Jinyun Valley, Southwest Sector.

This place was once a chaotic burial mound. In the past, when cultivators in the valley who had no family or friends died, they were wrapped in a straw mat and buried in a simple pit right here.

It had existed even before the time of Ye Jingzhou.

No one knew how many bodies were buried here.

On top of that, a ghostly mist would rise here every day at the hour of Zi, not dissipating until the hour of Mao. It was so thick you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. There were even soul fires drifting about, making it feel like a ghost realm. Thus, it came to be known as the Ghost Market.

Half an incense stick of time had passed since Chen Che and Meng Qingxuan entered.

"How interesting."

Chen Che’s eyes were filled with great interest.

He looked up and saw that the area was crowded with figures, yet there was not a single sound, as if they were all wandering ghosts.

After browsing several stalls, Chen Che personally witnessed a customer buy a bloodstained long saber without exchanging a single word. The two merely gestured within their sleeves to complete the transaction. Although the long saber was only a Tier One Middle Grade weapon, it radiated an extremely heavy Evil Qi.

It was clearly approaching the criteria for an Evil Artifact.

Meng Qingxuan also found it novel.

She had never before seen a Ghost Market like this, born from such a unique environment.

However, after just a few laps around the market, she immediately understood:

Items that were rejected from auction houses and couldn’t see the light of day would flow here. The Ghost Market served as a channel for these people to sell their illicit goods. Of course, some damaged items were also mixed in. Whether a deal was good or bad depended entirely on the customer’s discernment.

"Huh?"

Chen Che glanced at a stall, and his eyes immediately lit up. He noticed that many passing cultivators would linger there for a long time.

On that stall, a few items were displayed.

There were sabers and swords, secret manuals, and even a safe...

But in the very center was a clay statue of the Thousand-Handed Guanyin Bodhisattva. At first glance, the Bodhisattva statue looked no different from any other, with a benevolent face, kind eyes, and a jade bottle held in its hands. However, the moment one’s gaze met the Bodhisattva’s, one could immediately feel a power that bewitched the soul.

"What is this thing?"

Chen Che walked over.

"...So it’s you, fellow Daoist."

The cultivator running the stall wore a mask that blocked Divine Sense and was clad in a black robe, sitting cross-legged in meditation.

Suddenly hearing a voice in his sea of consciousness, he raised his head slightly and glanced at Chen Che.

"This is a divine relic worshipped by mortals."

’Just as I thought.’

Chen Che mused to himself.

Zhurong Daoist School had an elective course that discussed the Incense and Candle Dao.

It was a cultivation technique passed down from before the Calamity of Heaven’s Fall, usable by mortals who lacked a Spiritual Root. Even a mortal, as long as they could satisfy the needs of their believers, could eventually enjoy the offerings of incense, attain long life, and even become an omnipotent Divine Spirit.

However, this method was incredibly dangerous and is now only studied by students for academic purposes.

Although more believers meant greater power, there was a catch.

One must understand that a thousand people have a thousand faces. A mortal’s spirit is fragile; accommodating the thoughts of just a few hundred people is its limit. Over time, as the number of believers grows, one’s own Divine Soul would be eroded by their consciousness, ultimately turning one into a mindless beast that has lost its sense of self.

Though the Divine Dao was faster than the Immortal Dao, this was the price.

"Fellow Daoist, can you tell me the origin of this item?"

The other party’s eyelids twitched, but he gave no reaction, clearly unwilling to speak.

Chen Che didn’t get angry. He smiled and took a feather fan from his Storage Ring.

"A Tier Two Middle Grade Phoenix Feather Fan for your Bodhisattva Statue. If you can tell me its origin, I’ll add a Tier Two Lower Grade Magical Artifact."

’When I killed Tang Youliang, I obtained over seventy magical artifacts. Although I placed most of them in the Treasure House, I kept a few for myself specifically to handle situations like this.’

"You have a deal!"

The other party was overjoyed.

