Chapter 294 - 266: Traveling Palace and Sword Cultivation Stone

Chapter 294: Chapter 266: Traveling Palace and Sword Cultivation Stone

Chen Che could no longer hear the shouts of the Wu Family cultivators behind him.

The Little Chick had already soared over several mountain ranges, flying directly into a sea of clouds. Without a Cultivation Realm of Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, they didn’t even have the right to face Chen Che and could only watch this scene unfold helplessly.

WHOOSH~

The strong wind howled in his ears.

With the threat behind him gone, Chen Che immediately took out the item that had been on his mind.

Half of an exquisitely crafted Jade Pendant!

The jade was truly like fine suet jade, emitting a faint luster in the darkness.

’After I complete the Jade Pendant, will I really be able to find the location of True Master Chixia’s Traveling Palace?’

Muttering to himself, the other half of the Jade Pendant, nearly identical in design, appeared in his hand. He squinted at it for a moment before aligning the two halves along the fracture. Not only did the broken jade fit together perfectly, but a flash of light also shone from the crack, which quickly healed, forming a single, complete piece.

As the Jade Pendant became whole, a brilliant light swiftly spread across its surface.

Then, a light like a firefly emerged from the Jade Pendant, followed by a cascading waterfall of light that slowly coalesced into an exquisite map.

Mountains and rivers were lush and green, and streams flowed gently.

It was vivid and lifelike.

And on the map, the location of the traveling palace was marked, making it extremely conspicuous.

’True Master Chixia’s Traveling Palace is actually in Ze State?’

Seeing the map, Chen Che frowned.

He had been to Ze State many times, so he was naturally quite familiar with it.

It was a paradise for snakes, insects, rats, and ants. The Demon Beasts beneath the swamps were nearly endless, and many Golden Core Great Demons even dwelled on the outskirts of Ze State, to say nothing of its inner regions. Countless Cultivators had met their end there.

Even for someone of his strength, venturing in alone would be an extremely perilous undertaking.

Besides, he wasn’t just worried about the Demon Beasts of Ze State, but also True Master Chixia himself. After all, the man was a powerhouse who had reached Golden Core Great Perfection a thousand years ago, just half a step from Nascent Soul Formation. His strength was naturally terrifying.

He had even created half a recipe for the Possession Pill in an attempt to extend his life, which was ultimately obtained by Ye Jingzhou.

No one knew what other methods True Master Chixia might have left behind to ensure his own revival.

Whether in this world or on Earth Element Star, there were always Cultivators who, enticed by opportunities, rashly barged into the Cave Mansions of their predecessors or hidden treasure sites, only to be schemed against by those same predecessors until their Divine Souls were utterly destroyed. On Earth Element Star, an Evil Cultivator had once laid a Grand Array in a tomb to sacrifice souls and extend his own life.

’I’ll deal with this later when the opportunity arises.’

Putting away the Jade Pendant, Chen Che then glanced at Wu Qianhai’s Storage Ring.

’Huh?’

However, to Chen Che’s surprise, Wu Qianhai’s Storage Ring was completely empty, save for a single green stone.

It didn’t even contain any Talismans or Armor.

His entire fortune was less than that of his own junior, Wu Ming.

’This is...’

But a huge stone collected by a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection Cultivator was definitely no ordinary object. A sweep of his Divine Sense revealed the stone was over thirty feet tall. One of its faces was as clear and green as jade, like a mirror. When he sent his Divine Sense into it, he saw all sorts of Flying Swords appear within the mirror-like surface.

Some of these Flying Swords hung motionless, some moved as if painting a taiji symbol, and others seemed to be infused with True Essence, teleporting back and forth through the void.

So many sword phantoms existing together within a single stone should have seemed chaotic. In reality, however, Chen Che found it perfectly orderly, because every single Flying Sword was demonstrating a wondrous form of Swordsmanship!

’It’s actually a Sword Cultivation Stone, and a Tier Three High Grade one at that!’

Chen Che’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

This stone was not naturally formed but created. The process was almost identical to the nurturing of a Divine Statue. The only difference was that the former was nurtured by a Sword Cultivator using Sword Intent, while the latter was nurtured with the Power of Faith. Of course, the difficulty of nurturing them was worlds apart.

After all, there was no threshold for mortals to nurture a Divine Statue.

But to nurture a Sword Cultivation Stone, even a mortal would have to be a Sword Dao Grandmaster.

Therefore, the formation of a Sword Cultivation Stone was far more demanding and difficult.

As for the purpose of a Sword Cultivation Stone...

Simply put, it was the equivalent of a recording device for Swordsmanship. Cultivators could comprehend the Swordsmanship of their predecessors from it. At the same time, by practicing with the sword day after day for years, they could, like those before them, inscribe their own Sword Dao into the Sword Cultivation Stone.

Like the Earth Store Profound Tree, the Sword Cultivation Stone was a special treasure that could enhance the foundation of a faction.

