Chapter 113: Chapter 111: Who Is the True Practitioner of the Cautious Dao?

Song Ciwan quietly retreated to a spot out of sight, observing the bizarre gambling game unfolding at the Eternal Pavilion from a distance.

The three Ancestral Dragon Coins she carried grew scorching hot, and Song Ciwan had a vague premonition. Suddenly, she spun around and formed a finger technique. She activated her Qi Absorption Technique, which manifested as an invisible hand and lifted a dilapidated wooden plank resting crookedly on the ground behind her.

The moment the plank lifted, a head from beneath it lifted as well.

"Xin..." The person under the plank managed only a surprised gasp before he quickly clamped a hand over his own mouth.

This person was none other than Xie Yunxiang, the very man Song Ciwan had been searching for!

’Was this a coincidence, or was the divination power of the Ancestral Dragon Coins really that formidable?’

Upon seeing Song Ciwan, Xie Yunxiang was like a lost lamb that had just found the leader of its flock. He was so overcome with joy that he was on the verge of tears.

A torrent of emotion washed over her, and the Heaven and Earth Scale materialized: [Human Desires: The joy, shock, and worry of a Qi Transformation Stage Cultivator. Three pounds and one tael. Available for trade.]

This time, the cloud of emotions from Xie Yunxiang actually amounted to a full three pounds and one tael!

His lips trembled with joy a few times. Then, as if steeling himself, he gritted his teeth and said, "Brother Xin, quick! Come in here with me! These dilapidated planks might not be pretty, but they’re great for concealing our auras."

Song Ciwan raised her hand and stuck an Exorcism Talisman on Xie Yunxiang, dispersing the few scattered, dark-red motes of Nether Qi around him.

She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but decided to save him some face. "Brother Xie... are you hiding from these motes of Nether Qi?"

As she spoke, Song Ciwan handed two more Exorcism Talismans to Xie Yunxiang. "Brother Xie, keep these on you," she said, "and the motes of Nether Qi won’t be able to get close."

Xie Yunxiang hurriedly took the talismans. He carefully tucked them inside his robes, then lifted the wooden plank off himself and gingerly crawled out.

Even though he was out, he didn’t stand up, choosing instead to squat beside the plank.

As if squatting by himself wasn’t enough, he quietly tugged on the corner of Song Ciwan’s robes, urging her, "Brother Xin, we’d better stay hidden. See that pavilion up ahead? That thing is incredibly malevolent. In just the last half-hour, six people have already been lost to it!"

Song Ciwan took a step back and squatted down beside Xie Yunxiang. "Brother Xie, have you been hiding here long?"

The question, however, caused Xie Yunxiang’s emotions to well up again.

Xie Yunxiang looked ashamed as he chose his words. "Brother Xin, I won’t lie to you. Without you by my side, I... I was terrified, so... so..."

He stammered for a moment before finally swallowing his shame and recounting his experience in detail.

As it turned out, Xie Yunxiang hadn’t just been hiding here for a long time. He... ever since being teleported into Illusory Nether City, had remained rooted to this very spot. Aside from finding a broken plank to cover himself, he hadn’t moved a single inch!

’So this was what Xie Yunxiang was really like!’

Song Ciwan was speechless for a moment. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, yet she also felt that his behavior was, in a way, perfectly logical.

Xie Yunxiang, however, spoke with lingering fear, "Brother Xin, it’s a good thing I stayed hidden. There are dangers everywhere in this Illusory Nether City. For example, right next door..."

He pointed to a dilapidated shop about five feet away. "An hour ago, an Innate Martial Artist went into that shop. I heard a voice from inside say, ’Barbecue pork buns, two cents each.’"

"That Martial Artist didn’t have any money. He went in with the express purpose of slaying the supernatural entity inside and seizing its Primordial Longevity Pearl."

"An Innate Martial Artist. Not a First Transformation, but a Second Transformation in the Enlightenment Realm. I recognize him. He’s from the Seven Star Sect and currently serves as a Demon Extermination Envoy for the Lantern Hanging Department. The last time the Hengshui Dragon King was casting spells, he also went up on the city walls to join the battle."

"His skill with the Seven-star Saber was truly formidable."

"He had already manifested Sword Qi. And even though he hadn’t opened many apertures, his combat prowess could even surpass that of a typical Early-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator!"

"And what happened? He slashed at the entity with his saber, but the entity was unharmed. Instead, he was the one who got hurt!"

"Every single slash, every extension of his Sword Qi, was reflected back onto his own body."

"In the end, he literally hacked himself to death!"

At this point, Xie Yunxiang seemed to recall the horrifying image of the man’s death and couldn’t help but shiver.

The Heaven and Earth Scale collected another wisp of emotion: [Human Desires: The shock, terror, and worry of a Qi Transformation Stage Cultivator. Two pounds and five taels. Available for trade.]

Song Ciwan was speechless.

Listening to Xie Yunxiang’s tale, she suddenly had a thought. ’It seems I don’t need to fight and claw for resources in this Illusory Nether City at all. As long as I stay by Xie Yunxiang’s side and make sure he doesn’t die, I’ll have a never-ending supply of these emotional energy clouds.’

’Illusory Nether City truly was an absurdly wonderful place.’

Xie Yunxiang grew more animated as he spoke. Although his mind still seemed to be mired in the shock and terror of what he had witnessed, the more frightened he became, the less control he seemed to have over his own mouth.

He began to talk nonstop, pouring out every key detail he had observed:

"Brother Xin, I’ve discovered something! Even though this city is filled with supernatural entities, they’re all confined to the various shops and houses. As long as we’re extremely careful, don’t randomly enter any shops, aren’t greedy for Primordial Longevity Pearls, and just stick to walking on the streets, the entities in the buildings can’t do a thing to us."

"You see, that barbecue pork bun shop is one, and the Eternal Pavilion up ahead is another."

"And here... and here... and here..."

Xie Yunxiang pointed them out one by one, explaining the rules of Illusory Nether City as he had observed them.

He was right. Though Illusory Nether City was a place of chaos, it did, in fact, have its own rules.

What’s more, its rules were even skewed in favor of all living beings.

For the living who came to Illusory Nether City, the greatest dangers came from two sources: one was the floating motes of Spiritual Qi, and the other was their own greed.

The supernatural entities were all trapped inside the buildings. If living people didn’t force their way in, the entities couldn’t come out and capture them.

That’s why the greatest danger in Illusory Nether City was, ironically, human greed.

Xie Yunxiang sighed wistfully. "But people like us... we went through untold hardships to enter Illusory Nether City. What are we even seeking? Isn’t it more Primordial Longevity Pearls, more Netherworld Spiritual Materials? Otherwise, if it was just about staying alive, why would we have bothered coming to Illusory Nether City at all?"

As he said this, his spirits fell. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

He was just such an unremarkable person—someone who, even after entering Illusory Nether City, could only think about staying alive.

Even now, with "Xin Mian," a Qi Refining Cultivator, right beside him, his first instinct was still to put his own survival first.

Squatting on the ground with his shoulders hunched, Xie Yunxiang completely lacked the dignified air of a scion from a prestigious family. He looked more like a common man from the streets. His gaze shifted back to the Eternal Pavilion up ahead, and he suddenly let out a sneer.

"Brother Xin, look. My *dear* nephew, Xie Zhang, used my name to extort Primordial Longevity Pearls from others, and now he even dares to gamble with a supernatural entity."