Immortal Cultivation and Life-Saving Guide

Chapter 367 Life and Death
Lian Gouhan, in his rabbit paw form, is still incredibly skilled at character customization; even Wei Xi in the water mirror couldn't recognize him.

Unfortunately, the wild rabbit couldn't compare to the "specialty" of the City of the Dead. Lian Gouyan pinched two faces and flattened them into a rabbit pancake, its fluffy tail drooping, clearly exhausted.

Not wasting a single rabbit pelt, Qin Feng wiped the oil off his hands and asked, "How long can a rabbit pelt last?"

Lian Gouhan said weakly, "It can probably last for two days. I won't use [Enter the Painting] or [Thousand Faces] anymore."

"By the way, the face I created this time will only last for a day. If you want it to last, you either need to take a disguise pill or catch a few more rabbits..."

Wei Xi spat out a bone. "We can still catch a few rabbits, but now that we don't have the man-eating ant's head as collateral, how are we going to get into the auction?"

Attending the auction is a must, since Wei Xi is there specifically for the valuable materials. Besides, even that unlucky fellow, Lian Gouhan, needs to try his luck at the auction.

Wei Xi suppressed his anger: What did he mean by "unjust calamity"? He only wanted to come to Chongxiao City to squander his wealth, but he was dragged into all sorts of trouble, becoming not only a wanted criminal of the Merchant Guild but also involved in a conspiracy that seemed to have lasted for nearly a thousand years. He not only encountered enormous trouble but also suffered immense mental and physical torment.

Fortunately, Wei Xi was a cultivator, otherwise he would have died long ago.

After the three of them ate the roasted rabbit, their stomachs were finally no longer empty, so they continued their journey to Chongxiao City.

Along the way, Wei Xi gained a deeper understanding of the defenses that Chongxiao City had been building up for many years.

First, the scale of the defensive line far exceeded her expectations. The sheer length of the line alone surpassed her visual range. No wonder Chongxiao City had to seek aid from the Ju Kingdom; such a massive defensive line could not be fully defended by the merchant guild's cultivators alone.

Secondly, the Chongxiao City defense line is extremely complex in its construction, or rather, its construction revolves around the concept of "support." Each major defense line contains several sub-defense lines, so even if the demonic beasts breach the front lines, the cultivators behind can rely on the fortifications to gradually wear down the beast tide.
Furthermore, Wei Xi was able to roughly determine when these defensive lines were built—because the architectural styles and focuses varied across different periods. Some bunkers were primarily designed to equip large magical artifacts, with their massive bases still remaining on the platforms; others were known for their defensive capabilities, constructed with extremely sturdy materials; and still others weren't even bunkers at all, but rather still-functioning magical arrays…

It's clear that these weathered fortifications have stood the test of time. The Chongxiao City Merchant Guild has done considerable repairs to these fortresses, and many are functioning well. Compared to their builders who have turned to dust, these inanimate structures are clearly more sturdy.

This situation only intensified Wei Xi's suspicions: the Chamber of Commerce was clearly able to rely on its defenses to resist the monsters, but it was a pity that they deliberately did not offer any assistance, allowing these profit-driven rogue cultivators to be devoured by the raging Yin-Yang energy.

However, one thing is certain: only a small number of cultivators were involved in this Black Abyss incident.

Because the defensive line was so large, Wei Xi was certain that he was only responsible for defending a small area at the time.

"But did such a large crack really exist?" Wei Xi couldn't help but wonder. "How could there be no trace of it at all?"

"Also, how did that fissure strike that defensive line so precisely? And yet it didn't leave any trace?"

That's not right either; at least the injuries on the body can't be faked.

Wei Xi's face grew increasingly gloomy, and he was in a terrible mood.

"There are carnivorous ant corpses ahead!"

Wei Xi looked up and saw scattered carcasses of man-eating ants appearing on the road, their blood frozen together with the snow beneath them.

This is an encouraging sign; at least the Twilight Treasure Ship did not affect this area, and the three people have a chance of being rescued.

After walking for another quarter of an hour, they could vaguely see flames rising from the trench ahead, and the air was filled with the stench of burning corpses.

Wei Xi took out a bottle of Vanishing Pills, sponsored by his cheap master, poured out three pills to share, and then stealthily entered the fortress. Sure enough, there were cultivators stationed in this defensive line, and the cultivators on the wall had merchant guild badges hanging from their waists, so they were probably here to supervise the battle, just like Xia Xin.

By this time, the tide of man-eating ants was nearing its end, and there were not many man-eating ants left alive in front of the defensive line. Occasionally, some small ones would crawl out from the corpses of their companions, only to be slaughtered by the monks inside the fortress in the blink of an eye.

They were all out to work, and these cultivators were also the type to plunder everything. Wei Xi didn't manage to pick up a single bargain, and felt a sense of frustration, like he had met his match.

It can only be said that people have always been very sensitive to interests.

With the help of the Invisibility Pill, the three concealed themselves and successfully infiltrated the fortress. Wary of the merchant guild members, who possessed numerous cunning methods, Wei Xi dared not linger and left with a group of cultivators who were changing shifts.

Wei Xi was truly unlucky when it came to hunting man-eating ants: she once had a mountain of trophies, but now she was empty-handed and even almost lost her life.

Compared to the other cultivators who were also covered in blood but had reaped a great harvest, Wei Xi and his two companions were in a miserable state, and could only find solace in their narrow escape from death.

The only good news is that, because the defense line was swept into the Black Abyss (the way Chongxiao City refers to the rift), the three "wanted criminals" are theoretically dead, and even their deposit for entry has been wiped out.

Wei Xi hoped that Xia Xin could send the relevant news back to Chongxiao City before he died.

Out of caution, Wei Xi couldn't take out the waist tag that recorded his battle achievements. Therefore, to enter the auction, he would most likely have to buy some heads.

Fortunately, the thoughtful Chongxiao City set up a free market at the innermost defensive line. All cultivators needed to pay was the head of a man-eating ant. They could sell their spoils at the market, and the heads would be handled by the merchant guild. All that was left for the two parties was a string of battle merits on their waist tokens.

A noble cultivator does not need to carry the head of a man-eating ant into the city!

The market also had a post station, restaurants, and a clinic, providing a one-stop service to meet the needs of the monks.

After wandering around the market, the effects of the Vanishing Pill had worn off. Wei Xi's expression remained normal, but he was indeed very displeased!

The reason is simple: the Chongxiao City Chamber of Commerce has really gotten itself into a pile of spirit stones. Not only do the cultivators going to the front lines need to buy waist tokens, but even the purchase records of these customers who use spirit stones to buy spoils of war must be recorded with waist tokens.

Whether or not to risk being discovered and buy another waist tag became a dilemma for Wei Xi.

Fortunately, Wei Xi was a cautious cultivator. Her gaze fell on the post station not far away, and she prepared to activate the backup plan.

Yun Qing, who was heavily pregnant, had been placed at the post station by the three men. Now penniless and wanting Wei Xi to send her unborn child back home, she naturally stayed obediently at the post station.

It's time to reap the rewards!

When Wei Xi lifted the furry curtain, the first thing he saw was Yun Qing kneeling by the bed, wailing loudly.

Before the three could react, they saw Yun Qing suddenly look up, a resolute expression appearing on her tear-streaked face, "Lei Zhe... he's really dead!"

"I'm going back to the Yun family to take revenge!"

Thank you to readers Shanhe Manhuai and Carmen for the generous donations!