Two Realms: I Will Become the Immortal Emperor

Chapter 270: Chapter 243: Third Layer Divine Sense, The Household Slave’s Thoughts

Twenty thousand zhang!

That was equivalent to one hundred thirty li; he could instantly perceive any disturbance within that range.

’I’ve used less than five percent... With what’s left, reaching the Third Layer shouldn’t be a problem. As for the Fourth Layer, without a second Divine Statue, it would take several years of grinding even with Divine Court Incense.’

At the Golden Core Second Layer, his Divine Sense reached twenty thousand zhang.

For the Third Layer, he needed to reach forty thousand zhang!

For the Fourth Layer, seventy thousand zhang!

Inside the Gourd, the Divine Statue was still imposing, though its eeriness had diminished slightly. Its tier, however, hadn’t changed at all.

He closed his eyes.

His Divine Sense spread out. He didn’t dare to be too conspicuous, not with Thousand Eyes True Master nearby.

As he activated his Divine Sense, he felt not only an increase in its range but also in its clarity and sensitivity.

Legends even said that some terrifying existences had Divine Senses so vast that they would be alerted simply by the mention of their name.

’With such a vast Divine Sense, if I stay hidden, I might even be able to pass for a Golden Core True Master.’

Under his Divine Sense, the entire Imperial Mausoleum held no more secrets.

In the eyes of an ordinary person, the Imperial Mausoleum was at most a massive, elegant, and somewhat remote Traveling Palace. But in Chen Che’s eyes, the entire mausoleum was shrouded in an endless black mist.

At the same time, scenes from within the Imperial Mausoleum appeared one by one:

He saw Chen Xi, anxiously pacing before a Pill Furnace; Chen Yin, gazing at a Pill Bottle in deep thought in the rear courtyard; Sun Hao, leaving on the back of a large snake; the Divine Dao Cultivators coming and going; he saw...

As he cautiously pushed his Divine Sense forward, he discovered that many palaces within the Imperial Mausoleum were sealed by Array Locks, which his Divine Sense could not penetrate.

’It seems this Imperial Mausoleum isn’t as unguarded as I thought...’ he mused.

’Tsk! The black mist over the Thousand-Eyed Hall is even denser than the mist over the entire Imperial Mausoleum. Is it an Array? A Spiritual Artifact? Or is it just because he’s been occupying it for so long...?’

Where his Divine Sense went, illusion was stripped away, revealing the truth.

He saw:

The once-unremarkable hall was now completely engulfed in black mist, its original appearance obscured.

The swirling black mist constantly shifted its form.

One moment, it looked like an evil dragon with bristling whiskers and scales; the next, it morphed into a horrifying, savage face... The entire palace exuded a coldness that seemed utterly at odds with the world, a chill so profound it felt like it could freeze even Divine Sense.

’Huh?’

Chen Che found it very strange!

He had been to this hall several times and had never noticed anything different about it. But now, it seemed to be the most peculiar place of all.

’What is that light? Is it an eye? Is it Thousand Eyes True Master’s eye?’

The surging black mist suddenly stopped. Deep within, the mist parted as if torn, and a cold light slowly began to appear.

The sudden gleam of light immediately made Chen Che think of an eye. It was as if the being behind the black mist had been alerted by his Divine Sense.

’No need to stir up trouble.’

Chen Che had a feeling that when that eye fully opened, something terrible would happen.

So, without the slightest hesitation, he immediately withdrew his Divine Sense.

He had just managed to extricate himself from the matter of the Divine Statue; there was no need to get himself into trouble again because of his intense curiosity.

At that moment, Thousand Eyes True Master seemed to sense something and turned to look at the Divine Statue behind him. But the statue showed no reaction whatsoever.

After a moment of contemplation, he closed his eyes again and tilted his head back slightly.

Black qi billowed out from the black earthenware pot in front of him, passed through his mask, and flowed into his seven orifices.

...

For the next few days, Chen Che would hide in his room to absorb the Power of Faith from the Divine Statue as soon as his lessons were over. He even stopped refining Pills.

