Chapter 248
Chapter 248
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 248
Chapter Title: Upheaval in Tiannan, Rumors Abound
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Broken walls and shattered ramparts, snow falling across the sky.
Thousand Mountains Market City, built atop a cluster of peaks, was now a scene of utter ruin under the ravages of cultivator warfare.
Shattered mountainsides, collapsed palatial towers.
The once-second-largest market city in the Tiannan Domain was now nothing but rubble, its former prosperity, bustling with Foundation Establishment cultivators, gone without a trace.
Chen Jianghe stood on the side of a cliff, gazing at the desolate Thousand Mountains Market City, its spiritual energy draining away, decay visible everywhere.
The cultivators from the immortal states seemed to have left long ago.
However, he could see many late-stage Qi Refining cultivators flying on their swords through the ruins, occasionally stopping to break apart buildings that weren't completely destroyed, seemingly searching for something.
These cultivators were all here to try their luck.
Although the immortal states had plundered many treasures when they destroyed Thousand Mountains Market City, some things were bound to be left behind.
After all, Thousand Mountains Market City was filled with many formation restrictions. Even the divine sense of a Core Formation Grandmaster couldn't uncover every single treasure.
There were always some treasures missed.
And these late-stage Qi Refining cultivators were here to try their luck at treasure hunting.
Chen Jianghe formed a hand seal, his magical power weaving like silk, gathering light to his eyes. He activated his Dharma Eye to survey the area, simultaneously asking Xiao Hei if he sensed the presence of any Core Formation Grandmasters.
As long as there were no Core Formation Grandmasters, with his current abilities, his life wouldn't be in danger.
Under his Dharma Eye, he saw many Qi Refining cultivators searching for treasure. Most were in the late stage, with a few in the middle stage.
As for Foundation Establishment cultivators?
Chen Jianghe didn't see any.
In other words, he was likely the highest-cultivation cultivator in Thousand Mountains Market City right now. He didn't need to worry about his safety.
At this thought.
Chen Jianghe straightened his back, his gaze focused, and flew swiftly toward Golden Ao Mountain.
Half an incense stick's time later.
He arrived at Golden Ao Mountain to a scene of utter desolation. The mountain-protecting formation was broken, the spirit spring and rivers were dry, the spirit fields were overgrown with weeds, and the spiritual energy had dissipated.
The turtle's head peak had been flattened by a magical treasure.
Chen Jianghe released his divine sense, searching for traces of the White Tiger and the Black-Shelled Turtles. After a thorough search, he found quite a few Black-Shelled Turtle shells.
Evidently, most of the Black-Shelled Turtles were dead.
As for the White Tiger, there was no trace of it.
He didn't know if it had perished or escaped.
But where could it have fled?
Unless it fled into the Arctic Snow Forest, but how could a mid-tier Rank 1 demonic beast escape from Golden Ao Island all the way to the Arctic Snow Forest.
It was most likely captured and sold.
Chen Jianghe moved and arrived at the Black-Shelled Turtles' habitat. He saw three mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators collecting turtle shells.
Before he entered the secret realm, most of these Black-Shelled Turtles had already become spirit beasts. Their shells contained spiritual energy and could be used as medicinal ingredients if dried.
They could be used in alchemy or to concoct spiritual liquids.
“Foundation Establishment… Senior?!”
Seeing Chen Jianghe's arrival, the three mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators trembled and quickly took out the turtle shells they had collected.
“Senior, we three brothers just arrived in Thousand Mountains Market City to look for treasures. We've only found these shells from early-tier Rank 1 spirit turtles. If you like them, Senior, please take them. Consider it a token of our respect.”
Among the three, a bald, tattooed young man spoke respectfully to Chen Jianghe.
Chen Jianghe remained silent, looking at the dried-up medicinal spring before him. This was where he had raised the Black-Shelled Turtles.
Now, the water was gone, and the turtles were dead.
“Senior, we only have seventy-six spirit stones on us. Please, accept them,” the bald young man said nervously, taking out a storage pouch.
