Chapter 516 - 485: Men Die for Wealth, Birds Die for Food

Chapter 516: Chapter 485: Men Die for Wealth, Birds Die for Food

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH—

Seven Golden Core cultivators flashed through the air, moving so fast they seemed to cross the vast distance to appear above Three Rivers Peak in a single stride. They made no effort to restrain their auras; to the Foundation Establishment cultivators below, the power of their unleashed True Essence seemed vast enough to prop up the heavens.

Chen Xi, Meng Qianxun, Yu Qian, and the others immediately shot to their feet, clutching their weapons, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

The two forces faced off, suspended between heaven and earth.

Out of the corner of his eye, Chen Che spotted a colossal Spiritual Boat breaking through the sea of clouds on the horizon. A large banner atop the vessel billowed in the wind, emblazoned with the word "Primordial."

The railings were packed with people, and several Great Demons even took flight from the deck.

"Valley Master... Chen?"

One of the newcomers, a square-faced Golden Core cultivator with a handlebar mustache, spotted Chen Che in the crowd. He cupped his hands in greeting and called out, "What are you doing here?"

As he spoke, his eyes darted around.

The sight of the shattered Three Rivers Peak, the rivers of blood, and the mountain of corpses that had yet to be burned made the newly arrived Golden Core cultivators frown in suspicion.

They had arrived on the Spiritual Boat.

From hundreds of miles away, they had spotted the baleful, bloody aura suffusing the sky and the plumes of black smoke from burning corpses. That was why they had immediately abandoned the boat to rush over, never expecting to find a scene like this.

It seemed—

—the entire battle was already over.

The others recognized Chen Che as well. He was quite distinct—first, for his youth, and second, for the Demon Beast always perched on his shoulder. They promptly cupped their hands in greeting.

"Ah, so it is Fellow Daoist Zhu Yiwen, Vice Chief of Xingtang Hall, and Fellow Daoist Teng Miao, Vice Chief of the Internal Affairs Hall."

Chen Che recognized the men.

He had met the two of them once when he first reported to the Primordial Sect. Their attitudes had been lukewarm at best, and he was surprised the sect had dispatched them for this. As for the others, he didn’t recall ever seeing them before.

But that wasn’t surprising. Most of them belonged to their own families, which would have Golden Core cultivators they supported as well.

"Golden Core cultivators from the Primordial Sect."

"They’re friendlies!"

"It’s reinforcements..."

Seeing the two sides exchange amicable greetings, the wary Foundation Establishment Cultivators let out a collective sigh of relief. After all, they had just fought a grueling battle. If another were to follow immediately, none of them would be able to bear it.

Their faces lit up with joy when they learned they were Golden Core cultivators from the Primordial Sect.

At least, the more Golden Core cultivators on their side, the safer Celestial Ghost City would be.

However, the gap between ideal and reality is often vast. Sometimes, they can even be diametrically opposed.

Teng Miao was a rather scholarly-looking Golden Core cultivator, his hair tied up in a silk kerchief, dressed in a Confucian robe, and holding a folding fan. He responded to Chen Che’s greeting with the same lukewarm indifference he’d shown back at the Primordial Sect, his eyes rapidly scanning the area.

His gaze lingered on the piles of corpses on the ground, and when he saw that the bodies of the Evil Cultivators were completely bare, his eyes narrowed.

And when he spotted several Golden Core corpses on the ground that hadn’t yet been processed, his first words laid bare his true, opportunistic nature:

"It seems Valley Master Chen has reaped quite the reward!"

"If I recall correctly, your orders were merely to defend Celestial Ghost City. So tell me, Valley Master Chen, why did you take the initiative to attack without authorization? It’s fortunate you won this battle. Had you been defeated and wiped out, leading to the fall of Celestial Ghost City..."

"...is that a crime you could possibly bear?"

’He opens his mouth and it’s a lecture? Who the hell do you think you are?’

Chen Che’s eyes narrowed.

At the foot of the peak, Lei Boyu and her companions all stared wide-eyed. They clearly hadn’t expected to be met not with commendations for annihilating the enemy, but with a harsh scolding.

"Vice Chief Teng, a general in the field is not always bound by his sovereign’s command. The situation was urgent..."

Meng Qianxun quickly jumped in to smooth things over, secretly tugging on Chen Che’s sleeve, afraid his granddaughter’s husband would erupt and attack. At the same time, he shot a glare at Xiao Chan and Chen Xi, signaling them to rein it in. Their eyes were practically screaming murder.

"Is that a rule in our Primordial Sect?"

Teng Miao shot Zhu Yiwen a look of feigned inquiry.

Zhu Yiwen glanced at Chen Che, slowly shook his head, and sighed. "Alas, Valley Master Chen, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but the Primordial Sect truly has no such rule. Perhaps that’s a rule for mortals..."

"Mortals?"

Teng Miao pointed a finger, his tone scathing:

"Valley Master Chen, do not forget, you are a Cultivator! Not only are you a regional chief, but you are also a Golden Core True Master! You should know what’s important. Stop trying to apply the ways of mortals!"

