Free Web NovelChapter 266: Chapter 239: Acquiring the Divine Statue, Muddying the Waters
"...You!"
Zhou Jing tried to speak, but he couldn’t even open his mouth.
That mouthful of Essence Blood had exhausted a hundred years of his cultivation, all just to lure the Hundred-Eyed Marsh Dragon over. The only reason he had held on this long was to see Chen Che die along with him.
Unfortunately, he would not live to see it...
’He’s dead?!’
In the Red Forest, Chen Che glanced at Zhou Jing’s body as it slowly sank into the marsh.
A moment ago, all his attention had been focused on the charging Hundred-Eyed Marsh Dragon. He had even been prepared to turn and flee if the Demon Beast proved too strong...
Who had time to care about Zhou Jing’s incessant rambling?
’Whatever. He probably wasn’t saying anything nice anyway.’
He withdrew his gaze and scanned his surroundings.
’It’s finally over!’
Amidst the bubbling mud, Chen Che felt the dark cloud that had been weighing on his heart for so long finally dissipate. For a moment, he was filled with an indescribable sense of relief and let out a rare, long exhale.
Although the affair had been full of twists and turns, only resolved today, upon reflection, Chen Che suddenly realized this was actually the best possible outcome.
After all that, the Tier Four Divine Statue had ended up in his hands. Moreover, he had used the opportunity to kill Cao Xiong and Zhou Jing, eliminating two huge threats in one fell swoop. From now on, no one would suspect his connection to Xiao Chan, and no one would know the Divine Statue was with him.
With a wave of his hand, a misty pearl appeared in his palm. He crushed it between his fingers, and a wisp of a remnant soul immediately floated out.
It was the black-robed Major Cultivator:
"Valley Master Chen."
"Go and be reincarnated. In your next life, remember to keep your greed in check."
Chen Che said calmly.
"Thank you, Valley Master Chen..."
With a deep bow, the remnant soul turned to ash and scattered in all directions.
"Master, let’s take it with us..."
The Little Chick was gripping the Hundred-Eyed Marsh Dragon’s corpse, flapping its wings with all its might.
’Such a huge Demon Beast! Eating it would increase my strength by a lot!’
"Don’t even think about it. This Demon Beast has its uses here."
After sweeping the battlefield to ensure nothing was missed, Chen Che glanced at the Hundred-Eyed Marsh Dragon’s corpse and formed a Seal Technique. The beast’s body shuddered, and its blood gushed out, quickly spreading a pungent, metallic stench.
"GLUG GLUG~"
As if in response, a loud bubbling sound immediately erupted from the depths of the marsh, like the breathing of a behemoth.
Seeing the marsh churn, the trees collapse, and snakes and insects flee, a plume of purple smoke drifted up.
Chen Che quickly leaped onto the Little Chick’s back.
"Go!"
Averting its gaze, the Little Chick spread its great wings and shot into the sky.
SPLASH!
The man and the beast soared into the air, leaving the Marsh Forest in just a few breaths. A Hundred-Eyed Marsh Dragon several times larger than the previous one suddenly shot out of the mud, twisted its body around, and lunged for the demon’s corpse.
As its terrifying body rose and fell, it churned up the area for several li around, instantly annihilating the surrounding trees.
ROAR!
Low roars echoed as the Marsh Dragon slowly patrolled, the ghastly eyes on its forehead constantly blinking.
Before long, three Flying Boats arrived above the Marsh Forest. They had not yet come to a stop when a massive black shadow shot out from the marsh.
"A Hundred-Eyed Marsh Dragon!"
"A Golden Core Great Demon..."
Along with the sound of giant trees being torn apart, agonizing screams echoed through the night sky.
...
’Now things are even more secure!’
The appearance of the Golden Core Great Demon was enough to erase all remaining traces. Besides the three Flying Boats, Chen Che also saw Sun Hao, as well as many Divine Dao Cultivators who were drawn by the sound. It was a vast group of more than a hundred figures.
