My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 495 Strange Demon
In the courtyard of Ningyunfang, Feng'an City.

Chen Mu stroked the jade tablet containing information about the gods in the world, lost in thought.

According to the contents of the jade tablet, living gods must go to Yinshan Prefecture City to sign a deification contract that will last for one hundred years. During this period, the spirits will be imprisoned near the statues in the temple and will not be allowed to leave.

"No wonder they offer such high pay but still force conscription; it's practically like going to jail."

The jade tablet also records that, starting over a thousand years ago, a large amount of spiritual energy surged forth in Kangzhou. Demons, monsters, Qi cultivators, and unorthodox practitioners appeared in response. Wars frequently broke out in various places to compete for territories rich in spiritual energy. Many living gods were affected, and their temples were destroyed and disappeared along with them.

"Then what's the point of playing?" Chen Mu's expression was unpleasant.

The City God's temple in Yinshan Prefecture is located in Kangzhou. At this time, Kangzhou is in chaos, and he can't even hide in time. Why would he willingly go there?

"Perhaps we could go and take a look at Taishan Prefecture, which is next to Yinshan Prefecture."

The Taishan Prefecture City God Temple was established in Fenzhou, far from Kangzhou, probably because it was safer.

"That Book of Gods is also a problem."

"A hundred years is a period of self-imposed confinement. If that's really the case, then what about my life as a Qi cultivator?" Chen Mu pursed his lips, shook his head, and put away the jade tablet.

"Let's stay in Feng'an City for a while first."

He had been in the Underworld for almost three years, spending two of those years in the Underworld Demon Realm. His understanding of the Underworld was limited, so he planned to stay in Feng'an City for a while. Once he had a more thorough understanding of the Underworld, at least enough to find out about the Investiture of the Gods, he would then try to return to the mortal realm.

……

The sky was always gray and the cold sunlight offered little warmth, but for the spirits, this environment was very comfortable.

Although the outside world of the wilderness is still full of dangers such as black winds and strange demons, the city where evil spirits gather is exceptionally safe.

Moreover, resources are plentiful, and as long as one stays in the city and doesn't go out, life is extremely comfortable and peaceful.

Chen Mu lived comfortably in his small courtyard in Ningyunfang, with no worries about food or drink. He leisurely gained experience points and could even go to the Night Palace when he had free time. Life couldn't be more comfortable.

Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

That day, under the burdock tree, Chen Mu sat cross-legged in a rocking chair, habitually bringing up the gray wall and looking at two columns.

Nine Cups Arithmetic: 9033/10000/First Rank;
Yin Wind Escape: 3536/10000/Tier 4;

During this period, he practiced Yin Wind Escape every day. Whenever he felt like it, he would quietly sneak up into the sky and fly around, his experience points increasing rapidly, advancing two stages in succession. His escape speed had already surpassed that of the Rainbow Light Across the Ground, becoming the fastest escape method he had.

And the Nine Cups Mathematical Classic, which he practices for fun in his spare time, is almost at the first-level limit.

Seeing that the arithmetic manual was about to advance to a higher level, Chen Mu became interested and immediately decided to try calculating the weather.

He plucked a handful of thin, long thatch from the corner of the wall, skillfully tied knots, arranged them, and rearranged them, then used his fingers to help with calculations.

"Hmm... Yesterday was a sunny day, with not a cloud in the sky..."

"Yesterday? Do you think I need to calculate the weather yesterday?!" Chen Mu threw away the thatch: "It really is a joke, only good for amusement."

……

In the East Garden of the City Lord's Mansion in Feng'an City, in a hidden underground space, stands a gray-white archway that is as tall as a three-story building.

"He actually mastered the Gates of Hell?!" Lu Shisan exclaimed in astonishment.

Lü Liang was also deeply moved. Although he had mastered the skill little by little on his own, he still couldn't help but marvel at it.

Having confidence in the materials accompanying the Jade Gate Mantra is one thing, but actually managing to pass the Gate of Hell is another.

"Just who is this Mr. Lu? How could he really know the method of forging the Ghost Gate?" Lu Shisan came back to his senses, a huge doubt rising in his heart, and at the same time, a trace of fear appeared.

If it's just about manipulating spells, there are others in Qingyang City who possess that skill. But the method to create the Gates of Hell is truly known only to the Lord of Qingyang City.

But Mr. Lu, who suddenly appeared, actually knew this, and easily revealed it to Lü Liang.

Could there be some shady plot behind this?
"I'd like to know too," Lü Liang said with a complicated expression. "What has he been doing all this time?"

Lu Shisan recalled the intelligence his men had gathered and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

"Still outwitting Ye Lanshan?" Lü Liang's face twitched. "He's living a really leisurely life."

"I'm afraid he may appear relaxed on the surface, but secretly harbor other schemes." Lu Shisan's expression was grim.

"No matter what his intentions are, we are powerless to resist. Let's think about how to get out of Qingyang City first." Lü Liang looked up at the Gate of Hell.

“That old fellow from Qingyang City has been eyeing our Feng’an City for many years.”

"For nearly a century, the number of strange monsters around Feng'an City has been quietly increasing."

"We must heed the lessons of Chongyan City."

"Young Master, are you referring to Chongyan City, which was destroyed by the demons two hundred years ago? Does Qingyang City really possess the means to control the demons?" Lu Shisan was greatly astonished.

Lü Liang shook his head: "It's difficult to control, but there are probably ways to interfere and influence it."

"Only when Father advances to the Yin God realm can we completely break free from this slowly tightening net."

"Thirteenth Uncle, get ready. Once Father leads his troops to the Outer Heaven, we're likely to face some tough times."

……

That day, Chen Mu quietly ascended into the sky as usual, using the gray clouds as cover, and in the blink of an eye, he left Feng'an City behind.

