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Shen Duheng: "Qiuyi Mortal Market has the smallest export route and the poorest resources, so why was it chosen?"
Shan Heyuan: "It's nothing special, but there are two large, dead cities nearby, and these two cities are connected. It's harder for us to conceal our tracks when we go to the normal cities, but going to the dead cities shouldn't be too much of a problem."
Shan Heyuan said seriously, "I've thought it over. We need time to recover and stabilize our cultivation level. Right now, what we need most is stability; everything else can wait."
Shen Duheng: "There's a fatal problem with going to the city of the dead—it has no Spiritual Power."
Shan Heyuan still insisted on his opinion. "Not necessarily. I read in the newspaper that there were survivors in the city where the dead lived. They should have a way. Besides, there's no Spiritual Power inside, which would conveniently shield us from Ji Li's tracking."
After discussing for a while, the two decided to first go to Qiuyi Mortal Market to take a look, and if that didn't work out, they would go somewhere else.
This was also a compromise by Shen Duheng.
Shen Duheng held Shan Heyuan tightly.
Shan Heyuan no longer has a physical body; it's unknown how long he can exist solely with his Nascent Soul, or if there will be any long-term consequences.
Without the favor of Heavenly Dao, it would be difficult to generate a complete body this time.
Both were preoccupied with their own thoughts, yet they tried their best to project a positive image when facing each other.
Shan Heyuan no longer had a physical body, he used his previous knowledge of space and experience from thousands of years ago to fix his Dantian Small World onto Shen Duheng's storage bracelet.
This storage bracelet was a gift from him to Shen Duheng. At the time, he said that the bracelet was of good quality and had the potential to advance. Now, it's perfect for storing the coordinates of his Dantian Small World.
After trying for a few days, Shen Duheng successfully logged out of Qiuyi Mortal Market.
Unfortunately Shan Heyuan only had his Nascent Soul left and couldn't leave his Dantian Small World, so Shen Duheng had to handle the external affairs.
Qiuyi Mortal Market is a small city with limited resources.
Shen Duheng secretly went to several auction houses, but he couldn't find any materials that could support Shan Heyuan Nascent Soul.
Shan Heyuan wasn't disappointed at all, and even comforted Shen Duheng: "Ordinary people would need hundreds of years to accumulate this level of rare and precious treasures, how could we possibly find them in just a few months?"
Shen Duheng looked at him. "If you can't find it, you won't be able to get out."
Shan Heyuan: "There's no rush. I have an idea regarding the current situation."
Shen Duheng: "What are your thoughts?"
"Do you remember that big banyan tree?" Shan Heyuan said. "I was thinking, would it be better for me to construct my own body using Spirit Plant than a puppet?"
For Shan Heyuan, constructing his own body using Spirit Plant was a very familiar concept.
Before he transmigrated, he had heard various stories in myths and legends about using plants to construct bodies. After transmigrating, the fact that humans could directly transform into Spirit Plant became a reality.
He felt a greater connection to constructing his body from Spirit Plant than to using a puppet.
Shen Duheng said, "That's one way too. I'll go find you a suitable Cultivation Method."
"Remember to search discreetly, don't let Ji Li's people find out." After saying that, Shan Heyuan thought for a moment and added, "It's okay if you can't find it. I already have an inspiration, and I'll try to use the Illusionless Tree as much as possible over the next period of time."
The Illusionless Tree was badly damaged by the lightning strikes, and the Lightning-Struck Wood Sprout on it were almost killed.
However, it still exists; it wasn't completely destroyed.
Shan Heyuan wanted to use it to construct his own body, he wouldn't need many materials. A few dozen meters of tree branches would be enough for him to use ten or eight times, so there was no need to rush.
This is also why he prefers to use Spirit Plant to construct his body; the materials are readily available, so there's no need to risk searching outside.
Shen Duheng demanded. "Safety first, we can't take too many risks."
Shan Heyuan moved closer and put her arm around him, smiling at him, "Don't worry, I haven't lived enough yet, I won't do anything reckless."
