Chapter 116: Wuji City

“Young master, I’ve just finished preparing the meal! Shall I serve you some?”

As Gu Changqing returned to the cave dwelling, the aroma of stewed meat greeted him.

After practicing, Li Youling noticed the stone door was open and knew Gu Changqing had come out. She had been stewing the meat for several hours.

Seeing Gu Changqing return, she smiled warmly and spoke softly.

Gu Changqing nodded slightly; having someone like her around was indeed convenient.

Especially since Li Youling had one great advantage: she wasn’t troublesome!

Many women failed to recognize their place and often caused problems, but Li Youling was content and well-behaved. With her picturesque features and, except for a slightly youthful figure, everything else quite to his liking.

“I found some recipes in books on how to cook beast meat. I tried them earlier, and the taste improved a lot!” Li Youling brought over several bowls of stir-fried and stewed meat, along with some fruits and vegetables.

After finishing his meal, Gu Changqing returned to his room and took a good rest.

Upon waking, he ate breakfast before his mind stirred, prompting him to return to the world of the Qingjiang battlefield.

Camping out in the wilderness was doable, but who willingly chooses hardship when it can be avoided?

Gu Changqing changed into a new set of clothes, but kept the Silver Thread Cloud-Stepping Boots on.

After all, it’s easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to revert.

Once worn for traveling, taking off those boots always made him feel notably heavier.

After briefly confirming the direction, he activated a mid-level Windwalking Talisman and swiftly set off in pursuit.

Gu Changqing, moving alone, was much faster than the entire group, catching up with two days’ worth of their travel in just one day.

By evening, in a hilly area, he spotted several columns of smoke in the distance.

Approaching closer, he saw Zhongming and his guards, still about a mile apart on two small hills.

A few earth-element awakened individuals created a platform with their abilities, and everyone rested there.

“Stay alert tonight, all of you! Even if you’re off duty, keep an eye out,” Yan Hao warned.

They were only half a day’s journey from the city at the foot of Mount Danyang. Yan Hao wasn’t sure if there would be attacks overnight.

After all, their previous encounter at Jieshan City showed that some force was controlling the monsters.

After changing his boots, Gu Changqing returned directly to the camp.

Since he had disappeared for two days and then appeared wearing rather strange boots, it was natural that people would speculate.

Though he didn’t mind others’ opinions much, some things were better avoided.

Others showed surprise when they saw Gu Changqing return.

Those awakened at levels four and five didn’t know why he left but had seen the conflict between him and Li Gongfu before he disappeared for two days, stirring silent guesses.

“No trouble along the way?” Yan Hao’s expression relaxed somewhat upon seeing him. At last, this guy made it before they reached the foot of Mount Danyang.

“What trouble could there be?” Gu Changqing replied casually, then scanned the area and noticed Gu Wu was not present.

An hour later, Gu Wu returned to camp and said, “The direction and map are correct. The large city at the foot of Mount Danyang lies just ahead. Judging by its scale, tens of thousands live inside.”

“I took a closer look. Most are civilians, but there are quite a few martial artists from this world. For now, it seems calm, with no unusual activity.”

Yan Hao nodded. No disturbances were good news, but vigilance remained necessary.

He then summoned someone and instructed, “Send the news to the guards!”

Shortly after, the messenger returned with news: “No trace of the Qi Chao awakened ones!”

Not only had Gu Wu scouted the city, but the guards had also sent out troops to search for signs of the Qi Chao awakened ones, unfortunately to no avail.

Still, everyone knew the Qi Chao forces wouldn’t be far.

In fact, the Qi Chao awakened ones were the greatest variable. Compared to whatever was on Mount Danyang, they were more worrisome.

“Even if we haven’t found their traces, we can’t just wait!” Yan Hao told the others, then looked at Gu Changqing:

“Clear out this city first, then head to Mount Danyang. Gu Changqing, you’ll take the lead tomorrow. Do you need any manpower or assistance?”

