Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

Wang Chen, who was preparing dinner in the inner room, heard it and went out to open the gate.

He had no idea which neighbor had come to visit.

As he opened the door, he saw a monk standing there, lean and gaunt in stature.

The visitor appeared to be in his thirties or forties, somewhat ugly, with a shifty and sleazy air about him.

Wang Chen frowned slightly, "Taoist Friend Hou?"

This uninvited guest was someone he recognized, named Hou Zheng, who lived in the most rundown house at the very end of the alley.

He was usually idle, rumored to be involved in shady businesses to make a living.

His reputation among the neighbors was very poor.

"Taoist Friend Wang, I\'m sorry for the intrusion,"

Hou Zheng rubbed his hands, giving Wang Chen a sycophantic smile, "I have something very important to discuss with you that concerns your life and possessions!"

"An important matter?"

Wang Chen hesitated for a moment, then opened the gate wider: "Then come in and talk."

He led the visitor into the main room.

Wang Chen had just prepared a table full of dishes, with braised beast meat, steamed spirit fish, and fragrant mixed vegetables, among others.

Upon seeing the food, Hou Zheng couldn\'t help but swallow his saliva.

He looked downright gluttonous.

Wang Chen chuckled and handed him a pair of bowls and chopsticks: "Taoist Friend Hou, since you\'re here, join me for a meal."

Normally, he would practice and rest underground.

But cooking was done in the kitchen above ground, after all, air circulation wasn\'t very good underground.

"Thank you,"

Hou Zheng took the bowls and chopsticks.

He sat down opposite Wang Chen without touching the delicious dishes on the table, his narrow eyes staring blankly at Wang Chen, "Taoist Friend Wang, I want to ask you something."

Wang Chen nodded, "Go ahead and ask."

Hou Zheng took a deep breath and asked in a heavy tone, "Yesterday, Aunt Zhu came to you for help, why didn\'t you assist her?"

Wang Chen countered, "Why should I have helped her?"

"You have spirit stones!"

Hou Zheng suddenly grew agitated, "I know you have spirit stones. You are a Talisman Maker, and you can sell many talismans at the market. You must have earned many spirit stones, why didn\'t you help her?"

"The many spirit stones I\'ve earned are my business,"

Wang Chen said indifferently, "Helping people is a matter of willingness, not helping is my right."

"But you could have saved them!"

Hou Zheng\'s forehead bulged with a blue vein, and his eyes turned a fierce red hue as he gnashed his teeth, looking as if he could lash out at any moment, "You could easily have saved them, yet you did nothing; are you not afraid of retribution?"

"Not afraid."

Wang Chen answered earnestly, "I have a clear conscience!"

Retribution?

It was a downright joke.

He was merely neighbors with the Zhu family and had no deep relationship. Moreover, what Zhu Xiaohu owed was a gambling debt.

More importantly, the Zhu family wasn\'t truly destitute.

In fact, by destroying the Happy Gambling House and severely damaging the Three Rivers Association, Wang Chen had already done them a great favor.

All they needed to do was hold on for one day, and then things would take a significant turn.

But they chose a path of no return.

What did that have to do with Wang Chen?

Hou Zheng\'s accusation made him laugh inwardly, "Are the brains of you evil wraiths also empty?"

When the words "evil wraiths" came out of Wang Chen\'s mouth, Hou Zheng, who was sitting opposite him, changed color.

His eyes blackened in an instant, a layer of bluish-gray energy appeared on his face, his fingernails turned sharp like claws, and his face began to twist and change.

In the blink of an eye, Hou Zheng\'s appearance had changed to look exactly like Zhu Xiaohu!

It let out a deep roar, "Wan Xiu, you should die!"

It opened its mouth and spewed a mass of Yin Sha Energy towards Wang Chen!

Wang Chen was not at all surprised by the startling transformation of "Hou Zheng".

Because as soon as he had opened the door, he had perceived the sinister aura inside the other person!

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Wang Chen had slain countless evil wraiths, so even if "Hou Zheng\'s" disguise was flawless, it could not escape his Divine Soul\'s insight and super-sensitive intuition!

What Wang Chen hadn\'t expected was that this evil wraith was actually Zhu Xiaohu.

It seemed that before taking his own life, Zhu was filled with immense grievance, and his soul was not discovered until long after his death, preventing his soul from being promptly exorcised, which ultimately transformed into a fearsome evil wraith.

But Wang Chen felt not the slightest fear, looking at the other with disdain and pity in his eyes.

This guy is so pathetic, even as an evil wraith after death, he only dares to vent his anger on the innocent!

Facing the Yin Sha Energy sprayed by the evil wraith, Wang Chen waved his hand and easily dispersed it.

At the same time, a large net flew from his sleeve, enveloping "Hou Zheng" within.

The evil wraith obviously hadn\'t expected Wang Chen to react so swiftly and fiercely, and as it tried to escape the Demon-Slaying Net that had fallen upon it, it discovered in horror that the Yin Sha Energy within its body was being continuously absorbed by the net.

The Yin Sha Energy was the life source of the evil wraith, akin to being flayed, having bones tapped, and marrow sucked, which instilled a primal fear and agony in it.

"Ahh~"

"Hou Zheng" struggled desperately within the Demon-Slaying Net, emitting a piercing scream.

However, the more furiously it struggled, the tighter the indestructible net constricted.

Wang Chen calmly picked up his chopsticks and placed a piece of steaming braised beast meat into his mouth.

He chewed slowly, savoring the meal.

One who does no evil by day need not fear ghosts knocking at their door at midnight, and when an evil wraith comes, naturally one must "enthusiastically" receive it!

This was a resource delivered right to his door.

And "Hou Zheng" obviously couldn\'t handle such enthusiasm, its life source being completely drained by the Demon-Slaying Net in a very short time, turning quickly into a dried-up corpse.

A size that was only a third of a normal adult\'s!

Wang Chen reached out to retrieve the Demon-Slaying Net and "lifted" the desiccated body out of the room.

A Fire Crow Technique followed, burning it completely clean.

Since the evil wraith had been exterminated, there was no need for further exorcism, so Wang Chen simply used the Cleansing Technique to clean up the ashes on the ground.

Thus, the last trace of Zhu Xiaohu left in this world was no more!

Also vanished from the mortal realm was Hou Zheng, who had been possessed by the evil wraith.

This guy was also unlucky, having been chosen by Zhu Xiaohu as the host for possession.

Presumably, there was some unresolved grievance between them!

Having dealt with the evil wraith that had come uninvited, Wang Chen felt no joy in his heart.

He had a feeling that similar occurrences might happen again.

Dongwu Stockade was not a sect stronghold, and even the places within the Outer Sect of the Cloud Sun Sect were protected by the Fixed Sun Bell, meaning most loose cultivators here were constantly threatened by evil wraiths and powerful monster beasts.

Wang Chen\'s worry was that such threats would become more frequent as the impending major calamity approached!

He finished all the dishes he had prepared.

Then he returned to his underground chamber to cultivate.

To face threats, one must have strength above all.

Wang Chen still had to strive and strive again!

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The second update is here.