Chapter 515 - 484: Resources of the Three States

Chapter 515: Chapter 484: Resources of the Three States

A sliver of dawn broke on the horizon—the sun of a new day. Unfortunately, Gu Tongyang wouldn’t live to see it.

The wind blew harder!

Howling!

Ding Haochuan’s scalp tingled with fear, but the fierce wind snapped him back to his senses.

"Capture Chen Che! It’s our only way out!"

His words jolted the other Golden Core Cultivators, who had been terrified by the scene before them.

The situation was clear: their opponents had come prepared. Everyone had witnessed Chen Che’s strength, and he was clearly the core of their group. If they could somehow capture him, they might be able to use him as a hostage to break through the encirclement.

It was the riskiest course of action, but also their only chance.

Without a moment’s hesitation, four nearby Golden Core Cultivators charged toward Chen Che.

These were the same four cultivators who had stood with Gu Tongyang, ready to flee. Three of them actually practiced the same Cultivation Technique. As they flew, a surging fog erupted from them, instantly blanketing the area.

Countless ice crystals even glinted within the fog.

Clearly, this was some kind of joint-attack technique.

Chen Che glanced at Ding Haochuan, his eyes narrowing.

At that moment, the three Golden Core Cultivators shrouded in icy fog reached Chen Che. They raised their hands in unison and formed a Seal Technique. Their movements were like mirror images, perfectly identical.

SHIIING—

The icy fog surged and suddenly coalesced into a tangible, massive net. Imbued with the True Essence from the three Golden Core Cultivators’ centuries of hard cultivation, it was powerful enough to seal anything in existence. As the net descended, it seemed to slice through the very air.

Meanwhile, the fourth Golden Core Cultivator waved his sleeve, unleashing seven skulls. The moment they appeared, they multiplied—one became two, two became four—and in the blink of an eye, the sky was filled with skulls. They descended on Chen Che in coordination with the Ice Net.

As the skulls flew, their jaws opened to release an endless, piercing wail.

The intangible wails materialized into visible soundwaves that swept out in all directions. The Qi Refining Cultivators on the field were instantly killed, their internal organs shattered and blood pouring from their seven orifices as they collapsed.

"Valley Master Chen, be careful!"

Lei Boyu and the others couldn’t help but cry out in alarm.

The attack was several times more ferocious than Gu Tongyang’s, yet Chen Xi and Xiao Chan merely smiled with disdain. The surrounding Evil Cultivators’ eyes widened, a flicker of hope in their depths.

However, Chen Che simply pressed down with one hand.

WHOOSH—

In an instant, a sky full of Flying Swords tore through the Ice Net. The terrifying, wailing skulls seemed to be struck by lightning, all exploding at once. Then, trailing a brilliant silver light, the Flying Swords met the three Golden Core Cultivators who were charging forward in a desperate frenzy.

A series of tearing sounds erupted. The four cultivators’ bodies, like straw huts in a hurricane, were shredded in a single moment. The Flying Swords burst through the shower of blood and, with no loss of momentum, embedded themselves deep into the ground, leaving bottomless holes.

Blood seeped out from the sword holes...

Ding Haochuan, who had just been clinging to a sliver of hope, turned deathly pale and collapsed to his knees.

...

「The sun rose in the east—」

Aside from the initial resistance, the deaths of Gu Tongyang and the four counter-attacking Golden Core Cultivators had completely shattered the Evil Cultivators’ morale. With no Golden Core Cultivators to shield them, all that awaited them was a one-sided slaughter.

The morning sun dispersed the thin mist clinging to the mountains, revealing rivers of blood that had pooled on the ground.

Chen Che sat atop the peak, looking down over the entire battlefield.

Several corpses lay at their feet. Of the thirteen Golden Core Cultivators Du Yikang had summoned, not a single one had escaped alive. Lei Boyu and Lu Ping’an led the Foundation Establishment Cultivators through the fields of bodies.

As they passed each corpse, they made sure to stab it a few times in its vitals—this was to prevent any Evil Cultivators from surviving by playing dead.

Any Evil Cultivators who realized they couldn’t feign death and tried to flee were immediately swarmed by the others, falling to the ground with a scream before they could take more than a few steps. Then, other cultivators would toss the bodies into a fiercely burning bonfire.

