Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 224 The Situation Deteriorates
Chen Li stayed at home for more than three months until the entire winter was over and he felt there was no danger, at which point he went out again.

Stanley City is becoming increasingly lively.

The calamity of monsters on the border remains unresolved and seems to be escalating.

The Artifact Sect held out for a long time, but eventually fell, and it is said that even the sect leader died.

Rumors were rampant in the city. Some said a Nascent Soul level demon beast had appeared deep in the forest, while others said it was a terrifying evil spirit. Chen Li couldn't tell which was true and which was false, but the number of people who had fallen into evil was increasing.

Fortunately, the city's protective formation had the power to ward off evil, otherwise things would probably have descended into chaos.

Not long after the start of spring, a family finally moved into the courtyard on the left, which had been empty for a long time. It was a large family, with about twenty people of all ages. Chen Li went forward to greet them and learned that the family's name was Wang Yun, and they came from a Foundation Establishment family of the Earth Law Sect, which was separated from the Red Mountain Sect by another sect.

According to him, the situation on his side was not good either, with evil spirits running rampant. He sensed the danger, which is why he brought his family here to avoid the disaster.

"Alas, this is a calamity unprecedented in a thousand years. Now I only hope it won't spread here," Wang Yun sighed, his brow furrowed with worry.

……

Chen Li returned to his residence with a heavy heart, when Bai Wei rushed over to tell him some good news: Zhang Shuniang had emerged from seclusion and successfully entered the ninth level of Qi Refining.

"Great, great, great!" Chen Li was overjoyed.

Zhang Shuniang is not young anymore; she's thirty this year.

If this drags on any longer, the chances of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage will become increasingly slim.

Fortunately, it's not too late now.

Before Chen Li and Bai Wei even reached the main house, they could hear Zhou Hong and Zhang Shuniang chatting and laughing inside.

"Husband!" Zhang Shuniang said somewhat shyly.

"It seems there are still some promising talents in the family. From now on, don't get distracted, focus on your cultivation, and strive to achieve Qi Refining Perfection within three years." Chen Li smiled. He could achieve Qi Refining Perfection at thirty-three, and if he left another year or two to hone his spiritual power, there was still a good chance of Foundation Establishment before the age of thirty-five.

"Oh, I'll listen to my husband!" Zhang Shuniang said shyly, bowing her head.

"I think I understand now. This is a veiled insult, implying that I'm not good enough!" Zhou Hongmei glanced at Chen Li, then took Zhang Shuniang's hand and laughed.

"It's good that you understand in your heart," Chen Li snorted.

Everyone chatted and laughed, enjoying the warmth of family. Chen Li's gloom dissipated considerably.

……

July is scorching hot.

hiss……

Chen Li held a calligraphy brush and sketched quickly and swiftly on the paper with flowing strokes.

In no time at all, he had written a whole page.

This is a plan to modify new spells.

Since the "Heaven-Shaking Technique" was introduced as an upgraded version of the "Earth-Shaking Technique" for reference, the improvement of the Traction Technique has entered a fast track. In just half a year, three versions have been released, and the latest version has advanced the original first-order level 5 technique to the first-order level 9.

But Chen Li was still not satisfied.

He had long since looked down on spells of this level, as they had limited use.

However, the further he went, the more difficult it became to make improvements, and each step forward required a great deal of his time and energy.

Fortunately, I had nothing to do anyway, so I just used it to kill time.

Sometimes Chen Li also enjoys it and gets absorbed in it, after all, he always has to find something to do.

This world is boring.

Even in a large cultivation city like Stanley, entertainment activities are scarce, consisting mainly of gambling dens, brothels, and local operas.

He had no interest in gambling dens.

As for brothels, he has always been a man of integrity, and now that he has three wives and concubines, he would never go there again.

There are quite a few local dramas, though.

But he simply couldn't appreciate this kind of art, nor did he have the time or inclination for it. The situation on the border was becoming increasingly dire.

Following the Artifacts Sect, the Red Mountain Sect has also fallen...

Chen Li was unaware of the Fire Cloud Sect's upper echelons' reaction and countermeasures, but he was already feeling a growing anxiety.

After a short while, he put down his pen and blew on the ink.

I couldn't help but sigh:
"This world...it's really hard to find a peaceful time!"

He put the spellbook aside and checked the attribute panel:
Name: Chen Li

Life expectancy: 56/308 years

[Realm: Foundation Establishment Level 5: 98/100]

"I'm only a few days away from advancing to the sixth level of Foundation Establishment... Sigh, I'm still too weak."

He hasn't gone outside to practice flying in a long time.

Evil spirits are rampant in the wilderness, and people in the city are filled with fear.

For safety reasons, even when he went out, he only stayed within the city.

As a result, prices in the city have skyrocketed, increasing several times over.

Fortunately, his expenses have been greatly reduced. Without the large expenditures on medicinal baths and Guiyuan Pills, his only expenses are daily food and Zhang Shuniang's pills, which cost about four or five mid-grade spirit stones per month. He can earn that back by drawing a Water Element Talisman, so the impact on him is negligible.

"boom!"

Suddenly, a loud bang came from not far away.

Chen Li opened the door and looked in the direction the sound came from. In broad daylight, he wondered where a battle had taken place.

Recently, the city's security has deteriorated, with murders and robberies occurring frequently, though such incidents are rare in broad daylight.

He didn't go out. After watching for a while and seeing no further movement, he returned to the house.

Before he had been sitting for long, the array control token in his arms trembled slightly, indicating that a guest had arrived.

He quickly got up and went out to greet him.

Upon opening the formation and seeing it, he immediately felt as if he had swallowed a ton of excrement; his face turned ugly, and anger surged.

It was none other than Wei Changming, the manager of the nearby rental properties. Over the past few years, Wei had come to extort money from him every now and then. It was because he was easy to talk to and didn't want to cause trouble that Wei had targeted him repeatedly. He was simply a shameless old rogue.

"What brings Fellow Daoist Wei here today?" Chen Li didn't bother with pleasantries and asked bluntly.

With heavy bags under his eyes, Wei Changming looked at Chen Li, who had an angry expression, and said with a forced smile, "Fellow Daoist Chen, don't be anxious. There has been a murder in this area, so I came here to check and make some inquiries. The city has been a bit chaotic lately, so you should be careful. By the way, hasn't Fellow Daoist Lin Qing returned yet?"

"No!" Chen Li uttered each word succinctly, almost as if he wanted to tell everyone to "get lost."

“It seems something really has happened. I see that all the furniture inside has been moved out.” Wei Changming said with a kind face, “Alright, I won’t disturb your cultivation any longer.”

Then he really left.

Chen Li felt a little uncomfortable looking at his back.

Has this dog started eating shit?

Little did he know that Wei Changming was already sweating profusely. With his swordsmanship and the maxed-out Immortal Muscle Jade Bone Technique, Chen Li's life level had already subtly surpassed the Foundation Establishment level. Furthermore, through his anger, even without fully releasing his aura, Wei Changming felt as if he were being targeted by a prehistoric beast.

They wouldn't dare offend them any further.

Chen Li closed the formation and disappeared from sight.

Wei Changming finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling his back soaked with sweat, as if he had just escaped death.

"Damn it, I really misjudged him!" he cursed inwardly.

I thought it was a sheep, but it turned out to be a wolf.

P.S.: Please give me some monthly tickets! I'm sorry, I had some things to take care of the other day.