Chapter 1351: Complete Victory
Even the people from the lower floors of the Jade Garden sensed something. They all rushed to the immortal floor to take a look. Many of them couldn"t resist the urge to see what had happened. Unfortunately, they were stopped by the guards. They could only discuss and speculate among themselves. Thus, the Jade Garden quickly became extremely lively.
Even many people from Fiend King Court City looked toward the Jade Garden. When they saw the miraculous divine radiance, they were all incredibly shocked. Could it be that some incredible treasure had appeared in the Jade Garden? As such, they immediately sent over subordinates to investigate the place.
“This is…” All those present on the immortal floor were shocked.
If the phoenix sign from before had been full of ki, making their bodies feel relaxed, this time, the light was so dazzling that no one could even open their eyes. Furthermore, it carried a powerful holy aura that was not something ordinary heaven-grade items could compare to at all; perhaps not even an immortal-grade item could match up.
Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue were both grandmasters who were full of experience. They quickly reacted, exclaiming, “Is this a deity-grade aura?”
Afterward, everyone else seemed to have woken up from a dream. The butler was already shaking all over. He was so moved he couldn"t even speak anymore.
A figure suddenly appeared from who knew where. He was an elder with white hair, but had a youthful complexion. Judging from his outfit, he was clearly Jade Garden’s guardian. He observed the divine radiance with narrowed eyes, and his lips began to tremble a bit.
Yun Jianyue nudged Yan Xuehen and said, “This Jade Garden really is mysterious, to have an air mortal form cultivator as a guardian[1].”
Yan Xuehen shared her sentiment, adding, “One at the peak of the air form, no less.”
The master rank was divided into five levels: The hero, essence, core, power, and air mortal forms. The air form was the highest level of the five within the master rank, and the elder was at the very peak of that level. He was more or less a pseudo-grandmaster. The most important part, however, was that he was the protector of a mere merchant group. As such, how could they not feel any shock?
However, when they thought of how there were so many precious unpolished stones present, they realized that made sense. Without sufficiently high cultivation, one wouldn’t be able to properly protect those items in a place like the Fiend King Court where there were powerful cultivators everywhere.
The white-haired elder said with a trembling voice, “Deity… Deity-grade aura. This is… This is Calamity Gold!”
“Calamity Gold?” Those present were all formidable cultivators with extraordinary experience. They had naturally heard that name before. Calamity Gold was one of the eight great legendary divine golds, and could be used to forge a deity-grade weapon.
How many deity grade weapons were there in this world? Each one’s power was enough to cause supernatural phenomena in this world, and their masters were the most powerful beings in the world, who ruled over their own land. Many other powerful individuals also wanted their own deity-grade weapon, and yet due to the rarity of the materials, they had no choice but to bury that wish. Judging from that, it was obvious just how precious Calamity Gold was.
The Second Imperial Prince suddenly got up and said, “Medusa Queen, I will purchase this piece of Calamity Gold. Just name the price. Furthermore, from today onward, the Snake race will become the most sincere friend of this imperial prince. In the future, as long as this prince still exists, the Snake race will enjoy endless glory and splendor.”
It wasn’t that he wasn’t being sincere enough by not offering a price; rather, such a deity-grade treasure was already priceless. It was something that could only be exchanged for through other means.
The expressions of the lion princes immediately changed. The Second Imperial Prince had clearly been partial to them earlier, and yet now, he chose the other side without a hint of hesitation. They felt truly upset, as if they had been abandoned.
The others were horrified. The price the Second Imperial Prince had offered was already extremely high. Such a promise would surely return the Snake race to their peak, or perhaps elevate them to even greater heights than before. They could definitely become one of the fiend races’ most powerful clans.
They were all the most powerful representatives of the different races. They could more or less guess why the Second Imperial Prince would offer up such a huge price. The Golden Crow Crown Prince had his Sun Slaying Bow, while he didn’t have anything like that.