On the third day, Chen Xi came to the Sacrificial Hall and stood there respectfully for a whole day. Seeing that Chen Che had no intention of coming out, he only left when the fourth day arrived.

”No wonder so many people walk the Evil Dao. This kind of cultivation speed is simply incomparable to a slow, grinding effort.”

Chen Che couldn’t help but exclaim as he felt his Divine Sense continuously improving.

In just one day, his Divine Sense could increase by several thousand zhang. With a slow and steady approach, it would have taken at least several years of nonstop work.

Among the unorthodox and evil paths, there were many methods to enhance one’s Divine Sense.

Most of them involved stimulating the Divine Soul, very similar to the time he had overused the Divine Court Wood. Although it had caused a Divine Soul Separation, it had also enhanced his Divine Sense.

’It’s too dangerous, too extreme. No wonder the Immortal Sects discourage it. And if an Evil Technique goes wrong and damages the Divine Soul, there’s no telling what the consequences would be...’

As a student of the Zhurong Daoist School, his knowledge naturally far surpassed that of ordinary people.

Because the Immortal Sects discouraged them, he couldn’t learn these techniques, but Chen Che was well aware of the dangers involved.

’Third Layer, forty thousand zhang!’

On the fifth day, his Divine Sense Level rose again.

At the same time, a CRACK sounded from the Divine Statue inside the Gourd. A fissure silently appeared between the statue’s eyebrows, instantly extending down to its base. Its eeriness and level of danger plummeted, a change that was almost visible to the naked eye.

It was like a man-eating Fierce Tiger had degenerated into a vicious wolf.

’Did it degrade to Tier Three High Grade?’

Chen Che mused thoughtfully.

The Power of Faith was the foundation of the Divine Statue. By absorbing it, he was essentially pulling the rug out from under it.

But he didn’t care.

After dropping to Tier Three, the Divine Statue’s tier continued to fall like a torrent from a burst dam, an unstoppable decline. On the sixth day, it fell to Tier Two, its body covered in cracks. By the seventh day, as the last wisp of the Power of Faith was drawn away, it emitted a series of CRACK, CRACK, CRACK sounds.

Then, under Chen Che’s gaze, the Divine Statue abruptly collapsed, turning into a pile of fine dust.

’Alright, this Divine Statue is completely gone... Third Layer, fifty-seven thousand zhang.’

He took out the Micro Crystal Brain and checked his realm:

[Realm: Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer (37.08%)]

[Qi and Blood: Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer (38.19%)]

[Divine Sense: Golden Core Third Layer (81.43%)]

’Just one Tier Four Divine Statue was enough to get my Divine Sense to the Third Layer. The statue in the Thousand-Eyed Hall seems to be a minor tier higher than this one... And there are quite a few Divine Statues in all of Hunzhou! Even if their tiers are a bit lower, their sheer number is overwhelming!’

Looking at the pile of dust, Chen Che was filled with emotion.

No wonder some people would take desperate risks for huge benefits. After tasting the sweet rewards, even he was feeling a little tempted.

But he couldn’t gauge Thousand Eyes True Master’s strength. Not to mention, the man was an existence from the same era as True Master Chixia, who had become a Ghost God after death and cultivated for another thousand years.

’How many more years can he live? What exactly is the lifespan of a Divine Dao Cultivator?’

Chen Che suddenly felt like a gold digger married to a decrepit old man, waiting day and night for her deadbeat husband to kick the bucket so she could inherit his fortune.

Forcefully suppressing the urge to test his Divine Sense again, Chen Che slowly withdrew his consciousness from the Gourd.

’Huh? He’s still here?’

A sweep of his Divine Sense made Chen Che’s eyebrow twitch.

Outside the door was, of course, Chen Xi.

The man had come once on the third day. Seeing he didn’t come out, he returned on the sixth day and had been waiting outside for two full days without moving a single step.

”Tributor Chen.”

Seeing Chen Che, Chen Xi quickly cupped his hands in a salute.

”Sorry to keep you waiting for five days...”

”It’s no trouble. I suspected Tributor Chen might be at a crucial point in his seclusion, so I didn’t dare to disturb you.”

!?

