Chapter 307 - 279: Xiao Chan Arrives, The List of Evil Cultivators

Chapter 307: Chapter 279: Xiao Chan Arrives, The List of Evil Cultivators

A First-class Tributor is dead!

For Jinyun Valley, which was at the height of its power, this news cast a dark shadow over everything. The sky had just begun to lighten when Chen Che, having received the news, rushed to the main hall. Inside, the Chiefs of the various Halls were already gathered.

Many disciples who had heard the news had also rushed over and were now standing on tiptoe, their heads bobbing as they tried to watch the excitement.

"All of you, get back!"

Rong Shisan shot them a cold glance, and the disciples scattered in an instant. Only then did he walk up to greet the approaching Chen Che.

"Valley Master, the Lu Family is waiting inside. The one who delivered the bodies is their Grand Elder, Lu Qianli..."

With a slight nod, Chen Che stepped into the main hall.

He looked up and saw that, in addition to high-ranking members of the valley like Ding Fei, Liang Yuan, Zhao De’an, and Lu Qinglian, there were seventeen or eighteen Lu Family Cultivators present, some at Foundation Establishment and others at Qi Refining. At the feet of the Lu Family Cultivators lay three bodies covered with white cloths.

"Valley Master Chen!"

Everyone cupped their fists in salute, and a dark-skinned Major Cultivator at the head of the group took a step forward.

"We have come on the orders of our family head. As for this matter..."

This was Lu Qianli, and he was in charge of returning the bodies. Knowing the situation was urgent, he dispensed with pleasantries and went directly to the corpses. He pulled back the white cloth, revealing a body that looked as if it had been burned to charcoal.

Next to the corpse lay an Identity Token.

The Token was made of jade. The front depicted a panorama of Jinyun Valley, and the back was inscribed with the two words "Sacrificial Hall."

The other two corpses were in the exact same state.

All their valuables had been taken.

’Completely drained of Qi and Blood, turned to charcoal.’

Chen Che determined the cause with a single glance.

"Valley Master Chen, his name is Lu Xiulong. He witnessed the entire incident. If you have any questions, feel free to ask him." Lu Qianli was a sharp man and naturally knew what concerned Chen Che. After the examination of the corpses, he pushed another Major Cultivator forward.

Chen Che raised his gaze.

He saw a middle-aged Major Cultivator of about forty step out from behind Lu Qianli. Although his aura wasn’t weak, he was skeletally thin and shivered intermittently. He looked as if he were recovering from a serious illness, appearing extremely weak.

He carried no Weapon, only a Horn made from some unknown beast’s horn hanging at his waist.

"Daoist Friend Lu Xiulong."

Chen Che cupped his fists and asked in a calm tone, "Can you explain in detail how you happened to witness the attack?"

"Yes!"

Lu Xiulong was clearly a little nervous in the presence of the legendary Valley Master. He took a deep breath to compose himself before he began to speak.

"I stumbled upon it in the Celestial Rift Valley in Xuzhou. Demon Beasts frequently appear in the valley, so my family regularly sends patrols to drive them away. That day, it was my turn on duty. I was patrolling near the Celestial Rift Valley with some junior family members when I suddenly heard the sounds of a fight..."

As he spoke, he stepped aside to reveal seven or eight of his kinsmen standing behind him.

"It wasn’t just me. These family members heard it too."

Chen Che glanced at them from the corner of his eye. They were all in the Qi Refining Realm.

Standing among a group of Major Cultivators, they looked rather apprehensive. When they saw Chen Che looking their way, they all nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"I led my men over and saw your valley’s Tributor dart out of the Celestial Rift Valley. Right after, another man dressed in black robes, wearing a bamboo hat and a mask, and wielding a ten-foot-tall Great Banner, came chasing out."

"He just casually raised his hand and waved..."

Lu Xiulong continued, gesturing as he spoke:

"The sky filled with dark clouds as a sinister wind howled. In that instant, all the blood was drained from your Tributor’s body. Even his Divine Soul was absorbed into that Great Banner!"