Chen Jianghe swept his divine sense over them. The three cultivators shared a single storage pouch, so the seventy-six spirit stones he mentioned were likely the truth.
For mid-stage Qi Refining rogue cultivators, having seventy-six spirit stones was already quite good.
These eighty to a hundred turtle shells, once dried and sold as medicinal ingredients, could fetch a dozen or so spirit stones.
For them, coming to Thousand Mountains Market City had yielded a small profit.
“Answer a few of my questions, and these spirit stones and turtle shells are yours,” Chen Jianghe said calmly.
He had once been just as destitute.
But now, he was not short on a few spirit stones.
His storage pouch held thirty-three thousand, two hundred and ten spirit stones.
“Thank you, Senior.”
The three of them quickly expressed their thanks.
“We will surely tell you everything we know, holding nothing back.”
“How was Thousand Mountains Market City destroyed?” Chen Jianghe asked.
He still found it hard to believe that the second-largest market city in the Tiannan Domain had been annihilated just like that.
If it had been destroyed by the Tiannan Sect and the four great immortal clans, that might be plausible.
But for the immortal states to destroy Thousand Mountains Market City, something felt off. After all, the interests tied to the market city were immense.
The immortal states shouldn't have dared to touch Thousand Mountains Market City!
The three mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators were taken aback by Chen Jianghe's question, clearly not expecting him to ask about something so widely known among cultivators.
“Replying to Senior, Thousand Mountains Market City was breached two years ago by a joint attack from the State of Yu and the State of Qing.”
“The State of Qing?”
“Senior must have just come out of seclusion. Two years ago, the State of Yue was destroyed for offending the Tiannan Sect. Afterward, Venerable Qingyou seized the opportunity, recruited three Core Formation rogue grandmasters, and established the State of Qing on the former lands of Yue.”
“Just as news arrived that two of Thousand Mountains Market City's Core Formation Grandmasters had fallen in the Southern Domain, the State of Qing joined forces with the State of Yu and struck.”
“…”
Listening to the words of the bald, tattooed cultivator.
Chen Jianghe understood what had happened.
The State of Yue was destroyed, Venerable Qingyou allied with three other Core Formation Grandmasters to establish the State of Qing, and then they destroyed Thousand Mountains Market City with the State of Yu.
To be precise, Venerable Qingyou initiated it, and the State of Yu responded, which led to the destruction of Thousand Mountains Market City.
In other words.
Venerable Qingyou was the main culprit behind the destruction of his enterprise.
Chen Jianghe silently recorded this karmic debt in his heart. In the future, when he reached Core Formation and Nascent Soul, he would surely seek justice for the Black-Shelled Turtles.
“You said the State of Qing and the State of Yu are at war again? What happened? Didn't they just form an alliance?”
“This junior was a cultivator from the former State of Yue. After Venerable Qingyou established the State of Qing and became its monarch, he began to expand its territory frantically.”
“Originally, when the State of Qing and the State of Yu joined forces to destroy Thousand Mountains Market City, Qing promised that the territory of the market city would go to Yu, while the treasures within would go to Qing.”
“But a year ago, after the State of Qing had plundered all the spiritual items from Thousand Mountains Market City, they began to covet the Thousand Mountains territory itself, forcing the State of Yu to cede half of it.”
“The State of Yu refused, so the State of Qing declared war. A while ago, this junior even heard that Core Formation Grandmasters have joined the fray.”
Facing a powerful Foundation Establishment senior like Chen Jianghe, the bald, tattooed cultivator truly told him everything he knew, holding nothing back.
He even extrapolated, telling Chen Jianghe many other things.
In his eyes, Chen Jianghe was the type of Foundation Establishment senior who had been in long-term seclusion.
And was unfamiliar with the current situation.
“Mm, these spirit stones and turtle shells are yours. Er… I’ll take one of the shells.”
With a flip of his hand, Chen Jianghe pulled a turtle shell into his grasp, examined it briefly, and then put it into his storage pouch.
