Chapter 157: Chapter 150: The Han Family of Chi State, Intent on Seizing the Mine
In just half a minute, the Micro Crystal Brain displayed hundreds of pop-up windows.
Every pop-up window carried a warning:
[User’s Divine Sense growth rate detected as excessively fast. Please identify the cause and cease risky behavior immediately.]
At the same time, a one-touch help function also appeared, allowing him to contact the nearest hospital.
Unfortunately, Yunzhou’s network was down, so the search yielded no results.
Beyond that, what shocked Chen Che the most was his Divine Sense level, which was also highlighted in red: [Divine Sense: Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer (17.29%)]
"Show me my Divine Sense level from yesterday."
Chen Che suspected for a moment that his memory was failing him.
The mirror-like surface flickered, and the data appeared:
[Divine Sense: Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer (9.76%)]
’In that short moment just now, my Divine Sense actually jumped an entire level? Does that mean this piece of Wood’s effect is related to Divine Sense?’
Chen Che was stunned for a long moment. He stared at the piece of Wood in his hand, his expression growing complex.
He also understood why his previous research had yielded no results. Items that affected the Divine Sense and Soul often existed in a state between the illusory and the real.
’I’ve struck gold!’
A mere thumb-sized piece of wood had caused his Divine Sense to skyrocket by a full level. And from what was left, he could cut at least a hundred more pieces.
It was more than enough to last him until he reached the Golden Core realm.
’Still, I’d better figure out what kind of Wood this is.’
However, having narrowly avoided the dispersion of his soul, Chen Che, despite deciding to keep the piece of Wood, was in no mood to try again anytime soon.
Besides, his Divine Sense had just skyrocketed by a level; he needed to spend some time stabilizing it.
Acting too hastily would likely be counterproductive.
He went to the Market, ate a bowl of soft tofu pudding, and left a secret sign. A moment later, the other person revealed their true appearance, an Evil Artifact strapped to their back, and arrived at the designated meeting spot.
"Dragon Fish Pill!"
Chen Che tossed the Jade Bottle over.
"A word of advice: don’t rush into Foundation Establishment. You must be fully prepared."
Xiao Chan opened it and took a light sniff, his eyes immediately lighting up. He then carefully scraped off a trace of powder and placed it in his mouth. His expression changed instantly. "I was right to trust you, Tributor Chen! This is truly a top-tier Pill. It really has the effect of aiding Foundation Establishment!"
Although he had never sampled a Foundation Establishment Pill before, the effect of this powder alone made his Qi and Blood surge and his True Essence flow faster.
"This was my first attempt at refining this Pill. It’s not perfect, but it should increase the efficiency of reaching Foundation Establishment by at least fifty percent."
As Chen Che spoke, he took out another pill vial from his robes.
"Take note of the effects yourself. From now on, the two of us will have no more contact!"
After all, the two of them had once fought Zhou Changping together.
When facing the Foundation Establishment Cultivator, Xiao Chan’s willingness to risk his life to hold him back had shown great loyalty. But Xiao Chan’s identity was too sensitive. Getting too deeply involved with him would inevitably lead to disaster.
Therefore, after long consideration, Chen Che still decided to cut ties with him.
"Don’t tell me you’re planning to give me a Forgetfulness Pill?"
Seeing the Pill, Xiao Chan’s eyebrow twitched. Noticing Chen Che’s expression suddenly turn cold, he smiled and patted the black cloth-wrapped bundle on his back, explaining,
"Perhaps it’s because of this thing. That day, I did indeed forget what happened in the wilderness, but I remembered everything three days later."
’A Tier Three Evil Artifact is truly something else.’
Chen Che complained inwardly, frowning slightly. "Why are you telling me this?"
"I treat people the way they treat me."
Xiao Chan sighed deeply and shook his head.
"Ever since I became an Evil Cultivator, all my friends and family have avoided me like the plague. A dear friend I’d known for over ten years sold me out to the Primordial Sect in the blink of an eye. And that was despite me helping him many times, even saving his life on several occasions..."
