Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 141 Bells
that's the truth.

It took four months to go from one point to two points, but only two months to go from two points to three points. The efficiency has more than doubled, and the cultivation speed is still accelerating.

A heavy snowfall heralded the arrival of winter.

Under a leaden-gray sky.

The heavy snow fell on the sect's protective array, which was activated around the clock. It was constantly bounced away by the invisible force field above, shattering into tiny, crystalline particles, and finally turning into a fine mist that drifted down.

The entire mountain gate area was warm as springtime, with lush greenery, and one could not feel the slightest bit of the cold outside.

Chen Li was in the grove of trees in the front yard of his cave dwelling.

The body moved at high speed through the trees like a phantom.

The air around him distorted, as if burning with an invisible flame. About a minute later, he suddenly stopped moving at high speed and at the same time, lightly slapped a large tree with his palm.

"boom!"

A loud bang was heard, accompanied by a shower of wood chips.

He struck the tree, which was as thick as two people could hug, with a single palm strike, creating a hole the size of a hand.

Chen Li stopped.

The protective aura on his body quickly disappeared.

At the same time, the spiritual energy within his body had also vanished, with nine out of ten pavilions gone.

"The duration is getting shorter and shorter," Chen Li gasped for breath.

Since he began practicing the Foundation Establishment stage, over the past six months, he has finally mastered the Zhou Tian Gang Force, reaching the Grandmaster level.

The Grandmaster-level Zhou Tian Gang Force possesses defensive capabilities comparable to a second-tier, first-level spell. The power of his bare hands alone is comparable to wielding a second-tier, low-grade magic weapon. Such a secret technique is simply divine.

However, this also exposed a problem: the consumption of spiritual energy was increasing.

After reaching the Grandmaster level.

It could only last for a little over a minute before its spiritual energy was completely exhausted.

Secret arts and spells are different.

The latter primarily relies on the power of heaven and earth, resonating with them through incantations and hand seals; its own spiritual power is merely a catalyst. The former, however, utilizes its own spiritual power entirely; no matter how much optimization is applied, its power depends entirely on the output of its own spiritual power.

"call……"

He exhaled.

"However, one minute is enough."

One minute is not a short time in a battle.

In all the battles he had experienced, whether against one or a group, almost none lasted more than a minute, and most were resolved in a dozen seconds. Only when he killed that second-tier demon beast did it take a little longer.

"The optimization direction of this secret technique is somewhat similar to basic swordsmanship in some aspects. One controls physical strength, while the other controls one's own spiritual power," Chen Li thought to himself, lost in thought.

He stretched out his hand, and countless fine drizzles immediately gathered, quickly condensing into a water ball the size of a ping-pong ball above his palm.

The water balloon spun around and around.

at this time,

A distant bell rang out from the mountaintop, passing through the magic circle.

Chen Li's expression froze for a moment.

"That bell... it means the Golden Core Ancestor has emerged from seclusion!"

With a flick of his wrist, the water ball flew into the air and exploded instantly, sending countless water droplets flying in all directions.

……

When Chen Li arrived, there were already quite a few people in the main hall.

A large group of Foundation Establishment cultivators stood in two rows. All those who were not in seclusion or away from home had come over. Chen Li stood quietly at the very end of the line, his eyes downcast and his mind focused.

The Golden Core Ancestor has not yet arrived.

Upon Chen Li's entry, a buzzing sound immediately filled the hall, creating a cacophony. Some Foundation Establishment cultivators who had never seen him before whispered inquiries about Chen Li's background, then suddenly realized who he was and glanced at him from time to time.

After waiting patiently for a while...

A footstep sounded, and the Golden Core Ancestor finally arrived.

Chen Li looked up quickly and saw the true face of the Golden Core Ancestor for the first time.

However, upon seeing it, he was greatly disappointed.

He had a middle-aged appearance, was extremely short, less than 1.5 meters tall, and had arms that reached past his knees. He had dark skin and a rather unattractive appearance, but his eyes were sharp as swords, and his every move exuded the majestic aura of a Golden Core sect leader.

After he arrived, the entire hall became completely silent.

He dared not look any longer and quickly lowered his eyelids.

The Golden Elixir Ancestor sat down in his seat.

"Welcome back, Sect Leader!"

He glanced around and said with a smile, "I heard from Hongyi that there is a new guest elder. Who is it? Let me meet him."

Upon hearing this, Chen Li's heart tightened. He quickly stepped out of the group, his face respectful. He took a few steps forward, bowed, and said, "Junior Chen Li greets the Sect Leader."

"Very good, very good. You are truly a young talent. There is no need to be nervous. As long as you do your job conscientiously, we in the True Realm Sect treat everyone equally, whether they are guest elders or disciples... You may step down now."

"Yes, Master!"

Chen Li returned to his original position, looking flattered.

Next, the Golden Core Ancestor said a few more polite words, and after keeping Xia Hongyi behind, he dismissed everyone.

Chen Li walked out the door with the crowd and let out a soft breath.

Facing a Golden Core cultivator is incredibly stressful.

When his gaze fell upon him, he felt as if he had thorns in his back.

It's not easy at all.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, my name is Guo Xingquan. Unfortunately, I had to miss your initiation ceremony. I've only been at the Foundation Establishment stage for a few years myself. I hope we can get to know each other better in the future!" A young man beside him cupped his hands and said warmly. "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Guo. In what year did you become a disciple?" Chen Li quickly returned the greeting.

