Fires of War Raging and Strong Winds Howling, Heads Piling High with No Return

After the Black Cloud Leopard had eaten and drunk its fill, Chen Dengming politely declined the silly leopard's insistence on donating blood, admonishing the silly leopard not to meddle, to avoid trouble, to avoid making enemies, to prioritize peace, and if enemies were to arise, to strike first, and not to rush to fight the leopard when encountering injustice.

Then, leaving the seemingly enlightened fool leopard behind in the mountains, he promised to come and summon it again another day, and then turned and drifted away.

Now that he has reached the Foundation Establishment stage, Chen Dengming feels much more relaxed when Blade Control through the air. His escape speed is faster, and he consumes less Spiritual Qi.

Increased control over Spiritual Qi energy means more refined spellcasting and spirit manipulation.

This is a process that naturally comes into play once your capabilities are enhanced.

It's like someone suddenly regressing to a fish-like state, gaining gills, and naturally being able to breathe underwater, without needing much complicated understanding or contemplation.

Now, Chen Dengming could understand why the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the sect liked to fly around in the air and talk to their disciples while floating in the air.

It's probably easier because it consumes less spirit energy, and flying is very casual.

Secondly, this allows for frequent practice of flying skills and refining of positioning during daily activities, making it a natural habit and enabling greater flexibility and maneuverability in combat.

As for the fact that he was floating in the air when he spoke to his disciples, Chen Dengming once thought that it was probably because the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the sect wanted to establish their authority and show off.

Now he feels that he was just being superficial and that he definitely didn't have that need.

"Whoosh!--"

Chen Dengming transformed into a blade of light and embarked on a high-speed flight.

Boom--

The air currents were turbulent, violently torn apart by the flash of the blade.

Soon, Chen Dengming's flight speed approached the subsonic speed of half the speed of sound, and in the blink of an eye, he flew more than eighty feet away.

However, after maintaining this speed for several dozen breaths, Chen Dengming had to slow down his flight.

As the speed increases, the air resistance becomes too strong.

In particular, as he further activated his sword energy to protect himself from the increasingly powerful airflow, the resistance would continue to increase with the speed.

In the end, the air seemed to have turned into liquid water, so thick that it was suffocating.

However, if one weakens or removes the sword aura protecting the body, the result is obvious: the resistance will not be reduced much, but the damage to the body from the strong airflow will be even greater.

Chen Dengming had boasted that he had cultivated the Indestructible Vajra Zen Skill and Demonic Cultivation Method, so his body should be able to withstand any pressure.

But after only a short while, he had to give up this self-destructive behavior.

That's right, the body withstood the attack, but a lot of hair was almost pulled out one by one by the strong airflow.

People were flying wildly in front, their hair flying wildly behind them, it was like a family division ceremony.

Moreover, when I tried to open my eyes, my eyelids were trembling wildly, and my eyeballs were constantly tearing up, as if I had applied mentholatum.

A speed of over 80 zhang in half a breath translates to over 900 kilometers per hour, nearly 1,000 kilometers per hour, comparable to the speed of a slower fighter jet in my previous life.

At such extreme speeds, air resistance is naturally very high, resulting in a significant loss of Spiritual Qi.

However, if the speed were changed to more than forty feet in half a breath, Chen Dengming felt that it would be acceptable.

After this attempt, he flew directly to the vicinity of Changle Workshop.

"My current maximum flight speed is about twice that before the breakthrough, and I feel it can still be increased, possibly approaching the speed of sound, but the consumption of Spiritual Qi would be too great."

"Currently, if we fly at a constant speed of about forty zhang per half breath, while keeping our Spiritual Qi within a safe range, traveling thousands of miles a day is as easy as playing around. This would have been very difficult to do before, as we didn't have enough Law Power and our speed wasn't that fast."

Chen Dengming maintained his direction and flew towards Changle Workshop, smoothing down his hair which was almost flying into the air as he pondered with satisfaction.

He was quite satisfied with this initial attempt.

Today's constant-speed flight is almost identical to the extreme speed flight of the past.

Moreover, the sustainable flight time has been conservatively estimated to have increased tenfold.

A fast escape speed means a strong ability to survive. In the Cultivation World, the strongest skill is not who has the strongest attack power, but who has the fastest escape speed.

Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, running away is the best.

"Why?"

