The gaze of these villagers was bizarre to an extreme. In their eyes, besides mixed fear and reverence, there was also a trace of respect.
This was the awe and admiration for a higher social class, comparable to how ordinary people viewed their local government officials.
In the cultivation world of the Nine Provinces, mortals and cultivators were essentially two different species. Although they lived in the same world and were all human, there was basically no frequent contact between them.
...
For this reason, after standing still and thinking for a good while, Wu Tao finally reacted.
The cultivators here all lived in cities. The construction of such a massive city clearly indicated that the surroundings were not peaceful, and in fact, were fraught with danger.
As for the source of the danger, Wu Tao did not know.
In such an environment, when mortals and cultivators lived together, this kind of special mentality was not surprising.
In this place, cultivators who possessed great power were both their protective deities and the devils who could kill them.
After figuring it out, Wu Tao shifted his attention elsewhere.
He surveyed the village surroundings while waiting for someone he could talk to to appear.
This small village was merely one of countless villages nearby; Wu Tao had landed there by chance.
However, even in such an ordinary small village, one could still gather considerable information if one made an effort.
Around the outskirts of the small village, a simple stone wall enclosed the entire settlement.
...
Wu Tao then shifted his gaze back to the kneeling villagers.
He had glanced at them earlier without paying much attention, but now, looking again with more care, he found something.
Indeed, he gained something from this closer inspection!
These villagers, regardless of gender or age, were all armed with swords, spears, and blades. Not a single one was without a sharp weapon in hand.
Seeing this, Wu Tao understood that this place must be very dangerous during normal times.
Otherwise, these mortals would not keep their weapons with them at all times, ready to face danger.
...
At this time, Wu Tao was unaware of the precarious position humanity held in this underground world.
In this underground world, humans did not rank first, nor even second or third. They barely made it into the top ten.
...
It was only then that Wu Tao finally understood why the cultivators here had gone to such great lengths to build such a vast and majestic city.
This place must be extremely dangerous. The primary reason for building a massive city was to protect the safety of mortals.
After all, mortals were the foundation of the human cultivation world. If mortals were all to perish by the mouths of demonic beasts or under natural disasters, the human cultivation world would have no way to continue.
At this moment, a commotion arose within the villagers.
However, after a moment, a middle-aged man, accompanied by a group of people, hurried over.
"This junior, Li Ji, pays his respects to the Foundation Establishment stage senior."
As soon as the middle-aged man saw Wu Tao, he bowed deeply, offering a junior's greeting.
This middle-aged man was also a cultivator, but his cultivation was only at the tenth level of Qi Refining.
...
After waiting for a moment, expecting the other party to speak first, Wu Tao saw Li Ji still standing respectfully to the side, and couldn't help but frown slightly.
He said, "Hmm, first find me a relatively clean room. I have something to discuss with you privately."
"Yes, yes, yes, senior, this way please. This junior will arrange it immediately!"
Li Ji replied without hesitation. Then, with his left hand gesturing, he led the way at Wu Tao's signal.
As Li Ji walked sideways, he also waved his sleeve, clearly signaling something to his attendants.
Wu Tao's peripheral vision caught sight of these attendants dispersing immediately following Li Ji's gesture.
They either cleared the path for other villagers or were giving instructions to someone, likely arranging accommodation and hospitality.
The village wasn't particularly large. As Wu Tao and Li Ji walked through, they arrived at the center of the village in a short while, at a small palace built of stone.
Everything they saw was typical of an ordinary village.
If there was any difference compared to ordinary villages in the Nine Provinces cultivation world, it was the presence of bonfires burning everywhere.
However, the purpose of these bonfires seemed to be more than just illumination; they also served other uses for defense and vigilance.
The stone hall before them was clearly Li Ji's residence.
Compared to the surrounding stone houses, it appeared more imposing, but there was no other difference. It was ordinary, with no decoration, and no formation guarding it from the outside.
Seeing Wu Tao surveying the stone hall, Li Ji bowed again, bent at the waist, and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, senior. This humble dwelling of mine is a bit crude. Please don't mind it."
...
"No matter."
Wu Tao waved his hand and walked straight inside.
