Two Realms: I Will Become the Immortal Emperor

Chapter 173: Chapter 166: Ye Jingzhou Emerges from Seclusion

”A Tier Four Xuan Peng?”

Sun Hao’s eyes widened.

Tier Four! That’s a being that could grow to the Nascent Soul Realm!

’He actually stole it?’

”Literary Master, was the old mansion we visited a few days ago for the sake of finding this?”

”That’s right. After I stole it, I sealed it in a Jade Box and hid it in the Mortal World. I never thought...”

The Literary Master sighed, unwilling to say more. He only said casually:

”In any case, we must seize that bird as soon as possible. My Divine Soul was damaged by that last attack and needs time to recover. You should cultivate as quickly as you can and reach Foundation Establishment soon!”

With that, the remnant soul’s figure gradually turned transparent and hid itself within the Jade Pendant once more.

Sun Hao put away the Jade Pendant. His expression was calm, but inside, his thoughts were in turmoil.

He had no background to speak of.

His greatest wish in this life was simply to reach Foundation Establishment.

That was until several months ago, when he was targeted by a group of Tribulation Cultivators. With nowhere to run, he stumbled into a valley and discovered the remains of a cultivator.

Who knew how many years the remains had been there; they were mostly entwined with the roots of an ancient tree.

He searched the entire body but only found a single Jade Pendant.

He never expected that a wisp of a cultivator’s remnant soul resided within the Jade Pendant. The man’s surname was ’Wen’, and in life, he had been a Golden Core Great Perfection Cultivator and a Tier Three Beast Master. According to him, he had been ambushed, fallen into this valley, and died from his injuries.

Before his death, he had placed his Divine Soul into this ’Soul Nourishing Jade’, which was how his remnant soul had survived.

Relying on this remnant soul’s guidance, his cultivation speed had multiplied.

He had even earned a considerable reputation.

As for anything else, like the other party’s motives, he was completely in the dark.

’But there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world,’ Sun Hao thought helplessly. ’At least by following him, I have someone to guide me on this long path of cultivation.’

As for the future, he could only take it one step at a time.

...

Meanwhile, after the exchange meet ended, Chen Che had also returned to Earth Element Star.

After getting his homework, summer vacation officially began.

With the final year of high school approaching, the pressure of the college entrance exams was mounting. To prepare for the final push, many students enrolled in summer classes. Some were even busier than they were during the school year.

Huang Zhongfei was one such example. Chen Che heard his classes started at six in the morning and ended at one in the morning. Because of this, no one suggested hanging out like they usually did when the break started. Everyone had already made plans and begun studying for their exams.

Of course, Chen Che was also very busy.

He planned to enter seclusion for a while this summer, hoping to reach Foundation Establishment before the Immortal Sect’s grand examination.

However, before that, he made a trip to the Ou Yazhi Service Center. He gave the Black Tide Evil Chain, the Storage Ring, and the Inner Armor that had been pierced by Meng Changtu to Zeng Buke, requesting modifications and repairs.

The Storage Ring was modified quickly. Its appearance was changed to an ouroboros, and it was also colored black.

Even if Han Zaiyin came back to life, he wouldn’t be able to recognize it.

But the chain and the Inner Armor still needed time.

The former was because it had too many restrictions; altering one would affect the whole thing. Zeng Buke planned to dismantle it and forge it anew.

The latter was due to a lack of the original materials. The other party suggested Chen Che install a Heart-Protecting Mirror in the palm-sized hole. After one look at the diagram, Chen Che rejected it on the spot for being too ugly.

It would take about a month in total.

When he passed the locksmith’s shop, Wu Neng was with his daughter, preparing for her high school lessons. It was a heartwarming picture of a loving father and a dutiful daughter. The two old ladies in front of the alley were not there, but as he passed through the archway, he could hear the continuous sound of splashing water.

...

「A month later.」

”Today, I’ll be able to max out my Qi and Blood!”

Chen Che sat cross-legged in his Cave Mansion and swallowed the Jade Peach Fruit he had obtained from the Black Smoke Cultivator in one gulp.

