Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 98 Lightning Technique Completed
The wide mountain road leading to Luanluo City was paved with thick bluestone slabs, which were damp from the dew and mist that had soaked through the night.

The mountain path is flanked by dense forests. Perhaps due to the rich spiritual energy here, the forests remain lush and vibrant even in this late autumn season.

Chen Li carried a large water vat on his shoulder, with Zhou Hong following behind him. His steps were light and graceful, as if he were walking on air.

The large water tanks are 1.5 meters in diameter.

The water tank is too big.

The storage bag is too small.

He could only carry it on his shoulder.

Living in this world, a large water vat is essential for storing water; no one has the leisure to fetch water from the stream or river every day.

"I didn't sleep very well last night!" Zhou Hong chuckled.
"Not used to sleeping on the floor?"

"Yeah, I was tired the day before yesterday, but it wasn't a big deal. But yesterday I couldn't take it anymore."

"I'll get used to it after a few days. I can't keep sleeping underground forever, or I'll become abnormal. But I think I should take some time to dig a hole at home, just in case. It's just that the geology here seems difficult to dig; there are rocks all below."

The two of them chatted one after another.

"call!"

A gust of wind came from overhead.

Chen Li looked up and saw a cultivator riding a magical artifact flying overhead at a speed that was barely faster than running.

"Once all these trivial matters are dealt with and I've truly settled down, it's time to start practicing flying again," he thought to himself.

He did practice for a while before winter last year.

But he didn't practice well.

He was afraid of heights and also afraid of dying.

I feel dizzy whenever the height exceeds ten meters.

The reason he wasn't afraid within ten meters was because he knew that, given his physical abilities, he would most likely be unharmed even if he jumped from that height.

After winter arrived, the situation in Green River Village changed drastically, with wild monsters running rampant, and he never practiced again.

Although he had already put the Wind Control Technique, a flight spell, on his learning schedule, given how much Yu Fanzhen disliked it when he mentioned it that day, the flight speed was probably appalling. Before this spell was optimized to a usable level, he should first practice flying with a magical artifact.

Prepare for both possibilities.

Although Luanluo City appears peaceful, it is crucial not to let one's guard down.

……

Walk to the door of your home.

After letting Zhou Hong go home first, Chen Li carried the large water vat to the spiritual stream flowing from the third-tier spiritual land that the old steward had mentioned yesterday, to wash himself.

Lingxi is only a little over 100 meters away from the nearby area.

Although it was called a stream, when Chen Li actually saw it, he found that the stream was not small at all. It was seven or eight meters wide, and the water was crystal clear and probably two meters deep.

Schools of small fish and shrimp swam happily among the water plants, while several unidentified water birds flew back and forth, eyeing the fish up and down menacingly, probably hoping that a reckless fish would occasionally peek out from the surface.

The streamside was crowded with people in the morning.

Some were washing vegetables, some were washing pots and dishes, some were carrying water, and some were cleaning toilets. The women's laughter and chatter filled the air, creating a lively and bustling scene.

Cleansing spells or talismans are convenient and easy to use.

He looks carefree.

But it doesn't apply to everything.

The cleaned-up dirt doesn't just disappear into thin air; it explodes in all directions with considerable force. The air itself even makes a muffled sound, and if it hits you, it can give you a jolt and kick up a cloud of dust.

After all, it is a first-tier, first-level spell, on the same level as the spiritual power flick that can kill at close range (normal version).

Whether you need to clean clothes, remove dust, stains, or grease, or even replace bathing to some extent, it's all fine.

But you need to clean the toilet...

The sight of people covered in dung and hair on walls and in front of people will absolutely make you question the meaning of life.

Chen Li put down the large water vat and found some dry grass to start washing it by the stream.

"Fellow Daoist, how come I've never seen you before?" A middle-aged female cultivator beside him looked Chen Li up and down and greeted him.

"We just moved here not long ago!"

"They migrated from Lvhefang with the Yu family?"

"how do you know?"

The middle-aged female cultivator chuckled: "Your accent is different from here. I heard there was a monster calamity where you are, and many people died?"

“Yes!” Chen Li smiled and agreed, “That’s why we moved here.”

"Fellow Daoist, tell us about Green River Village. It's the westernmost part of the Longevity Domain, isn't it? Just thinking about it is dangerous!" Chen Li's words immediately aroused the interest and curiosity of many female cultivators, and soon some people joined the conversation.

While satisfying the curiosity of these female cultivators, Chen Li also took the opportunity to inquire about the situation in Luanluo City.

Besides the Changsheng Sect, which is the most powerful sect in Luanluo City with four Foundation Establishment cultivators, there are also six other Foundation Establishment families: Wang, Liu, Xu, Zhou, Xu, and Yu.

There are ten Foundation Establishment cultivators in total.

This is the current situation.

If at its peak.

The Longevity Sect alone had one Golden Core cultivator and twelve Foundation Establishment cultivators. However, the wear and tear from the two wars over the past year has not only resulted in the death of the Golden Core ancestor, but also in heavy casualties among the Foundation Establishment cultivators, severely damaging its vitality.

Only one tenth of his strength remains.

Fortunately, the Longevity Sect still has enough control over Luanluo City.

……

He washed the vat, fetched water, and then went outside to familiarize himself with the situation in Luanluo City.

