Two Realms: I Will Become the Immortal Emperor

Chapter 282: Chapter 254: Dividing the Spoils, Array Spirit

Erasing the memory of a Major Cultivator was no easy task.

Fortunately, True Master Chilong had already become a Ghost Cultivator. Without the protection of a physical body, his Soul was completely exposed. Chen Che then flooded it with his own Divine Sense—one that far surpassed other Cultivators of the same tier. He held almost nothing back, and True Master Chilong lost consciousness in an instant.

To be absolutely certain, he scoured the Soul several more times with his Divine Sense.

Even Meng Changtu, Lu Qinglian, and the others took turns bombarding it with their own Divine Sense.

Only when he was certain that no trace of consciousness remained did Chen Che finally slap his Gourd and draw the soul inside.

’Now I can use this unconscious Soul Body as an Array Spirit without any worries. Even with no one controlling it, the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Formation will be able to operate on its own. This Soul Body might even develop a new consciousness in the future, but that will have nothing to do with True Master Chilong.’

”Time to divide the spoils.”

Putting away his Gourd, Chen Che glanced at the others and said with a smile,

”I’ve already claimed True Master Chilong’s Soul. You can divide the treasures from Sun Hao and his men among yourselves.”

He now knew the Little Chick’s identity and had eliminated the threat. The main goals for this trip had been accomplished.

Besides, he had already taken True Master Chilong’s Soul. The treasures left by Sun Hao’s group weren’t that significant. If he tried to claim a share of such meager spoils, it would make him seem insatiably greedy.

Besides, what he truly wanted was the Tree Seed they had mentioned. Given True Master Chilong’s discerning eye, anything he and Xuan Peng had bothered to bring out with them would be anything but ordinary.

Meng Changtu gripped the Jade Scroll, pondering for a moment before speaking. ”Let’s make two copies of True Master Chilong’s Cultivation Technique. One will remain with Jinyun Valley, and I’ll take the other back to my family. I’ll take two of the three Hundred-Eyed Marsh Dragons, but I don’t need anything else.”

The Hundred-Eyed Marsh Dragons, though dead, were perfect for feeding his Green-Winged Flood Dragon.

”I don’t need anything, either.”

Lu Qinglian thought for a moment, then glanced at Chen Che. ”I’d like a copy of the Ghost Cultivator’s Cultivation Technique...”

”The path of a Ghost Cultivator is not an easy one.”

Chen Che naturally knew she wanted this Cultivation Technique to prepare for what might happen after Lu Ping’an died. But the tribulations faced by a Ghost Cultivator were many times more severe than those of an ordinary Cultivator. They had to face a Heart Demon Tribulation at almost every Grand Realm, and each one was more terrifying than the last.

Such were the rules of the Celestial Dao.

All three thousand Great Daos are traversable, but every single path is fraught with immense difficulty.

”I know. But it is to fight for that single sliver of hope.”

Lu Qinglian gave a bitter smile. How could she not know?

’If the path of a Ghost Cultivator were easy, every Cultivator in the world would simply switch to it after they died. But Ghost Cultivators are incredibly rare. The only ones she had ever seen were just some wandering spirits and wild ghosts. Was that not because the risks were simply too great?’

”When the time comes, I hope Valley Master Chen will be able to refine a few batches of Pills for me...”

”Of course.”

Chen Che gave a slight nod, agreeing without hesitation.

Her love for her son ran deep; he had no reason to refuse her.

”Let’s split the remaining Pills and Spirit Stones among the rest of us.”

Rong Zhongxuan rubbed his hands in excitement.

His Cultivation Realm wasn’t high, so he was in desperate need of these resources. Including Sun Hao, the six Tribulation Cultivators had yielded seven or eight Tier Two Magical Artifacts and Weapons, about forty thousand Spirit Stones, and three Storage Rings. Each of them received a share worth over ten thousand Spirit Stones.

With that, the division of spoils was complete, and the group exchanged unconscious smiles.

