Free Web NovelChapter 214: Chapter 195: Still Going to Jinyun Valley?
Once one person returned, a second and third were sure to follow.
More and more Cultivators chose to return.
They had come to buy Foundation Establishment Pills. Now that the matter was resolved, why should they leave? Perhaps some still wanted to go, but they didn’t dare be the one to stick their neck out, just like when Hu Chaohong had caused a scene earlier.
In just a moment, the ruins were once again filled with people.
"Enough idle talk. The first item today is, once again, the Flame Spear. This spear previously slew two Foundation Establishment Cultivators. The starting price is 1,200 Spirit Stones, and each bid must be an increment of at least 100 Spirit Stones!"
As Chen Che spoke, the Flame Spear, which had fallen into the Market, flew back and hovered in mid-air.
"Fifteen hundred!"
"Seventeen hundred!"
"Two thousand!"
Everyone had expected the Flame Spear to attract no interest.
But the result was a bidding war that defied all expectations. In just a few moments, the price had already doubled from its starting bid.
"You old devil, your clan has no Spear Cultivators. What’s the meaning of this, trying to outbid me for this spear?"
"Mu Yunhai! Can’t I just buy it for my collection?"
This was understandable.
Purchasing Magical Artifacts and weapons was all a matter of discernment.
Even a High-Tier Magical Artifact might lack power due to damage, flaws in its Forging, or even issues concealed by the seller. But Chen Che had just used this one to obliterate two Major Cultivators, proving its might on the spot.
In the end, the Flame Spear was sold for 3,400 Spirit Stones to a Major Cultivator named Mu Yunhai.
"Senior, here is the Flame Spear you won!"
A lovely female attendant brought the Flame Spear over to him right then and there.
Mu Yunhai accepted the Flame Spear and paid the Spirit Stones on the spot.
He was about to put the weapon away when he suddenly sensed something. Looking up, he saw Chen Che watching him from a distance and giving a slight nod. Seeing this, Mu Yunhai was both surprised and overjoyed. He knew that this young Valley Master had taken notice of him.
An unseen bond of goodwill had been forged between them.
If he ran into trouble in the future and sought help from Jinyun Valley, as long as the request was reasonable, they would surely lend a hand.
’If I’d known, I would have bought that Flame Spear no matter the cost!’
Countless onlookers were filled with regret upon seeing this.
The auction continued in an orderly fashion, but Chen Che did not make another appearance. Instead, he handed over hosting duties to Ding Fei.
Even with Ding Fei in charge, the crowd of Cultivators remained just as enthusiastic.
"Master!"
"Valley Master!"
"Alchemist Chen..."
As soon as he stepped away from the auction, Meng Qingxuan, Rong Zhongxuan, Hu Yao, and the others rushed to meet him, their eyes filled with concern.
"Don’t worry, I’m perfectly fine!" freēwēbnovel.com
Chen Che said with a reassuring smile.
"Nephew!"
Just then, Meng Changyuan also came forward. Glancing at the bustling auction, he cupped his hands in congratulations.
"You repelled the Hu Family in that battle and stabilized the auction at the same time. This is a cause for great celebration! But you crushed Hu Chaohong to death in public. I’m afraid..."
"You mean the Hu Family?"
Chen Che’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"Exactly. They’ve lost face, and now they’ll have to recover their pride..."
Meng Changyuan’s face was filled with worry.
"It’s nothing."
Chen Che smiled, glanced back at Jinyun Valley, and said:
"No matter how strong the Hu Family is, they only have one Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator. They can’t even dream of setting foot in Jinyun Valley!"
Besides, he still had his Sword Pill. Even without relying on the Sword Array, he was confident he could escape unscathed, even if Hu Haiqing himself came. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
...
After the auction ended, news of the battle spread like a hurricane, starting from Jinyun Valley, sweeping across Yunzhou, and fanning out to the other major prefectures.
「Three days later.」
「The Great Hall of the Haizhou Hu Family.」
Ever since news of Hu Chaohong’s death reached them, the entire clan had been seething with righteous fury.
The family’s patriarch, Hu Haiqing, had even issued a formal summons, gathering several hundred Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivators. All the family’s registered Foundation Establishment Cultivators, whether they were in seclusion or traveling, rushed back to the clan at once.
For a time, everyone in the clan, from the highest to the lowest, could feel the storm brewing.
However, no one expected that just as they were about to depart, Second Elder Hu Xinyi would suddenly appear and block everyone inside the great hall.
