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Chapter 664: Chapter 670: Indifferent
You must know, those two came from a certain major power and possessed relatively good aptitudes. With a deluge of resources, they had only just stepped into the Middle Golden Core Stage!
Therefore, Qing Fan and Qing Rong were convinced that Li Chengsheng came from a distinguished background, highly likely as the Direct Disciple of a top-tier major power.
As a result, the two of them became even more eager, and there was even a faint trend of trying to ingratiate themselves with him.
Li Chengsheng probably guessed their thoughts, but he had no intention of clarifying; after all, having a backer could save him from a lot of trouble, even though it was a figment of their imagination.
As long as he neither confirmed nor denied, but maintained an ambiguous attitude, with the two of them holding onto their preconceived notion, it was unlikely that they would harbor any doubts.
"Fellow Daoists, we should enter the city first; after all, with ghosts invading tonight, we still have some preparations to make," Li Chengsheng said with a smile.
"Our apologies, Brother Dao, please come this way."
When they spoke again, the address had changed. "Brother Dao" was clearly more intimate than "Fellow Daoist."
Qing Fan led the way, chuckling, "With Brother Dao here, this Ghost Tide Invasion will be nothing more than crumbling tiles and snapping dogs, powerless to resist!"
"Indeed, those ghosts will surely be no match for Brother Dao’s strength."
Li Chengsheng just smiled without saying a word; although he was very confident in his abilities, he was not an arrogant person. On the contrary, he had truly inherited Li Zhirui’s lessons of being careful and cautious.
Surrounded by the crowd’s flattery and eagerness, the group walked into the place with the richest Spiritual Energy in the city—a six-section manor!
Approaching it, the Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth reached the level of a third-order Spirit Vein, and upon entering the gate, it increased a level, though it had not yet reached that of a fourth-order Spirit Vein.
"Brother Dao may rest today in Qing Song Courtyard. Once my Junior Brother and I have tidied up, we will move to the Tao-seeking Courtyard, where the Spiritual Energy is richest," Qing Fan said in an even tone, not feeling the slightest bit improper about giving up his cave residence.
Upon hearing this, Li Chengsheng quickly shook his head and declined, "Thank you for your kind offer, Fellow Daoist, but I will not be staying in the county for long. I will leave after the ghost tide has passed; there is no need for such trouble."
Seeing his resolute expression, Qing Fan knew that he wasn’t just being polite and didn’t press the issue any further. Instead, he smiled and said, "I apologize for the hasty arrangements; the banquet to welcome and cleanse the dust might be modest, and I hope Brother Dao won’t find it lacking."
"But isn’t tonight the start of the Ghost Tide Invasion? Wouldn’t holding a banquet be somewhat inappropriate?" Li Chengsheng’s eyebrows twitched, almost furrowing, but then relaxed in an instant.
These two gave him the impression that...
They didn’t seem to take the disaster very seriously or care about the lives of ordinary people.
But upon careful reflection, Li Chengsheng realized that this mindset was quite common among cultivators, especially high-level ones!
Because as their cultivation level increased, the gap between cultivators and ordinary people widened, and gradually, they came to feel that they were not the same kind of beings as the common folk.
Naturally, their attitudes toward ordinary people cooled as well.
Of course, not all high-level cultivators felt this way; there were still some who remembered the common people and wanted to protect them, though they were rare.
"It seems that Brother Dao is experiencing his first journey down the mountain?"
Qing Rong said with a soft laugh, "This Ghost Tide Invasion will grow stronger over time, but at the beginning, the strength of the ghosts won’t be too formidable. With the strength of the other cultivators in the city, they should be able to handle it."
"Thus, Brother Dao can rest assured, the banquet won’t be disturbed."
However, by doing so, there would inevitably be tragic consequences of families ruined and lives lost!
No wonder the trial’s completion conditions had changed; otherwise, with their kind of mindset, it was very likely that he could have been eliminated in the third round! Li Chengsheng thought to himself.
"Thanks for your kind intentions, Fellow Daoists, but there’s no need for a welcoming banquet. Let’s celebrate after the ghost tide has passed."
Qing Fan and Qing Rong exchanged glances and smiled, "That’s good too, it gives us more time to prepare. When the time comes, we will surely satisfy Dao Brother."
"Dao Brother has traveled a long distance and must be tired; we won’t disturb you any further."
After speaking, they bowed and turned to leave.
"Senior Brother, that person didn’t show much respect for us!" As soon as they returned to the Tao-seeking Courtyard and closed the door, Qing Rong couldn’t wait to complain.
"It’s his first time descending the mountain, naturally he does not understand such worldly wisdom." Qing Fan’s expression was calm, clearly more composed.
"Senior Brother, do you think he descended the mountain this time to find an opportunity to break through to the Nascent Soul stage?"
In Qing Rong’s eyes flickered a strange light; he lowered his voice unconsciously and said, "If that opportunity fell into our hands, wouldn’t we be able to advance further?"
Although this world no longer had Demon Cultivators, and even the heritage of the Demonic Tao was utterly destroyed, it did not mean there were no evil-doers!
Murder and robbery for treasure were not uncommon!
"Let’s first see what his strength is like." If he were powerful, even if the two of them joined forces, they would not be his match.
Clearly, Qing Fan also harbored such thoughts. After all, a Nascent Soul not only provided greater strength but also doubled one’s lifespan. Who wouldn’t want to advance further? However, compared to Qing Rong, he was more cautious and clear-headed.
Unfortunately, their scheming was utterly unfeasible.
Li Chengsheng, oblivious to their dark intentions, sat cross-legged in the quiet room to recover his condition in preparation for the upcoming battles.
Time flew by, and just after the sun had set, the sky turned pitch-black in just a short quarter of an hour.
The Yin Qi between heaven and earth became incredibly active. Li Chengsheng instantly stopped his cultivation because he was amazed to find that the surrounding Spiritual Energy was contaminated with Yin Qi!
"How is this possible!" Li Chengsheng’s face was filled with disbelief.
To know, in terms of hierarchy, Spiritual Energy was superior to Yin Qi, so how could there be an insubordination?
"It seems that this world still holds many secrets."
But he did not have the intention to investigate because he didn’t belong to this world. Everything he did was only for the trial and the rewards; there was no need to know too much.
Hu hu hu——
Suddenly, a strong gale blew, and several third-order ghosts led a large number of lower-order ghosts toward them.
"Everyone be careful! The strength of the ghosts has increased this year! All mortals, lock your doors and windows; no matter what sounds you hear, do not go outside! Otherwise, you are responsible for your own life and death!"
A roar, helped by the Formation, spread throughout the entire county; even within the Qing Song Courtyard, Li Chengsheng could hear it loud and clear.
Curious, he opened the courtyard door to look towards the nearby Tao-seeking Courtyard and saw that those two had no intention of taking action.
Li Chengsheng didn’t care about what those two were thinking. With one step, he soared into the sky, heading straight for the city wall.
He wanted to complete this round of the task as quickly as possible. After all, the trial time was limited, and he had already delayed much time in the previous two rounds. Now, he would try to speed up as much as possible; he still aimed to challenge the higher-level trials.
"Senior Brother, that person has taken action."
"Let’s see what his strength is like." Qing Fan opened his eyes and, using the Formation, exercised a water mirror that allowed him to see every move Li Chengsheng made.