Chen Dengming had just smoothed his hair down when his gaze suddenly turned strange as he looked at the crowd gathered at the entrance of Changshengfang in the distance.

There were some Evergreen Sect disciples there, seemingly carrying out some kind of mission.

A large number of Rogue Cultivator gathered in line, but the scene did not appear too chaotic.

Apart from the occasional murmurs from the onlookers, the atmosphere was somber and somewhat strange.

Chen Dengming flew over in surprise, thought for a moment, then took out the Zhao Guang Fan Ling Jing and used it as a regular mirror to look at his own face.

"The eyes. It's easy to draw the bones and skin, but difficult to draw the spirit. My eyes are still easily recognized by people who know me well."

Chen Dengming's eyes flickered a few times, realizing that it was indeed difficult to change a person's gaze.

Only by trying to use the Bone Shrinking Technique, circulating Spiritual Qi, and making the brow peak at the center of the forehead slightly raised, can the distance between the eyes be slightly altered.

As a result, his appearance underwent Xu Wei change in his eyes, which did not have a significant impact on his overall appearance. Acquaintances would not notice anything unusual, but he was now completely different from Gao Hu of Changle Workshop.

When he received his travel permit at the border of the Longevity Sect's territory, he had already used his Bone Shrinking Technique to change his appearance once, transforming from Chen Dengming into Gao Hu.

Two months ago, when he joined the Evergreen Sect, he changed his appearance again, carrying a new travel permit, and joined the Evergreen Sect under the new guise of Chen Ming.

It was covered with two more layers of leather.

Nowadays, not only would people from the old Gathering Place not recognize him, but even acquaintances from Changle Workshop would not recognize him as Bai Mao Chen Dengming.

"Whoosh--"

Chen Dengming controlled the Escape Light and flew over.

Several Evergreen Sect disciples saw another fellow Senior Brother flying over, glanced at him a few times, but realized they didn't recognize Chen Dengming. They thought he was sent by the sect to deliver some message.

As Chen Dengming approached, an Evergreen Sect disciple, seemingly the leader and at the Qi Cultivation Ninth Level, asked in surprise, "This Junior Brother looks unfamiliar. Is he a newcomer? I don't know his name. What brings you here?"

Chen Dengming was also taken aback.

As soon as he saw the crowd part, he naturally walked in. A group of the Evergreen Sect disciples stopped what they were doing and looked at him. They thought these disciples all knew him, the newly promoted Foundation Establishment, but they actually treated him as their Junior Brother.

However, he had been in seclusion for more than two months at the Evergreen Sect, and although the commotion when he broke through to the Foundation Establishment was significant, not all disciples saw it, so it's normal that they didn't recognize him.

Chen Dengming immediately replied politely with a smile, "My name is Chen Ming, and I am indeed a recent Nephew Disciple. I've come here to see what you're doing here and to get a sense of the situation."

Who are you?

Someone who's only recently started learning is already calling us "Nephew Disciple"?

This time, it was the three Evergreen Sect disciples who were stunned and bewildered.

The leader, in particular, frowned and scrutinized Chen Dengming's fellow disciple's robes.

Just as he was about to reprimand the unruly and mischievous new disciple, the words suddenly caught in his throat, and his eyes widened in shock.

"Chen, you said you are Chen, Chen Ming?"

"Chen Ming?"

"That newbie Chen"

The other two disciples were initially bewildered, but quickly realized what was happening and were somewhat at a loss for what to do.

"Oh my! Look at my sharp eyesight!" The leading disciple immediately slapped his stiff, inflexible cheek and quickly forced a smile.

"I say, Martial Uncle Chen, I'm sorry. I was blind just now and didn't recognize you at first glance. You came here in person, disguised, and even wearing a disciple's robe. Are you here on behalf of the sect to inspect our work?"

Chen Dengming then realized that he was still wearing the robes of the Evergreen Sect disciple.

He was used to wearing those robes, so he didn't think much of it.

The benefits and perks of being promoted to Foundation Establishment cultivator, including the sect's top-tier robes, haven't been given to him yet.

At this moment, the Rogue Cultivator who were queuing up around them also started to make a slight commotion.

Awe-inspiring gazes fell upon Chen Dengming from all directions.

The senior uncle of the Evergreen Sect disciple, isn't that Foundation Establishment cultivator?