The interior of the stone hall was well-decorated, unlike its unrefined exterior. There were plenty of furniture, including chairs, a bed, stools, paintings, and an incense burner.
Seeing this, Wu Tao shook his head.
From his cursory glance through the village earlier, he could tell how difficult the living conditions were.
Under such circumstances, Li Ji, as the administrator, still had such comfortable living quarters, which made Wu Tao sigh with emotion.
No matter how poor a place was, the lives of those in power were always relatively good.
These were mere trivialities. Wu Tao did not delve into them, nor did he intend to. He sat down confidently in the main seat and then looked at Li Ji.
Under that gaze, which felt almost tangible, Li Ji felt extremely uncomfortable, and cold sweat involuntarily began to pour out of him.
In an instant, his entire back was soaked.
...
"As expected of a Foundation Establishment senior!"
"Such pressure is truly terrifying."
Li Ji secretly marveled, while racking his brain for ways to deal with this suddenly appearing Foundation Establishment senior.
On the other hand, Wu Tao was also troubled. As soon as he sat down, he realized he didn't know how to start asking questions.
As a newcomer, he was completely in the dark about the specific situation here. If he asked too little, it would take him many detours to understand.
If he asked too much at once, the other party was not a fool and would surely guess his identity.
This person had lived here for so many years, and likely knew everything about this place. Why not directly capture him and interrogate him thoroughly?
After all, he knew nothing. How effective would an interrogation be? Could he trust what he said?
It would be better to conduct a soul search and check. There was nothing more reliable than looking at the memories in his soul!
Wu Tao thought this way, and a hidden fierce glint flashed in his eyes.
...
After a moment's thought, Wu Tao abandoned this idea. Subduing Li Ji and then conducting a soul search and silencing him were minor matters for him.
However, after silencing Li Ji, the villagers outside had also seen his true appearance. Would these innocent villagers also have to be killed?
This method was too wicked.
A person must at least maintain their basic moral bottom line to be considered human...
Hesitating for a moment, Wu Tao decided to get straight to the point and ask, not intending to probe or beat around the bush.
"At worst, after asking, I'll kill him and run. After all, with the communication speed of those mortals, by the time they inform other cultivators, I'll be long gone!"
With a thought, a sharp glint flashed in Wu Tao's eyes again.
Just then, Li Ji's cautious voice was heard.
...
"Senior..."
"Hmm? Speak."
"Senior, you must have just arrived from outside at our Tongguan City, right? If there's anything this junior can do to help, please instruct me, senior. This junior will do his utmost and fulfill senior's requests!"
Li Ji, who had been cautiously observing Wu Tao, was startled by the sudden flash of ferocity in Wu Tao's eyes. His left hand involuntarily moved towards his storage bag.
After all, even knowing he couldn't win, he couldn't just sit back and wait to die.
Seeing that Wu Tao seemed to have dismissed his initial thought, Li Ji did not dare to be careless and bowed even lower, fawningly saying...
...
"What, how did you know I came from outside?"
Wu Tao was shocked. Li Ji's brief words had provided him with a great deal of information.
Setting aside how Li Ji figured out he was from outside, the word "outside" itself was very intriguing.
The Tongguan City he mentioned was most likely this massive city before him. This implied that besides this Tongguan City, there were other massive cities.
As he reached this conclusion, Wu Tao's killing intent immediately faded.
He had originally planned to kill Li Ji directly to silence him if his identity couldn't be concealed after getting the information.
Now, hearing Li Ji's words, there was no need for that, which also saved Wu Tao from dirtying his own hands.
...
Since there were other massive cities here, then cultivators coming from "outside" did not solely refer to outsiders from another cultivation world.
It was just that travel between different cities was not something to be surprised about, and the need for silencing became unnecessary.
Not having to resort to a massacre, Wu Tao couldn't help but feel relieved.
Because for him, killing was a means to an end, not a hobby.
"That's right!"
With this thought, Wu Tao nodded frankly and continued, "I am indeed from out of town, and I came here specifically to inquire about the situation in the vicinity."
Since there was no need to conceal anything, Wu Tao directly stated the purpose of his visit.
Clearing his throat, Li Ji began to speak slowly and deliberately.
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