Using entries to cultivate immortality in chaotic times

A familiar voice arose from behind, and Chen Qiu almost instantly turned his head to see the expressionless old man now standing behind a few people, holding his tattered black flag, looking over the mess in the Ask Heaven Workshop Market.

It was no one else.

It was precisely the fortune-telling Taoist who had warned him about the excess of resentful spirits on his person.

"Did you know about the disaster that would befall the Ask Heaven Workshop Market?"

Seated cross-legged on the shoulders of the bearded muscleman, the scholar asked curiously, "Then why didn't you inform everyone in advance so they could know? That way, they wouldn't have had to die here, and so many people in Fufeng City wouldn't have had to die."

"How should I say this?"

The silver-haired old man glanced at the scholar and said indifferently, "Even if the people of Ask Heaven Workshop Market and Fufeng City had heeded the advice and were willing to flee, then what? The invasion of the Demon Clan would still have to occur elsewhere."

"To save one small fish at the expense of another."

"That could not be considered a virtuous deed."

"Don't argue with me about righteousness. This old man has his own path to follow. What I hate most in this life is hearing people say, 'Why didn't you speak out to prevent the disaster if you could have avoided it'?"

"The only reason I was willing to shoulder some karma to warn this young child was simply because I took a liking to him."

"Regrettably, he doesn't heed advice very well."

Afterwards, the old man shook his head and shook the black flag in his hand, turned around, and gazed distantly toward the sky, murmuring, "Turbulent times are on the horizon, who can remain untouched forever?"

"Even the 'Avoiding Heaven Sect' has shown signs of activity in this world."

"Who can truly hide?"

"Right, young man, you are quite persuadable. The resentful spirits of the demon beasts on you are gone, but now you've accumulated a slew of resentful spirits from Demon Clan cultivators. That's good, you figure it out yourself."

With that—

The old man slowly stepped forward and vanished on the spot like smoke.

From beginning to end, not a trace of spiritual energy fluctuated from the elder, making it impossible to gauge his level of cultivation.

...

"..."

Chen Qiu gazed emotionlessly in the direction where the old man had disappeared, without speaking. He knew he had met someone formidable the last time he encountered this elder—ordinary people could not have identified the fact that he had an excess buildup of resentful spirits.

And now, it seemed he was indeed right.

However, it also reminded him that he should deal with the resentful spirits of the Demon Clan cultivators that were on him as soon as possible. After all, they represented a not-insubstantial fighting strength, which he was somewhat reluctant to waste for no good reason.

If by tonight there were still no useful opportunities,

Then he would not hesitate to deal with them immediately; it would not be worth risking his body being invaded by resentful energy just for a bit of fighting strength.

Just at that moment—

A powerful pressure of someone at the Golden Core stage suddenly enveloped the entire Ask Heaven Workshop Market. Out of nowhere, a barefoot middle-aged man floated above the marketplace, his spiritual energy carrying a terrifying force that surged like waves toward Chen Qiu and the others.

In almost an instant—

Such formidable power forced Chen Qiu and the others to uncontrollably fall face-first to the ground.

"It's the Barefoot Immortal..."

Pressed to the ground, the scholar couldn't help but say in a hoarse and hurried voice, "It's the Barefoot Immortal, the workshop owner of the Ask Heaven Workshop Market, with the cultivation of the fourth layer of the Golden Core."

"Damn it..."

Chen Qiu, forcefully pushed to the ground by the wave-like terrifying power, tasted the bitterness of dirt in his mouth and couldn't help but feel a nameless fury rising within him. This was the second time today he had been overpowered and brought to the ground by the mere presence of someone at the Golden Core stage!

While it immensely irritated him, it also filled him with an intense longing to break through to the Golden Core stage himself.

Immediately afterwards,

the barefoot middle-aged man floating in mid-air looked down at the four people lying on the ground with an indifferent gaze, as if looking at ants, and said, "Was it you who robbed my Mystical Market?"

"Killed my people?"

"No."

Chen Qiu, whose cheek was forcibly pressed against the ground, couldn't even lift his head to look at the middle-aged man in the air. He could only scream with all his might, "When we arrived, it was already like this."

"We are only at the Foundation Establishment level of cultivation; it's impossible for us to kill so many people in such a short time!"

"Oh."
Your journey continues on empire

The barefoot middle-aged man glanced at his nails casually and said, "Apart from you, there's also the presence of Da Xia's envoys here; you're not suggesting that it was the Da Xia envoys who robbed my Mystical Market, are you?"

"Da Xia Country has decreed that no envoy may kill without cause, nor may they rob others of their opportunities and possessions without cause."

"Just as it is absolutely forbidden to kill on the Da Xia Official Road."

"Both are iron laws of the country."

"Here, there are only traces of you and the Da Xia envoys. If it wasn't you, could it really be the Da Xia envoys? I'll take you to the Capital to see how His Majesty intends to explain this time."

The next moment—

An overwhelming surge of Spiritual Energy suddenly transformed into tens of thousands of Spirit Lines, binding Chen Qiu and the others, and just as the barefoot man prepared to rise, his pupils suddenly burst with an incredulous light. The man instantly lost his previous indifferent composure, excitement taking over as his breathing became hurried and intense!

In an instant, he descended from mid-air and stopped in front of the scholar.

"Is... is that the scent of a lower-grade Golden Core Spiritual Treasure?"

"You actually possess the scent of a lower-grade Golden Core Spiritual Treasure?"

"Quick, quick, quick, bring it out!"

"Fortune in misfortune, fortune in misfortune indeed!"

With a greedy gaze fixed unblinkingly on the scholar's sleeve, where a miniature longsword seemed to shrink back with a life of its own, the barefoot middle-aged man became extremely excited as he said, "Never would I have imagined I'd one day have the chance to possess a lower-grade Golden Core Spiritual Treasure."

Having said that,

the barefoot man waved his hand casually, retracting all the Spirit Lines bound to the group, and transformed his Spiritual Energy into a massive cage, enveloping them all.

A lower-grade Golden Core Spiritual Treasure already possesses a certain level of Spiritual Wisdom; to capture such a treasure, one must construct an airtight cage to prevent the Spiritual Treasure from escaping.

To be on the safe side, this cage had to be extremely solid; wasting Spiritual Energy on binding them would be making a mountain out of a molehill – after all, they were but a few Foundation Establishment infants. Even if I let you run, how far could you possibly get?

Then, with a face filled with greed and ferocity, he took step by step toward the scholar, ready to claim his own opportunity.

A group of Foundation Establishment infants possessing a lower-grade Golden Core Spiritual Treasure – wasn't this an opportunity just waiting to be picked?

Even if he stood still and let these Foundation Establishment infants hit him, they wouldn't be able to shatter his Protective Spirit Qi no matter how hard they tried.

Golden Core and Foundation Establishment, the difference is like heaven and earth.

Once one reaches Golden Core, one enjoys boundless freedom beneath the Nine Heavens.

It's not just a mere jest.

"Fellow daoist."

Feeling the restraints off his body, the scholar, with a rather pale face, sat back down cross-legged in place and hoarsely said to the barefoot man approaching him step by step, "My name is Bai Yi. You should have heard of me; I was once the number one Sword Cultivator of Da Xia, and I was also at the Golden Core level."

"Could you do me the honor and let us go today?"

"Once my cultivation is restored, I will surely repay you handsomely. You know as well as I do that we have nothing to do with what happened to the Mystical Market."