Besides Lu Ping’an, several Ghost Cultivators followed behind him, using special Jade Bottles to absorb the Evil Qi and Resentment Qi permeating the area—

This was to prevent the lingering souls of these Evil Cultivators from using the Evil Qi to become Ghost Cultivators and come back to cause trouble.

Without the nourishment of Evil Qi, even if some remnant souls survived, they wouldn’t be able to last under the blazing sun.

"Gather the ashes. We can still use them to forge Weapons,"

Yu Qian shouted loudly as he stood before the fire.

Ding Haochuan knelt on the ground, trembling, not daring to lift his head. Chen Che’s silent, unwavering stare made his blood run cold.

"Found it!"

Just then, a cry rang out. Xiao Chan and Chen Xi appeared, using their True Essence to carry thousands of boxes, and landed swiftly at the foot of the mountain.

Only then did Chen Che look up.

The boxes were all made of bronze, each one exquisitely crafted and covered with the Sealing Runes of the Star-Picking Sect. For a Golden Core Cultivator, however, these Sealing Runes were trivial.

Xiao Chan casually slapped a box, crushing the rune, and opened it to reveal neatly arranged Spirit Stones.

A single box held nearly ten thousand Spirit Stones.

Chen Che opened a box as well. The one before him was filled with neatly stacked Jade Bottles. He uncorked one, and several round Pills rolled out, each emitting a refreshing fragrance.

The others also opened the boxes before them. Inside, besides Pills and Spirit Stones, there were also large quantities of Secret Manuals, Cultivation Techniques, Ores, and Spirit Grass.

There were even many Spiritual Artifacts and Magical Artifacts.

Everything was sorted by category. There was nothing Tier One; most items were Tier Two or even Tier Three. Clearly, these goods had already been sorted once before.

Lu Yuntian opened a box, and a searing wave of heat rushed out, making it feel as if one were standing before a furnace. Inside lay several stones. They were translucent like amber, and a spark of what looked like starlight seemed to dance in their centers.

"It’s Tier Four Starfire Stone!"

Chen Che’s eyes lit up.

His first contact with the Yu Family of Chi State had been over Starfire Stones. A single infant-fist-sized Starfire Stone was worth twenty thousand Spirit Stones. This box contained at least ten of them, each as large as a washbasin, making their value several times greater.

Several nearby boxes were also filled with Starfire Stones.

"I fear all the Spirit Stones, minerals, and Materials from the Three States are here. Still, it’s less than I expected..."

Meng Qianxun said after taking a quick inventory, then turned to look at the kneeling Ding Haochuan.

"This is all of it... After all, the Star-Picking Sect wasn’t the only one involved in the looting. There were other cultivators fishing in troubled waters. Besides them, some families moved their entire clans as soon as they heard the Star-Picking Sect was coming."

"Originally, they planned to conquer Celestial Ghost City and then transport these goods back to the Star-Picking Sect. But after their earlier defeat, they hid everything here on Three Rivers Peak. I offer them to Valley Master Chen..."

Ding Haochuan stammered, his head pressed to the ground in a posture of complete submission.

"I could have found them without you telling me."

Chen Che glanced at him.

He had been about to stomp Ding Haochuan to death earlier, but the man claimed to have a shocking secret to reveal, which was the only reason he was still alive.

Seeing the killing intent in Chen Che’s eyes had not faded, Ding Haochuan began kowtowing frantically. "Valley Master Chen, Senior, please spare my life! I know another shocking secret! A group of the Star-Picking Sect’s elites will be arriving soon. The cultivators here were waiting for them before attacking Celestial Ghost City!"

"I already knew about that."

Chen Che turned to Xiao Chan. "He’s all yours..."

A simple death would be too merciful. The Soul-Calling Banner was his most fitting destination.

Ding Haochuan nearly collapsed. Xiao Chan dragged him into the mountains and flew back out just three breaths later. The black aura swirling around the Soul-Calling Banner on his back, however, had grown a little thicker.

"Our work here is done. Let’s head back to Celestial Ghost City and discuss what to do next," Meng Qianxun said, closing one of the Bronze Boxes.

The Little Chick on Chen Che’s shoulder, which had been busy preening its feathers, suddenly let out a loud, sharp cry filled with alarm. The cultivators from Celestial Ghost City immediately drew their weapons, their gazes fixed warily on the sky.

Chen Che narrowed his eyes and shook his head.

"Looks like we won’t need to."