Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery
Chapter 40: The Nameless Cave

Chapter 40: Chapter 40: The Nameless Cave

The world suddenly quieted down, silent and still.

Looking at Qiao Guanyuan’s headless body as it fell to the ground with a thud, blood spurting out, Chen Li’s body swayed slightly before standing straight once more.

"Heh, just like that!"

Chen Li’s gaze swept around; in the distance, shadows flickered, and faint sounds could be heard, indicating more people were approaching due to the disturbance. Fortunately, for the moment, they still dared not come too close.

"I can’t stay here!" Straining to keep upright, he endured the intense pain throughout his body and took several steps forward. He then bent down to pick up the silver Magic Artifact that had fallen to the ground.

It was a small sword without a hilt, exquisitely made, and covered with dense mystical runes.

Clearly, it was a high-level Magic Artifact.

He took a glance at it and tucked it into his waistband.

He stood up, and the simple act of bending and straightening caused blood to uncontrollably surge upward, which he forcefully swallowed down. He did not even glance at the other Magic Artifacts scattered on the ground but hurried back the way he had come.

He was injured.

Taking a direct hit from a Magic Artifact at close range was no small feat.

Especially from a high-level Magic Artifact wielded by a Loose Cultivator in the advanced stages of Qi Cultivation.

To withstand this blow, he had pushed his strength beyond its limits, resulting in most of his muscles being strained or even torn. And that was not all; the most frightening was the dispersed sharpness of the Magic Artifact.

The solid Xuan Iron Sword broke in one strike.

Even a first-grade Protective Shield Talisman burst like a fragile soap bubble when swept by the Magic Artifact’s edge. By the time the force reached his body, though it was only a trivial remnant of its original power, it still caused his skin to rupture and internal injuries to emerge.

That he could still walk normally was purely him running on fumes.

Chaotic footsteps sounded from behind, as obviously, some could no longer hold back.

Chen Li inwardly sighed and turned around. Several Loose Cultivators hastily stopped in their tracks, their fierce eyes betraying their uncontrollable panic and bravado, one of them even beginning to back away incessantly.

"Do you know... who I am?" Chen Li suppressed the blood welling up and called out loudly.

"Aren’t you Chen... Chen Li? Don’t think that just because your face is covered, we can’t recognize you... You assassinated Qiao and trampled on our Spirit Tiger Gang. This hatred, this enmity, it cannot coexist under the heavens!"

"You’ve mistaken me for someone else."

Chen Li gathered his breath, raised his hand, and Spiritual Power flicked from his fingertips in succession.

The two stood thirty or forty meters apart, yet it did not affect the potency of the Spiritual Power flicks in the slightest.

After four strikes, the Loose Cultivators lay headless on the ground.

"Now it’s your turn to say, who am I?" Chen Li pointed towards another Loose Cultivator and asked expressionlessly.

"I don’t know, I’m not sure, please... don’t ask me!" That Loose Cultivator, scared out of his wits, kept retreating, and then turned and ran.

Those nearby, previously itching to make a move, were frightened by Chen Li’s frightening display of power and dared not approach any longer.

In fact, at this moment, the Spiritual Power within Chen Li was almost depleted, and if two or three more came at him, he probably would have fallen on the spot. Fortunately, everyone was scared off, and from that point on, no one dared to step forward.

Having not walked more than a hundred meters, screams and shouts of killing came from behind.

Qiao Guanyuan was dead, but other than the Magic Artifact that Chen Li had picked up, most of his wealth was still there.

As a Loose Cultivator in the latter stages of Qi Cultivation and as a gang leader, his wealth was enough to make any Loose Cultivator jealous. Moreover, the fight over the Magic Artifacts and personal belongings left by his many deceased escorts was to be expected.

Chen Li shook his head slightly, enduring the severe pain in his body, took off his bloodstained robe, tore off the cloth covering his face, and threw them to the side of the road. Of course, he did not forget to take out the silver sword as well.

He then quickened his pace.

The sky was still pitch black, and aside from a mild peril in avoiding the night patrol team, the journey had been smooth.

Chen Li’s killing was too fast; from start to finish, it took merely a minute or two. By this time, the members of the night patrol still didn’t realize their leader, Qiao Guanyuan, was already dead.

Chen Li entered the room and closed the door.

As soon as he relaxed the breath he was holding, his body collapsed to the ground.

"Who’s there!" Zhou Hong’s voice came from the inner room, and soon she appeared wearing a simple garment.

Seeing Chen Li on the ground covered in blood, her face turned pale. She hurriedly rushed to him and helped him up, "What happened to you, how did you end up like this? Where are you hurt? I’ll go get medicine for you!"

"I... I’ve killed Qiao Guanyuan," Chen Li said weakly, and then his vision darkened as he passed out completely.

Hearing this, Zhou Hong was stunned for a long time, her eyes reddened, and she cursed vehemently, "Bastard!"

She picked up Chen Li and carefully placed him on a chair, covering her chest with her hand, feeling dizzy.

She closed her eyes and stood for a while, took a deep breath, then swiftly walked into the bedroom, energizing herself to pack her belongings. Chen Li’s Spirit Stones and other valuables, which he’d never hidden from her and which she knew the location of, were quickly gathered by her into a bundle. Then, she hoisted Chen Li onto her back, opened the door, and headed towards the forest under the cover of night.

...

He had no idea how long he had been unconscious.

When Chen Li awoke, he found himself in a cave in the mountains.

A thick animal skin covered his body.

The rich scent of medicine was pervasive.

Zhou Hong sat quietly by his side, staring blankly, looking much more haggard.

"How long have I been out? Where is this place?" Chen Li asked, his mouth tasting a bit bitter.

"Ah, you’re awake," Zhou Hong said, her face brightening with joy, "You’ve been unconscious for a whole day and night. This is a forest where we used to find shelter during adventures. Don’t worry, it’s very secluded and not many know of it."

"I’ve caused you trouble this time!" Chen Li said apologetically.

He was moved, knowing the effort Zhou Hong must have made to bring him to this cave through the rough and challenging wilderness.

"What are you talking about now? I’ve chosen to follow you, there’s no need to talk about trouble," Zhou Hong replied, her smile fading away as she sighed.

Chen Li knew she was actually upset and thus recounted the reasons for forcefully killing Qiao Guanyuan from beginning to end.

Zhou Hong was both shocked by Chen Li’s strength and couldn’t help feeling frightened, murmuring, "That was too dangerous, far too dangerous. You almost didn’t make it back. You should at least have discussed it with me."

"I was impulsive this time, rest assured, I won’t take such risks again," Chen Li quickly apologized.

Yet he couldn’t help but reflect.

Power can cloud the mind, but isn’t strength the same?

He, too, had lost his way!

In the short span of half a year since he had arrived in this world, his strength had increased far too rapidly.

So much so that his mentality became problematic.

He began to look forward to battles and to treat killing as something normal.

Especially after the last time when he had efficiently killed three men with a few Spiritual Power flicks and a Scolding Skill, he found himself often harboring the illusion that no one below Foundation Establishment level was worth his notice.

And that very nearly cost him his life this time!