"The Grand Elder has been killed! Our family’s honor has been trampled into the mud! This is a feud to the death!"
"A disgrace like this can only be washed away with blood! After we take Jinyun Valley, we won’t sheathe our blades for three days! We’ll slaughter them until rivers of blood flow and show them the might of the Hu Family!"
"Second Elder, move! You and the Grand Elder never saw eye to eye. Are you trying to stop us from avenging him?"
The hall erupted in an uproar, with shouts and rebukes flying from all sides.
Several of Hu Chaohong’s descendants were crying and wailing inconsolably.
Even Hu Haiqing, seated in the position of honor, looked displeased. He said in a heavy voice:
"Second Elder, you should know that the family’s honor comes before personal grievances! If you cannot give me a reasonable explanation today, I will strip you of your title as an Elder!"
"Have any of you considered *how* Hu Chaohong died?"
Seeing the furious crowd, who looked as if they were ready to attack her, Hu Xinyi couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.
"He must have been surrounded and overwhelmed! With the Grand Elder’s strength, how could that brat Chen Che possibly be his match?"
"That’s right. I heard the Meng Family also has Major Cultivators stationed at Jinyun Valley. They must have been involved!"
"So what if the Meng Family was involved? This debt must be paid!"
No one seemed to care in the slightest.
They had all witnessed Hu Chaohong’s power for themselves. Even if outmatched, he should have been able to retreat unscathed. They guessed he had either been ambushed or ganged up on.
Hu Haiqing’s brow furrowed. He spoke up:
"What did you find out?"
"Sigh!"
Hu Xinyi sighed deeply and produced a cyan-colored Treasure Bead. Everyone immediately recognized it as a Memory Bead, an artifact capable of recording visual scenes.
"I bought this from a Major Cultivator who attended the auction. It contains a complete recording of how Hu Chaohong died. After you’ve all seen it, it won’t be too late to reconsider going to Jinyun Valley!"
With that said, she pointed a finger, and the Memory Bead burst with light.
Within the light, a scene unfolded like a painted scroll, revealing a vast landscape—the very location of Jinyun Valley. High in the air, a forty-zhang-long Red Mace descended from the sky like a world-destroying meteor.
Even through the Memory Bead, they could feel a hint of its terrifying might.
However, this sight only deepened their confusion. The Grand Elder had even deployed his Red Mace—who on earth could have killed him?
’Could Meng Changtu have interfered?’
But that sliver of doubt instantly turned to terror.
From within Jinyun Valley, thirty-six beams of sword light shot up, then swiftly merged into one. The Battle Mace, which had been descending with overwhelming momentum, was utterly annihilated by this Sword Rainbow, leaving not even a trace behind.
Dead silence!
Inside the great hall, the many Foundation Establishment Cultivators were silent as the grave.
Even Hu Haiqing’s pupils contracted, his face a mask of disbelief.
After all, what clan or Sect didn’t have a protective Grand Array?
It was only a matter of how strong it was. And Jinyun Valley had only recently been established—how powerful could its Mountain Protection Array be? Hu Chaohong’s all-out strike with the Red Mace had destroyed the Grand Arrays of countless Cultivation Clans, yet here, it had been instantly crushed.
Its power was no less than that of the Hu Family’s own clan-protection array.
The thought of having to face such a Mountain Protection Array to invade Jinyun Valley made everyone’s blood run cold.
"What is that Grand Array?"
Hu Haiqing asked, his voice strained.
"The Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Formation."
Hu Xinyi sighed. Although she had watched the recording in the Memory Bead many times, she still found it incredible every time. "They say this Grand Array was left behind by Ye Jingzhou!"
"How could Ye Jingzhou have possibly left behind such a Sword Array?" one of the Major Cultivators asked in confusion.
"Why don’t you go ask Ye Jingzhou?"
Hu Xinyi retorted, glancing at him.
The man opened his mouth to speak, but shut it again. Ye Jingzhou had been dead for a long time!
’How could anyone ask him?’
"Patriarch."
The recording played until the moment Hu Chaohong’s head was crushed. The light then faded, and the Memory Bead fell to the floor with a clatter. Only then did Hu Xinyi turn to Hu Haiqing.
"Are we still going to Jinyun Valley?"
Hu Haiqing closed his eyes and said nothing.
Hu Xinyi’s gaze swept over the others in the hall. All of them avoided her eyes, no longer daring to speak of razing Jinyun Valley to the ground.
