Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

Just for that bit of pleasure, they not only had to give up the spirit stones they had worked so hard to earn, but they also had to serve as furnace vessels for the female cultivators of the Hehuan Sect, using their own essence and qi to aid the latter in their cultivation.

How foolish!

Now the demonic claws of the female cultivators of the Hehuan Sect had even reached into Dongwu Stockade.

Although Wang Chen had never met Xin Han, he still held a great deal of respect for this Purple Mansion Superior.

Xin Han had ruled over Dongwu Stockade for many years, managing this loose cultivator stockade in an orderly manner. Although she had retreated from worldly affairs in recent years, the daily operations of the stockade had not been affected in the slightest.

Xin Han\'s presence had given thousands of loose cultivators and their families a sense of stability and hope.

In fact, with the cultivation level of Xin Han, she could have easily gone to enjoy the luxuries of some sect, where she would definitely have access to more resources than in the Outer Domain.

But she stayed here anyway.

In Wang Chen\'s view, among the countless loose cultivators of the Outer Domain, Xin Han was indeed a figure to reckon with!

Yet, even heroes have their pitfalls when it comes to the beauty trap.

So much had happened in just a few days; the future of Dongwu Stockade was indeed hard to predict!

Wang Chen sat in the teahouse until noon and then went back to his own home.

As he approached the alley, he heard a burst of intense wailing and cursing coming from inside.

Hm?

Wang Chen quickened his pace.

He saw that there was quite a crowd in front of his neighbor Uncle Zhu\'s house, mostly made up of his neighbors.

On the ground lay a young man, curled up and clutching his head, being punched and kicked by two burly men.

Uncle Zhu and his wife were wailing and begging next to them, but someone firmly blocked their way.

A rugged-looking cultivator with a burly physique sneered at the couple, "Paying off debts is the natural order of heaven and earth. Your son owes our gambling den five hundred spirit stones. Just bring out the spirit stones, and we\'ll let him go immediately!"

Wang Chen recognized the man lying on the ground, getting beaten into a pulp, as Uncle Zhu\'s only son, Zhu Xiaohu.

He couldn\'t help feeling surprised.

Because in Wang Chen\'s memory, Zhu Xiaohu from next door was quite an honest kid.

Qi Cultivation level three.

He usually worked in a workshop, minding his own business and never causing trouble.

Uncle Zhu was very proud of his son and had recently been arranging a marriage for him with his wife.

Who would have thought that he would run off to a gambling den and accumulate a debt of five hundred spirit stones?

Aunt Zhu cried, "Where would we get so many spirit stones!"

She cast a pleading look toward her neighbors.

But everyone avoided her gaze.

Life is never easy for a loose cultivator. Living in the stockade, they needed spirit stones for every aspect of daily life, and most lived quite frugally.

The debt Zhu Xiaohu had incurred wasn\'t just five or fifty spirit stones, but a whole five hundred.

Even if everyone contributed, they would not gather enough.

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And if they were to lend these spirit stones, it would probably be like casting meat buns to a dog.

There would be no return!

What\'s more, even if Zhu Xiaohu was helped out of trouble this time, who was to say he wouldn\'t gamble again?

It wasn\'t that everyone was cold-hearted; it was just that the situation was beyond help!

The burly cultivator sneered, "Don\'t have it? Then use your house to repay the debt."

The house Uncle Zhu lived in was bigger than Wang Chen\'s and was definitely worth more than five hundred spirit stones.

Upon hearing this, Uncle Zhu and his wife\'s faces immediately turned pale.

This house was their life\'s savings, their anchor and foothold in the Outer Domain. It was meant to be passed down through generations as the family legacy.

They truly could not bear to use their house to repay the gambling debt.

"Ah!"

Zhu Xiaohu, lying on the ground, had taken a heavy kick from the burly cultivator and slid forward, plastered to the ground.

The onlookers all stepped aside to avoid him, and he ended up sliding right in front of Wang Chen.

Seeing Wang Chen, Aunt Zhu immediately grasped at him like a lifeline, "Taoist Friend Wang, please help us! I\'m begging you, I only have Xiaohu as my son!"

With that, she fell to her knees on the ground!

In this alley, if anyone could produce five hundred spirit stones, it was undoubtedly Wang Chen.

Of course, Aunt Zhu didn\'t know the true extent of Wang Chen\'s resources, but she knew that he often set up a stall at the market to sell talismans.

And he made a fortune!

Wang Chen immediately stepped aside and sighed, "Auntie, I can\'t help you with this."

He could easily take out five hundred spirit stones.

But why should he?

They were neither relatives nor friends, and the debt in question was a gambling one, incurable for a gambling addict!

"Taoist Friend Wang!"

The burly cultivator bared his teeth at Wang Chen and said, "We meet again, Zhong Xing\'an, this debt, let\'s find an opportunity to settle it properly!"

Wang Chen smiled.

He didn\'t expect to become part of the spectacle himself.

Including today, he had encountered this burly cultivator a total of three times.

The first time they met, the man had tried to pin the debt of the previous homeowner onto Wang Chen\'s head.

After that, Wang Chen made a name for himself in Dongwu Stockade, and the guy came running, groveling with apologies.

Now, he had reverted to his arrogant demeanor!

If he didn\'t have chameleon genes, it meant he had some new backup and no longer saw Wang Chen as a threat.

The burly cultivator stomped hard on Zhu Xiaohu\'s leg and then said to Uncle Zhu and his wife, "You have two days to move out. The day after tomorrow, I\'ll come to take over the house!"

"Let\'s go!"

Having said that, he and his group of followers swaggered off.

As they left, he shot Wang Chen a provocative look!

Wang Chen\'s face remained expressionless.

But to the onlookers, it seemed as though he had been frightened into silence.

Chen Qi, the neighbor across from Wang Chen, came over and whispered, "Taoist Friend Wang, I heard that the Three Rivers Association is now under the patronage of the City Lord\'s brother-in-law, the Golden Snake Gentleman, Jin Liancheng. They are not to be provoked."

After a pause, he added, "If you have the spirit stones, it\'s better to cut your losses."

Wang Chen said with a smile, "I understand."

Chen Qi wasn\'t a bad person; he was just always overly cautious and extremely afraid of those gang members.

"As long as you understand," Chen Qi said, relieved. "Consider it a loss of wealth to avoid disaster. Cultivating is not easy; peace and safety are the most important!"

Meanwhile, Uncle Zhu and his wife helped their son back home.

Even with their door closed, their mournful cries could still be heard.

Having lost their house, the family of three no longer had a place to live in Dongwu Stockade.

Their future survival was a significant problem!

The neighbors sighed and returned to their homes; Wang Chen did the same.

He reached out and touched his face.

The Thousand Mechanisms Changing mask clung tightly to his face, providing a sensation indistinguishable from real skin, and it even had body heat.

But in the next instant, Wang Chen\'s face changed.

His lips turned the color of rouge, his eyes were as black as lacquer, and his face was as exquisite as jade—his features became remarkably handsome!

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The second update is here.