55: Chapter 55 Spirit Demon Storm!

The next day, there was no sound of a rooster crowing.

Shen Yi had managed to get a good night's sleep for once.

Walking out into the courtyard... he saw Pei Lingshu pulling at a thread, embroidering something.

The sight of such a stark contrast made the corner of Shen Yi's mouth twitch uncontrollably.

Who could have imagined that a sword immortal capable of slaying a Level 9 Qi Refining practitioner... would actually spend time tending to flowers and plants, and doing needlework?

Seeing that Shen Yi was awake, Pei Lingshu said indifferently.

"There is still food in the pot... You slept a bit longer today."

"Hm? You actually reached Level 1 Qi Refining? It seems that meal of dumplings yesterday wasn't eaten in vain."

Shen Yi only then realized it belatedly. He looked inward... and discovered that there was indeed a small puddle in his Dantian, containing a faint trace of Spiritual Qi... It looked like enough to use the Cangding Poison Dragon Flower half a time.

Shen Yi understood.

"I must thank Miss Pei for her great kindness... If not for Miss Pei, I don't know how long I would have had to wait."

"Miss Pei, tell me, do you need me to offer myself to you? To repay the debt with my body?"

A look of shock appeared on Pei Lingshu's face; it seemed she had not expected the Shen Yi before her to say something so shameless.

For a moment, she was left speechless...

She lowered her head and continued working on her needlework.

Seeing this, Shen Yi just chuckled and began to eat...

While eating, Shen Yi looked up, watching the faintly glowing Formation in the courtyard, feeling somewhat puzzled.

"The dead of winter is almost here... Why did Miss Pei activate the Formation to shield the inside from the outside?"

Pei Lingshu did not look up and said indifferently.

"The wind and sand outside are heavy, and I do not like them."

Shen Yi nodded... She was a noble lady, after all; it was normal for her to have things she disliked.

Never mind how much money it wasted... it was about whether it made her feel better.

If it made her feel better, then it was worth it.

After finishing his meal, Shen Yi prepared to take his men to Taiping County.

Passing by the doorway... he felt the new steward, Uncle Fu, had a strange look in his eyes.

Somewhat sinister...

He shook his head and opened the door... then... his mouth fell open.

He saw earth-yellow gravel scraping against his face like bone-scraping knives.

Scraping until his skin and flesh burned...

And before his eyes... was a scene of the world about to be destroyed.

Looking as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but vast yellow sand.

The gravel beneath his feet had already covered his ankles.

The households in Qinghe Town all had their doors tightly shut... the wooden windows creaked as they were battered by the wind and sand.

Shen Yi was dumbfounded.

"This is called 'a bit of wind and sand'?"

"Isn't this just a sandstorm?"

Shen Yi quickly clutched his clothes and stepped into the yellow sand.

He soon arrived at the training ground courtyard.

The courtyard was swept clean... with Dao Soldiers stationed there at all times.

Upon seeing Shen Yi, they all saluted... one of them said in a deep voice.

"Lord Shen... the Old Village Chief is waiting for you in the courtyard."

Shen Yi nodded... and walked over.

Entering the room, he saw the Old Village Chief pacing back and forth, his eyes full of worry.

Seeing Shen Yi arrive, his heart relaxed, as if he had found his backbone.

"Lord Shen..."

"Old Chief, sit down and speak."

The Old Village Chief nodded, sat down, and said in a deep voice.

"Last night, a strange wind and sand suddenly whipped up... The wind and sand were immense, blocking out the sky and sun."

"I originally wanted to go to the Lizheng Mansion to find Lord Shen, but I was blocked by the gatekeeper."

"After I sent a request... the Madam said that Lord Shen was too exhausted, and that any matters should be discussed tomorrow."

"With no other choice, I had to violate regulations and dispatch Dao Soldiers to station themselves on the city walls... and I ordered the villagers to close their doors and windows and not wander around!"

Shen Yi nodded and said with a smile.

"When you can't get in touch during an incident, you must naturally make decisions based on the situation. You are right to do so; Old Chief, do not blame yourself."

"However, this sandstorm appeared quite strangely... Old Chief, do you have any clues?"

The Old Village Chief nodded.

"The Sanchuan Sand Sea is entirely desert and Gobi, with very few oases... and natural disasters are frequent here, making storms extremely common."

"But ever since the noble families moved in, plus the fact that Chuanbei, Chuanzhong, and Chuannan—where we are located—are the regions closest to the interior of the Jing Dynasty, storms have become rare."

"But... every storm represents a disaster!"

Looking at the gravity in the old man's eyes, Shen Yi could not help but sit up straight.

"What do you mean?"

The old man said in a deep voice.

"The last time a storm like this was recorded in a Jade Slip was thirty years ago... And that time, amidst the storm, an Immortal Master happened to appear in Qinghe Town and helped us overcome the crisis!"

"According to that Immortal Master... this type of storm is called a 'Spirit Demon Storm'!"

"The Spirit Demon Storm is filled with 'Yellow Sand Spiritual Qi'. Countless billions of the Yao Race have died in the Sanchuan Sand Sea, so within the Spiritual Qi, there is also this 'Yao Creature Turbid Qi'."

"With resentment existing and Spiritual Qi acting up... within this Spirit Demon Storm, a type of aggregate similar to an elemental Great Yao will be born."

"The Immortal Master called them Spirit Demons!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yi's heart eased slightly.

"Old Chief... the city walls of our Qinghe Town today are not what they used to be... blocking Yao creatures should be fine!"

The old man shook his head.

"Quite the opposite, my Lord."

"Yao creatures appearing... do not just appear in the wild."

"They might appear in the streets and alleys... or they might appear in an old well, a rotten tree, or a pork shop."

"The more yellow sand accumulates, the greater the chance of a Spirit Demon being born."

"The Immortal Master from back then erected a defensive barrier, enclosing our Qinghe Town within it, only then did we survive the crisis!"

"And right now... although we have Yan Shu, a Formation Master, his strength is far inferior... and the area of our Qinghe Town has grown quite a bit."

"It is fundamentally impossible to protect everything."

"My Lord... we must be on guard!"

Hearing this, Shen Yi finally furrowed his brows.

He understood what the old man meant.

The Spirit Demon Storm was, damn it, a huge, large-scale dungeon.

It could respawn monsters anytime, anywhere.

Making it impossible to guard against.

This method was more bizarre and more destructive than a Yao Beast siege...

Wait... a Yao Beast tide, a Spirit Demon Storm.

These two things coming together, damn it?

Could it be that the Yao Beasts had already calculated this?

Shen Yi was shocked... but he saw the old man continue.

"Not only that... the threat inside the Spirit Demon Storm is only a part of it."

"And outside, there is an even more alarming part!"

"Evil cults, bandits, and great thieves... will all take advantage of this storm to plunder the surroundings."

"The storm greatly blocks Divine Sense and vision, causing one to be blinded by a single leaf, unable to see Mount Tai!"

"My Lord, you must be careful and on guard!"

Hearing this, Shen Yi's eyes lit up.

"I have an idea!"

"I'll go back and find the encyclopedia, Pei, and ask her."

"Get some advice."

"Come to think of it... him, a grown man, seeking advice from a woman."

"A sin, a sin."