Chapter 533 - 502: The Primordial Sect Ablaze with War

Chapter 533: Chapter 502: The Primordial Sect Ablaze with War

An absolutely wonderful surprise!

Occasionally, Human Race Cultivators were born with mutated Spiritual Roots: thunder, wind, ice, light... unique attributes derived from the Five Elements. Such traits were mostly Innate. As for acquiring them later in life, the chances were infinitesimally small.

The same was true for Demon Beasts and Tree Demons.

However, possessing such a unique attribute meant one’s strength would undergo a qualitative leap.

In the natural world, it was already extremely rare for a living being to be struck by Celestial Thunder and survive. To then awaken a unique attribute was rarer still.

That was why Chen Che had called this a good thing.

’But its Divine Sense... it doesn’t seem to recognize me anymore...’

Chen Che carefully sensed it. The revived Willow Tree Demon’s Divine Sense was incredibly weak, like that of a newborn creature.

Moreover, it felt a sense of unfamiliarity toward him.

After all, he was the one who had brought this Willow Tree Demon back from True Master Chixia’s Cave Mansion all those years ago.

"This situation..."

Liu Yuanqing circled the Willow Tree Demon a few times before speculating, "It’s highly likely that the Willow Tree Demon’s original Divine Sense perished during the Celestial Tribulation. This wisp of consciousness was born from its shattered body, or perhaps from a remnant of its soul."

Just as Liu Yuanqing was wondering how to explain this situation to Chen Che, Chen Che clapped his hands. "I understand."

The situation was, in fact, quite complex.

To put it simply, the Divine Soul wasn’t completely destroyed. A remnant of it managed to repair itself through some fortuitous coincidence. In the Willow Tree Demon’s case, it had likely used the power of the tribulation’s lightning. Generally speaking, however, the probability of this happening was even lower than possession.

But no matter how you looked at it, this wasn’t a bad thing.

Furthermore, because its shattered body and Divine Soul had been repaired within the Thunder Essence, its Cultivation speed would be several times faster than before. It might not be long before it returned to its peak, or even surpassed it by another layer.

’I must protect it with the utmost care.’

Gazing at the Willow Tree Demon, Chen Che mentally raised its importance by several levels.

After all, this was a future existence at the Nascent Soul Realm, at the very least.

The newborn Willow Tree Demon was still very weak. If it were to die prematurely, the loss would be immense.

...

Over the next month, Jinyun Valley sorted out all its miscellaneous affairs.

First, the Cultivators who had followed them from Celestial Ghost City were assigned to various territories under Jinyun Valley’s jurisdiction. Since the land was distributed by drawing lots and private trades were permitted, the transition went smoothly.

Most people got the territory they desired.

A few unlucky souls drew resource-poor areas, but they could only blame their bad luck.

Meanwhile, the Lei and Huang Families, who had been privately taken care of, received the best territories of all.

Second, the distribution of rewards and compensation funds for the Celestial Ghost City campaign was completed.

Although the dead could not be brought back to life, the large amount of Spirit Stones helped to ease the grief of the bereaved.

Of course, the biggest winners were the Cultivators who had returned alive. The resources they had earned from the two battles were substantial.

Under normal circumstances, accumulating such wealth would have taken at least four or five hundred years.

Having obtained it all at once, it was foreseeable that these families would soon experience a massive surge in power.

This made the Cultivators who couldn’t participate because their Cultivation was too low green with envy.

Third, a rumor spread that Liu Yuanqing of the Liu Family had earned Valley Master Chen’s favor. He was frequently seen entering and leaving the back mountain and had even been allowed to choose a Cultivation Technique from the sixth floor of the Library Pavilion.

This made many of the vassal families incredibly envious of him.

He had caught the Valley Master’s eye! The Liu Family was destined to soar to new heights!

When everyone learned this was due to his skill with Spirit Plants, many began to consider whether they, too, should learn a trade to secure their future.

...

However, these were only the matters on the surface.

In reality, the entire Primordial Sect was in a volatile state, and beneath the surface, a dark tide was surging.

First, the Primordial Sect had lost Celestial Ghost Ridge, forfeiting its natural defensive barrier. Large numbers of Star-Picking Sect Cultivators used it as a base to freely enter and plunder the sect’s heartland. On top of that, Evil Cultivator uprisings were breaking out across the Primordial Sect’s territories.

Clearly, this was all Gongyang Shuo’s doing.

He had previously hidden within the Primordial Sect’s domain as an Evil Cultivator and a Loose Cultivator, even taking the lead in establishing the Ten Thousand Gods Sect. Although Chen Che had uprooted the Ten Thousand Gods Sect, Gongyang Shuo had incited far too many other Evil Cultivator organizations, and they were popping up everywhere.

