Chapter 273: Chapter 246: Return to the Valley, Great Harvest
Thousand Eyes True Master was gone.
Eighty days after the battle at the Black Tortoise Calm Sea, under the watchful eyes of the numerous Divine Dao Cultivators at the Imperial Mausoleum, Thousand Eyes True Master transformed into an Escape Light and vanished into the horizon. The hall where he had been staying was immediately sealed. But under Chen Che’s Divine Sense, the entire hall appeared ordinary.
"The Great Chen’s territory is too small, its believers too few. We must expand further. Within fifty years, I want to expand it by another half. Within a hundred years, we must conquer Shuzhou."
These were Thousand Eyes True Master’s parting instructions to Chen Yin.
However, he had no such demands for Chen Che.
’Is it because I’m a Tributor?’
Chen Che wondered to himself as he watched Thousand Eyes True Master disappear into the distance.
He didn’t see Sun Hao.
The man was rarely at the Imperial Mausoleum. With Thousand Eyes True Master’s sudden departure today, he hadn’t been able to make it back in time. Of course, it was also possible he knew and was deliberately staying away.
"Shuzhou..."
Chen Yin sighed, pulling back his gaze. He cupped his hands and said:
"When the time comes, I hope Jinyun Valley will be able to provide some support, whether with Pills or Weapons. We will purchase them at market price and will certainly not let Tributor Chen suffer a loss."
"...Of course."
Chen Che breathed a sigh of relief. He had been on the verge of politely refusing.
Shuzhou’s Spiritual Qi was far more abundant than Hunzhou’s, so it naturally had a larger number of Cultivators. There were even many old, established Foundation Establishment Races, each one formidably powerful. How could it be conquered so easily? He feared that the moment they attacked one, the others would immediately band together.
That was what had happened in Chi State. The moment Chen Che saw signs of the various clans uniting, he had withdrawn without hesitation.
Furthermore, these families had intricate connections to some Golden Core True Masters. Thousand Eyes True Master would surely be wary of this and would not offer his aid.
Therefore, Shuzhou wasn’t just a quagmire; it was a meat grinder. Once you were dragged in, there was no telling how many would die.
Jinyun Valley had no interest in getting involved, but he was more than willing to sell them Pills and Weapons.
"I’ll be returning to the Valley now."
After a moment of pleasantries, Chen Che cupped his hands and took his leave.
Before he left, he cast a lingering, reluctant glance at the Thousand-Eyed Hall, his heart burning with the desire to just carry that Divine Statue away.
...
’He actually didn’t take the bait?’
After leaving Hunzhou, Chen Che immediately set off on his journey. He made no effort to conceal his presence along the way, even greeting a few fellow cultivators he passed.
There’s a saying that caution is the parent of safety, but he did the exact opposite, traveling with great fanfare.
Since Sun Hao had been coveting the Little Chick, he would act as the bait himself and lure him in.
Moreover, during his return trip, he was all alone—the perfect opportunity for an attack.
Unfortunately, even as he neared Jinyun Valley, his target never appeared.
’Let’s see how long you can hide!’
Chen Che’s eyes narrowed slightly.
...
WHOOSH~
A massive black shadow descended from the sky with a sound that pierced the air, soaring over the Market and heading straight for Jinyun Valley.
"A Foundation Establishment Great Demon! And there’s someone on its back! Could it be? Is someone trying to force their way into Jinyun Valley?"
Chen Jiang exclaimed in shock.
Relying on his family’s few acres of Spirit Fields, he had finally reached the Qi Refining Second Layer at the start of the year. At the same time, thanks to his courage and grit, he had managed to become a minor leader in the Fishing Gang. He now had several Loose Cultivators following him wherever he went, cutting quite an impressive figure.
"Tsk tsk, that’s the Valley Master. In all of Yunzhou, only the Valley Master has such a divine and mighty Demon Beast."
