Chapter 509 - 478: Blood Sea Relic

Chapter 509: Chapter 478: Blood Sea Relic

"Che’er, what should we do next?"

The atmosphere was silent for a long time before Meng Qianxun spoke, his brows furrowed with worry.

This battle had not only exceeded Chen Che’s expectations but also everyone else’s.

But the most frightening thing for everyone was that this battle was perhaps just the beginning. Next, Duobao of the Primordial Sect could continue to use them as cannon fodder, and even the Star-Picking Sect would come to see them as a thorn in their side.

Chen Che’s expression was impassive, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"In this war between the two sects, we may be forced to survive in the cracks, but I will not be anyone’s puppet."

"That’s easy to say, but our hands are tied..."

Meng Qianxun couldn’t help but shake his head.

’Of course, he felt the same way. Who would want to march to their death?’

But with the Primordial Sect looming over them, they didn’t have a choice in the matter. Moreover, the Star-Picking Sect’s Sect Leader had yet to emerge from seclusion. This was a massive variable for the Star-Picking Sect, but wasn’t it for them as well?

The best-case scenario would be for the two sects to fight to the death, even if it ended in mutual ruin.

The worst thing that could happen would be for them to declare a truce halfway through the fight.

Looking back through the history of the Cultivation Realm, the most common reason for an Upper Sect to annihilate a subordinate force, besides betrayal, was refusal to obey orders.

Right now, they had been completely set up to be the cannon turret.

"We’ll play it by ear."

Chen Che slowly shook his head.

’Of course, if things dragged on like this, it wouldn’t be impossible for him to use the time to push for the Nascent Soul Realm.’

’If they were truly sent to their deaths, the worst that could happen is that he would just leave.’

And that was the truth.

A tree dies when it’s moved; a person thrives.

A single Golden Core Cultivator might be in a tight spot, but a group of five or six united would be a force to be reckoned with anywhere.

"What are the future plans for you and your son?"

With this in mind, he turned to look at Zhao Yunchen and his son.

"I’m already crippled. After this battle, I have twenty years of life left at most."

Zhao Yunchen gave a bitter laugh.

"As for the future, I haven’t..."

He had lost an arm and an eye, and his already depleted body was now almost completely spent. He was utterly ruined. In the future, he wouldn’t be able to fight at all; the most he could do was maintain his Cultivation at the Golden Core Realm.

He had no Cave Mansion and no family, only his son.

He could return to the Hong Alliance Main Altar, but since the Star-Picking Sect’s Great Protector had died in this battle, his name was sure to be on their revenge list.

Although he wanted to pledge his allegiance to Chen Che, he was worried about wounding his son’s pride, leaving him in a dilemma.

But to his surprise, Zhao Shifeng suddenly stood up, walked to the front of the hall, and bowed earnestly.

"I ask Valley Master Chen to take my father and me in. I am willing to follow the Valley Master’s commands for one hundred years in exchange for my father living out his final ten years in peace in Jinyun Valley. I am willing to make a Divine Soul Contract in front of everyone."

’A prodigal’s return is more precious than gold.’

Zhao Yunchen looked at his son with astonishment.

He felt both gratified and heartbroken.

He knew full well that the battles at Celestial Ghost City and Ghost Mother Peak had not only extinguished the flames of jealousy in Zhao Shifeng’s heart but had also made him clearly recognize his reality:

In the face of despair, so-called pride was laughable.

Besides, pledging allegiance to Valley Master Chen was nothing to be ashamed of. Without him, he and his son would have long been ground to dust. He himself had long been completely won over by Chen Che.

"Mm."

Chen Che nodded slightly. He had asked the question with the intention of recruiting them.

"From now on, Alliance Leader Zhao can join my Jinyun Valley. I will grant you an honorary position. As for your treatment and status, they will be equivalent to that of a Hall Chief. What do you think? As for Fellow Daoist Zhao, you will be registered with the Jinyun Valley’s Sacrificial Hall, free to come and go as you please."

"However, you must remember one thing: as long as you are in Jinyun Valley, you must abide by the rules of my valley. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being merciless."

"I agree!"

Zhao Shifeng placed a hand on his chest and replied instantly without hesitation.

These were rules one had to obey when joining any power; no one was an exception.

"Thank you for your great kindness, Valley Master Chen. In the future, I must trouble you to help discipline my unworthy son."

Zhao Yunchen said, overjoyed.

This was tantamount to being granted sanctuary for the rest of his life. If it were anyone else, he would still be somewhat on guard, but Chen Che’s reputation preceded him, so he naturally trusted him.

Although the Hall Chiefs of Jinyun Valley were only at the Foundation Establishment Realm, the offer still showed Chen Che’s sincerity.

As for Zhao Shifeng, he wasn’t worried.

"But for now, we still need to launch a counterattack. One decisive blow now will save us from a hundred later," Chen Che said.

"I am willing to lead the charge and present Ding Haochuan’s head to Valley Master Chen."

Zhao Shifeng stepped forward directly, his voice impassioned.

On that day, Chen Che had given Ding Haochuan and the others the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to leave, but they only left when time was up. The other five Golden Core Cultivators all perished; only Ding Haochuan survived by severing half of his own body to dodge the Sword Qi.

