Free Web NovelChapter 263: Chapter 236: Acquiring the Divine Statue, Eliminating Root and Branch
"Found it. Where are the others?"
Looking around, Chen Che carefully sensed his surroundings.
Cao Xiong and Zhou Jing were nowhere nearby.
Only then did he jump off the Little Chick’s back and land directly at the site of the collapse. His Divine Sense followed the chain down, and he immediately saw an enormous Divine Statue submerged deep within the marsh. It was caked in mud and still sinking bit by bit.
Even covered in mud, the evil aura radiating from the Divine Statue was impossible to hide.
’I’ll worry about that later. First, I have to take the Divine Statue...’
With a thought, a Gourd slowly drifted out from his sea of consciousness.
SLOSH~
A great churning sound rose from the mire. The swamp roiled as the huge Divine Statue, as if drawn by some force, shot out from the depths of the marsh. Like a fledgling returning to its nest, it was swiftly sucked into the Gourd.
’It’s a good thing I got this Gourd, or I wouldn’t have been able to take this Divine Statue. But the statue was right here, so why is no one around? Did they find something more important...?’
Just as he was pondering this, a bloodcurdling scream suddenly rang out.
"Hm?"
Chen Che’s gaze sharpened.
...
Deep within the forest, a thick mist churned.
In the woods.
At the base of a thousand-foot-tall ancient tree, Cao Xiong stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Zhou Jing, a Long Spear on his back, wore a cold sneer. Twelve other Major Cultivators surrounded the tree, their eyes fixed on a black-robed Cultivator lying before them.
"Speak. Who sent you?"
Cao Xiong’s eyes narrowed.
After finding the Divine Statue, they had discovered another Major Cultivator lurking nearby, also preparing to retrieve it. This person was extremely cunning; the moment he sensed their arrival, he abandoned the statue and fled.
They had hunted him for several days before finally capturing him.
"No one sent me..."
The black-robed Cultivator was propped against the tree, a Long Spear piercing his chest and pinning him in place, unable to move.
"It was honestly my own idea. I saw the Divine Statue was unguarded... It’s a Tier Four treasure! I guess I was just blinded by greed, coveting something like that. Now that I’m in your hands, kill me or torture me, do as you please!"
The crowd jeered, clearly not believing a word he said.
Zhou Jing took a step forward, grabbing the man’s wrist. A surge of True Essence violently poured into him.
"It’s been many years since I’ve had to use my torture techniques. I wonder how long you’ll last!"
He was one of the Four Greats of the East District, and he mostly dealt with all sorts of unsavory characters, many of whom were tough nuts to crack.
Because of this, he had perfected his interrogation skills.
Retrieving the Divine Statue was one merit.
Uncovering the mastermind behind it would be another.
Naturally, he couldn’t let this opportunity go so easily.
"ARGH!"
Under the night sky, a wretched scream echoed.
"I’ll talk! I’ll talk..."
In just a moment, the black-robed Major Cultivator was wailing and begging, tears and snot streaming down his face as he spilled everything.
"Really, no one sent me! I just happened to find a Tier Two Divine Statue at first and took it to the Ghost Market to sell it. Someone bought it... I saw an opportunity and wanted to make a big score. This Divine Statue is Tier Four, so I planned to sell it off too!"
"Still trying to be tough?"
A cold glint flashed in Zhou Jing’s eyes as he inflicted another round of torture. Every bone in the black-robed Major Cultivator’s body was shattered, but his story remained the same.
’So that’s all it was...’
Cao Xiong was also stunned.
He had expected to uncover some great conspiracy, not just a thief with audacious greed.
He turned to leave.
"Let’s take the Divine Statue and report back..."
"I’ve told you everything I know. Just kill me."
The black-robed Major Cultivator begged, "Give me a quick death."
His Dantian was sealed, leaving him unable to circulate his True Essence. The other man’s True Essence had been forced into his body, and now not only were his bones shattered and his organs crushed, but even his Divine Soul felt like it was being ground to dust.
