Chapter 345: The First Calamity of the Real Realm!
[A golden cone-shaped beam burst forth from the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.]
[This beam contained the resentment and soul power of the numerous demon souls and Ancient Wasteland Survivor souls suppressed within the banner, possessing immense destructive force.]
[This destructive power directly attacked the enemy's soul, and if it hit, it could definitely achieve victory against a stronger foe!]
[This move from the Ten Thousand Souls Banner did catch the Old Hag somewhat off guard.]
[So she didn't have time to dodge.]
[But the trench coat she was wearing was no ordinary item either. It closed up directly, actively protecting its master, wrapping her up like a dumpling.]
[The Soul-Piercing Strike was specialized for attacking souls but was powerless against the block of a magical artifact.]
[In the end, this attack failed to succeed.]
[The Ten Thousand Souls Banner was furious. "Damn! Bro! Let's just bail!"]
[The Old Hag's trench coat opened, revealing her sinister face. "Your spirit treasure actually has an Artifact Spirit! Then I must obtain you and get to the bottom of this!"]
[Although the Ten Thousand Souls Banner's attack didn't work, you took this opportunity to pick up the Heavenly Dragon Blade.]
[Running was impossible, as you had just tried. The only way was to carve out a bloody path!]
[Unfortunately, the Old Hag's cultivation level completely crushed yours. You charged left and right but couldn't even touch her trench coat.]
[You could sense that the Old Hag might not be able to withstand a single blow from you, because she kept dodging.]
[She seemed to possess Divine Sense, making her judgment and reactions faster than yours.]
[This also caused several trait tags you fired from the Trait Slingshot to miss completely.]
[As the two of you fought, she continuously drew divine marks.]
[Those divine marks were like stubborn plasters, constantly sticking to you with no way to shake them off.]
[When the divine marks completely engulfed you, you were utterly unable to move.]
[The Ten Thousand Souls Banner swayed frantically, using various techniques trying to dissolve the divine marks on your body.]
["Bro! It's no use! These symbols are like they've grown onto you!"]
[Only your face remained exposed. You said to the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.]
["It's useless. Founding Ancestor Shen said that these divine marks borrow the power of heaven and earth. Either you have strength equal to the laws of heaven and earth, or you yourself must be proficient in divine marks and use a counteracting divine mark to dissolve them."]
["Bro, then you're screwed. I'm just going to surrender."]
["Yes, you surrender."]
["Uh... actually, I'm not that disloyal..."]
[The Ten Thousand Souls Banner was momentarily stunned, then read something from your eyes.]
[Just as the Old Hag was about to make a move, the Ten Thousand Souls Banner suddenly shouted.]
["Ayiyayee!! Granny! You are truly skilled! I could tell at a glance that you are mighty and extraordinary! Absolutely, truly, one hundred percent authentic!"]
[The Ten Thousand Souls Banner floated over, twisting its banner surface into a pair of hands, and kneaded the Old Hag's shoulders.]
[The Old Hag let out a cold snort.]
["You want me to release your original master? Hmph, impossible."]
[The Ten Thousand Souls Banner wailed.]
["How could that be! Now you are my master! That handsome, suave, charming, mighty, smooth-talking, bubbling-with-charisma hunk of a guy? I have no idea who that is!"]
["Spare me your tricks. Later, I will formally form a master-servant bond with you, and then no amount of your cunning schemes will work!"]
["Absolutely~~ Bond! I'll do it! Let's do it right now!"]
[In the end, the Old Hag didn't let you off. Her vicious gaze fixed on you, covered in divine marks, and she said coldly.]
["I was originally going to spare your life for the sake of our same race. Since you don't appreciate it, don't blame me for being ruthless!"]
[You felt the divine marks on your body explode, excruciating pain boring into your marrow.]
[The Old Hag detonated the divine marks, blasting large clouds of blood mist from your body. You were covered in countless wounds, some of which revealed the white of your bones!]
[The force of the explosion sent you flying, and you landed in the large river nearby.]
[As your vision faded, you saw the Ten Thousand Souls Banner roar, attempting to self-destruct and fight the Old Hag to the death, but she used divine marks to suppress it and casually took it away.]
[You drifted with the current and lost consciousness.]
"Thank goodness I drew 'Knight's Safe Zone' first. Otherwise, this session would have been settled without even any simulation!"
Chen Yi could feel the simulation cooldown getting longer and the simulation tasks getting harder.
If the last simulation hadn't yielded any improvement, getting the next simulation opportunity would be tough.
So he had to try to live as long as possible in each simulation, draw more trait tags, and make progress.
"Killing and robbing isn't anything new, but 'I' didn't have a choice..."
Arriving in an unknown environment, having a few magical items on you gave a greater sense of security than being empty-handed.
All the Artifact Spirits except the Ten Thousand Souls Banner were gone, so he couldn't have them follow him either.
He couldn't use the Storage Ring, so he had to carry things on him.
It was only a matter of time before he attracted greedy predators.
He just didn't think it would happen so fast.
"Next time, I shouldn't take the 'Death' path. It really is a road to death.
I don't need to bring resources from the human world either. If I take them up, they'll get weakened due to the environmental change.
It's better to travel light."
For the first simulation in the Real Realm, summing up the lessons learned was also a very important part.
[After an unknown amount of time, you woke up from a groggy state.]
[Vaguely, you saw yourself lying in a simple thatched hut. A broken door, broken windows, holes in the roof and walls, with wind leaking through everywhere.]
[The bedding beneath you was also rough hay. The so-called bed was just a wooden board propped up on a few rocks.]
[You heard the voice of a woman.]
["Dad! He's awake!"]
[Footsteps sounded from outside the door.]
[You struggled to open your eyes and saw an old man and a young woman.]
[The father and daughter were gaunt and sallow, dressed in rags, with messy hair, looking like two beggars.]
["Did you two save me..."]
[The old man nodded gently.]
["Young man, your injuries are too severe. Don't talk, just rest well and drink some porridge."]
[In the old man's hands was a bowl of plain rice porridge.]
[For a cultivator like you, this bit of food wasn't nearly enough to fill the gaps between your teeth, let alone the fact that you actually had an infinite supply of plain porridge.]
[But it was still their goodwill. You reached out, took it, and downed it in one go.]
[The porridge going down your stomach was the first warmth you felt in this unknown world.]
[You noticed that your body was wrapped in many strips of cloth, making you look like a mummy.]
[These strips of cloth were rough but clean, even cleaner than the clothes the father and daughter were wearing.]
[Your head felt groggy, and after lying down, you fell asleep again.]
[In a daze, you heard the conversation between the father and daughter.]
["Dad, we're out of rice at home..."]
["It's okay, Dad will figure something out..."]
[This was a poor family.]
[You thought to yourself: Don't worry, kind people. Your one bowl of porridge will be repaid with countless bowls of porridge.]
[While you were unconscious, the Demon Tribe Body Refining technique you cultivated was silently operating, rapidly repairing your injuries.]
[When you woke up again, you could already get out of bed.]
[But the moment you got down, you startled the old man who came in to check on you.]
["Oh my, young man! Your skin and flesh were all rotten! Such severe injuries, and only a few days have passed? You can't be walking around; your wounds will split open."]
[You moved slowly and smiled.]
["Old sir, it's fine. I am a cultivator, so my injuries heal quickly."]
["Yes, I guessed you weren't an ordinary person. Otherwise, with injuries that bad, if an ordinary person was soaked in water, they'd be rotten by now!"]
[You noticed that the old man was holding another bowl of porridge.]