The Transmigrator’s Cultivation

Arc 24: Nine Void Battlefield | Chapter 433: Demon Farming

Under normal circumstances, anyone using the War God Token to reach the Nine Void Battlefield would typically arrive not far from the camps of several large military corps. Patrolling soldiers often passed by, making it easy to get help and be led back to the camp, where they could learn more about the battlefield.

Zeng Zhidao and his two companions, lacking divine power themselves, only managed to reach the battlefield by borrowing the strength of three shen cultivators with decent temperaments. They split into two groups, using two War God Tokens. Since the shen cultivators were companions, there was no conflict between them, and they all arrived in the same location.

Although the shen cultivators helped them, they did not travel together and left immediately. As for Zeng Zhidao’s group, they were unlucky enough to encounter a demonic beast that broke through the sky barrier. Though it was just a low-level demon, it caught them off guard, forcing them to retreat while fighting. By the time they managed to slay it, they had no idea where they were.

As a result, they missed the patrol team and had to slowly search for a gathering place.

After nearly two years, they passed through some smaller military groups, and their team grew to seven members. They eventually settled down here.

Though the space allocated to each person in this camp was barely large enough for a small tent, and the status of ordinary cultivators was far below that of shen cultivators, it was at least more stable than what they had previously encountered. There were at least some rules in place that allowed them to rest and recover.

Unfortunately, not even two months after settling here, they encountered Zhu Wu. His attempt to take a concubine failed, leading to a grudge. Now Zhu Wu had plotted against them, nearly costing them their lives, and they had developed an undeniable enmity.

Zeng Zhidao had never felt so embarrassed in his life.

Coming from a great family, they had never lacked resources. But in the Nine Void Battlefield, spirit stones could be exchanged for divine stones at a ratio of three to one. Moreover, due to the missed opportunities during their initial arrival, they suffered numerous injuries and had to barter for medicines, often paying several times the normal price to acquire basic magical artifacts. Let alone the divine stones they had to save up to obtain the Void Mirror. After all these expenditures, even though they weren’t in debt, they had little wealth left. The loss of their treasures during the battle against the three mid-level demonic beasts had cost them dearly, and they couldn’t compare to the well-off Zhu Wu.

Now he understood that the future would not be easy. Zhu Wu could pay a hefty sum to hire skilled hands to attack them during their next demon-hunting expedition, while they were powerless to stop him. However, offering up their two companions to become Zhu Wu’s concubines was absolutely out of the question!

Nevertheless, there was no need to discuss these matters with the newly acquainted sword cultivator.

Since the situation had reached this point, there was no use in saying more. After tending to Yun Lie, Zeng Zhidao gathered his companions to discuss a plan.

The two women, Chunyu Jing and Zhu Mengxiang, felt deeply ashamed. After all, this situation had arisen because of them. In the face of life and death, it wouldn’t have been surprising if they had been abandoned. However, they were fortunate to have been protected by their companions. Over the past few days, they had been both anxious and grateful. While becoming Zhu Wu’s concubines might have earned them a position among shen cultivators, they had cultivated to the Nascent Soul stage with firm Dao hearts and were not the type to flatter others for resources. Zhu Wu was a despicable man; becoming his concubine was out of the question, let alone being reduced to mere concubine. Now, they could only focus on improving their cultivation and not becoming a burden to their companions.

Seeing this, the other cultivators comforted them, saying, “After traveling together for two years, we’ve shared life and death. How could we ignore this bond? Don’t dwell on it. There are many scoundrels like Zhu Wu in the world. We can’t keep compromising and lose our dignity as cultivators!”

Only then did the two women calm down, no longer speaking of their guilt, and their expressions became resolute.

Yun Lie, observing this, nodded slightly. Their unyielding spirit was commendable. If they didn’t die, they would surely achieve great things. So, he listened to their discussion without speaking much.

Despite their lengthy discussions, they were still at a loss.

If they stayed, they would not hunt demons for a long time, and their resources would eventually run dry, negating the purpose of their training. If they ventured out to hunt, they had no idea what tricks Zhu Wu might pull, and they feared more harassment. It wasn’t impossible that they’d end up being driven out.

Stuck between these difficult choices, they decided to set the matter aside for now and focus on repairing and replenishing the numerous damaged magical artifacts and protective items.

In the following days, Yun Lie remained in his tent, quietly meditating without disturbing Zeng Zhidao’s group.

However, he was not cultivating but instead sharpening his hearing, picking up on many of the conversations around him.

Afterward, Yun Lie gradually gathered many pieces of information regarding the Nine Void Battlefield and committed them to memory. Simultaneously, he extended his divine sense outward, scanning many of the people at the camp. However, he still found no trace of his Shidi. It seemed likely that his Shidi was not here, but since there were still many other camps, he could not easily pinpoint their locations. He needed to gather more information before proceeding.

Four or five days later, Zeng Zhidao called from outside, “Daoist Yun? Daoist Yun?”

Yun Lie stood up and walked out. “What is it?”

Zeng Zhidao said, “Our injuries have healed, and we’ve replenished everything we needed. Since you’ve lost contact with your Shidi, why not come with us and conduct a search?”

By now, Zeng Zhidao had noticed that this sword cultivator occasionally extended his divine sense, clearly without any results, which prompted the invitation.

Hong Ni’s gentle voice chimed in, “We’ve traveled these lands for many years and are familiar with some of the surrounding camps. We can guide you, Daoist Yun, to take a look.”

Whether out of gratitude for saving their lives or because they wanted to benefit from Yun Lie’s strength, they were willing to include the search for his Shidi in their plans. Besides, to avoid further schemes from Zhu Wu, they intended to travel farther this time, so it was no trouble to help along the way.