The three major elements of Foundation Establishment: True Essence, Qi and Blood, and Divine Sense. Not one could be missing.

For this entire month of vacation, he had been constantly refining his Qi and Blood and strengthening his physical body in preparation for Foundation Establishment. This was because the physical body is the vessel for all cultivation; even the slightest imperfection could affect the probability of success.

According to theoretical analysis: This is because if a cultivator’s physical body isn’t strong enough, it cannot bear the power that comes after Foundation Establishment. It’s like an airplane whose structure isn’t sound; it will disintegrate when flying at full speed.

Even the signs that a cultivator’s lifespan is nearing its end begin with the decline of their physical body.

HISS!

The Jade Peach Fruit was like sweet nectar as it entered his mouth and flowed down his throat. Then, its power began to spread through his limbs and bones.

This time, Chen Che did not actively circulate his Qi and Blood, instead allowing his body to absorb this power on its own.

Despite this, the blood rushing within his physique was like a surging river, flowing endlessly and torrentially.

SPLASH!

After sitting for a long time, although he made no move, a sound like a massive wave suddenly erupted from within his body. Following the sound, a surge of Strong Qi rushed out. The Spiritual Qi in the Cave Mansion instantly turned into an ocean wave, rolling outward until it finally subsided half an incense stick’s time later. It was a spectacular sight.

”Success!”

Chen Che opened his eyes and looked at his hands.

His palms were as soft as a baby’s, as if forged from the finest mutton-fat white jade. Though they looked delicate, they were now impervious to blades and unharmed by fire or water. His entire body felt as if it were filled with an endless supply of power.

”Data!”

He spoke softly.

The Micro Crystal Brain’s screen flashed, and text appeared:

[Name: Chen Che]

[Realm: Qi Refining Ninth Layer (68.24%)]

[Qi and Blood: Foundation Establishment First Layer (00.01%)]

[Divine Sense: Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer (41.49%)]

[Warning: True Essence reserves are 897.1% higher than cultivators of the same tier.]

”With my current Qi and Blood, I can execute the sixth strike of the Nine Shocking Ape Strikes. A Qi Refining Realm cultivator wouldn’t be able to withstand a single blow, and even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator would be injured!”

Chen Che slowly clenched his fist.

He was now just one step away from Foundation Establishment: compressing his gaseous True Essence into a liquid state.

Due to his extremely high True Essence reserves, he could even use a Dragon Fish Pill to achieve Foundation Establishment right now.

However, that was a major taboo.

The greatest taboo in cultivation is to blindly chase progress. Only by cultivating every realm to perfection can one forge a supreme Dao Foundation.

’It will take a month at most...’

Chen Che wasn’t in a hurry.

As he walked out of his Cave Mansion, he had already taken out the Black Tide Evil Chain.

After being modified by Zeng Buke, the originally crude and malevolent chain had been transformed into a black bracelet. The bracelet looked as if it were forged from Obsidian, with countless tiny golden runes on its surface, giving it a mysterious and ancient feel.

’I wonder how powerful it is now!’

Chen Che flicked his wrist, throwing the bracelet out.

The bracelet expanded in the air, transforming into a black chain nearly a hundred feet long. Like a surging black dragon, it viciously whipped a massive, tens-of-feet-high rock outside the Cave Mansion.

BOOM!

A massive explosion rang out.

The massive rock was instantly smashed to pieces by the chain, as if it were made of tofu, sending countless shards of rock flying.

With another wave of his hand, the chain landed on the pool beneath the waterfall. The water’s surface, a hundred zhang in radius, was instantly split in two, with two enormous, wall-like waves rising up.

”Not bad power.”

Chen Che nodded in satisfaction. Although it had lost its previous insidious abilities, its power had actually increased.

SCREECH~

Just then, the cry of an eagle echoed out.

Looking up, he saw the Little Chick flying over from a distance.

But its feathers were soaked in blood. When it landed in front of Chen Che, it couldn’t even stand steady and almost plunged headfirst into the deep pool. Upon closer inspection, most of its feathers were scorched, and its left wing was nearly torn off, the bone visible underneath.

”Beaten again?”

