Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 116 The Blame
Chen Li examined it carefully.

On the back of the jade plaque are engraved intricate cloud patterns and the four characters 'Zhou Tian Gang Jin'.

"Could it be... a jade slip for transferring power!?"

He had only seen similar things in various travelogues of rogue cultivators, and this was the first time he had actually seen one. They were all used by major sects for passing on skills or transmitting secret information, and one had to use spiritual sense to see them.

Chen Li placed the jade slip on his forehead, focused his mind, and projected his thoughts into it.

Sure enough, a whole bunch of information suddenly appeared in my mind.

The jade slip contained very little information, only a few thousand words. Chen Li read it for a few minutes and then logged out.

This is a secret technique used by Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Once mastered, one can instantly generate a powerful protective aura around their body, which can be used for both defense and attack.

Once mastered, even at the first level of Foundation Establishment, one's defensive power can rival that of a level 7 first-tier protective technique, and in terms of attack, the power of just one pair of palms can be comparable to that of a high-grade magic weapon.

Reaching the third level of Foundation Establishment is equivalent to being able to activate the first-tier, level nine Golden Light Protection Technique at any time.

"No wonder, I didn't see any spells or talismans used, yet the defense is so strong. It's a pity that this secret technique can only be used after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage."

Chen Li was somewhat disappointed. He put the jade slip aside and continued counting. Almost all the talismans were level one, and there were only two that seemed to be level two. Chen Li glanced at them and then stopped paying attention. He didn't recognize these things, and they were dangerous.

Before fully understanding the situation, I dare not attempt anything.

There are three types of pills in the storage bag.

These are respectively called Qi Gathering Pill, Bigu Pill, and Muscle Regeneration and Bone Healing Pill.

Unfortunately, apart from the fact that I have some knowledge of Bigu Dan Chen Li, I know nothing about the others.

"However, this Muscle Regeneration and Bone Healing Pill, judging from the name, seems to be a healing pill..." Chen Li thought to himself.

Just then, a commotion broke out outside, and he quickly reached out and put everything back into his storage bag.

The numbness and itching in the wound had gradually subsided. Chen Li used his consciousness to sense it and found that the broken bone had completely healed and there were hardly any traces left. He moved his right hand and found that it was slightly stiff and awkward.

There is no major problem now.

"With proper care and rest, it should recover completely."

Chen Li quickly changed out of his blood-stained clothes, cast a cleansing spell on himself, and then leisurely walked out the door.

"My God, the Zhou family's Foundation Establishment ancestor has been murdered?"

"Right at the city gate, his head was blown apart. The blood was everywhere, and his brains were splattered several meters away. You haven't seen that scene. It was horrific, absolutely horrific, a truly unbearable sight!"

"Wait, I need to go check!"

"You can't see it anymore, it's been sealed off for a long time. The three elders and the sect leader of the Longevity Sect have all come, and even the Foundation Establishment ancestors from other families have come."

The crowd was chattering amongst themselves.

His eyes held fear and panic, mixed with curiosity and excitement.

In the minds of independent cultivators, Foundation Establishment cultivators are like mountains, unattainable beings with long lifespans and terrifying strength, like nobles compared to commoners—they are on a completely different level.

But now, he has been beaten to death.

Not only were they killed.

His head was blown apart!

"Do you think we're going to have another war?"

"I think it's hard to say! Sigh, there hasn't been a peaceful time in the last few years."

……

"Fellow Daoist Chen, what happened?" Zhang Yan heard the commotion and came out of the door. Seeing Chen Li there, he came over to inquire about the news.

"I'm confused too. I heard them say that the Zhou family patriarch was killed at the city gate!" Chen Li said with a solemn expression.

"Hiss!" Zhang Yan gasped upon hearing this, his face changing color: "This is really... this is a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

"Sigh, do you think this time it might implicate the people of Green River Workshop again?" Chen Li said, feigning concern. "Last time, the death of that Zhou family member was suspected to be caused by the people of Green River Workshop."

"That can't be, can it? Isn't that all in the past?" Zhang Yan was a little uncertain. He glanced around furtively and lowered his voice, saying, "We Green River Village people are just a bunch of Qi Refining rogue cultivators. How could we possibly have the ability to do something so monumental!"

He couldn't help but feel a little wronged.

Heaven have mercy, the death of one member of the Zhou family has implicated them, which is bad enough.

But the death of Foundation Establishment cultivator is such a huge scapegoat.

Their shoulders are too weak to carry them.

This is going to kill people.

"I hope so! Alas, in this world, it's always us honest people who live our lives honestly who suffer." Chen Li sighed.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yan gave Chen Li a slightly strange look.

He's an honest man, he admits.

But is Chen Li an honest man?

