Li Chen had lain low in Cloudstride City for some time and had long since learned that the Xia Household possessed a treasury stocked with all manner of rare treasured materials to support its younger members in their cultivation.
With his strength, slipping inside to investigate would not have been difficult, but he had not done so.
What he truly needed were things that benefited his primordial spirit and helped him heal and recover his strength, not ordinary treasures.
Even those things were not essential, however, merely useful.
If the Xia Household had them, all the better. If not, he would let the matter rest.
Once this period of weakness passed, the Outer Dao experts would likely have eased their search as well. Looking for a way home then would be safer.
The same reasoning explained why he had not directly controlled the Core Formation cultivators in the city or chosen other Foundation Establishment experts.
Those people possessed some ability in Brain Deconstruction and self-mastery-the so-called seeing one's nature and illuminating the mind. Their social connections were also more complicated, and they interacted with many experts. He could remain undetected for a short time, but over a longer period, that became difficult to guarantee.
Ordinary civilians and common rogue cultivators, on the other hand, could hardly influence the local situation or keep track of developments among the higher-ups. They might not even know if the Immortal Alliance sent a Nascent Soul Expert to investigate.
Someone like Xia Ziyi, who possessed a measure of resources and potential but was weak and simple-minded, was easier to use.
Sure enough, after hearing the enticing words of Li Chen disguised as Elder Bai, Xia Ziyi could think of nothing but growing stronger and rising to prominence. Combined with Li Chen's manipulation of his brain,