My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 660 Return to Qingqiu

Three months later, at dusk.

In Quecheng, a small town in the far south of Haizhou, wisps of smoke are rising from chimneys.

In a certain alley, a short, stout middle-aged man was carrying a piece of cured meat in his right hand, humming a little tune as he walked home happily.

A strange itch came from the back of his hand, and he reflexively slapped his right hand with his left.

"When the weather gets hot, these mosquitoes start to bother us." The middle-aged man complained, looking at the mosquito that had been swatted flat on the back of his hand.

only……

"Why is this mosquito all blood red? I've never seen one like this before." Just as I was wondering, a buzzing sound suddenly came from above my head.

Looking up out of curiosity, I saw a large cloud of blood-red mist suddenly fall into the alley.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that what appeared to be mist was actually a mass of blood-red mosquitoes.

Before he could wave his hand to shoo them away, the swarm of mosquitoes rushed up and enveloped him.

After a short, painful scream, the middle-aged man collapsed to the ground, struggled a couple of times, and then fell completely still.

In the blink of an eye, crimson clouds hummed and rose into the sky. The short, stout middle-aged man had turned into a withered skeleton, skin and bones.

buzzing...

A crimson cloud came from the north and rushed straight into the city.

Immediately, a series of screams rose and fell.

……

The following day, thousands of strongmen appeared at the gates of Que City.

Hu Buwei, who was leading the group, waved the small purple flag in his hand with a serious expression.

Countless jade-white butterflies flew out from the bodies of thousands of warriors and soldiers, soaring into the sky in groups, and in the blink of an eye, they turned into specks of spiritual light and disappeared into the city.

hum!

As if a beehive had been disturbed, countless blood-red mosquitoes scattered and flew out, all rushing towards the thousands of soldiers.

But after flying only halfway, it seemed to be sprayed with insecticide and fell to the ground in a flurry.

In no time at all, a thick layer of it covered the ground.

"We're still too late."

Twenty miles away, Chen Mu frowned as he followed Lu Han and the others slowly forward.

The Divine Power of Listening has already explored the distant Sparrow City. The city has a population of tens of thousands, but only a few have survived.

The crack in the sky healed, and the demons, having lost their source and their path, scattered to all parts of Haizhou.

For the past three months, Chen Mu has been traveling around with the Hundred Illusions Department, constantly eliminating demons and monsters.

The areas where Qi cultivators gather are slightly better, but the areas where ordinary people live are mostly empty.

Countless cities have suffered similar fates to the one before them, Que City.

"Let's go, time to serve that bell-ringing ancestor." Lu Han called to Chen Mu listlessly from not far away.

The once robust and strong man now walked with unsteady steps.

Chen Mu's lips twitched.

For the past two months, aside from traveling and resting, they have spent almost all their time creating sealing magic power.

The cycle of draining mana, restoring mana, and then draining mana again was so repetitive that even Chen Mu, with his cultivation level, found it quite troublesome. The other Dao soldiers and Qi cultivators were all severely depleted of their vital energy.

"At least we don't have to face those strange demons directly." Lu Han was quite optimistic.

"When we get back to Qingqiu Mountain in a few days, I'll eat more Jin Yuan Valley to replenish my energy," he said cheerfully.

"What news did you hear, senior brother?"

Chen Mu raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Quecheng is already the southernmost part of Haizhou. Further south is the boundless sea, which is not under our jurisdiction."

“Once the work is done, we should naturally go back to the mountain,” Lu Han said.

Chen Mu nodded slightly.

In just over three months, the Thousand Machines Sect led ninety-nine sects in Haizhou to expand their influence in all directions, continuously eliminating demons.

At this point, it's about time to end this.

……

More than ten days later.

The summit of Qingqiu Mountain.

The original Qingqiu Palace has disappeared, replaced by an exquisite Taoist temple with white walls and black tiles.

Two octagonal pavilions have appeared on the open space not far from the Taoist temple.

At this moment, a group of people are lining up and entering the pavilion one by one.

The chaos caused by demons in Haizhou has been largely quelled. Chen Mu and the others have been summoned here today to reward their contributions.

"Five hundred and forty-five Dao merits, three thousand two hundred and seventy white jades, and a copy of the Spirit Fox Manual. Here you go." The white-haired and white-bearded old Daoist surnamed Mao handed a wooden box to Chen Mu.

"Thank you, Senior Brother." Chen Mu stepped forward respectfully, and without even looking at him, hugged him directly into his arms.

The old Taoist priest in front of him was a Taoist priest surnamed Mao from Taoshan Temple who had recruited him in the past.

The other party also survived this ordeal, but...

Chen Mu glanced at the other man's empty left sleeve. "It's already a miracle that you survived this ordeal," the old man surnamed Mao said, shaking his head and sighing as he noticed Chen Mu's gaze.

This was their third meeting. Reflecting on the changes that had taken place over the past year, he couldn't help but sigh at the vicissitudes of life.