Such was the allure of a fortuitous encounter.

In just a few days, they had reaped enough cultivation resources to last for years.

”I have to make a trip back to my family.”

Meng Changtu rose to his feet. He needed to return to his family to properly secure the Cultivation Techniques.

”I have to return to the Valley, too. I need to set up the Array Spirit.”

Chen Che cupped his fist in farewell. The Little Chick had already landed, as had the Profound Cyan Sparrow.

”Let’s part ways here. Next time a golden opportunity like this comes up, remember to give your old man a call.”

Meng Changtu let out a great laugh and cupped his fists toward the others as well.

”Of course,”

Chen Che grinned as the Little Chick flapped its wings and took to the sky.

The group parted ways at the foot of the mountain.

Upon returning to Jinyun Valley, Rong Shisan, Liang Yuan, and the others immediately got busy. Some went into seclusion, while others began the Sacrificial Refinement of their Magical Artifacts. After duplicating the Ghost Cultivator’s Cultivation Technique and giving it to Lu Qinglian, Chen Che went directly to the grand hall in the Valley.

This was the center of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Sword Formation, and also the location of its core.

Of course, if someone were controlling the Array, then the controller would become the core. However, a Cultivator couldn’t possibly do nothing but preside over the Grand Array at all times.

If an Array were a precision instrument, then the Array Spirit would be its ’artificial intelligence’—not a simple program, but the kind that has developed its own consciousness.

Therefore, an Array Spirit could not only control the Grand Array on its own, but could even maintain the Array by itself.

Of course, making an inanimate object gain sentience was incredibly difficult. Spiritual Qi alone was not enough; it also required a fortuitous opportunity. The probability of sentience arising naturally was abysmally low.

”Come out!”

With a wave of his hand, the Gourd spat it out.

True Master Chilong’s Divine Soul was now listless, his Soul Body translucent and clearly insubstantial. A Ghost Cultivator’s strength came entirely from their Soul; if the Soul was damaged, their Realm would plummet.

He stood there like a block of Wood, seemingly without the slightest awareness of the outside world.

However, Chen Che still wasn’t completely at ease. He scanned the Soul several more times with his Divine Sense to confirm there were no lingering memories. Only then did he slowly extend a hand, grasp at the empty air, and seize the Soul before forcefully throwing it into the Magic Array.

Simultaneously, he formed a Spell with his hands, stomped his foot, and bellowed,

”Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Sword Formation, arise!”

The instant the Soul was cast into the Sword Array, the once-rigid Array suddenly came to life, as if a painter had just dotted the eyes of a dragon Painting.

ZING!

The ring of a sword echoed throughout Jinyun Valley.

Even the Weapons in the hands of the disciples began to hum and vibrate in response. The Weapons on the racks began to CLATTER AND RATTLE, as if they might take flight at any moment.

”What’s going on?”

The disciples in the Valley held fast to their Weapons, looking around in astonishment.

”Do not panic! The Valley Master is cultivating,” shouted Rong Shisan, who was instructing disciples in the plaza. He glanced back at the grand hall as he spoke.

True Master Chilong’s Soul, originally tattered beyond measure, immediately activated the Grand Array upon entry. An endless torrent of Sword Qi converged on it. Under this baptism of Sword Qi, its form actually shrank by a full size, becoming incredibly condensed.

The sinister, ghostly aura that once surrounded it vanished completely in that instant.

Its red hair and red robes became silver hair and a white robe. It stood in midair with the transcendent air of an immortal, just like a legendary Sword Immortal. A Divine Soul has no physical body and changes with its surroundings. Having been baptized by the Sword Array, it was only natural that it would take on this appearance.

”Greetings, Master!”

The remnant Soul of True Master Chilong—the Array Spirit—landed before Chen Che and bowed deeply.

From now on, its Soul would reside within the Grand Array. If the Array survived, so would the Soul; if the Array was destroyed, the Soul would be extinguished.

