Chapter 562 - 524: Tying Up Loose Ends

In less than half a day.

Several pieces of news spread out directly from Jinyun Valley.

The first to spread, naturally, was the situation on the front lines: Wei Yanzhou had a breakthrough mid-battle, stepping into the Nascent Soul Realm and ending the war. Furthermore, he had made peace with the Star-Picking Sect and was preparing to take revenge on Mist Rain Tower.

The news, of course, placed all the blame on Mist Rain Tower and the Celestial Spirit Palace.

The Star-Picking Sect had only acted as it did because it was bewitched by the two sects. The Primordial Sect had already sent people to eliminate one of the main culprits, the Celestial Spirit Palace. As for Mist Rain Tower, all parties would need to rest and recuperate for a while first.

Of course.

Not everyone believed the Star-Picking Sect was innocent, but since the Upper Sect had made its judgment, and would be joining forces with them for revenge, the people below had no choice, however reluctant they might be.

But what made everyone cheer the most was that the war, which had reached their very doorstep, had finally ended.

Next, it was finally their turn to counterattack.

Second, Valley Master Chen Che was honored as the Chief of the Primordial Sect's Pill Hall. At the same time, Yunzhou and Chi State were both brought entirely under Jinyun Valley's control.

This came as a surprise to many.

However, once everyone learned that Huang Shiwo had died in battle and heard of the Valley Master's performance during the city's defense, they felt it was only natural. With the Primordial Sect lacking a Chief for its Pill Hall, no one was more suitable for the position than Chen Che.

However, some worried voices also emerged, wondering if Jinyun Valley would be absorbed into the Primordial Sect now that Chen Che was the Chief.

Jinyun Valley's response to this was simple and clear:

Jinyun Valley will continue to operate independently, and Valley Master Chen's status will remain unchanged.

Furthermore.

All families under the jurisdiction of Yunzhou and Chi State will automatically become subordinate powers of Jinyun Valley. They are required to submit their rosters within half a year. Those who fail to deliver by the deadline must leave the two states.

Otherwise, they would have to bear the consequences.

Third, all regions under Jinyun Valley's jurisdiction were to begin restoring production while systematically and gradually clearing out the Evil Cultivators and the remnants of the Three Sects from the two states.

Any spoils gained from eliminating Evil Cultivators could be kept.

Additionally.

In three months, a counterattack against Mist Rain Tower will be launched. Those who wish to participate may register at Jinyun Valley. Seventy percent of all wartime gains must be submitted, and compensation will be provided for all casualties. Those unwilling to join may also go to Mist Rain Tower on their own, but Jinyun Valley will not be responsible for their life or death.

Also, the cultivators who went to the Primordial Sect several days ago will be returning to reunite with their clans. They should wait with peace of mind. As long as the Evil Cultivators have not been completely eradicated, no one should travel to Primordial City alone to visit them.

...

The war was over!

This news started in Primordial City and radiated out from the territories of the various subordinate Golden Core cultivators, sweeping across the states. No one had expected the once-perilous situation to change so suddenly.

Without the three major sects leading the charge, these Evil Cultivators naturally lacked the courage and guts to face the Primordial Sect's revenge. The Evil Cultivators and Loose Cultivators who had been rampaging everywhere immediately tucked their tails between their legs and fled the Sixteen States of Primordial City.

Of course.

There were still many cultivators who were skeptical of the news, and some simply hadn't received it yet.

Chen Che only stayed in Jinyun Valley for half a day before leaving.

Because preparations had been made in advance, the valley itself hadn't suffered much from enemy cultivator incursions, and any Golden Core cultivators had been stopped by the array. Although the subordinate territories had been looted, the losses were all within an acceptable range.

He had already passed down his orders; the rest was no longer his concern.

For now, he still had three small matters to wrap up.

First was the illegally mined Anomalous Copper Ore.

Although he had ordered the Anomalous Copper Ore mine to be sealed, the array at the mining site had still been broken. A large number of cultivators had gathered on the island and were frantically plundering the ore. He had to hurry over and bring the situation under control as soon as possible.

Second was the captured Juvenile Turtle.

He had been raising this young Dragon Turtle in the Black Water River. When he was in Primordial City a while ago, he had been too far away to do anything, so he couldn't deal with it when the turtle was captured. If he didn't show up soon, the captors might get frustrated by their inability to tame the Juvenile Turtle and, in a fit of rage, stew it for dinner.

Third was the Chixia True Cauldron.

Although he hadn't obtained the Nine Thunder Cauldron, the sight of Huang Shiwo using it had given him a glimmer of hope.

Perhaps the Chixia True Cauldron had a similar function.

But the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

He scoured all the records about True Master Chixia, but not a single one mentioned the True Master ever using the True Cauldron for combat. There weren't even any records about the Chixia True Cauldron itself. After returning to the valley, he had immediately taken the Chixia True Cauldron to study it closely.

The result still left him quite disappointed...

This cauldron could only be used for Alchemy.

Of course.