Some of the Rogue Cultivator standing nearby were getting so close to Foundation Establishment cultivators for the first time. They felt their legs go weak and their bodies felt like they were about to fall backward. They didn't dare to show it on their faces, their facial muscles stiff as if they were bull's shanks, and they were very nervous.

"Ahem." Chen Dengming coughed lightly and glanced at the Rogue Cultivator around him who were making a slight commotion.

The scene fell silent instantly.

Several people nearby, their legs weak, stumbled a few steps, and hurriedly stood still, not daring to even glance at Chen Dengming.

Chen Dengming felt a little uncomfortable being watched by so many people. He looked at his respectful disciples and said, "Ah, this Nephew Disciple."

"Just call me Xiao Jiang, Uncle-Master. What are your instructions?"

No, I just wanted to.

Chen Dengming paused, then composed himself and said, "I just wanted to ask about your work situation. How is it going? Who are these people?"

"Oh, so you're checking on the work progress, Uncle-Master. Come, Uncle-Master, let's sit over there. That's my own teahouse."

"Nephew Disciple you're enjoying a cup of spiritual tea, I'll take this opportunity to give you a detailed report on the work situation."

Chen Dengming glanced at the spirit tea shop that the leading disciple was pointing to—it was the shop of the Immortal Ginger.

He used to occasionally go to Changle Workshop for tea.

But this old Jiang has a terrible temper and speaks loudly. It turns out someone in his family is a disciple of the Evergreen Sect. No wonder.

He hadn't intended to go over, but when he saw Old Jiang's familiar figure, who was unusually smiling and waiting at the door, bowing and scraping, he couldn't help but become interested.

"Is this your shop?"

"Of course, please come, Uncle-Master. Don't be shy, I'll serve you some fine spiritual tea."

Xiao Jiang greeted Chen Dengming warmly, then turned to his two disciples and said, "Junior Brother, you two are in charge of the recruitment registration."

The two Junior Brother forced a smile, but in their hearts they were cursing their hypocritical Senior Brother Jiang to the bone.

Damn it, you went to flatter your newly promoted senior apprentice, and now you're sitting in your own shop drinking tea.

We were just tools; we couldn't get close to our senior uncle, and we didn't even get a cup of tea.

Among the crowd watching the spectacle not far away.

Li Xue looked up at her father, Li Rong, and whispered with a pout, "Dad, is this newly promoted Foundation Establishment cultivator making such a grand entrance?"

Even when my uncle came to Changle Workshop, he wasn't this high-profile, with people serving him like servants.

Li Rong's expression changed slightly. He covered Li Xue's mouth and whispered a curse.

"You brat, are you out of your mind? How dare you criticize a Foundation Establishment cultivator? Just because your uncle is Foundation Establishment doesn't give you the right to criticize another one!"

Li Xue's eyes flickered. Although Qi Ingestion, she still snorted and remained silent.

Li Rong shook his head, thinking to himself, "Never mind, you're lucky. Not only do you have your uncle protecting you, but if your Uncle Gao really cares, he'll also take care of you in the future."

"Huh? Fellow Daoist Li, you're saying this Senior Chen was really a former retainer of the Wu Family? How come I've never heard of the Wu Family having such a powerful retainer before?"

At this moment, Xiao Ma, a neighbor standing nearby, clicked his tongue in amazement and asked.

Li Rong glanced at Xiao Ma and snorted, "There are many things you don't know. If you could easily find out the secrets of these Cultivation Family, how would they survive?"

Little Horse Qi Ingestion, "Tch—I used to belong to a great immortal cultivation clan, but now I've fallen from grace. What a pity."

I couldn't help but think of that Fellow Daoist Gao, who was also on the verge of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment, but now he has disappeared without a trace.

"The world outside is in chaos now. If Fellow Daoist Gao fails to break through to the Foundation Establishment and leave the Evergreen Sect's territory, I'm afraid it won't be easy for him to survive."

Li Rong scoffed, "You should worry more about yourself!"

The Evergreen Sect's recruitment this time was relatively mild, offering disciple quotas and Cultivation Method as rewards, which was much better than some other sects and indeed encouraged many people to voluntarily join the Battlefield.

But you, Little Ma, are still too green, you especially need to be careful."