“Senior is merciful! Thank you, Senior…”
The three mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators were deeply grateful.
Chen Jianghe summoned his Silvermoon Flowing Wave Sword and flew toward Tianmen Market City.
He couldn't stay north of the Heaven-Reaching River any longer.
The State of Yue was gone, Thousand Mountains Market City was destroyed, and the States of Qing and Yu were at war. He could imagine that the States of Nan and Qi were probably fighting as well.
At this moment, the lands north of the Heaven-Reaching River were engulfed in the flames of war.
Although it wasn't peaceful south of the Heaven-Reaching River either—even a Core Formation Venerable from Thousand Mountains Market City had fallen in the Southern Domain.
One could imagine that the war in the Southern Domain was even more brutal.
However, Xianmen Market City was backed by the Tiannan Sect, so he wouldn't have to worry about the chaos of war there.
Of course, he wouldn't have to worry about war in Tianmen Market City either, but Jiang Ruxu and Zhuang Xinyan were still in Xianmen Market City.
At a time like this, he wondered how they were doing.
He had promised Alchemist Zhuang he would look after the two women, and he would not go back on his word.
Besides, in Xianmen Market City, he would have Gao Peiyao, a Core Formation Immortal Seedling, to look out for him. It was naturally much better than staying in Tianmen Market City.
“Before heading to Xianmen Market City, I first need to understand the situation regarding the battle between the Core Formation Grandmasters and the Rank 3 demonic beasts in the Arctic Snow Forest.”
When Chen Jianghe left the secret realm, he had brought out three Rank 3 demonic beasts. Although they had all just broken through to Rank 3.
Their foundations were profound, not something an ordinary Core Formation Grandmaster could compare to.
The strength of the sect's Core Formation elders was beyond doubt, but this was the Arctic Snow Forest, after all, home to numerous powerful demonic beasts.
According to the legacy jade slip left by Luo Xiyue, the Arctic Snow Forest was the ice and snow forest of the Tiannan Cultivation World, and it contained Rank 4 Great Demons.
Never mind Core Formation elders, even the Tiannan Sect's living immortal, a Nascent Soul True Lord, wouldn't dare to venture deep into the Arctic Snow Forest.
Moreover, Chen Jianghe also needed to make thorough preparations.
He had left the secret realm without having his storage pouch inspected by the sect's Core Formation elders, which was a narrow escape.
If he arrived at Xianmen Market City and his storage pouch was inspected, he wouldn't be able to keep his Core Formation spiritual items either.
Therefore, before heading to Xianmen Market City, he needed to come up with a countermeasure.
Chen Jianghe left the Thousand Mountains territory. Along the way, he encountered several mortal battlefields, likely clashes between the mortals of the State of Qing and the State of Yu.
There were Qi Refining cultivators on the battlefield, but no Foundation Establishment cultivators.
They must have been small-scale battles.
From what the bald, tattooed cultivator had said, Core Formation cultivators were already participating in the war between the two states. He figured Foundation Establishment cultivators must be a common sight on the battlefields.
To avoid being seen and attracting unnecessary trouble.
Chen Jianghe started traveling by water, following the rivers toward Tianmen Market City. Although this meant taking a detour.
It would ensure his safety.
A month later, after traveling intermittently for forty thousand li, Chen Jianghe arrived at Tianmen Market City, southwest of the Thousand Mountains territory.
Three hundred li northwest of Tianmen Market City was a vast mountain range, where the northern gate of the Tiannan Sect was located.
“A divine sense scan?!”
As he walked up to the city gate of Tianmen Market City, preparing to enter, he felt a divine sense sweep over his body.
Judging by the strength of the divine sense, it likely belonged to a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Chen Jianghe didn't make any sudden moves.
He guessed that he wasn't the only one being scanned; every cultivator entering Tianmen Market City was likely being inspected by a divine sense.
“One hundred spirit stones?”
As Chen Jianghe entered the city gate, he was stopped by a group of guards demanding spirit stones.
