Cultivation: Start From Simplifying Martial Arts Techniques

Inside the woven basket, dozens of copper coins shattered, completely enveloping Chen Fei.

Copper coins were unique to the Despair City, an inherent part of its essence. Throughout the entire city, this essence was abundant. Even the smallest elements here contained this essence.

If someone had enough power, refining this Despair City would be akin to mastering an extraordinary natural treasure. However, given the power displayed by this city, Chen Fei had no idea what level of cultivation would be required to forcefully control it.

Could the Essence Forging Realm manage it? Chen Fei was uncertain.

As the essence enveloped him, Chen Fei became one with his surroundings. This method didn’t affect his combat strength, ensuring that he remained prepared for any danger. However, it came at a cost.

“Dah!”

Another set of footsteps echoed. The previous two had still been quite distant, but this one was significantly closer. It was apparent that the Ghost Soldiers were now nearby.

Their speed surpassed even Chen Fei’s full-powered use of the Soaring Heaven Technique by a considerable margin. If a conflict were to arise, Chen Fei wouldn’t even be able to outrun these Ghost Soldiers.

Chen Fei’s expression grew serious as he heightened his perception to the utmost. By his side, Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang, despite enduring the torment of the chilling force, also became alert and kept an eye on their surroundings.

To escape this Despair City alive, there could be no room for the slightest error. Chen Fei understood this well, and so did Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang.

“Whoosh!”

As if a gentle breeze had swept by, in the corner of their vision, hundreds of figures suddenly appeared. These figures appeared without warning, right before their eyes.

Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang instinctively held their breaths; it was an immediate reaction. Clearly, they were both at the peak of tension.

If their disguises couldn’t deceive these Ghost Soldiers, then it might be the moment when they met their demise.

Chen Fei lowered his gaze, only observing with his peripheral vision to avoid accidentally drawing attention from these Ghost Soldiers. After all, Chen Fei’s mental fortitude far surpassed that of the other two.

Fortunately, these Ghost Soldiers didn’t linger around Chen Fei and his companions; they continued moving toward the direction of the city gate. These Ghost Soldiers were unlike the other eerie phenomena within the city; they appeared to lack sentience, more like manifestations of the city’s peculiar rules.

Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, and even Chen Fei did the same.

Facing the presence that could squeeze the life out of them at any moment, most people would feel fear. The difference lies in whether this emotion affects their judgment and actions.

Chen Fei grabbed Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang by their shoulders, his figure slightly shifted, turning into a shadow, and followed behind the Ghost Soldiers.

H

All, help me, help me!”

Suddenly, a scream echoed from ahead, causing Chen Fei’s heart to sink. It was the voice of Guo Shansheng from the Big Dipper Tower.

As Chen Fei and his companions got closer, they finally saw Guo Shansheng. However, at this moment, Guo Shansheng had only half of his body left, and even that half was gradually disappearing.

It was as if something was continuously gnawing and devouring him.

Guo Shansheng had only screamed for a moment before his voice abruptly stopped, and he completely vanished. Even the mid-grade spiritual weapon he held had lost its spirituality and turned into powder.

Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang were filled with a chilling sense of dread; this was the fate of being discovered.

Not far from where Guo Shansheng disappeared, Liao Hanqin stood pale, not daring to move a muscle. Then, Liao Hanqin saw Chen Fei and his companions. Sensing that Chen Fei and his companions made no sound as they moved, realization slowly dawned in his eyes.

Guo Shansheng had perished under the footsteps, thinking that if he matched the footsteps of the Ghost Soldiers, he would be safe.

These Ghost Soldiers, numbering in the hundreds, always had just one set of footsteps.

Chen Fei didn’t understand the significance of these footsteps, and he didn’t dare to blend in with them haphazardly. In the end, he chose to use the Wind Gathering Technique, keeping himself constantly a finger’s width above the ground.

The Wind Gathering Technique couldn’t make Chen Fei fly, but it allowed him to maintain a certain distance from the ground without any issues.

Guo Shansheng had also pondered whether there was something suspicious about the footsteps, but precisely at the moment when the Ghost Soldiers appeared, Guo Shansheng subconsciously dismissed this idea.

It was as if some force forcibly erased the doubts in his heart.

Liao Hanqin had intended to do the same, but at the last moment, the high-grade spiritual sword in his hand trembled, causing Liao Hanqin to instinctively pause. Then he saw Guo Shansheng being devoured.

Realizing this, Liao Hanqin was about to catch up with the Ghost Soldiers, but unexpectedly, the spiritual sword in his hand trembled again. Liao Hanqin’s expression froze. Was there danger?

Where was the danger?

Several hundred meters away, Yu Zhongxin seized Jin Weiming by the neck. Jin Weiming struggled incessantly, his eyes filled with fear. He couldn’t understand why Yu Zhongxin was doing this.

“Helping each other out, I helped you, now it’s your turn to help me!”

Yu Zhongxin whispered softly as several wounds suddenly appeared on his arm, transforming into blood patterns that landed on Jin Weiming’s body. Yu Zhongxin’s original presence vanished suddenly, but then it diminished. Meanwhile, Jin Weiming began to resemble Yu Zhongxin more and more.

In the blink of an eye, Yu Zhongxin’s presence was completely gone, which was entirely different from the concealment just a moment ago. This was because Yu Zhongxin had transferred his entire presence to Jin Weiming.

