Mortal: I'm in Tianxing City, intelligence updates daily.

Chapter 76 Self-Awareness (Seeking monthly votes and recommendations)

Upon hearing this, the gray-robed elder first showed a look of disappointment, then asked with some curiosity, "I wonder what exactly this cooperation Fellow Daoist Li is referring to?"

"Before I met Fellow Daoist Lin, I saw storage bags left behind by cultivators on the road from time to time. Could you ask the mortals in the village to help me collect a few in the vicinity? In addition to the ones that the village had left before, they are useless in this Yin and Yang land anyway, so I might as well take them all out with me."

After a moment of contemplation, the gray-robed elder replied, "You can take what's left in the village, but collecting it will be troublesome. We've already looted most of the nearby areas, and if we go further afield, the Yin Beasts are rampant. That would probably result in the loss of a lot of manpower, and we don't even know what you can do with us."

"Fellow Daoists, you've been here for so many years, and you've come to understand the habits of the Yin Beasts. You lure them over here, and I'll kill them. We'll split the Yin Beast Crystals we get fifty-fifty, how about that?"

Li Shizhou expressed his thoughts.

In the original book, the Yinming Beast Crystal is the foundation of human survival in this place, so there is no doubt that these people will be tempted.

The five elders present all had a sharp look in their eyes upon hearing this, and they tacitly exchanged glances to seek each other's opinions.

After exchanging glances, the gray-robed elder said, "Fellow Daoist Li's idea is good. We can indeed lure them over. However, the Yin Beasts are ferocious. If too many come, we might face annihilation."

Li Shizhou smiled slightly and pointed at the level six Purple-Eyed Bi, saying, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, guess what level of demon beast this of mine is?"

The gray-robed old man stroked his beard in thought, and after a while, he held up four fingers and said, "Could this be a level four demonic beast?"

Li Shizhou shook his head: "My spirit beast is a genuine level six demon beast."

The five elders all gasped upon hearing this.

Lin Yuan asked in surprise, "Fellow Daoist Li has a level six spirit beast. Could it be that you are a Nascent Soul cultivator?"

Li Shizhou truthfully replied, "No, I am a late-stage Core Formation cultivator."

After listening, the gray-robed elder couldn't help but glance at Li Shizhou a few more times, and then said, "That's a high-level cultivator. To be honest, the highest cultivation level among the five of us is only the mid-Foundation Establishment stage."

"It is precisely because of the bright future ahead that I do not want to be trapped here to die. Even if there is only a sliver of a chance to climb Storm Mountain, I, Li, will give it a try. If I unfortunately perish, it is my destiny to suffer this calamity," Li Shizhou replied solemnly.

The gray-robed elder nodded: "Fellow Daoist Li, this matter is of great importance. Could you allow us to discuss it first? You can rest in the village for the night, and we will give you an answer tomorrow, how about that?"

"No problem, then let's wait for your good news."

Afterwards, Lin Yuan led Li Shizhou to stay in a spacious house near the stone platform.

The village elders all live nearby, so it's a courtesy to let him stay here.

Inside the council chamber.

After Lin Yuan saw Li Shizhou off and returned, the village elders gathered in a circle to discuss the matter.

The five appeared to be equals, but the gray-robed elder held the highest prestige. He spoke first: "Gentlemen, what do you think of Fellow Daoist Li Shizhou's proposal?"

The other four all had solemn expressions, frowning and deep in thought without saying a word.

After a moment, the only female cultivator among the elders said, "Fellow Daoist Lin, I heard that this Fellow Daoist Li killed more than ten Fire Scale Beasts in the blink of an eye. Is that true?"

Lin Yuan replied, "It is true, of course. I saw it with my own eyes. At that time, his spirit beasts did not even make a move. Every time Fellow Daoist Li swung his sword, a fire-scaled beast died. He is not only physically strong, but he should also have cultivated martial arts in the secular world."

"If I'm not mistaken, Fellow Daoist Li's spirit beast should be a Purple-Eyed Bixie, possessing the bloodline of the True Spirit Bixie Kuang. It is by no means ordinary. If it is truly at level six, killing Yin Beasts is indeed as easy as killing chickens and dogs," said an elder wearing a wooden crown.

After a few words were exchanged, the old man in the gray robe cleared his throat.

Then he said, "Since we can't keep this person here, it's not bad if he can help us get through the current crisis. We only have enough Yin Nether Beast Crystals to last for a few months. If this person can kill all the Yin Beasts in the vicinity, we can also collect some Yin Nether Beast Crystals. This deal is worthwhile. So it's settled then. We agree to his cooperation."

The others nodded in agreement.

After they finished discussing, they got up to go back to their respective places.

Lin Yuan suddenly said, "Fellow Daoists, perhaps Fellow Daoist Li can really climb up Storm Mountain and get out. Should we follow him?"

Apart from the gray-robed old man, everyone else trembled upon hearing this, their long-dormant hearts began to burn with excitement, and their breathing became more rapid.

"Even if it's true, so what? Judging from his behavior, he clearly has no intention of taking us out. Let alone that tiger-shaped demon beast, even with the weight of that spear, which he wields so easily, he could easily beat us to death with his bare hands. If we insist on following him, we're afraid we'll be silenced."

The gray-robed elder remained calm and immediately poured cold water on his fellow practitioners.

After hearing this, the fiery looks in the eyes of the other four gradually faded.

After a moment, Lin Yuan sighed and said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao is right. Alas, now that there is hope of getting out, it is hard not to feel restless. Well then, I, Lin, will just stay here and die of old age."

Day two.

On the stone walls of the human settlement, every mortal capable of fighting stood atop the walls, armed with rudimentary weapons.

These people all looked tense, and many of them had white fingers gripping their weapons.

Li Shizhou, on the other hand, was quite different. He held a silver spear, stood on the stone wall at the city gate, with a Soul-Crying Beast perched on his shoulder, and looked completely calm and collected.

The Level 6 Purple Eyes was lying beside him, yawning occasionally out of boredom.

After all, these Yin Beasts were nothing to Li Shizhou, and with the Soul-Crying Beast as a powerful weapon, there was really nothing to worry about.

At this moment, the purple mist that had enveloped the entire town had dissipated.

More than three hundred various kinds of evil beasts had gathered far outside the city, occasionally letting out low growls.

Suddenly, nine strange black gusts of wind arose out of nowhere, and sand and stones began to fly outside the city, with howling winds.

Wherever the black wind passes, a layer of pitch-black frost forms on the ground.

A moment later, the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground was heard, the black wind slowly dissipated, and nine gray Yin beasts, each over ten feet tall, were revealed.

These demonic beasts resemble apes, with four eyes on their faces, each radiating a blood-red light.

It also grew a pair of fleshy wings from its ribs, and held all sorts of weapons in its hands, including stones and even a whole tree as a club.

"The Cunning Beast."

As soon as the giant ape-like beast appeared, the mortals on the wall began to riot, and some even unconsciously took a few steps back, causing the scene to get a little out of control.