The head leader clapped him on the shoulder, reassuring him. "What visiting Foundation Establishment Cultivator would dare be so audacious as to trespass in Jinyun Valley?"
"That’s right. Ever since the New Valley Master took over, Jinyun Valley’s fortunes have been flourishing. Not to mention, even Thousand Eyes True Master himself thinks highly of our Valley Master!"
"I heard they even conquered forty percent of Chi State this year... Something Ye Jingzhou couldn’t accomplish in two hundred years, the Valley Master did in just a few. Even some of the Foundation Establishment Races have chosen to submit to Jinyun Valley!"
In the Market, a group of Cultivators who overheard this also began to discuss it animatedly.
It was as if knowing a little more about Jinyun Valley made one superior to others.
"Speaking of which, the Valley Master’s surname is Chen, and he’s a native Cultivator of Yunzhou. Who knows, maybe he’s related to your family!"
The head leader pulled his gaze back and clapped Chen Jiang’s shoulder with a smile.
"Valley Master Chen is a figure from the heavens. How could I dare claim kinship with such an existence..."
Chen Jiang clicked his tongue in amazement, shaking his head in apprehension.
After all, his greatest wish in this life was just to reach Foundation Establishment...
...
After Chen Che set up the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Sword Formation, Jinyun Valley was further fortified with a ’Water Scale Array’ to verify identities, a ’Forbidden God Array’ to block Divine Sense, and several counter-attack Arrays. Disciples could only enter the valley if they held a Token.
For Chen Che, however, coming and going was effortless, as he possessed the highest authority.
WHOOSH~
Upon seeing the Little Chick soar through the sky, the once-calm valley fell silent in an instant. Then, everyone dropped what they were doing and hurried toward the main assembly hall.
Vice Valley Master Hu Yao was at the head.
Chief Steward Ding Fei; the head of the Sacrificial Hall, Lu Qinglian; the Chief of the Alchemy Hall, Zhao Deyou; the Chief of the Forging Hall, Liang Yuan; Great Protector Rong Zhongxuan; and Chief Tutor Rong Shisan followed close behind. As for the other Tributors, Stewards, and ordinary disciples, they lined the path on both sides.
The display of force was several times grander than during Ye Jingzhou’s era.
"Greetings, Valley Master."
"The Chiefs of each hall will stay. The rest of you are dismissed."
Chen Che, having landed in the square, frowned slightly. He truly disliked this kind of ceremony.
"Yes, Valley Master."
At his words, Hu Yao waved his hand, and the neatly arranged disciples immediately dispersed. Only seven or eight people remained, following Chen Che into the main assembly hall.
"Don’t be so formal."
Chen Che waved his sleeve, and several cushions fell into place.
These people were the entire upper echelon of Jinyun Valley.
He recalled how, in the beginning, there were only a handful of them. He never expected the valley to become so prosperous after just a few years.
"Valley Master, this contains all the intelligence, battle records, and spoils from the past three months in the Valley."
Hu Yao first handed over a Jade Scroll before taking his seat.
"We currently occupy forty percent of Chi State, and Boundary Steles have been erected in all territories. The mines, Spirit Fields, rivers, and mountains have all been cataloged. In total, we have annihilated seventy-nine families, slain eleven Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and over a thousand Qi Refining Cultivators..."
Chen Che swept his Divine Sense over it.
The information in the Jade Scroll was even more detailed than what Hu Yao had described.
In the early stages, the Cultivator families of Chi State still held onto hope and resisted stubbornly. Consequently, many were killed, but Jinyun Valley also suffered some casualties. After all, the valley’s disciples had limited combat experience. However, with Foundation Establishment Cultivators providing support, their battle record wasn’t too bad.
But by the middle stage, many families saw which way the wind was blowing and either fled with their entire clans or chose to surrender immediately.
If not for the remaining major clans banding together, Jinyun Valley could have swallowed Chi State in one fell swoop.