He hadn’t expected Chen Che to be so interested in this Bodhisattva Statue.

"This story starts seventeen years ago. That day, I happened to be passing through the mortal world and saw two groups fighting. I didn’t pay it much mind at first, but then I saw a group of mortals routing several cultivators!"

"Mortals?"

Chen Che’s eyebrow rose.

"That’s right. Those mortals didn’t know how to cultivate and had not a trace of True Essence in their bodies, yet they could cast all sorts of magic."

The man nodded and continued, "Later, I followed the clues and discovered that these people actually worshipped an Evil God. All their power was borrowed from a Divine Spirit known as the ’Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva.’ I destroyed one of their dens and found this Bodhisattva Statue."

"The mortal world, you say?"

Chen Che rubbed his chin. Based on his own knowledge, he judged the man’s story to be ninety percent true. "If you get any more of these divine statues, send them directly to the Jinyun Valley auction. I’ll buy each one at the price of a Tier Two Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact."

"But the condition is that each one must be of this quality. I won’t take anything of a lower grade!"

’This Bodhisattva Statue is considered a Tier Two Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact.’

"You?"

The man frowned, looking Chen Che up and down with a hint of disbelief.

After all,

although he was only dealing with a group of mortals, they were supported by quite a few ghost gods, making them difficult to handle.

"I don’t know your esteemed name, fellow Daoist. Can you really command the auction house? You should know, this item of mine couldn’t even get into the auction, which is why I’m here trying to sell it."

"My surname is Chen, and my given name is Che! Go find Ding Fei and tell him it’s an item I want. He will naturally make the trade with you."

"Valley Master Chen?"

The man’s eyelid twitched.

"That’s right. Are you at ease now, fellow Daoist?" Chen Che said calmly.

"Since it is Valley Master Chen who asks, then I will certainly comply."

He no longer dared to be as casual as before, his tone becoming respectful. "Valley Master, please take a look at my other wares..."

"No need."

Chen Che’s gaze swept over the items, and he shook his head. Although there were some old objects, he didn’t see anything particularly special.

’Good things are rare, after all.’

"Then never mind."

The man cupped his fists again.

"Mr. Che, what is that?"

Meng Qingxuan had been waiting to the side. She saw the two of them conduct their entire conversation silently using Divine Sense, which resulted in him buying this strange Bodhisattva Statue.

"An evil object created from years of mortal worship. It’s of some use to me."

Chen Che explained as he placed the Bodhisattva Statue into his Storage Ring.

Of course, to others, this was a useless evil object.

In fact, those with weak Divine Sense would even be eroded by it.

But to him, it was a rare treasure. The Power of Faith was another manifestation of the power of Divine Sense. Although he didn’t cultivate the Divine Dao, he could refine this Power of Faith and use it to supplement his own Divine Sense.

Before he found the Divine Court Wood, this item could serve as a substitute.

"I see."

Hearing his explanation, she didn’t ask any further questions.

Having obtained the Bodhisattva Statue, Chen Che was in high spirits.

’Originally, I planned to shut down this Ghost Market. Now, however, it seems the market has its uses. After all, the auction house can’t possibly collect all the treasures on the market. If I let this place remain, I might be able to find some hidden gems in the future.’

...

The two of them wandered through the Ghost Market for two more laps, and after confirming there were no other treasures left, they returned to the valley.

After summoning Ding Fei and instructing him to keep a record of the factions within Jinyun Valley and matters concerning divine relics, Chen Che immediately went into seclusion. He directly took out the Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva Statue.

’What immense Power of Faith! It’s not inferior to that of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.’

It was important to know that there were only three ways to increase one’s Divine Sense.

First, by relying on one’s own efforts to constantly hone it.

Second, by using external objects. Divine Court Incense and the Shocking God Song both fell into this category, as did some Celestial and Earthly Treasures that could enhance Divine Sense.

Third, by devouring.