Luanluo City truly lives up to its reputation as a city of cultivation.

Its commercial prosperity far surpasses that of Green River Lane.

Not only are shops and stores everywhere, but there are also many inns, restaurants, and brothels. There is also a special area for setting up stalls, which can be done day or night, even in the early morning.

As long as you can afford the spirit stones, you can even rent a stall indefinitely, making it your personal permanent stall.

With a low-grade spirit stone paid daily and such a high stall fee, it's clear that what's sold here isn't some mundane item.

Elixirs, talismans, low- to mid-grade magic artifacts, various precious materials, and some strange and unfamiliar items. Chen Li even saw a stall selling first-tier demon beast meat and, after inquiring about the price, discovered it was much more expensive than in Green River Workshop.

The price is five catties for one low-grade spirit stone.

Clearly, there are relatively few monsters in this area.

Unlike Green River Village, where stepping out of the wilderness leads directly into a primeval forest.

But apart from that, everything else is cheaper than Green River Square.

Mid-grade magic artifacts typically cost around two mid-grade spirit stones, and many are sold for less than two.

"How can this price be so cheap?" Chen Li vaguely felt that something was wrong. He knew that the Yu family's artifact shop had bought second-hand magic items for more than two mid-grade spirit stones.

People will do anything that could cost them their lives, but nobody will do anything that loses money.

The Yu family obviously won't raise the acquisition price on their own initiative.

"Could it be a special circumstance..." He pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit up: "Magic artifacts are heavily discounted after the war!"

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that way.

He transformed himself into the appearance of a butcher and went to a shop selling magical artifacts.

He took out a mid-grade magic artifact from his storage bag and inquired about its buyback price.

The other party only quoted 1.5 mid-grade spirit stones.

"Take another look, this is a mid-grade magic artifact, it's worth more than this price!" Chen Li argued loudly, his face twitching.

"Fellow Daoist, please calm down. The past is the past, and the present is the present. How can you generalize like this?" Seeing his high-class robes and fierce face, the shopkeeper of the magic item shop, unusually good-natured, smiled wryly.
“In the past, when there was war, magical artifacts were hard to come by, and their prices naturally soared. Now that the war has ended, prices have plummeted, and we are even selling them at a loss.”

Chen Li scoffed at the other party's claim of losing money.

They then inquired about price changes over the past two years.

I immediately understood what was going on.

"Sure enough!"

After leaving the store.

Then, we went to several other companies to confirm.

The normal buyback price for second-hand mid-grade magic artifacts in Luanluo City shops has always been between two and three mid-grade spirit stones. It was only in the past year that the price changed drastically. At its peak, the buyback price for second-hand mid-grade magic artifacts even exceeded five mid-grade spirit stones.

And right now we're at the bottom of the wave.

"This is definitely a great opportunity to buy at rock-bottom prices. These prices are clearly abnormal and won't last long. In six months, or at most a year, the price of magical artifacts should recover and return to normal." Chen Li pondered to himself, secretly calculating.

"I still have 144 mid-grade spirit stones on hand, and I don't have any major expenses at the moment..."

He made a quick decision and immediately returned to his stall.

They began to acquire large quantities of low- to mid-grade magical artifacts.

In just one morning, they acquired five mid-grade magic artifacts at an average cost of 1.8 mid-grade spirit stones and twelve low-grade magic artifacts at an average cost of 0.8 mid-grade spirit stones.

In the days that followed, he spent an hour every day buying low- to mid-grade Buddhist artifacts from the stalls.

To avoid being targeted, he would change his appearance every time he went out.

There haven't been any problems so far.

Five days later, he discovered that, perhaps due to his large-scale acquisitions, the price of the magical artifacts had risen significantly.

He quickly stopped and began to observe.

During this time, Zhao Lin and others came to him, expressing their desire to continue selling magical artifacts and talismans. Chen Li had no choice but to tell him to be patient and wait for a while. In the end, he had to leave disappointed.

……

Late at night, in a quiet room.

The room was originally dark.

A blinding light suddenly shone, illuminating the entire quiet room as if it were daytime. This light lasted for half a second before gradually fading away.

"It's done!"

Chen Li breathed a sigh of relief.

This spell was somewhat unexpected for him. Firstly, the blinding light was emitted from his eyes, and secondly, he was completely unaffected by the light.

Of course, this spell is not entirely without side effects.

At that moment, he felt his eyes getting hot and sore.

Although the book didn't mention the consequences of continuous practice, Chen Li decided to practice it intermittently, just like the scolding technique, for the sake of his future eyesight.

Both Flash and Rebuke are level three spells, and both require only one incantation and spiritual power.

But casting the spell is simpler than using the rebuke spell.

The Rebuke spell requires a syllable to trigger at the end, while the Flash spell does not, saving a step entirely.

"I should pay a visit to the Yu family patriarch tomorrow," Chen Li thought to himself.

This migration was well received by the Yu family.

I didn't contribute much on the way, but I was rescued once.

Both out of courtesy and reason, we should make a visit.

The reason he delayed until now was because he considered that the return of the Yu family, a Foundation Establishment family, to Luanluo City was not as simple as it seemed. There were many things to deal with, and rushing over would only cause trouble.

Now, seven or eight days have passed.

I suppose things are pretty much settled.

(End of this chapter)