The Valley Refuses to Emerge, Cultivation Too Obsessed

The place Jiang Qiang was hiding was in a quiet, secluded valley.

He had been on the run from Hutong Street's pursuit, so the hiding spot he chose was exceptionally concealed. With numerous Illusion Formations and Trapping Formations set up by him, it was foolproof and a rare haven of peace in these chaotic times.

Chen Dengming had contacted him multiple times and quickly found the location.

The valley was covered in ancient and new trees.

Towering cliffs stood on three sides, their walls as sheer as if cut by a knife. Green moss, like a velvet carpet, grew on the cliffs, seemingly unaffected by winter.

Looking up from the valley floor, only a small patch of sky, as if newly dyed, could be seen.

A desolate path wound its way into the depths of the valley.

However, anyone unfamiliar with formations would easily get lost within.

Upon arriving, Chen Dengming used the cry of a monkey as a signal, calling out with fluctuating tones for a while.

Jiang Qiang then cautiously peeked out from inside, his expression one of pleasant surprise.

"Qiangzi!"

"Brother Chen!"

Seeing Chen Dengming, Jiang Qiang relaxed considerably. He had clearly already learned about the events at the Gathering Place and was now completely at ease seeing Chen Dengming safe.

The two quickly entered the valley.

Chen Dengming informed Jiang Qiang of what he had seen and heard outside, and Jiang Qiang shared some of the information he had gathered.

Chen Dengming's expression turned grim upon hearing this. He said coldly, "I didn't expect Xu Ning to betray the Luo Family and join forces with the Iron Forest Hall to attack Hutong Street at such a critical moment. No wonder I was ambushed by the Iron Forest Hall; I suppose this scoundrel sold me out."

Jiang Qiang shook his head. "Hoping for this kind of person's loyalty and integrity is less reliable than believing merchants don't love money. Fortunately, Brother Chen, you are powerful enough to break through the encirclement."

As he said this, he was even more shocked and impressed internally.

Two Cultivators at the fourth level of Qi Cultivation, along with six others, had cornered Chen Dengming, yet he still managed to break free. It was simply unbelievable.

Jiang Qiang sighed again. "But it's a shame. Even with Xu Ning's betrayal, Hutong Street was scattered, but Qian Yuan still managed to escape and didn't die inside. What a pity."

Chen Dengming knew about his feud with Qian Yuan over his wife's death. He patted Jiang Qiang's shoulder. "Qian Yuan is now a stray dog himself, and it'll be hard for him to chase you anymore. Cultivate well in the future, and if you meet him again, you might be able to kill your enemy with your own hands."

After exchanging information, both decided to lie low and cultivate for the time being, observing the outside situation before venturing out when it was calm and safe.

Although the valley had scarce Spiritual Energy, it was advantageous in its tranquility.

Moreover, there were Spirit Fish in the deep pool within the valley, and by the pool, Jiang Qiang had planted Spirit Seeds he purchased, growing Spirit Vegetables. However, due to the lack of Spiritual Energy and suitable soil, they hadn't flourished yet.

In short, for a short period, the two could stay in the valley and manage their food and drink, but if they stayed longer, they would need to find another solution.

After all, the two precious beings Chen Dengming kept were also big eaters of Spirit Meat.

The empty valley, unwilling to leave, cultivation too obsessive. A hundred years of the Dao cultivation, when will the dawn arrive?

In the blink of an eye, more than half a month passed.

A heavy snowfall fell.

The valley was covered in thick snow, glittering under the sun.

Many tree branches as thick as bowls and tree trunks inside the valley could not bear the weight of the snow, snapping with crackling sounds one after another.

There was no wind in the valley, yet it was bone-chillingly cold.

The roofs of the two wooden houses in the valley were covered in snow.

Inside, the charcoal fire crackled, making the room as warm as a kiln. Wisps of Wood Spiritual Energy, invisible to the naked eye, gathered within the room.

Suddenly, several sounds like shattering glass erupted. The gathered Wood Spiritual Energy gradually dispersed, with only a small portion continuing to flow towards the figure in the center, who was in the posture of a sleeping Arhat.

The Little Array Spirit, which had been dancing, cried out in alarm. Its spiritual light dimmed, and it retreated into the array disk, not forgetting to plead, "Fellow Daoist, the Spirit Stones are gone, I can't dance anymore..."

Even though he tried to suppress it, this emotional transmission, being a fluctuation of the mind, allowed Chen Dengming to catch a trace of the Little Array Spirit's joy. Clearly, it was happy to have a valid excuse to be lazy and not have to dance for him, the great villain who exploited labor.

Chen Dengming awoke from his cultivation state, glanced at the now-silent Spirit Seizing Formation, and then at the six shattered Low-grade Spirit Stones on the ground. He couldn't help but frown.

