Free Web NovelChapter 248: Chapter 223: Summoning Order, Primordial City
The Grand Assembly Hall.
Hu Yao and a disciple from the Primordial Sect sat facing each other. Fragrant Tea was set before them, and they appeared to be having a pleasant conversation.
Seeing Chen Che arrive, both men stood up.
"Valley Master Chen!"
The other man clasped his hands in a salute before handing over a letter.
"The Sect has issued an order. At the end of the month, the leaders of all influences must report to the Primordial Sect in person. In addition, for all Foundation Establishment Cultivators under your command, you must bring half, rounding up. There can be no mistakes, or you will bear the consequences."
The color drained from Hu Yao’s face.
There were currently five Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the valley. Including Chen Che, didn’t that mean three of them had to go?
Chen Che’s expression remained unchanged. He took out a bottle of Pills and pressed it into the other man’s hand.
"Fellow Daoist, if I may be so bold as to ask, what is this all about?"
"The Sect has ordered that nothing be revealed."
The man was clearly delighted to be addressed as ’Fellow Daoist’ by Chen Che. Although he refused to answer directly, he said with a grin, "If you’re lucky, it’s just a simple trip. At most, you’ll just be there for show, to make up the numbers..."
"If all goes smoothly, it’ll be over in a month or two. It won’t take long."
A glint appeared in Chen Che’s eyes.
’But if we’re unlucky, doesn’t that mean we’ll have to fight for our lives? It might even drag on for years, right?’
"That’s all I can say. Valley Master Chen, I must be on my way to the next house."
The man saluted and took his leave.
He summoned a flying Demon Beast and departed from Jinyun Valley.
「A moment later.」
All five of the valley’s Foundation Establishment Cultivators gathered. Chen Che casually placed the letter on the table and briefly explained the Primordial Sect’s summons. There wasn’t much to the letter’s contents; it could be summarized in two points:
The Primordial Sect had encountered a difficult matter and needed help from all its affiliates.
Whether you came or not was up to you, a matter of showing respect.
But the truth was, anyone who dared not go would find the Primordial Sect at their gates, ready to level their mountain, as soon as the matter was settled.
"I will go on this trip."
Hu Yao was the first to speak.
"You have to stay behind!"
Chen Che shot him a glare and lowered his voice.
"Rong Shisan, you stay behind as well."
"You two only recently reached Foundation Establishment; you can’t handle a situation like this. If a fight breaks out, you won’t even be able to escape. Jinyun Valley also needs people to guard it. Besides, you know how to operate the Heavenly Gang Thirty-Six Sword Formation. If anything happens in the valley, you can hold the line."
Although Hu Yao was reluctant, he knew Chen Che was right.
Rong Zhongxuan and Lu Qinglian exchanged a look.
They understood the situation immediately.
’The ones staying have been decided. The rest of us will definitely have to make the trip.’
Sure enough, the next moment, Chen Che looked up at them. "You two will come with me. But we don’t leave until the end of the month, so we still have over twenty days to prepare. Use this time to get ready, and go to the Treasure House to pick out some Magical Artifacts and Armor."
"Yes!"
...
In just a few days, a single Summoning Order swept across the Sixteen States.
Almost every Foundation Establishment Influence, and even many Loose Cultivators, received the Summoning Order.
For a time, the situation was turbulent, like a gathering storm.
And no one dared to refuse.
The Primordial Sect’s prestige, built over hundreds of years, was forged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Upon receiving the news, Yu Sihai rushed to Jinyun Valley immediately. As the Yu Family’s only Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he was naturally on the front line. Since they were an affiliated family, Chen Che allowed him to enter the Treasure House and choose a Magical Artifact for protection.
Guessing that a large number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators would need to prepare for this trip, he moved the auction forward to the middle of the twelfth month.
「On the day of the auction.」
Countless Major Cultivators flocked to the event, their numbers exceeding nine hundred at one point—a truly terrifying figure.
Armor, offensive Magical Artifacts, and healing and recovery Pills were highly sought after by many of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators, with prices rising about twenty percent above market value.
And the Dragon Fish Pill, the final item of the auction, sold for a full nine thousand Spirit Stones.