Chen Che almost laughed. He retorted with a cold look,

"So you *do* know I’m a regional chief? And you *do* know I’m a Golden Core cultivator?"

’Even Qiu Tianshui, the Chief of the Internal Affairs Hall, is perfectly courteous to me. You’re just his second-in-command, yet you dare to act so high and mighty?’

It wasn’t just Chen Che; the cultivators of Celestial Ghost City were so angry they clenched their weapons. Lei Boyu, in particular, was so furious she could barely see straight. If it had been a Star-Picking Sect cultivator, she would have drawn her blade long ago.

But their opponents were cultivators from the Primordial Sect—

and to openly attack a Vice Chief of the sect was tantamount to rebellion.

"Your Excellency’s rebuke is noted."

Seeing Chen Che’s sharp retort, Meng Qianxun quickly pulled him back, trying to de-escalate. "Your Excellencies have traveled day and night; you must be exhausted. This is no place to talk. Let’s return to the city and discuss matters there."

As he spoke, he wondered, ’Why are they acting like they’ve swallowed a firecracker, deliberately picking a fight? Are they acting on Duobao’s orders, making a show of force to seize power?’

’Not that it matters. We don’t really care about defending Celestial Ghost City.’

’Besides, now that we’ve wiped out Gu Tongyang and his people, the Star-Picking Sect has certainly heard the news. It’s possible that in addition to Right Protector Jiang Shaotian, even the Mist Rain Tower will send people. We had already discussed handing over command to the newcomers anyway.’

But he had never expected their first meeting to be so unpleasant, to the point of open friction. Meng Qianxun’s thoughts were almost identical to Lei Boyu’s: if the other party had been from the Star-Picking Sect, he would have attacked long ago.

But there was nothing to be done. As a subordinate sect, they had to obey the Upper Sect’s command. Anything else was rebellion.

When faced with such a situation, many Upper Sects would prioritize eliminating traitors before dealing with outside enemies.

Meng Qianxun had only one thought.

Hand over command and leave Celestial Ghost City...

Hearing this, Chen Xi, Xiao Chan, Lu Yuntian, and the others silently restrained their auras, preparing to return to the city. Lei Boyu, Lu Ping’an, and the other Foundation Establishment cultivators also began shouting for their comrades to hurry up with their tasks so they could head back.

But to their surprise, this explosive Vice Chief of the Internal Affairs Hall showed no sign of budging. He didn’t give them any face at all, instead saying coldly:

"Hand it over..."

"What?"

Chen Che stopped, not understanding.

The others also glanced over, clearly curious about what he meant.

"Stop playing dumb, Valley Master Chen. The Star-Picking Sect has been plundering for a long time, but they haven’t moved the resources yet. The items on these Golden Core cultivators can be yours, but hand over the rest..."

Teng Miao nearly laughed with exasperation. Did they think he had rushed to Celestial Ghost City to offer support because he was bored? No, it was for the resources plundered by the Star-Picking Sect! He had received intelligence that the sect had not yet moved the bulk of the materials.

Therefore, he surmised that the resources the Star-Picking Sect had plundered from the Three States had not yet been shipped away.

A moment ago, he had swept his Divine Sense across Three Rivers Peak and found no trace of massive quantities of resources. Now that even the enemy’s final camp had been wiped out, where were they supposed to find them?

"Your Excellency..."

Meng Qianxun was also stunned.

Only now did he finally understand why they were so aggressive. The purpose of their trip was, in all likelihood, those thousands of chests. It made sense; the plundered wealth of the Three States had to be worth at least tens of millions of Spirit Stones.

Fortunately, Chen Che had stored all those chests in his Gourd before they arrived.

"Hand it over!" Teng Miao ignored Meng Qianxun completely, his gaze fixed on Chen Che. "Then I will permit you to return to the city..."

"Fellow Daoist Teng, it’s still early in the morning. Not yet time for daydreaming!" Chen Che didn’t back down an inch.

"Chen Che, remember your station. You are in no position to speak to me like that."

Teng Miao sneered and pointed to the cultivators at the foot of the mountain, including Lei Boyu and Lu Ping’an. "Empty the contents of your storage pouches!" he roared. "You will be allowed to leave only after an inspection."

"And that includes you!"

he added, looking at Chen Che and the other Golden Core cultivators.

"What an impressive show of authority!"

Chen Che’s eyes narrowed. He looked at Teng Miao and enunciated each word clearly, "The spoils of battle belong to the cultivators who fought. This, too, is a rule established by the Primordial Sect. You have no right to speak to me this way!"

"Violators will be killed! Those who do not obey orders will be killed!"

Teng Miao had clearly made his decision. He absolutely could not allow Chen Che to just walk away with the wealth of the Three States; for all he knew, even these Foundation Establishment cultivators had a share.

The Golden Core cultivators behind him roared their assent and took a menacing step forward.

"I’d like to see who dares!"

Chen Che’s voice boomed.

"Defying the Upper Sect’s orders is tantamount to rebellion." Teng Miao’s eyes narrowed as he raised his hand, signaling the attack.

"Besieging a Tributor of the Primordial Sect," Chen Che retorted, taking a step forward, "is also tantamount to rebellion."