Chapter 2436: The Gamble
“Why is this demoness here?” Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself.
The womanly figure dressed as a man was clad in dark green commoner’s clothes, with a bracelet of rosary beads in her hand. Her appearance was not particularly outstanding and did not attract much attention from the cultivators.
Although she had performed the secret transformation technique and deliberately restrained the demonic Qi in her body, Zhang Ruochen could still sense the unique aura of death that emanated from her.
This woman was Guye Jing from the Rāhu Mountains
Zhang Ruochen had met her once at the engagement feast. She was one of Luo Qian’s close friends, and her cultivation skill was unfathomable.
Zhang Ruochen only stared at her for a moment, but she noticed it. She glanced over and met Zhang Ruochen’s eyes for a moment. Zhang Ruochen immediately looked away and pretended that he had just seen her by accident.
Guye Jing fiddled at the prayer beads with her delicate fingers. A trace of doubt flashed through her demonic eyes. She did not look at “Xue Qi” anymore and went straight to the depths of the House of Enchanteurs.
“The House of Enchanteurs is quite lively tonight.”
Zhang Ruochen said to Xue Tu, “Go and check it out. See what’s going on in the House of Enchanteurs.”
After leaving Xue Tu, Zhang Ruochen walked alone through the reception hall to the luxurious chambers within the multiple layers of the palace.
Han Yun’ge could tell that he was Zhang Ruochen based on the fact that Xue Qi was not in the Fane of Destiny. The other well-informed powerful cultivators could also guess that person was Zhang Ruochen.
He had to change his ident.i.ty.
CRACK
......
Walking through a dimly lit place, Zhang Ruochen shook his body and instantly changed his appearance.
He became tall and thin with long limbs, His looks weren’t handsome, but he had an attractive heroic spirit.
The House of Enchanteurs had nine sprawling halls, each with dozens of chambers. There were cloud paG.o.das, lunar boats, and flower platforms. After pa.s.sing through the reception hall and a stone path above the water, the path forward became more lively with brighter lights.
That was the largest group of halls in the entire House of Enchanteurs. It was called the “Jadehill Palace.”.
The Jadehill Palace was built on an island made of saint bones. Its main body was the sh.e.l.l of a turtle which was a Supreme Saint of the Paramount Realm, the sh.e.l.l stood at more than 800 meters tall. Many strangely shaped palaces were built around the mountain. The eaves of the palaces were all adorned with saint fire lanterns.
This group of palaces in the Jadehill Palace was the main body of the House of Enchanteurs. It included the casino, the fighting arena, the forest of wine pools, and meat trees... it was all-encompa.s.sing and did not lack a single thing. More than 90% of the cultivators could only stay here.
The other eight palaces had their unique characteristics and required a costly sum. It wasn’t just someplace that normal cultivators could enter.
The Phoenix Annex was located in another palace out of the many that was very close to the Jadehill Palace and they were connected by a stone path on the water.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t go to the Phoenix Annex immediately. He wandered around the Jadehill Palace, secretly observing the arrival of other powerful figures while waiting for news from Xue Tu.
He pa.s.sed by a 30-foot-high dark ice jade platform and saw 12 beautiful girls dancing on it.
Some of the dancers were fox girls, s.e.xy and charming, with swaying tails, while some were dragon girls, with horns on their heads and possessing a high and mighty temperament. Others were elves, with sharp ears and lively and beautiful looks.
They had been carefully trained and taught, as their dancing was beautiful and pleasing to Zhang Ruochen’s eyes.
The other cultivators of the Infernal Court completely lack the manner of powerful saints. They shouted together and threw saint stones or sacred pills onto the stage from time to time.
A Supreme Saint of Corpusian directly climbed onto the dark ice jade platform. Leading a fox girl in one hand, he walked directly to a bustling palace. Countless cultivators of the Infernal Court envied him greatly.
Only do Supreme Saints dared to do this in the House of Enchanteurs.
It was special treatment for a Supreme Saint.
Zhang Ruochen went to the forest of wine pools and meat and tasted a good wine called “Forgetful Heart”. It was indeed a good wine and was comparable to the wine brewed by an obsessed person.
