296: Pastoral area, that's our elegant name for hell.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Qing Xuan kicked Yuan Chenling, who was slumped on a lounge chair with his paws tucked under his head.

Yuan Chenling simply rolled over and scratched his butt.

"The Boss went out on a mission, the church can't stay open, and I'm completely unemployed."

"What else is there to do besides sleep until the Boss gets back?"

"Should I just yap all day like you?"

"I was strategizing and planning! You wouldn't understand!" Qing Xuan was infuriated by the other's shameless attitude.

Yuan Chenling lifted the goggles on his face, glanced at Qing Xuan, and wore a mocking expression.

"The church went bust under your command, and you call that 'strategizing'?"

"Planning?"

"You're worse at logistics than a donkey, and you're quite ugly. Is your ugliness also the result of your 'exquisite' planning?"

"Caw caw!"

Qing Xuan flapped his wings, making a move to peck Yuan Chenling.

Yuan Chenling jumped off the lounge chair in a fright and scurried around the city, holding his head.

"Damn it, you dead black chicken!"

"If you peck me again, I'm really going to lose it!"

"Hah!"

Unfortunately, his hissing was useless and instead drew even more violent pecks from Qing Xuan.

"No, are you sick?"

"What exactly do you want?"

Yuan Chenling didn't understand why this dead black chicken had started complaining to him the moment it returned.

If it weren't for the fact that Qing Xuan was essentially an energy entity that just looked like a crow, he would have suspected the guy had bird flu.

Qing Xuan pecked for a long time before his anger subsided, and then he told Yuan Chenling about his conversation with Wilde.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chenling immediately flew into a rage.

Fine! So it was that grandson who did it!

During this time, he had worked hard without complaint, working overtime every day just to gather enough faith as quickly as possible to condense a Godhead once it reached the critical point.

According to the Cultivation Technique passed down by Zhou Yan, an Incense Godhead required long-term incense offerings; this could be incense money, fulfilling vows through good deeds, or the Power Of Will of all living beings.

It sounded easy, but in reality, it wasn't.

Condensing a Godhead required sufficient faith. If believers wavered before the Godhead had condensed, the faith that hadn't yet solidified would dissipate.

This led to a vicious cycle: no one believes if you lack strength, you can't get faith if no one believes, but you need faith to increase your strength.

If it weren't for the minor yuanwu xielü left by Zhou Yan, which could perform simple healing and exorcism to match the legendary image of a deity, Yuan Chenling wouldn't have been able to gather even basic incense.

But even so, the accumulation was still slow.

He had worked hard for over ten days to gather two-thirds, but now it had all gone to waste, with less than one-tenth remaining.

Clearly, if he just had a few more days, once the Godhead was in hand, it would no longer be affected even if believers were lost.

This was one of the characteristics of Divine Path cultivation: it was difficult to rise, but even harder to fall.

But he was just one step away!

But that was all beside the point; the key now was still that damned Wilde.

After all, failing to get things done was a small matter, but it would be trouble if Mo Ran got dragged into it too.

"You dead black chicken, you were still too hasty. You should have waited for the Boss to come back before saying anything."

Yuan Chenling rubbed his head, feeling that if Qing Xuan kept this up, something might go wrong.

"I haven't even asked you yet. You're clearly Zhou Yan's Mount, so why can't you contact him at the critical moment?"

Yuan Chenling was choked by the question. His eyes darted around, pretending to look at the scenery, and he even wanted to whistle to seem more natural. Unfortunately, although he had learned human posture, his large mouth couldn't make a whistling sound no matter what.

"Sigh." Qing Xuan only felt a headache. What kind of people were in this team?

"Now danger is pressing in step by step."

"And I've already tried my best to buy time. They won't move directly against Mo Ran for at least ten days or so. Now is the best opportunity."

"Because there's no guarantee when Holy Brother will return, and we can't seek help from Qingxu Grotto-Heaven."

"After all, those with strength are saddled with various duties. It wouldn't be right to ask them to help across domains when it might violate sect rules."

"But those without duties have basically already graduated and left."

"So, we have to be self-reliant and use our heads."

While Qing Xuan was still trying to persuade Yuan Chenling, a voice interrupted them.

"Senior, I'm ready."

Qing Xuan and Yuan Chenling looked toward Mo Ran.

His face was pale, his eyes were filled with chaotic emotions, and his state was clearly not good.

"Mo Ran, you don't have to force yourself."

"Time is tight, but you need to recover first."

"You've only rested for half an hour. Once we reach the Pastoral Area, you probably won't be able to handle it."

Mo Ran shook his head, his gaze gradually becoming firm.

"I'm beginning to understand more and more why the Taiyi God sent me to the Eastern Domain."

"Such pure evil must be eradicated as soon as possible."

"And the Taiyi God once said that when heavy responsibilities are on one's shoulders, the body will inevitably suffer hardships, and this is precisely the time to temper one's will."

"It is also the time for cultivation!"

"If you insist... then fine."

Qing Xuan shrank again and flew onto Mo Ran's shoulder.

Seeing the two about to leave, Yuan Chenling suddenly called out to Mo Ran.

"Hey, take this."

"If your plan actually works, remember to give me a shout. Otherwise, don't say I'm not loyal."

Mo Ran turned and caught a soft object; it was actually a life-sized sticky rice dumpling.

"Senior Yuan, what is this?"

