Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 147 Survivors

There were several thousand independent cultivators who came together.

It took more than an hour for everyone to disembark from the flying boat.

By this time, darkness had begun to fall, and the azure protective shield on the surface of the airship emitted a hazy glow in the night. Then, the colossal vessel slowly turned around and headed back the way it had come.

The distant woods rustled, and the ground trembled slightly, clearly indicating that the commotion had attracted the attention of many demonic beasts.

Chen Lilian used the Earth Listening Technique and the Technique of Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune.

The sounds quickly became clearer, indicating that more than one demonic beast had arrived, but it dared not approach and instead peered at the area from a distance.

Organized by the True Soul Sect disciples who had accompanied them, the large group quickly set off towards Green River Village.

Six years have passed, and the original wilderness has become part of the forest. Even Green River Village is now hidden by trees, overgrown with weeds, and crisscrossed with animal trails left by various monsters, with huge footprints everywhere.

"Ow!"

A long, drawn-out roar, like a steam whistle, came from afar, captivating and awe-inspiring.

The once noisy crowd gradually quieted down, clearly sensing the danger.

"There are so many monsters here!" a Foundation Establishment cultivator cursed.

"Everyone be careful. It is said that there were tens of thousands of Qi Refining cultivators here before it was abandoned, but now there is no trace of human activity. I'm afraid the surrounding demonic beasts have all been attracted here."

The speaker, Zhou Yuanpeng, was one of the six Foundation Establishment stage cultivators from the True Soul Sect and the leader of this mission: "It's getting late. Once we reach Green River Village, let's set up the city's protective formation and settle in first."

"Fellow Daoist Zhou's considerations are thorough, and this is as it should be."

The procession of several thousand people was vast and imposing, and with the occasional intimidation from Foundation Establishment cultivators among the crowd, no demonic beasts dared to attack for a time.

Half an hour later, the group arrived at Green River Square without incident.

The tall city walls are overgrown with weeds and saplings, and many parts have collapsed. As for the roads, they are long gone, completely replaced by weeds and trees. Most of the buildings inside have collapsed, and even those that haven't collapsed are covered with vines.

Looking at his familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar surroundings, Chen Li couldn't help but feel a little sentimental.

If only I had stayed in Green River Lane back then...

He was a little afraid to think about it.

Even if I could survive, I would never be able to reach the Foundation Establishment stage like I am now.

Next, the disciples of the True Sect in the group arranged things, some tidying up, some chopping wood, while Zhou Yuanpeng took out array-setting tools from his storage bag and studied the array-setting with several people.

With nothing else to do, Chen Li, along with many other Foundation Establishment cultivators, went over to watch the spectacle.

These array artifacts are all large pieces, each estimated to weigh several hundred kilograms, and the thirty-odd pieces together weigh several tons.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, what grade of formation is this?"

Zhou Yuanpeng glanced at Chen Li, recognizing him as the new guest elder, and said calmly, "Even a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator can withstand a third-tier low-grade earth-attribute array for the duration of an incense stick burning, even with their full-force attack."

Chen Li didn't mind Zhou Yuanpeng's coldness.

He was just secretly amazed.

Formations are always expensive, and this kind of third-tier formation is even more so. In remote places like the Wild West, it's estimated that even if you wanted to buy it, you wouldn't be able to.

Setting up an array is a profound art; it's not something you can just do randomly. It requires precise calculations of the orientation and even subtle adjustments based on the flow of spiritual energy, the terrain's undulations, and the local climate to maximize the array's effectiveness.

Moreover, the higher the level of the formation, the more complex it is to set up.

Zhou Yuanpeng would sometimes calculate with his fingers and mutter incantations, and sometimes take out a compass and various measuring instruments, walk around, measure the nodes of the magic array, and direct several foundation builders inside the gate to install array devices.

Taking advantage of the other party's free time, Chen Li lowered his posture and carefully asked questions from time to time. Although Zhou Yuanpeng was not very willing on the surface, he answered most of the questions out of consideration for face.

Chen Li used his maxed-out Qi Observation Technique to compare and verify the results, and felt he benefited greatly, realizing that his array formation skills had improved significantly.

During this time, more and more demonic beasts gathered around, and Chen Li and several Foundation Establishment cultivators immediately went to surround and kill them.

In the dark jungle, pairs of eerie eyes stared intently at this place like lanterns. Fortunately, they were all low-level demonic beasts. Chen Li did not use any magical artifacts, but simply used ice magic from a distance to freeze the demonic beasts in place instantly.

Although Chen Li rarely practices the Frost Technique.

But over the years, it has reached the master level, with power comparable to a level nine spell, which is completely beyond the reach of low-level demonic beasts.

Fortunately, it was late at night, and the various Foundation Establishment cultivators were scattered in different places.

No one noticed the unusual state of Chen Li's magic.

He strode to the monster's corpse, skillfully dismembered it, and packed the frozen meat into his storage bag. After all, even a mosquito is still meat, and a monster is worth at least ten or twenty mid-grade spirit stones.

It wasn't a wasted trip.

Unfortunately, he only carried two storage bags with him.

One is a five-party system, and the other is a three-party system.

Another storage bag issued by the True Sect has already been given to Zhang Shuniang.