’As far as I know, the Wu Family only has seven Sword Cultivators. That’s not enough to nurture a Sword Cultivation Stone. I wonder where they got this one?’

Retracting his Divine Sense, Chen Che glanced over at Wu Qianhai, who was still clutched in the Little Chick’s talons.

"Cough, cough."

As the eagle-like talons tightened, Wu Qianhai began to cough violently, waking from his unconscious state.

Sensing his shattered Dantian, he remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly.

"This stone... one hundred and twenty years ago, I obtained it from a Mortal Sect. That sect was called the ’Xuan Gate Sword Sect,’ and its heritage stretched back twelve hundred years. According to my investigation, this stone might have originally come from a family of Sword Cultivators."

"Later, that family was wiped out, and the stone was obtained by those mortals, who then used it to establish their Sword Sect."

"I see."

Chen Che nodded slightly, not questioning him. "And that Sword Sect?"

"Destroyed."

Wu Qianhai chuckled lightly and said:

"When I tried to take the stone, those mortals wouldn’t allow it. I tried reasoning with them, I even promised to let them follow me in Cultivation, but they ignored me completely. So I just destroyed the Sword Sect... If Valley Master Chen wants to investigate the stone’s origins, you can save yourself the trouble."

"There’s nothing particularly special about this stone. It was once a ’cloud wall’ used by the patriarch of that Sword Dao family for sword practice. It only became extraordinary after being nurtured by Sword Intent over countless years."

Wu Qianhai’s expression suggested that he didn’t feel it was a disgrace for the ’cloud wall’ to fall into Chen Che’s hands.

But he didn’t know that Chen Che didn’t actually care much for the stone at all.

He had only asked a few more questions because he wanted to secure a bit more foundation for Jinyun Valley. Since there was nothing more to it, he didn’t press the matter.

"Draw out the Array Map for your family’s array, withdraw from Shuzhou, and I can give my word to let your Wu Family leave with their lives intact..."

The Jin Family of Thunder Accumulation Mountain has the ’Formless Tribulation Thunder Array’.

The Wu Family naturally has one as well.

This was why even after capturing their Patriarch and old ancestor, Chen Che had no intention of attacking the Wu Family. The only reason he’d kept Wu Qianhai alive was to obtain the Array Map.

"Wishful thinking,"

Wu Qianhai sneered, his tone laced with mockery.

"My Wu Family has been entrenched here for over seven hundred years. It’s our home, our roots run deep. How could we obediently withdraw from Shuzhou just because you say so? Or does Valley Master Chen think that capturing us means victory is already in your grasp?"

"What do you mean?"

Chen Che narrowed his eyes.

"Aren’t you the least bit curious as to why the disciples of my Wu Family arrived on the scene so quickly...?"

Wu Qianhai opened his eyes, a smirk playing on his lips.

Chen Che said nothing, but doubt began to rise in his heart.

The place where he had fought Wu Ming was at least four or five thousand li away from the Wu Family estate. He wasn’t surprised that Wu Qianhai had been able to arrive in time. But there were many ordinary clan members present as well... Recalling how Wu Ming had suddenly left at the time...

’Could it be that the Wu Family has another agenda?’

"What is it?"

"Today, the Five Races have united to attack Juejian Mountain."

Wu Qianhai looked at him mockingly, a hint of killing intent in his eyes.

"I notified Wu Ming to make his move, but when I never met up with him on the way, I found it strange. I never expected to be ambushed by you. That’s why I attacked... Once tonight is over, your side’s Meng Qianxun and Chen Yin will both be dead."

"Without two Foundation Establishment Great Perfection Cultivators to lead the charge, you think Jinyun Valley alone can swallow up Shuzhou?! HAHA... Once they’re dead, it’ll be Shuzhou’s turn to counterattack!"

"Valley Master Chen!"

Wu Qianhai smirked.

"If you release me now, perhaps I can still leave you a path to survival."

Before his voice had even faded, the giant talons gripping him suddenly tightened, and an unparalleled force instantly swept through his entire body.

"AH!"

Wu Qianhai let out a bloodcurdling scream.

With his Cultivation crippled, how could he possibly withstand a full-power strike from the Xuan Peng? In an instant, his bones and tendons shattered, and his internal organs were grievously wounded. He was on the verge of death, only holding on thanks to the constitution he had built from two hundred years of arduous cultivation.

However, he still looked at Chen Che with a triumphant expression.

Now, there was only one path left for this Valley Master: to flee as far as he could. Of the three forces sweeping through Shuzhou, Jinyun Valley was the weakest, with the shallowest foundation. If the forces of Shuzhou chose to retaliate, Jinyun Valley would undoubtedly bear the brunt of the attack.

"Go!"

Just then, Chen Che gave a sharp command.

Wu Qianhai was ecstatic.

’He’s fleeing! He’s actually running away! To see this Valley Master Chen flee like a beaten dog before I die... what a joyous occasion.’

However, the smile had just appeared on his face when it froze completely.

Because the direction he was heading... was clearly Juejian Mountain.