Nuwa, the goddess of immortality, said that cultivating immortality does not require spiritual energ

One night passed.

Shortly after the traitors left, Nezha handed over his spare Dharma body to Li Wuyou and then hurriedly left Xingluo City.

He was delayed for two or three days. The situation on the front lines was changing rapidly, and he, as a top combatant, had to return to his post as soon as possible.

Last night's battle caused limited actual damage to Starfall City.

The traitors had a clear objective: to seize the treasure, not to massacre the city.

Of course, if Li Wuyou and others had secretly hidden their Dharma bodies, forcing the traitors to disperse and search for them, the situation might have become even more chaotic and dangerous.

However, to avoid bringing the war to ordinary people, they could not take the risk—Qin Le's request and the Jade Emperor's order both placed the protection of life as the highest priority.

At dawn, the carefully settled people gradually returned to the ground.

Many people spontaneously gathered in the central square, looking at the broken door of the small wooden house, their faces a mixture of worry and anticipation.

The students, especially the demon students, were extremely anxious.

Li Wuyou was already standing in front of the wooden house, waiting.

A young man dressed in Confucian scholar's attire stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and asked nervously, "Teacher... how is the Dharma body?"

Looking at the wooden door that had been violently broken open, everyone already had the worst guess in their minds, but a sliver of hope still lingered.

Li Wuyou's gaze swept over his students and the many eager faces behind them. A bitter expression appeared on his face, and he slowly shook his head.

"...It was stolen."

The worst news was confirmed, and everyone's hearts sank.

An elderly man with gray hair asked in a trembling voice, "Lord City Lord, since the Dharma Body is lost, will you... be punished by your superiors?"

Upon hearing this, countless gazes instantly focused on Li Wuyou, filled with worry.

As the lord of a city, failing to protect such a vital strategic item seemed like a justifiable reason to be punished. However, they genuinely did not want to see their lord, who had always protected Starfall City, suffer as a result.

Upon hearing this, Li Wuyou's hand, which was hanging by his side, suddenly clenched, his knuckles turning slightly white, but then slowly relaxed.

He forced a slightly strained smile and said in a low voice, "The higher-ups... haven't punished me."

silence.

Everyone clearly saw Li Wuyou's fist clench and unclench in that instant, and they also understood the heaviness behind his smile.

It is a good thing that they were not punished, but this precisely shows that in the eyes of the higher-ups, the loss of their Dharma body was almost an expected outcome.

A profound sense of powerlessness stemming from their own lack of strength overwhelmed everyone present, like a cold tide.

They opened their mouths, but felt a tightness in their throats and couldn't say anything.

At this moment, a gray-furred rabbit demon couldn't help but speak up, its voice filled with urgency: "Then... then will we in Starfall City no longer have any Dharma bodies to use?"

This question reflects the sentiments of all the demon race.

That specially crafted Dharma body may be merely symbolic to humans, but it is crucial to their cultivation. Losing it would be a tremendous blow to them.

Li Wuyou looked at the group of demons, his face filled with even deeper guilt, but he took out an item from his storage ring and held it in his palm:

"The higher-ups...issued us a new one."

The faceless clay figure lay quietly in his hand, emanating a familiar Daoist aura.

Upon seeing the Dharma body, the human students did not show joy. Instead, they gritted their teeth, their eyes burning with a deeper anger towards the traitor, as well as a pent-up, unreleased power.

The higher-ups not only didn't pursue the matter, but also quickly reimbursed them. This leniency made them feel unworthy of it, but it also became a stronger impetus—they must become stronger even faster!

Meanwhile, cheers erupted from the demon race.

"Great! Once I get stronger, I'll definitely get that one back!"

"Count me in! I'll bite them to death!"

"We must take it back! No one can take what's ours away!"

"..."

The thoughts of the demon race are more direct and pure; they do not fall into complicated guilt and reflection.

Were we robbed?

Then work hard to cultivate, become stronger, and then take it back with your own hands!

It's that simple.

Seeing the demons regain their spirits, Li Wuyou finally showed a genuine, encouraging smile:

"Strive to cultivate diligently. I hope that next time those traitors come, you will all be standing here, protecting it together with me."

After saying this, he turned and went into the dilapidated wooden house, where he carefully placed his new Dharma body. When he came out, he said nothing more, silently transforming into a stream of light and flying back to the city lord's mansion.

The crowd left in the square watched his departing figure, then looked at the broken wooden door.

"Does this door... need to be repaired?" a female cultivator asked softly.

"No repairs!" The Confucian scholar who had spoken earlier declared resolutely, his voice booming, "Let it remain as it is!"

His proposal was accepted by the majority of people.

Let this broken door remain, a glaring scar, a constant reminder of their powerlessness and shame today. Only when they avenge themselves will this door deserve to be repaired.

Inside the city lord's mansion, more than a dozen comrades who fought alongside him last night were already waiting in the hall.

Upon seeing Li Wuyou return, the woman in blue smiled slightly and teased, "As expected of our city lord, your acting skills... are truly superb."

Li Wuyou walked to the main seat and sat down, rubbing his temples. He said helplessly, "Alright, stop making fun of me."

The bitterness, guilt, and helplessness I felt in front of everyone just now were partly genuine feelings and partly deliberate.

Why put on this show?

The goal is simple: to motivate.

Qin Le himself didn't care, and the higher-ups didn't punish him severely, but this was indeed an excellent opportunity to inspire the fighting spirit of everyone in Xingluo City, especially the younger generation.

Sometimes, the motivation to be ashamed and then act bravely requires the right opportunity to drive it.

"If those little ones can really hold their breath and train hard because of this, that would be a good thing," the white-haired old woman said slowly, her eyes filled with expectation.

"It's not just them," a woman in yellow interjected, her tone calm yet firm. "We...shouldn't slacken our efforts either. If any of us can be the first to comprehend the Dao of Immortality and achieve the true Golden Immortal status..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the hall fell silent instantly.

Wasn't Li Wuyou's performance also meant for their own benefit?

If one of them had been a true Golden Immortal in command last night, the battle would not have ended the way it did. Not only last night, but the omnipresent pressure on the front lines was also largely due to the shortage of high-end combat power.

Although Chen Yun's creation of the Golden Immortal-level Truth has alleviated some of the pressure on the front lines, it has only been around for a short time and the demand is enormous, so it is far from a time when people can breathe a sigh of relief.

After a moment of silence, Li Wuyou broke the silence, standing up: "There's no point in thinking too much. Let's hurry up and recover, and then... let's cultivate."

Now, all they can do is exert all their strength to improve their capabilities as quickly as possible. Everything else must be put aside for now and used as motivation to move forward.