Chapter 86: Not Getting Involved—I'm Out of Here

Chapter 86: Not Getting Involved, I'm Out

Taking a deep breath, here he comes to the Great Wilderness.

Fresh spiritual energy brushed against him, mingled with faint traces of worldly scents. Simply put, Luo Feng smelled food.

He glanced at the sun—yes, it was mealtime.

"Hey, Daoist! Hurry down, you're about to reach the transfer point—the next stop is going to Jinjiang City!" Suddenly, a loud shout rang in his ears.

Luo Feng turned to look. Not far away stood a general in black armor, his qi and blood restrained, ready to burst forth, yet he gave the impression of standing before a giant. This was a cultivation system Luo Feng had never seen, no weaker than Earth Immortals.

Beneath his feet, the teleportation altar faintly glowed, showing signs of activating again.

Luo Feng quickly stepped off the teleportation array, and as he left, the altar returned to calm.

The black-armored general strode forward, stopping two or three paces away and spoke in a deep voice, "Where are you from, Daoist, that you don't even know the transfer times?"

"If you'd been any later, the teleportation array would have restarted... You'd have fallen into chaotic void currents. Do you think you're a Golden Immortal?"

Luo Feng's face showed terror, as if surviving a disaster. He clasped his hands in a Daoist salute. "Thank you for the warning, General. I've lived overseas for a long time and didn't know about these changes in the Shang Dynasty."

The black-armored general scrutinized Luo Feng in confusion. "The Shang Dynasty reformed its teleportation arrays five hundred years ago. Starting City is only a midway point, not the end. Have you been in seclusion for five hundred years?"

Luo Feng, feigning lingering fear, nodded. "My cultivation is shallow. I'm a loose cultivator from overseas, constantly in seclusion. I truly know nothing of Shang's affairs."

"May I ask the General to explain these changes to me in detail?" He saluted again, conveniently slipping a millennium spiritual fruit to the general.

The black-armored general's expression changed. "What do you mean by this?"

Luo Feng chuckled. "No meaning, just a gesture."

The general frowned. "I am a general of Shang, upright and honorable..."

Luo Feng shook his head. "I feel an instant affinity with you, General. Perhaps we are connected from past lives—no other intent."

"Please, General, kindly introduce what I should know."

The general's expression softened, and he smiled. "You're quite amusing, Daoist, not like those immortals who speak in riddles."

"Here, take this 'Shang Cultivator's Handbook.' It's yours."

Luo Feng looked down; it was a jade slip of extremely inferior quality, likely mass-produced.

He thanked the general calmly.

...

He then walked toward Starting City.

After Luo Feng entered the city, the general smiled, took out a shell engraved with various patterns.

"A loose cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage—permission granted to proceed."

"Same as always."

He muttered softly, swiftly pocketed the shell, and resumed his duties, returning to his usual demeanor.

Luo Feng arrived at an eatery, retrieved the bit of divine sense he’d left behind, clicking his tongue.

As expected, a general showing such concern for a stranger—there must be something amiss.

...

Within the Great Wilderness, inside Shang, human hearts are no longer as they once were.

If only everyone were as simple as the Thousand-Spirit Demon King.

Though called a Nascent Soul Demon King, he truly possessed only Nascent Soul cultivation! How sincere.

He truly missed those days on Thousand-Spirit Island.

Enjoying earthly food, Luo Feng perused the jade slip with his divine sense.

Though the black-armored general harbored ill intentions, he had not tampered with the jade slip.

If Luo Feng had acted... the jade slip would have been entirely aboveboard.

The jade slip contained a crude introduction to the Shang Dynasty’s basics.

In short, Shang is prosperous and powerful, the king is wise and valiant, his court is filled with immortals, and generals possess unmatched strength.

Shang was founded by the Mandate of Heaven; thus, Shang is justice, the rightful destiny.

Enemies of Shang, such as Guifang and Qiangfang, are utterly evil.

