I Cultivate Longevity in the Cultivation Realm-Chapter 58: News

Soon, the two of them entered the outskirts of the marketplace.

The roads were deserted.

Every house had its doors tightly closed.

Many buildings had been destroyed in the chaos of last night.

The air was thick with the smell of blood, and corpses were strewn across the road, their bodies stripped clean, leaving only the clothes on their backs.

Occasionally, some mortal women and children sat blankly at the entrance of their ruined homes, eyes vacant.

Even their wailing was desperately suppressed, for fear of attracting more trouble.

In just one night.

The outskirts of the marketplace had changed completely.

To survive in such circumstances, one had to be either very powerful or so weak that there was nothing worth looting...

Zhou Changwang and Qian Xiaoyue’s faces were solemn.

Particularly when they saw some of the corpses, which still carried traces of powerful spiritual energy and had wounds clearly inflicted by magical artifacts.

Even cultivators at the Mid Stage of Qi Cultivation and above didn’t escape death.

If they had stayed in the outer area, would they have met the same fate?

The two of them didn’t know, but both felt a sense of relief.

Suddenly, a cultivator darted out from a corner, and upon seeing them, was startled. Instinctively, he raised the magical artifact in his hand, then quickly put it away. Without saying a word, he stepped back and retreated around the corner.

Zhou Changwang and Qian Xiaoyue glanced at each other and tacitly walked in the opposite direction.

They were also afraid of encountering the person again, or even an ambush, so they preferred to take a longer route.

Although if it came to a fight, they felt confident they could win two against one, who knew if he had accomplices?

Moreover, with the chaos just over, the marketplace’s internal order had likely been restored. If guards were patrolling and happened to witness the scene... no matter who won, they would not escape death.

No law enforcer would tolerate continued chaos at this moment. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Afterward, they proceeded with some alarm but no danger.

The two of them safely returned to their rented place.

Seeing their homes still relatively intact, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

They then temporarily parted ways, each running to their own home.

Upon entering his house, he found it in disarray.

Everywhere bore signs of being rummaged through, even the rice jar in his kitchen had been carried away.

If he remembered correctly, there should have been over ten pounds of Crescent Rice in that jar.

Feeling the loss of three or four Lower-Grade Spirit Stones, Zhou Changwang didn’t look happy. He hurried into his bedroom, immediately checking the direction of the underground basement beneath his bed.

His heart skipped a beat.

He quickly approached.

Clearly seeing traces of magical attack on the floor.

But soon, he breathed a sigh of relief.

It hadn’t been breached.

This underground chamber, there before he rented the house, had been remodeled by his father, equipped with many reinforcement measures, and cleverly designed. If unaware of the mechanisms, it would be sealed shut.

Magic of low-tier cultivators truly couldn’t ruin it.

Thankfully so.

Otherwise, the items inside the chamber would have been completely looted.

Although most weren’t worth many spirit stones, those three Spirit Seeds had been cultivated by him with significant time and effort and he naturally didn’t want to lose them.

Then, he opened the chamber, and saw the three Spirit Seeds intact in a corner, finally feeling relieved.

Leaving the chamber, Zhou Changwang looked at the house in disarray and couldn’t help but sigh.

No gold or silver house could compare to one’s own humble abode.

No matter how chaotic, it was still his place to stay, so he started tidying up, using the Cleaning Technique afterward... the speed was quite fast.

Just as he finished tidying everything up, Qian Xiaoyue came over. The things she left in his house last night had also been looted, but she wasn’t disappointed. Upon hearing that Zhou Changwang’s Spirit Rice had been stolen, she brought over two pounds.

Whether it was overlooked or hidden well, her Spirit Rice hadn’t been taken.

Thus, Zhou Changwang was able to have Spirit Rice for lunch, which was a rare satisfaction.

He took out the rewards given by brothers Zhao Jie and Zhao Qiang. Zhao Jie’s was a jade scroll documenting the method of raising spirit beasts. Zhou Changwang inserted his Spiritual Power into it and quickly found that it primarily introduced methods for raising four major types of spirit beasts: pigs, dogs, cows, and sheep.

Although dogs were also recorded, the main feature was a spirit beast known as the Flame Spirit Dog, with fiery red legs like flames, appearing quite magnificent.

As for Earth-penetrating Dogs, they were merely low-tier Spirit Dogs, incomparable to them.

"Yet, being of the same canine kind, it might offer some reference..."

Zhou Changwang thought for a bit, feeling satisfied.

As for the remuneration given by Zhao Qiang, it was a small bag of spirit stones. Upon opening and quickly counting, there were fifty Lower-Grade Spirit Stones, which wasn’t little.

Generally, hiring someone from Spirit Plant Hall wouldn’t even cost this much.

"So, in this case, I actually made a small profit,"

Zhou Changwang remarked and returned to his room to rest.

This time, it was indeed a rest.

He was still clueless about the current situation outside, and didn’t want to waste Spiritual Power practicing Magic or drawing talismans in vain.

He needed to ensure his Spiritual Power was at its peak, ready to handle any sudden occurrences.

Thus, time slipped by.

Two hours passed before the activity outside gradually increased.

Zhou Changwang, looking through the window, even saw people coming and going from the house next to Qian Xiaoyue’s. From their silhouettes, he confirmed it was the two senior brothers among the Tribulation Cultivators from before; as for their names, Qian Xiaoyue hadn’t mentioned, and he hadn’t dared to ask when he encountered them.

However, that ’husband and wife’ pair further away still hadn’t returned. Whether they fled or perished within the marketplace, he didn’t know.

Additionally noteworthy was the return of that Mu Cultivator who had adamantly charged into the Inner City the previous night, though missing an arm from his shoulder. Clearly, the venture into the Inner City didn’t go well.

Yet, in his wife’s eyes, returning alive was already fortunate, so although she covered her face and cried, she kept repeating, "It’s good he’s back, it’s good he’s back."

With people gradually showing up, familiar faces naturally began visiting each other to exchange information, slowly revealing some internal situations from the marketplace.

"This marketplace unrest was incited by the Wu Family allying with Feng Family of Divine Wind Valley and targeting the Bai Family."

"Intense battles unfolded within the marketplace, with Foundation Establishment True Cultivators perishing."

"The main battleground wasn’t the marketplace but the Bai Clan Territory a hundred miles away.

A powerful True Cultivator guarded outside the Bai Clan Territory, preventing anyone from escaping to aid."

"The Bai Family Ancestor made a move, who had been staying inside the marketplace all along. At the critical moment, they forcefully intervened, contending alone against three Foundation Establishment True Cultivators, causing one death, two injuries, and a major retreat for the enemies.

Subsequently, the Bai Family Ancestor forcefully suppressed numerous rebellions.

The internal chaos was finally quelled."

"The Wu Family announced their complete withdrawal from Fengming Dock Marketplace."

...