Chapter 192: Chapter 181: An Excellent Valley Master Must Learn to Exterminate a Clan
The conflict between him and the Han Family was one of life and death. Including Han Xiyue’s infiltration of the valley, the Han Family had ambushed him a total of three times. If he hadn’t been strong enough, he would have long since become a vengeful spirit.
Even if he hadn’t acted, once word of Han Xiyue’s death spread, the Han Family’s many enemies would have descended like a pack of wolves and torn them to shreds.
Rather than letting others reap the benefits, it was better to claim their wealth as resources for Jinyun Valley.
’He values loyalty and friendship, yet he’s also ruthless and decisive!’ Meng Changtu truly couldn’t be more satisfied with this potential son-in-law. ’Just when will he and my daughter finally get together?’
"Any leads on that Black Smoke Cultivator?"
"No, it’s like he vanished into thin air. He hasn’t appeared this entire time. However, I’ve already commissioned someone else to investigate." Chen Che shook his head.
As his Divine Sense Level reached the Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer, its coverage expanded to two thousand zhang, and his perception of the Divine Sense Mark increased to five hundred zhang. This meant he would almost certainly sense the Black Smoke Cultivator the moment he appeared nearby.
But unfortunately, it seemed the man wasn’t in Jinyun Valley. It was even highly likely he had already left Yunzhou.
"Now that you’ve reached Foundation Establishment, he probably won’t dare to covet your Jingfeng anymore!"
Meng Changtu said, glancing up at the Little Chick circling in mid-air, warily scanning the surroundings.
Not long after they stormed the Han Family estate, several Foundation Establishment Cultivators, who seemed to be enemies of the Han Family, arrived on the scene.
If it had only been Chen Che and Rong Zhongxuan here, these Foundation Establishment Cultivators would have likely swarmed in to loot the Han Family’s possessions amidst the chaos. But after weighing their relative strengths, they didn’t enter, merely watching the scene from a distance.
"...Is that so?"
Chen Che was noncommittal.
’He had previously guessed that the remnant soul had once been a Golden Core True Master and had perhaps recognized the Little Chick’s grade. If that were true, it would come looking for him sooner or later. It was only a matter of time.’
"Master, I’ve found a secret room!"
Just then, Rong Zhongxuan’s voice called out from ahead.
Hearing this, the group hurried to the Han Family’s Ju Yiting.
The leader’s throne had been overturned, revealing an entrance to a hidden passage. Meng Changyuan and Meng Changhong stood on either side, guarding it.
"This must be the Han Family’s treasury!"
Meng Changtu was overjoyed.
The two of them entered side by side. Along the way, they encountered several Protective Arrays, but Meng Changtu forcibly broke through them without Chen Che even needing to act.
It was an Earth Palace.
It wasn’t much different from the one built in the Mortal World before. Pills, Spirit Stones, and Magical Artifacts were mostly piled up together—a style identical to Han Zaiyin’s. Not only did Chen Che frown, but even Meng Changtu found it unbearable.
They took stock of the goods.
There were over fifty thousand Middle-Grade and Low-Grade Spirit Stones combined.
Hundreds of bottles of pills...
A total of ninety-seven Cultivation Technique manuals.
Over three hundred Magical Artifacts and weapons, including a number of Tier Two items.
However, there were no Land Titles or House Titles.
Apparently, a Tribulation Cultivation Clan like the Han Family had almost no fixed assets.
"This must be what the Han Family has accumulated over many years!"
Meng Changtu sounded rather regretful. "A shame that Han Zaiyin is dead... He probably had another portion of the wealth on him."
Chen Che touched the Ouroboros Ring on his hand and said nothing.
He just looked at the Magical Artifacts before him.
’With all these items, I won’t have to worry about lacking goods for the auction.’
"We’ll make copies of the Cultivation Techniques. As for the rest, we’ll split it as we agreed: seventy percent for you, thirty for me."
"Changtu, there are people locked up in here!"
Just as the two were about to divide the goods, Meng Changyuan, who was riding his giant snake, called out.
The two followed the voice and arrived at a side hall.
Judging by the layout, it looked like an Alchemy Room. There were seven Pill Furnaces inside, and in front of three of them, a Pill Master was bound by chains. Chen Che glanced down at them and saw that their pant legs were empty from the knees down. Their legs had clearly been cut off.
In front of another Pill Furnace, though no one was there, the ground was covered in blood that had long since congealed.
