Chapter 330 - 301: The Second Divine Dao Cultivator’s Divine Statue and Portrait (Part 2)

Chapter 330: Chapter 301: The Second Divine Dao Cultivator’s Divine Statue and Portrait (Part 2)

Chen Che nodded, gesturing for the other man to continue.

"Later, Celestial Divine True Master died, and his spirit no longer manifested."

"After a while, mortals stopped worshiping him. Countless divine statues were smashed and paintings were torn to shreds. Of course, some people kept them. After all, to mortals, this stuff was basically an antique."

The old Daoist stroked the divine statue, which was worn smooth and glossy from years of handling, and couldn’t help but sigh.

"When my ancestor first started his cultivation, he was still living in the Mortal World. Mortals didn’t know their true value, but cultivators could see through them. When my ancestor first laid eyes on these things, he thought they were some kind of exotic treasures, so he bought them. Later, he acquired a large number of them."

"They were passed down for six generations, for about two hundred years, and now they’ve come to me."

Chen Che looked at him and subtly used a bit of his Divine Sense. He could naturally confirm that every word the garlic-nosed elder said was true.

Moreover, there was a sizable collection: four divine statues and seven painted scrolls.

"Then why are you selling them now?"

"I’ve also studied them for several decades. I’ve wasted too much time. If I don’t trade them for some resources soon, I’m afraid I’ll never have the chance to reach Foundation Establishment in this lifetime."

The old Daoist gave a strange laugh.

"Besides, Jinyun Valley has always liked collecting strange and bizarre things, so I took them straight to the auction house. But they told me they wouldn’t accept these items and turned me away. It just so happens there’s a Ghost Market here, so I thought I’d try my luck."

The corner of Chen Che’s mouth twitched.

The incident with the Thousand-Eyed Divine Statue had caused too much trouble and nearly implicated him. That was why they had stopped acquiring such items, to lie low for a while.

However, he had overlooked something: Thousand Eyes wasn’t the only Divine Dao Cultivator in the world.

"Hey, enough with the nonsense. Are you buying them or not?"

The old Daoist grabbed the yellow gourd at his waist, took a swig of wine, and grew impatient.

Chen Che, however, was perfectly calm.

"I’ll look around some more."

’If there’s no danger, I’m more than willing to take this batch of items off his hands.’

’I might even be able to follow the trail and find more.’

’But if these items already have an owner, I’ll naturally have to think it over to avoid bringing trouble upon myself.’

"Heh heh..."

The garlic-nosed elder was clearly unconcerned by this.

His ancestors had acquired many of these items and studied them for a long time, but they never figured out their purpose, only that they were quite miraculous. Later, when they lacked resources, they tried to sell them, but there were never any takers.

Chen Che didn’t make a decision. Instead, he first returned to the auction house to ask for information.

Ding Fei was in the middle of processing the collection. When he heard about this, he thought he had missed out on some treasure and grew visibly nervous.

"It’s true, I..."

The man had just been following his own rules, so Chen Che naturally wouldn’t blame him. He interrupted, "What’s that man’s background? And who is Celestial Divine True Master?"

"From his accent, he seemed to be from Haizhou. I didn’t ask for more details. As for Celestial Divine True Master, he was a Golden Core True Master who fell seventeen hundred years ago."

Ding Fei explained.

At the same time, he sent a disciple to fetch the relevant books.

Jinyun Valley hadn’t been around for long, after all, and its information channels couldn’t compare to some of the major sects and great clans. They were unfamiliar with many people, events, and things.

Therefore, Chen Che had long since made arrangements to collect historical records and books.

He had them organized by era, for his own convenience and to help his disciples reduce trouble during their future travels.

...

A short while later, Chen Che put down the book, his brow relaxing.

"He really is dead."

Celestial Divine True Master was a Divine Dao Cultivator based in Haizhou. Like Thousand Eyes today, he was a power who dominated a single region.

The reason for his fall was unknown, and there were dozens of rumors.

One record said he offended True Master Chixia and was besieged and killed by seven or eight Golden Core True Masters summoned by him. Another record claimed he had unintentionally provoked a Nascent Soul True Monarch and was personally obliterated.

There were even claims of a beast tide descending from the heavens.

And others of divine fire falling from the sky...

But the one thing they all had in common was that Celestial Divine True Master was never seen again.

After flipping through these books, Chen Che understood.

Though the reasons varied, every account confirmed that Celestial Divine True Master had already fallen.

’Without the man himself still in the world, the objects of faith he once accumulated have naturally become ownerless.’