He wasn't surprised by the entrance fee. The old Qinghe Market City had also charged an entrance fee in its early days.
He had heard that Duobao Market City did the same.
And the long-destroyed Beast Taming Market City had also required spirit stones for entry.
But charging one hundred spirit stones was a bit outrageous. Even Beast Taming Market City had only charged a single spirit stone.
Chen Jianghe saw that everyone ahead of him had paid, so he silently paid one hundred spirit stones and entered Tianmen Market City.
Passing through a second gate, he finally entered Tianmen Market City proper.
It was a market city built on a plain, similar to the old Qinghe Market City. It was surrounded by high city walls, and inside were neat rows of courtyards for cultivators to live in.
There was only one main street in Tianmen Market City, a thirty-li-long avenue connecting the south and north city gates.
Only on this street could one find various resource shops and the landmark of every market city, the Myriad Treasures Tower.
“So many cultivators?!”
Once inside Tianmen Market City, Chen Jianghe understood why the entrance fee was one hundred spirit stones.
Without this restriction, there probably wouldn't be any standing room left in the city.
With the immortal states in conflict, the flames of war spreading, rogue cultivators running rampant, and danger everywhere.
No one was a fool; everyone knew where to run at a time like this.
Even with the hundred-spirit-stone entrance fee, the market city was already overflowing with cultivators.
There were too many cultivators.
So many that Chen Jianghe could barely sense any spiritual energy.
One had to know that as one of the two major market cities established by the Tiannan Sect, Tianmen Market City was built upon a Rank 3 low-grade spirit vein.
Logically, the spiritual energy here should have been, if not richer than Thousand Mountains Market City, at least much stronger than his Golden Ao Mountain.
But now, it was even worse than the outer waters of Mirror Moon Lake.
This showed just how many cultivators were in Tianmen Market City.
“Xianmen Market City should be a bit better, right? After all, there are many small cultivation towns in its periphery.”
Chen Jianghe couldn't help but think of Xianmen Market City.
The layout of Xianmen Market City was different from Tianmen Market City. The latter was surrounded by wilderness, with Foundation Establishment immortal clans located far away.
But the outskirts of Xianmen Market City were protected by dozens of small cultivation towns.
“Senior, do you need a guide?”
Just then, a youth in a brown robe approached Chen Jianghe and asked respectfully.
“How many spirit stones?”
Chen Jianghe asked first.
At a time when entering Tianmen Market City cost a hundred spirit stones, the fee for a guide was probably even higher.
“Five hundred spirit stones, and this junior can accompany you for a full day, Senior,” the youth said respectfully.
“Five hundred spirit stones?”
It was true that Chen Jianghe had over thirty thousand spirit stones, but he couldn't afford to burn through them like this.
“Three hundred is also fine. Please have pity on me, Senior. If I don't get any spirit stones, I'll be kicked out,” the youth said, his voice choking up as he looked at Chen Jianghe, his eyes misting over.
Chen Jianghe was unmoved. He was no saint; he was just another low-level rogue cultivator struggling in a sea of bitterness.
He might as well go to the magazine section of the Myriad Treasures Tower and find the information he needed.
Chen Jianghe walked toward the Myriad Treasures Tower.
He was desperate to know the current situation of the entire Tiannan Domain.
Normally, entering Tianmen Market City only cost one spirit stone, but now it had risen to one hundred.
A guide who usually cost twenty spirit sand for a day now dared to ask for five hundred spirit stones.
What on earth had happened in the Tiannan Domain?
Arriving at the Myriad Treasures Tower, Chen Jianghe went straight to the magazine section on the second floor, searching for useful information.
On his way from the city gate to the Myriad Treasures Tower, Chen Jianghe had overheard a piece of news.
It wasn't a one-time payment of one hundred spirit stones to enter Tianmen Market City.
Previously, you only had to pay once—a single spirit stone—upon your first entry.
Now, one hundred spirit stones only allowed you to stay in Tianmen Market City for one year.