As for Spirit Stones, after deducting the shares for the various allied families, Jinyun Valley only received about 120,000, along with a few dozen Tier Two Weapons and Magical Artifacts.
But Chen Che considered this normal.
These small clans didn’t have large territories to begin with, and with the costs of supporting their members’ Cultivation, they wouldn’t have much surplus. In his eyes, however, the real wealth lay in the mines and rivers, which could provide a continuous supply of Spirit Stones.
"Provide compensation for the disciples who died in battle and return their remains to their families. In the future, their family members, even those with a Lower Spirit Root, will be granted the status of an Official Disciple. Reward the remaining disciples according to their merit, without holding anything back."
A moment later, Chen Che withdrew his consciousness.
The rewards were not physical objects, but contribution points. These points could be exchanged for Pills, Weapons, Cultivation Techniques, Materials, and more. They could even be saved up to trade for High Tier items.
Of course, if disciples obtained any rare items, they could also bring them back to the valley to exchange for contribution points.
"There is one more thing."
Hu Yao pondered for a moment before saying, "After this war, three of our vassal families have inquired with me about Foundation Establishment..."
In a life-and-death battle, one either gains enlightenment or gathers enough resources.
There were always some Major Cultivators on the verge of Foundation Establishment.
"Approved! However, their families must submit their clan rosters, with no omissions whatsoever."
Chen Che nodded slightly and said without a second thought, "Furthermore, the families that surrendered must do the same. All births and deaths must be recorded. Otherwise, they will bear the consequences."
!?
Lu Qinglian looked up in surprise. Hearing this, she knew Chen Che hadn’t taken her advice to heart at all. This action was tantamount to letting the vassal families develop freely. Wasn’t he afraid of a day when he could no longer suppress them?
A powerful servant overthrowing their master was no joking matter.
There were countless bloody examples of this throughout history.
However, Chen Che didn’t seem like some reckless fool. The only explanation was that he was confident enough to keep the vassal families in submission.
Of course...
It wasn’t just that. After spending nearly three months at the Imperial Mausoleum and talking with Chen Yin, Chen Che had come to a clearer understanding: relying solely on suppressing subordinates to maintain one’s position was merely a stopgap measure. You might suppress them for a while, but could you suppress them for a lifetime?
It was nothing more than an unorthodox path.
Improving one’s own strength was the true path.
"In addition, from now on, the ’Dragon Cave’ will be designated as a trial ground,"
Chen Che announced a new policy with a deadpan expression after a moment of thought.
The law of the jungle, where the weak are prey for the strong, was the principle of the Cultivator world.
He hadn’t spent so much effort just to raise a bunch of freeloaders who only knew how to cultivate. Besides, their techniques and courage all needed to be honed. Even on the peaceful Earth Element Star there were practical combat exams, to say nothing of this world.
As for the specific rules of the trial, those still needed to be worked out.
There wasn’t much to say about the Alchemy Hall. After all, Chen Che himself had started with a Pill Shop, and most of the first batch of disciples to enter the valley had also studied Alchemy Skill. The most skilled among them was naturally Zhao Changping; while there were other talented ones, they were still a notch below him.
In comparison, the Forging Hall was somewhat desolate. The situation only began to change after its Chief, Liang Yuan, reached Foundation Establishment.
"Liang Yuan."
After listening to Zhao Deyou’s report, Chen Che turned his gaze to Liang Yuan.
Compared to when he had just left his village, Liang Yuan had shed some of his rustic air. He wore a large robe, open at the chest, revealing rock-hard muscles. He looked quite formidable, carrying a man-high Warhammer on his back, and had even developed the presence of a Major Cultivator.
Of the eleven Foundation Establishment Cultivators slain, two had been smashed to death by his hammer, earning him a fierce reputation outside the valley.
But now, under Chen Che’s gaze, he still seemed a little timid.
"You have the list of the thirty-seven mines. With these Materials, what tier of items are you confident in Forging?"
Chen Che was lost in thought for a moment before he finally asked.
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