The more singular a Magical Artifact's function, the more outstanding that function was.

'I couldn't get a second Tier Four Magical Artifact.'

Chen Che couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

Currently, he possessed only three Magical Artifacts: the Sword Pill, Fierce Eyes, and the Thunder Jade Gourd.

The Thunder Jade Gourd was a genuine Tier Four item, and the gourd within it was of an even higher tier. Although Fierce Eyes was only Tier Three High Grade, its usefulness to Chen Che was no less than that of a Tier Four Magical Artifact.

As for the Sword Pill, thanks to the boost from Fierce Eyes, his Divine Sense could now utilize about seventy percent of the Sword Pill's power. But the more he used it, the more he could feel the effects of its missing core.

To use a crude analogy:

It was like a car missing a wheel. It could still move, but it couldn't perform at its normal level.

Of course.

The Sword Pill missing its core was a far more serious situation than that.

'Why couldn't it have been Duobao who died...?'

Chen Che felt a sense of regret.

Speaking of items with a common origin, Duobao's Blood Sword Pill was the obvious choice. The power it had displayed when Duobao used it to shatter the Grand Array was something he acknowledged. Nothing was more suitable to be the Sword Pill's core.

But that man was too cunning. Getting him to pledge his life to the Primordial Sect would be harder than climbing to the heavens.

Having missed the golden opportunity during the Star-Picking Sect's attack on the city, he feared there wouldn't be many chances in the future.

WHOOSH—

The Little Chick beat its wings, streaking across the sky.

Just then, Chen Che suddenly heard a commotion in the distance.

With a thought, his Divine Sense instantly swept out for over a hundred li. In the distance, by a cliff, a group of people was engaged in a fierce battle. Surprisingly, the larger group was the one being forced to the edge of the several-hundred-zhang-high cliff.

Dozens of wounded—the old, weak, sick, and disabled—stood on the cliff, gazing at the churning Nu River below. Despair was written on every face.

Clearly.

They had nowhere left to run.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The clash of weapons and sounds of fighting followed.

Chen Che glanced over and saw that it was a heavily wounded Foundation Establishment Evil Cultivator hunting this group of cultivators. He held a Soul-Calling Banner in one hand, and a black earthenware jar was strapped to his hunched back.

Despite being besieged by four Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivators, he was handling them with ease, completely overwhelming them.

'No wonder. He's a Foundation Establishment cultivator.'

Chen Che's thoughts stirred. For most cultivators, each layer of a realm was like a mountain to overcome.

Let alone crossing a Grand Realm.

When one's Cultivation Technique, Magic, weapons, and Magical Treasures were all weaker than the opponent's, killing across realms was as difficult as ascending to the heavens. Even if the opponent was heavily injured, it was like a mortal facing down wolves and tigers with their bare hands.

BANG!

Just as he was thinking.

A dull thud rang out as the four cultivators besieging the Foundation Establishment Evil Cultivator were sent flying back, vomiting blood, struck by his Soul-Calling Banner.

"It's over!"

Seeing this, all the cultivators fell into despair.

"Run! Why aren't you running anymore?"

Blood trickled from the corner of the Evil Cultivator's mouth. He looked disheveled, but his expression was crazed. He had fought another Evil Cultivator over a newly-matured Tier Three Spirit Fruit and had been injured after being defeated.

He needed a large amount of Essence Blood to heal his injuries.

He never imagined that when he had snuck into this clan's residence, he would be discovered by their pet Spirit Dog and chased all the way here.

A bunch of Qi Refining cultivators.

Normally, they were just ants he could crush casually. He never thought they would waste half a day of his time.

"It's over!"

He angrily raised the Soul-Calling Banner.

SCREE—

Just as everyone closed their eyes in despair, waiting for death, a clear eagle's cry suddenly rang out. The formless sound waves turned into a sonic blast that rolled forward, sinking directly into the Evil Cultivator's body. Before the crowd's horrified gazes, the man's body shuddered, all his movements ceased, and he fell completely still.

Then, blood poured from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. His body, stiff as a wooden post, fell to the ground with a THUD, and he moved no more.

"This..."

Everyone was dumbfounded. That was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator!

Even though he was heavily injured, the strength he had displayed was far beyond their imagination.

And yet.

He had been killed by a single eagle's cry.

Stunned, the crowd looked up to see a golden roc, nearly a hundred zhang wide, beating its wings as it flew directly over their heads.

The beast was so enormous it was like a mountain peak flying through the air, blotting out the sky and sun. What was even more unbelievable was that a young man in green robes and a Jade Crown was sitting cross-legged on the roc's back.

"Huh?!"

As the crowd stared at the giant beast that had flashed past overhead, an elderly cultivator suddenly realized something.

"It's Valley Master Chen! The Valley Master of Jinyun Valley! I used to work in Jinyun Valley, I've seen that Great Demon before... It's Valley Master Chen's mount!"

Only then did the crowd snap out of their astonishment, and they hurriedly bowed deeply in the direction the giant beast was flying away.