My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 804 Anomaly
in the afternoon.

After fiddling with the demonic poison inside the Seven Star Jade Bottle for over an hour, Chen Mu only managed to increase his proficiency in the Plague Immortal Technique by a little over ten points, so he stopped cultivating.

"How about we go outside Mingling Island and gather some demonic energy?"

"There is also demonic poison in demonic energy."

After thinking about it, he shook his head to dispel the thought.

Jiang Daojun sealed off the entire Mingling Island in order to refine the Spirit Eye. What if he sneaked out and was mistaken for a traitor? That could very well cost him his life.

So what if the Plague Immortal Technique is progressing slowly? It hasn't delayed the cultivation of the Dao foundation.

Mingling Island is safe and sound, and the demonic energy we had stockpiled was sufficient.

Compared to the past, such an environment where one can steadily improve one's cultivation is now rare.

After a few words of reflection, Chen Mu left Qingyu Immortal Abode and headed towards the small market outside the camp.

……

"Commander, the usual, one five-colored pheasant?"

In a corner of the market, a tall, thin man looked at Chen Mu with a big smile.

The stall was surrounded by a large number of wooden cages, each containing a colorful pheasant.

Seeing Chen Mu nod, he immediately and deftly grabbed a plump, colorful pheasant and put it into a small bamboo basket with a round belly and a small mouth.

"Anything interesting on the street today?" Chen Mu handed the other person five white jade coins and casually asked after taking the bamboo cage.

As the days passed by, the unique spiritual herbs and exotic animals on Mingling Island were gradually discovered and put to use.

Every now and then, new things will appear at the small market.

From the most basic food that can only fill one's stomach to rare delicacies that can nourish one's vital energy and benefit spiritual practice, everything is available.

"You can go ask Old Wu at the street corner."

"I heard he found a kind of bright red mountain fruit that's quite delicious," the tall, thin man said with a smile. Having dealt with Chen Mu several times, he knew that Chen Mu was quite interested in all kinds of ingredients.

Chen Mu's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

Mingling Island was, after all, a military camp, so there weren't many entertainment options.

Chen Mu wasn't interested in the cockfighting, card games, or other gambling games at the camp, and there was nowhere to listen to music in brothels, so finding local delicacies became one of his few sources of enjoyment.

After listening to the boss's recommendation, he carried the chicken coop and strolled into the street.

Chen Mu wasn't in a hurry to get going. Whenever he saw something exciting happening, he would go and take a look.

He enjoys the tranquility of solitude, but he doesn't reject the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

"Tsk, humans are social animals after all. Even with high cultivation levels, it's hard to endure prolonged solitude," Chen Mu sighed.

We walked along, stopping frequently to look around.

But as he looked at it, he suddenly felt that something was wrong.

"I always feel like something's missing."

Chen Mu stared at the two people not far away.

The two men were arguing over a piece of emerald green ore.

The buyer angrily accused the stall owner of fraud, saying that he had been sold a useless stone at a high price, and demanded a refund and compensation of ten times the price for a counterfeit.

The stall owner seemed indifferent, saying that once you've made your purchase, it's over, and that he never claimed it was a treasure; it was you who insisted on buying it as a treasure.

There were also people nearby who laughed and egged them on, saying that the person sold it based on their own ability, so why should they get a refund?

Others chimed in, saying that it was fine if they didn't back down, but they would beat up the stall owner and they would be willing to help.

The crowd shouted enthusiastically, their expressions sincere.

Can……

"But why can't I sense any emotion from these people?"

Chen Mu frowned.

With the Seven Emotions Spell having just advanced, his perception of others' emotions has become increasingly sensitive. According to feedback from the stone gate, even without actively casting it, he can vaguely sense the seven emotions of others.

But these people in front of me were laughing and making a ruckus, yet they showed no emotional fluctuation whatsoever.

It's like a movie; the sound and visuals are so realistic that they can evoke empathy in others, but the characters themselves are just illusions in the scene and don't convey any real emotions.

Something's not right!

Chen Mu stood in the middle of the street, looking at the bustling little market.

Despite their laughter and commotion, in the Seven Emotions Curse's perception, they all seemed as if they were dead, devoid of any emotions or desires.

This incredibly real and down-to-earth atmosphere made his hair stand on end!

……

At dusk, in front of the wooden building on the mountainside at Gengzi Camp.

"You want to come to the Gengzi Camp to help deal with the corpse of the Mingling Demon?" Wu Jie looked at Chen Mu suspiciously.

“That’s right. I used to be a butcher on Tianwai Tianxing. I’m best at skinning and deboning.” Chen Mu nodded confidently.

"You're not planning to secretly steal the corpse of the Mingling Demon, are you?" Wu Jie looked at Chen Mu suspiciously.

“I’ve always been a law-abiding citizen, how could I possibly do something like stealing chickens and dogs?” Chen Mu retorted unhappily.

"I only want to serve Daojun," he said with righteous indignation.

Guess whether I believe it or not.

Wu Jie rolled his eyes: "Tell the truth!"

"I really didn't intend to steal it." Chen Mu chuckled.

"I just want to remove the demonic poison myself," he said without hiding anything.

"You know, I have a secret method to remove demonic poison."

