Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 162 The Situation is Chaotic

night.

afterwards!

Zhou Hong's face was flushed, and she was panting heavily. After a long while, she finally caught her breath and gave him a sidelong glance with her watery, alluring eyes, saying, "Didn't you say you wanted to purify your mind and desires and cultivate yourself for a while? Why aren't you cultivating yourself today?"

"Hehe, isn't this the end of my retreat?" Chen Li chuckled, then flipped himself back onto the bed.

"Ugh... I can't take it anymore, go find Shuniang... Oh!"

Chen Li had not tasted meat for months.

They tormented Zhou Hong to the point of wishing she were dead.

After finishing, he went to Zhang Shuniang's room and did the same thing again, making sure the matter was settled.

He let out a long sigh of relief.

The next day, Chen Li woke up feeling refreshed and in a good mood.

"Yin alone cannot produce life, nor can yang alone grow. This person really needs the balance of yin and yang," he thought to himself.

Check the game panel.

Realm: Foundation Establishment Level 2: 94/100

"We're not far from the third floor!"

"It will take at least a month and a half, or at most before autumn, to get into that stage. This year can truly be called my period of leapfrog development," Chen Li thought with a chuckle.

First, the basic swordsmanship is maxed out.

A breakthrough in cultivation level is not far off.

In addition, the three second-tier spells, Earth Shaking Technique, Rainbow Transformation Technique, and Earth Escape Technique, will also reach their maximum level this year.

"Even if we face a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator..."

Chen Li pondered for a while, then shook his head.

difficult!
Facing a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, he would at most have some ability to protect himself.

"My attack power is still not enough. I lack a good sword! A second-tier mid-grade jade sword, combined with my explosive brute force, is enough to deal with mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators, but against late-Foundation Establishment cultivators, I'm afraid it won't even be able to break through their defenses."

"Unfortunately, high-grade magic swords are even harder to buy than high-grade flying swords; they are extremely rare and hard to come by."

Feeling helpless, he went to the talisman-making room, finished drawing today's talisman as usual, then picked up his sword and went to the courtyard, got into a fighting stance, and while his consciousness sensed his body to refine himself, he repeatedly honed the power of his muscles.

Although the period of rapid progress in brain training has ended, it is still slowly improving, which shows that this technique is far from over.

Chen Li practiced until dawn, when the first light of day appeared. He wiped his face and was about to finish when a sudden twitch appeared between his brows, and he subconsciously looked up at the sky.

A streak of light appeared in the distance, hurtling towards them.

"Golden elixir!"

"The leader of the Red Mountain Sect!"

Chen Li used a far-seeing spell to recognize the person, and couldn't help but be slightly startled: "Could it be that something has happened!"

"It shouldn't be possible. I cleaned up the body thoroughly, even reducing it to ashes. I also kept the magical artifacts I bought in White Stone City hidden in my storage bag and never let them see the light of day."

I used that formation when I was in seclusion not long ago.

However, formations inherently possess concealment properties; unless a formation master identifies them in person, it's virtually impossible for an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator to recognize them.

He came to his senses and stopped scaring himself.

Since the marriage alliance between the two sects, the Red Mountain Sect and the True Realm Sect have had frequent exchanges. This time, it was only the Red Mountain Sect leader who came in person.

The rapidly approaching beam of light quickly stopped in front of the mountain gate. With a flick of its finger, a streak of fire silently seeped into the formation and headed towards the mountain peak. It was unclear what kind of technique this was.
Not long after, the mountain-protecting formation opened, and a figure flew out from the mountain; it was none other than the leader of the Zhenhuan Sect.

Chen Li didn't dare to look any longer and quickly looked away.

Alas, the tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease!

He was a little worried.

The Red Mountain Sect, the Heavenly Star Sect, the Divine Sword Sect, and the Artifact Sect, which just welcomed a Golden Core cultivator from the Fire Cloud Sect.

The Zhenhuan Sect borders these sects.

The conflict between Tianxingmen and Hongshan Sect is now escalating.

At the same time, the alliance between the Huanzhen Sect and the Hongshan Sect is becoming increasingly apparent, and it is unknown how the situation will develop in the future.

……

In July.

The True Sect has gained another Foundation Establishment cultivator. This time, the Foundation Establishment cultivator is a female cultivator named Luo Mingying, who is still a disciple of the sect.

He wasn't as monstrous as Ding Jian before, who reached the Foundation Establishment stage at the age of twenty.

This person is already twenty-eight years old. Although still quite young, he is just an ordinary person among the sect's disciples and does not attract any attention.

She speaks with grace and poise, and her appearance is, to put it mildly, not unattractive.

For two consecutive years, new Foundation Establishment cultivators have been born in the sect, which is quite a sign of prosperity.

Life in the mountain gate was boring, and he had nothing better to do than stay idle. As long as he wasn't in seclusion or traveling, Chen Li never missed any of these kinds of activities, though they only happened a few times a year.

A beautiful female cultivator, dressed as a woman, saw Chen Li and immediately moved closer: "You must be Fellow Daoist Chen Li?"

Chen Li was already handsome with thick eyebrows and big eyes. After refining his brain, in order to adapt to the changes in his sense of time, his temperament became more composed and unhurried. Every move he made was unhurried and deliberate.

