Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

Chapter 624: Chapter 624: Dragon Hidden in Great Marsh
 

A burst of vapor, rich with spiritual energy, hit Wang Chen’s face, and he felt instantly invigorated.

Before him lay an endless expanse of water marsh.

Misty waves and dense fog loomed, and the morning sun shone on the veil-covered lake surface, casting iridescent sparkles.

In the distance, a line of egrets flew by, emitting cheerful cries.

Suddenly, with a splash, a green-scaled giant fish leaped high out of the water, displaying its body in midair.

But before it could fall back, a dark shadow swiftly swooped down.

A pair of sharp claws clutched it tightly!

The successful eagle ascended with a flap of its wings, shaking off droplets of water.

The law of nature, survival of the fittest, predator and prey, was vividly on display in this Great Marsh!

Upon reaching his destination, Wang Chen did not rashly venture deep but circumnavigated the edge of the water marsh. After familiarizing himself with the environment and ensuring no hidden dangers, he slowly infiltrated the White Dragon Great Marsh.

Searching for the convergence of the mystical energy.

Indeed, the vapor over the marsh contained traces of She Qi, but the amount was too negligible. Trying to replenish the True Form Chart of the Mystical Mirage Dragon was like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water, with no idea how long it would take.

Wang Chen had no intention of staying here for a year or two.

The edges and outer areas of the White Dragon Great Marsh were relatively safe.

There were plenty of ordinary animals but few Monster Beasts. To avoid trouble, Wang Chen took detours when encountering them, preferring to spend more time rather than catch and kill them.

Hunting Monster Beasts was simple, but if it attracted bigger trouble, the loss would outweigh the gain!

As they say, effort pays off for those who try hard. After nearly a day of searching, Wang Chen finally found a suitable place.

It was a small water marsh island, only about ten mu in size, with trees and plenty of wild grass and water plants. Apart from a few small animals and birds, no Monster Beasts inhabited it.

Wang Chen discovered a spring in the center of the island, its waters bubbling and crystal clear, emitting vapor that contained a slight amount of She Qi.

Although the concentration of She Qi wasn’t ideal, its ceaseless and seemingly endless regenerative advantage was enough to offset the shortfall in quantity.

Without being greedy, Wang Chen settled down here.

The island was well-located with a broad view that was conducive to observation, allowing him to detect danger at the first instance. With the presence of She Qi, it was already quite a good find.

Wang Chen believed that there must be places further into the marsh where the She Qi was more abundant.

But the risks would also be exponentially higher.

There was no need for that.

He took out the True Form Chart of the Mystical Mirage Dragon and laid it over the spring.

This treasure chart could autonomously absorb She Qi. Though slow, it allowed him to be free to do other things.

Wang Chen built a small hut next to the spring pool.

Then, he cast the Withered Glory Technique on the grass and trees near the hut.

Under the influence of his mana, the plants grew at a visibly fast rate, and vines and branches spread out faster and faster, soon enveloping the hut completely.

Until it was fully covered!

Wang Chen’s cultivation didn’t stop with just that area. To avoid making the hut stand out, he expanded the range of his spell.

Once he ensured that the hut, along with the spring pool, was perfectly camouflaged, Wang Chen began to excavate tunnels, creating a more secure shelter.

Digging tunnels in waterlogged soil was no easy task, even though Wang Chen’s Mudstone Technique was already perfected, and it wasn’t effective on the muddy terrain, which contained a lot of water.

This required Wang Chen to first displace the excessive water in the soil and then solidify it.

Moreover, he had to be careful not to damage the spring’s water vein, as he could not afford to lose the source of She Qi and have to find a new place.

Thus, it took Wang Chen a full ten days to carve out a space for cultivation hidden deep underground.

But that was not enough. He needed to dig more tunnels.

To use for escape in case of danger.

Busy day in and day out, Wang Chen felt like a beaver working hard to survive.

However, his hard work was not in vain. Over ten days, the She Qi in the True Form Chart of the Mystical Mirage Dragon had recovered by nearly one-tenth.

Once the new escape tunnel was excavated, Wang Chen finally settled down to cultivate the Mystical Mirage Dragon Jue!

Time flew in cultivation, and in the blink of an eye, he had secluded himself in the peripheral area of the White Dragon Great Marsh for almost two months.

After the breakthrough to the third layer of the Mystical Mirage Dragon Jue, the speed of his progress greatly decreased,

which was greatly related to the concentration of She Qi in the surrounding space because the Mystical Mirage Dragon Jue required She Qi for cultivation, just like how spiritual energy was needed for other cultivation techniques.

From the third layer onwards, the Mystical Mirage Dragon Jue’s demand for She Qi increased several-fold.

That’s what caused Wang Chen’s cultivation progress to be so slow.

Technically, he could also accelerate the process by drawing She Qi from the True Form Chart of the Mystical Mirage Dragon, but that would significantly weaken the treasure chart’s effect, a loss that outweighs the gain.

Wang Chen didn’t become impatient because of this; while the She Qi wasn’t enough for cultivating the Mystical Mirage Dragon Jue, the spiritual energy of the White Dragon Great Marsh was abundant, so he devoted more time to cultivate the Innate Five Elements Skill.

He didn’t waste a moment of time.

Wang Chen planned to break through to the fourth layer of the Mystical Mirage Dragon Jue and, after the True Form Chart of the Mystical Mirage Dragon had accumulated enough She Qi, leave for his next destination.

One day, just as he unfolded the True Form Chart of the Mystical Mirage Dragon, a sudden sense of alarm surged in his heart.

Without a second thought, Wang Chen cast the Hidden God Technique, concealing his presence.

At the same time, he quietly extended his Divine Sense to survey his surroundings.

Soon enough, several voices reached his ears.

“It should be here.”@@novelbin@@

“I came here last year, I remember there’s a spring on the island, the water was excellent for making tea.”

“Eh? Why have the trees here grown so tall?”

“Are you sure you’re not mistaken about the place?”

“No mistake!”

As they spoke, several figures arrived, flying through the air, and descended onto the small island where Wang Chen was hiding.

Meanwhile, Wang Chen had already slipped into the tunnel.

Since the newcomers had a clear purpose, they quickly found the cottage that Wang Chen had painstakingly concealed.

“There’s a house here!”

“I didn’t see it last year; it must be newly built.”

“Is there anyone inside?”

“No one.”

Wang Chen had not built the cottage to live in, but as a “decoration” to cover up the existence of the hidden tunnel. It was empty and devoid of any furnishings.

Even weeds and mushrooms had grown inside the house.

This easily misled the visitors into thinking that no one lived there.

It would never occur to them to lift every rock on the ground to check for the existence of a tunnel.

Who would have thought that someone would dig a tunnel in a marsh!

“Stop looking!”

One of them said, “Let’s just take the spring water and leave.”

There were a total of three people; after retrieving the spring water, they promptly left without lingering for too long.

Only after confirming that they had all left did Wang Chen return to the surface.

He was somewhat conflicted.

Should he continue to stay here, or move to a new place ahead of schedule?

This was no simple decision!

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