’Otherwise, no Divine Dao Cultivator would ever allow items forming their Dao Foundation to circulate so freely. Even if I acquire them in large quantities, I won’t have to worry about the original owner coming after me.’

"I can acquire them."

Chen Che nodded slightly.

...

"Fellow Daoist, what have you decided?"

The garlic-nosed elder, who was settled in a corner of the Ghost Market, looked at the returning Chen Che.

"I’ll take them all."

Chen Che didn’t correct the man’s form of address. In the Ghost Market, one’s appearance was concealed, so the man just assumed he was a Qi Refining Cultivator, a small misunderstanding Chen Che was happy to allow. "Forgive my forwardness, but do you have any other similar items?"

"I do,"

the old Daoist replied in surprise. "What, you want to buy them all?"

’This is a shortcut for cultivating Divine Sense, far faster than items like Divine Court Incense. Naturally, the more, the better.’

’Although there are more than ten items here, they are all Tier Two. For me, that’s just a drop in the bucket. So, the more, the better.’

"However many you have, I’ll take them. Moreover, I will buy them at a price twenty to thirty percent higher than the market rate,"

Chen Che said, his voice full of confidence.

"May I ask your esteemed name...?"

The old Daoist’s attitude immediately became much more respectful. He guessed in his heart that Chen Che came from a wealthy and powerful family.

’Doing business with this kind of person requires caution.’

’Sometimes, a young scion from a clan doesn’t know any better and spends a fortune on something useless, and then their elders show up to cause trouble. If you run into unreasonable ones, it’s a huge mess. That’s why everyone prefers to do business with highly reputable shops.’

’At least there are no worries about repercussions later.’

"The Ghost Market doesn’t ask about one’s background. I can make my own decisions on these matters, so you don’t have to worry about me going back on my word."

Chen Che guessed the man’s worries and said flatly, "Come here during the first three days of each month. Someone will naturally be here to trade with you."

"Excellent."

The old Daoist was overjoyed. He could finally sell off this junk.

At the same time, he felt a bit hesitant.

’This person is so extravagant with his purchase. Could it be that these items really are treasures?’

’But on second thought, when my ancestor bought these things, he also spent a fortune like this man, even fighting and killing others for them. But after all this time studying them, it was still a waste of effort.’

’If it weren’t for being dragged down by this junk, my clan would have produced a Foundation Establishment Cultivator long ago. How could we have remained obscure for two hundred years?’

’Such is time, such is fate.’

’Maybe he’ll buy them, take them back, and waste a hundred years for nothing, but that would have nothing to do with me.’

...

「Half an incense stick later.」

In a corner of the Market, a Major Cultivator named Huang Daozheng stood before Chen Che in awe.

This man was a Tributor who had joined Jinyun Valley at the same time as Li Changqing.

However, unlike Li Changqing, he was a truly belligerent man. He had once killed an Elder’s son during his clan’s grand competition. Because he was about to have his cultivation crippled, he had no choice but to flee his family.

He held a grudge in his heart and was always thinking of returning to his clan for revenge. Thus, in every major battle, he always charged to the front lines, accumulating a large number of Contribution Points. After the battle at Juejian Mountain, he exchanged them for a Foundation Establishment Pill and successfully broke through before Chen Che left for the Traveling Palace.

"It’s not a difficult mission."

Chen Che glanced at the garlic-nosed elder out of the corner of his eye.

"Follow him for half a year. No matter what he does, don’t interact with him. Even if he gets killed by someone else, do not interfere. I only have two requirements. First, you must not be discovered by him. Second, you must record everything he sees, hears, and does, without missing a single word."

"When it’s done, I promise you six sticks of Nourishing Spirit Incense and one Realm-Breaking Pill."

"Nourishing Spirit Incense?"

Huang Daozheng was overjoyed. This was an item that could enhance one’s Divine Sense. At his current level of strength, it would take him at least two months to obtain a single stick, to say nothing of a Realm-Breaking Pill for the Foundation Establishment Realm.

"Valley Master, rest assured. I will handle this matter perfectly!"

With a glance from the corner of his eye, he saw the old Daoist had already packed his things and left the Ghost Market. He immediately concealed his figure and quietly followed behind.

’Celestial Divine True Master was a Late-stage Golden Core True Master. His foundation was even deeper than that of Thousand Eyes.’

’These Tier Two items of faith are merely scraps.’

’If I can find some Tier Three, or even Tier Four items, then no amount of caution will be excessive.’