After a year, you had to pay another hundred.
Furthermore, there was a curfew in Tianmen Market City. Once the curfew began, no one was allowed on the streets.
In other words.
You had to have a place to stay in Tianmen Market City.
If you didn't have a place to stay, you would be thrown out.
Although Chen Jianghe hadn't checked any inns, he could guess that their prices had also undergone a dramatic change.
A quarter of an hour later.
Chen Jianghe picked out five magazines. Only when he went to pay did he realize that the price of these magazines, which recorded various events in the Tiannan Domain, had also increased.
Before, a magazine, regardless of its type, cost only two spirit stones. Now, the price had risen to ten spirit stones each.
Though it pained him, Chen Jianghe had no choice but to accept it.
He found an inn and spent eighty spirit stones to rent a room for a month.
He didn't want to stay long in Tianmen Market City, but the minimum rental period was one month. Even if you only stayed for a day, it was still eighty spirit stones.
In these chaotic times, with wars raging everywhere.
To find a place to live in a sanctuary for only eighty spirit stones a month was already quite good.
Chen Jianghe went to a low-grade inn room. The space was small, but it was equipped with an anti-divine sense array, a soundproofing array, and a defensive array.
It was more than enough.
Chen Jianghe took out the magazines and began to read them one by one.
Half an hour later, Chen Jianghe had learned about several recent major events, four of which were related to him.
Three years ago.
The Tiannan Sect, citing the rebellion of the Beast Taming Zhou Clan, began its campaign against them. The sect dispatched five Core Formation elders.
At the same time, the other three top-tier immortal clans each sent two Core Formation Grandmasters.
As for the other Core Formation immortal clans, they either sent one Core Formation Grandmaster or contributed a Rank 3 spiritual item to aid in suppressing the rebellion.
It was at that moment that the flames of war, which would engulf the entire Tiannan Domain, began to spread from the Southern Domain.
Within half a year, it had swept through the Eastern Domain and the southern parts of the Western Domain, and half a year after that, it reached the lands north of the Heaven-Reaching River.
The State of Yue, having ignored the Tiannan Sect's call to arms, was annihilated by the sect with lightning speed, and its treasury was plundered.
Venerable Qingyou of Qingyou Market City seized the opportunity, allied with three like-minded friends, took over the State of Yue, and established the State of Qing.
While stirring up trouble north of the Heaven-Reaching River, he also incorporated Qingyou Market City into the State of Qing's territory.
Half a year later, the Two Clans of Qinghe pledged allegiance to the State of Qing, renaming their six-thousand-li territory to Qinghe Prefecture.
In the eighth month of that year, the Two Clans of Qinghe, under the order of their monarch, Venerable Qingyou, marched south to expand their territory. In just two months, they brought Qiyun Mountain and Mirror Moon Lake under the State of Qing's control.
Because Qiyun Mountain was an auspicious land.
It was the place where Old Man Duofu, Chen Jianghe, had achieved Foundation Establishment at an advanced age. Thus, the capital of Qinghe Prefecture was moved to Qiyun Mountain.
In other words, Qiyun Mountain had now become the clan lands of the Two Clans of Qinghe.
Perhaps Qiyun Mountain truly was an auspicious place. Over the next three months, the Two Clans of Qinghe continued their southward push, annihilating eleven Foundation Establishment immortal clans and conquering nineteen thousand li of territory.
With that, a large part of the Eastern Domain became the territory of the State of Qing.
Faced with the State of Qing's frantic expansion, the Puppet Immortal Lu Clan seemed to turn a blind eye, ignoring it completely and allowing Qing to annex their territory.
“I already wrote to Daniu, telling him to go to Xianmen Market City. The war probably didn't reach the Yu Clan.”
“Daniu should be in Xianmen Market City by now.”
Chen Jianghe thought to himself.
He didn't dare to imagine the worst; he could only hope that Yu Daniu had listened and moved to Xianmen Market City immediately after receiving his letter.
In the entire Tiannan Domain, the only person Chen Jianghe cared about was Yu Daniu.