"You witnessed the whole thing, and he just let you go?"

Lu Qinglian asked impatiently.

The others nodded in agreement.

"It wasn’t nearly that easy. I barely escaped with my life."

Lu Xiulong sighed, his voice filled with lingering fear.

"The moment he finished and spotted us, he attacked. With a single wave of the Great Banner, half of my patrol was dead. These remaining men only survived because I shielded them, but in the process, he drained thirty percent of my Qi and Blood!"

Everyone suddenly understood. So that was why Lu Xiulong looked so sickly.

"He was about to strike again, but in that moment of crisis, I blew this Horn."

With that, he patted the Horn at his waist. "Luckily, several Major Cultivators from my family were nearby. When he saw the situation turning against him, he abandoned his attack on me and fled."

"May I see the Horn?"

Chen Che’s expression was unreadable.

Lu Xiulong immediately handed the Horn over.

He took it. It was surprisingly heavy.

The Horn was pitch-black, about half an arm in length, and shaped like a water buffalo’s horn. When he immersed his Divine Sense into it, he could feel densely packed runes carved inside, all designed to amplify sound. There were also many other complex patterns that looked as though they were natural formations.

It was a Tier Two High Grade Sound Law Instrument.

Chen Che had ascertained the artifact’s rank in a matter of moments.

"Valley Master Chen, this item is called the Soul-Catching Horn. It has the power to assail the spirit and capture the soul."

At that moment, Lu Qianli, who stood opposite him, spoke up.

"The surviving Qi Refining Cultivators from the patrol, as well as the Major Cultivators who were alerted by the Horn, are all here. If you have any further doubts, Valley Master, you may question them directly."

"That won’t be necessary. I have a clear enough picture of what happened."

Chen Che waved his hand dismissively.

’The fact that the Lu Family dares to present all these people for me to question one by one means their conscience is clear.’

’Further questioning would only add a few inconsequential details.’

"Valley Master Chen, the state of these corpses is nearly identical to those of the Cultivators who died at Xiao Chan’s hands. Although we didn’t get a clear look at his face, most of us in the family speculate that it was indeed the work of that Rebel Disciple from the Primordial Sect."

Lu Qianli offered a slight bow with cupped fists.

The moment he finished speaking, Liang Yuan cut in.

"But Jinyun Valley has never had any dealings with Xiao Chan. Why would he target us?"

"Does an Evil Cultivator need a reason to strike?"

Lu Qianli glanced at Liang Yuan and explained,

"However, we speculate that Xiao Chan is very likely preparing for Core Formation himself. That would make Jinyun Valley, which is currently gathering Materials, an ideal target for him."

HISS—

A series of sharp intakes of breath echoed through the hall at his words.

Xiao Chan’s reputation was immense, rivaling Chen Che’s in some respects. While still in the Qi Refining Realm, he had escaped a massive encirclement by the Primordial Sect. Upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, he slaughtered more than ten of the Primordial Sect’s Major Cultivators and their entire households.

If he were to achieve Core Formation...

He would become an absolute menace. Who would be able to stop him then?

’These deaths are too suspicious!’

Chen Che took in everyone’s expressions and scoffed inwardly.

He had dealt with Xiao Chan several times; the man had his principles. Anyone might have ambushed a Jinyun Valley Tributor, but not him. Still, there was trouble in the valley, and as Valley Master, he couldn’t remain indifferent.

With this in mind, Chen Che covered the corpse with the white cloth, then turned and spoke directly to Ding Fei.

"Bury the bodies in the Ghost Market and find a way to contact their families."

"Also, issue a kill order for Xiao Chan, to be carried out at any cost. Whoever succeeds will receive a reward of one hundred thousand Spirit Stones from the valley."

He then ordered that the members of the Lu Family be well-hosted within the valley.

After everyone had left, the council hall fell silent. With a flick of his wrist, a wrist wheel appeared in his palm—the very Communication Wrist Wheel the two of them used to send messages. He pondered for a moment before a flicker of his Divine Sense sent a thought across:

"Are you aware that the outside world is blaming you for the deaths of three of my Jinyun Valley’s Foundation Establishment Cultivators?"