For a time, both the Mortal World and the Cultivation Clans were heavily impacted.

The Cultivation Clans could still flee, but for ordinary people, the scene was like a natural disaster. For a time, the land was scorched for thousands of miles, devoid of all human and animal life.

But that wasn’t even the worst of it. The biggest event to occur recently was, without a doubt, when the Star-Picking Sect’s Right Protector, Jiang Shaotian, led a group of Cultivators and fought his way to within a hundred miles of Primordial City.

Then, in full view of everyone, he hunted down and killed a fleeing Golden Core Cultivator before swaggering away.

Beyond that, there were thirteen separate raids on various territories under the Primordial Sect’s control. All but one of the targeted groups were completely annihilated; only one managed to escape.

Some rumors claimed the mastermind was the Mist Rain Tower, while others said it was the Celestial Spirit Palace.

The Celestial Spirit Palace was another Golden Core Influence bordering the Primordial Sect. It was weaker than the Primordial Sect, the Star-Picking Sect, and the Mist Rain Tower, with only six provinces under its jurisdiction. In the past, it had always maintained a humble posture before the Major Sects.

But in a time of war, information was a mix of truth and lies, and sources were unreliable.

The Star-Picking Sect alone was already giving the Primordial Sect a massive headache. Now, two more major Golden Core powers had stepped forward, looking poised to carve up the Primordial Sect completely. It was utterly demoralizing.

...

’They fought their way right to our doorstep, and still no response? Is the Primordial Sect just going to hide in its shell like a turtle?’

After learning of this, Chen Che immediately investigated the aftermath. Unfortunately, the result was deeply disappointing.

Perhaps the only counterattack was to exterminate the Evil Cultivators popping up everywhere. As for the main forces of the Star-Picking Sect, the Primordial Sect didn’t dare to touch them in the slightest. They had clearly resigned themselves to a position of absolute disadvantage.

Chen Che knew exactly why the situation had become so difficult.

It was because there was still no news from the Primordial Sect Leader. Whether his breakthrough was a success or a failure, whether he was alive or dead—no one on the outside knew. Under these circumstances, the Primordial Sect’s remaining Golden Core Cultivators lacked the strength to resist the pressure from the three major powers.

Of course, the consequences of this inaction were severe. Turmoil had already erupted within Primordial City. All the Cultivators seemed to be holding in a breath of frustration, and conflicts repeatedly broke out in the city, where martial combat had supposedly been forbidden.

Even members of the City Defense Army had been killed.

This, naturally, drew the attention of the Xingtang Hall.

The Chief of Xingtang Hall, Chen Jiyuan, personally led a team to capture the group of Cultivators and executed their entire clans, which finally calmed the city. However, Chen Che knew this was merely drinking poison to quench a thirst.

Although Jinyun Valley was quite far from the Primordial Sect’s main headquarters, it was still affected.

Many Evil Cultivators were gradually spreading toward Jinyun Valley’s territory. Fortunately, Chen Che had made a name for himself in the battle at Celestial Ghost Ridge, so these Evil Cultivators didn’t dare enter the lands under his jurisdiction. But it was foreseeable that once the number of Evil Cultivators reached a certain point and someone stepped up to lead them, Jinyun Valley would also be unable to escape the flames of war.

’Sigh... Is the Primordial Sect on the verge of collapse?’

Chen Che rubbed the bridge of his nose, a helpless expression on his face.

Unfortunately, he had no way of getting information about the Sect Leader and was completely in the dark.

This left him unable to decide on his next course of action.

’Forget it. I’ll focus on managing my own territory for now.’

Chen Che tapped his fingers on the table.

As long as the Primordial Sect didn’t fall, he wouldn’t make a rash choice. Otherwise, if something unexpected happened, the consequences would be difficult to handle.

...

Following this, an order was issued from within Jinyun Valley.

War was raging throughout the Primordial Sect’s domain, and there was a risk of it spreading to Jinyun Valley’s territory.

All subordinate vassal families had the duty and obligation to eradicate Evil Cultivators.

Any discovery of Evil Cultivators must be reported immediately. Those who concealed their presence would be treated as accomplices. All families were also encouraged to take the initiative and eliminate nearby Evil Cultivators. If any family or a territory’s Cultivators were attacked, others were expected to provide mutual aid.

All resources obtained from these efforts would belong to those who earned them.

For every Qi Refining Evil Cultivator killed, a reward of five hundred Spirit Stones would be given.

For every Foundation Establishment Evil Cultivator killed, a reward of five thousand Spirit Stones would be given.

As soon as this news was released, all the families under Jinyun Valley’s jurisdiction eagerly accepted the order.

Additionally, another secret letter was dispatched from Jinyun Valley at the same time, arriving in the hands of Zhao Changping on Jinghai Island Reef three days later.

...