After saying that, he turned to look at Chen Dengming's figure as he entered the spirit tea shop, his thoughts swirling and his feelings quite complicated.

Although he didn't recognize Fellow Daoist Gao's current appearance, he did know the name Chen Ming.

When Li Rong heard that the Evergreen Sect had recently gained a Foundation Establishment cultivator named Chen Ming, he almost fell off the bed.

That's too fast!

Fellow Daoist Gao's breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment was too fast, completely exceeding his expectations.

Now, although he felt genuinely happy and excited, and proud of Fellow Daoist Gao's achievements, he also reminded himself that Chen Ming was now a stranger, and he should not treat him as Gao Hu.

That kind, generous, and powerful Fellow Daoist Gao is dead.

One hour later.

A flash of light streaked out from Changle Workshop and disappeared into the awe-inspiring gazes of the crowd.

With the departure of the Foundation Establishment cultivator, the atmosphere in the Marketplace instantly became much more relaxed.

It's not that Foundation Establishment cultivators don't frequent Changle Workshop; for example, the Changle Workshop Evergreen Sect occasionally sends a Foundation Establishment cultivator to oversee the area.

But they generally came and went discreetly, rarely interacting with the disciples and Rogue Cultivator within the community.

Therefore, Chen Dengming was the first person to walk directly into the crowd in such an approachable manner, which almost scared several of the unsophisticated Rogue Cultivator who were nearby to tears.

Chen Dengming's original intention for this trip to Changle Workshop was to see if there were any suitable materials for forging swords or finished high-level Law Artifact Treasure Blade in the Law Artifact shops within the Marketplace.

If one has top-tier Law Artifact, that would be even better. Even if one doesn't have the money to buy them, one can still admire them and broaden one's horizons.

His primary Law Artifact of choice is still the Ice Spirit Blade.

However, this knife was, after all, forged by the Ming family's master craftsman, and it was too closely associated with Chen Dengming's past identity.

It's fine for short-term use within the Evergreen Sect, but if you plan to use it long-term, it will ultimately be considered a weakness.

If I encounter Ming Family cultivator in the future, I might be recognized.

Of course, he could also say that he murdered someone to steal the treasure, or that he bought it from somewhere else.

But no matter how many excuses there are, nothing beats simply changing it directly.

Now that I've become Foundation Establishment cultivator, using high-level Law Artifact isn't beneath me.

Many Foundation Establishment cultivators use high-level magic Law Artifact, which allow them to unleash the full power of these Law Artifacts.

But in reality, the most suitable Foundation Establishment cultivators are top-tier Law Artifact that surpass even high-level Law Artifact.

"Unfortunately, there are no top-tier Law Artifact in this Changle Workshop."

However, it seems that the sect does have them, but they require a large amount of Sect Contribution to exchange for, and I don't have any contribution points at all.

A long wind brushed his face, Chen Dengming flew swiftly, surrounded by flashes of sword light. He sighed inwardly, "I'm still too poor."

He still has considerable assets, including more than fifty Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

There are still some Law Artifact and stolen goods that haven't been sold, and the total assets are probably around a hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stone.

However, this amount of money is a lot for Qi Cultivation Cultivator, but for Foundation Establishment cultivator, it's just at the bottom level.

A top-tier second-order Law Artifact is worth at least ten High-grade Spirit Stones, which is equivalent to thousands of Mid-grade Spirit Stones. He can't even afford a fragment of a top-tier Law Artifact right now.

A top-tier first-order Law Artifact, that's worth taking a look at.

"My most valuable possession right now is probably a Black Cloud Leopard that I've successfully manipulated. This Qi Cultivation Eighth Level Demon Beast, a top-tier monster, should fetch a good price if sold to disciples of some Beast Taming Sects, right?"

Chen Dengming pondered this in his mind, but then felt it was unreliable.

He can manipulate Black Cloud Leopard, but that doesn't mean others can.

If a leopard doesn't obey, it's Demon Beast and worthless.

At this moment, a green mountain could be vaguely seen ahead. Beyond the green mountain lay the territory of another Wusheng Sect Immortal Sect, the Wusheng Sect.

Within this vast area, the Longevity Sect is the most powerful. All the surrounding immortal Immortal Sect, even those that are not affiliated with the Longevity Sect, must accept some of the Longevity Sect's commands during wartime. Even if they are unwilling to participate in the Battlefield, they must at least contribute some strength.

