My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

After groping around for a moment, my fingertips touched something that was a little damp and soft.

Li Chen frowned slightly and took it out.

He opened his palm and looked.

It was a crumpled white tissue.

The tissue even had a few dried red stains on it, looking like someone had casually wiped their mouth and thrown it away after eating spicy hot pot.

Li Chen's face darkened slightly.

He refused to believe it and reached his hand into the spatial rift again.

What I pulled out this time was an apple core that had been completely eaten, and the edges of the flesh had oxidized and turned yellow.

"..."

Li Chen took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the anger in his heart.

Keep digging.

the third time.

A white rectangular plastic lunchbox with a transparent lid.

The box was empty, with only a few shriveled grains of rice and a smear of congealed red oil remaining in the corner.

the fourth time.

A pair of used disposable bamboo chopsticks, one of which was split in the middle.

the fifth time.

A cigarette butt that smelled strongly of cheap tobacco and tar, with a ring of teeth marks on it.

Looking at the small pile of thoroughly modern industrial waste at his feet.

The Prince of Qin of the Tang Dynasty, an unparalleled powerhouse at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

At that moment, I could feel the veins on my forehead throbbing.

"What kind of junk is this?!"

Li Chen let out a silent roar in his heart.

He carefully scanned these things with his divine sense.

There was not a trace of spiritual energy left.

It lacked even a trace of the essence of the Great Dao principles.

It doesn't even have the slightest value for recycling.

This is not some magical artifact disguised as trash at all.

This is genuine, 100% real garbage!

"Could it be that my soul space...?"

Li Chen stared blankly at the plastic lunchbox stained with red oil in his hand.

"Is it actually a dumping ground for trash in a higher-dimensional world?"

"Is it one of those cross-border waste recycling stations that doesn't sort waste and dumps all sorts of household garbage in there?"

This conjecture made Li Chen feel extremely uncomfortable.

He attempted to probe the deepest part of his soul space with his divine sense to investigate the root cause of this anomaly.

but.

Deep within the space, a thick, hazy fog still lingered.

Even though he has now reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage and his divine sense is incomparably powerful, he still cannot penetrate that layer of mist even slightly.

It was as if some forbidden power, transcending the laws of this world, existed there.

"Forget it, out of sight, out of mind."

Li Chen sighed.

He threw his lunchbox, chopsticks, and cigarette butts into the weeds on both sides of the road, as if they were hot potatoes.

It seems that this soul space is basically half-useless until the cultivation level breaks through to the next major realm.

When I get the chance, I must find out what kind of monsters and demons are hiding behind that fog!

Just as Li Chen was feeling frustrated about the pile of garbage.

The oxcart moved slowly along the bumpy dirt road.

As the sun rose higher, the surrounding terrain became increasingly treacherous.

The once wide official road gradually narrowed.

Steep cliffs appeared on both sides, piercing the clouds.

The dense ancient trees blocked out the sun.

This turned the once spacious passageway into a dark, damp place, exuding a sinister chill.

This is Black Wind Cliff, a notoriously dangerous place within a hundred miles.

The old farmer driving the cart had his palms covered in cold sweat as he gripped the whip.

His weathered face was etched with tension.

Those cloudy eyes darted nervously back and forth across the cliffs on either side.

"Young master, young lady."

The old farmer lowered his voice, which trembled slightly.

"We've now reached the border of Black Wind Cliff. This place is never peaceful; a gang of ruthless mountain bandits often roam here."

"We need to make the oxen walk faster, and we absolutely mustn't make a loud noise..."

The old farmer hadn't even finished speaking.

"call out--!"

A sharp, piercing whistle suddenly broke the deathly silence of the valley.

Followed by.

"Boom! Boom!"

Several loud, muffled thuds came from the cliff in front.

Three large stones, each the size of a millstone, rolled down the steep slope with a whooshing sound.

It crashed solidly into the very center of the official road, less than ten feet in front of the oxcart.

In an instant, the road ahead was completely blocked.

"Moo—!"

The old ox was frightened and let out a miserable cry.

Its front hooves rose high, bringing it to a sudden stop, causing the entire oxcart to shake violently.

"Oh no...we've run into robbers!"

The old farmer was so frightened that his face turned pale, and the whip in his hand fell to the ground.

His legs buckled, and he slid down the cart shaft, kneeling and sprawling in the mud, trembling.

From deep within the woods came a burst of rough, arrogant, and unrestrained laughter.

"Hahaha! I'm in luck today, I actually caught a big, fat sheep!"

Laughter followed.

The bushes on both sides were roughly pushed aside.

A dozen burly men, wielding gleaming broadswords and spiked clubs, jumped out, cursing and swearing.

These people all looked fierce and menacing.

He was clad in armor made of unknown monster hide, and his face was covered with crisscrossing scars.

The undisguised bloodthirsty aura clearly belonged to a desperate criminal who had spent years licking blood from the edge of a knife.

The leader, a one-eyed man, carried a thick-backed machete that was half a person's height.

He swaggered up to the oxcart that was blocked by rolling stones.

With its only remaining eye, it looked the people in the car up and down.

"Wow, this configuration is quite novel."

The one-eyed man curled his lip, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes.

"A wretched old man driving a carriage, a sickly, impoverished monk, and a fat cat that's dripping with oil."

"but……"

The one-eyed man's gaze finally locked onto Li Chen and Si Zi.

Although the specific materials of their clothes were not discernible.

But the gorgeous dark patterns, the exquisite workmanship, and the otherworldly temperament of the two people were all striking.

They must be young masters and ladies from some wealthy family traveling around!

"The boy has fair skin and delicate flesh, and if you strip the girl of her clothes, you could easily get several dozen low-grade spirit stones at a pawnshop!"

The one-eyed man grinned maliciously and slammed the large cleaver in his hand into the ground.

The blade struck the stone, sending sparks flying.

"Listen up, everyone on the bus!"

"Leave me the money, the clothes, and that fat cat as a snack with your drinks!"

"Get out of here, you men! That little girl is pretty; she can stay and be a fire-starting girl for our mountain stronghold!"

"If you dare utter a single word of dissent, this day next year will be the anniversary of your deaths!"

Faced with this group of murderous mountain bandits.

The people in the car reacted in a strangely bizarre way.

The old farmer lay on the ground, his crotch soaked, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

Sizi sat on the cart floor, still holding the unfinished roasted chestnuts in her hand.

The little girl wasn't scared at all; instead, she frowned.

She looked at the group of ugly creatures who were disturbing her snacking with some impatience.