This was the first matter related to him.
The second was about the Wind and Snow Valley secret realm—the battle between six Core Formation Grandmasters and three Rank 3 demonic beasts.
Initially, they had the upper hand, even severely injuring the Black Flame Crow. But then, two more Rank 3 demonic beasts appeared.
The six Core Formation Grandmasters, led by True Master Chengtian, began to lose ground.
Later, two more Rank 3 demonic beasts flew out from the depths of the Arctic Snow Forest. The battle escalated into seven Rank 3 demonic beasts against six Core Formation Grandmasters.
After three days of fierce fighting.
The battle ended in the cultivators' defeat.
True Master Chengtian escaped the Arctic Snow Forest with the heavily injured True Master Mingjing and Fairy Yunhua.
Fairy Qingxin, Venerable Qingmu, and Venerable Yunie, however, perished in the Arctic Snow Forest.
Three Core Formation Grandmasters, one of whom was a True Master of the Tiannan Sect, had fallen. This battle made one thing clear to all cultivators in the Tiannan Domain.
There was a Rank 4 Great Demon in the depths of the Arctic Snow Forest.
At that moment, the status of the Arctic Snow Forest became equal to that of the Wandering Immortal Mountain Range.
They were now jointly ranked as the most dangerous places in the Tiannan Domain.
But Chen Jianghe knew that the Arctic Snow Forest was far more dangerous than the Wandering Immortal Mountain Range.
The Wandering Immortal Mountain Range was just a demonic beast mountain range within the Tiannan Domain. It had Rank 4 Great Demons, it was true, but at most two.
But the Arctic Snow Forest was a barrier separating the Tiannan Domain from the greater Tiannan Cultivation World.
It was also the location of the ancient Snow Sect's ruins. Not only did it contain Rank 4 Great Demons, but it might even harbor Rank 5 Great Demons.
In the Tiannan Cultivation World, the Ice and Snow Forest was renowned as a perilous land.
The third matter related to Chen Jianghe was a rumor that he was the one who had killed Lu Qingming, a direct descendant of the Puppet Lu Clan.
And that he had also killed He Lingchuan, a direct descendant of the He Clan.
The rumor was true; Chen Jianghe had indeed done it.
But he had been very discreet at the time. It was impossible for anyone to have seen him. He had even dissolved the bodies of Lu Qingming and He Lingchuan with his True Water.
As for their storage pouches and magical treasures, Chen Jianghe hadn't dared to keep them, throwing them into an underground river instead.
Chen Jianghe suspected that someone among the cultivators who came out of the secret realm had seen Lu Qingming and He Lingchuan tailing him.
Now that Lu Qingming and He Lingchuan were missing, they had thought of him, assuming he was the one who had killed them.
Therefore, this rumor was baseless, a frame-up, a false accusation against an innocent man.
The person spreading these rumors was truly despicable.
Chen Jianghe mentally reviewed the thirteen Foundation Establishment cultivators who had emerged from the secret realm.
First, he ruled himself out.
Gao Peiyao would not spread such rumors.
Ruan Tieniu still wanted to trade with him, so he certainly wouldn't want anything bad to happen to him and wouldn't spread rumors.
Xiao Chen probably wouldn't stoop to such things.
As for Boss Feng, according to the magazine, he had been brought out of the Arctic Snow Forest early by Venerable Qingyou.
He clearly hadn't seen Lu Qingming and He Lingchuan pursuing him.
The two victims, Lu Qingming and He Lingchuan, certainly wouldn't have said anything.
That left Yuan Chenyu, Ji Yanfeng, Chen Chengping, Cen Linchuan, and the two rogue cultivators.
It was highly likely Ji Yanfeng and Chen Chengping.
Chen Jianghe made a mental note of these individuals. In the future, once he confirmed who had framed him and spread these rumors, this karmic score would have to be settled.
As for the fourth matter related to Chen Jianghe, it was about Luo Xiyue…
(End of this chapter)