Among all those who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage, they are certainly among the more outstanding ones, if not the most exceptional.

"It is indeed I, Fellow Daoist Wen." Chen Li stood up politely and raised his hand in greeting.

The woman who arrived was none other than a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Red Mountain Sect, a devout believer in the art of destiny, who had married into the True Nature Sect. Unlike her previous wedding dress, she wore a light yellow, wide robe that concealed her exquisite figure. Her skin was as white as snow, and she had bright eyes and white teeth, exuding the charm of a young married woman.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, there's no need for such formalities. Just call me Wenhui. I don't know many people here, it's so boring!"

We're not that familiar with each other, are we?

I only met him once, at his wedding last year. Chen Li was speechless.

"Why didn't Fellow Daoist Peng come along?"

"Sigh, he's in seclusion. I wonder when he'll emerge!"

The two chatted casually, attracting a lot of attention.

Chen Li was also somewhat helpless.

He was just exchanging a few polite words, going through the motions, but the other person seemed to become attached to him...

Does Fellow Daoist Peng usually ignore this?

Seeing Guo Xingquan enter, Chen Li breathed a sigh of relief, apologized to Wen Hui, and quickly went over: "Fellow Daoist Guo..."

Guo Xingquan has aged considerably and no longer possesses the sharpness he had when we first met.

"So it's Fellow Daoist Chen. It's been a long time." Guo Xingquan cupped his hands in greeting, looking rather listless.

"I see a frown between your brows, fellow Daoist. Is something wrong?" Chen Li asked, noticing his expression.

"Alas, the path to enlightenment is arduous. Since reaching the second level of Foundation Establishment, I have made almost no progress in the past two years. I suspect that True Skill is not suitable for me. Continuing to practice it would only be a waste of time and money. I have been hesitating these days about whether to switch to another cultivation method," Guo Xingquan sighed.

This……

Chen Li was speechless for a moment.

His cultivation progressed smoothly, and he was on the verge of reaching the third level of Foundation Establishment.

Even offering a word of comfort feels hypocritical.

"Switching to a different major is very risky, you might even go astray and become possessed by evil spirits."

Each cultivation technique has a different path for spiritual energy.

If we compare the paths of spiritual energy to rivers of varying sizes, then retraining is like forcibly changing course and opening up new waterways.

When you first enter the foundation building stage, the risk of switching to repair is relatively small.

The later you progress, the greater the risk of switching to a new repair shop. By the time you reach the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, it is almost impossible to switch to a new repair shop.

"I'm also hesitant. What cultivation method do you practice, fellow Daoist?" Guo Xingquan asked in turn.

"The Longevity Technique, that's what I practiced during my Qi Refining stage. I never considered switching to it after I reached Foundation Establishment," Chen Li said.

“This Longevity Technique is the best for prolonging life. Even if you are still unable to attain the Great Dao in the future, you can still live a few more years. It’s not a bad option!” Guo Xingquan said.

……

The foundation-building ceremony was the same old thing.

Nothing new.

Chen Li got a free meal and exchanged ideas about cultivation with his fellow practitioners. He stayed until evening, just as the gathering was about to end.

A Qi Refining disciple rushed in:

"Dear seniors and fellow disciples, the sect leader has summoned you!"

Do you know what it is?

"Replying to my fellow martial uncles, this junior truly does not know!"

Chen Li was completely bewildered and quickly got up with the others, heading towards the council hall.

Upon entering the main hall, Chen Li discovered that the sect leader was already seated, eyes closed in meditation, with a hint of worry on his face.

Chen Li thought to herself, "Could something have happened?"
One by one, the Foundation Establishers arrived and stood obediently in their positions.

The hall was completely silent.

Utterly quiet.

The only thing they did was exchange and search with their eyes.

After a long while, when almost all the Foundation Establishment cultivators had arrived, the sect leader finally opened his eyes. His sharp gaze swept over everyone, his expression dignified and solemn as he said:

"The situation may change recently, and war could break out at any time. No one is allowed to go out for the rest of the year."

Chen Li's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.

Although not explicitly stated, the deeper meaning behind the words is quite clear.

"Yes, Sect Leader!" the crowd shouted in unison.

"Xia Hongyi, stay. The rest of you may leave."

The crowd immediately filed out, each person displaying a different expression—some excited, some worried, and so on.

Chen Li felt heavy-hearted.

How long has it been since things calmed down?
It has only been five years since the last war, and only ten years since the one before that.

……

Chen Li returned to his cave.

"You look so worried and preoccupied. What's wrong?" Zhou Hong noticed something was off about Chen Li's expression. She took the tea that the maid brought and handed it to him, asking with concern.

"Sigh, another war is brewing!" Chen Li sighed, picking up his teacup in a daze and taking a sip of tea.

"Ah! When?" Zhang Shuniang asked worriedly.

Zhou Hong also looked over.

"It's still unclear, but it's probably nearby. In this world, how difficult it is to live a peaceful life!" Chen Li said.

……

That night, Chen Li cultivated in the quiet room all night.

Regardless of what the future holds, increasing our strength will give us a better chance of survival in war.