’Even if Thousand Eyes and True Master Chixia were standing right in front of him, they probably wouldn’t recognize this being from a thousand years ago.’

With a nod of acknowledgement, Chen Che felt thoroughly satisfied.

”From this day forward, you are the Array Spirit of Jinyun Valley. All Arrays within the Valley fall under your command. But first, integrate the various scattered Arrays throughout the Valley.”

”As you command.”

The Array Spirit cupped its hands.

RUMBLE!

Almost simultaneously, the entire valley shuddered.

The thirty-six Sword Array stone steles scattered throughout the Valley began to shift, as if moved by some inexplicable force.

At the same time, a number of inconspicuous array stones also began to move.

A sudden hurricane whipped through the peaceful valley.

The Spiritual Qi that had been constantly leaking from the Array’s seams seemed to be locked in place by an invisible force. It gathered more and more in midair, eventually forming a swirling mist. The mist continued to condense until it actually fell as a shower of clear rain.

In that instant, the scene in the Valley became one of ’Spiritual Qi turning to liquid’—a state far superior to ’Spiritual Qi like mist.’

This only happened when Spiritual Qi reached an incredible level of density.

However, Chen Che knew this was a special phenomenon caused by the Spiritual Qi being sealed. Once it stabilized, Jinyun Valley would return to a state of ’Spiritual Qi like mist,’ but the concentration would be significantly higher than before.

In addition, the Water Scale Array and the Divine Sense Awareness Guard Array at the valley entrance were integrated into the Sword Array.

From now on, disciples entering or leaving would not even need to use a Token to verify their identity; the Array Spirit could identify them on its own.

The transformation of True Master Chilong into an Array Spirit didn’t attract much attention, and things quickly quieted down. The disciples in the Valley merely felt that the Spiritual Qi had increased significantly, but they couldn’t explain why.

Only the Foundation Establishment Cultivators within the Valley could keenly sense that something was different. But to any outside Cultivator, no matter how hard they looked, the entire Jinyun Valley appeared unchanged, exactly as it had been before.

The Arrays within the Valley, however, had become ’intelligent.’

’In the future, the Array Spirit will even be able to cultivate on its own. The Array’s power will increase as the Array Spirit’s strength grows. One day, I might even be able to modify it into the Circulation Star Formation!’

Chen Che mused.

...

With True Master Chilong transformed into the Array Spirit, every potential threat had been thoroughly erased. Chen Che felt a rare and profound sense of relief, as if he had finally swept away a venomous snake that had been lurking in the shadows, watching his every move. His mood felt brighter and clearer than the very sky above Jinyun Valley.

「From then on.」

The Little Chick could fly whenever it pleased, with no need to shy away from anyone. The threat of Sun Hao’s prying eyes and True Master Chilong’s suppression was completely gone.

”Have a Pill...”

With a flick of his finger, a Pill flew over.

The Little Chick opened its beak to snatch the Pill from the air. With a beat of its wings, it flew up and landed on a large locust tree within the Valley, its enormous body making the canopy groan with a CRACKING sound.

It then split the Pill in two and gave half to the Profound Cyan Sparrow that had entered the Valley with it.

Watching the two Great Demons nearly collapse the locust tree, the corner of Chen Che’s eye twitched. At the same time, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement:

’A tree that’s tens of thousands of feet tall... what Tier would that even be? The Little Chick is already Tier Four, so that Tree Seed must be of a similar level. If I could get it and plant it in the Valley...’

After all, the saying that a phoenix only lands on the wutong tree was no empty platitude.

Cultivators sought out Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands to practice their Cultivation, and Demon Beasts were no different.

If he could plant a tree like that...

Unfortunately, that Cave Mansion had been plundered hundreds of years ago. Everything inside had been cleaned out, and the box that sealed the Tree Seed had long since been lost.

’Who knows if someone opened it, or if it’s still sealed away somewhere. Too much time has passed. I don’t even know which group went inside back then. Trying to find it now would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. This is what would truly require immense fortune.’