The battle stage was built on the top of the Jadehill Palace. No matter where one stood in The House of Enchanteurs, one could see it at a glance.
At this moment, there were two Neverwilt Realm Supreme Saints fighting on the battle stage.
One was from the Nether Clan, and the other was from the Deathkin.
The two seemed to have a great enmity as the fight was very intense. In the end, the Nether Clan Supreme Saint was more skilled. He chopped off the head of the Deathkin Supreme Saint, attracting the cheers of countless cultivators.
Pa.s.sing by a castle-like building, Zhang Ruochen sensed Yan Zhexian’s aura. He suddenly stopped and looked up.
The castle was made of black stone. It was five stories tall and built at a grand scale. The top of the gate was made of bones carved with the words, “Citadel Casino.”
“What does the Citadel Casino mean?” Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself.
Beside him, a Nine-Step Saint King in chainmail armor with a human body and a taotie head said, “I can’t believe you don’t know Citadel Casino. Is this your first time in the House of Enchanteurs?”
“You’re right. This is my first time.”
Zhang Ruochen walked into the castle.
After stepping through the gate, the lights inside were much dimmer, but the clamoring noise was louder and more ear-piercing.
“This is an ancient weapon comparable to a Regal Artifact. I’ll give you 90 million saint stones for it.”
“This ring contains a strong Supreme Saint’s aura. It must be valuable.”
“I’ll give you three million saint stones.”
...
There were ten gambling tables in the hall on the first floor of the castle.
Each gambling table had a vessel wrapped in a glowing s.h.i.+eld.
Around the gambling tables were a large group of craze cultivators. They judged the value of the vessel and placed bets.
These cultivators didn’t have normally high cultivation, so it was hard to find a Saint King among them.
The Nine-Step Saint King with the taotie head walked to Zhang Ruochen’s side and glanced at the ten vessels in the light s.h.i.+elds. He shook his head and said, “The first floor is just for the low-end game. We can’t see anything good here. Only the things above are really valuable.”
They walked to the second floor.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Is this a place to sell vessels or a place to gamble?”
“It is both!”
The Nine-Step Saint King with the taotie head said, “The House of Enchanteurs can sell artifacts and take money from the gambling games. It’s a win-win situation for both sides.”
They had arrived on the second floor!
Almost all the cultivators on this floor were of Saint Kinghood, but their realms were lower, so it was difficult to see the figure of the Nine-Step Saint King.
Coming to the third floor, the Nine-Step Saint King with the taotie head arrived at his destination and walked toward the hall.
There were only six gambling tables in the hall. Almost all the cultivators who were gambling here were high-level Saint Kings. There were even some Supreme Saints.
The Nine-Step Saint King with the taotie head came to the bottom of gambling table No. 1. He opened his eyes wide and carefully observed the rusty war hammer on the table and his breath quickened.
He instantly entered the gambler’s state.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at the war hammer. He saw that although the war hammer was rusty, traces of dark light emitted from the cracks in the rust. There was a powerful aura of a Supreme Saint spreading out through the light s.h.i.+eld.
It was the aura of a Supreme Saint that had reached the Thousand-Koan Realm.
“It’s a Supreme Saint ancient artifact. There is something good to be found here.”
He quietly released his spiritual power to check out the Warhammer.
When his spiritual power touched the light s.h.i.+eld, it immediately shot out a blinding ray of light. Thunder and lightning appeared.
“Where did this ignorant person come from? How dare he use spiritual power to investigate?”
“This is bad luck. Go ahead and gamble. I’m not here to gamble anymore!”
“Cang Jie, who did you bring?”
...
The cultivators below the gambling table cursed and glared at Zhang Ruochen.
Gamblers are easily irritated when they are gambling.
The Nine-Step Saint King with the taotie head, named Cang Jie, quickly apologized to them and said, “It’s my friend’s first time in The House of Enchanteurs. He doesn’t understand the rules here. Please forgive him and don’t lower yourself to his level.”
After a while, everyone’s anger subsided.
However, some cultivators chose to leave and didn’t continue gambling here.