That remains to be discussed.

Chen Li didn't notice Zhang Yan's gaze; he was secretly making plans in his mind.

The Longevity Sect, including its six vassal families, only has ten Foundation Establishment cultivators in total. The death of one Foundation Establishment cultivator is a huge matter and will obviously not be left unresolved. Although Zhou Xutang is dead, there are still some loose ends to be dealt with.

Gu Mengqing... naturally could not repay kindness with enmity.

In a sense, this was equivalent to saving his own life.

Without his long journey to warn us, it's hard to say whether we would have survived this ordeal, or at least we wouldn't be standing here so calmly now.

However, those involved in this matter in Lancheng must be thoroughly dealt with.

This matter cannot be delayed for too long.

The sooner the better!

Delay will only lead to complications!
After watching the commotion for a while and exchanging a few words, Chen Li said goodbye to Zhang Yan.

He closed the courtyard gate, cast a traction spell, and headed straight for the bedroom. He moved the cabinets and stone slabs blocking the passage, jumped down quickly, and used the traction spell to restore everything outside. Then he quickly made his way to the outside world through the tunnel.

The boulder that had blocked the exit had been shattered by Zhou Hong's magical artifact, revealing a narrow, large hole.

"This woman, is she tired of living?" Chen Li was startled.

Fortunately, the surrounding area was mostly covered with vines and weeds, so it was hard to spot the hole unless you looked closely. He quickly used his traction technique to pull away the surrounding pebbles and soil and resealed the hole.

"Let's make do for now and deal with it properly once things settle down!"

He took out a map of the surrounding area, determined the location of Lan City, changed into an ordinary robe, then changed his appearance, and then walked slowly like an ordinary person, covering more than ten miles in this way.

Once he was far from the vicinity of Luanluo City and felt no one was following him, he began to silently chant incantations and cast the Wind Control Technique. Soon, his body rose into the air and flew swiftly into the distance.

……

"Were those bodies disposed of?"

"Reporting to the city lord, they have all been buried in the mass grave. These people are incredibly audacious to provoke the Zhou family and even escape here. Fortunately, the city lord has keen eyes and saw through their scheme at a glance."

The city lord of Lancheng, surnamed Liu and named Fan, is an inner disciple of the Longevity Sect. He is fifty-six years old this year, but looks like he is over sixty.

Even among inner disciples, the chosen ones, not everyone can reach the Foundation Establishment stage. Most inner disciples, once they are over forty, in the late stage of Qi Refining, and have no hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, can apply for an external transfer.

Liu Fan had failed twice in his Foundation Establishment attempt, and although he miraculously survived, he was severely weakened. He had long since given up on the path of cultivation, focusing instead on expanding his family's fortunes and enjoying worldly wealth. "Rogue cultivators from small places are ultimately short-sighted and prone to wishful thinking," Liu Fan said with a sip of spiritual tea. "Thinking they can hide here and be safe? If a Foundation Establishment family really wants to investigate someone, unless they hide in the mountains and never show their face again, who can..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Fan suddenly realized something and his expression changed.

"Who?"

He quickly pulled out a magical artifact.

But the next moment.

He was struck hard on the back of the head, and before he lost consciousness, a voice faintly came to his ears.

"What a keen sense of perception!"

After knocking the two unconscious and searching their magical artifacts and storage bags, Chen Li cast a silencing spell.

As an invisible light shield enveloped the room, the invisibility spell was disrupted and quickly dissipated, revealing his figure. He didn't care and slapped City Lord Liu twice.

Lord Liu groaned in pain, slowly regaining consciousness. He secretly lamented his misfortune, but forced himself to remain calm and said, "My skills are inferior to yours. If you intend to rob me, then please do as you please, but I beg you to spare my life."

"I'm here for only one thing," Chen Li said expressionlessly. "To tell you the truth, Zhou Xutang is dead. Tell me in detail how you discovered those people and how you notified the Zhou family! Also, besides you, who else knows about this?"

"Impossible, this is impossible..." Upon hearing of Zhou Xutang's death, Lord Liu was struck dumb, muttering to himself.

Upon hearing this, he knew he had no chance of escaping unscathed, and he couldn't help but feel regret. Why had he been so obsequious to the Zhou family's orders? This matter had nothing to do with him, but unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret in this world.

Chen Li slapped him twice more.

"Tell the truth and you'll suffer less. If you don't, don't blame me for being ruthless. I've heard you have quite a few children."

"My lord, senior, this has nothing to do with them, this has nothing to do with them! I'll tell you, I'll tell you!" Lord Liu shouted hurriedly, tears and snot streaming down his face.

……

After interrogating Lord Liu, they knocked him unconscious again and then woke up another person.

That's right, they gave their all.