All loose cultivators entering Shang must behave.

No flying over cities, no slaughtering Shang citizens; resolve disputes outside the city, no battles within.

...

After reviewing it, Luo Feng sighed inwardly.

As expected, few immortals and factions recorded in myth are simple.

Even those obscure, background figures like Leopard Star from the Twenty-Eight Constellations are at least Celestial Immortal level.

As one of the main players in the Investiture of the Gods war, Shang naturally possesses the power to suppress the universe.

From Starting City, a corner of Shang, one could glimpse its might.

Cultivators serve as soldiers, immortals as generals! With the support of the sage sects, glorious Shang suppresses countless miles of earthly mountains and rivers.

If Shang is so formidable, what of its rival, Western Zhou, to stand as its equal?

And what strength lies among the eight hundred feudal lords of the realm?

Outside the central plains, Shefang, Guifang, Tufang, and Qiangfang present their own landscapes.

Numerous factions, princes, sages laying their pieces, interwoven in a fiery tapestry, together build a world more splendid than brocade!

The food in his hands was finished.

He couldn’t help but sigh—even though Shang’s dishes were simple, with no seasoning, their spiritual energy and robust ingredients gave them a unique flavor.

In the distance, a patrol squad rushed over, their target Luo Feng.

They came in force, seemingly hostile.

But their qi and blood did not surge, weapons remained sheathed; it was pure intimidation, pressing Luo Feng to react.

Luo Feng glanced at the jade slip’s rule against spellcasting in the city, thoughtful.

This move was called “the porcelain bottle drill.”

No matter their reason, the patrol squad would either attempt to engage Luo Feng or provoke him into action.

Once he responded, he would have violated Shang’s rules!

At that point, there would be no need for fabricated charges—simply clinging to the iron law of casting spells within the city would suffice.

...

Luo Feng would be guilty, guilty of breaking Shang’s rule.

Ordinary loose cultivators facing such a scene would surely lose their composure, manipulated at will.

In the end, they might not only be sold off, but even thank their captors.

"But who wants to play tricks with you?"

"I'm out, I'm out."

Luo Feng smiled calmly and shook his head.

If Luo Feng were a disciple of the Sect of the Cut, standing in Shang's camp, this would be a good opportunity to enter its inner circle.

But Luo Feng’s goal was to seek the mountain gate, ascend to Heaven’s Court, become a Great Luo, and never descend to the mortal world.

He had no wish, nor patience, to deal with the black-armored general or the schemes in the city.

The general’s cultivation system was neither immortal nor demon, certainly not Buddhist; if Luo Feng guessed correctly, it was the Way of the Witch.

The Way of the Witch scheming against Daoist cultivators.

It could be as grand or as trivial as one liked.

But once involved, one would be caught in the disputes of humanity.

Good or bad, there would be a thread of karma entangling him.

Now, such karma seemed insignificant, but when the Investiture of the Gods disaster arrived—

Who knew whether that thread of karma might not drag him into the tribulation?

Even the smallest possibility could not be ignored.

"Hmph!"

With a breath, white mist enveloped the street.

Luo Feng pointed to the void; two puppets identical to the Daoist Tianyi appeared.

Then, with a swipe, Tianyi’s handsome face vanished.

In his place stood a young man in plain clothes, delicate features.

He strode off, blending into the crowd, leaving the city openly as a mortal.

...

Half a day later, the two puppets were captured, but turned into mist.

Thirty thousand miles outside the city, the delicate-featured youth held three portraits.

With the Investiture of the Gods disaster approaching, it was unwise to get involved in anything related to Shang.

But, a gentleman’s revenge is never too late in ten years; an immortal’s grudge, never forgotten in a hundred million.

Once he achieved a true Nascent Soul, with power to protect himself,

Then he would go to the Underworld, review the Book of Life and Death, and settle accounts.

Hmm, the Underworld is still somewhat dangerous.

He would need a few innate treasures for protection—safety first.

(End of chapter)