Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

It had been more than half a year since he had crossed over into this world.

Chen Li no longer found himself completely ignorant of this place as he once had been.

The Longevity Domain encompassed the vast expanse of the barbaric west, a newly developed region in this world, with the Longevity Sect and the surrounding sects being at the frontier of this wilderness.

The entire Longevity Sect had relocated here, a move that had taken place merely a century ago.

The Green River District had been established for just over twenty years.

This place, at the northwest corner of the Longevity Sect’s territory, bordered the Artefact Sect to the north and the Barbaric Wilderness to the west, far from the central and bustling areas of the sect; calling it a market town would be generous—it was more a remote outlying stronghold.

In such undeveloped lands, the Longevity Sect naturally would not relocate mortals here to perish; those who sought opportunity here were primarily restless Loose Cultivators without affiliation. Perhaps in another hundred years, this place would gradually become prosperous and thriving.

However, a sect war that had been damaging for both sides almost turned this place into forgotten lands.

Now, with no sect in control, the market prices soared, especially since the Longevity Sect used to collect common goods like clothing and cotton quilts from mortals to sell here; even these supplies had been cut off. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

This winter, for many destitute Loose Cultivators, was proving to be particularly harsh.

Fortunately for Chen Li, who had made ample preparations, the impact of the heavy snowfall was merely that he could not go outside.

Moreover, with his current physique, he was already showing signs of immunity to the heat and cold; even in such severe winter weather, wearing only a lined inner garment and an outer robe, he felt only a slight chill in the biting cold wind.

Chen Li walked into the kitchen and found that the water in the large tank had frozen solid.

He thought about sending a burst of Spiritual Power at the ice block in the tank with a flick of his finger.

But after hesitating, he gave up on the idea.

If the tank were to burst, it would be a hassle.

He drew his flying sword from his waist and swung it; the sword’s sharp edge gleamed, and in a short while, he had chiseled out several chunks of ice. He retrieved his flying sword, scooped the crushed ice into a full pot with a ladle, and then used the Fire-Starting Skill to light the firewood and started boiling water.

Last night he had been busy with tasks.

On a whim, he experimented with various uses of a red robe until late at night.

Zhou Hong still could not get out of bed until now.

The ice in the pot melted quickly, releasing wafts of steam.

Chen Li scooped out most of the hot water, cut a piece of frozen Demon Beast Meat into small chunks with his flying sword, washed them, and put them into the pot, sprinkling an appropriate amount of salt. Then he took out several tubers called "yam fruits," peeled and chopped them with the flying sword, and added them to the pot before starting to stoke the fire and add more wood for the stew.

On a cold and freezing winter day like this, there was no doubt that it was a pleasure to drink a hot bowl of Demon Beast Meat porridge.

...

Five days later, the sky unleashed another heavy snowfall, and the howling of the cold wind was even more piercing than the sound of cannonballs tearing through the skies. Chen Li estimated that the temperature outside for these days had been at least minus thirty or forty degrees Celsius.

Although such severe winters were not uncommon in some northern regions before he had crossed over, and such temperatures hardly drew any news attention, as the indoors remained warm as spring regardless of the outside chill.

But here, most Loose Cultivators chose to tough out the winter relying on the physical resilience of Cultivators; they did not have the custom of using kang (heated beds), nor did they have amenities like fireplaces or heated floors for warmth. At most, they would warm themselves by a fire or use a brazier in their bedrooms when it got cold.

During these days, not a single figure could be seen in the entire shantytown, all activity completely halted, and Chen Li finally understood what it meant to hibernate like a cat. Meanwhile, the Demon Beasts in the deep forest faced the trials of bitter cold and hunger.

Once animals became Demon Beasts, their sturdier constitution made them more cold-resistant, and they seldom retained their former habit of hibernating. Now, with the thick snow masking the traces of prey, it became increasingly difficult to locate and hunt, forcing them to seek new survival strategies.

In the early hours of the morning, Chen Li and Zhou Hong were startled awake by a shrill, agonized scream.

Both were instantly wide-awake, exchanging glances, each seeing the unease in the other’s eyes.

If it were an ordinary night, a scream in the middle of the night in the shantytown wouldn’t be shocking, and even Chen Li had grown accustomed to it, but on this occasion, with the roads sealed by heavy snow, activity at a standstill, and everyone hunkering down for winter, such a thing was clearly highly abnormal.

Chen Li quickly got out of bed, "I’ll go check it out!"

He picked up his sword and went to the front door, listening intently. The noises outside were muffled by the howling cold wind, only faintly revealing the sound of something massive crunching on the snow.

Then another terrified scream came, faintly drifting over.

"It could be a demon beast that came looking for food," Zhou Hong also got up and said softly, "Last winter it happened several times, and I heard that many people died."

Chen Li’s heart pounded violently.

’I hate this world.’

He held his sword, quietly listening to the noises outside.

The crunching sound on the snow became clearer, accompanied by a strange snoring sound; at the same time, a suffocating aura spread, causing a sense of anxiety and making it hard to breathe.

Zhou Hong felt it too, her voice trembling slightly, her eyes filled with horror in the darkness.

"This... is no ordinary demon beast, it’s a Second Order demon beast."

Chen Li’s breathing also became heavy.

A Second Order demon beast was equivalent to a human Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Such terrifying creatures, in the past when the Longevity Sect was around, might have been dealt with by a Cultivator from the sect stationed here, but now... it was down to fate.

"From now on, don’t speak, and don’t make any noise," Chen Li whispered.

Zhou Hong nodded.

The inside of the house fell completely silent, with only the sound of their slightly rapid breathing.

As time ticked by, when the demon beast came closest, Chen Li could even feel the slight trembling of the ground and the faint stench wafting over, fortunately, the worst did not happen. It circled nearby and then slowly moved away.

Soon, not a sound was heard.

The two of them didn’t move, and after a long time of listening, they finally let out a sigh of relief in unison.

"Not good, it’s bad!" Zhou Hong suddenly remembered something, her face turning pale.

"What’s wrong?" Chen Li’s heart, which had just settled down, was suddenly raised again by her alarm.

"The demon beast won’t leave," Zhou Hong said, "This time it wasn’t challenged and even tasted the rewards. It’s very likely it will stick around. With so many Loose Cultivators gathered here, what better food to find in this harsh winter than humans?"

Chen Li’s face became ugly upon hearing this.

...

Half an hour later, Chen Li opened the door, facing the full blast of the snowstorm.

With a flip, he leaped onto the rooftop.

The sky before dawn was still dark, and with the snowstorm, the visibility was extremely low, but with the reflection of the white snow, he could still vaguely make out the dark footprints in the snow hundreds of meters away.

And the nearby collapsed houses.

And the terrifying demon beast had vanished without a trace, it was unknown where it had gone.