"There was a time I wanted to kill everyone in the world. But you, Tributor Chen, are an interesting person. You’re trustworthy, not like those hypocrites."
"Forget it!"
Since he couldn’t cut ties, he had to drop the matter. Chen Che put the Pill away.
Through their several interactions, he knew that Xiao Chan was not the type to repay kindness with malice. This move had simply been out of caution.
"When I’ve had my revenge and washed away the sins I carry, I will drink and celebrate with you, Brother Chen! Until then, I will absolutely not drag you down! Of course, if you ever need me, Brother Chen, I will go through fire and water for you."
As he spoke, Xiao Chan had already changed how he addressed him.
"Alright!"
A flicker in his eyes, Chen Che gave a slight bow with his hands clasped.
...
...
’I never thought that Soul-Calling Banner had such an effect.’
Chen Che thought back on what Xiao Chan had said.
However, the matter served as a reminder to him: among Cultivators, there were those who possessed special abilities.
With this in mind, Chen Che made a trip to the Jinyun Valley library.
When Lu Yi heard he wanted to read Tributor Li’s Pill Books, he agreed without the slightest hesitation, only requiring that Chen Che not take them out of the Valley. Tributor Li had collected many Pill Books over the years, and when added to Jinyun Valley’s own collection, calling it a Mountain of Books and Sea of Knowledge would be no exaggeration.
However, Chen Che focused his search on content related to "Divine Soul Separation" and "strange wood." Reading ten lines at a glance, he finished searching through everything in less than two days.
Unfortunately, there were no relevant records.
He returned to Earth Element Star and spent another day searching online. Although he found a lot of information, none of it was related.
But it wasn’t a total loss. He learned that some items possessed a ’soul-guiding’ effect. Insufficient Divine Sense or too large a dose could lead to Divine Soul Separation.
For example, the Yingyue Flower.
Before the Calamity of Heaven’s Fall, a Great Sect Cultivator suddenly vanished.
His sect investigated rigorously and discovered that he had been passing by an ancient tribe. When the tribe was performing a ritual sacrifice to heaven and earth, they accidentally started a wildfire that burned a large quantity of Yingyue Flowers. Upon inhaling the fragrance, his divine soul separated from his body, and he died unexpectedly.
It was only after decades of research that Earth Element Star developed Concentration Incense.
’Next time, I can try grinding some of it into a powder, adding it to the Concentration Incense, and making it into a new incense blend.’
Of course, if he were to try again, he would have to be even more cautious, Chen Che thought to himself.
After taking the Dragon Fish Pill, Xiao Chan continued to hide in the Market, but he appeared less and less frequently. He was clearly starting to plan for his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.
Meng Qingxuan also returned. She didn’t seem to know that Meng Changtu had visited. She took a trip to the Black Water River, only to learn that the Dragon Fish had been caught. Annoyed, she then brought up some gossip from the Market:
"Do you know Dan Guanjing?"
"What, did he die too?"
Chen Che, who was flipping through a book, looked up when he heard the name.
’It’s only been a few days, hasn’t it? Not even half a month!’
"He’s not dead. But I heard from the people at the small gathering that after he came to the Market, he rented a courtyard and hasn’t taken a single step outside since. He won’t come out no matter who calls for him."
Meng Qingxuan shook her head and said with a laugh,
"Everyone says he’s a coward who’s afraid of dying."
Chen Che couldn’t help but laugh.
In the Cultivation World, caution was the true path to survival. He could predict that Dan Guanjing would definitely outlive his other brothers.
"What book are you reading?"
Smiling, Meng Qingxuan’s gaze shifted to the book.
"Just some miscellaneous books about wild foxes in the woods, gods, ghosts, and strange tales."
Chen Che said casually.
To a Cultivator, such books were laughable, nothing more than the fabricated fantasies of common mortals. But Chen Che knew this was simply due to mortals’ incomplete understanding.
