Two Realms: I Will Become the Immortal Emperor

Chapter 317: Chapter 289: Jinyun Valley’s Grand Competition

Shuzhou. Banners and flags fluttered everywhere.

A vast, dark mass of troops advanced slowly.

Inside the main tent, Chen Xi stared at the sand table, seemingly lost in thought.

Several months had passed since the battle at Thunder Accumulation Mountain.

In the blink of an eye, it was already the sixth month.

Aside from a few cities that refused to surrender, the Hunzhou army had met almost no resistance wherever it went. By now, they had already occupied forty percent of Shuzhou’s territory. Scouts also reported that large groups of refugees were gathering, seemingly guided by someone, and fleeing into the remote mountains.

Chen Xi usually set these reports aside, paying them no mind.

This was because he was the one guiding the refugees. Using the methods of a ’Divine Spirit,’ he helped them escape the ravages of war, leading them to settle in secluded valleys, cut off from the rest of the world, to live in a veritable ’Peach Blossom Spring’.

As a result, the refugees, having received the guidance of an ’Immortal,’ began to worship this ’Immortal’ for generations to come.

In Hunzhou, there were tens of thousands of such villages, and without exception, they all worshipped members of the Royal Family. The oldest of these villages had been doing so for nearly a thousand years.

This was also a method of siphoning off Thousand Eyes’ Power of Faith.

Thousand Eyes was naturally aware of this.

However, he turned a blind eye to it.

Thousand Eyes’ tolerance limit was Foundation Establishment Great Perfection. It was as if the master of the house allowed you to take some scraps, but if you dared to covet true authority and try to sit as an equal... the consequences were easy to imagine.

”How goes the war?”

As he was lost in thought, Chen Yin swept aside the tent flap and strode in.

”Reporting to the Ancestor, at our current pace, we can occupy all of Hunzhou in seven years at most.”

Chen Xi reported truthfully.

Of course, this meant occupation, not annihilation.

Thousand Eyes needed mortals. If they killed too many, it would take decades for the population to recover.

”Not bad.”

Chen Yin nodded slightly and took out a bottle of pills. ”Take this and consolidate your Divine Soul.”

”Chen Che even managed to refine the Yang God Pill?”

Chen Xi took the pills, his face alight with pleasant surprise.

”Indeed. This is a portion he specifically set aside for us. We no longer need to carefully skim pills from Thousand Eyes... It’s just a pity. If he were to openly declare his support for me, I would dare to seize power and attempt Core Formation while Thousand Eyes is away.”

Chen Yin sat down. Watching the other man pour him tea, he couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.

”Unfortunately, he has yet to make his stance clear.”

”Ancestor, why don’t we switch our support to Xiao Chan and Lu Ping’an?”

Chen Xi suggested.

The first of the two was an Evil Cultivator who stirred up chaos wherever he went. With his Soul-Calling Banner, he slaughtered Same-Tier Cultivators as if they were chickens and dogs. The latter was a Ghost Cultivator who, despite only being in the Qi Refining Realm, clearly possessed immense potential.

Moreover, his family could provide the Yin Sha Qi the man required.

”What are you thinking!”

The aroma of the tea was just wafting into his senses when Chen Yin paused and glared at him. ”Haven’t you realized that both of them are from Jinyun Valley? Are you the Ancestor, or am I? Don’t tell me you think you’re smarter than me?”

Chen Xi froze for a moment, then quickly said he wouldn’t dare.

”Even after we achieve Core Formation, we will still need to rely on him. Oh, and make arrangements here in advance. In a few days, you will accompany me to Jinyun Valley.”

”But isn’t Chen Che unwilling to teach me how to refine the Yang God Pill?”

”Jinyun Valley is holding its first grand competition. We’re going to show our support.”

...

「In the sixth month.」

Zhurong Daoist School had just started its summer break. Aside from a few students who remained, the campus was nearly empty and felt exceptionally deserted.

However, in another world, Jinyun Valley was bustling with extraordinary excitement.

The morning dew had not yet dissipated. Jinyun Valley, slumbering through the night, awoke to the sound of the morning bell. Everyone from the Chiefs of each hall down to the Servant Disciples hurried toward the main square. Numerous affiliated families, and even powers from the surrounding areas who did business with Jinyun Valley, had already arrived.

Even the parents of Loose Cultivators whose children were cultivating in the Valley were among the invited guests.

By the time Chen Che arrived with Meng Qingxuan,

the area inside and outside Jinyun Valley was already a sea of people, resembling the grand spectacle of a university sports festival.

’What a grand scene. No wonder schools and companies are so fond of holding these kinds of events.’

Chen Che glanced at the high platform from the corner of his eye, nodding slightly to the Cultivators of the various clans as a greeting.

When he saw people like Chen Yin and Jia Chaoyuan, he even made a point of clasping his hands in a formal salute.

This kind of Sect competition was different from a Foundation Establishment ceremony. The latter was for displaying the Sect’s power. The former, however, was for testing the Cultivation of its disciples. Of course, the more people who came to watch, the more popular the Sect appeared.

This wasn’t just for showing off.

A lack of popularity meant the Sect was in decline.

”Father, isn’t Jinyun Valley holding events a little too frequently?”

Bian Jian asked in a low voice.

Twice a year. It was a good thing they didn’t have to bring gifts for the competition, or the family would have been bankrupted by the expense.

”Why weren’t you born ten years later? Otherwise, you could have entered Jinyun Valley to cultivate too.”

Bian Yunfei looked at his troublesome son.

”I...”

Bian Jian was speechless.

Back when Jinyun Valley had required the various clans to send children of a suitable age for Cultivation, Bian Yunfei had been relieved that his son was already twenty-one and had dodged a bullet. In the end, he had sent his nephew, Bian Dao, to cultivate in the Valley.

