131: Chapter 131 Breaking Through to the Late Stage After Three Years of Hard Work!

There was no wind in the secret chamber, yet the candlelight flickered wildly.

Gu Changsheng sat cross-legged on a stone bed. His skin took on a strange, ashen-gray hue, resembling a piece of withered wood weathered for a hundred years in a deep forest, devoid of any sign of life.

If an outsider were to probe with their Divine Sense right now, they would only feel that the room was empty, containing nothing but dead objects.

However, within his body, Spiritual Qi was surging and roaring like a great river.

The Withered Wood Meets Spring Scripture was operating at its absolute limit.

Crack.

A crisp sound that only Gu Changsheng could hear rang out, as if some sort of shackle had been shattered.

He abruptly opened his eyes.

In that instant, the previously ashen skin rapidly peeled away, revealing new flesh beneath that was as translucent as warm jade yet as tough as a Magic Treasure.

Two streaks of green light flashed deep within his pupils—a physical manifestation of life force concentrated to the extreme.

Whoosh—

He opened his mouth and inhaled.

The dense Spiritual Qi that had accumulated in the secret chamber over three years turned into a visible white vortex and was swallowed whole by him.

In a corner, a withered orchid used for testing medicine was drawn by this leaking life force. In an instant, it sprouted, unfurled its leaves, and bloomed, releasing a delicate fragrance.

“Late Foundation Establishment Stage.”

Gu Changsheng clenched his fist, feeling the terrifying, monstrous strength between his fingers that could easily crush a Medium Grade Magical Artifact.

“My Lifespan has increased again, and my Physical Body is comparable to a second-rank Perfection Yao Beast.” Gu Changsheng inspected his inner self, looking at the verdant, incredibly solid mass of liquid Spiritual Qi in his Dantian. A slight smile played on his lips. “If I encounter that fellow Lin Xiren again, I’ll at least have the strength to put up a fight.”

He knew very well that while the Late Foundation Establishment Stage was strong, it was still insufficient before true old monsters or Prodigies holding powerful trump cards.

“As long as I don't court death, the number of people in this world who can kill me has decreased once more.”

Gu Changsheng restrained his aura. That startling life force instantly went dormant, and he once again appeared completely ordinary, like a scholar newly recovered from a serious illness.

Out of habit, he called up the System panel.

His secluded cultivation was over; it was time to see what this wretched world had become.

【daily intelligence has been refreshed】

【1. Situation in the Eastern Barrens: The Taiqing Sect has been sealed for three years. The eighteen cultivation families that originally depended on it have completely broken away. The Wang and Song families, competing for the miniature Spiritual Vein beneath Qingshi Town, have reached a tacit agreement to join forces and massacre Qingshi Town in three days. Risk: Medium.】

【2. Solemn Gold Palace Movements: Immortal Master Duguo has ordered that all Loose Cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage within the Eastern Barrens must unconditionally accept conscription to serve as cannon fodder against the demonic Cultivators of the Southern Border. Defiers will be executed without mercy. Risk: High.】

【3. Geographical Intelligence: At the junction of the Eastern Barrens, Southern Border, and Eastern Sea, the 'Chaotic Star Archipelago' has been revealed due to the subsiding of spatial turbulence. This region is chaotic and lawless, with no Golden Core Sects to suppress it, making it a sanctuary for a large number of Loose Cultivators and wanted criminals. Risk: Medium (Chaos is freedom).】

Gu Changsheng looked at the first piece of intelligence without even batting an eye.

Massacring a town.

This was the norm in the Cultivation World.

In the eyes of great powers, Mortals were nothing more than talking livestock, Materials for Artifact Refining, and leeks to be harvested at any time.

“Three days later...” Gu Changsheng stood up and flicked his finger, shattering the newly bloomed orchid into powder. “It seems I won't be able to have that morning tea.”

He didn't have the slightest intention of “saving the common people.”

Both the Wang and Song families had Old Ancestors at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage. If they went all out with their trump cards, he might win, but he would certainly be exposed.

Placing himself in danger just to save a group of Mortals he didn't even know?

That was something only the protagonists in storybooks did.

He, Gu Changsheng, only sought longevity.

“Let's go.”

One word, crisp and decisive.

Gu Changsheng walked out of the secret chamber and into the small courtyard.

The black cat was lying on the wall, lazily licking its paws. Three years of being fed spiritual food had made the little fellow a size larger; its fur was a glossy black, and its amber eyes held a hint of eerie intelligence.

“Coal Ball, it's time to move.”

Gu Changsheng beckoned with his hand.