Cang Jie transmitted his voice to Zhang Ruochen. “All the vessels here are covered by a light s.h.i.+eld. cultivators can only judge its value based on its aura. They can’t use spiritual power to investigate.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “I’m afraid it’s quite hard to judge!”
“It’s indeed hard to judge, that’s why it’s called gambling,” Cang Jie said.
Zhang Ruochen thought it was quite new and asked, “What’s the gambling method?”
Cang Jie said excitedly, “More than two cultivators will bid for the vessels together. If the final price is lower than the original value of the vessels, then the winner will be the one with the highest price. Not only can you get the vessels, but you can also get the saint stones of all the bidders
“If the final price is higher than the original value of the vessel, then the one with the lowest price will become the winner and get the vessel and the saint stones of all the bidders.”
Zhang Ruochen asked tentatively, “Winner takes all?”
“Yes! Isn’t that exciting enough?” Cang Jie laughed in reply.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, and said, “From the first level to the third level, I took a rough look. All the artifacts that were put on the gambling table were quite special. It seemed that they were ancient artifacts dug out from the tombs. I’m afraid that it’s not so easy to judge the value of these artifacts.”
Cang Jie said, “You may not know this, but the House of Enchanteurs and the temple of the dead souls work closely together. The death souls temple travels all over the world and specializes in digging into large tombs. Their main goal is to find powerful corpses and bones to sell them at a high price to the Corpusian and the Bone Clan’s forces. However, they also dug out a lot of ancient artifacts. Most of them were sent to the House of Enchanteurs!”
“The real good stuff was taken away by the temple of the dead souls first, right?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Cang Jie shook his head hard, “It’s hard to determine the value of the artifacts dug out from the tomb because of the pa.s.sage of time,” he said. “Some of them look powerful, but in fact, their insides have already rotted away. These turned into dust instantly when activated by saint power.”
“Especially the ancient divine artifacts. They are stained with the power of the deities, and divine marks are formed within them. Even spiritual power can not detect them thoroughly. One must refine them before determining their value.”
“Therefore, these artifacts in the tombs are usually sealed as soon as they are unearthed. Then they are sent to the House of Enchanteurs or other gambling places, and the cultivators themselves will bet on their value. In this way, the temple of the dead souls and the House of Enchanteurs will make a profit.”
As long as a Supreme Saint had used an artifact before, it would be a Supreme Saint ancient artifact.
As long as a G.o.d used a vessel before, it would be an ancient divine artifact.
However, there was a grade to the artifact, and there was also a difference in how precious it was. The wine cups and war weapons used by the same Supreme Saint might give off the same aura of a Supreme Saint, but the value of the two could not be compared.
If he made a mistake, he would lose everything.
Below the gambling table, there were seven cultivators who had placed their bets.
Four of them bid 100 million saint stones.
The other three bid: 1.2 billion saint stones, 800 million saint stones, and 2.1 billion saint stones.
Besides the gambling table, a person in charge of the Enchanteur Palace said, “The aura of a Supreme Saint is coming off thickly from this weapon. It’s a war hammer, and it’s most likely a weapon of a Supreme Saint. Do any more cultivators want to raise the price?”
Cang Jie laughed and sat beside the gambling table, he said, “Based on the Supreme Saint aura that this war hammer gives off, we can determine that its previous owner was a Supreme Saint of the Thousand-Koan Realm. This war weapon should be at least at the level of a Cla.s.s Two Regal Artifact. How can saint stones measure their value? In my opinion, it’s worth at least 80 G.o.dstones.”
80 G.o.dstones were equivalent to 80 billion saint stones.
The three cultivators who had already placed their bets stared at Cang Jie as if they were looking at an idiot.
If it was a battle hammer, must it be a weapon belonging to a Supreme Saint of the Thousand-Koan Realm?
Even if it was a Supreme Saint of the Thousand-Koan Realm’s battle weapon, looking at how rusted it was, it was very likely to be a useless piece of equipment.
A useless piece of equipment would have different values depending on how useless it was.
It was possible that it was worthless, or it was possible that some of the materials used to forge the weapon still had a certain value.
It was very obvious that most cultivators felt that the battle hammer was a worthless weapon.
