Chapter 86

"Phew!" Chu He exhaled a deep breath, finally unable to bear it any longer and decided to return to his accommodation to rest.

The facilities in this alchemy room were too poor, far less comfortable than those in the Earth Fire Department, naturally making it unbearable for Chu He.

He had successfully refined five batches of Primordial Essence Pills, and he used his own stock to make up for the shortfall of about forty more pills.

"Not enough, still twenty short, and you haven't included the cost of materials yet." The attendant in charge of collecting the pills raised an eyebrow and said to Chu He.

The cost of materials for twenty pills was clearly an overcharge, but Chu He had no objections and made up the difference as required. He then left with the attendant's disgruntled gaze.

Back at the dormitory, Chu He swallowed two mid-grade Primordial Essence Pills and released the little guy, who had been cooped up for over a day and was almost suffocating.

He tossed half a bottle of low-grade Primordial Essence Pills to the little guy and told it to play elsewhere while he began his cultivation.

The transformation of his spirit body was nearing its end; he just needed to maintain the nourishment from the pills and his innate spirit essence, and it would stabilize within a few days. At that time, Chu He would have a mid-grade spirit body, bidding farewell to the low-grade status.

There was one more thing: his cultivation had almost reached the peak of the Seventh Layer of the Qi Condensation Realm. At the current rate, a breakthrough was just a matter of half a month.

Although he had two reasons to celebrate, what Chu He was most concerned about was not this.

Leaving here, to a vast and open sky, was his top priority. Chu He needed a quiet environment for cultivation and meditation. While Qingling Mountain used to be such a place, it was no longer the same, so he had to find another path.

This move was like a job change for Chu He, and he knew the consequences would be severe. After all, an inner disciple leaving the sect was something no sect could tolerate.

However, as long as he left Qingzhou and went into hiding, the vast world was his to explore. After experiencing two life-and-death trials, Chu He had become more detached and fearless, not overly concerned about the consequences.

After completing his routine practice, which took over an hour, Chu He called the little guy and went out for a walk.

The little guy, after eating half a bottle of low-grade Primordial Essence Pills, was feeling a bit drowsy, so Chu He had to stuff the glutton into the spirit beast bag.

Upon stepping out, he found the security here far stricter than in the Earth Fire Department. Even a brief stroll drew the attention of guards who came to question him.

"Question my sister!" Chu He cursed in his heart but obediently showed his inner disciple token to the guards.

After confirming Chu He's identity, the two guards sternly warned him not to wander around unnecessarily.

"Seriously, it's like a prison!" Chu He touched his forehead and sighed.

It was no wonder they were so paranoid. Before coming, Instructor Zhang Yu had warned him: the Hundred Toxins Sect had recently launched a winter offensive, causing many casualties among the Qingling Mountain guards. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been such an urgent mobilization.

Sigh, this place could collapse at any moment. If he didn't leave soon, he might be buried here.

Since he wasn't allowed to wander, Chu He returned to his accommodation.

"Hmph, that kid beat Zhang Longao so badly, the Grand Elder won't let him off. We just need to sit back and watch the show," a voice drifted over.

"Haha, no wonder the attendant didn't like him from the start."

"I bet he'll be sent to the mines within five days."

"Whew, I heard that the mine is almost depleted. If you go deep, it's really life-threatening. Even senior miners and artisans dare not stay down there for long."

"Come to think of it, I seem to hear that guy's screams. Damn, he made me lose over ten mid-grade spirit stones last time, which really pissed me off."

...

Chu He guessed these people were in the courtyard, and their words were heard when he opened the door. They were all at the lower stage of the Innate Realm, with strong spiritual senses, and should have noticed his return. Yet, they still spoke maliciously, clearly wanting Chu He to hear.

Some people just liked to speak in a way that hurt others, for their own satisfaction. Besides, Chu He was only at the Qi Condensation Realm, not worth their attention, and they weren't afraid of a challenge. So, what did it matter if they insulted him?

Chu He didn't bother with them and walked straight to his room.

"Hey, still lively, huh? You're like a grasshopper in autumn, won't last long," the one who lost the spirit stones said without any restraint.

"Boom!" Suddenly, a thunderous explosion came from the east! The protective light of the array above surged like a wave, and a layer of green light swept over. Chu He could even see a large number of runes shatter.

The shattered runes of different attributes turned into chaotic elemental energy, which the residual force of the explosion pushed into strong winds.

These strong winds brushed past Chu He and the others, with a sharp sensation, making their steps unsteady. The thunderous sound overwhelmed the few people in the courtyard who had never experienced battle, leaving them dazed for a moment.

The power of a single strike was so great!

Although the array here was composed of several rune arrays, a single strike could cause half of it to collapse, which could only be done by a treasure-grade artifact. It might even require a Core Formation Realm expert to wield it to achieve such an effect.

Chu He felt a sense of foreboding and a black magical shield emerged from his sleeve.

The Eight-Armor Shield was a high-grade magical artifact obtained from the felt-hat cultivator. With Chu He's strong spirit essence, he could勉强 exert it and unleash about eighty percent of its power.

"Rumble!" The intense explosions continued, making hearts race.

In an instant, the protective light above turned green. Upon closer inspection, a layer of green flames was burning on the surface.

Under the burning of the green flames, the seemingly thick protective light was melting like snow under hot water, and at this rate, it would collapse in less than ten breaths.

"Crack!" A sudden cracking sound came from nearby.

Chu He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a large green fireball arcing over, moving so fast that it was almost impossible to react.

"Bang!" The fireball landed in the courtyard, exploding into a massive flame that sent the dazed people flying.

Although their magical artifacts had already emerged at the first sign of danger, the explosion's force was so great that it still sent them sprawling.

"Whoa!"

The black shield in front of Chu He suddenly split into eight pieces, connected by rune lights, forming a protective barrier in front of him.

Countless green flames splashed onto the eight pieces of the black shield, sounding like a heavy rain on banana leaves.

Not just one green fireball, more poured down from all directions, turning the nearby courtyards into a sea of green flames.

In such chaos, staying was not a wise choice. If he stayed here waiting for rescue, he would be a fool.