Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

Nightfall had descended upon Dark Rock Town, silent and unannounced.

The small town was unusually quiet; not a human voice to be heard, nor the crow of a rooster or the bark of a dog. It was as if the place had become a realm of death.

House after house sank into the darkness, the once bustling streets now hollow and cold, with only the wind sweeping up fallen leaves, slapping against the dilapidated lanterns hanging from the eaves.

In the distance, a mysterious mist crept in, whispering strange murmurs and fragments of conversation.

The Sword Light dimmed, and Wang Chen landed in front of the town's theater stage.

The stage, located at the center of the town, was once the main entertainment venue for the townsfolk, surrounded by restaurants and teahouses.

In the past, the area was brightly lit and bustling with noise until late into the night.

Now, it was desolate, with a thick layer of dust accumulated on the ground, and the windows of the adjacent building were open, creaking in the wind.

Wang Chen looked around and pulled a discarded chair from in front of a restaurant towards him.

He cleaned the chair with a swift Cleansing Technique.

Then he sat down facing the stage.

At this moment, the fog that was sweeping in from all directions invaded the town and quickly advanced towards the stage.

The eight welcoming lamps hanging above the stage flickered before emitting a faint glow.

The mist swirled up onto the stage and from behind came the singing of opera in high-pitched tones, accompanied by the sounds of stringed and wind instruments.

A heavily made-up leading lady appeared on the stage, lifting her cloud-like sleeves and singing a tragic story.

Wang Chen leaned back in his chair, watching the actors painted with thick makeup take the stage, as if engrossed in the plot.

Around Wang Chen, spectral figures began to appear, as if they were an audience watching the play, but they were steadily closing in on him.

A malevolent aura, like maggots in dead flesh, doggedly invaded Wang Chen's protective spiritual light.

It would not cease until it had stripped away his armor.

Wang Chen seemed unaware.

Not until the play on the stage had ended, and all the characters—the sheng, dan, jing, mo, and chou—had left the stage, did he seem to awaken from a dream and start to clap his hands.

"Bravo!"

In that instant, dozens of Evil Wraiths revealed their true forms around Wang Chen.

They bore their fangs and claws, contorting into different shapes, as countless black tendrils like lightning wrapped around Wang Chen.

The sinister and evil aura brazenly spread!

"Protect!"

Wang Chen suddenly stood tall, his eyes aflame with passion, a fiery heat surged around him and in an instant, he seemed transformed into a gigantic golden crow, spreading its blazing wings fiercely.

The Evil Wraiths that struck the fiery wings evaporated like snow under boiling water, leaving behind only trails of smoke.

[Human Virtue +17], [Human Virtue +14], [Human Virtue +16]...

Wang Chen's vision filled with a cascade of such messages.

The fiery Dharma form he had just invoked drew upon the Dharma Technique of the Mysterious Fire Flying Crow, containing immense power.

These low-tier wraiths colliding with it were no different from moths plunging into flames.

The fiery strength emanated from his body, spreading in all directions, dispelling darkness and evil, also illuminating the ground in front of the stage.

Many Evil Monsters that hid in the darkness were exposed to the firelight, instantly emitting wisps of grey smoke.

Some even let out shrill and piercing screams!

Wang Chen formed a spell with his hands and said sternly, "If this is all the wicked spirits have to offer, stop embarrassing yourselves!"

His tone carried an indescribable mockery.

"Stop there!"

With a roar, a ferocious warrior with a green face and fangs suddenly appeared on the stage.

With hair and beard sticking out and eyes glaring and teeth bared, he brandished a long saber and with a leap, he plunged towards Wang Chen from above.

The saber slashed towards Wang Chen's head!

Whoosh!

The evil wind howled as the long saber gleamed with a bizarre black glow, slicing through the space between breaths and sending out invisible ripples, crashing towards Wang Chen like the furious waves of a great ocean.

Even the full-force strike of an Innate Master was far inferior to the might of this blow!

Faced with such a fierce attack, Wang Chen stood his ground, neither dodging nor ducking. In the instant that the blade neared his body, he suddenly unleashed a long-gestating punch.

Boom!

An explosion of peerless and violent fist strength burst in front of Wang Chen, the shockwave surging forward with the momentum of an avalanche.

Crack!

The scimitar, barely three inches from Wang Chen's head, disintegrated instantly under the impact of the punch, and the green-faced fierce general holding the weapon was sent flying backward like a kite with severed strings.

The armor he wore shattered inch by inch, the ferocious face crumbled to dust, revealing the stark white skeleton underneath.

The next moment, the Evil Wraith, now a white skeletal figure, crashed heavily onto the stage, breaking who knows how many bones, and the solid stage constructed of rosewood, as if struck by a cannonball, suddenly collapsed!

Boom!

Against Wang Chen's Vajra Fist, all the ghosts and apparitions were doomed to be reduced to ashes and smoke.

The surrounding evil aura was cleansed away, along with a great deal of the gray fog.

"Invoke!"

Wang Chen raised his palm and struck his chest, making his whole body suddenly shake as the Fire Crow divine aspect took flight from his body.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

This was the true Mysterious Fire Flying Crow!

The giant Fire Crow took to the skies and instantly dove towards the collapsed ruins of the stage.

The intense flames, once again, illuminated the dark corners, leaving the Evil Wraiths hiding within nowhere to hide.

Boom!

Flames shot up into the sky, and the buildings on both sides of the stage collapsed in unison, with the earth shaking violently.

"Roar!"

With an earthshaking roar, the ground underneath the ruins of the stage suddenly bulged upward.

A fearsome giant beast burst forth from the ground.

Embroiled in the serpent-like black fog, it rose to a height of over thirty feet, with two scaled arms protruding from behind it, a battle axe and a black hammer gripped in each hand.

Sneer~

The Evil Monster stared fixedly at Wang Chen with its red lantern-like eyes, belching out black, fire-laced smoke from its massive nostrils, and suddenly swung both the battle axe and the hammer down with a vengeance.

The storm created by the slicing force destroyed several houses in the vicinity!

Facing the full-force strike of the Evil Monster, Wang Chen didn't choose to take it head-on, but instead retreated dozens of steps with the Shrinking Ground into Inches technique.

Clang!

The Red Nether Sword suddenly unsheathed, shooting towards the Evil Monster with the speed of lightning.

This Evil Monster was at least at the White Resentment tier, equivalent to the mid-tier of the Purple Mansion; thus, Wang Chen attacked with all his might, instantly pushing the sword's momentum to its pinnacle.

Boom!

The Evil Monster's battle axe and hammer simultaneously hit nothing but air, smashing two deep holes into the ground.

"Roar!"

It roared in rage and swung the hammer down, striking the incoming Red Nether Sword.

Crack!

The Red Nether Sword, carrying the force of wind and thunderous flames, was actually smacked away.

Wang Chen's gaze flickered, and he soared into the air as he called back the Red Nether Sword.

The strength of this Evil Monster greatly exceeded his expectations, nearly damaging the quasi-Magical Treasure level Flying Sword.

But Wang Chen did not lose confidence in his swordsmanship; forming a spell in his hand, the Red Nether Sword flew back, tracing a long arc of light in the sky behind him and once again cleaving towards the Evil Monster!

Thunders rolled, enveloping everything on their way!

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The first update is here.