Soon, Zhou Hong muttered a curse under her breath, stomped her foot fiercely, and raced toward the direction where Gao Bo had vanished.
Chen Li opened his mouth but, in the end, didn't make any sound.
Under the bright moonlight of late night, the entire shantytown was tumultuous.
Everyone was running, excitement, restlessness, and distortion etched on the faces of the crowd.
This didn't appear to be a mere escape from disaster but rather a rush to a feast they couldn't wait to join.
Explosions continued in the distance, as if the heavens and earth were boiling over.
Chen Li stood dazed for a while, watching as the number of people on the streets dwindled, then followed suit, trudging along in a daze. After all, running with the majority always brought a sense of safety.
The crowd wasn't running to the wilderness but toward the direction of the market district.
After about fifteen minutes.
The blood-red glow enveloping the market was already within sight.
Above the edge of the market, several huge Flying Boats of different styles and bizarre appearances, radiating mana as substantial as spiritual power, floated mid-air. Attacks like thunderbolts were ceaselessly fired at the market engulfed in red light, producing continuous explosions.
Under these relentless attacks, the red glow of the market was fading fast.
Chen Li, stunned, slowed his run unconsciously, and then as if waking from a dream, he jolted.
"Damn it, I've lost my mind; why the hell did I follow them here?"
He quickly turned around and sprinted toward the wilderness at full speed.
It was only after running breathlessly for ten-odd miles in the wilderness that he stopped, exhausted.
Panting, he lay on the grass and gently parted the grass in front of him with his hands, his anxious eyes glued to the distance. The commotion there had become almost imperceptible, and not even the dimming red light could tinge half of the sky.
"Phew," he exhaled softly, trying to calm his racing heartbeat.
As someone living in a time of peace, such scenes of war were far too stimulating for him.
Memories of the colossal and fearsome Flying Boats, which felt immense even from a great distance, made him shiver uncontrollably.
It is hard to grasp the fear of life hanging by a thread and being out of one's control without being on the battlefield itself.
Time passed second by second.
He stayed hidden in the grass without moving, his ears carefully picking up any sounds from outside. Soon, all noises faded away, leaving only the chorus of strange insect sounds within the grass.
"Has the war ended?
"Wait, just wait a bit longer; this is probably the most chaotic time."
He shifted slightly, then continued to lie low in the grass.
Not until the light of the next day and the rise of the sun did he tentatively get up, looking around cautiously before hesitantly stepping toward the shantytown.
The road was deserted, all the doors were closed tightly.
In just one night, the whole shantytown had been reduced to shambles.
The air was thick with the smell of blood.
From time to time, corpses could be seen laying haphazardly on the road, their deaths grim.
These bodies had clearly been looted, some even stripped of their garments.
As Chen Li passed by some of the houses, he could faintly hear the suppressed, hoarse breathing and the subtle sounds of whimpering from inside.
Skipping a beat with every step, Chen Li cautiously avoided the corpses and just as he turned a corner, he encountered a Loose Cultivator head-on.
Both of them hesitated upon seeing one another, instinctively stopping in their tracks.
The other person covered his face, and his bloodshot eyes were filled with the lust for killing; he carried a bundle on his back—it wasn't clear whether it was his or had just been stolen.
"Fellow Daoist, after you?" the masked man stared at Chen Li for a while before saying.
His voice was hoarse and coarse.
"I'm not in a hurry, after you, Fellow Daoist," Chen Li, gripping his Magic Artifact tightly in his left hand, replied expressionlessly, knowing anyone with sense would realize that showing weakness, much less turning to run, was not an option at that moment.
"So you go your way, and I'll go mine? Without interfering with each other!" the masked person said after a moment of silence.
"Fine!"
Yet neither of them moved an inch, standing there quietly.
The masked person gave Chen Li a deep look, then took steps back, retreating around the corner and quickly vanished from sight.
It was only then that Chen Li released his grip on the magic artifact and let out a slight sigh of relief.
The rest of his journey home was smooth, and no other incidents occurred.
When he finally got home and closed the door, Chen Li slumped into a chair. The tension in his mind relaxed and he felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.
He couldn't help but reflect on the terrifying confrontation that had just occurred:
"What if the other person hadn't backed down?"
"Would I have retreated, or stood my ground?"
However, despite much thought, he could not find a definitive answer.
At the time, he felt somewhat eager for the challenge.
Did he even feel much fear?
He had already begun simulating how to kill the person in his mind.
With a 'Spiritual Power Finger Snap', with a sword, or with a magic artifact?
"When did I become so brave?"
He wondered, mulling over the question. Besides the notion that 'holding a blade incites a willingness to kill', he realized there was also a surge of anger supporting him.
The anger from seeing someone robbing and killing, and the rage from feeling his own peace disrupted.
He sighed:
"Ah, reckless! Still flaunting the courage of youthful vigor at my age."
"I wonder if Gao Bo and Zhou Hong have returned yet?" he mused, his backside shifting in the chair, but eventually, he decided against checking.
It was still not safe outside. It would be best to wait until the streets were completely calm again.
He didn't contemplate the state of the market district, which sect controlled it, or what conspiracies lay behind it. For someone like him, a mere Third Level Qi Cultivation Loose Cultivator, it made no difference who was in control. Life would go on as usual.
In the morning, he ate a simple breakfast.
He didn't go for his usual sword practice but just lay in bed to rest with his eyes closed. After eating lunch at noon, he continued to lay in bed.
As evening approached,
there began to be more noise from the outside.
Chen Li felt a stirring in his heart and got up to open the door.
A group from an unknown sect was going from door to door. It wasn't long before it was Chen Li's turn.
"The Longevity Sect has committed countless atrocities against fellow daoists, power-hungry and devoid of virtue. We, the Artefact Sect, along with many others, vow to act on behalf of heaven to eradicate this menace. Starting today, the Green River District will temporarily be under the control of the Artefact Sect... From now on, I will be in charge of this neighborhood... All rules will remain the same..." an elderly Artefact Sect cultivator said with a booming voice, his face flushed with enthusiasm.
Among the crowd, Chen Li even spotted his former neighbor, Zhao Wanjun.
She had donned the robes of the sect and was carrying a simple long sword, her face severe, not speaking a word throughout.
It was only before leaving that she playfully winked at Chen Li.
Chen Li hurriedly forced a smile, his haggard face making it look all the more strained.
He did not immediately turn to go inside but watched as the group moved on to the home of the couple Gao Bo and Zhou Hong. They knocked for a long time but no one came to open the door.
This caused Chen Li's heart to skip a beat, sinking rapidly.
Could something have happened to those two?