However, because Earth Element Star had eradicated feudal superstitions and promoted cultivation for all, the method of becoming an Incense Fire Daoist God had been all but severed. Even if similar items existed, they were preserved in major museums, available only for tourists to view.

Obtaining such an item on Earth Element Star was harder than ascending to the heavens.

Of course, even if one did obtain it, it couldn’t be devoured easily.

After all, this Power of Faith was a manifestation of the collective beliefs of thousands of mortals, condensed over decades or even centuries. If one’s Divine Sense Level wasn’t high enough, one would be instantly overwhelmed and possessed.

But Chen Che’s Divine Sense had already reached the Golden Core First Layer, so he had nothing to fear.

BOOM!

The instant his Divine Sense made contact, he felt a roar erupt in his sea of consciousness.

The consciousness of countless mortals surged toward Chen Che like a monstrous tidal wave.

In that instant, Chen Che felt as if tens of millions of people were speaking inside his mind:

"Bodhisattva, I want money! I want more money than I can spend!"

"Oh great and merciful Bodhisattva, Old Zhang from next door is sleeping with my wife! I want his whole family to die without a proper burial!"

"Bodhisattva, I don’t want to die! I want to live for another hundred years!"

"Bodhisattva..."

"Bodhisattva..."

Countless voices rose up, touching upon life, age, sickness, and death, concerning the seven passions and six desires—all the needs of mortals.

But Chen Che wasn’t the least bit flustered. He brutally wiped away these consciousnesses.

Then, using his own Divine Sense like a millstone, he ground the Power of Faith into dust, bit by bit, and absorbed it into his own Divine Sense.

"Not bad!"

Chen Che opened his eyes and took out his Micro Crystal Brain to check the results.

[Divine Sense: Golden Core First Layer (38.83%)]

"It increased by five percentage points! This is even faster than Divine Court Incense..." Chen Che exclaimed in amazement.

However, he was also aware that, in a way, this item was even rarer than Divine Court Incense.

It would be impossible to nurture such a statue without hundreds of years and tens of thousands of believers.

’Time to cultivate the Nine Transformations Spirit Flame Technique!’

Chen Che sat cross-legged in the Quiet Chamber and poured out all the Tier Two Fire Attribute Spiritual Objects he had collected from the valley.

The moment these items appeared, the temperature in the Quiet Chamber soared as if it had turned into a furnace. If an ordinary person were here, they would be instantly evaporated by the high temperature and burned to a crisp.

However, Chen Che was unfazed. He formed a seal technique, and the spiritual objects—sabers, swords, rocks, spirit grass, and more—trembled. A fiery mist rose from them like a vapor and began to float slowly upwards. Then, drawn by an immense force, it shot into the void and merged with the cluster of flame.

The flame, which had originally been only about three feet high, began to grow at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Four feet, five feet, six feet...

It only just stopped when it reached nine feet.

At the same time, when it reached nine feet, the massive flame trembled and split off a second cluster of fire, which stopped growing when it was about seventy percent the size of the first.

"Not bad speed!"

Chen Che nodded in satisfaction.

Just half an hour of cultivation had saved him more than half a year of hard work. Of course, this result was bought and paid for with Spirit Stones. Looking at the spiritual objects before him, now drained of Spiritual Qi and covered in cracks, he realized this single session had cost nearly ten thousand Spirit Stones.

’If it weren’t for the trip to Ten Thousand Fire Mountain, I really wouldn’t dare to cultivate so luxuriously...’

Chen Che mused, rubbing his chin.

’It would be great if I could also get that Starfire Stone.’ Just then, Rong Zhongxuan hurried over to report that the Yu Family of Chi State had rejected Jinyun Valley’s offer.

"Why?"

Chen Che was stunned.

"I’m not sure about that..." Rong Zhongxuan shook his head. "They weren’t explicit about it."

Chen Che pondered this. ’Trade is a matter of free will. Being rejected either means the price was too low, or they want something else.’ Thinking this, Chen Che made a decision and said:

"The Yu Family, is it?"

"I’ll pay them a visit myself!"