Chapter 289 - 261: Readying the Troops and Steeds, Earth Store Profound Tree

Chapter 289: Chapter 261: Readying the Troops and Steeds, Earth Store Profound Tree

Jinyun Valley, Council Hall.

"Thousand Eyes and Chen Yin have left. They’ve probably returned to Hunzhou."

Meng Changtu was the last to enter. After closing the main doors, he made sure to cast a Silent Barrier. Besides those who had participated in the Marsh Forest incident, only Meng Qianxun was present. The matter of True Master Chilong’s inheritance was too important to be spread any further.

"Mm."

Meng Qianxun toyed with the Jade Scroll in his hand before slowly raising his head. "It’s identical to the Cultivation Technique you all acquired, but it’s only a part of it. And even this part is incomplete—barely twenty percent, I’d say."

Chen Che glanced over from the corner of his eye. The members of the Meng Family all had their heads lowered, their expressions complicated. They clearly hadn’t expected Thousand Eyes to pull a move like this. They had all secretly obtained the Cultivation Technique already, but they never imagined Thousand Eyes would offer it as payment for becoming a Tributor.

No one asked why they had no choice but to agree.

When the other party offered such a price, it meant the Meng Family only had one option.

It was Meng Changtu who spoke, his brow furrowed with worry.

"Father, for Thousand Eyes to invite you to be a Tributor at this time, I’m afraid he’s in desperate need of manpower. And he doesn’t just want you; he wants the entire Meng Family."

"What other choice is there?"

Meng Qianxun, however, was more philosophical about it, letting out a soft laugh.

"Surviving while caught between giants has never been easy. We have been cultivating for so long; surely we understand this principle? As long as you are weaker than your situation dictates, you are bound to become the fish on another’s chopping block. I am at Foundation Establishment; he is at Golden Core. Besides...

"Things haven’t reached their worst point yet. Perhaps there will be a turnaround in the future."

"Right, Grandson-in-law?"

Meng Qianxun looked over with a smile.

"That’s right."

Chen Che nodded. They were, after all, Tributors—a far better position than that of a Household Slave to the Great Chen Royal Family.

"A turnaround isn’t impossible."

What kind of turnaround?

Reaching Core Formation, of course.

Thousand Eyes using a Cultivation Technique as a promise might not seem very clever, but in this world, it was naturally effective. Any other family would probably be eager to tear out their own hearts just to show their sincerity.

But for them—and especially for Chen Che—it was utterly useless.

A student of Zhurong Daoist School needing someone else’s protection to achieve Core Formation?

"In my opinion, Thousand Eyes is preparing for war, but he can’t win with just the Great Chen Royal Family. That’s why he chose to recruit the Meng Family. In the coming days, the Meng Family must prepare..."

Chen Che said.

The Primordial Sect once issued a decree: throughout its Sixteen States, attacks by a higher realm against a lower one were strictly forbidden.

This meant that in the attack on Shuzhou, Thousand Eyes could not personally take action.

The reason was obvious if one thought about it.

The methods of a Golden Core True Master were terrifying. If they weren’t restrained, within a few years, the territories under the Primordial Sect’s rule would face a shortage of new talent, and perhaps most of the Foundation Establishment Influences would be wiped out completely.

But for hostile families of the same level, there were naturally no such concerns.

Everyone nodded in agreement upon hearing this, because Beast Masters possessed Spirit Pets, making their strength far greater than that of ordinary Cultivators.

"It’s not necessarily a bad thing. We can just treat it as military practice. The Meng Family isn’t the main force. We can just follow the Great Chen Royal Family and throw a few half-hearted punches, and even earn some Cultivation resources. The Meng Family has been too comfortable these past years anyway. It’s a good chance to drag those young whelps to Hunzhou and let them see some blood.

"But when the time comes, Grandson-in-law, you’ll still have to provide us with some Pills."

Seeing Chen Che nod, Meng Qianxun finally smiled and rose to his feet.

"Our business here is concluded. We’ll meet again."

With that said, he flicked his sleeve, transformed into an Escape Light, and flew toward Fuyun Mountain.

