Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 167 Bitter Wind and Rain
"Sigh, so much money, I don't know what to do with it!" Chen Li sighed for a while.

He secretly calculated in his heart:
"Next, I should buy a good sword. The Jade Sword is becoming increasingly inadequate to keep up with my strength. Its attack power is too weak, which seriously affects my combat effectiveness. If I had a good sword, I believe I would be able to put up a fight against a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator."

The airship flew slowly.

The group chatted idly.

"I just inquired and it seems that Tong Hui is also dead," Xiao Yuan said.

"Ah, Tong Hui is dead! I heard he was on track to reach the late Foundation Establishment stage!" Hu Buwei exclaimed in surprise.

Chen Li had only met this person once or twice. He was known for being taciturn, with a cold and stern face, and for being in seclusion for many years.

"He was at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment, not even seventy years old yet. There was still a glimmer of hope for him to reach the Golden Core stage. He had a promising future on the Great Dao. He was also usually abstinent from women, cultivating himself with few desires. This time he died without even leaving behind any offspring." Xiao Yuan said with a hint of weariness on his face, "Alas, fate is unpredictable. There is a predetermined destiny."

“That’s how it is for us cultivators. How many of us can die peacefully in the end?” Peng Yan, who was usually taciturn, suddenly interjected.

“Luo Shen definitely counts,” Xiao Yuan said. “He’s over 240 years old; he probably doesn’t have many years left to live!”

The maximum lifespan of the foundation is three hundred years.

Two hundred and forty is already considered quite old.

If the maximum lifespan of an ordinary person is 120, then 240 is equivalent to a hundred years old among ordinary people.

"He didn't go on this expedition, did he?" Chen Li asked.

"At his age, he walks with a shaky gait. How can the sect leader let him go on an expedition? And Ji Kai, who is in charge of the Scripture Pavilion, is also 220 years old and didn't go this time either."

Six stages of foundation building.

One died in battle, and two were old and frail.

Only three of them are left with combat capability.

Chen Li remained silent.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, I heard you come from a rogue cultivator background. What's it like being a rogue cultivator?" Wenhui asked curiously.

She had only been with the True Man Sect for a short time and had no connection with the people who had died, so she didn't feel the same sadness as the others.

For her, she was already very grateful that the couple had survived this time.

Chen Li paused for a moment: "Rogue cultivators are even more brutal than sect cultivators. If you are strong, you can live a more comfortable life. If you are weak, you can only live cautiously and live a precarious life."

"Actually, I also come from a rogue cultivator background. If I stayed in the cultivation city, it would be fine, but if I were in the small market down below, well, it's hard to explain," Hu Buwei sighed.

People on the road occasionally talked in hushed tones, creating a somber atmosphere.

……

After flying for a day and a night.

The flying boat finally arrived at the gate of the Huanzhen Sect. The open space on the mountaintop was already crowded with people, mostly women, children, the elderly and weak. As one corpse after another was carried out, cries and shouts filled the air.

"Husband!"

Zhou Hong and Zhang Shuniang rushed over, tears streaming down their faces, and Chen Li embraced them, one in each arm.

"Thank goodness we're all safe and sound. Thank goodness we're all safe and sound," Zhou Hong kept repeating.

"Didn't I say nothing bad would happen? Come on, let's go home!" Chen Li said with a smile, his eyes reddening.

"How could so many people have died? How could so many people have died!" Luo Shen came over shakily from a distance, looked up at the sky and said excitedly, "He Zhao, how did you fight this battle? The old sect leader was right. You are too fond of taking advantage of others and you love to take risks. I think the True Sect will be destroyed by you sooner or later."

"Senior Brother Luo, you've had too much to drink! Go and rest!" Xia Hongyi quickly pulled him away, smiling wryly.

"Don't pull me! Why can't I speak? Others may be afraid of him, but I'm not..."

Luo Shen kept cursing and swearing, but was soon dragged away by Xia Hongyi, his voice fading into the distance.

He suddenly felt something and looked at a flying boat not far away.

He Zhao's thin figure stood at the cabin door, watching the corpses being carried away, his face ashen.

Chen Li keenly noticed that his originally rosy complexion appeared unusually pale.

Clearly, he was not unharmed when his Golden Core self-destructed!

He was still injured!
……

That night, some were happy while others were sad. Cries echoed throughout the entire Huanzhen Sect.

Countless Foundation Establishment families were wiped out overnight, never to regain their former glory.

……

For the next few days...

The entire Zhenhuan Sect was shrouded in the gloom of mourning. A chilling wind blew, and the once bustling scene of disciples coming and going on the mountain path had disappeared, becoming much quieter.

This autumn feels unusually cold.

Not long after, it started to snow.

Outside the mountain gate, everything was covered in white snow, a silver-white world.

During his free time, Chen Li carefully counted and categorized his spoils.

"Keep four storage bags, two 10-cubic-meter bags and two 5-cubic-meter bags, for a total capacity of 30 cubic meters, which is enough. Also, give Shuniang and Zhou Hong each a 3-cubic-meter storage bag, and sell the rest."

"Keep that mid-grade second-tier robe as well."

This robe comes with a passively triggered Tier 2 Level 4 spell, Thick Earth Shield, which provides considerable defense and is sufficient to withstand attacks from ordinary early Foundation Establishment stage cultivators.

"Sell the rest and exchange them for spirit stones!"

……

In order to sell it for a good price.

Chen Li chose a day and traveled a long distance to Moon Lake City, the neighboring cultivation city of the Divine Sword Sect. He stayed there for seven or eight days, selling off all the low-value resources he had, such as first-tier magic weapons, talismans, herbs, spiritual materials, and pills.

A total of thirty-eight high-grade spirit stones were sold.

Then he rushed to the artifact gate without stopping.

Then, on the way, they spotted a familiar figure.

Although he had put on a disguise, how could he possibly fool someone he knew? Not everyone could control their muscles like Chen Li and change their face in an instant; he saw right through him.

"Ugh, all the vendors are crammed together, does it have to be this crowded?!"

"Fellow Daoist Xiao!" Chen Li quickly regained his true appearance.

Xiao Yuan turned around and saw Chen Li, so he couldn't help but smile wryly: "You've come here to submit your work for auction too!"

"exactly!"

"Sigh, I've already seen several acquaintances in the few days I've been here. With fewer people and more tools, I'm afraid we won't get a good price," Xiao Yuan sighed.

A sect may have anywhere from a dozen to several dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Compared to the tens of thousands of Qi Refining cultivators, their numbers are pitifully small.

Demand is limited.

Magical implements are not consumables like elixirs or talismans.

Buying a magical artifact can last a lifetime for some Foundation Establishment cultivators.

A single battle that wipes out an entire clan can significantly impact the price of second-tier magical artifacts within a region for an extended period.

Chen Li also asked somewhat helplessly, "Are there any larger trading markets nearby?"

“Yes, there are. Tianxing Sect used to be able to refine low-grade second-tier magic weapons, and their auction house was quite successful…” Xiao Yuan said, “The nearest sect is Xuanshui Sect, but it’s several sects away. However, Hongshan Sect is closer to there, so I suppose some of them have gone there.”

"It seems we'll have to keep it for a while longer," Chen Li sighed.

This is all hard-earned money, earned with their lives on the line.

I feel heartbroken if I sell even one less high-grade spirit stone.

"If you're looking to buy something, now's a good time."

"That's true."

Chen Li planned to stay a few more days to wait for the auction and see what good items were available.

(End of this chapter)