Chen Che’s eyebrow quirked up teasingly as he tossed over a Pill:

”I already told you to go after your injuries have healed, but you just wouldn’t listen!”

The Little Chick swallowed the Pill in one gulp and lowered its head, saying nothing. The emotions conveyed through its Divine Sense were full of grievance.

”Your opponent has been at Foundation Establishment for at least twenty or thirty years. Its strength far surpasses yours!”

Chen Che shook his head with a TSK TSK.

When the Little Chick had returned injured the first time, he had thought it was the Black Smoke Cultivator from the exchange meet and was about to draw his sword for revenge on the spot. But after asking, he learned that its opponent was a Xuan Fire Sparrow that had lorded over Jinyun Valley for many years.

The Xuan Fire Sparrow had been at Foundation Establishment for at least forty or fifty years, equivalent to a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Second Layer.

Demon Beasts have an extremely strong sense of territory. As the saying goes, one mountain cannot contain two tigers, and the same patch of sky will never hold two Flying Great Demons.

Therefore, the moment the two demons met, a battle to the death was inevitable.

Although the Little Chick had a superior bloodline and was a raptor, the vast difference in their realms was more than enough to erase those advantages.

”It was seriously injured this time too! I’ll definitely beat it next time!” the Little Chick responded while preening its wings.

”Go back to the Cave Mansion and recover. You are not to leave until you are fully healed.”

Chen Che looked away and warned, ”The Black Smoke Cultivator hasn’t been caught yet. Be careful not to fall into his hands. That person has many tricks up his sleeve.”

”Yes, sir!”

The Little Chick nodded, tucked its wings, and turned to enter the Cave Mansion.

Shaking his head, he made his way to the Market.

The Market was as lively as ever.

Ever since the dispute at the mine was settled, foot traffic had increased several times over. The entire Jinyun Valley showed signs of a revival, and even the figures of Foundation Establishment Cultivators could occasionally be seen among the comings and goings.

When he arrived at the Pill Shop, Meng Qingxuan was already sitting there.

”You’re here?”

She brewed a pot of tea as usual and served it to Chen Che.

”My father has already sent people to search for that Black Smoke Cultivator, but no one knows his origins. It’s like he’s a Foundation Establishment Cultivator who appeared out of nowhere. Father said that if they don’t find anything soon, he’ll light the Communication Incense to lure him out!”

Chen Che nodded slightly.

’He was injured by my Divine Sense attack, so he definitely won’t be showing his face anytime soon. It’s still questionable whether he’s even at Foundation Establishment.’

However, he was more concerned about another matter at the moment:

”How is the Han Family doing?”

”The Han Family’s ancestral home has been attacked four or five times, and every one of the attackers was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Han Zaiyin has never shown his face. Perhaps the rumors are true, and he really did die when the Earth Palace collapsed,” Meng Qingxuan said with a slight nod.

”He’s definitely dead!”

Chen Che said with a light laugh.

The first thing he did after the exchange meet was to write the news of Han Zaiyin’s death on silk cloth, stuff it into hundreds of medicine bottles, and toss them directly into the Black Water River.

Meng Changtu was right. Even a sliver of suspicion was enough to take action, not to mention he already had a grudge against the Han Family. Doing this didn’t weigh on his conscience at all.

For a time, the news spread like wildfire.

And now, his enemies were finally showing up at the Han Family’s door.

”Unfortunately, these Loose Cultivators weren’t strong enough. They failed to break through the Han Family’s defenses, and one of them even died.”

Meng Qingxuan’s tone was filled with regret.

Chen Che smiled and was about to speak when a world-shaking laugh suddenly erupted from within Jinyun Valley.

The laugh was like a tiger’s roar, soaring straight into the nine heavens and shaking the entire Jinyun Valley.

The beasts in the mountain forests scattered in a panic, and startled birds fled in terror, as if it were the apocalypse. The people in the Market were utterly horrified. Countless cultivators stopped in their tracks or turned around, all looking towards Jinyun Valley.

The laughter lasted for several breaths before it finally stopped.

Chen Che looked toward the valley, his eyes narrowing slightly.

’Ye Jingzhou has come out of seclusion.’