Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

Chapter 152 The Hot Potato Spoils of War
“Ah!”

Accompanied by a shrill scream, the Grey Eye Thief enveloped by the Demon-Slaying Net perished in smoke and ashes.

This was the last of the evil cultivators pursuing Wang Chen.

But by now, Wang Chen could affirm that these Grey Eye Thieves could no longer be considered evil cultivators.

They were genuine Evil Wraiths!

It was precisely for this reason.

That after killing more than thirty Grey Eye Thieves one after the other, all he gained was Human Virtue.

Not a single point of Heavenly Merit.

Only Evil Wraiths.

Could be obliterated under the Demon-Slaying Net without leaving behind even a trace of their remains!

With that, the battle ended.

Wang Chen exhaled and checked his immortal cultivation panel.

[Human Virtue (Breaking Threshold): 1425]

Thanks to this resoundingly glorious victory, his Human Virtue points had surged to over a thousand.

He felt unprecedented wealth!

Actually, Wang Chen could have earned even more Human Virtue.

But the final three Grey Eye Thieves were all eliminated with the Demon-Slaying Net, hence reducing the Human Virtue income by nearly a hundred points.

Though it was somewhat regrettable.

The pure Spiritual Energy gained by converting Evil Power, however, could greatly enhance Wang Chen’s combat endurance.

Ensuring he wouldn’t fall into hardship due to depleted mana at critical moments.

Therefore, this loss was completely worthwhile!

And what followed, naturally, was the time to clean up the battlefield and collect the spoils of war.

Wang Chen tallied: a total of thirty-seven Grey Eye Thieves had been slain by him.

Subtracting the two obliterated by the Demon-Slaying Net, he had severed thirty-five heads!

Even though these Grey Eye Thieves had become genuine Evil Wraiths, their heads weren’t much different from those Wang Chen had previously obtained. He believed they could still be exchanged for Merit Points at the Sect Affairs Hall.

Thirty-five heads of Qi Cultivation level, that’s three thousand five hundred Merit Points.

Just this gain alone could allow Wang Chen to live securely for three and a half years at Cloud Sun Sect’s Inner Mountain Gate!

As for the Yin Qi Pearl he had captured earlier, it could be readily sold for urgently needed Spirit Stones.

To be honest, having so many heads to claim, Wang Chen himself felt they were hot to the touch!

Suppose he were to hand over all thirty-five Grey Eye Thief heads to the Sect Affairs Hall at once.

What would happen then?

Merit Points would certainly be obtained, but the problem is such an action would be far too conspicuous!

Others would definitely speculate.

Where Wang Chen had found so many Grey Eye Thieves and what means he had used to achieve such a brilliant victory.

Falling under the scrutiny of those with vested interests was a certainty!

Don’t expect the managers at the Sect Affairs Hall to possess high integrity and keep his secrets strictly.

After some thought, Wang Chen stuffed all the heads into a just-emptied Storage Bag.

On this trip, he had carried a total of three Storage Bags with him.

Each filled with different items.

The sinister aura of the Grey Eye Thieves’ heads mingled with other items could cause problems, hence they required separate handling.

Beyond that, Wang Chen had no other gains.

Perhaps since they had fully transformed and been under the control of powerful Evil Wraiths, these Grey Eye Thieves didn’t have Storage Bags, and the weapons they were equipped with exuded thick Yin and filthy energies.

Forget using them for himself, even trying to sell them cheaply would find no takers!

On a whim, Wang Chen tried to envelop the dead bodies of the Grey Eye Thieves with the Demon-Slaying Net, but there was no reaction.

The attempt to extract Spiritual Power from the Evil Wraiths’ bodies failed utterly.

He gathered the headless bodies together, then burned them to ashes using the Fire Crow Technique.

Finally, Wang Chen summoned the Willow Leaf Flying Boat and embarked on the journey home.

The Merit Points had been earned, and to stay any longer in the frigid Outer Domain was simply finding discomfort for himself.

He was already longing for the warmth of home.