The so-called Fox Immortals luring people was actually Demon Beasts casting spells to drain their Essence Blood in their dreams.
Encountering a "ghost wall" meant one had mistakenly wandered into an Enchanting Soul Formation or been bewildered by an Illusion Technique.
The list went on and on.
For Cultivators, too, there were things beyond their complete understanding.
For example: fortune and fate.
On Earth Element Star, some Cultivators considered these to be superstitions, while others believed they were real.
"My family has also collected many books of this kind..."
Meng Qingxuan started to say something but then hesitated.
"We can talk about it when we have time."
Chen Che slowly shook his head.
He had been searching through the miscellaneous books for information about the "Wood," but he had already found it yesterday.
The item wasn’t recorded in the Cultivation World. Instead, he found it in a miscellaneous book of the *Royal Secret History* genre: during the Great Yun Dynasty, the predecessor to the Great Feng Dynasty, Emperor Yunde was presented with a strange piece of wood by a common Alchemist. It was called "Divine Court Wood."
When made into incense, it could allow one’s Divine Soul to leave its shell.
Although the emperor died suddenly seven days later, and the Alchemist who presented the wood was executed.
But this story was adapted into a secret history.
In the story, "Emperor Yunde" used it to let his soul leave his body, roaming the world, drinking with Fairies, wandering at night with Witches, and holding candlelit conversations with Fox Girls... The sheer number of characters and their rich development made even Chen Che marvel.
SCREE~
Just as Meng Qingxuan was about to speak, two falcons swiftly cut across the sky above the Market. One flew into the Valley, and the other landed in front of the Pill Shop.
"Boss!"
Ding Fei caught the falcon and took a letter from it, handing it to Chen Che.
The envelope bore the Jinyun Valley insignia; it was from Chu Gong.
The mine and the Valley were in frequent contact. Most of the time, it was Hu Yao reporting on events at the mine, and Chen Che would occasionally reply. After all, as a Steward at the mine, Hu Yao had plenty of free time.
"Alchemist Chen, what’s wrong?"
Meng Qingxuan asked with concern.
Chen Che had only read half the letter, but his expression had suddenly changed, becoming grave.
WHOOSH!
Just then, a Signal Arrow suddenly shot out from the valley. Upon seeing it, the expressions of everyone in the Market, the residential area, and the many Jinyun Valley disciples changed. With barely a moment’s hesitation, they quickly dropped what they were doing and rushed toward the Valley.
It was Jinyun Valley’s emergency Summoning Order.
The grand commotion immediately drew the gazes of countless Loose Cultivators, who all turned to look.
"The Han Family of Chi State is trying to seize the mine."
Realizing something was wrong, Meng Qingxuan quickly took the letter. Her eyes trembled slightly. "Hu Yao is seriously injured?"
"What?"
Not far away, the busy Ding Fei heard this and cried out involuntarily.
Although he hadn’t known Hu Yao for long, the man was forthright and sincere and had never looked down on him for being a low-level Loose Cultivator.
The three of them had always gotten along well.
He never expected to hear such terrible news today.
THUD THUD~
Just as he was thinking this, the rapid sound of beast hooves pounding the ground echoed from the valley in the distance.
Clearly, a herd of beasts was stampeding.
All the Cultivators in the Market hastily made way. A party of riders came flying out of the valley. Leading them was none other than Lu Yi, mounted on a Wolf-shaped Demon Beast. Behind him, more than ten disciples rode magnificent Spiritual Steeds that contained Demon Beast blood.
The group galloped onward without stopping.
NEIGH~
One of the riders broke away from the group, pulled sharply on his reins, and stopped quickly in front of the Pill Shop. He clasped his hands and called out,
"Tributor Chen, we are rushing to the mine! Valley Master Lu requests that you accompany us to treat the wounded..."
After gathering some Pills, Chen Che took a deep breath and shouted to the sky,
"Jingfeng!"
Suddenly, a great wind arose, and a massive shadow fell.
