Two Realms: I Will Become the Immortal Emperor

Another seven or eight days passed in a flash.

During this time, he completely absorbed the residual power from the Spiritual Spring, making sure none of it went to waste. At the same time, he kept his Divine Sense extended. Only after confirming once more that no pursuers were on their way did Chen Che finally leave the mortal dynasty with Zhou Lian.

The streets were bustling with people, but there were no Cultivators in sight. Occasionally, they would pass a Martial Artist or two carrying weapons, within whom he could sense a faint, almost imperceptible flow of True Essence.

'He wondered how many hands their Cultivation Techniques had passed through, and how many times they had been fragmented along the way.'

Perhaps.

'One day, when these mortal Martial Artists reached their limits, they would be shocked to discover that Immortals still existed in this world. Perhaps they too would then embark on the path to seek immortality—either by accidentally pushing open the gate to Cultivation, or by becoming nameless corpses on the road to finding the Immortals.'

About four or five days later, they met up with the Little Chick on the road. Chen Che hadn't seen it in over a month, and its molted feathers had all grown back, making it look particularly spirited. The occasional shimmer of light that flowed across its plumage was the only hint of just how extraordinary its feathers were.

The two of them and the bird then hurried back to Jinyun Valley.

"Valley Master!"

Upon learning of Chen Che's return, Hu Yao had immediately rushed over.

"Hm? And this child is...?"

Hu Yao looked at Zhou Lian, surprised.

"Greetings, Senior," Zhou Lian said, bowing hastily.

'He was incredibly intelligent and clearly understood that this valley was Chen Che's territory. Although it might not be as vast as Faqian City, there were no Evil Cultivators. The streets were clean and orderly, and Cultivators and mortals coexisted peacefully. It was practically a Peach Blossom Spring.'

"His name is Zhou Lian. He has a High Grade Spiritual Root, and his parents passed away long ago," Chen Che said casually. "I took a liking to him, so I brought him back. From now on, he'll be like the other disciples and will cultivate here in the Valley."

Hu Yao wasn't surprised by this.

Clans and sects all had the custom of traveling to seek opportunities. If they encountered a promising young Cultivator on their journey, they would bring them back. Some sects even established the specific position of 'Hero-Seeking Envoy,' dedicated solely to finding "immortal sprouts" with extremely high aptitude and comprehension.

He secretly marveled at the boy's good fortune in catching Chen Che's eye.

At the same time, he felt a sense of empathy for Zhou Lian's origins, seeing a reflection of his past self being brought back to the Valley by Lu Yi.

"Have you taken a master yet?"

"...No."

Hu Yao nodded slightly. "I intend to take you as my disciple. Are you willing?"

"Greetings, Master."

Overjoyed, Zhou Lian quickly knelt and kowtowed three times, his forehead hitting the floor with heavy thuds.

"Although I am the Vice Valley Master, you will not receive many special privileges as my disciple. However, you must remember one thing: be loyal to Jinyun Valley. If you ever harbor the slightest thought of betrayal, I will personally ensure you are utterly destroyed," Hu Yao declared.

Although he said this, the status of being the Vice Valley Master's disciple would naturally place him above others.

"I dare not forget," Zhou Lian replied without hesitation, still kneeling on the floor.

Hu Yao instructed, "Go wait outside the hall for now. The Valley Master and I have matters to discuss."

"Yes, Master! Valley Master, this disciple takes his leave!"

Zhou Lian stood up, bowed deeply, and then exited the main hall.

"To take him as a disciple so rashly... aren't you afraid he has ill intentions?" Chen Che asked with a light laugh, holding his teacup.

"If my judgment of someone brought back by the Valley Master is wrong, I'll accept the consequences."

Hu Yao grinned, then handed over two letters covered in runes.

The two letters were from Meng Changtu and Xiao Chan, respectively.

In his letter, Meng Changtu stated that his Blood Python Queen Bee had successfully reached Core Formation. He also jokingly reminded Chen Che to prepare a generous gift and come to the Meng Family for a small gathering in seven days.

"...I missed it."

Chen Che's eyebrow twitched.

The letter was dated a month and a half ago, just two days after he had left Jinyun Valley, which meant he had obviously missed the gathering. Still, he did need to make a trip to the Meng Family.

'Not only had he failed to identify the bloodline of Bai Shibao's Silver Flood Dragon, but the creature had even rejected his attempts to communicate with it. If even Meng Changtu couldn't handle it, then he might as well just stew it into Jiao Soup.'

The other letter was from Xiao Chan, written seven days ago.

Xiao Chan wrote that he was preparing for a trip to Faqian City and wanted to invite Chen Che to travel with him. However, after waiting in the Valley for several days without any sign of him, he happened to hear about the incident with the Little Chick and guessed that Chen Che might have clashed with a Golden Core cultivator.

He had therefore left a letter, telling Chen Che to let him know if he ran into any trouble, and adding that by the time he returned, he too would have reached Core Formation.

'He's a loyal one...'

Chen Che couldn't help but click his tongue in thought.

'Who would have thought that after helping Xiao Chan just once back when he himself was still on shaky ground, the man would remember it so vividly?'

'No matter the problem, all he had to do was say the word. Even when facing a Golden Core expert, Xiao Chan didn't back down and instead offered his help. In this world of deceit and treachery, finding a fellow cultivator who returned sincerity with sincerity...'

'Even in his previous, materialistic life, friends who would go through hell and back for you were already exceedingly rare.'

Besides these,

There were also a dozen or so Jade Scrolls, most of which recorded the events of the one or two months he had been away.

