2: Chapter 2 Wasteland

Gu Shen did not move.

After the dizzying sensation of the world spinning subsided, his body still maintained the posture he had upon landing—curled up, head held, knees slightly bent.

This was the position best suited for both launching a sudden attack and for beating a hasty retreat.

He held his breath, his muscles tense like a bowstring. Although his Divine Sense was weak, he kept it retracted within a radius of three zhang, vigilantly sensing every movement around him.

One breath, two breaths, ten breaths.

There was no anticipated ambush, no roar of a Yao Beast, not even the sound of wind.

A deathly silence.

After confirming he was temporarily safe, Gu Shen slowly opened his eyes. His right hand still gripped the iron nail in his sleeve, and his left hand pressed against the ground as he silently straightened his body.

What met his eyes was an expanse of gray.

A gray sky, gray mist, and... gray broken walls and ruins.

"Where is this?"

Gu Shen's pupils constricted slightly.

This was definitely not Qingyun Market, nor did it resemble any Cultivation World territory he had ever read about in ancient texts. There was not a shred of Spiritual Qi in the air; instead, it was filled with a nauseating, decaying stench.

For a Cultivator, such a "Land Without Spiritual Qi" was no different from a fish out of water.

A strong sense of crisis rose in Gu Shen's heart. The meager Spiritual Qi in his body would only decrease with every bit he used; if he could not replenish it, he would soon be reduced to a Mortal.

He moved forward cautiously. What he stepped on was not soil, but an incredibly hard, grayish-black stone ground, so smooth it did not seem naturally formed.

Beside him stood several huge "iron shells."

These iron shells were already covered in rust. Some were nothing but skeletons, while others still retained strange paint colors. Beneath them were four shriveled wheels, sprawled by the roadside like the corpses of long-dead Mechanical Beasts.

Gu Shen tentatively poked one of the "iron shells" with his finger.

Clatter.

The fragile iron plating shattered instantly, turning into a pile of red iron filings.

"Ordinary iron... no fluctuations of any Restriction."

Gu Shen withdrew his hand and looked up.

The next moment, he gasped.

Veiled by the gray mist, towering "giant towers" stood ahead. These giant towers were constructed entirely of glass and steel. Although they were riddled with holes, broken, and collapsed, one could still see their former magnificence.

Some giant towers were snapped at the waist, their upper halves slanted and embedded into another tower; others were reduced to lonely skeletons, like broken swords piercing the firmament.

"Could this be the remains of an ancient great expert's residence? Or perhaps some destroyed Puppet Sect?"

Gu Shen was filled with shock and suspicion.

This architectural style—square, cold, and deathly silent—was completely different from the flying eaves, bracket sets, and carved beams of the Great Yu Cultivation World.

Just then, a faint friction sound abruptly broke the silence.

Shhh... Shhh...

The sound came from the depths of the mist ahead, like the sound of shoe soles dragging on gravel.

The hairs on Gu Shen's body stood on end. Almost subconsciously, he lowered his frame, like a nimble ape, and silently slipped behind a half-open "iron shell" nearby, peering outward through a rusted gap.

The gray mist churned.

A wobbling figure gradually became clear.

It was a "person."

Or rather, it had once been a person.

It was draped in a few tatters of unrecognizable fabric. Its skin was a sickly grayish-white, covered in spiderweb-like black veins. Half of its face seemed to have been gnawed away by something, revealing ghastly white bone. Its only remaining eyeball was turbid and pale, pupil-less, staring fixedly ahead.

It walked very slowly, its arms hanging unconsciously at its sides. With every step, a low "he-he" sound emanated from its throat.

"Zombie? Walking corpse?"

Gu Shen's brows furrowed tightly.

In the Cultivation World, the path of Corpse Refining was not rare, but this thing before him had neither corpse Qi nor Evil Qi; instead, it exuded a kind of... pure "chaos" and "hunger."

The monster seemed to have smelled something; its originally aimless footsteps suddenly paused.

Its mutilated nose twitched twice, and it whipped its head around. That turbid, single eye locked firmly onto the iron shell where Gu Shen was hiding.

Roar!

An inhuman roar suddenly exploded.

The monster's originally sluggish movements instantly became incredibly swift. It pushed off with its legs and pounced over like a hungry wolf!

"So fast!"

Gu Shen was startled, but not panicked.

The instant the monster pounced in front of him, he flicked his wrist, and a cold glint shot out from his sleeve.

Pfft!

The iron nail that had been held in his hand for some time accurately pierced through the monster's glabella, bringing out a spray of black, filthy blood.

The monster's forward momentum stalled, and it crashed heavily at Gu Shen's feet.

Gu Shen did not immediately step forward. Instead, he retreated rapidly by three zhang. A yellowing Talisman appeared in his hand—it was his trump card, a Low Grade Fireball Talisman.