After studying him for a few moments and confirming his words weren’t sarcastic, Chen Che couldn’t help but feel a little surprised.

They went to the Alchemy Room. He opened the furnace and lit the fire!

WHOOSH!

...

Adding ingredients, adjusting the fire, tempering, condensing the powder into pills...

With his enhanced Divine Sense, refining the Yin Spirit Pills was much easier than before, and the yield was higher. The very first furnace produced seven pills. The second and third furnaces yielded the same.

”Tributor Chen, you are a true master!”

The pills were formed, the fire was sealed, and the pills were collected.

Chen Che looked up. Chen Xi, who had been observing from the side, let out a cry of admiration. Chen Che truly hadn’t held anything back; he had seen the entire process with perfect clarity:

”Your refining of these Yin Spirit Pills has become even more skillful.”

”After you finish refining these pills, will Tributor Chen be resting for a few days? I have already requisitioned some Soul Nourishing Incense from the storehouse to aid your Cultivation.”

”The Spiritual Qi in Hunzhou is thin, so we don’t have many valuable things to offer. Please don’t take offense.”

...

Chen Che glanced at him in surprise. ’Isn’t this change in attitude a bit too fast?’

”What do you want? Just say it.”

”You jest, Tributor. I seek nothing. This was all ordered by the Old Ancestor.”

Chen Xi saluted respectfully. ”In addition, the Old Ancestor asked me to relay something to you. A few days ago, Tributor Sun met with the Old Ancestor in the rear garden, and he mentioned you during their conversation...”

”Tell me.”

Chen Che’s eyebrow twitched.

And so, the other man recounted the day’s events in detail.

’Hmm? He’s relaying this to me? What is the Great Chen Royal Family playing at?’

Chen Che pondered. ’Is he trying to incite a conflict between me and Sun Hao, or is this a gesture of goodwill...’

He knew that the Great Chen Royal Family were essentially Household Slaves to Thousand Eyes True Master. The logical move for them would be to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight; they had no need to take sides.

However, based on the change in Chen Xi’s attitude, it seemed to be the latter.

’Was this the Old Ancestor’s idea?’

Chen Che grumbled inwardly, ’The Great Chen Royal Family intends to curry favor with me?’

With this in mind, he sat down cross-legged again and said:

”Open the furnace, light the fire. Starting today, I will teach you how to refine the Yin Spirit Pill once every three days. Whether you can learn it or not will depend on your own comprehension...”

...

”Old Ancestor, today Tributor Chen refined twenty-one Yin Spirit Pills from three furnaces. That’s almost double what he produced eight days ago.”

”Moreover, after I relayed that message as you instructed, he didn’t go into seclusion. He opened the furnace again and personally guided me in refining the Yin Spirit Pill. Unfortunately, my aptitude is poor, and I still couldn’t learn...”

「In the rear garden.」

Chen Xi stood with his hands together, his tone respectful.

”A good thing!”

Chen Yin, seated off to one side, nodded slightly after listening. ”I’ve looked into Tributor Chen’s rise to prominence. His ascent was extremely fast. Though he is decisive and ruthless in killing, he is a man of principles.”

”His early followers, like Hu Yao and Ding Fei, were all taken care of. It’s truly a case of ’when one person achieves the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven’...”

”Is that all?”

Chen Xi seemed to disagree.

”That is only one reason. As for the second...”

Chen Yin opened his eyes slightly and gave his young descendant a deep look. ”You’ll understand when you reach my Realm. In short, Chen Che is just a strategic move for now. It’s possible we may need to borrow his strength someday.”

With that, he closed his eyes. The steam from his tea turned into smoke and entered his seven orifices:

”Go.”

”...Yes.”

Chen Xi bowed and turned to leave.

He still didn’t understand. After all, the Royal Family was backed by a True Master; there was no need to curry favor with a Tributor. No matter how low the status of a Household Slave, they were still family. No matter how high the status of a Tributor, he was still an outsider.

’Why did the Old Ancestor say I’ll understand when I reach his Realm?’

Chen Xi pondered.

The Old Ancestor’s Realm?

Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer Great Perfection? Suddenly, he understood everything.