"Spirit Stones... they're being used too quickly. I haven't even cultivated to the fourth level of Qi Cultivation, and my resources are almost depleted. It seems I'll have to go out and retrieve the Spirit Stones hidden in other places."

Chen Dengming got up and focused, observing the results of his arduous cultivation over this period.

Cultivator at the third level of Qi Cultivation [Chen Dengming]
Lifespan: 163/257
Spiritual Root: Metal, Wood (Mid-grade 50/100)
Martial Arts: Chen Family Martial Arts General Outline (Grand Completion)
Daoist Magic: Gu Refining Chapter (Master 26/100), Three Yuan Spirit Gathering Technique (Third Layer 218/300), Chen Family Daoist Magic Chapter (Proficient 20/100), Life-Damaging Seedling Pulling Technique (First Layer 37/100), Artifact Control Art (Master 3/100), Vajra Shield Technique (Beginner 29/100)

More than half a month passed. Chen Dengming poured a large number of Spirit Stones into the Spirit Seizing Formation for cultivation. The progress of the Three Yuan Spirit Gathering Technique was extremely rapid, and he was only two to three tenths away from breaking through to the fourth level of Qi Cultivation.

As for other Daoist Magic, only Vajra Shield Technique and Divine Speed Technique had been practiced enough.

The former broke through from the beginner level to the introductory level, extending his lifespan limit by another five years.

The latter was used for travel when he occasionally ventured out of the valley to observe the situation. After much use, it smoothly broke through to the proficient level.

After the Divine Speed Technique reached the proficient level, all the Daoist Magic he had learned from Tier 1 Level 1 to Level 2 had entered the proficient level. Among them, the Artifact Control Art was already at the master level.

Chen Dengming then packaged and integrated all the proficient-level Daoist Magic into the "Chen Family Daoist Magic Chapter." In the future, if he wanted to improve further, reflected in 'progress,' it would involve understanding and practicing multiple Daoist Magic techniques.

However, the effort required was no different.

If Daoist Magic like the "Vajra Shield Technique," a Tier 1 Level 3 technique, also entered the proficient level, it could still be included in the Daoist Magic Chapter.

The only problem now was that while his cultivation was rapidly advancing, the Spirit Stone resources in his hands were also being depleted quickly.

After all, to achieve a cultivation effect in the wild valley that was comparable to sixty to seventy percent of that in the Luo Family, one had to be willing to invest resources.

The more than twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones he carried with him were now completely depleted. He had to leave the valley to retrieve his other pack from those treasure locations.

Chen Dengming immediately got up and informed Jiang Qiang that he was going out.

Thanks to him using the Spirit Seizing Formation to absorb the Metal and Wood elemental Spiritual Energy, Jiang Qiang only needed to focus on absorbing Fire elemental Spiritual Energy from the Water, Fire, and Earth elemental Spiritual Energy. His cultivation efficiency had improved significantly, and he was close to breaking through to the third level of Qi Cultivation.

Chen Dengming put on a human skin mask and a bamboo hat, then stepped into the snow.

When he wasn't using his Qinggong, he would sink into the snow as he walked, making a 'crunching' sound.

After using Qinggong, he walked on snow without leaving a trace, covering dozens of feet in an instant, ethereal and elusive.

Soon.

He moved far away from the valley and arrived beside Lingyue Lake, not far from the Gathering Place.

His other pack was in a Quiet Cultivation Residence within Lingyue Lake.

The residence also contained a Spirit Seizing Array Disk and an Illusion Formation Disk.

He had previously been afraid to approach because he worried about enemies watching him. Although the war between the Zhu and Luo families was intensifying, forcing many Rogue Cultivators into the conflict, it had been more than half a month. Chen Dengming surmised that no one would be guarding this place anymore.

He soared onto the crown of a large tree, observing the situation over there, and could also see the outline of the Gathering Place in the distance.

He could see what looked like frozen corpses in the snow, whether they were Cultivators or Mortals.

Some people were even gnawing on something next to the corpses, sending chills down his spine.

Under the severe winter cold, coupled with the fierce and continuous war between Cultivators, many Mortals who were already struggling to survive the winter were pushed to the brink of death. It was difficult even to collect food, and all their energy was spent on surviving and protecting themselves, let alone searching for good food. The cruel situation of cannibalism had now occurred.

Chen Dengming watched with a chill in his heart. Whose fault was all this? One could only say that weakness was the original sin.

The annulment of the marriage contract between the Luo Family and the Luo Family led to this war between Cultivation families. Several major families had not yet shown any signs of damage, but countless Rogue Cultivators and Mortals had been crushed to pieces.

He quickly concealed his presence and moved towards the Quiet Cultivation Residence.

After a cup of tea.

Chen Dengming stood in the woods outside the Quiet Cultivation Residence with a solemn expression and a somewhat grim face, narrowing his eyes to observe the situation there.