Yan Hao had only one thought now: thankfully, Gu Changqing was here.

With his absorption ability and other skills, as long as the monsters in the city weren’t too strong, Gu Changqing could keep fighting, slaughtering at an astonishing speed.

No one else could do that.

Not to mention tens of thousands of monsters—even that many pigs would wear others out, and casualties would be inevitable.

Without Gu Changqing, they’d have to head straight up Mount Danyang, risking ambush and having their path cut off.

But with him here, things were simpler.

They could save forces to guard against the Qi Chao awakened ones.

“What’s the point of waiting until tomorrow? I’m going to sleep now. I’ll start once I wake. Also, have the guards keep their distance!” Gu Changqing grinned, excitement flashing in his eyes.

He then entered a tent and lay down for a short nap.

Two to three hundred thousand monsters!

Plus a large number of martial artists from this world, though it was unclear whether they were inside the city or on Mount Danyang—not much difference, just breakfast or dinner.

If he devoured all these monsters, it would be enough to elevate him to the peak of the ninth level. Beyond that would be Foundation Establishment.

Unfortunately, he lacked some materials needed for Foundation Establishment.

When establishing the foundation, the soul must be projected outward, inevitably provoking retaliation from the souls trapped in the Blood Prison. Even with divine protection, the risks were considerable.

Preparations were necessary, but he had been focused on cultivation these days and hadn’t had time to prepare.

Also, Foundation Establishment required a safe place to break through, which this place clearly was not.

…

Seeing that Gu Changqing went straight into the tent, Yan Hao called Gu Wu, Li Gongfu, and Gao Wenxin aside.

“The martial artists of this world are strong. I fear something might happen. Gao Wenxin and I will go to support him. Li Gongfu and Gu Wu, you two stay here.”

Neither Li Gongfu nor Gu Wu objected, and Yan Hao sent word to the guards.

…

A few hours later, several sixth-level awakened guards received the news and were somewhat surprised.

“What did Zhongming and the others say?”

“They’re trying to clear the monsters in the city beneath Mount Danyang and told us not to interfere?”

“That Gu Changqing… is his power really that strong?”

“His ability isn’t just blood control… We’ll see for ourselves tonight!”

After some discussion, the guards decided to observe quietly.

…

Five hours later, Gu Changqing yawned as he emerged from the tent. Two blood moons hung in the sky, obscuring the stars.

He pulled out some cooked food and instant rice from his empty pouch—he had plenty of these on hand.

“Are you confident?” Yan Hao sat opposite him.

“It’s a pity you didn’t find where the Qi Chao awakened ones are!” Gu Changqing smiled suddenly, a malicious glint in his eyes.

If he had known their location, he would have been in trouble—he could have led those monsters right to the Qi Chao camp.

Hearing this, Yan Hao thought for a moment and understood Gu Changqing’s meaning.

In that light, not finding the Qi Chao base wasn’t entirely bad.

After all, Southern Chu knew the Qi Chao forces were here, and Qi Chao knew the same.

If all the Qi Chao were killed here, Southern Chu would be in trouble.

But that was almost impossible; the sixth-level Qi Chao awakened ones would surely escape, causing even greater trouble for Southern Chu.

They would face endless harassment from Qi Chao.

Neither Zhongming nor the guards dared to provoke such a situation.

After finishing his meal, Gu Changqing, along with Yan Hao and Gao Wenxin, headed straight north toward Mount Danyang.

More than two hours later, Gu Changqing stopped. Ahead, at the edge of the plain under the night sky, lay a dark, vast city, resembling a monstrous beast lying in wait.

He sat down and changed into his Silver Thread Cloud-Stepping Boots from his pouch, immediately feeling lighter.

A wild, bloodthirsty grin spread across his face as he shot forward toward the city like an arrow.

Before reaching the city wall, Gu Changqing noticed something unusual—the city walls were manned by guards, something the previous two cities lacked.

As he leapt onto the battlements, he also caught sight of the name above the city gates:

Wu Ji.

(End of chapter)