The members of the Meng Family followed close behind, each departing in turn.

Indeed.

Just as Chen Che had thought, less than seven days after the ceremony ended, Thousand Eyes True Master sent a mobilization order to the Meng Family, demanding they dispatch half their combat strength to Hunzhou to assist the Great Chen Royal Family in attacking Shuzhou.

Of course, Jinyun Valley was not spared either.

After much consideration, Chen Che assigned quotas to the various vassal families. Each family had to send their strongest combatants. Those in the Qi Refining Realm would receive five hundred Spirit Stones each, while those in the Foundation Establishment Realm would receive one thousand. All spoils from the battlefield would belong to the individual.

In addition, thirty percent of the disciples from within the Valley and seventy percent from the Sacrificial Hall were conscripted, led by two Foundation Establishment Cultivators, Hu Yao and Rong Zhongxuan.

Before their departure, Chen Che told Hu Yao that it was fine to just go through the motions. If the situation turned sour, they should run. They shouldn’t be so stubborn as to get themselves killed for Thousand Eyes.

On this point, Jinyun Valley and the Meng Family were in complete agreement.

Of course, if they were ever unsure of what to do, they could go directly to Meng Qianxun or Meng Changtu.

Liang Yuan had originally wanted to join the battle as well, but Chen Che made him stay. The Forging Hall couldn’t do without him.

However, much to Chen Che’s surprise, Lu Ping’an actually volunteered to go.

"You?"

Gazing at Lu Ping’an, who still maintained the aged appearance he had before his death, Chen Che couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

He wore a black robe, and both the Bone Chain hanging on his chest and the White Bone Staff in his hand were Magical Artifacts that Lu Qinglian had scrounged up for him from auctions and the Ghost Market to nourish his Soul Body.

Although he was already at the Qi Refining Second Layer, he still couldn’t survive for long under the sun.

Even a single random spell could turn him to ash.

"Reporting to the Valley Master..."

Lu Ping’an cupped his hands respectfully. "Previously, my body was weak and sickly, and I was unable to leave the valley. Now, I have become a Ghost Cultivator and shed my mortal coil. With Jinyun Valley going to war, I too wish to contribute."

"You have your eyes on the Yin Qi of the battlefield, don’t you?"

Chen Che said, his face expressionless as he tapped his fingers.

It was interesting; the Cultivation Techniques of the Divine Dao and the Ghost Dao were almost complete opposites. The former required the Power of Faith provided by the living, while the latter required the Yin Qi provided by the dead.

Seeing Lu Ping’an nod, Chen Che finally picked up his teacup.

"I can give my permission, but as for Tributor Lu..."

"My mother also agrees. This is her letter of recommendation."

Lu Ping’an understood his meaning. He bowed deeply and presented a letter sealed with red ink. "I have been a burden to my mother for more than forty years. The rest of my life has been fraught with hardship, always living under her wing. We Cultivators are born between heaven and earth, and so we should also die between them."

"I would rather die on the battlefield than face death from old age once more."

Chen Che opened the letter and was instantly silent.

The letter was blank; not a single word was written.

Apparently, Lu Qinglian hadn’t known what to write.

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Che activated his True Essence, penned a letter, and handed it back to Lu Ping’an. "After you get to Hunzhou, take this letter to Chen Xi. He will make proper arrangements for you. This war between the two states is a great opportunity for you. Whether or not you can seize it is up to you."

The battle between two cultivator clans would involve a thousand people at most.

But wars in the Mortal World could involve hundreds of thousands, even millions, like placing all living beings upon a great grindstone. The amount of Yin Qi and Death Qi generated would be simply incalculable. Every period of turmoil in the Mortal World would see the rise of many Ghost Cultivators.

This was why, whenever a Dynasty neared its end, it was said that demons ran rampant and a hundred ghosts walked the night.

In fact, some Ghost Cultivators, for the sake of their Cultivation, would even foment turmoil in the Mortal World and throw dynasties into chaos. The Tiger Demon that had once ravaged Chi State was one such example. Such beings might not be noteworthy in the Cultivator World, but in the Mortal World, they could instantly bring suffering and death to millions.