”Before your cousin entered the Valley, he had just reached the Qi Mechanism stage. Now he’s already at the Qi Refining Third Layer, and the key is, he’s only fourteen.”

Bian Yunfei sighed deeply.

Anyone could see that he was a Foundation Establishment Seed.

”...I.”

Bian Jian was about to speak.

Just then, the arena fell silent. Hu Yao had walked onto the square, clasped his fist, and his resonant voice boomed out:

”Our Jinyun Valley has a legacy stretching back nearly a thousand years! Not only Ye Jingzhou, but even True Master Chixia once graced this place with his presence. It is truly a land of heroes and spiritual energy. Now, to encourage the Cultivation of our disciples, the Valley Master has decided to hold a Sect competition every three years...”

This was just tooting their own horn, claiming connections, and boasting about their history.

Even Chen Che felt a little embarrassed listening to it.

But many of the affiliated families and Loose Cultivators believed it. Their family legacies were only a century or two long; how could they know about such hidden matters? Ye Jingzhou was one thing, but True Master Chixia was a legendary figure from over a thousand years ago.

He was practically a legend. Who didn’t know his name?

”...Show me what you’ve learned from your bitter Cultivation in the Valley! Do not bring shame upon yourselves, do not bring shame upon your families and parents, and do not bring shame upon Jinyun Valley!”

Hu Yao paused for a moment. All the disciples roared in unison. After years of Cultivation, it was finally time to test the fruits of their labor.

”May we live up to our youth! May the Immortal Dao flourish forever!”

The moment his voice fell, he opened a black brocade box.

Under countless astonished gazes, ten beams of light shot out from the box. A brilliant flash erupted, and in its wake, ten massive arenas, each over a hundred feet in diameter, appeared in the square. Hu Yao’s voice drowned out the disciples’ gasps of surprise:

”The competition begins!”

As his voice faded, numerous disciples quickly ascended the arenas according to their assigned numbers.

After a brief greeting, they began unleashing their Magic and Magical Artifacts, trading blows back and forth. The scene instantly became incredibly lively.

Chen Xi naturally had no interest in watching Qi Refining Level Magical Combat and toyed with the teacup in his hands out of boredom. Chen Yin, on the other hand, watched with great enthusiasm, occasionally chatting with the nearby Major Cultivators, seeming to enjoy himself immensely.

”One cannot only look at the surface of things.”

Chen Yin tapped his fingers lightly, offering a casual reminder.

”These disciples represent the future of Jinyun Valley. One Foundation Establishment Cultivator isn’t frightening. But ten, or a hundred? That would be cause for alarm. And what if a few Golden Core True Masters emerge from among these Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the future...”

At these words, Chen Xi, who had been completely nonchalant, suddenly wore a solemn expression.

Of course, most people didn’t think that far ahead.

Their gazes were limited to their immediate concerns, their attention focused on their own clan members, all hoping their own people would achieve a good ranking.

If they won, they cheered.

If they lost, they lamented.

”Jinyun Valley’s momentum is unstoppable. Are you scared now?”

Xiao Zongrui sat to one side, his gaze sweeping over several Elders from his clan. Their faces were all pale. ”If you all hadn’t submitted, and we waited another ten years for this batch of disciples to mature, how many of you would have been able to resist them?”

The Elders said nothing, not daring to talk back.

The number of disciples in the Valley had already surpassed four thousand.

Although servants made up more than half, the strength of the Official Disciples was nothing to scoff at. There were six or seven at the Seventh Layer, dozens at the Sixth Layer, and hundreds at the Fifth Layer. And how many years had Jinyun Valley even been running?

Back then, when he decided to submit to Jinyun Valley, he had been heavily criticized. Many of the clan’s old guard had even accused him of betraying his own and ruining the Xiao Family’s future.

...

’This is the difference between a family clan and a Sect.’

Chen Che sat at the head seat, taking in everyone’s expressions as he mused to himself.

Sects cherry-pick the best.

They gather children with decent Spiritual Roots from all the clans and cultivate them into talents. But family clans, due to their insular nature, cannot do this. Therefore, a clan’s growth will always be slower than a Sect’s.

However, the strength of a family clan lies in its greater stability.

Because a Sect’s members are diverse and its factions numerous, it will fall into continuous turmoil if the founding ancestor has no successor. People will stop at nothing to fight for power and profit, even to the point of complete annihilation of their rivals. Within a family clan, such things rarely happen.

”What’s wrong?”

As this thought crossed his mind, he turned and noticed Meng Qingxuan, who was sitting beside him, seemed distracted.

”My father and grandfather have been gone for almost a month. I don’t know how things are going.”

Meng Qingxuan sighed softly.

”There won’t be any problems.”

Chen Che smiled reassuringly. ”The old master is a seasoned veteran. The location for his Core Formation is extremely secret. He has likely already succeeded and is just stabilizing his Realm.”

”I hope so.”

Meng Qingxuan nodded slightly. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly saw Chen Che’s brow furrow as he stared at the sky.

On the viewing platform, Chen Yin, who had been smiling while watching the matches, also suddenly looked up.

Then, more and more Major Cultivators sensed something.

One after another, they raised their heads to the sky.

Over a hundred Major Cultivators were seen streaking majestically across the horizon. At first glance, they were still far off in the sky. By the next blink, they had already flown directly above Jinyun Valley. The boisterous competition in the Valley suddenly fell silent.

”The Ye Family?”

”Why are they here?”

Someone in the crowd cried out in alarm.

’Interesting. Looking for trouble here won’t be so easy.’

Gazing at the figures in the air, the corners of Chen Che’s mouth lifted into a slight smile.