Especially the four cultivators who had bid 100 million saint stones. They were certain that the Warhammer was worthless and wanted to gamble big with small amounts. If not for this gambling table that limited the lowest bid at 100 million saint stones, perhaps they would have bid for an even lower price.
If the Warhammer was truly worthless, the four of them would have won. They could split the saint stones that the other three cultivators had offered and earn one billion saint stones each.
To a Nine-Step Saint King, one billion saint stones was an enormous wealth.
Of course, if the interior of the Warhammer was intact then it would be a Supreme Saint ancient artifact comparable to a Cla.s.s Two Regal Artifact, and the winner would be the cultivator who had offered 2.1 billion saint stones.
Not only will he win all the saint stones, but he would also be able to obtain a Supreme Saint ancient artifact that was worth dozens of G.o.dstones. It was a huge profit.
Of course, the probability of this was extremely low.
With the strength of the House of Enchanteurs, it was still possible to determine the value of a Supreme Saint ancient artifact. If it was truly a Cla.s.s Two Regal Artifact that was intact, with the probability being only 20-30%, it would be sent to the fourth floor. There is no way that it could have appeared here.
This kind of gambling depended equally on luck and eyesight.
The person in charge of the Enchanteur Palace stared at Cang Jie and smiled, “How many saint stones are you prepared to bet?”
“I’m poor, so I’ll bet 100 million saint stones!”
Cang Jie took out a crimson crystal card and threw it on the gambling table.
The surroundings immediately erupt with jeering sounds.
He had boasted so fiercely just now, and it turned out that he was also a guy who wanted to take advantage of others.
The four cultivators who had already bet 100 million saint stones looked displeased. With one more person betting, the number of saint stones each of them would get if they won would be less!
The person in charge of the Enchanteur Palace asked, “Are there any more cultivators betting?”
There were many cultivators watching, but none of them had placed any bets.
After all, the 100 million saint stones were not a small amount. It was enough to make some Saint Kings bankrupt.
The person in charge looked at the eight cultivators who had placed their bets and asked, “Do you still want to place more bets?”
The cultivator who had placed 1.2 billion saint stones hesitated slightly but did not raise the price in the end.
Although he could not use his spiritual power to investigate or inject his Saint Qi into the vessel, Zhang Ruochen had the Heart of Truth. A mere light s.h.i.+eld could not stop his sensing.
Previously, Cang Jie had spoken up for him and explained to him his doubts about the Citadel Casino. He had a good impression of this person and planned to give him an opportunity.
As a result, Zhang Ruochen secretly transmitted his voice and said, “Raise the price to 2.2 billion saint stones.”
Hearing Zhang Ruochen’s voice, Cang Jie was surprised and could not help but turn his head to look at him.
Zhang Ruochen nodded at him.
Of course, Cang Jie didn’t think that Zhang Ruochen was secretly supporting the others, but he didn’t believe in Zhang Ruochen’s ability.
2.2 billion saint stones wasn’t a small amount.
Did he think that this Warhammer was worth more than 2.2 billion saint stones?
“Brother, can you do it? If I lose 2.2 billion saint stones, I’ll have nothing. My hundreds of years of savings will all be gone!” Cang Jie asked telepathically.
Zhang Ruochen patted his shoulder and said, “Trust me.”
With this pat, a powerful Supreme Saint’s Qi surged into Cang Jie’s body.
“So... so you are actually a senior Supreme Saint...”
Cang Jie had seen the power of a Supreme Saint in battle. However, those Supreme Saint in the Neverwilt and Hundred-Shackle Realm were far inferior to this brother... No, senior behind him.
Could it be that senior was a Thousand-Koan Realm Supreme Saint?
Cang Jie sucked in a breath of cold air. He was both excited and fanatical, “I, Cang Jie, have finally met my destiny. To be able to receive the guidance of a Thousand-Koan Realm senior Supreme Saint, how can I possibly lose? Perhaps I might even win big today.”
The person in charge of the Enchanteur Palace asked for the third time, “If everyone is sure that you will not raise your stakes, I will open the light s.h.i.+eld now to test the value of the Warhammer.”
“Wait a minute.”
Cang Jie stood up and tried to control his excitement, but his hands still couldn’t help but tremble. “I bet... I bet 2.2 billion saint stones.” he stuttered.
