Two Realms: I Will Become the Immortal Emperor

Chapter 410: Chapter 381: Dan Kongzi

”Jinyun Valley arrived at the Black Tortoise Calm Sea yesterday afternoon. Their party includes three Golden Core Cultivators: besides Chen Che, there are two from the Meng Family. They also have forty to fifty Foundation Establishment Cultivators and several hundred Qi Refining Cultivators.”

Six or seven Golden Core Cultivators were holed up on this Spiritual Boat.

This wasn’t surprising at all.

These visiting cultivators were not like the Xu Family, which made a living by fishing, so it was perfectly normal for several of them to share a boat.

Gazing into the distance, one could see countless sails gliding by, a hundred vessels racing through the waters.

Right now, several people were sitting together on the deck of the Spiritual Boat, deep in discussion.

At the stern, there was also a barefoot old man in a bamboo hat and linen clothes. He carried a square, black cloth-wrapped bundle on his back, its contents unknown. He was currently sitting at the bow, holding a fishing rod.

His features were half-hidden, and though his posture was casual, he seemed like a coiled Fierce Tiger. The other Golden Core Cultivators deliberately kept their distance from him.

”They don’t have many Golden Core Cultivators, but that Spiritual Boat is a tricky problem.”

”Indeed. A Spiritual Boat of that caliber is bound to have a Grand Array. If we attack rashly and they hide inside the boat, we’ll lose our chance. They might even use the Spiritual Boat to counterattack. Who among us can break through a vessel like that?”

”We must devise a foolproof plan. It would be best to take them down with lightning speed, giving them no chance to retaliate.”

The first thing the group did upon arriving at the Black Tortoise Calm Sea was to ask nearby Loose Cultivators if any major events had occurred recently. To these younger cultivators, the biggest event was none other than Jinyun Valley’s arrival.

With thousands of pairs of eyes watching, nothing could remain a secret.

However, when they learned that Jinyun Valley was traveling in a Spiritual Boat several hundred zhang long, it immediately became a headache. After all, a cultivator’s Spiritual Boat is not an ordinary mortal vessel. It wasn’t built to withstand waves and storms, but to fight Demon Beasts!

How could a Spiritual Boat capable of withstanding the Power of Heaven and Earth, as well as Demon Beasts, be anything ordinary?

The cultivators exchanged a glance. One of the Golden Core Cultivators, disguised as a fisherman, cupped his hands toward the old man fishing at the ship’s rail and asked:

”I wonder, sir, if you have any strategy to offer?”

”No.”

The old man replied without looking up, his gaze fixed on his fishing rod.

The fisherman-disguised Golden Core Cultivator frowned, his tone tinged with impatience.

”Look, friend, surely you want to get this done as much as we do and not just waste away in the Black Tortoise Calm Sea? Since you accepted Duobao’s invitation, why not cooperate with us? That Valley Master Chen...”

”I’m not like the rest of you. If you wish to act, do as you please. There’s no need to ask me again. Your success or failure is none of my concern.”

The old man tilted his head up slightly. Beneath the brim of his bamboo hat, his eyes flashed, as brilliant as the stars.

”Understand?”

Sensing the warning in the old man’s eyes, the fisherman’s heart seized. He staggered back several steps, his face livid, and slumped back into his seat.

The other Golden Core Cultivators on board saw what happened but paid no mind to the old man’s ”disrespectful act.” Their group was made up of Tribulation Cultivators, but this man before them was not. They had no idea what price Duobao had paid to persuade such a figure to come out of seclusion.

’But for some reason, even though he’s emerged from seclusion, he’s unwilling to team up with us? He doesn’t even want to get involved in this affair?’

Only one of them gazed at the bundle on the old man’s back. After a moment of thought, he cupped his hands in a salute.

”As you wish, Brother Dan Kongzi. We shall discuss this amongst ourselves and will not bother you further.”

The old man, Dan Kongzi, gave a slight nod. He adjusted his bamboo hat, pulling it lower, and fell silent.

The other Golden Core Cultivators exchanged a look and, ignoring him, resumed their discussion about their next move.

However, after some discussion, they found themselves at a loss, clearly having no solution for the Spiritual Boat. Even if the vessel lacked a Counterattack Array and only had a Protective Array, they would be helpless the moment their targets retreated inside. All they could do was stare.

”Forget it!”

”For now, all we can do is wait for an opportunity...”

After a moment, this was the only helpless conclusion they could reach.

Their gazes toward Dan Kongzi, however, held a faint trace of displeasure. ’If only he were willing to make a move,’ they thought, ’we wouldn’t have this much trouble. We might even be able to shatter the Spiritual Boat’s defenses.’

...

...

’Sure enough, it’s just as I guessed!’

On the Spiritual Boat, Chen Che sat in his private corner. He let out a long sigh and slowly lifted his gaze.