"Who bought the Divine Statue?"
Zhou Jing asked.
"Jinyun Valley’s Valley Master Chen..."
The black-robed Major Cultivator said.
!?
At these words, the cultivators who had been paying little attention couldn’t help but tense up, their gazes sharpening.
Even Cao Xiong, who had been walking away, froze mid-step and looked back in astonishment.
"Is that true?"
Zhou Jing narrowed his eyes.
"It’s true. The first Divine Statue I found was bought by Valley Master Chen... He asked where it came from, but I didn’t tell him. This whole affair has nothing to do with Jinyun Valley... I swear on my Divine Soul, I’m not lying!"
The black-robed Major Cultivator spoke with great difficulty.
Everyone present immediately understood the sequence of events:
This man had happened upon a Divine Statue, taken it to the Ghost Market to sell, and Chen Che had seen it and bought it. Seeing an opportunity, the man began stealing Divine Statues on a larger scale, his greed growing until he finally set his sights on this Tier Four Divine Statue.
BANG!
Just then, Zhou Jing’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he stomped his foot down.
How powerful was the full-force strike of a Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer Major Cultivator? Especially against a grievously injured opponent. A single stomp was enough to crush the man’s skull. Before Cao Xiong could even react, he saw Zhou Jing, expressionless, form a Seal Technique. A residual soul emerged from the man’s body.
Zhou Jing asked in a low voice:
"Who sent you?"
"No one."
"Where were you to deliver the stolen Divine Statues?"
"To Jinyun Valley."
The residual soul answered every question, completely compliant.
However, the Soul was incomplete, and many of its answers were jumbled and nonsensical. Yet, on the matter of delivering the Divine Statues to Jinyun Valley, it was exceptionally clear.
"Very good..."
Zhou Jing nodded and took out a small urn. The residual soul was instantly swallowed into it.
Cao Xiong had watched the entire process from the side, not understanding at first. But that two-question exchange made his eyes narrow slightly.
"Are you planning to frame Jinyun Valley?"
"Why would I need to frame them?"
Zhou Jing put the urn away and grinned. "This matter was already related to Jinyun Valley from the start. I’m just giving things a little push. Fellow Daoist Cao, we’ve been friends for decades. You’ll help me with this, won’t you...?"
"Once we take Jinyun Valley, we’ll split it fifty-fifty, half for you and half for me!"
Cao Xiong began to laugh.
"Of course."
Zhou Jing laughed heartily. To be able to eliminate a major enemy for free and gain half the territory of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator—this was a godsend! "Chen Che, that day I bowed my head to you... did you ever imagine this day would come?"
His heart was filled with glee.
’The way I had to bow to you back then... now, you’ll pay me back a hundred, a thousand times over.’
CLANG!
Just then, the ring of a sword echoed without warning. In an instant, a fierce wind howled through the forest.
A streak of sword light shot out like a bolt of lightning.
"Not good!"
"Someone’s here..."
"Dodge!"
Almost simultaneously, the hearts of Cao Xiong and Zhou Jing sank. They hurriedly dodged to the side.
In their peripheral vision, they saw a brilliant streak of sword light sweeping toward them in a flash. The thousand-foot-tall tree shuddered violently, then tilted at its trunk, sliding off and crashing into the marsh, sending up a splash of muddy water dozens of feet high.
Then, several Cultivators who failed to dodge or tried to block the sword strike with Talismans or Magical Artifacts were frozen on the spot. Before Cao Xiong and Zhou Jing’s shocked eyes, their bodies trembled silently before splitting in two at the waist.
Just like the felled tree, they fell into the mud with a dull thud.
The two men turned back in astonishment, only to see a young man striding out from the woods.
Recognizing the newcomer’s face, their gazes instantly locked onto him.
"Chen Che?"
Zhou Jing, in particular, was stunned for a moment before a frigid light glinted in his eyes. He couldn’t help but burst out laughing. "Valley Master Chen, long time no see!"