Yun Lie glanced at the group and saw that their expressions were sincere, clearly speaking from the heart. After a brief moment of thought, he agreed, “Very well.”

Hearing this, the group visibly brightened.

With the decision made, Zeng Zhidao and his companions wasted no time, leaving the camp at dawn.

They activated their body techniques, and before long, the silhouettes of the many tents were left far behind.

After traveling ten miles from the camp, they arrived at an area filled with scattered boulders.

Zeng Zhidao and the others were cautious, keeping an eye out for anyone potentially following them.

Hong Ni remarked, “It doesn’t seem like there’s anything out of the ordinary…”

The others remained vigilant.

Zeng Zhidao also conducted a careful inspection before saying, “It appears Zhu Wu didn’t send anyone this time.” He paused and then looked at Yun Lie. “Daoist Yun, might we trouble you to take a look as well?” It was well known that sword cultivators, having tempered their sword souls, possessed divine senses several times stronger than ordinary cultivators, making them naturally more sensitive.

Yun Lie briefly closed his eyes, and after a single breath, he opened them again. “There is nothing unusual.”

Upon hearing this, Zeng Zhidao finally breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear.”

Though Zhu Wu was petty and despicable, he was not foolish. Earlier, to avoid escalating the situation, he had temporarily retreated. Knowing now that Zeng Zhidao and his group would be on high alert, Zhu Wu likely realized he wouldn’t succeed this time and thus refrained from making a move. Still, he remained like a persistent and poisonous thorn, lurking in the shadows, ready to strike at the slightest misstep.

He was an insidious foe, difficult to guard against and deeply detested.

With that concern momentarily laid to rest, the group felt slightly more at ease.

Zeng Zhidao and his wife took out the Void Mirror, aiming it at the sky to draw down demons.

Outside the sky barrier, lower-level demons seemed able to smell human presence and would always gather around people. Without the Void Mirror to observe the skies, these demons could descend in groups, leaving no room for escape. That’s why many shen cultivators and cultivators alike desired a Void Mirror, as it greatly increased their chances of survival.

The couple operated the mirror with practiced skill, quickly drawing seven or eight lower-level demons. Once gathered, they lured them to one spot for elimination.

Soon, these lower-level demons broke through the sky barrier, leaping down and charging at the group of cultivators.

No one panicked; each took on one demon and began fighting.

Though they struggled against mid-level demons, these lower-level demons posed no threat to them.

Confident in their abilities, they each summoned powerful magical treasures, unleashing bursts of spiritual light and waves of treasure energy. Most of them directly severed the demons’ fleshy tumors or pierced through the depressions in their chests with precision, a display of their well-practiced techniques.

Yun Lie, too, moved his finger, summoning his life-bound sword, swiftly slashing it forward!

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In the vast sky above, a dark, deep crack suddenly appeared, and several slender creatures emerged. Their brownish-yellow bodies were grotesque—four or five lower-level demons.

Beneath the rift stood a young cultivator in green robes, standing still. Above his head, a Tai Chi symbol spun, and from its Yang Gate, a green dragon shot out. After swirling through the air, it pierced through the bodies of the demons. Its might was as powerful as thunder, its movements as swift as wind. The dragon tore through the demons’ chests effortlessly, as if breaking through mere fragile clay figurines.

The lower-level demons crashed heavily to the ground, thoroughly dead.

The young cultivator walked forward, using a slender wooden stick to peel back the demon flesh, extracting the crystalline grains from their hearts and placing them into a bottle. Without hesitation, he turned and walked toward another direction. In the surrounding few miles, he had already left behind more than twenty demon corpses, all with their chests torn open, a testament to his sharp and efficient methods.

This was Xu Ziqing, hunting demons on his own. Ever since discovering that the demons’ hearts contained time-space crystals, he began targeting them. Given that these otherworldly demons fed on humans, he felt no remorse in exterminating them. It was simply a matter of effort yielding twofold rewards.

At first, Xu Ziqing was unfamiliar with the demons’ behaviors and acted somewhat cautiously. But after several battles, he had gained much experience. From daring to summon just one lower-level demon at a time, he now confidently fought four, five, or even seven or eight at once, a feat that required considerable effort.

Now, seven or eight days had passed, and Xu Ziqing had slain approximately three hundred lower-level demons. His techniques had become highly refined. Even if he were surrounded by a swarm of demons, he could still escape. His skill lay in his use of the “Ten Thousand Woods Dragon Transformation Technique” technique—though the fierce beasts summoned by the Ten Thousand Trees Spirit Transformation Technique could hardly penetrate the demons’ steel-like skin, the tree-dragon transformation technique proved much more effective.

However, Xu Ziqing could only summon one dragon at a time, and it could last for about as long as a single incense stick burns. If he summoned two dragons, they would barely last a moment before the immense drain of true energy would overwhelm him. This technique was indeed a form of divine power—within his Small Universe, the endless wood energy gathered to form the dragon, which was no problem. But once the dragon emerged outside the Small Universe, its energy consumption depended entirely on Xu Ziqing’s true energy reserves.

Unless one day, his Small Universe evolved into a complete world. At that point, the power of the world would sustain itself, and he would no longer need to draw true energy from his dantian to maintain it. The inexhaustible energy of the world’s essence would then be more than sufficient.

But for now, he was still far from that stage.

Translator: Lynn

T/N: Hi guys! Sorry for not updating for so long. I was busy wrapping up my thesis and thesis defense along with the administrations that need to be done after it. It’s completed now, and I’ll graduate in November!

To celebrate this achievement, I’ll upload 5 chapters today. I’ll also try to proofread earlier chapters (under ch100s) and try to fill in the missing part of the glossary XD (do you want me to also include the glossary link in the footnote of the chapters?)

Happy reading!

Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

Support me on ko-fi if you like what I do^^