A single low-level demon beast filled most of the container.

……

Everyone worked until late at night before the formation was finally completed. Inside a cleared stone chamber...

Zhou Yuanpeng inserted dozens of high-grade spirit stones into the groove of the array control center, took out the control token to activate it, and with a burst of dim light, more than a dozen array devices that had been driven into the ground responded to each other, and the entire city protection array began to operate slowly.

A dim yellow spiritual energy shield enveloped the entire Green River Village.

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

The temporary wooden hut had already been built. One of the benefits of becoming a guest elder of the True Realm Sect was that these tedious and trivial matters no longer required personal attention; the disciples of the sect would take care of them. Even bedding and other daily necessities had been prepared.

……

"As far as I know, there was at least one second-tier demonic beast, but after so many years, it's hard to say what its current situation is."

The campfire danced merrily, crackling and popping.

Upon hearing that Chen Li was from Green River Workshop, Feng Qi, unusually enthusiastic, pulled him over to talk.

The Foundation Establishment stage in the Realm of Truth is also divided into several circles.

The Foundation Establishment stage within the sect is one circle, the guest elders are another, and the Foundation Establishment families outside are yet another. The Foundation Establishment stage within the sect is clearly at the very top of this hierarchy of contempt, and most of them are arrogant and proud. Generally, they only maintain superficial relationships with the guest elders, and are just getting by.

“I have never seen so many demonic beasts gathered in one place. Logically speaking, there must be more than one second-tier demonic beast in this area.” A burly Foundation Establishment cultivator with shining eyes said. This man was named Song Baifeng, and like Feng Qi, he was also a practitioner of the Hunyuan Gong.

This cultivation technique consumes the most spirit stones; no matter how many spirit stones you have, it won't be enough. If you have even one, you'll be completely broke.

"That's what I think too!" Feng Qi said excitedly. "This time we're probably going to make a fortune. Fellow Daoist Chen, would you like to come along?"

"I am honored that you think so highly of me, fellow Daoist!" Chen Li gave a wry smile. "I am a recent Foundation Establishment cultivator with meager strength, so I won't join in the fun."

These second-tier demonic beasts are all extremely dangerous, and their specific abilities are unknown. If you're not careful, you could easily be caught off guard and end up in trouble.

He's not short of money, so why would he take this risk?

He always avoided such pointless adventures whenever possible.

"Haha!" Feng Qi patted Chen Li's shoulder hard and laughed loudly, "Fellow Daoist is too modest. I can see that you are also a body cultivator, but your cultivation is indeed a bit weak."

……

"What terrifying strength! It was like a mountain pressing down on us."

Chen Li returned to the cabin, touched his shoulder which was still slightly numb, and couldn't help but ponder something.

He keenly sensed the difference between the Hunyuan Gong, which combines physical and magical cultivation, and his own body-refining technique. The Hunyuan Gong seemed to lean towards strength and defense, while his body-refining technique leaned towards agility and explosive power.

Meanwhile, those who practice Hunyuan Gong are all robust and imposing. His physique, however, has hardly changed; when he wears his robes, he appears only slightly more muscular than the average person, yet his movements are light and agile.

A flying insect flew past in front of him. Chen Li flicked his hand slightly, caught the insect, and gently crushed it.

"The biggest weakness of my body-refining technique is that my physical strength cannot keep up with the attack. Once I unleash my full power, I will suffer muscle tears at best and fractures at worst. After a battle, I will be exhausted and injured."

He opened the game panel.

'Basic Swordsmanship Master: 1683/3200'

"It will take about three more years to reach the maximum level of swordsmanship, which is too long. After I return this time, I should choose a real body-refining technique." Chen Li calculated with his fingers and thought to himself.

He then used a 'worm-repelling technique' and began meditating and circulating his energy on the bed.

……

The next morning, the people began burning the wasteland.

However, unlike last time when he followed the team like a lackey, this time Chen Li, who was at the Foundation Establishment stage, led a team of several hundred people.

Feeling the awe or admiration in the eyes of these Qi Refining cultivators, Chen Li couldn't help but marvel at the unpredictable changes in life.

As the fire blazed, thick smoke billowed into the sky, and countless wild beasts fled in terror. Occasionally, when they encountered low-level demonic beasts that were desperately trying to escape, Chen Li would use his flying sword to kill them.

He slightly regretted selling that low-grade second-tier flying sword.

Fortunately, there was still a top-grade first-tier flying sword in the storage bag. With the help of Foundation Establishment spiritual power, its power was decent enough to kill low-level demonic beasts.

……

In the evening, just as the fire was about to reach the shantytown.

Suddenly, a ragged, disheveled cultivator, whose face was obscured, steered his flying sword across the flames, staggering as he approached. Seeing the arsonist in the distance, he screamed excitedly:

"Don't burn it! Don't burn it! There are still people here!"

Chen Li quickly called for a halt.

He never imagined that, after six years, there would still be people alive here.

The other person wobbled as they flew down, their legs gave way, and they fell to the ground in a sorry state. Only then did Chen Li realize that it was a woman.

She got up, looked at the crowd, left and right, her mouth moving incessantly, momentarily speechless: "Finally...finally, someone...came, sob sob..."

Before she could finish speaking, she burst into tears.

(End of this chapter)