...
"You’re certainly clever, moving the auction up by half a month."
In Jinyun Valley.
In the courtyard, Meng Changtu didn’t hold back his praise.
As one of Yunzhou’s great clans, the Meng Family had naturally also received the Summoning Order, dispatching a total of seventeen Foundation Establishment Cultivators. They had also come for the auction, preparing to purchase some Pills and Magical Artifacts for self-defense.
"It was a sudden development; I just got lucky with the timing."
Normally, this would be cause for celebration, but his mind was preoccupied with other matters.
’With me gone like this, the matter of the Divine Statue will be even more unresolved...’
"You don’t need to worry."
Meng Changtu shook his head, guessing that Chen Che was worried about the Summoning Order, and offered some comforting words.
"When the time comes, our two families can act together. Even if we run into trouble, we’ll be able to look out for each other. Besides, the Primordial Sect and the Star-Picking Sect won’t necessarily go to war. Once a war starts, it will inevitably sweep across dozens of states."
"Without the certainty of victory, both sides will be restrained. A mutually destructive outcome would only invite a third party to enter the fray."
Although he didn’t know the reason for the summons, based on experience, Meng Changtu had a few vague guesses, so his attitude was relatively optimistic.
"By the way, that Beast Egg has hatched."
After a few more words of reassurance, he brought up the Beast Egg they had found in True Master Chilong’s Cave Mansion.
"It’s a Green-Winged Flood Dragon, a Water-attribute Demon Beast. No wonder True Master Chilong never hatched it. When this beast reaches adulthood, its Cultivation and strength can reach the Late-stage Golden Core."
With that said,
he raised his hand, and from his sleeve, a small, entirely green Flood Dragon Snake with a pair of wings on its back slowly swam out.
The small Flood Dragon Snake was a meter long, its scales soft, clearly having hatched not long ago.
...
With the auction over and the end of the year approaching, Chen Che also had to prepare for various matters.
He also had to inform Li Tingyu.
Fortunately, the Zhurong Daoist School was also about to go on break, so he didn’t have to worry about the upcoming classes. Chen Che just mentioned that he was going into death-seclusion for the winter break to study the Nine Transformations Spirit Flame Technique. Li Tingyu didn’t say much, only reminding him not to skip class for too long.
Then, Chen Che went to see Zuo Yishan to ask how to deal with Divine Dao Cultivators, ’hypothetically’.
Zuo Yishan held nothing back, telling him everything he knew.
He told him that the combat methods of Divine Dao Cultivators were not much different from those of ordinary cultivators. They mostly relied on Magic and Magical Artifacts, and were also skilled in Illusion Techniques. However, because they lack the protection of a physical body, Divine Soul Type attacks are particularly devastating to them.
But they were also aware of their weakness and would surely have extra protection in this area.
Of course,
Zuo Yishan didn’t forget to tell him that if the power gap was too large, he should just run.
Next, Chen Che made another trip to the Six Continents to have Zeng Buke perform maintenance on his Pure Jun Sword and Black Dragon Lock Chain.
’I might as well absorb the Power of Faith from these Divine Statues! What will be, will be.’
In Jinyun Valley, Chen Che stared at the hidden Divine Statues. After long consideration, he decided to absorb the Power of Faith within them.
Since he’d already started fleecing the sheep, he might as well finish the job.
If Thousand Eyes True Master really did come looking for him, even a slight increase in strength would give him more confidence. Even if he couldn’t win, he could still escape.
「The next few days.」
Chen Che remained in seclusion until there were only seven days left before the end of the month, at which point he had finally finished absorbing the Power of Faith from the Divine Statues.
Opening his eyes, he glanced at the Micro Crystal Brain:
[Realm: Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer (1.79%)]
[Qi and Blood: Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer (18.21%)]
[Divine Sense: Golden Core First Layer (79.13%)]
’I’ve finally reached the Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer. Hmm, and my Divine Sense has increased a lot. The Power of Faith boosted it more than the Divine Court Incense. And that Tier Four Divine Statue... if only it didn’t have a master...’
Chen Che’s feelings were complicated.