If the monster showed any signs of reanimating, he would not hesitate to throw this Talisman, worth two Spirit Stones, at it.

Fortunately, after twitching a few times, the monster stopped moving completely.

"It's dead just like that?"

Gu Shen was somewhat surprised.

This thing looked fierce, but in reality, its Physical Body strength was not even equal to that of a Martial Artist from the Mortal world, let alone a Cultivator with Spiritual Qi protecting their body.

Just as he was puzzled, an unexpected change occurred.

The monster's corpse suddenly began to disintegrate.

Like ice and snow exposed to the scorching sun, its flesh and bones rapidly turned into wisps of grayish-black mist. It did not dissipate into the air but, as if pulled by some force, surged straight toward Gu Shen... or rather, toward the center of Gu Shen's brow!

"Not good!"

Gu Shen's expression changed drastically. He tried to dodge, but found the gray mist was incredibly fast, instantly sinking into the center of his brow.

It's over! I've been subjected to Possession!

Gu Shen's heart turned cold.

However, the next moment, the expected intense pain and loss of consciousness did not occur.

Instead, deep within his mind, that silent [Heaven and Earth Furnace] suddenly trembled slightly.

Hum—

Those wisps of grayish-black mist were sucked into the furnace, and the ancient runes on the furnace body lit up with a faint glimmer.

The furnace lid vibrated, emitting the sound of metal clashing.

In an instant, the gray mist was refined completely, and a grain-sized, crystalline white speck of light was spat out from the furnace mouth.

This speck of light flowed along Gu Shen's Meridians and instantly merged into his Dantian.

Boom!

Gu Shen only felt a warm current explode in his abdomen. His originally parched and exhausted Dantian had unexpectedly gained a wisp of extremely pure Spiritual Qi!

This wisp of Spiritual Qi was pure and flawless, without any attributes, and was more than ten times purer than the Wood-attribute Spiritual Qi he had obtained through bitter cultivation!

"This..."

Gu Shen widened his eyes in shock, feeling the surging hot current within his body.

"This monster's corpse... can refine Spiritual Qi?"

In this deathly silent world without Spiritual Qi, can I just kill monsters to become stronger?

Gu Shen's heart began to beat violently.

If that was the case, then this wasn't some Wasteland; it was clearly an inexhaustible gold mine!

Why did he struggle so hard in the Cultivation World, collecting corpses and saving Spirit Stones? Wasn't it just to buy those few low-quality Medicinal Pills filled with Impurities to increase his cultivation?

And now, just by killing these weak monsters found everywhere, he could obtain Spiritual Qi even purer than top-grade Medicinal Pills!

[Refinement complete.]

[Obtained: essence white dew (Inferior) x1 drop.]

[Equivalent to one day of bitter cultivation.]

In his mind, those ancient characters appeared once again.

Gu Shen took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the wild joy in his heart.

Calm down.

Must stay calm.

Opportunity is often accompanied by huge risks. Since there are these monsters here, there must be stronger entities. The commotion just now might have already attracted other things.

He glanced at the increasingly thick gray mist around him, and the intention to retreat sprouted in his heart.

For the first exploration, let this be the limit; do not be greedy for more.

"Return."

Gu Shen's thought stirred.

The [Heaven and Earth Furnace] at the center of his brow vibrated again, and a familiar pulling sensation arrived.

The Wasteland world before his eyes receded like the tide, replaced by the familiar wooden roof of his cottage and that dim, yellowish oil lamp.

Gu Shen plopped down onto the meditation cushion, gasping for breath, the cold sweat on his back instantly soaking through his clothes.

He was back.

He subconsciously looked at the hourglass on the table.

The sand was still flowing slowly; judging by the markings, from the time he left to his return, it had been no more than half a cup of tea's time.

"The time flow between the two worlds is basically the same."

Gu Shen silently noted this key information.

He opened his palm. In the center of his palm, that wisp of newly acquired, pure Spiritual Qi danced at his fingertips like a joyous sprite.

This was not a dream.

Gu Shen clenched his fist, feeling this power.

Immediately after, as if remembering something, he jumped off the bed, lay on the floor, pressed his ear against the ground for a long time, and then checked the doors, windows, and Restrictions once more.

After confirming there was no prying, he sat back on the bed, a smile appearing on his face—an unprecedented, slightly ferocious smile.

"Four Spirit Stones..."

"Ma Liu, not only will I be able to pay this rent, but I also have to properly thank you for pushing me to this point."

Gu Shen closed his eyes and began to operate his Cultivation Technique, completely refining that wisp of "essence white dew" and integrating it into his own cultivation.

Outside the window, the cold wind howled; inside the room, the lamp flame was like a bean.