"Now that you've completely joined Taoshan Temple, you're practically family. When you go to Qianji Sect, you'd better do your best," the old man surnamed Mao encouraged, before beckoning the people behind him to come forward.

Chen Mu bowed slightly again, then carried the wooden box out of the pavilion and walked down the stone steps from the mountaintop.

This was his third day back at Qingqiu Mountain.

The whereabouts of Zheng Bailian, the sect leader of the Hundred Illusions Sect, are unknown. The sect only has one elder left, Hu Buwei, and fewer than a hundred disciples. It exists in name only.

Under the leadership of Elder Yan Ming of the Thousand Machines Sect, the Taoshan Temple was formed, with the remnants of the Hundred Illusions Sect and those who participated in the encirclement as the main force, and was stationed at Qingqiu Mountain.

……

Inside the cliffside cave.

Chen Mu opened the wooden box, put the white jade into the Five Ghosts Bag, and took out the Spirit Fox Secret Manual Jade Tablet to start reading.

This secret manual belongs to the Hundred Illusions Sect and is one of the conditions for the Hundred Illusions Sect to recruit Dao soldiers.

It was originally supposed to be issued on the day they signed the Daoist military contract, but unfortunately, it was delayed until today due to the celestial upheaval caused by demons.

"As expected, there are only the two stages of the Qi Condensation and Qi Gathering Techniques; the Dao Foundation Diagram is not included." After a while, Chen Mu regained his composure, shook his head, and sighed.

Fortunately, he had anticipated this, so he wasn't too disappointed.

The Ninety-Nine Sects of Haizhou are subordinate to the Thousand Machine Sect. Without the permission of the Thousand Machine Sect, they dare not and cannot transmit the Dao Foundation Diagram.

"We still have to go to the Tianxing Battlefield after all," Chen Mu sighed.

The chaos caused by the demons had just subsided, and he still felt lingering fear when he thought about it.

That green worm venom is truly bizarre. Who knows if there are similar evil secret techniques on the Tianxing battlefield?

This time I was lucky to be saved by the flames of delusions and emotions, but what about next time?

"It's really not easy to condense a Dao foundation," Chen Mu sighed again.

A single secret technique passed down through generations has already choked him. The difficulties he will encounter afterward are likely countless.

But Chen Mu was even less willing to stop there and retreat to Qiandeng City to live his own quiet life.

One reason is wanting to see the view from a higher vantage point.

But more importantly...

"If I don't have the strength, I can't even live a peaceful life."

Thousand Lanterns City is ultimately imperfect; he will eventually have to leave. Without a powerful guarantor, he might encounter disaster.

Just like before in Peach Blossom Valley, he spent most of his time hiding in Thousand Lantern City, but when he went out to gather information, he was attacked by the Green Worm Gu.

Chen Mu brought up the gray wall and checked the skill experience on it.

Without the Dao Foundation Record, the Heavenly Demon Body has reached a bottleneck and its growth is slow. The only way to improve its power is to grind for secret techniques.

Giant Spirit God: 9202/10000/Eighth Tier;

Traction method: 7065/10000/Sixth order;

Soul-Seizing and Rejuvenating Technique: 8475/10000/Tier 4;

Celestial Demon Armor: 9706/10000/Tier 7;

Ten Directions Hand: 6534/10000/Second Tier;

Listening Technique: The Ultimate;

Three Yin Demon-Slaying Technique: Ultimate;

These seven secret techniques all originated from the Wu brothers. Now, with their increased experience in these techniques, they are becoming increasingly extraordinary.

"The Giant Spirit God and the Heavenly Demon Armor have entered an extremely high stage, and their progress has slowed down. They can only rely on time to slowly grind them down."

"The 'Pulling Machine Technique' is mainly used to control magical flying swords, and it's sufficient for current needs."

"The Soul-Absorbing and Rejuvenating Technique can devour the vital energy of living beings to restore itself, which is too evil. Besides, I also have Rejuvenating Soup and Spirit-Nourishing Wine, so I'm not in a hurry to practice it."

"So, we still need to practice the Ten Directions Hand technique."

He had previously planned to give Shifang experience points while he was at Taoshan Temple.

However, he was later taken to serve as a mobile source of mana for the Taoist warriors, which delayed him for a while.

Even so, he still managed to get this secret technique, which he hadn't touched since acquiring it, to more than half of the second tier.

Chen Mu opened his palm and slowly clenched his fist.

hum!

A surge of power filled his fist, and even the surrounding air began to tremble slightly.

"Focusing efforts on one point?"

"Not bad either." Chen Mu shrugged.

As his cultivation level improved, he used various secret techniques more frequently. He engaged in close-quarters combat less often, but that didn't mean he stopped.

Moreover, his cultivation along the way was extensive and varied, resulting in several physical transformations, making him as powerful as a demonic beast. Add to that the power-enhancing techniques like the Giant Spirit God, and his strength became so immense that his original methods of controlling it were somewhat inadequate.

"We need a method that unifies the power of the whole body as our trump card."

"That's it."

(End of this chapter)