The black cat gave a “meow” and expertly jumped onto his shoulder, finding a comfortable spot to lie down.

This cat was somewhat extraordinary, being extremely sensitive to Spiritual Qi fluctuations. Several times while Gu Changsheng was still performing a Deduction on a Formation, it had already hissed at the location of the Formation eye in advance.

Bringing it along was equivalent to carrying a living radar.

Gu Changsheng looked around the small courtyard where he had lived for three years.

Then, he performed a hand seal.

Buzz!

The Formation Flags buried around the courtyard walls burst out of the ground, turning into streaks of light that flew into his sleeve.

Immediately after, he gave a wide sweep of his sleeve.

An invisible gust of wind swept through, erasing the stone table, the stone stools, and even the footprints and traces of living on the ground.

He even used Spiritual Qi to smooth over the scratch marks the black cat had left on the old tree.

In just ten breaths.

The small courtyard was restored to the abandoned, dilapidated state it was in three years ago, as if no one had ever lived there.

“The Karma is settled.”

Gu Changsheng turned around, pushed open the mottled wooden door, and stepped into the morning mist... Outside Qingshi Town, on the official road.

Dawn had just broken, but the road was already crowded with refugees.

Well-informed wealthy families brought their entire households, hired guards, and hurried along in horse-drawn carriages; the poor peasants carried their bedding and led their children, following behind with fearful expressions.

Although the Wang and Song families' plan to massacre the town had not been made public, the oppressive Killing Intent in the air was something even Mortals could instinctively sense was wrong.

A sizable merchant caravan was mixed in with the crowd, flying the banner of the “Shunfeng Merchant House.”

Gu Changsheng had changed his appearance by now.

His complexion was sallow, his figure stooped. He wore a faded white scholar's robe and carried an old book box, occasionally covering his mouth to cough twice.

The black cat was huddled in his arms, showing only a pair of eyes as it warily scanned the surroundings.

“Cough, cough... Manager, how much longer until we leave this area?”

Gu Changsheng asked in a raspy voice, mingled among the caravan's laborers.

“Soon, soon! Once we pass that Black Wind Pass ahead, we'll be out of the Qingshi Town area!” The caravan manager, a pudgy middle-aged man, wiped cold sweat from his forehead while constantly urging, “Everyone, move faster! Don't dawdle!”

He had taken two taels of silver from this poor scholar and agreed to give him a ride.

After all, the scholar looked like he could drop dead at any moment. If he died halfway, those two taels would be pure profit.

Gu Changsheng kept his head down, appearing to stumble along, but in reality, every step landed on the firmest part of the ground, and he maintained an optimal posture for sudden movement at all times.

His Divine Sense was already spread out, covering a ten-mile radius.

【Intelligence Update: Ahead at Black Wind Pass, a team of Cultivators has set up a checkpoint.】

【Identity: ‘Righteous Army’ (actually bandit Cultivators).】

【Leader: An outcast of the Taiqing Sect, Early Stage Qi Refining.】

Gu Changsheng sneered inwardly.

As expected, when the world falls into chaos, all sorts of monsters and demons crawl out.

“Righteous Army”?

They were likely using the banner of righteousness to commit robbery and murder.

The group reached Black Wind Pass.

This was a perilous pass between two mountains, where fierce winds howled and sand and stones flew.

“Halt!”

A shout exploded like a clap of thunder.

Immediately after, over a dozen streaks of light fell from the cliffs on both sides, smashing heavily into the center of the official road and kicking up clouds of dust.

The caravan's horses were startled, neighing and bolting in confusion.

The refugees were even more terrified, screaming and scattering in panic.

The dust settled.

Over a dozen Cultivators wearing a mismatch of Daoist robes stood in a line, holding Magical Artifacts and blocking the path.

The leader wore a blood-stained white robe. Though his face was haggard and his beard was unkempt, one could still see traces of his former handsome appearance.

He held a broken longsword in his hand, his eyes scanning the crowd with a sinister glint.

“I opened this road, and I planted these trees.”

The white-robed Cultivator's voice was cold and impatient. “Men to the left, women to the right, leave all your valuables! We are the ‘Righteous Army Acting for Heaven.’ We only want wealth, not lives... provided you are obedient.”

The caravan manager's legs went soft with fear. He scrambled forward and tremblingly offered a bag of Spirit Stones.

“G-great Immortals, I'm just doing a bit of small business. This is a tribute...”

Slap!

The white-robed Cultivator backhanded him, sending the manager spinning twice in the air. Half of his face instantly swelled up like a pig's head.

“Cut the crap! I said everything!”

He stepped on the manager's chest, his broken sword pressing against the man's throat.