"Dealing with the corpse of the magpie and removing its poison will allow me to better practice my secret arts."

This……

“It’s not impossible.” Wu Jie thought for a moment and nodded. “Rather than letting you run out and secretly hunt the Mingling Demon, causing unforeseen complications, it would be better to dispose of the corpses within my Gengzi Camp.”

"Thank you very much, fellow Daoist!" Chen Mu was overjoyed and repeatedly cupped his hands in thanks.

"Then, I'll come tomorrow?" he asked expectantly.

"Sure," Wu Jie nodded indifferently.

Chen Mu bowed and thanked him again.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while and inquiring about the specific procedures, Chen Mu left the Gengzi Camp with a happy expression.

Upon returning to Qingyu Immortal Abode in Renzi Camp and closing the door, the joy on Chen Mu's face vanished instantly.

"There's definitely a problem!" Chen Mu's expression turned serious.

Just now, inside the Geng camp, he secretly cast the Seven Emotions Spell. Wu Jie's expression was genuine, and his eyes were lively, but he showed no trace of the seven emotions or six desires.

It's like... it's like the living, breathing people in front of you are all fake mechanical puppets!
……

As dusk fell, the lights within the Renzi Camp came on.

Inside the Jade Immortal Abode, Chen Mu sat on a soft couch, with the Giant Spirit God standing beside him, activating his Listening Divine Power, and the entire scene within the Ren-character Camp was clearly imprinted in his mind.

Some were discussing metaphysics, some were playing drinking games, and some were huddled in tents, diligently practicing their spiritual disciplines.

Each person appears to be a vibrant life, yet they lack the seven emotions and six desires.

It was as if a group of mechanical puppets were putting on a grand show that seemed both real and illusory.

"Could it be... a dreamlike illusion?!"

Chen Mu's heart stirred.

He had once been pulled into a dreamlike state by Wu Neng'er, but at that time he could still see some of the falseness in the dream.

But here...

Chen Mu attempted to contact Thousand Lanterns City and easily opened the portal.

Looking at the dark doorway beside him, Chen Mu remained silent.

It wasn't so smooth back then in the dreamlike realm.

Was I really in that dream?

Or... is the Thousand Lantern City before us also a dream, an illusion?!
Chen Mu felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but look at the giant spirit beside him.

"So... are you telling the truth or lying?"

Chen Ming took a deep breath and focused his mind on the Dao Foundation Jade Seed.

The Jade Cicada Dao Foundation contains the mark of the Great Demon of the Bewildering Heaven. It was the Jade Cicada Dao Foundation that helped him escape the Bewildering Dream.

but now……

Over the past few days, he has been nourishing his Dao foundation with pure Yang energy every day, so he should have made some discoveries by now.

"Could it be that the practice I did before was also a false dream?"

Chen Mu felt bitter.

"Whether it succeeds or not, we have to give it a try."

"I don't want to die without knowing why!"

He forced himself to calm down and began to carefully observe the Jade Cicada Dao Foundation.

He meticulously crafted the Jade Cicada Dao Foundation, remembering every single true talisman pattern in his mind. He refused to believe that dream illusions could clearly conjure up all the patterns and trends!
Chen Mu immediately began to perceive the pattern from the very first one.

The golden jade cicada's aura slowly emerged, gradually enveloping the entire body.

At one point, the water rippled before my eyes, and my vision became clear.

Strands of white silk appeared before his eyes, like a white ribbon, completely obscuring them.

The moment Chen Mu saw the ribbons, they transformed into fine, silken threads, disintegrating and dissipating into the air.

"It really is a dreamlike illusion!" Chen Mu couldn't help but clench his fist tightly.

He looked to his side and found that the giant spirit was indeed standing beside him.

"With truth and falsehood mixed together, no wonder it's so hard to tell the difference!"

Chen Mu once again used the Listening Skill to sweep through the Renzi Camp, and then his face turned extremely gloomy.

……

A moment later, Chen Mu quietly arrived at a tent.

In my previous perception, the owner of the tent was meditating and practicing Qi cultivation.

But now...

Chen Mu looked towards the center of the tent, where a large, tattered silkworm cocoon, as tall as a person, lay horizontally.

At that moment, the white cocoon split open from the middle, revealing the corpse of a monster lying inside.

The other person had bluish-gray skin, sparse hair, one eye larger than the other, a nose that had disappeared, and a mouthful of sharp teeth protruding from their lips.

"A maggot demon!"

"That face..."

Chen Mu frowned as he observed, and the more he looked, the more familiar the terrifying, inhuman face seemed.

"Is that the Qi cultivator who was meditating and practicing in my dream before?!"

"The 'Cicada Demon' is actually a transformation of a Qi Refiner?!"

Chen Mu's whole body tensed up.

The Divine Power of Listening immediately swept through the entire Ren-character camp.

The campsite was eerily silent; there was no philosophical discussion, no drinking or drinking games. Everyone was wrapped in white ribbons like large white cocoons, lying silently in their tents!

Chen Mu couldn't help but think of the white silk ribbon that had been wrapped around his eyes earlier.

"If I hadn't woken up in time..."

Chen Mu's hair stood on end, and he instantly got goosebumps all over his body!
(End of this chapter)