Now that they had decided on their future path, they didn't linger in Qiuyi Mortal Market.
They went directly to Ridge Pine City —one of the cities that had died.
Shan Heyuan was still inside his Dantian Small World; only Shen Duheng was outside.
He disguised himself slightly, pretending to be a down-on-his-luck, Rogue Cultivator swordsman.
Among the independent cultivators, swordsmen were the most numerous. After Rogue Cultivator, Shen Duheng would be completely inconspicuous in the crowd.
The only slightly special thing about him is that he has the cultivation level of a Nascent Soul cultivator, which is considered relatively high among the Rogue Cultivator.
He entered Ridge Pine City carrying his sword.
As one of the great cities that have died, entering Ridge Pine City felt like entering another dimension, where even the sky was gray-blue and a hazy dust floated in the air.
The dead city stood out from the others.
When Shen Duheng entered, he could feel that the Spiritual Power within his body was circulating extremely sluggishly.
This place is indeed devoid of the Heavenly Dao and Spiritual Power; he felt extremely uncomfortable after entering it.
Fortunately, he was already Spirit Transformation cultivator, and his body was strong enough that even without using his cultivation, he could survive here for a relatively long time by relying solely on his physical strength.
It was only after personally visiting the site that Shen Duheng became certain that if they stayed here, they would indeed be difficult to track.
Tracking Law Artifact require a supply of Spiritual Power. In a place devoid of even Spiritual Power, it would be difficult for Ji Li to operate them, even with her special abilities.
Furthermore, given the dire situation here, Ji Li would likely not dare to enter easily.
They would be even happier if Ji Li came in.
Without Spiritual Power, the cultivation levels of both sides will be further leveled out.
That means they can increase their chances of killing Ji Li and completely eliminate this major threat.
Ji Li dares to come, they will definitely make sure he doesn't leave alive.
Shen Duheng walked through Ridge Pine City, carrying his sword.
Most of the buildings in the city are still intact, but they are covered with a thick layer of dust on the outside and are dirty inside.
He could smell a rotten, musty odor.
Besides the scent, Shen Duheng could also sense the gazes being cast from the shadowy corners.
Those gazes were cautious, and scrutinizing.
Shen Duheng glanced slightly in the direction the gaze came from, and several pairs of eyes hid in surprise.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, these are the remaining residents of the city.
In just half a day since they arrived, Shen Duheng had already discovered that these survivors were likely pursuing physical cultivation. They not only possessed cultivation levels, but their cultivation levels had generally reached over 50% of the Qi Refining stage.
For them, this level of cultivation was nothing special, but it was much better than he had expected.
The dead city wasn't as bad as he had imagined.
Shen Duheng took a stroll around the city, but instead of staying in the city, he chose a Spirit Plant garden in the suburbs.
Ridge Pine City and the neighboring Zuting City are "dead," and the Spirit Plant Garden, which lies between them, is also completely dead.
Not only was there no Spiritual Power left in the Spirit Plant garden, but even the spiritual soil on top had been dug up, leaving only empty gravel.
When the city was destroyed, its owner may have moved everything that could be moved in time to minimize the loss.
The pond and irrigation system outside the Spirit Plant garden are in good condition, and the attached houses are also intact.
It doesn't matter if the spirit soil is gone; they can just take out the spirit soil they collected earlier and spread it on top. As long as the infrastructure and restrictions are still there, it's fine. If they can make some minor repairs and it's usable, it will save them a lot of trouble.
Shan Heyuan had no physical body and could not leave the Dantian Small World, Shen Duheng took on the task of repairing the Spirit Plant garden.
Having been with Shan Heyuan for so long, Shen Duheng knew everything he needed to know, so repairing this medium-sized Spirit Plant garden wasn't difficult for him, just a bit time-consuming.
There was no one around, few animals, and the whole world was silent.
The clanging and banging sounds of Shen Duheng working in the Spirit Plant garden carried far and wide, adding a touch of life to the gray world.
With other things to do, the two of them weren't too anxious about it.