Clearly, if he hadn’t been able to solve the problem tonight, his fate would have been easy to predict.
’They actually started fighting? Well, that has nothing to do with me...’
Hearing the commotion, Chen Che looked back.
Faced with a Golden Core Great Demon that had appeared out of nowhere to devour them, it was impossible for those people not to fight back.
For a time, the glow of fire and swords lit up the sky above the Marsh Forest.
’It would be even more perfect if Sun Hao died tonight, too. No, wait. If he dies, will his remnant soul attach to someone else? Wouldn’t that make him even more hidden and harder to deal with?’
Although he wanted to get involved, the previous battle had depleted most of his True Essence and Divine Sense. He hadn’t felt it before, but now that he had left the battlefield, an intense wave of exhaustion swept over him.
Only when the battlefield was beyond the range of both his sight and his Divine Sense did Chen Che finally retract his focus and begin to take stock of his gains from the night.
VMMMM~
Inside the Yellow Gourd, the space was as vast as before.
Even with a Divine Statue over a hundred zhang tall stuffed inside, it still seemed empty. The dense Power of Faith it emanated, along with its bizarre thousand-eyed, thousand-armed form, constantly affirmed its status as a Tier Four Middle Grade item.
’Incense Fire Daoist Gods are truly bizarre. An ordinary stone statue, worshiped for a thousand years, can advance to Tier Four without being nurtured by a Spirit Contract... Still, this Divine Statue doesn’t seem to be as high-level as the one in the Imperial Mausoleum!’
He muttered to himself, thinking of the Divine Statue that the Thousand Eyes True Master had occupied.
However, it was just a fleeting thought. The Imperial Mausoleum was full of Divine Dao Cultivators. Moreover, after the Divine Statue was stolen, they had set up Defensive Arrays around all the other statues in the mausoleum.
’A Tier Four Divine Statue could raise my Divine Sense by at least two or three levels...’
Chen Che mused, stroking his chin.
Next, he inspected the Storage Rings of the men he’d killed. As Major Cultivators of the Primordial Sect, they were naturally wealthy, and their rings were filled with Magical Artifacts, Talismans, Pills, and Spirit Stones.
But compared to the Divine Statue, these things were like a mouse before an elephant. Chen Che even looked down on Cao Xiong’s Profound Jade Gourd. After all, as a similar type of Magical Treasure, his own Yellow Gourd could instantly swallow it whole.
The Profound Jade Gourd was far too inferior.
"Huh? Divine Court Wood?"
To Chen Che’s surprise, however, he found a piece of porous-looking wood inside Cao Xiong’s Storage Ring.
He recognized it at a single glance: this was the very Divine Court Wood he had been searching for for so long. It was only slightly smaller than the piece he had acquired before. It even had fresh splinters on it, a clear sign it had been recently ground down.
’It seems someone in the Primordial Sect also knows the origin and use of this thing...’
Tempering one’s Divine Sense was arduous work; only an idiot would ignore a shortcut.
But they obviously weren’t Pill Masters and couldn’t use it as efficiently as he could. They probably just ground off a little bit of powder each time.
’After I finish absorbing the Divine Statue, I can use the Divine Court Wood to continue!’
Chen Che was very satisfied.
After all, he couldn’t rely solely on the Thousand Eyes True Master’s Divine Statue to improve his Divine Sense. When it came to things like Divine Court Wood, the more, the merrier.
...
A Golden Core Great Demon appeared in Ze State, the Divine Statue’s whereabouts were unknown, and Cao Xiong and Zhou Jing had fallen.
As evening approached, not only the Thousand Eyes True Master but several other Golden Core cultivators had arrived. After all, the two who had fallen were considered high-ranking members of the Sect, and the matter also involved a Tier Four Divine Statue. Everyone subconsciously realized that this was no simple affair.
However, looking at the mangled corpse of the Hundred-Eyed Marsh Dragon on the ground, the cultivators all had strange expressions. The Thousand Eyes True Master’s face was particularly grim.
