Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 223 Escape
The four illusory figures looked around.

But with people coming and going on the street, and shops, restaurants, and alleys on both sides, it was hard to find one in a short time.

"No, we can't give up like this."

The spirit crystals, plus the spirit stones remaining in the storage bag, amount to 1,500 high-grade spirit stones. If they were lost...

Chen Li felt that he would never be happy again.

"There's only one way left. If all else fails, I'll have to take a gamble." He hardened his heart.

However, that's a last resort.

The chances of success are slim.

The fourth avatar walked quickly while chanting incantations and forming hand seals. Finding an opportunity, it swiftly disappeared underground and stealthily made its way here.

The second avatar quickened its pace along the corner of the wall, suddenly dropping the storage bag. Before it even hit the ground, a hand that had surfaced grabbed it and pulled it back underground. The whole process was natural and smooth, perfectly coordinated.

In the blink of an eye, the storage bag had changed hands.

The people nearby didn't even notice.

The fourth illusion took the storage bag and quickly burrowed deep underground.

Warning signs still linger.

Fortunately, as we went deeper underground, the warning signs became fainter and fainter, and finally disappeared completely after we reached a depth of 100 meters.

"Finally, I'm rid of it!" Chen Li's tense mind relaxed a little. "It seems even a Golden Core cultivator's divine sense has difficulty penetrating hundreds of meters underground."

He dared not linger and quickly left the area.

The other three illusory bodies also scattered in different directions, preparing to find an opportunity to escape underground.

He could certainly dispel the illusion directly, which would be simple and convenient, but exposing a fully-level illusion under the "watchful eye" of a Golden Core cultivator would be unwise.

Even though he wasn't sure if the other party had seen through him, it would be best if they hadn't. If they had, there was nothing he could do. Fortunately, these illusory bodies were all vastly different from Chen Li's true appearance. Not only were their appearances different, but their heights and builds were also different.

It shouldn't involve the real person.

"What a brilliant move!" A faint voice reached the ears of one of Chen Li's illusory forms.
The phantom body paused, then respectfully cupped its hands in greeting: "Senior, you flatter me! I must thank you for showing mercy."

"Humph!"

The other party snorted coldly, and then there was no more sound.

……

The fourth illusion did not dare to be careless and continued to sneak around.

This place is close to the city center where the Stanley Tree is located. The underground roots are intertwined, making it almost impossible to walk. The largest roots are as big as a city wall, and the smallest are the size of a bucket. Every time you encounter it, you have to carefully avoid it from a distance.

So deep underground, even the divine sense of a Golden Core cultivator cannot detect it, let alone the spiritual sense of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. If it weren't for the mysterious connection between his illusory body and his true body, which guided him, he would have been unable to distinguish things long ago.

It took Chen Li a full half hour to sneak up to his doorstep.

The real body opened the formation from the inside, and after the illusory body entered, it quickly closed it again. Only then did Chen Li finally feel relieved and confirm that he was safe.

Even if the auspicious and inauspicious techniques failed to detect any danger, even if that Golden Core cultivator were to break in at this moment, with the hidden mid-grade third-tier Earth Bright Light Array within the mansion, he could ensure that the cultivator would not return alive.

Chen Li took the storage bag and canceled the illusion.

Soon, the spirit crystal appeared in his hand.

The morning sunlight shone on the spirit crystal, giving it a mesmerizing glow and a halo of multicolored light.

"Thank goodness it's all over!" He breathed a sigh of relief.

Only then did Chen Li have the leisure to consider the gains and losses of this trip.

He was too impatient before.

As soon as he got the spirit crystal, he rushed off.

The auction had only just begun, and the items up for auction were all high-priced, Tier 3 items. To rush out at that point would have been foolish. Of course, the truth might not be so simple.

It is also possible that the auction house had planned this all along.

Spirit crystals are too precious.

That's enough to make a Golden Core cultivator harbor evil thoughts.

Especially since what they obtained was only a minor Foundation Establishment cultivator, it's hard to imagine anyone resisting the temptation. In fact, this Golden Core cultivator is the one guarding the auction house. If that's the case, then no amount of caution will help.

"Sigh, the strong prey on the weak. An ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator would probably have disappeared without a trace long ago," Chen Li sighed inwardly.

"what!"

At this moment, Chen Li suddenly let out a soft "Eh".

Previously, he had consumed most of his spiritual energy while practicing the Disturbing God Illusionary Mist Technique. Although he had taken a Returning Origin Pill and had been automatically replenishing his energy during this period, he had not fully recovered. At this moment, as he held the spirit crystal in his hand, he felt an incomparably pure spiritual energy surging wildly into his body.

This recovery speed was even three times faster than when he was meditating normally.

……

three days later.

Chen Li then sent his illusory body to another auction house.

The Flying Cloud Sword, a top-grade flying sword, was quite popular and was bid on by several people. In the end, it was auctioned off for a high price of 210 high-grade spirit stones. After deducting the high commission of 10%, I got 189 spirit stones. This time, I returned safely.

"Sigh, counting the rest, there are only 274 left." Chen Li took the storage bag from the illusionary body and sighed inwardly.

However, Chen Li did not regret spending half of his fortune to buy a small spirit crystal.

Before acquiring spirit crystals, he had no concept of "cultivation effects comparable to those of a fifth-tier spirit land." It wasn't until he meditated and circulated his energy that he was greatly shocked. The surging spiritual energy was almost tangible, and he felt as if he was being stretched. After each cultivation session, his meridians felt swollen and distended.

Before using spirit crystals for cultivation, it would take him about four to five days to make any progress.

This is the result of taking the Guiyuan Pill to assist in cultivation.

But now, he doesn't even need the Rejuvenation Pill; he only needs two days.

This cultivation speed is more than twice as fast.

At the current pace, he should be able to advance to the sixth level of Foundation Establishment in at most six months.

……

Considering the possibility of being targeted by Jin Dan, Chen Li, as a precaution, did not go out for the rest of the time.

During this time, he finally mastered the Divine Concentration Technique to its maximum level.

Soul-Capturing Technique: Second-tier, third-level spell.

Its power at max level is comparable to a level 7 second-tier weapon.

As an advanced version of the reprimand technique, Chen Li had always held high expectations for it.

He had experimented with the illusionary body, and found that even a level 8, second-tier water elemental shield couldn't completely withstand it. The illusionary body shattered with a single blow, turning into specks of light and disappearing. As for using a level 7, second-tier shield talisman, it was practically useless.

Of course, the illusory body has little defensive power against mental spells, so it doesn't prove anything. In actual combat, it's still uncertain whether it can shake the mind of a Foundation Establishment cultivator with shields and armor talismans or a newly entered Golden Core cultivator without any protection.

Perhaps it will be possible once he reaches the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

Chen Li had long discovered that the power of these kinds of mental spells was not only related to the spell's level, but also closely related to the strength of one's own spiritual consciousness.

It's the same technique of scolding.

The power of the scolding technique he used during the Qi Refining stage is vastly different from the scolding technique he uses now.

Chen Li estimated that his current scolding technique was barely within the range of second-tier spells.

Even so, the scolding technique was still useless against him. After all, he could easily kill anyone affected by the scolding technique, so why bother?