Living as a Mortal: Grinding Experience Starting from the Underworld

Zhang Feng pondered for a moment. The marks were old and worn, not like they were made recently.

Judging from the timeline, it must have been at least a year, which brings to mind the discord among the elders.

Zhang Feng decided to wait and see what Huang Tiangu was really up to.

This is a good opportunity to test the panel's functions.

Name: Zhang Feng

【灵根天赋：水（40/100）、火（20/100）、土（25/100）、木（25/100）】

[Cultivation Level: Qi Refining Level 13 (50/1300) (Under Sealing)]

[Technique: Langshui True Essence Technique (Proficiency 21/300)]

【技艺：渔猎（熟练32/100）水遁术（熟练9/100）驱物术（熟练3/100）】

The Langshui True Essence Technique was not sealed, so it is unknown whether this technique can be used without spiritual power.

If it can be activated, his safety in the Underworld will be greatly improved, and he might even be able to escape from the Underworld by using this.

Zhang Feng sat cross-legged, calmed his mind, and began to try.

Once, twice, three times...

The spiritual energy within his body was dormant and could not be mobilized at all, and his cultivation techniques could not be used.

bad!

I thought the proficiency panel was a lifesaver, but I never expected it to be completely useless in the Land of Desolation.

Zhang Feng stood up, feeling a sense of unease and deep resentment.

The golden finger had arrived, but he couldn't use it. How could Zhang Feng be willing to accept this?

Zhang Feng paced back and forth inside the ancestral hall, looking at the stone tablets and biographies left by the senior cultivators.

He gradually calmed down.

No, we can't do that.

One must maintain a calm and stable mindset in order to find a solution.

Zhang Feng stroked the stone tablet. The people who erected the tablets here were all cultivators with a cultivation level of at least Foundation Establishment.

Looking at the biographies they left behind, these high-level cultivators stayed in this dark and gloomy place, unable to use their spiritual power, and their lifespans were no different from those of mortals. They died unwillingly in despair and suffering.

Time passed by little by little!

Midnight is approaching.

Squeak!

The ancestral hall doors opened, and two figures entered.

"It's you, Zhang Feng!"

A familiar voice came, and Zhang Feng suddenly opened his eyes.

Huang Tiangu, and Li Ning!

Whoosh!

Get started first!

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhang Feng drew his sword and raised it, the tip of the flying sword pointing directly at Li Ning!

Upon seeing Zhang Feng, Li Ning immediately drew her sword.

Ding!

Sparks flew as the two swords clashed!

Upon meeting, the two drew their swords and confronted each other without prior arrangement!

When his first attack failed, Zhang Feng drew a throwing blade from his waist with his left hand and hurled it in a flash, aiming straight for Li Ning's neck!

As the flying blade hurtled towards him, Li Ning was terrified and hurriedly blocked and retreated!

Boom!

Suddenly a cane was extended between the two.

Whoosh whoosh!

Three clicks.

Zhang Feng's flying sword and flying blade met Li Ning's flying sword in response.

"Fellow Daoists, regardless of any past grudges between you two, since you have both fallen into this Netherworld, please, for my sake, turn hostility into friendship."

After all, in this dark and gloomy place, if cultivators were to fight each other, they would likely die sooner or later.

Huang Tiangu stood between the two, his beard and hair flying wildly.

Zhang Feng was immediately startled. He considered himself to be quite skilled in martial arts, yet Huang Tiangu was able to deflect his flying blades and disarm the two men in a matter of moments.

This Huang Tiangu is probably a body-refining cultivator!

To possess such skill despite his advanced age, the cultivator truly hides his true abilities.

But if you have such ability, why didn't you take action immediately?

Li Ning was equally shocked. The fact that the village chief could mediate the fight between the two in an instant showed that he was probably no ordinary cultivator.

"Haha, it's just a trivial skill, please don't take offense, fellow Daoists."

Huang Tiangu laughed heartily when he saw the two stop fighting.

Seeing this, Zhang Feng picked up Fei Ying and sheathed his sword. He knew that with Huang Tiangu present, there was no chance to kill Li Ning.

Seeing Zhang Feng stop, Huang Tiangu nodded repeatedly:

"Fellow Daoist Zhang is very understanding. In this dark land, survival is the most important thing. As for grudges, it's best to put them aside for now!"

What do you think, Fellow Daoist Li?

Upon hearing this, Li Ning also sheathed her flying sword and bowed to Zhang Feng:

"Senior Huang is absolutely right. Brother Zhang, the matter of the Foundation Establishment Pill was indeed my fault."

Please consider the fate that brought us to Huangtu Village together, and let's call it even.

After all, in this dark and mysterious place, Brother Zhang might still need my help someday.

Zhang Feng remained unfazed. This Li Ning was a formidable character; she didn't care about saving face, knew how to be patient, and knew how to go with the flow.