Black smoke billowed around it, accompanied by a strange, wailing sound, like a shooting star from outer space. It crashed through the air barrier one after another, flying rapidly through the sky.

He was flying freely.

"hold head high……"

Suddenly, a melodious sound, like the cry of a whale, came to my ears.

Chen Mu's scalp tightened, and with a turn of his body, he transformed into a gentle breeze and vanished into the clouds. Activating the Listening Technique, he instantly absorbed all sounds within a twenty-mile radius.

But they found that the world was still quiet and peaceful, as if the sound just now was an illusion.

"That voice...it sounds familiar..." Chen Mu hid in the clouds, trying hard to recall. "Wait...Chicken Cage Mountain? Could I have run into a demon?!"

When I left Chicken Cage Mountain, I vaguely heard a similar sound. I didn't understand it before, but after coming to Yinming, I realized that it was a strange demon.

Just now...

Chen Mu's expression immediately changed.

The underworld is plagued by two great menaces: the Black Wind and the Demonic Monster. He had seen the Black Wind before, but it could be stopped with the power of the Yin Spirit.

He had never heard of any strange demons around Feng'an City before, which is why he dared to fly and wander around in the sky.

Unexpectedly...

"We can't afford to be reckless, we need to get back to the city right away!"

With that thought in mind, Chen Mu suddenly turned around, and then everything went dark before his eyes, meeting a pair of large, bright yellow eyes that were three times the size of a human's.

The other person's pupils were dark and deep, devoid of any spiritual light, yet an invisible, chilling pressure still emanated silently. Chen Mu was as if frozen in place, his mind going blank for a moment, completely stunned on the spot.

"hold head high……"

A melodious cry echoed through the sky like a thunderclap.

The bright yellow eyes went straight ahead and disappeared in an instant, its enormous body, resembling a pitch-black wall, appearing and disappearing amidst the billowing white smoke.

Countless swarms of Yinming insects with human faces darted through the white mist, emitting whispering sounds that were mesmerizing and unsettling.

In that instant, Chen Mu felt as if he were standing next to a giant ocean liner, as insignificant as a small pebble.

In the blink of an eye, the enormous figure, hundreds of meters long, silently swept across the sky and flew towards the horizon.

After a long while, Chen Mu snapped back to his senses, turned around abruptly, only to find that the giant object had already disappeared.

The clouds and mist in the sky continued to drift slowly, as if everything just now had been an illusion.

"That's definitely not an illusion!" Chen Mu's face turned deathly pale.

He was absolutely certain that a monster with countless fleshy whiskers and a jet-black body, resembling a whale, had indeed appeared before him.

The sheer aura emanating from the other party, unintentionally, had already rendered him immobile; if he were to launch an attack...

"hiss!"

"Damn it! We can't stay outside the city for even a second longer!"

He immediately activated the Five Elements Escape Technique, transforming into a gentle breeze and disappearing into the air, carefully following the clouds and mist away. After traveling dozens of miles, he immediately activated the Yin Wind Escape Technique, flying rapidly towards Feng'an City as if his rear end was on fire.

……

In the courtyard of Ningyunfang.

"Does Feng'an City have a way to deal with the demon?" Chen Mu stared nervously at Lü Liang.

This was the third day since he encountered the strange demon. Just then, Lü Liang came to visit, and Chen Mu, who had been on tenterhooks, couldn't help but ask about the city's defenses.

"Of course," Lü Liang nodded confidently.

"The burdock tree can emit a strange and unpleasant aura, and the burdock forest outside the city is the first line of defense for Feng'an City."

"Furthermore, when Feng'an City was first established, a spell was cast to dispel and resist evil spirits."

"Even if the demons really attack, the Thousand Blade Camp has 200,000 Yin soldiers, which is enough to resist them."

Chen Mu immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mr. Lu, have you noticed anything unusual?" Lü Liang asked curiously.

"Indeed, we encountered a strange demon two hundred miles outside the city," Chen Mu told the truth without hiding anything.

"Two hundred miles away? That's beyond the radius of Feng'an City. It's normal for strange monsters to appear there," Lü Liang laughed.

Chen Mu nodded.

He had been circling around Feng'an City before, but this time he flew too far and ran too far, which is why he was unlucky enough to run into them.

People shouldn't be reckless.

Coming to his senses, Chen Mu looked at Lü Liang curiously: "Young City Lord, you're so busy with affairs of state, how come you have time to come here?"

"I have witnessed Mr. Lu's ability to pass on secret techniques, and I am very eager to learn the other secret techniques you possess. I wonder..." Lü Liang's face was full of longing.

"Of course, I won't let you work for nothing." With that, he took out a palm-sized jade gourd from his breathing bag at his waist and handed it to him with both hands.

"The secret technique recorded here is called the Five Dragons Scripture. It comes from Qingyang City and is powerful enough to be both offensive and defensive. It is said that if you practice it to a high level, you can even withstand the sharp edge of the Divine Embryo Yin Spirit."

"Look..."

"No problem!" Chen Mu waved his hand dismissively, even showing some delight.

A secret technique that can withstand the sharpness of a divine embryo—what a treasure!
"Tell me, which secret technique do you want, and I'll pass it on to you right now."

“It’s not just me who aspires to it; my men aspire to it too,” Lü Liang quickly added.

"The dozens of people who went with you to Qingyang City to escort live animals?" Chen Mu asked.

"Ahem...it is them, but it's not just them," Lü Liang said with an embarrassed smile.

What do you mean?
“My father just bestowed upon me 20,000 Yin soldiers, and I want to give them some extra protection.”

"so……"

Chen Mu was stunned on the spot.

Twenty thousand? !
Are you trying to kill me with exhaustion?!

(End of this chapter)