Chen Che swept his Divine Sense over them, and all the information instantly flooded his mind.

In the short span of one or two months, Jinyun Valley hadn't undergone any major changes. The Market was thriving as usual, and the Cultivators were all training diligently. Thanks to this stable environment, several of the subordinate families had seen members successfully achieve Foundation Establishment one after another.

The moment they succeeded, they came to Jinyun Valley to report.

Additionally, the Lu Family and Shuzhou had both sent a batch of items of faith. This had been agreed upon long ago and needed no further detail. What was worth mentioning, however, was Chen Xi and the 'Peach Blossom Spring Plan' he was executing in Shuzhou.

The once-unified Great Chen Dynasty had now completely fractured, with warlords and feudal lords carving out their own territories.

Demons and evil beings seized the opportunity to rise, plunging the populace into misery. The mortals' cries to heaven went unanswered, their pleas to the earth unheard. Chen Xi, however, took this opportunity to walk the Mortal World and spread his faith. Though this method was slow, it yielded a greater number of fanatical believers.

'Farming mortals like livestock...'

The thought surfaced in Chen Che's mind as he read this report.

However, this was simply the way of Cultivation for Divine Dao Cultivators, so Chen Che passed no judgment. 'But if you accept the cause from mortals, you must bear the karmic effect. Perhaps it is the Celestial Dao's punishment for Divine Dao Cultivators who toy with the lives of mortals that their Divine Souls will one day be eroded by the collective consciousness of those very same people...'

As for Lu Ping'an, he was still lingering in Shuzhou.

In the current chaotic state of the Mortal World, the ever-present Chaotic Burial Mounds were, for him, no less than a Grotto Heaven Blessed Land for other Cultivators.

As for matters within the Valley, it was mostly about the disciples' Cultivation progress and business dealings with other factions.

Several of these business deals had been introduced by Xing Lin.

The clients were the other two Pill Masters discovered in the Han Family's catacombs back then. Xing Lin had been corresponding with them over the past few years, and their communications had become especially frequent after Chen Che achieved Core Formation.

This gave Chen Che the feeling that they were trying to cozy up to him.

But he passed no judgment on this either.

'Fawning on the powerful and trampling the weak was, after all, simply the way of the world.'

As for everything else, the Market and the Ghost Market hadn't changed much.

After all, for a Cultivator, one or two months was too short a time to see any real change. But for the mortals outside the Valley, their lives had changed dramatically. And because Jinyun Valley's gates were now open, more and more of them were coming into contact with Cultivation.

"I understand."

Chen Che nodded slightly.

Hu Yao bowed and turned to leave. As he stepped out of the main hall, he saw Zhou Lian waiting with an expectant look on his face.

"Ma-Master..."

"Come, I'll show you around Jinyun Valley."

Looking at his new disciple, Hu Yao nodded in satisfaction.

...

After sending Hu Yao off, Chen Che clasped his hands behind his back and slowly walked out of the main hall.

The number of disciples in the Valley was growing, and its various administrative departments were constantly being improved. Its fundamental strength was also increasing at a visible rate.

Thanks to the supply of Pills,

Hu Yao's Cultivation Realm had risen to the Foundation Establishment Third Layer, and both Rong Zhongxuan and Rong Shisan had also improved. Even Lu Qinglian, whose path of Cultivation had seemed to be at its end, had advanced two minor realms in just a few short years and was now faintly touching the threshold of Core Formation.

Even Li Changqing had made some progress. He seemed to have understood Chen Che's intentions and was no longer pursuing reckless, rapid advancement. Instead, he was taking it one step at a time, steadily practicing his Talisman Making. Apart from teaching disciples, he spent most of his time studying Talisman Books.

As for Zhao Deyou, he had gradually receded into a secondary role. His Cultivation Realm and Alchemy Skill could no longer keep up, and some of the more brilliant disciples were already on par with him. Fortunately, Zhao Changping was already showing the potential to take his place.

Of course, Chen Che wouldn't directly install him as the Chief of the Pill Hall. Instead, he would give every disciple in the Valley a fair chance to compete for the position based on their Cultivation Realm and level of Alchemy Skill.

Only by letting the most capable rise to the top could a faction be maintained at its peak of prosperous development.

During this period, Jinyun Valley had been expanded several times and was far more prosperous than before.

Past one magnificent palace after another, Chen Che crossed the square with huge strides. The disciples in the Valley remained engrossed in their Cultivation, seemingly completely unaware of his presence.

The original Forging Hall had also grown to several times its previous size.

Liang Yuan was draped in a robe, his frame appearing even larger than before. With sharply defined muscles, a lean waist, and powerful arms, he looked every bit a Body Cultivator as he examined some Casting Materials brought by a disciple.

Noticing Chen Che's arrival, he quickly set the Materials aside, cupped his fists, and called out:

"Greetings, Valley Master."

"That physique of yours..."

Chen Che glanced at him, sensing the surging Qi and Blood within his body, which now far surpassed his True Essence.

"Reporting to the Valley Master, I found a few Body Refining Techniques in the Scripture Pavilion. I tried cultivating them in my spare time and, to my surprise, made significant progress," Liang Yuan answered truthfully.

"Oh?"

Chen Che was slightly surprised. It seemed the man's aptitude for Body Refining far surpassed his aptitude for standard Cultivation.

Then again, that wasn't so strange.

There would always be exceptionally talented people who possessed multiple unique aptitudes. It was just a fact of life.

"Chief Liang, what is the current level of your Artifact Casting?" Chen Che asked, raising an eyebrow.

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