I am grinding experience in another world

Chapter 496 - 488 Plans

In a small hollow on Da Qing Mountain, inside a thatched cottage.

After giving the other eighteen Yin Spirits the Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed and warning them not to expose their whereabouts, Chen Mu let them go to continue their patrol tasks. Only the initial tall and short Yin Spirits were left behind to gather information.

"What are these Strange Demons you speak of?" Chen Mu asked with confusion.

"We don’t know much either, just that they appear and disappear without warning, enshrouded in white mist," they replied.

"They attack cities and prey on Yin Spirits. Whoever is devoured by them will be turned into a shadow ghost, bound by the side of the Strange Demons forever, never to transcend."

There are such things in the Netherworld? Chen Mu was taken aback with astonishment.

Initially, he hadn’t stayed long in Antiquity City, having spent most of that time hiding within its walls. He had only heard that the outside was dangerous, with Black Wind that could freeze Yin Spirits to death, yet he did not know about such bizarre entities.

He used to complain about the dangers of Nether Demon Heaven, but now it seemed that the Netherworld might not be much safer.

However, why does this sound somewhat familiar to him?

Chen Mu thought hard, but for the moment couldn’t figure out why.

"I originally planned to recuperate for a while in this wilderness hollow, but now it seems that this plan might not work," he lamented inwardly, shaking his head.

"Does Qingshan City have any way to resist these Strange Demons?" Chen Mu continued to ask.

"Yes," the short Yin Spirit nodded. "Strange Demons are fierce and elusive, but as long as you do not provoke them, they are actually easy to deal with."

Chen Mu felt relieved.

As long as there was a way to cope, it was good.

"Just let them eat their fill," the tall Yin Spirit suddenly said.

Chen Mu was startled.

What does that mean?

"Ghost King Shang has captured many lonely ghosts to form the suicide squad of Qingshan City. Whenever Strange Demons appear, the suicide squad is sent out. Once the Strange Demons are satiated, they disappear on their own."

Chen Mu: "..." Is that really possible?!

A suicide squad? That’s more like a death squad!

This Ghost King Shang, he does not sound like a good person.

"Do other cities do the same?" Chen Mu couldn’t believe it.

He had not stayed long in Antiquity City, but he had never heard of any suicide squads.

"Not really," the short Yin Spirit shook his head. "Large cities have massive forces of Shadow Soldiers to repel them, so they just need to drive them away."

"According to them, Qingshan City only has a little over a hundred thousand inhabitants, and what they do daily is nothing more than highway robbery, scraping and squeezing the ordinary Yin Spirits."

"To call it a big city is an exaggeration; it’s more like a large robber stronghold, swaggering about within Da Qing Mountain all day long and knowing very little of the outside world."

"A Yin Spirit at the Divine Fetus stage dares to call himself Ghost King – just a bunch of country bumpkins and thugs."

"It’d be better to go inquire in Qingyang City. That place is comparable to Antiquity City, and they’re surely more informed than the secluded and remote Da Qing Mountain."

He looked at the vegetable plot that had just been cleared next to the thatched hut and felt quite regretful.

"Looks like this vegetable plot won’t be needed."

He had originally planned to stay here for a few months, waiting until he had fully leveled up the Netherworld Guide before departing.

Without using Mana if possible, the Netherworld Guide was the main protective Dharma he had prepared for himself.

Once the Secret Technique was mastered, it could summon even deeper layers of Nine Nether Green Flames and River of Oblivion Water, significantly increasing its burning and corroding effects, perhaps killing same-tier Shadow Soldiers in one go during a battle.

As for the True Form of Shadow Soldiers, that would require him to fight shirtless and rely purely on physical prowess, which is too demeaning and entirely out of his style. The Netherworld Guide is better, combined with the defensive and controlling capability of Qi Forbidden Hundred Miles, just by pointing his sword, he could either drown or burn his opponent to death – now that’s grandiose.

"I did have good plans, but who would have thought that Strange Demons still exist in the wilderness of Netherworld. Tsk..." Chen Mu shook his head: "I need to get into a city soon."

Whether it was to gather information about Fengdu City or for his own safety, he needed to get into Qingyang City as soon as possible.

Now he also understood why he found the Strange Demon familiar – he had seen it before.

Surrounded by white mist that appeared and vanished abruptly, and moreover, followed by Netherworld Worms as their ghostly minions, wasn’t this the very creature he had encountered on Jilong Mountain?

The culprit behind the dissipation of the Earth Spirit Vital Energy and the wilting of Yellow Bud Rice crops, ultimately killed by Elder Song Wujie of Jilong Road.

"If we judge the capabilities of the Strange Demon based on Elder Song’s strength, it really isn’t something I can’t deal with." A thought suddenly crossed Chen Mu’s mind.

The owner of Imperial Goods Pavilion, Le Yang’an, once said that the Divine Ghost Patterns of Yin Spirits are similar to a nascent Daoist Foundation. Thus, a Yin Spirit Divine Fetus could be comparable to a Qi Cultivator’s Daoist Foundation.

My Divine Fetus is over halfway sourced back; if not comparable to a Dao Foundation Cultivator, at least it should match a Condensing Aperture expert.

And Song Wujie was precisely such an expert.

"If Elder Song could kill a Strange Demon when he encountered one, if I faced a Strange Demon, I could... likely run away."

"Sigh... It’s better to first seek refuge in Qingyang City."

Strange Demons, eh? Just the name tells you they are tricky and tough to deal with. Best to avoid them if possible.

"The question is, I wonder if Qingyang City also requires visits to Beyond Heaven for hunting like Antiquity City does."

"Plus, being a foreign Yin Spirit, my identity could be a problem."

"I still need to inquire further."

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