The five Divine Statues had caused his Divine Sense to skyrocket by thirty percent. If he could get his hands on that Tier Four Divine Statue, it would, at the very least, raise his Divine Sense by an entire minor realm.
"Che’er, it’s time to leave!"
His father-in-law’s urging voice came from outside the courtyard.
Leaping to his feet, Chen Che took a deep breath and strode out.
"Coming!"
...
...
It wasn’t just Jinyun Valley; forces from all sides were setting out today.
Chen Che sat on Little Chick’s back and looked up. Above the clouds, he could see the figures of many Major Cultivators. The usually peaceful sky now seemed particularly bustling.
In truth, it was easy to judge a Major Cultivator’s wealth and power.
Those who flew through the air, used Sword Control, or rode Flying Shuttles had mostly just reached Foundation Establishment, or their families lacked financial resources.
Those with a solid family background mostly rode Demon Beasts.
Of course, those who were exceptionally wealthy traveled on Flying Boats. For example, the Ye Clan Immortal Race, the number one great clan in Yunzhou, had dispatched over seventy Major Cultivators for this trip, all riding a massive warship-class Flying Boat over five hundred zhang long.
Chen Che looked over.
The masts and sails, dozens of zhang high, were raised to catch the wind. The hull was covered in glowing golden runes. The sides of the ship were fitted with defensive installations like Bed Crossbows and cannon platforms. From a distance, it looked like a flying fortress rapidly approaching.
Wherever it passed,
countless traveling Major Cultivators hurriedly made way.
"The Ye Clan has a Golden Core True Master."
His father-in-law noticed the envy in Chen Che’s eyes and reminded him in a low voice, "That warship-class Flying Boat isn’t cheap. You couldn’t buy it for less than several hundred thousand Spirit Stones."
The Meng Family was also traveling by Flying Boat, but theirs was only about a hundred zhang long, merely for transportation.
It didn’t have nearly as many Defensive Arrays or offensive Artifacts.
’Extravagant, far too extravagant! That one warship could buy the entire Jinyun Valley!’ Chen Che grumbled internally.
The warship-class Flying Boat sailed across the sky, passing by the crowd. The cultivators on board all had powerful auras, with several at Late-stage Foundation Establishment. It was clear they were not to be trifled with. Even the few who had only recently reached Foundation Establishment wore arrogant expressions.
Once they left Yunzhou, the number of cultivators grew.
Along the way, some Major Cultivators who knew Chen Che would nod in greeting, and they would travel together for a while.
"There must be nearly two thousand Foundation Establishment Cultivators here. Do the Sixteen States really have this many?"
As they got closer to the Primordial Sect, Chen Che was a little surprised to see the ever-growing procession.
But on second thought, it seemed normal. A major state could be tens of thousands or nearly a million square kilometers, so the number of Foundation Establishment Influences would naturally vary. Moreover, even some who usually preferred to live in seclusion had been forced out by the Summoning Order.
During their journey, they also encountered the Xuzhou Lu Family.
The Lu Family cultivators were riding a Flying Boat a hundred-odd zhang long. The Lu Clan Leader stood at the bow with a Long Spear on his back, his silver hair whipping in the wind like a wild python. This "Victim Lu" seemed to sense something and looked toward Chen Che’s position.
Chen Che glanced at Lu Qinglian. Without a word, she deepened the layer of misty water vapor surrounding her and ducked into the Meng Family’s Flying Boat.
Seeing this, Victim Lu sighed and withdrew his gaze.
’Did he recognize Lu Qinglian?’
Chen Che was lost in thought.
However, the Lu Family didn’t come looking for trouble as he had imagined. The rest of the journey was peaceful, as if there was no connection between them at all.
"We’re almost there!"
「Several days later.」
A cry suddenly went up among the Major Cultivators who had been traveling for days on end.
Chen Che looked up.
At the edge of the horizon, a majestic city appeared.
It was Primordial City!
The city was built around Primordial Mountain, its nine-zhang-high walls incomparably grand. The entire city resembled a Fierce Beast crouching on the plain, its open bronze gates like the gaping maw of a primeval monster, swallowing the travelers who came and went.