"I don't really understand it either. It's one of the things the Boss left behind."

"He said that after putting it on, you will be ignored by all existences under normal circumstances."

"It should be useful for saving your life."

"If all else fails, find a chance when no one is looking, put it on, and hide."

"You are at the Foundation Establishment Stage after all; you should be able to hold out for ten days or half a month, right?"

"By then, the Boss should be back."

"Once the Boss returns, everything will naturally be resolved."

Although Mo Ran could hide in the main city to avoid trouble, he would return to the same spot upon leaving. Additionally, due to the anti-addiction System, he couldn't stay in the main city for long.

Furthermore, the time flow in the main city was different from the outside world. If someone were camping his exit, it would be even more troublesome.

After all, by the time he came out of the main city, a fortress might have already been built outside to deal with him.

That was why Zhou Yan had left the sticky rice dumpling with Yuan Chenling, telling him to give it to Mo Ran when necessary to bridge the gap when he couldn't enter the main city.

But Mo Ran looked at the sticky rice dumpling and then compared it to Qing Xuan's previous plan, with no joy on his face.

"Thank you, Senior, but I still want to continue with Senior Qing's plan."

Yuan Chenling looked at him like he was an idiot.

"Is there a conflict between the two?"

"I just feel that your plan is hard to succeed and it's easy to get yourself killed, which is why I gave you this."

"In case it fails, at least you'll have a way out, right?"

"Use your brain when doing things. Staying alive is the most important thing."

"Then this sticky rice dumpling..."

Mo Ran held the sticky rice dumpling suit, feeling a bit at a loss.

"If the stupid lion gives it to you, take it. Since Holy Brother gave it, it must be something good," Qing Xuan said. "I can't guarantee the plan will succeed either; having an extra layer of protection is always good."

"Thank you, Senior."

Mo Ran put the sticky rice dumpling suit into his Storage Ring and turned to leave the main city.

Silence returned to the surroundings, and Yuan Chenling lay back on the lounge chair, pondering their plan.

"It still feels very dangerous... I wonder if I can hold out."

At dusk.

Mo Ran had closed the small shop and the church early, clearing everything out over the course of the afternoon.

Under Qing Xuan's reminder, he also contacted a guide to take him to the Pastoral Area.

But Mo Ran had been waiting on a park bench for nearly an hour, and the other party still hadn't arrived, making him a bit restless.

"Senior, can't we go by ourselves? Why do we have to find a guide?"

"Isn't that Pastoral Area right in the city?"

Over time, Qing Xuan had grown accustomed to this curious baby and explained patiently.

"Pastoral Area is a special name for this city; it's actually a lawless zone."

"Such places exist everywhere, but in the Eastern Domain, it's more 'official'."

"According to miscellaneous records, the lawless zones and wealthy districts of the Eastern Domain are in the same city, but their entrances and operating modes have nothing to do with the ordinary urban areas."

"A born-and-bred local might go their whole life without knowing there are isolated wealthy districts or lawless zones in their own city."

"Their daily lives, work, and travel will never intersect with these areas."

"These areas often have buffer zones and special passages; some are even built in Small Worlds, as if they've been erased from the map."

"If not for Wilde's business card, you might never find these places in your life, or even encounter anyone who knows about them."

"Although I am a Book Spirit, such locations are usually not explicitly recorded."

"I don't have a better way to help you get in, so we can only find someone to lead the way."

Vroom—Beep!

The sound of an engine and a horn rang in his ears.

Mo Ran looked up and saw an old, flamboyant hovercar covered in fluorescent paint stopping overhead.

A woman with slightly dark skin and a bob cut was chewing something and waving at him.

The person had arrived.

Mo Ran jumped onto the car, sat in the back seat, and they entered the traffic lane.

After driving for a while, the woman spoke.

"Hey kid, you're an Immortal Lord, right?"

Mo Ran didn't reply.

The smell in the car was very pungent; luckily, he had activated his mana shield as soon as he got in.

How did Senior find such a person?

Seeing that he didn't answer, the woman didn't mind and continued on her own.

"Looking at your clothes and style, you're an out-of-domainer, right?"

"Immigrant? Work? Or here for so-called 'experience'?"

"Why don't you talk? You're like a wooden gourd."

"By the way, why aren't you enjoying yourself in the city? Why do you have to go to the Pastoral Area?"

This sentence piqued Mo Ran's interest.

"What's wrong with the Pastoral Area?"

The woman grinned, her smile a bit crazed.

"The Pastoral Area... in my words, that's our euphemism for Hell."

"They don't welcome greenhorns like you there~"

She even gave a teasing whistle, making Mo Ran's face darken further.

Seeing this, the woman laughed heartily.

Only then did Mo Ran realize that the car had already driven out of the outer ring and was almost outside the city.

But the woman suddenly jerked the steering wheel, slammed on the gas, and charged back into the city.

Mo Ran's heart tightened, thinking she was someone sent by Wilde to deal with him, but he soon discovered that the original traffic lane had shifted.

Amidst the shifting light, the originally clean and quiet city underwent a massive change in an instant.

Clamor rose all around, neon lights flashed on skyscrapers, and colorful lights filled the air with exaggeration and absurdity.

It was clearly the same city, yet at this moment, it felt like being in another world.

The woman pressed a button, and the car roof opened to become a convertible. She spread her hands and slammed the gas pedal forward— "Welcome to the Pastoral Area!"