Illusion Fog Skill and had used up most of his spiritual power. Although he had consumed a Return Yuan Elixir and had been recovering energy automatically over this period, his power hadn’t fully recovered. Now, as he held the Spirit Crystal in his hand, he could feel a current of incredibly pure spiritual energy rushing madly into his body.

This rate of recovery was simply three times faster than his normal seated meditation.

...

Three days later.

Chen Li sent out another illusory body to a different auction.

The Flying Cloud Sword, this kind of supreme flying sword, was still quite sought after. It was contested by several bidders and ultimately auctioned off for a high price of 210 top-grade Spirit Stones. After deducting a hefty commission of ten percent, he had 189 stones in hand. This time his return was without incident.

"Alas, with the remaining stones accounted for, I only have 274 left," Chen Li said as he accepted the storage bag from the illusory body, feeling a sigh of relief.

However, Chen Li didn’t regret spending half his fortune on a small Spirit Crystal.

Before he had the Spirit Crystal, he had no real concept of "cultivation efficiency comparable to being within a fifth-order spiritual land," but it was during seated cultivation that he was truly shocked. The influx of spiritual energy was almost tangible, so much so that he felt like he was being stretched to capacity; after each session of cultivation, his meridians felt swollen and bulging.

Before cultivating with the Spirit Crystal, it would take about four to five days to notice a slight progress in his cultivation.

And that was with the assistance of consuming Return Yuan Elixirs.

But now, he didn’t even need Return Yuan Elixirs, only two days’ time.

This rate of cultivation had more than doubled.

At this pace, in at most half a year, he would be able to advance to the sixth level of Foundation Establishment.

...

Considering the possibility of being targeted by a Golden Core cultivator, he remained cautious and didn’t go out during the subsequent period.

In the interim, he had finally leveled up the Soul Capture Skill to max level.

Soul Capture Skill: Second Order Third Grade technique.

Skills at max level have a might comparable to Second Order Seventh Grade.

As an advanced version of the Scolding Skill, Chen Li had always held great expectations for it.

He had conducted experiments with an illusory body; a max-level Water Elemental Shield of Second Order Eighth Grade couldn’t fully withstand it—the illusory body shattered with one hit, dissipating into specks of light. As for a Second Order Seventh Grade shield talisman, it was even more like it didn’t exist at all.

Of course, the illusory body had practically no defense against spirit-type techniques, so it didn’t prove much. Whether or not the skill could truly shake the mind of a Foundation Establishment Completion with shield talisman protection, or a newly ascended Golden Core cultivator without protection in actual combat, still remained to be seen.

Perhaps, only after he stepped into the later stages of Foundation Establishment might there be some possibility.

Chen Li had long noticed that the power of such spirit-type techniques was closely related not only to the level of the technique but also to the strength of his own Spiritual Sense.

Take the Scolding Skill for example.

The Scolding Skill he used during the Qi Refinement Realm and the one he uses now, the difference in power is vast.

Chen Li estimated that the power of his current Scolding Skill could barely reach the category of Second Order techniques.

Even so, the Scolding Skill had become somewhat useless to him—as anyone who could be affected by the Scolding Skill could easily be defeated by him without needing to exert the extra effort.