Back in the Qi Refining Realm, they could only contact each other by burning message slips at a specific hour.

But now that they had reached Foundation Establishment, they could use this device to transmit their thoughts directly.

In less than a moment, another thought came back through the Wrist Wheel.

"I’ve already investigated the matter in Xuzhou. It’s confirmed someone is framing me."

Chen Che wasn’t the least bit surprised.

Ever since Xiao Chan’s infamy began to spread, plenty of Tribulation Cultivators and Evil Cultivators had started committing crimes in his name. Every incident caused a huge stir. A few were eventually exposed as impostors, but most cases simply went cold.

Besides,

Xiao Chan wasn’t the only Evil Cultivator who used a Soul-Calling Banner.

"Did you find anything?"

"Not much. We’ll discuss it in person."

Chen Che’s brows shot up. ’He wants to come to Jinyun Valley?’ He immediately sent a thought back: "Be careful on your way. I’ve already put out a kill order..."

"I will be at Jinyun Valley within seven days."

...

...

He had said seven days, but Xiao Chan arrived in just four. Waiting in the council hall was a handsome young man dressed in a white robe, a bundle wrapped in gold-threaded Black Silk on his back.

"This is...?"

Chen Che’s brow twitched.

"A Tier Three Low Grade Face Changing Technique, obtained from Cao Xiong’s family. It can reshape my appearance and lasts for five years. Once activated, I can change my face every six months, and not even a Golden Core True Master can see through the disguise. The downside is the cooldown period is also six months."

Xiao Chan grinned.

Masks and such were hardly as convenient. It was precisely because of this technique that he had been able to live safely in Primordial City for so long.

"Right, what clues did you find in Xuzhou?"

After finding a restaurant in the Market, Chen Che ordered a table full of food and brought up the subject.

"Lu Xiulong is a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator. There’s no way I could forcibly drain thirty percent of his Qi and Blood with a single strike."

Xiao Chan replied casually, pouring himself a cup of wine before commenting on the killer’s strength.

"That person’s strength is definitely above the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection Realm, at least Half-Step Core Formation, perhaps even higher... Also, here’s a list I compiled. It’s the more notorious Evil Cultivators from over fifty years ago, the ones who had active bounties posted in the Primordial Sect’s mission hall."

"See if you can spot anyone on there who might target Jinyun Valley."

"From over fifty years ago? What about the last fifty years?"

Chen Che took the list, his brow arching in surprise.

The list was densely packed with dozens of names, even noting their factional affiliations.

"I’m the most famous Evil Cultivator of the last fifty years. A bunch of nobodies formed an Evil Cultivator Alliance and tried to recruit me. I was originally going to find a place to lie low, but someone in the alliance tried to steal my Soul-Calling Banner, so I ended up killing most of them."

Xiao Chan smiled and shrugged, as if he were talking about something completely trivial.

Chen Che gave a casual smile. ’That certainly fits the profile of an Evil Cultivator.’

Zhang Miaoyi, a Major Cultivator from the Star-Picking Sect. After mastering a Joyful Sexual Technique, her personality changed drastically, and she took pleasure in preying on male cultivators. She was later discovered by her husband, whom she murdered before defecting from the Star-Picking Sect. She was last seen fifty-seven years ago, at which time her Realm had reached the Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer.

Rao Ting, rumored to have once been the Furnace Cauldron for a powerful Evil Cultivator. He later killed his own patriarch and slaughtered his fellow disciples. When he surfaced thirty-six years ago, his Realm had already reached Foundation Establishment Great Perfection.

...

He scanned through the list.

Suddenly, Chen Che’s gaze froze, fixed on one particular entry.

Ye Jiuming, a Cultivator of the Ye Family. Whereabouts unknown. Rumored to have betrayed the Ye Family. He made one appearance seventy-one years ago and is suspected of having formed a Fake Pill.