"Dead!"
Jia Ren collapsed on the ground, with hardly any Spiritual Power left inside him.
If the battle had continued much longer, he would have definitely run out of Spiritual Power. Moreover, if the Bizarre Cultivator had escaped, the trouble would have been enormous.
"First, restore Spiritual Power!"
Jia Ren hurriedly took out a Qi Recovery Pill from his Storage Bag and swallowed it. Holding a Spirit Stone in his hand, he quickly began to restore his Spiritual Power.
It was uncertain whether the battle would attract other Bizarre Cultivators. Only a full reserve of Spiritual Power could ensure his safety.
Luckily, troubles did not come one after another.
All the households kept their doors tightly shut, and no one came to see what had happened.
「Half an hour later.」
Jia Ren's internal Spiritual Power had recovered to seventy percent, and only then did he stop meditating.
Throughout the process, the Spirit Shield was never removed. Although the speed of restoring Spiritual Power slowed, safety was prioritized. Meditation could neglect the perception of danger, making it easy to fall prey to assassination. Beyond that, there was another important point. Uncertain if there were any poisonous quills nearby, he did not want to test them on himself. The poison of the quills was overbearing. It caused unbearable pain and itching, made the afflicted swell throughout their body, and even had the bizarre effect of interrupting spellcasting. If it were not for them, this battle would not have gone so smoothly.
"Its power is not bad. Let's call you 'Itchy Powder'!"
The Metal Finger Technique played an indispensable role in this battle. As the main offensive force, it broke through a First Order Superior Grade Golden Bell Shield Talisman. Without the Green Spirit Shield, Jia Ren would have died earlier from the Bizarre Cultivator's Talisman attacks; he couldn't be sure his own defenses could withstand a large number of them.
Using multiple defensive Spells is safe, but the downside is the rapid consumption of Spiritual Power, which isn't conducive to prolonged combat. It's best to specialize in one defensive Spell and raise its Proficiency Level until the defense is sufficient. The Grandmaster-level Metal Finger Technique is tremendously destructive, so there's no need to focus on grinding other offensive Spells for now. The Metal Finger Technique, combined with the Itchy Powder, can achieve wondrous effects. The Insect Control Technique is crucial; the mosquitoes responsible for surveillance are like my eyes. If I hadn't detected the Bizarre Cultivator in time, I would most likely have died from a sneak attack.
Having just experienced a thrilling battle, Jia Ren analyzed the gains and losses of this fight.
The nervousness from killing someone for the first time gradually settled.
Someone wanted to kill me, and I wouldn't sit idly by and wait for death. If the Bizarre Cultivator didn't die, I would be the one to perish.
Jia Ren glanced at the Bizarre Cultivator's corpse. It was riddled with holes and covered in filthy blood.
He didn't approach rashly because there was an evil qi about the person!
I still need to sleep in this stone house. I can't burn the body here; the smell would be too strong. Even the smell of burning platycodon was unbearable inside the house, let alone a corpse.
In the kitchen, he found a fire poker. He used it to retrieve the Storage Bag from the Bizarre Cultivator's waist. Then, he controlled a few Corner Worms to wrap the corpse in cloth strips and drag it to the edge of the stone house grounds.
He cast the Fireball Technique consecutively. The Corner Worms tainted by the evil qi, along with the corpse, were incinerated by the flames, turning into white ash.
"Cleaning Talisman!"
A Cleaning Talisman was used. The blood, ashes, and any remaining poisonous quills were all swept away, leaving the stone house clean again.
Except for the residual marks from explosions and blades, as well as the cookware, wooden table, and stone chairs destroyed in the battle, everything looked as it did before.
"Spirit Eye Technique!"
His eyes shone with a white light as he scanned the Storage Bag and the three Verdant Flying Daggers Magic Artifacts.
A faint trace of Bizarre Evil Qi lingered on them. It showed no signs of spreading and was slowly dissipating; it would soon vanish completely.
Does Bizarre Evil Qi rely on living beings to survive?
Jia Ren recalled the Loose Cultivators infected with Bizarre Evil Qi. Over time, the Qi afflicting them grew stronger until they died.
Was the Bizarre Evil Qi on the Magic Artifacts and Storage Bag due to long-term contact with Cultivators? Now that the source of contamination was gone, was it slowly disappearing? It's good that the Bizarre Evil Qi can dissipate. Otherwise, I'd really have to consider whether it's worth using an Evil Warding Talisman.
