Undoubtedly, for some time to come, Misty Cloud City would become the center of attention for cultivators.
After all, it is the only city for cultivators within the Cloud Fog Mountain Range
The Immortal Mist Sect, in order to develop the Cloud Fog Mountain Range, will most certainly promise great rewards, enticing many cultivators to risk their lives for them, clearing away the beasts within the mountains and constructing roads.
Around that time, the prices of everything in Misty Cloud City, from pills, talismans, spiritual medicines, food, to magic artifacts, will all soar.
Most likely, Misty Cloud City will become a place rife with conflict and contention, a far cry from its former peace.
"If that's the case, the price of Spiritual Wine might rise as well, allowing me to make a huge profit."
Zhou Sui was rubbing his chin in thought.
With these thoughts in mind, he proceeded without hesitation. Despite the rising cost of spiritual medicinal ingredients, purchasing them was a definite must for him.
He ended up spending two hundred lower-grade spirit stones to purchase the Wine Snake Grass and other materials required to cultivate the Wine Bug.
Then, he went to other stores to purchase large quantities of Spirit Rice and Spirit Meat.
After all, currently, his household had grown, requiring him to store a large amount of food.
With the present situation this chaotic, he probably wouldn't be venturing out often in the near future, necessitating him to stock up on food in advance.
Fortunately, the Supreme Gu God Bowl he had contained a storage space within it, exceeding a thousand cubic meters in size, much akin to that of a large warehouse. He did not need to worry about running out of space for food storage.
"What's going on?"
Once he completed these tasks, his keen senses were alerted to a scrutinizing gaze directed towards him. This was the power of the Dream Soul Gu, which allowed him to sense his surroundings, a power comparable to the spiritual sense of a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator.
Although the person observing him from the shadows thought of themselves as being very surreptitious, they were still detected by him.
"There are three cultivators staring at me."
"One of them is at Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer, and the other two are at the fourth layer."
"Is Misty Cloud City this chaotic now? They dare to make a move in broad daylight within the city?!"
Zhou Sui was taken aback. He didn't expect Misty Cloud City, a place much safer in the past, to be riddled with disorder due to the influx of foreign cultivators. It was far from the safe haven it once was.
These foreign cultivators, accustomed to their unrestrained ways outside, engaged in indiscriminate burning, killing and looting.
Even when they arrived in Misty Cloud City, they showed no signs of altering their original behavior.
It is quite normal for someone like him, a cultivator at the second stage of Qi Cultivation, to catch the attention of these foreign cultivators.
Thankfully, he had already completed the cultivation of the Dream Soul Gu. Despite currently only being at the second stage of Qi Cultivation, his soul power was significantly strong, comparable to a cultivator in the late stages of Qi Cultivation.
Also, combined with the power of the Dream Soul Gu, taking on cultivators at the fifth or even sixth layer of Qi Cultivation wouldn't be a problem at all.
It was for this reason that he wasn't overly concerned.
"A swift victory is required."
With this thought in mind, Zhou Sui calmly started to move towards a dark alley.
...…
At this moment, there were also three cultivators covertly watching Zhou Sui from not too far away. They were not indigenous cultivators of Misty Cloud City, but rather Loose Cultivators who had come from other places.
They had heard that Misty Cloud City was flush with wealth, a utopia for Loose Cultivators, and thus came to seek their fortune.
"Tsk tsk, I've kept an eye on this kid for a while. He's visited the Pill Medicine Shop, Spirit Rice Store, and Spirit Meat Store in quick succession, spending well over two hundred lower-grade spirit stones. He's certainly wealthy."
"Really? How could a cultivator at the second layer of Qi Cultivation possess so many spirit stones?"
"We have long heard that Misty Cloud City is awash in wealth. After all, it's backed by the Cloud Fog Mountain Range which provides plenty of means to earn money."
"If we slaughtered this kid, we would at least get several hundreds of spirit stones. It's a surefire windfall for us."
"But isn't it said that the rules in Misty Cloud City are extremely strict and one isn't allowed to randomly resort to violence?"
"Foolish! Those are the rules of Misty Cloud City, not our rules. We just have to kill this kid, immediately leave Misty Cloud City, and see who can lay a finger on us."
"You're right. Let's lie low outside for three to five years after that. Once things have settled down, we can return. I bet nobody will be chasing after us by then. The trade-off is absolutely worth it."
"Hurry, let's follow him. It looks like the kid is heading towards the nearby alley."
The three loose cultivators' eyes emanated a ruthless aura. They were habitual robbers and had once been bandits. After entering the world of cultivation, they were unable to shake off their habits of robbery.
After all, earning money by painstakingly engaging in alchemy and talisman making was far too slow. Robbing simply brought quicker returns.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!!
In a blink of an eye, these three loose cultivators immediately chased after Zhou Sui, fearing that he might escape.
Boom~~~
But the moment they entered the dark alley, an invisible force of illusion descended. They were caught completely off guard and had no time to react.
In an instant, they were plunged into an illusion, becoming as lifeless as wooden chickens, unable to react in any way.
"Kill!"
Zhou Sui emerged from the shadows. With a thought, he let loose an invisible wave of soul energy that turned into a sharp blade, striking the three loose cultivators. Their souls were instantly shattered.
With a thud, their bodies fell to the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.
A great amount of blood flowed from their noses, mouths, and eyes.
At the time of their death, there wasn't any trace of fear on their faces. Instead, they wore peaceful smiles, as though they had had a pleasant dream.
"Incredible, is this the power of the Dream Soul Gu?"
Zhou Sui was quite astounded.
Even though he knew the power of the Dream Soul Gu was formidable and beyond imagination, he hadn't expected it to be this easy to assassinate three loose cultivators, all of whom were at the fourth and fifth levels of Qi Cultivation.
If they were to have confronted each other directly, he would most definitely have been no match for any of them.
But with the power of the Dream Soul Gu, he could dispose of them from the shadows, without leaving a trace.
After all, there were hardly any cultivators at the Qi Cultivation Stage who possessed soul-attacking methods. It was a profound tactical advantage, leaving their opponents no chance of counterattack, even if they wanted to.
"I need to keep a low profile. Misty Cloud City is becoming more and more chaotic."
"I should stay at home to increase my cultivation for the time being."
Zhou Sui soon calmed down.
His current cultivation was still too low, being merely at the second layer of Qi Cultivation. This was equivalent to being the lowest of the low, nothing to boast about.
If he encountered a powerful cultivator, they would likely not give him a chance to react, and could wipe him out in an instant.
So, it certainly wasn't a time for him to be complacent. His victory could only be considered a slight display of self-protection.
His priority now was to return home quickly and escalate his cultivation level to the third level of the Qi Condensation Stage.
The most pressing thing was that with the discovery of the Red Gold Mine and Spirit Stone Mine within the Cloud Fog Mountain Range and the direct involvement of the Immortal Mist Sect, along with the arrival of numerous cultivators and their clans,
There was a high likelihood that this area would become a place of strife. By then, numerous powerful cultivators would inevitably arrive.
His current strength was essentially insignificant.
If he wasn't careful, other cultivators could easily kill him, ending his life.
With a whoosh!
At this thought, Zhou Sui took all three storage bags from the loose cultivators. He carefully inspected the contents, which were worth approximately five hundred lower-grade spirit stones. It could be considered a small fortune.
He then quickly returned to his home.