Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

Following the lengthy Chi Path, Wang Chen streaked forward at an astonishing speed.

Even without the ability to use Sword Flight, for a cultivator at the Purple Mansion level, enduring a long journey was not a problem.

He slapped two Armor and Horse Talismans on himself, and in an instant, he was racing as though flying.

Zero to a hundred kilometers in just one second!

Originally, Mou Guangji had arranged for fellow sect members from the Mutual Alliance Society to set off together, but Wang Chen, having left early, couldn't be bothered to wait for them.

The area within a thousand kilometers around Weifa City was quite safe, as the cultivators from the city would regularly clear it, so there were hardly any powerful Evil Spirits or demons present.

But the situation in the sky was vastly different; the high altitudes were bitterly cold with Yin winds, and it was common for strange creatures to sweep through, making it extremely dangerous.

Wang Chen hurried for hundreds of kilometers in one breath, leaving Weifa City far behind him.

The Chi Path ahead disappeared into the vast wilderness.

What appeared before Wang Chen was a vast plain covered with Black Pattern Grass.

The stems and leaves of the Black Pattern Grass were black, with gray patterns dotting the leaves, and the long grass leaves were layered on the ground, which from a distance looked like a silent sea of death.

Glowing insects would occasionally fly up from the grass, adding a touch of vitality to this otherwise dead world.

Although the Yin Nether Realm was a domain of Evil Spirits and demons, it wasn't entirely devoid of life.

Mostly, there were just small insects.

It was still under the illumination of the infamous moon, and despite the surrounding light being quite dim, there was no problem with visibility.

However, looking far into the distance, the mountain ranges appeared like dormant fierce beasts, involuntarily giving rise to a chill in one's heart.

Many areas were shrouded in thick fog!

Wang Chen stopped his stride.

The Armor and Horse Talismans on his body had lost their effectiveness.

This was clearly not normal, as the Armor and Horse Talismans used by Wang Chen were self-made and far more effective than those sold in talisman stores.

Normally, one talisman should allow for a thousand kilometers of travel.

Wang Chen had slapped on two, and yet he had only managed to travel three to four hundred kilometers.

The consumption was quite significant.

He slapped on new Armor and Horse Talismans and continued on his way.

And as the distance from Weifa City grew, the glow of the infamous moon grew dimmer, and the ethereal energy in the surrounding space became more intense.

It wasn't that the infamous moon could only illuminate a small area, but rather that the mist floating in the air blocked some of the moonlight, making the environment on the ground even worse.

But this had little effect on Wang Chen.

He never once cast any mana for body protection on himself from the beginning to the end.

Because his Vajra Invulnerability completely blocked the Yin energy, preventing it from penetrating his skin in the slightest!

This could be said to be one of Wang Chen's greatest advantages over his fellow sect members.

His body refinement was too strong.

And after venturing into the plain without any Chi Path, Wang Chen took out the Jade Slip issued by the envoy earlier.

This Jade Slip was actually a multi-functional magic artifact that could display direction and pinpoint location accurately, ensuring one would not get lost.

With its guidance, Wang Chen headed straight for the territory he was to develop.

He wouldn't end up on the wrong path.

After more than a two-hour long journey, Wang Chen smoothly reached the territory marked as "Wujiuwu."

Ahead lay towering mountains, and a dark, deep gorge stretched into the mountain range. The Black Water River, originating from the gorge, meandered between uneven grassy knolls before flowing into the glistening swamp.

Having both mountains and water seemed nice at first glance, but in reality, this place was truly inhospitable!

There were no fat prey in the mountains, only strange and malevolent demons, and the river water could not be used directly for drinking; beneath the dark waters, one couldn't know what kind of monsters were lurking.

The seemingly calm swamp bubbled with mud, full of hidden traps unknown to the eye.

To gain a foothold in such a place was an extremely difficult task!

Upon reaching his destination, Wang Chen began to survey the terrain first.

His initial task was to construct a Defense Area, the future site for his residence and cultivation.

The location of this construction was of special importance.

The foot of a mountain, beside a riverbank, or at the edge of a swamp, none were suitable sites for building a Defense Area.

Wang Chen took a long walk around and finally chose a rocky hill as his base.

This rocky hill covered a large area, but most importantly, it was situated high above ground, a good ten miles away from the Black Water River and the swamp.

He pulled out his Red Nether Sword and unleashed Sword Qi to level all the protruding rocks.

The rocks had been eroded by cold winds for countless years, their surfaces riddled with tiny holes, yet their texture was extremely hard, showing a blackish-purple sheen.

Flattening them was no easy task; it took Wang Chen more than two hours to clear a space ten paces square.

The Defense Area wasn't necessarily better the larger it was, for a greater area meant more territory to defend.

And for the time being, he was just one person.

After leveling the foundation, Wang Chen took out a set of mechanism houses from his Sumeru Ring.

This was a Building Spiritual Artifact supplied by the sect.

Wang Chen placed it at the center of the foundation and then loaded it with a full hundred Middle Spirit Stones before infusing it with Mana to activate.

In an instant, Spiritual Light burst forth, accompanied by a continuous "clicking" sound as the Spiritual Artifact began to "grow" by itself.

It extended posts that pierced the tough rock layers, burrowing deep into the hill and then expanding in all directions.

Walls and stone pillars rapidly formed, auto-constructing upwards like stacked blocks, before finally assembling into a small fortress five stories high right in front of Wang Chen's eyes!

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Though modest in size, this newly constructed Defense Area lacked for nothing and was not much different from a standard fortress.

But Wang Chen's work had just begun.

He took out the Array components that were issued and placed them in different areas inside the Defense Area.

This Array not only served a defensive purpose but could also convert the Yin Qi from the outside into Spiritual Energy for cultivation.

It greatly reduced the impact of Yin Qi.

However, it required a large amount of Spirit Stones to maintain normal operation.

After constructing the Defense Area and successfully deploying and activating the Array, Wang Chen finally had a true place to live.

He then took out furniture items to arrange his new dwelling.

It had to be a bit comfortable to live in.

Nevertheless, Wang Chen always remembered that safety came first.

Though he had not encountered any danger thus far, he did not believe the coming days would remain as peaceful.

For safety, Wang Chen began to dig tunnels beneath the Defense Area.

He felt as if he was back in his days at the Cloud Sun Sect's Outer Sect, like a hardworking mole, driven by a sense of insecurity, tirelessly digging and digging underground.

The rock, as hard as steel, was broken by Wang Chen using the Great Perfection level Mudstone Technique, digging out long passages deep into the ground.

One secret passage, two secret passages; one secret chamber, two secret chambers...

He spent three days and carved out an underground palace beneath the rocky hill.

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The second update is delivered.