Jia Ren had the Corner Worms drag the three Verdant Flying Daggers Magic Artifacts and the Storage Bag to a side room. He then personally destroyed the few Corner Worms involved and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He reset the explosive traps and confirmed the defenses were secure.
Having just survived a life-and-death battle, Jia Ren was exhausted in body and mind and fell into a deep sleep.
「The night passed without incident.」
He woke up early as usual, feeling refreshed and full of energy.
Jia Ren glanced at the stone house, now worn and tattered from the battle, and hesitated about whether to change his living quarters.
The Market is too chaotic. What if I rashly move and end up in a den of Bizarre Cultivators? The nearby Loose Cultivators are familiar, so it's comparatively safer here. How can I effectively prevent Bizarre Cultivators from targeting me and avoid similar troubles?
Formations! With a Guardian Formation, weaker Bizarre Cultivators wouldn't dare to seek their own doom here. However, Formations are exorbitantly priced—simply unaffordable. Besides, even if I wanted to buy one now, there's no opportunity. Formation-related shops are all in the Inner City, and with the Inner City closed off, it's impossible to purchase one.
I've got it! Make the stone house look even older, abandoned! The main reason Bizarre Cultivators come knocking is that the stone house shows signs of human activity. If I make it appear long uninhabited, I can avoid trouble to the greatest extent. Who would bother robbing a stone house that looks like it hasn't been lived in for ages?
Jia Ren restored the repaired parts of the stone house to their previous dilapidated state, planted weeds, and made it look overgrown.
He used the Turtle Breath Technique to conceal his aura and filled his pockets with dirt to cover his tracks.
For added realism, he deliberately found several spiders and controlled them to weave webs in conspicuous places.
Jia Ren looked towards his 'brand new' home.
The stone house was dilapidated, with drafts seeping in from all sides.
Weeds grew untamed in front, devoid of any signs of cooking fires or recent habitation.
The interior was draped in cobwebs, with a thin layer of dust covering the ground.
At a glance, it was obvious the place had been uninhabited for a long time.
The effect is good! But this doesn't guarantee absolute safety. It's best to prepare an escape route. In case I get trapped in the stone house, I can still escape in time.
An underground tunnel was already part of his plans. With the Corner Worms working day and night, constructing it wouldn't be difficult. Another exit...
Jia Ren searched the vicinity and found another stone house, similarly long-abandoned.
"Insect Control Technique!"
As Jia Ren walked towards the dilapidated stone house he had chosen, a Corner Worm began digging a narrow tunnel three zhang beneath his feet, continuously extending it forward.
In the pitch-blackness of the underground tunnel, some crookedness in the excavation was inevitable. Using his own position as a guide, he controlled the Corner Worm's direction to prevent the underground passage from deviating too far from its intended course.
After the Corner Worm had dug out a main pilot tunnel, the remaining task was to expand it.
"Daoist Jia, I didn't expect you to still be alive?"
A female Cultivator emerged from the stone house in front, emptying a basin of water. Her face glowed with health.
She seemed to have been recently... satisfied, exuding the charm of a mature woman.
"My skills were a notch better, so I was fortunate enough to win."
The commotion from last night's battle was too loud to have gone unnoticed by others.
The female Cultivator had previously been relieved not to have accompanied Jia Ren.
But seeing him safe and sound, her thoughts changed once again.
In this chaotic world, it's always better to follow the strong than the weak.
"Daoist Jia is formidable! I, Ji, am truly in awe!"
A short, chubby man with a Cultivation Level at the Third Level of Qi Refinement emerged from the stone house behind the woman. He always greeted others with a wide smile.
His gaze towards Jia Ren was filled with reverence.
Those who dare to ambush and kill in the middle of the night are ruthless individuals. Jia Ren's ability to counter-kill a Bizarre Cultivator is nothing short of terrifying. When dealing with such a fierce character, one's attitude must be impeccable.
"You flatter me, fellow Daoist."
The two had crossed paths a few times but weren't well acquainted.
The female Cultivator, having been rebuffed by Jia Ren before, didn't dare to live alone and had found a fellow Daoist to team up with for mutual support.
"I have things to attend to. We'll meet another day."
I don't want to expose my connection with that dilapidated stone house and invite trouble, Jia Ren thought.
He went to the side room and used the Spirit Eye Technique to carefully examine the Storage Bag and three Verdant Flying Daggers left behind by the Bizarre Cultivator.
All the residual Bizarre Evil Qi has vanished, making them safe to use. I wonder how wealthy this Bizarre Cultivator was? I hope it's not disappointing.