The Chaotic Sea Region before him was unchanged from the day they arrived; the storm hadn’t lessened at all. The only difference was that the two factions of cultivators who had been at war that day had now entered this stretch of sea as well.

In the downpour, these cultivators darted through the water, each displaying their own Divine Abilities as they hunted the Aquatic Race.

Some were fishing with rods, some cast nets, some worked in pairs or trios, and others dived into the sea, creating a rather lively scene. In comparison, the cultivators from Jinyun Valley were rather clumsy when it came to fishing.

This was only normal, however. Waterfront cultivators made their living by fishing and were thus masters of the trade.

Withdrawing his gaze, Chen Che toyed with the Communication Wrist Wheel in his hand.

「Three days ago.」

After he passed on the task of investigating the Yu Family to Xiao Chan, Xiao Chan had immediately paid a visit to the Celestial Secret Tower.

But the Celestial Secret Tower, which claimed to be able to gather all information under the heavens, knew little in detail about this nearly-secluded race. What they did know was mostly information the Yu Race had allowed to become public.

For instance, the number of their registered Golden Core, Foundation Establishment, and Qi Refining Cultivators.

The fundamental reason, of course, was that for the past two centuries, the Yu Race had confined themselves to their territory on Chongxuan Mountain in Celestial State. They rarely ventured out in large numbers, and outsiders were never permitted to enter.

Although there was a good deal of information, not much of it was useful. Most of it consisted of reports about members of the Yu Race slaying Demon Beasts in various locations or dying in accidents.

However, three things were worth mentioning.

First, in the last two centuries, the Yu Clan had lost a total of three Golden Core Cultivators in various incidents. Two vanished, their bodies never found, and one was publicly slain in Faqian City. The perpetrator remains unknown. The Yu Clan even posted a bounty in the Slaughter Tower, but the culprit has never been apprehended.

Second:

The Yu Race experienced an internal conflict twenty years ago. When Yu Yunko vied for the position of clan leader, some in the clan objected. Two Foundation Establishment Great Perfection Cultivators, feeling they had been treated unjustly, defected from the clan. Their current whereabouts are unknown.

They were sighted in Faqian City, and it’s suspected they have since achieved Core Formation.

Third: During the Star-Picking Sect’s civil war, a cadet branch of the Yu Race escaped the turmoil and settled in Chi State.

’The Yu Family of Chi State... Yu Sihai?’

Chen Che raised an eyebrow.

’Still, that’s normal enough. It’s common for cadet branches of large clans to break away to escape calamity. These two lines probably haven’t been in contact for centuries. The Yu Family in Chi State might not even remember their original ancestors.’

”The Yu Race’s foundations truly run deep. Any other clan would have collapsed long ago after suffering so many misfortunes in just two centuries, but they’ve managed to endure. They can barely fend for themselves at this point, so we should maintain a respectful distance. After all, our positions are different. It’s best to avoid contact and not risk inviting a fatal disaster upon ourselves.”

Meng Qianxun, who was seated nearby, didn’t change his earlier opinion after hearing Chen Che’s account of the Yu Race.

”If we need something from them in the future, we can discuss cooperation then.”

Then he casually asked, ”How has Xiao Chan been recently?”

”He’s not in a great situation,” Chen Che said, shaking his head. ”He can’t get away at the moment. Two Golden Core Cultivators from the Primordial Sect are shadowing his every move, following him wherever he goes. The only good thing is that since they’re still in Faqian City, his pursuers don’t dare to act recklessly.”

”However, I’ve already told him to focus on his Cultivation in Faqian City and not to worry about things on our end. When the Ye Race was destroyed, he made off with a large amount of Spirit Stones and Magical Artifacts, enough to last him in Faqian City for a good while.”

”The only problem right now is getting the Wangxian Pill into his hands.”

Meng Qianxun nodded slightly, thinking it a pity they would be without such a powerful ally.

After learning that Golden Core Cultivators from the Duobao Sect had arrived in the Black Tortoise Calm Sea, they had immediately returned to the Spiritual Boat to take precautions. They also began secretly screening all the other cultivators in the area. Unfortunately, after several days of searching, they had found nothing out of the ordinary.

”Could it be that Yu Yunko was just being an alarmist?”

Meng Changtu looked up.

He had just scanned the passing cultivators with his Divine Sense once more but still found nothing amiss.

”Better to be safe than sorry.”

The old man said slowly:

”There are simply too many concealment arts in this world, and no shortage of methods to evade Divine Sense. If we can’t find them, it means these people either possess a secret treasure that hides their presence, or their Cultivation Realms are higher than our own.”

”We wouldn’t fear the former. It is the latter that is to be feared.”

Meng Qianxun couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.

Chen Che remained silent, his gaze fixed on the vast expanse of the Black Tortoise Calm Sea, deep in thought.