"Almost no traces are left..."
A True Master who had investigated the area frowned, sighing after a long moment.
"The only auras left at the scene are from Foundation Establishment cultivators, us, and these two Hundred-Eyed Marsh Dragons... If I’m not mistaken, the culprit must have killed Cao Xiong, Zhou Jing, and their group, then lured the two Hundred-Eyed Marsh Dragons here to deliberately obscure the scene."
"The two Marsh Dragons fought each other. Then the Flying Boats blundered in, provoking them to counterattack."
After a slight pause, he looked at the Thousand Eyes True Master.
"We’ve searched the area. There’s no sign of the Divine Statue."
’The Divine Statue!’
The Thousand Eyes True Master’s fists clenched. After receiving the news yesterday, he had thought the Divine Statue would be recovered, but after just one night, it was gone again.
’Tier Four!’
In over a thousand years, he had only managed to cultivate these two Divine Statues.
"For the culprit to go to such lengths to obscure the scene, they must be trying to hide their identity. Daoist Thousand Eyes, I suspect this person holds a deep grudge against you. Otherwise, why go through all the trouble to steal a useless Divine Statue?"
Then, the speaker added another sentence:
"An ordinary Major Cultivator wouldn’t have the guts for this. It’s highly likely a Golden Core is pulling the strings from behind."
Thousand Eyes narrowed his eyes slightly. "This one thinks so as well."
...
...
Chen Che made a round of the various battlefields and even made a move once.
After all, since he had used the excuse of returning to the valley, he had to see the act through to the end. Only then did he return to Jinyun Valley.
"Mr. Che, you’re back?"
Seeing Chen Che step into the main hall, Meng Qingxuan put down the account book in her hands and greeted him with delight.
They had spent more time apart than together recently. On top of that, Chen Che had been summoned by the Thousand Eyes True Master, which had worried her greatly.
"I squeezed in some free time."
Chen Che replied casually before sitting down, his brow furrowed. "Didn’t I tell you to find some cultivators skilled in mathematics to handle the accounts?"
Meng Qingxuan’s aptitude was not poor, and he didn’t want her wasting her time buried in a mountain of books and a sea of knowledge.
"It’s just the final review. It doesn’t take much effort."
Hearing the concern for her in his words, a smile appeared in Meng Qingxuan’s eyes. "I’ve already reached the Qi Refining Ninth Layer. It won’t be long before I can attempt Foundation Establishment."
Jinyun Valley had abundant Spiritual Qi and no shortage of supplementary Spiritual Medicines, so her cultivation progress hadn’t been delayed.
As she spoke, she took out a small pile of Jade Scrolls.
Chen Che glanced at them; they were all war reports from the front lines. Although Yunzhou only had five major Foundation Establishment Influences, each one was extremely powerful and occupied a vast territory. Therefore, Jinyun Valley had chosen to cross the border and step directly into Chi State.
Chi State, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. While it had many Foundation Establishment Influences, most were fragmented and disorganized, completely unable to resist the unstoppable advance of Jinyun Valley.
"This is a report that just arrived today. There’s news that the Foundation Establishment clans of Chi State have united to halt Jinyun Valley’s advance."
Meng Qingxuan handed him another Jade Scroll.
He swept it with his Divine Sense, and all the information was instantly clear to him. According to preliminary reports, at least twenty Foundation Establishment Clans were communicating frequently.
Chen Che considered this perfectly normal.
As the saying goes, if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. Jinyun Valley’s advance was ferocious. In the month he had spent on Alchemy in Hunzhou, the valley had swallowed nearly forty percent of Chi State’s territory. It was impossible for the remaining clans to not react at all.
"Let’s stop here for now."
After a moment of thought, Chen Che tapped his fingers.
Of course, it wasn’t that he was afraid of these allied clans. It was just that Jinyun Valley’s foundation was still shallow, and it needed enough time to slowly digest the territory it had conquered.