Half an hour later.

Chen Li used his invisibility spell, walked out of the door covered in blood, and quickly headed to another location.

In half a day, Chen Li ran back and forth, killing a total of eight people, including Lu Qian's lover, a member of the Zhou family who lived there, and a rogue cultivator who was monitoring Zhao Lin and others.

Although he knew this was certainly not foolproof, it at least increased the difficulty of the investigation.

He took a cleansing talisman, changed back into his robes, took out a high-grade flying sword, and slowly flew back. Gazing at the pastoral scenery below, Chen Li silently pondered his thoughts.

When he flew to the vicinity of Luanluo City, he saw several Foundation Establishment cultivators flying around in the air, seemingly searching for something.
He quickly flew down.

Upon arriving at the shantytown at the foot of the mountain and inquiring, I learned that Luanluo City was under martial law.

"This has really blown up!" Chen Li thought to himself in alarm.

He looked up at the sun and saw that it was already setting in the west, nearing dusk. He abandoned the idea of ​​going into the city to check on the situation and hurriedly rushed to the place he had agreed to meet with Zhou Hong. He had been delayed for so long, and she must be getting impatient.

The second mountain peak west of Luanluo Mountain, although adjacent to Luanluo Mountain, is more than ten miles away. He dared not use flight to attract the attention of Foundation Establishment cultivators, and even walked at the speed of an ordinary person.

Only in secluded, deserted places would he quicken his pace and catch up a couple of steps.

Until night falls.

Chen Licai arrived at the agreed location.

A figure in red swiftly pounced from behind the tree, flying into Chen Li's arms like a bird returning to its nest.

“Why did it take so long? I thought, I thought…” Zhou Hong’s eyes reddened as she spoke, her voice trembling with tears.

Chen Li didn't speak immediately, but first took a picture of a mute note before speaking:

"What did you think? Don't worry, I'm very lucky! I have good news for you. Zhou Xutang is in trouble. He was killed at the city gate. We don't need to run away anymore."

"What! You..." Zhou Hong stared with her watery phoenix eyes, her face full of disbelief.

"What are you thinking? Of course I didn't do this. How could a Qi Refining cultivator like me kill a Foundation Establishment expert?" Chen Li didn't distrust Zhou Hong, but he didn't want to add to her psychological burden.

Zhou Hong thought about it and realized it made sense. She breathed a sigh of relief, and the gloom that had been weighing on her heart for so long dissipated: "Thank God, this is wonderful. This matter is finally over."

The two hugged and whispered something to each other.

Then they turned back home.

The night was as still as water, and the roars of various wild beasts rose and fell in the forest as the two walked hand in hand along the rugged mountain path.

Do you remember the first time you came to the forest?

"Of course I remember. I was seriously injured then, and you carried me to the forest overnight."

"Back then you were terrified of everything!" Zhou Hong teased.

Upon hearing this, Chen Li's face flushed slightly: "I've just never been here before. What's wrong with being cautious?"

"I've always felt that you're a bit different from ordinary rogue cultivators?" Zhou Hong thought for a moment and said.

"What's the difference?"

"It's hard to explain, but it's just different."

The two of them chatted one after another.

When they arrived at Luanluo City, it was already late at night. Zhou Xutang's body at the city gate was long gone, and even the bloodstains had been cleaned up.

"Stop, what are you doing?"

"We live in the city and will return when we go out!" Chen Li took out a talisman, stuffed it into the other person's hand, and cupped his hands in greeting.

The monk guarding the gate glanced at it, quickly stuffed it back into his sleeve, and his expression softened slightly: "Did you see anyone suspicious?"

"Never!"

"go in."

……

After several days of martial law, Luanluo City returned to calm.

But Chen Li understood.

This matter is not over yet. The death of a Foundation Establishment cultivator cannot simply pass by peacefully; there must be undercurrents brewing behind the scenes.

Gu Mengqing did not show up during this time, obviously he had gone out to avoid the limelight.

Five days later, Chen Li paid a visit to the Yu family patriarch to sound him out.

"This was most likely done by those rebellious families!" Yu Cheng said worriedly. "Sigh, they also lost a Foundation Establishment cultivator a while ago, so they probably suspect we did it. This is probably retaliation."

What a coincidence!
Chen Li opened his mouth:

"Did the Longevity Sect really kill one of their Foundation Establishment cultivators?"

“How could the Longevity Sect admit to this? It’s a complete mess. I don’t think the current situation will be stable for long,” Yu Cheng sighed.

Leaving the Yu family, Chen Li walked along the road, feeling both joy and sorrow.

The good thing is that someone took the blame for him.

The worrying thing is that the Longevity Domain is about to descend into chaos again.

(End of this chapter)