All the cultivators below the gambling table were stunned.
Someone laughed loudly. “This stupid taotie is too greedy. Does he think that this war hammer is an intact Regal Artifact?”
“A Nine-Step Saint King taking out 2.2 billion Saint Stones to gamble. I wonder if he’ll cry after losing.”
“We’ve made a fortune! With 2.2 billion saint stones, the four of us can each earn an additional 550 million saint stones.”
...
The Ghost Supreme Saint who had placed a bet of 2.1 billion Saint Stones had a grim expression on his face. He threw two more crimson crystal cards onto the gambling table and increased the bid to 2.3 billion saint stones.
“I have senior backing me. How can I be afraid of a Ghost Supreme Saint in the Neverwilt Realm?”
Cang Jie rolled up his sleeves and threw out eight crystal cards in a row. He had bet 3 billion saint stones in total.
The Ghost Supreme Saint was not rich. Although he was furious, he did not continue to bet. He snorted, “Very good. You have the guts, but I wonder if you will be able to take out that many saint stones after you lose.”
“Just mind your own business, old senior. I am confident that I will win all the matches,” Cang Jie said rather arrogantly.
“Those from the taotie clan are too greedy. Just wait and see, he will be crying later.”
“The number of saint stones in this round has reached 7.7 billion in total. It’s a big bet. It is hard to know who will win.”
...
The person in charge of the Enchanteur Palace spoke, “Since there are no more cultivators to raise the stakes, I will open the light s.h.i.+eld now. It’s up to fate whoever wins or loses.”
The person in charge formed a seal with both hands. Two b.l.o.o.d.y lines appeared on their palms and pressed on the light barrier.
The light barrier gradually faded and dissipated.
In the hall, the other onlookers gathered. They held their breaths and waited for the unveiling of the answer.
The most nervous one was none other than Cang Jie.
Although the senior behind him had profound cultivation, he couldn’t use his spiritual power to confirm it, and also who could be 100% correct?
Three billion saint stones... If he lost the bet, not only would he have to sell all of his properties, he would even have to sell himself to the House of Enchanteurs as a slave. Only then would he be able to repay the debt.
But if he won the bet, he would be able to win a lot of saint stones.
Cang Jie pressed his hands on the gambling table. Both of his eyes became blood red and gritted his sharp teeth with his entire body trembling violently. He felt both excited and nervous, with the blood coursing violently throughout his body.
As soon as the light s.h.i.+eld was opened, streams of spiritual energy surged toward the Warhammer.
Crack
Unable to withstand the impact of the chaotic spiritual energy, a crack appeared on the surface of the Warhammer.
The cracks gradually increased in size and became as dense as a spider web.
Furthermore, the Supreme Saint aura that flowed out of the cracks also dissipated. It became thinner and thinner as if it was about to be completely depleted.
Anyone could tell that this Supreme Saint ancient artifact had been corroded by the power of time. All of its essence energy had been drained. It was probably impossible to even refine some rare materials from it.
A piece of tras.h.!.+
The four cultivators who had only bet 100 million saint stones were so excited that they began to clap their hands on the table and laugh loudly.
“Hahaha, we’ve won! From what I can calculate, we’ve won at least 1.8 billion saint stones.”
“That stupid taotie is so generous. He had bet 3 billion saint stones.”
...
The other cultivators who had bet all looked bitter. They sighed and left the table.
As if struck by lightning, Cang Jie lost all his strength. His strong and tall body slid to the ground. There was only one thought in his mind. “It’s over, it’s all over!”
He didn’t blame Zhang Ruochen. After all, everyone had their moments of failure.
He was the one who had made the decision.
He could only blame himself for being too greedy. He had lost so badly that he didn’t even have a chance to turn things around!
The four cultivators who had bet 100 million saint stones began to collect the crimson crystal cards on the gambling table under countless envious looks from the onlookers.
One card represented 100 million Saint Stones.
“Hold on.”
Zhang Ruochen took a step forward and tapped the gambling table lightly with his finger. “Who said you won?”
The few gamblers who had intended to leave all stopped in their tracks.
Could there be more variables?