Chen Dengming flew over here to check the situation because he had learned about the actions of the major sects in the Marketplace and wanted to observe the situation and the surrounding security.

It turns out that the Evergreen Sect disciples had previously recruited rogue Rogue Cultivator in the Marketplace to serve as laborers and send them to the Battlefield in the northeast corner of the front line.

However, the Evergreen Sect's approach was as gentle as ever, using the number of sect disciples and some special Daoist techniques that were not usually passed down as rewards to encourage Rogue Cultivator to actively sign up for the Battlefield. It was a case of one party willing to fight and the other willing to be attacked.

Therefore, the atmosphere in the Marketplace was solemn, but the scene was not chaotic.

But other sects are said to be less lenient.

They often resorted to conscription, requiring Rogue Cultivator labor. Once conscripted, they were forcibly sent to the Battlefield, and could return after making meritorious contributions or when the time limit was up.

Chen Dengming circled the edge of Qingshan Mountain and then noticed with a heavy expression that there were many Wusheng Sect disciples patrolling and guarding the area, seemingly to prevent any Rogue Cultivator from disobeying the recruitment and escaping.

As his Divine Sense spread out, he noticed that further away, he could vaguely see spirit boats floating in the air.

Some figures, like ants, and Spiritual Light, crawled in the open space, their presence eerie, helpless, and tense.

The situation is not good.

The fact that so many Qi Rogue Cultivator are needed to fill the Battlefield at the front line suggests that the situation is indeed very serious.

Perhaps the rumored invading demons from the Western Regions really did mobilize a lot of Demon Beast, putting great pressure on the front lines.

So many Qi Rogue Cultivator were sent to the front Battlefield, almost all to be cannon fodder. How many of them would actually come back alive?

Chen Dengming had only been watching for a short while when a group of patrolling Wusheng Sect cultivators quickly flew over and reprimanded him.

He frowned slightly, emanating spiritual power, and after revealing his identity as a member of the Evergreen Sect, he immediately silenced the group of traveling cultivators.

Then the group of cultivators politely clasped their fists in greeting, and left dejectedly, watching Chen Dengming from afar as he openly observed them.

Chen Dengming observed for a long time, putting considerable pressure on the traveling disciples of the Wusheng Sect.

However, he only watched from afar.

Seeing many of the fleeing Rogue Cultivator being captured by groups of patrolling disciples from the Wusheng Sect, he couldn't help but think of Zhu Xun and Jiang Qiang, whose fates were unknown, and then he thought of Xu Wei, who was still at the Luo Family.

The location where the Luo Family moved to was also on the eastern border, even more so than Fengwu Workshop.

Fengwu Workshop, after all, is located beyond Jue Lin City, on the outer edge of the Eastern Region.

Therefore, the Luo Family's situation is probably even more dangerous.

But now, with war raging, even though he has reached the Foundation Establishment and his strength and status are vastly different from before, he can no longer cross War Zone to find his old friends.

Just like now, watching those groups of fleeing Rogue Cultivator being captured and brought back, he didn't intend to stop them, since these people were naturally unrelated to him.

But what if Xu Wei, Zhu Xun, or Qiangzi are among these people?

Chen Dengming remained silent. The slight sense of pride and excitement he felt after breaking through to the Foundation Establishment gradually dissipated, and he calmed down.

Foundation Establishment, Foundation Establishment, it's nothing more than building a foundation for immortality.

The struggle for immortality is incredibly cruel.

This path, from the Foundation Establishment, has only just begun.

He turned around, a flash of light appeared on his blade, and he was gone in a flash.

In the distance, the wandering cultivators of the Wusheng Sect, who had been secretly on high alert, relaxed.

He immediately wondered, what was this Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Evergreen Sect doing?

Could it be that the Longevity Sect has once again sent someone to act as a supervisor, urging the Wusheng Sect to conscript men?

It's infuriating! They're both disciples of immortal sects, yet the Immortal Sect is somehow inferior to the Evergreen Sect.

(An extra chapter for no reason! Consider it an apology for not posting yesterday's chapter on time, though that chapter was still posted anyway. Over 11,000 words updated today. Please vote with monthly tickets!)

Tomorrow's update will be a bit late; I plan to update a combined two-part long chapter! It will be no less than 8,000 words.