Wait, How Did My Digital Girlfriend Become a Sword Immortal? Chapter 583: Pingxi Town
Chapter 583: Pingxi Town
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After a long time passed.
That Nascent Soul cultivator finally struggled out of the haystack. His face was pale, his spirit wilted; it felt as if his internal organs had been torn apart.
“Just the pressure alone already shows signs of damage to my foundation? What kind of strength does this sword cultivator have...”
There was no time to think; he immediately sat cross-legged and forced himself to calm the turbulent qi and blood in his body.
His name was Wang Tianba. He was a lone cultivator with no sect, a drifter who came to the mortal kingdoms intent on being a big fish in a small pond rather than a small fish in a big one, taking a post as an Imperial Guard Cultivator.
After all, Nascent Soul cultivators were common in the cultivation world; in a minor sect they could act imperiously, and joining a major sect would mean nothing special.
He also had many enemies in the cultivation world, always at risk of being hunted down for revenge.
Compared to that, the mortal realm was safer and easier. Although spiritual energy was thin in the mortal world, there were still many valuable things to be found. In a mortal kingdom he ate well and lived in comfort, like a local tyrant. As long as cultivators from enemy nations didn’t interfere, he could live out his days without lifting a finger.At least until his lifespan ran out, he was content with such a life.
During the years he guarded the Southern Dynasty border, he had encountered a number of cultivators trying to enter Southern Dynasty—either he chased them away or he killed them.
But never had he been as embarrassed as today!
That sword cultivator who carried the maiden possessed terrifying strength. The pressure alone had made him feel utterly hopeless.
“Is he a Nascent Soul? No— even late-stage Divine Transformation shouldn’t make me feel this hopeless... He should be in the Unity Realm!”
A Unity Realm cultivator...
He was at least two whole major realms above him.
If the other party wanted to, he could crush him to death with a single hand.
He had been blind with foolishness just now, actually thinking of stepping forward to block that powerhouse...
For the little stipend of spirit stones he got, he had no reason to risk his life like that.
“I still have too much of a sense of responsibility,” Wang Tianba said with a rueful smile.
But a Unity Realm cultivator entering the Southern Dynasty was a major event. If he couldn't stop it, it was natural to report it.
This was the sort of cultivator he simply could not handle; naturally there would be stronger cultivators who would have to deal with the matter.
...
“This mortal world really is getting more chaotic.”
Chen Huaian stood on his flying sword, taking in the scenery for miles in every direction.
Wealthy households feast while the road hides frozen corpses.
Perhaps it wasn’t just the Southern Dynasty; other nations were likely similar.
In any world, the lowest tier of existence suffers the most—the so-called low-level NPCs, the ones no one notices even when they die.
“Aren’t cultivators supposed to avoid interfering in mortal affairs? What were those cultivators just now?” Chen Huaian murmured, but Li Qingran immediately cleared up his confusion.
“Master, that rule mainly applies to certain immortal cultivation sects. In truth, many mortal countries have cultivators; their presence is mainly a deterrent... Countries that host cultivators stand a head above those that don’t. After all, with cultivators’ power you can accomplish many things. Some small states may not even understand what’s happening before they’re wiped out.”
“And rules are rigid while people are flexible. Besides, these rules lack oversight, unless...”
“Unless something major really happens.” Chen Huaian took over the thought. “Then those rules can be pulled out as a justified pretext, right?”
“That’s right. As expected of Master. This must be your first time in the mortal realm and yet you see through things so clearly—amazing.”
Li Qingran hugged Chen Huaian’s waist and smiled sweetly.
Chen Huaian’s expression, however, darkened slightly.
When he first activated the Electronic Girlfriend, he had read Li Qingran’s profile.
Li Qingran’s parents had died on the battlefield, and that war bore traces of cultivator machinations behind it.
It concerned alternations of the Southern Dynasty ruler and party struggles, and her parents had become casualties of that conflict.
Tens of thousands of Southern Dynasty soldiers had perished alongside them.
It was certain that the cultivators manipulating things behind the scenes had reaped benefits from the Southern Dynasty that would be hard to refuse.
It had been only a dozen or so years since Li Qingran entered Qingyun Sect.
The mastermind surely remained somewhere in the Southern Dynasty.
Since they were already here this time, it should be resolved together.
But the urgent matter now was to check on Zhang Mengchu’s prospective wife...
Liu Cui’e, a person from Pingxi Town in Central Province.
Chen Huaian brought up the map search page, typed in Pingxi Town, and clicked confirm.
The map immediately marked Pingxi Town’s location; clicking it brought up a row of prompts.
<Auto-pathfinding...>
So convenient, so intelligent.
Unfortunately, auto-pathfinding could only be used inside a given faction’s territory.
For example, he couldn’t auto-path from Pingxi Town to Moon Shadow Sect, but inside Moon Shadow Sect he could path from the sect gate to the little bamboo grove hut on the rear mountain.
The flying sword began its auto-pathfinding.
Chen Huaian sat down on the flying sword and even pulled a can of Cola from his player inventory for show, taking a sip.
Always standing wasn’t befitting someone of his top-tier status.
“Qingran, want a can?”
Chen Huaian waved the Cola in his hand.
But Li Qingran shook her head repeatedly. She sat close to Chen Huaian and avoided the Cola as if it were poison.
“What’s wrong? Don’t like Cola? I also have Snow-Dead, Wife-Delight, Blaze-Da, and Big Kiln Ice City.”
Li Qingran covered her mouth and continued shaking her head.
She actually liked those novel drinks.
But she didn’t want to belch in front of her master; those drinks were better enjoyed privately to relieve cultivation pressure.
In front of someone she liked... best to refrain.
“All right then. I have the Dead-Snack.”
Chen Huaian produced a red smiling little kid snack, and this time Li Qingran accepted it gladly.
After the flying sword left the border, it crossed deserted mountains and rivers. As it drew closer to the center, human habitation grew denser.
Yet the gap between wealthy and poor showed no improvement.
It even appeared to be worsening; the divide between peasants and bureaucratic landlords grew ever starker.
Chen Huaian frowned as he observed it all.
He could intervene to govern a village, a town, even alleviate the Southern Dynasty’s suffering.
But he could not manage the entire Cangyun Realm, nor could he do so for an entire era.
Once he ascended or left the Cangyun Realm, the world would remain full of suffering.
In a place like the Cangyun Realm, cultivators and mortals were worlds apart.
The pyramid of disparity between people widened infinitely.
All living beings had desires and ambitions; driven by those, they constantly fought.
That spawned wars and suffering, and those hurt most were invariably those at the very bottom.
It was an inescapable vicious cycle.
While he was thinking, Chen Huaian saw in his view a fairly well-sized town.
A stone stele stood at the town entrance—Pingxi Town.
One of their destinations. They had arrived.
...