"I started a little earlier than you, fellow Daoist, more than seven years ago now," Guo Xingquan said with a smile.

The two started chatting.

Like him, Guo Xingquan was also a guest elder who came from a rogue cultivator background. Since they had both only recently reached the Foundation Establishment stage, the two had much in common and chatted happily for a while.

“I regret choosing the True Skill. The cultivation speed is too slow. I’ve inquired about people who cultivate the Three Yang Skill. People with average aptitude can usually advance to the second level of Foundation Establishment in about five years.” Guo Xingquan sighed, “But I’ve been cultivating for so long and I’m still stuck at the first level. If I want to break through, I’ll probably have to wait another two years.”

That was only nine years ago...

Chen Li felt somewhat depressed upon hearing this.

Thinking of my pitiful cultivation aptitude, it's truly a case of comparing goods and people endlessly.

We're all human, so why is there such a huge difference?

Even though the technique has now been optimized to the expert level, it will still take two months to make any progress.

If this pace continues, it will take at least 16 years to advance to the second level of Foundation Establishment.

“I’ve heard that True Skill emphasizes accumulating knowledge and experience before unleashing it, making it easier to break through to higher realms,” Chen Li said.

"That's true, but it's too slow." Guo Xingquan shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Sigh, I guess this is how my life will be. I'll be lucky if I can break through to the middle stage before I die."

"Who can say for sure about matters of fate!"

"Haha, that's true. To be honest, I'm already incredibly fortunate to have reached the Foundation Establishment stage."

The two walked and talked until they reached the front of Chen Li's cave.

Guo Xingquan politely declined Chen Li's suggestion to sit in the cave and took his leave.

Chen Li activated the formation and entered the courtyard.

They noticed Gu Mengqing pacing back and forth at the door, looking anxious, and they could faintly hear Zhang Shuniang crying from inside the house.

Chen Li's heart skipped a beat; he had a bad feeling.
"Why are you here?" Chen Li asked.

"Brother, Zhang Yan, Fellow Daoist Zhang is dead!"

"Dead!? How could this be..." Chen Li was stunned, still somewhat incredulous: "How did he die?"

Gao Bo died, Lin Gui died, Bai Jinwang died, Han Zhihao died, Zhao Lin died, Guo Wu died, Yu Cheng died. In just six years, one generation after another of the people he knew died.

“This… he died outside the brothel. Fellow Daoist Zhao happened to pass by this morning and found him, and immediately notified me.” Gu Mengqing stammered, “I went to the brothel to inquire and heard them say that Fellow Daoist Zhang had a conflict with someone before he died.”

Even Chen Li, who was feeling sad, was speechless upon hearing this.

After Zhang Shuniang left, Zhang Yan clearly let himself go completely.

But once you've gone, you've gone.

Having been single for so many years, Chen Li could understand.

Yet they still can't control their mouths.

"You didn't tell Shuniang about this, did you?" Chen Li asked.

“Uh, of course not,” Gu Mengqing said.

"Where is the body now?"

"I've already carried it back."

Chen Li patted him on the shoulder, said nothing, and stepped into the house.

Inside Zhang Shuniang's boudoir.

Zhang Shuniang was lying on the bed crying, and Zhou Hong was comforting her.

When Zhou Hong saw Chen Li enter, she gave him a wink, and the two of them left the room: "Shuniang is young and inexperienced, and now she has lost her composure. I'm afraid you will have to take charge of Fellow Daoist Zhang's funeral arrangements."

"Of course," Chen Li nodded, then walked through the door.
“Shuniang…”

"Uncle... my father was perfectly fine, how could this happen, how could this happen... Waaah..." Zhang Shuniang said a few words before bursting into tears.

"The dead cannot be brought back to life. Go wash your face and tidy yourself up first, then we'll go down the mountain," Chen Li comforted him.

Zhang Shuniang nodded tearfully, wiped away her tears, and went to wash up.

……

After one hour.

The group descended the mountain and arrived at Zhang Yan's home. His body was laid out in the living room, supported by a wooden plank. His head and body were separated, and there was blood everywhere. His eyes were wide open in anger, and he died a very unsettling death.

Seeing this tragic scene.

Overwhelmed with grief, Zhang Shuniang lay on the corpse and wailed loudly.

Chen Li beckoned Gu Mengqing over, took out a mid-grade spirit stone, and handed it to him: "Go find someone skilled in needlework and sew up the corpse."

Zhang Yan was a respectable person during his lifetime.

One should not lose face after death.

"Brother, no need, no need, I'll just call my wife," Gu Mengqing quickly said.

“That works too!” Chen Li nodded. Cultivators don’t avoid corpses like mortals do. For example, the brat from Widow Wang’s family, who is only seven or eight years old, already knows how to touch corpses. He thought for a moment and continued:
"Also, go and call the manager of Gou... here. I have some questions to ask him."

He almost let it slip.

"Yes, Big Brother!" Gu Mengqing replied immediately.

Given his own status, he naturally couldn't summon the brothel manager, but now that he was relaying a message on behalf of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the outcome was different.

Gu Mengqing turned and hurriedly walked out the door.

Chen Li looked at Zhang Yan's corpse and sighed:
Sigh, another person I know is gone!

……

Soon, Gu Mengqing returned, followed by two people: his wife and a middle-aged beauty who was clearly the owner of a brothel.

(End of this chapter)