At the time, Chen Che hadn’t pursued him because he was rushing to Ghost Mother Peak to provide support.

And it was precisely because of this that he was able to save everyone at Ghost Mother Peak.

He saw this matter with perfect clarity.

’Having just joined Jinyun Valley, he naturally had to earn their trust and establish his merit. Slaying a Golden Core Cultivator would be the perfect way to prove his allegiance.’

’Ding Haochuan was the most suitable target.’

Moreover, his injuries were the lightest among them, so it was only natural for him to step up.

"No need. I’ve already placed a Divine Sense Mark on him. He can’t escape."

Chen Che said casually, dismissing the idea.

With his Fierce Eyes as a booster, his Divine Sense could cover a range of nearly one million zhang—an area with a radius of almost six thousand li—approaching the range of a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Unless the man fled across several states, there was no escape.

"Then I will hunt down the other Golden Core Cultivators."

Zhao Shifeng volunteered again.

At Ghost Mother Peak, a few Golden Core Cultivators had hidden themselves among the Foundation Establishment Cultivators and never revealed themselves.

In the end, they used the crowd as cover and escaped in the chaos.

"Don’t be impatient. We don’t know the situation outside the city. Let’s wait for everyone to recover from their injuries first."

Chen Che understood his eagerness and curbed his plan to rush out and earn merit.

The Star-Picking Sect had suffered a huge loss at Celestial Ghost Ridge, so they certainly wouldn’t let it go. However, they also wouldn’t act rashly right now, as they were unsure of the situation inside Celestial Ghost Ridge.

Therefore, they would definitely conduct a series of probes.

The cultivators gathered outside the city, for instance, were part of that.

If they were to counterattack, it had to be a decisive one that would make the Star-Picking Sect afraid to attack again. If they held back and revealed any weakness, they might face wave after wave of retaliation.

"...As you command, Valley Master."

Zhao Shifeng had wanted to say more, but he suddenly remembered he had already pledged allegiance to Jinyun Valley and immediately shut his mouth.

"I have my own plans for the Evil Cultivators outside. Since we’re going to make a move, we certainly won’t let them off so easily."

Chen Che tapped his fingers, the killing intent in his eyes vanishing as quickly as it appeared. His expression returned to one of composure. With a wave of his hand, several Fierce Beast Pills were distributed to everyone. "Rest and recuperate for the next few days," he said gently. "I will inform you all when the day for the counterattack arrives."

However, the most important thing right now was for everyone to upgrade their equipment.

For the sole Evil Cultivator, Xiao Chan, he was the one who had gained the most from the various battles alongside Jinyun Valley. Not to mention Pills and other items, his gains in Divine Souls alone were terrifying.

In this battle, his Soul-Calling Banner had gained twenty new Golden Core and several thousand Foundation Establishment Divine Souls, including those of Zuo Qinlong and Dou Shanhe.

As for the Divine Souls from Celestial Ghost Ridge’s side, he had deliberately let them go on to reincarnate. After all, once a soul entered the Soul-Calling Banner, it was damned for eternity. He still held respect for the cultivators who had died defending the city.

Including his previous gains, the number of Golden Core Divine Souls within the banner was approaching one hundred. Even the combined lifetime kills of Golden Core cultivators by Dou Shanhe, True Master Xuehai, and Zuo Qinlong did not add up to this number.

Even veteran Evil Cultivators would probably go mad with envy if they knew the number of Golden Core souls in his banner.

Besides the Soul-Calling Banner, he also obtained Zuo Qinlong’s Black Dragon Spear.

This Black Dragon Spear was many times better than the Soaring Dragon Spear. Of course, he used this spear for his disguise as ’Hermit Fushan.’ He was also one of Jinyun Valley’s ace fighters.

Chen Xi’s losses were also quite heavy.

Her puppets were all destroyed beyond repair, and even her Thousand-Handed Statue had developed several cracks. But fortunately, after True Master Xuehai died, he had unexpectedly left behind a ’Blood Sea Relic’.

This thing was somewhat similar in principle to the relics of the Buddhist Sect. The difference was that the latter came from the cremation of enlightened high monks, while the former was produced from the body of an Extremely Yin and Evil cultivator.

This item had the effect of purifying and strengthening the Power of Faith.

To put it simply, the ’Blood Sea Relic’ was like a filter. The raw Power of Faith was full of impurities; although it seemed vast and mighty, absorbing it all at once would actually cause a Divine Dao Cultivator to be eroded by all sorts of stray consciousnesses.

It wasn’t very useful for ordinary cultivators, but for a Divine Dao Cultivator, it was an extremely rare treasure.

However, the probability of one appearing was even lower than that of a Buddhist relic. To what extent? Thousand Eyes True Master had been searching for one ever since his Core Formation, a search of nearly six hundred years, and had yet to obtain a single one.

It was also possible that some had been found, but they were in the hands of people from whom he couldn’t get them.

Even Chen Che couldn’t believe it when he obtained the item and had to specifically ask Zuo Yishan about it. On Chen Che’s recommendation, Chen Xi was preparing to embed this Blood Sea Relic into the Thousand-Eyed Statue to forge it into a Magical Treasure.

Not only would this greatly enhance the power of the Thousand-Eyed Statue, but it would also be of immense benefit to Chen Xi’s future Cultivation.