This letter was all Chen Che could do. He was a Valley Master, after all, not a nanny.

"Thank you, Valley Master."

Lu Ping’an took the letter, bowed deeply, and then turned to leave.

Chen Che looked up and saw Lu Qinglian standing on a high tower of the Sacrificial Hall. She watched Lu Ping’an walk out of the council hall, watched him cup his hands in farewell to the disciples in the valley, watched him approach Rong Shisan and bow respectfully, and watched him leave Jinyun Valley with the rest of the contingent.

Only when Lu Ping’an’s figure had vanished from sight did she seem to remember something, cupping her hands in a gesture of thanks toward the council hall.

’Such is the heart of a parent.’

Chen Che’s expression was somber.

Although parents always want to give their children the very best, much of the time, what they give isn’t what their children truly want.

Leaving the hall, Chen Che then made his way to a corner of Jinyun Valley.

This was the location of the Locust Tree Forest.

In an inconspicuous spot within the forest, a tender sprout had already appeared.

’As I thought, Essence Blood really can accelerate its growth.’

After the ceremony, Chen Che had planted the Tree Seed he received from the Meng Family.

Before planting it, he had made a special trip to the Earth Element Star to do some research. He hadn’t held out much hope, but as soon as Li Tingyu heard his description, she immediately identified the Tree Seed’s origin:

The Earth Store Profound Tree!

There were over a thousand of these trees in the Zhurong Daoist School, and they were planted all over the lands of the Immortal Sect.

Its only mystical property was its ability to absorb the light of the sun, moon, and stars, and convert it into Spiritual Qi.

Now that he knew its origin, researching it became much easier.

Dai Suwen was the Tier Four Spirit Plant Master who had been cultivating the Yingyue Flower in an attempt to recreate the Concentration Incense Pill Formula. He was also a visiting professor at the Zhurong Daoist School. After finding him, Chen Che asked about the method for cultivating the Earth Store Profound Tree. The man straightforwardly told him to go to a bookstore and buy a copy of the *Complete Guide to Earth Store Mysterious Tree Cultivation*.

Although Dai Suwen was widely regarded on the Earth Element Star as a swindler who just wanted to fleece the Immortal Sect for subsidies, after reading the book he had written, Chen Che discovered that the man actually knew his stuff.

The book recorded a series of the Earth Store Profound Tree’s characteristics in detail:

The Earth Store Profound Tree was nominally a Tier Four Low Grade Spirit Wood, but in theory, it could be upgraded indefinitely. Before the Calamity of Heaven’s Fall, a Tier Five High Grade Earth Store Divine Tree had existed on the Earth Element Star. Many Spirit Plant Masters estimated that if it hadn’t been destroyed in the war, it might have even reached Tier Six.

Therefore, a certain theory had always been popular within the Immortal Sect:

The gradual decrease in Spiritual Qi on the Earth Element Star after the Calamity of Heaven’s Fall might be related to the destruction of this tree.

After so much research, Dai Suwen had also discovered a method to accelerate the growth of the Earth Store Profound Tree: nourishing it with fresh blood.

Of course, Essence Blood had the best effect.

If it were any other Cultivator who learned this planting method, they would probably have already started secretly slaughtering other Cultivators to collect blood.

For Jinyun Valley, however, it simply meant adding another blood collection shop.

And of this collected fresh blood, one portion would be used to cultivate the Earth Store Profound Tree, while the rest would flow to the Alchemy Hall, the Forging Hall, and even the not-yet-established Talisman Hall, to be used as materials.

And so, less than three days after being planted, the Tree Seed had already sprouted, revealing a two-inch-tall shoot.

As for why it was planted in the Locust Tree Forest, the first reason was to hide the Earth Store Profound Tree.

The other reason was that the Locust Tree Forest was full of Demon Beasts that could serve as its guardians.

’I wonder if it can really grow to Tier Six in the future.’

Gazing at the sapling, Chen Che was filled with anticipation.