When the group entered, the prisoners seemed to have been in the middle of alchemy, as the Pill Furnaces were still warm.
"And you are..."
One of the old men, his hair disheveled and face grimy, asked with a look of shock and suspicion as he sized up the people who had suddenly burst in.
He seemed not to have spoken in a long time, and his voice was as raspy as if he’d swallowed razor blades.
"Meng Changtu of the Meng Family! And this is the New Valley Master of Jinyun Valley, Chen Che!"
Meng Changtu only needed a single glance to guess what these Pill Masters had been through. They had clearly been captured by the Han Family and imprisoned here to perform alchemy for the clan. Seeing the Pill Masters’ excited yet hesitant expressions, he continued:
"We have wiped out the Han Family. Not a single one survived!"
"Hahaha, the Han Family... Heaven has eyes! They’ve finally been destroyed!"
The three men were stunned for a moment, then immediately erupted, some in crazed laughter, others pounding the ground as tears streamed down their faces.
The old man, in particular, began banging his head on the floor. Seeming utterly heartbroken, he beat indignantly at the Pill Furnace and cried out:
"Nephew Xuan Yu, why couldn’t you hold on for just three more days? I told you, as long as you’re alive, there’s hope! There’s always a chance to leave this place! Why did you have to seek death..."
By the end, it was as if every word was soaked in blood, and an endless, palpable hatred washed over everyone present.
Everyone present was affected by his grief and fell silent for a moment.
After questioning them, Chen Che learned that all of these Pill Masters had been abducted by the Han Family.
At one point, as many as seven Pill Masters had been imprisoned here.
The old man who had been banging his head on the floor was named Xing Lin.
He was a Tier Two Alchemist and had been imprisoned here for over thirty years.
The Xuan Yu he spoke of was a young Pill Master. He had been captured four years ago and, unable to bear the Han Family’s torture and the despair of never seeing the light of day, had smashed his head against a Pill Furnace and killed himself three days prior.
The Pill Masters had not known each other before, but here they had forged a deep bond of friendship.
"It’s not just Tribulation Cultivators; even the Major Sects do things like this."
Meng Changtu broke the silence, explaining:
"As for why they didn’t refine Poison Pills or tamper with the medicine, it’s because every batch of refined pills has a Medicine Taster. If any problems are found, they would suffer inhuman torture. It’s better to live a miserable life than to die, so they could only obey."
"As for these three, they’re yours now. You can do with them as you wish."
Strictly speaking, these three Pill Masters were considered slaves of the Han Family, and thus, they were now part of the spoils of war.
"I won’t act like the Han Family..."
Seeing the three Pill Masters looking at him with apprehension, Chen Che said:
"Since the Han Family abducted you, you are free to return to where you came from. Of course, if you don’t wish to go back, or have nowhere to go, you are also welcome to come to my Jinyun Valley and serve as Tributors."
In the end, the two younger Pill Masters chose to leave.
They had both been forcibly captured while traveling. Having been away from home for over a decade, they still wished to return to their families.
Chen Che also promised to see them safely back to their families, treating it as a way to foster goodwill.
The older Xing Lin, however, chose to join Jinyun Valley. He originally came from a Cultivation Minor Race, but after offending Han Zaiyin, his entire family had been slaughtered, leaving him as the sole survivor. Moreover, he feared that with his crippled body, if he fell into the wrong hands, he would just suffer the same fate he did with the Han Family all over again.
Leaving the side hall, Chen Che headed toward the other halls.
"What are you looking for?" Meng Changtu asked.
"The Han Family has a method for making Bone Arrows. I wanted to see if anyone else was here..."
Chen Che withdrew his gaze. The remaining halls were empty, but he could see traces of former occupants.
"Valley Master, you’re too late. Now, only the three of us remain in this Earth Palace."
Xing Lin, sitting in a makeshift wheelchair, followed behind them. "That person died seventeen years ago. After Han Zaiyin tortured the method out of him, he didn’t let him live. As for the method itself, the Han Family should have it recorded somewhere."
"...A pity."
Chen Che nodded. Such Crossbow Arrows were naturally useless against Foundation Establishment Cultivators, but they were fatal to Qi Refining Cultivators.
Exiting the secret chamber, the five of them conducted another thorough search of the entire Han Family estate. Only after confirming there were no survivors did they finally choose to leave.
Sitting on the Little Chick’s back, feeling the strong wind rush against him, Chen Che’s mind couldn’t help but race with thoughts.
’He was now an outstanding Valley Master!’