And the adorable Yuanyuan.

But as he departed, Wang Chen faintly heard furious roaring emanating from the direction of the Ruined City.

Wang Chen paid no attention to it.

“`

No matter what kind of existence is inside that evil nest, it’s now of no relation to him.

Before breaking through to Breakthrough Mansion, Wang Chen wouldn’t go there to earn Merit Points again!

So to him, that sound was just impotent fury.

If you’ve got the guts, come to Cloud Sun Sect and look for trouble!

Pffft!

Upon returning to the Inner Mountain Gate, the first thing Wang Chen did was to go to the Sect Affairs Hall to hand in…

A human head.

Even though his Storage Bag was filled with exactly thirty-five heads.

This time, he only took out one.

Wang Chen planned to empty his Storage Bag over multiple occasions, handing in tasks periodically, with at most one or two heads at a time.

That way, he wouldn’t attract too much attention.

Of course, such a method could not completely prevent trouble from arising.

But it was much better than bringing them all out at once!

Then he could extend the timeline of the tasks to a year or even longer, which would be even more discreet.

After all, the task of eradicating the Grey Eye Thieves had no deadline.

Wang Chen returned to his estate on Sunset Peak from Cloud Dragon City and resumed his discreet cultivation life.

But his discretion did not mean lying flat or living off former glories like a salted fish.

In fact, his battle against the Grey Eye Thieves greatly boosted his confidence and further strengthened his Dao heart.

In that battle, Wang Chen, armed only with his sword, faced an enemy many times his number.

He engaged the formidable foes in direct combat and emerged completely victorious, truly establishing his own style and ambition.

The significance of this battle was actually even greater than what Wang Chen himself realized!

His esteem for the Sword Control Technique also soared to a higher level.

Wang Chen did some calculations.

His Sword Control Technique still required three power-ups to reach the level of Great Perfection.

Since the technique had already been upgraded once at Minor Achievement.

Therefore, the three subsequent power-ups would consume a total of 1110 Merit Points!

By that time, Wang Chen reckoned he could even pull off playing a real Sword Cultivator with no problem.

He would definitely set aside these 1110 Merit Points in advance.

That left him with 315 Merit Points.

Enough to upgrade three Grandmaster-level spells to Great Perfection!

Wang Chen took a day to adjust his Essence, Qi, and Spirit to their optimal state, and then began to enhance his skills.

First was the Fire Crow Technique.

The Fire Crow Technique, being the spell most compatible with his Root Bone, had a strong power in actual combat and could also enhance his Flying Sword.

Therefore, upgrading it to Great Perfection was very cost-effective.

Decided!

Next was beginner Talisman Crafting.

Wang Chen had long wanted to enhance this skill.

As Talismans were not only one of his combat methods but could also be used to earn Spirit Stones.

Even more cost-effective.

Decided as well!

Lastly, Wang Chen invested the last 100 Merit Points he could spare into the Object-Controlling Technique.

The reason was simple, the Object-Controlling Technique was a prerequisite skill for Sword Control Technique.

Without the Grandmaster level of the Object-Controlling Technique, he would not have been able to cultivate his Sword Control Technique to its current realm.

It would likely only be stronger at Great Perfection!

Definitely decided!

Whether it was the Fire Crow Technique or the Object-Controlling Technique, Wang Chen’s ultimate goal was to strengthen his Flying Sword and Sword Control Technique.

Having tasted the sweetness that the Flying Sword brought him, Wang Chen couldn’t stop even if he wanted to.

Even if he had never thought of becoming a pure Sword Cultivator.

The dream of the Flying Sword would only burn brighter now!

———-

The third update is here.

PS: Today, Yuanyuan was officially accepted, and I’ll collect the admission notice tomorrow. The day after tomorrow is registration. It’s in the top-ranked middle school in the city, with a 98.3% rate of matriculation to Tier One universities last year, and a key point rate of 66%. Although it is not very remarkable nationwide, it is already the best outcome. The author’s heart can finally settle down completely, and I can focus on writing peacefully!