CHAPTER 58: CHAPTER 58 INSIDE THE CITY

It seems this thing is indeed quite precious in this world. Lu Ren casually tossed the Cold Condensing Grass to Zhang Yan, saw him fumbling to catch it, and then carefully placed it into a box.

His expression was as complicated as someone who had lost their parents and just had a child.

Lu Ren shook his head at this sight, thinking, alas, it seems people in this world truly have a hard life.

Having followed Zhang Yan for nearly eight hours, the other seemed quite familiar with the area, especially taking many detours without entering, while explaining the dangers lurking within to Lu Ren.

"Especially that Dead Lake. It is said that five hundred years ago, after Chen Ran broke through one of Liang Zhao’s cities, he slaughtered the inhabitants, creating a pit of ten thousand bodies. Then he diverted the river to form a lake, which, despite its calm surface, has strong Evil Qi, overwhelming resentment, and bone-chilling cold beneath. The slaughtered people became Water Ghosts, and once someone goes down, they never come up again."

Lu Ren pondered this: "No wonder it felt so unusually cold when I climbed up. So that’s why."

Zhang Yan turned back to Lu Ren in shock: "Great, great hero, you’ve been there?"

"Uh, accidentally fell in."

"..."

Still saying you’re not a demon, any normal person would have been dragged down by the Water Ghosts long ago!!

What kind of monster is behind me!

Zhang Yan and Chen Ling exchanged a glance, both seeing the lament in each other’s eyes.

Why is my life so hard!

Led by Zhang Yan, they twisted and turned for a long time until nearing nightfall, when Zhang Yan stopped in a foggy area.

He looked up at the sky, full of fear.

"Luckily, we made it back before dark. Otherwise, it would’ve been too difficult."

Lu Ren looked at the dense fog ahead; even with his current eyesight, he couldn’t see ten meters ahead.

"Is this the entrance to the Mortal World?"

"Yes, hero, please stick close to me! No matter what happens later, even if we scream miserably or suddenly disappear, don’t worry, just keep going forward."

"Don’t worry, I definitely won’t worry."

"..."

Lu Ren had little doubt about this, as his keen senses clearly discerned that the surrounding environment was changing, becoming increasingly relaxing and suitable, unlike the constant chill in the Underworld.

While the three continued slowly forward, it wasn’t long before Lu Ren found himself suddenly submerged, surrounded by a hazy feeling.

A sticky sensation underwater arose, and to Lu Ren’s surprise, he could still breathe.

Unfortunately, the forms of Zhang Yan and Chen Ling ahead became blurred and unclear.

About ten minutes later, Lu Ren felt himself lighten, the sticky sensation abruptly vanished, like emerging from the water, while his vision swiftly cleared.

Lu Ren looked up to see this so-called Mortal World lacked the gloomy heaviness and chilling atmosphere of the Underworld.

This place had few clouds floating in the sky, with the warm and bright rays of the setting sun, unlike the Underworld where the light was cold and devoid of warmth.

"Is this the Mortal World?!"

This Underworld is truly wondrous.

Zhang Yan and Chen Ling stood nearby, watching Lu Ren emerge nervously, and seeing him intact, they sighed with relief and approached warmly.

Lu Ren noted their expressions, saw Zhang Yan coming closer, and casually asked, "Does the Yang Membrane to reach the Mortal World have the ability to filter demons?"

Zhang Yan laughed awkwardly, "You’re very keen, hero!"

Lu Ren chuckled softly, saying no more; if he were truly a demon, entering the Mortal World would mean passing through the Yang Membrane, invariably meeting an attack from its power.

And neither Zhang Yan nor the others actually went too far.

Seeing Lu Ren silent, Zhang Yan quickly said, "Hero, you mustn’t have a place to stay yet. Once we sell the Cold Condensing Grass and get a substantial sum, I can buy you a place!"

Lu Ren considered briefly; no matter what, waiting through a month to leave this world was possible, staying in the Mortal World was safer than the Underworld.

He nodded slightly, "Alright, don’t worry, your benefits will not be lacking."

Chentai City’s gates hadn’t closed yet, and as the three entered, the guards simply scrutinized Lu Ren’s tight outfit briefly before ignoring him.

Zhang Yan explained: "Chentai is a border city of Li Xiaoguo, with many hunters wearing strange clothes that go to the Underworld to collect herbs and hunt, so the guards are used to it.

And, as long as one can enter the Mortal World through the Yang Membrane, even without citizenship, settling here just requires going to the government’s office dedicated to population registration for a permit."

Lu Ren nodded slightly, saying no more.

He paid more attention to these soldiers’ Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

They were undoubtedly elite troops; even the gate guards had robust physical conditions, with hands gripping the spears full of calluses, evidently from regular training.

Once formed into a military force, they’d be truly terrifying.

Definitely stronger than the soldiers Lu Ren saw on the Ghostly Battlefield.

Zhang Yan, who had been watching Lu Ren, finally explained after entering the city: "Chentai is a major city guarding the Mortal World’s boundary, and the soldiers inside must have strong bodies to resist demon invasions."

"Even the Mortal World faces invasions from Underworld demons?"

"Yes, the Yang Membrane periodically weakens; though it can still filter most Underworld threats, many demons take advantage of such times to infiltrate. Hence, Chentai was built as a large city with a population of a million to gather popularity and concentrate Yang Qi."

To fight with Yang Qi, and exist with Yang Qi?

Lu Ren pondered, but it mattered little to him, he only needed a relatively stable environment to pass the month.

This great city probably had even more functions, but Zhang Yan seemed unaware of these secrets.

"Do strange occurrences happen within the city?"

"Yes, the government specially set up a Demon Extermination Bureau for these matters."

Zhang Yan’s face showed a trace of lingering fear, clearly recalling some unpleasant memories.

"The Demon Extermination Bureau has a high mortality rate, sometimes even not knowing how one died; some things are even more dangerous than those in the Underworld!"

As he spoke, after entering the city, Lu Ren strolled alongside the street, slowly observing Chentai City.

Near nightfall, lanterns hung under the eaves on both sides of the street, radiating bright orange light.

The street remained bustling with voices selling and shouting endlessly; despite the nightfall, it was lively as ever, and the pedestrians bustling back and forth maintained prosperity.

Popularity!

Popularity thriving like a simmering pot of oil!

(Thanks for the head tip from Tweet Tweet!

Please keep up with the pursuit, very important during the new book period, many thanks!

Now that you’ve seen this, why not collect it, thank you for everyone’s support!)