The more this happened, the less Zhang Feng dared to trust, and the stronger his murderous intent became.

"Fellow Daoist Li, there's no need for such formalities. We are trapped in this dark and gloomy place and need to support each other. I, Zhang, will take the overall situation into consideration."

Upon hearing this, Li Ning's expression flashed. He had hoped that Zhang Feng would not be able to swallow his anger at having harmed Zhang Feng's spirit ship and would be unable to control himself to attack Huang Tiangu again.

Unexpectedly, he was able to hold back.

She had no choice but to accept her loss and look for another opportunity later.

"Thank you so much, Brother Zhang, for your magnanimity! I admire you greatly."

Huang Tiangu smiled as he saw the two men temporarily reconcile.

Little did they know that both of them secretly thought: this woman must not be allowed to live.

"Alright, now that you two have made peace, I can continue."

"You two have probably already seen the stone tablet here, and have gained a basic understanding of the Underworld."

"I invited you two here so late at night because I have a very important matter to entrust to you!"

Huang Tiangu stroked his beard with his left hand, his voice steady.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Feng came to his senses. Huang Tiangu had been shrouded in mystery ever since he entered Huangtu Village.

He clearly had the ability to mediate between the two, but he chose to observe first before taking action.

This shows that he is meticulous and, coupled with his unknown martial arts skills, he is no ordinary person.

But what could possibly warrant such a powerful man entrusting this matter to him?

Zhang Feng remained silent and looked at Li Ning, who also had her brows slightly furrowed, clearly deep in thought.

Time ticked by, and Huang Tiangu finally couldn't resist any longer; he had to initiate the invitation himself.

"Haha, good. You two fellow Daoists are indeed calm and composed."

To be honest, I am getting old and have a premonition that my time is coming soon.

Meanwhile, the three elders in the village were eyeing the position of village chief, waiting only for the old man to pass away.

These three will definitely exterminate all the cultivators in the village, feeding them to Yinming to obtain beast crystals in order to secure their ascent of Storm Mountain.

Once all the cultivators in the village are killed, Huangtu Village will lose its ability to deal with the Yinming Beast.

At that time, Huangtu Village will not be far from destruction.

"This old man wishes to ask you two to escort the mortals of this village to Red Earth Village, so that they may be spared from disaster."

After Huang Tiangu finished speaking, he waited quietly, giving the two some time to digest the information.

"What are the beast crystals that Senior Huang mentioned? And why are the elders hunting down cultivators? And what about Storm Mountain...?"

Li Ning pondered for a moment, somewhat puzzled, as she had not previously obtained any relevant records from the stone tablet at the scene.

Or perhaps someone deliberately erased these records.

Huang Tiangu sighed softly and fell into deep thought:

"The so-called beast crystal, also known as yin stone, is a crystal produced inside the body of the Yin-Yang beast, and its quantity is very small."

The predecessors who founded Huangtu Village accidentally obtained a way to produce more beast crystals from the predecessors who founded Hongtu Village.

It involves feeding the corpses of cultivators to the Netherworld Beasts, then killing them to obtain their essence.

The elder believed that this method was against the natural order, which led to a disagreement with the elders of Hongtu Village, and the two parted on bad terms.

This method was destroyed in our Huangtu Village, but it is still preserved in Hongtu Village.

"As for Storm Mountain, it is the only way to escape the Underworld, as proven by our predecessors."

Zhang Feng listened attentively. Although it had been explained in novels and anime in his previous life, being there in person still made him feel a chill.

"Escape from the underworld?"

Li Ning heard the thing that mattered most to her: she had had enough of this damp and gloomy place where she couldn't use her spiritual power.

"Hmm! But don't get your hopes up too high, after all, no one in the records of previous cultivators has ever successfully reached the summit!"

Huang Tiangu poured cold water on the situation.

But Li Ning didn't care at all, knowing that getting out was the biggest gain of this trip.

"Village Chief Huang, in the Netherworld, we cultivators are no different from ordinary people. Let alone whether we can protect the people of Huangtu Village, it is still unknown whether we can escape the clutches of the elders."

After pondering for a while, Zhang Feng wanted to decline, but Huang Tiangu had passed away, several powerful figures were watching him closely, and there was also the seemingly harmonious Li Ning.

This is a matter that we absolutely cannot interfere with!

"Sigh~"

Huang Tiangu couldn't help but sigh, "Cultivators are indeed people who are unmoved by any benefit; they probably can't rely on words alone."

Fortunately, he had anticipated this:

"What Fellow Daoist Zhang said is absolutely right. Whether it is protecting Huangtu Village or climbing Storm Mountain, it is definitely not possible to rely on a body with sealed spiritual power."

But what if I possess a body-refining technique that doesn't require spiritual energy to cultivate?