At this moment, Jin Weiming not only had his own presence but was also mixed with Yu Zhongxin’s. Although he was clearly just one person, subconsciously, it would seem as if two people were standing there.

Yu Zhongxin smiled faintly, disappearing from his original location. Jin Weiming struggled forcefully but couldn’t move an inch, only left with a terrified look in his eyes, gazing at his surroundings.

And at an unknown moment, a shadow appeared behind Jin Weiming. A sensation of being dragged suddenly appeared in Jin Weiming’s perception. The fear in Jin Weiming’s eyes erupted instantly, but he couldn’t even utter a single word.

Liao Hanqin stood still, staring helplessly as Chen Fei and the others disappeared from his sight. Unfortunately, he had no idea what went wrong.

Suddenly, a piece of information flashed through Liao Hanqin’s mind. There was no trace of his presence on Chen Fei and the others; their presence seemed to have vanished.

This disappearance wasn’t a mere concealment; it had been transferred elsewhere.

Transferred?

Liao Hanqin looked at the high-grade spiritual sword in his hand, his eyes showing a trace of reluctance. However, that trace of reluctance was immediately cut off. The high-grade spiritual sword emitted a suction force, completely absorbing Liao Hanqin’s presence.

But this domineering absorption not only transferred Liao Hanqin’s presence but also drained two-tenths of Liao Hanqin’s source power. Only then did Liao Hanqin’s presence truly complete its transfer.

Liao Hanqin had been injured previously, and now, with another two-tenths of his source power gone, he felt unsteady on his feet.

He planted the high-grade spiritual sword into the ground, and Liao Hanqin’s form turned into a shadow, following behind the Ghost Soldiers. In order to escape from this eerie city, Liao Hanqin had nearly sacrificed everything.

Chen Fei and his companions cautiously followed behind the Ghost Soldiers and soon saw the city gate up ahead. The city gate had long been wide open, and another group of Ghost Soldiers was waiting there.

Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang trembled in their hearts as they witnessed this scene. If they had stayed at the city gate earlier, they would have been directly intercepted by this group of Ghost Soldiers entering from outside.

The city gate, which opened once a month, was not meant for outsiders to come and go but rather for changing shifts between the Ghost Soldiers inside and outside the city. Waiting at the city gate meant delivering oneself directly to the Ghost Soldiers’ doorstep.

The Ghost Soldiers in front began passing through the city gate one by one. Chen Fei and his companions followed closely behind. When the group had advanced halfway, Liao Hanqin appeared from behind.

Not only Liao Hanqin but also Wu Yongzhao from the Divine Flame Sect had arrived. However, the other member of the Divine Flame Sect was absent at the moment.

Liao Hanqin turned to look at Wu Yongzhao, noticing that he still held his high-grade spiritual sword. Liao Hanqin guessed the reason; when it came to saving oneself, even if it meant using someone from the same sect, there would be no exceptions.

Yu Zhongxin appeared silently at the rear of the group. Liao Hanqin and Wu Yongzhao looked at him with surprise. Clearly, they hadn’t expected to encounter unfamiliar faces in this eerie city. What’s more, they could vaguely sense that Yu Zhongxin’s strength far surpassed their own.

Yu Zhongxin paid no attention to anyone and leaped over the others, closely following the Ghost Soldiers. Only when there was still a portion of Ghost Soldiers left to pass through the city gate did Yu Zhongxin suddenly accelerate, leaping over the Ghost Soldiers and rushing towards the city gate.

The Ghost Soldiers who had not yet left the city abruptly stopped, their gazes collectively fixed on Yu Zhongxin. However, Yu Zhongxin showed no fear, and his concealed power erupted suddenly as he rushed towards the city gate at an even faster speed.

The Ghost Soldiers stared at Yu Zhongxin, but they could never lock onto his aura. Countless fine threads rose from the Ghost Soldiers and swayed with the cold wind.

The people behind him witnessed this scene, their faces turning pale. They couldn’t understand why Yu Zhongxin was acting this way at such a critical moment.

But now that the Ghost Soldiers were alert, not only the ones in front but also those standing near the city gate shifted their focus.

Chen Fei’s psychic power surged in an instant, causing over a hundred copper coins to shatter, transforming into the power of the source that enveloped his entire body. Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang, on the other hand, released their resistance, allowing the frigid energy to completely invade them.

At this moment, Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang seemed as though they had died completely, unfeeling and unaware.

The Ghost Soldiers’ gazes shifted away from Chen Fei and the others in an instant. Chen Fei’s entire strength surged as he grasped Chi Shuqing and Ren Zhongyang, rushing toward the city gate.

Though the distance was only a dozen meters, it felt agonizingly long in Chen Fei’s perception.

The power of the source on his body’s surface was rapidly depleting. Unbeknownst to him, countless fine threads on the bodies of hundreds of Ghost Soldiers had already spread across the city gate, top to bottom, left to right, densely packed and sending shivers down one’s spine.

As a faint ripple of movement penetrated the barrier, Chen Fei’s surroundings changed dramatically. He was now halfway up Half-Bottle Mountain, with the Despair City behind him.

Dragging two people with him, Chen Fei descended the mountain madly.

“Buzz!”

Still halfway down the path, the gate of the Despair City suddenly quivered slightly. Chen Fei turned his head instinctively, and a pillar of light shot up into the sky from Half-Bottle Mountain.

A majestic and terrifying aura, belonging to the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, descended upon the mystic realm..