The fact that the Second Imperial Prince wasn’t willing to accept the Golden Crow Crown Prince was widely known. He believed that his own cultivation, talent, and strategic prowess all surpa.s.sed his brother’s. Unfortunately, the crown prince had the deity-grade weapon the Fiend Emperor had pa.s.sed down to him. If they really fought, he would definitely be at a disadvantage. That was why he so urgently wanted a deity-grade weapon of his own.
Refining a deity-grade weapon had other harsh requirements apart from those rare materials, but he wasn’t concerned with that at the moment. He had to seize the Calamity Gold first before thinking about the next steps.
Yu Yanluo showed him an apologetic smile and said, “I fear that I must apologize to the Second Imperial Prince. We do not plan to sell this Calamity Gold.”
As the Snake race’s leader, she naturally knew that the Golden Crow Crown Prince was competing with the Second Imperial Prince. She didn’t want to get caught up in the battle over the throne. Furthermore, the item was something Ah Zu had discovered, so it obviously belonged to him. There was no way she would selfishly make a decision over it.
Yun Jianyue’s mouth was so wide open a chicken egg could fit inside. She exclaimed, “Stone cold woman, do you think Little An really just has blind luck?” Even with her knowledge and experience, the stone couldn"t have been more ordinary looking. How could she have expected that it would be something so heaven-defying?!
Yan Xuehen frowned and said, “I think not. He confidently told Yu Yanluo to pick this stone. That level of certainty cannot be faked.”
“Then how did he notice it?” Yun Jianyue asked. She was beyond shocked. “Not even Yu Yanluo could see anything, and that highly-experienced butler didn’t notice anything while cutting either. He almost missed it too.”
“I do not know. We will just have to ask him later,” Yan Xuehen said indifferently.
“Do you really have no concept of politeness? This might be related to his greatest secrets. Are you sure he’ll tell you?” Yun Jianyue asked, giving her a doubtful look. “When did you become so familiar with him?”
Yan Xuehen was alarmed. She promptly looked away, ignoring Yun Jianyue. After that guy bullied me like that before… What, is he not even going to answer something like this?
The Second Imperial Prince’s face fell. He said, “Medusa Queen, you have to think things over properly. Even though this piece of Calamity Gold is mysterious, there is not much of it at all. There is definitely not enough to create a divine weapon. With your Snake race’s power, you will not be able to piece together enough other kinds of divine gold, and it will only bring about the greed of others.” His statement was a reminder, but also a threat.
Yu Yanluo didn’t get annoyed. She showed him a refreshing and beautiful smile, replying, “Thank you for your reminder, Second Imperial Prince. We will properly safeguard this piece of Calamity Gold. If we change our mind and want to sell it, we will definitely give the Second Imperial Prince priority to purchase it.”
The Second Imperial Prince knew she was just exchanging polite greetings, but he had to admit that upon seeing Yu Yanluo’s exceptional appearance and friendly smile, his anger couldn"t help but unknowingly dissipate.
Zu An looked at the palm-sized chunk of metal. It was surrounded by divine radiance, but it really wasn’t that large. It seemed a little too small to be made into a complete weapon.
However, he was thinking of something else. Cracks had formed in the Tai’e Sword when it was struck by the Sun Slaying Bow, and because Mi Li was inside, it had affected her too. He could just use the piece of Calamity Gold to repair its cracks.
According to what Mi Li had previously told him, the Tai’e Sword had been sealed for so long that its grade fell. If he added the Calamity Gold, wouldn’t that be able to repair the sword, and perhaps even help it continue to grow stronger?
Just then, Zu An looked at Shi Min and said, “Third prince, you’re now convinced of your loss, right? Hand over that stuff first. Even though the Phoenix Stamen isn’t all that much, it’s still ours now.”
He s.n.a.t.c.hed the Phoenix Stamen that had just been found and added, “Oh yeah, don’t forget about the True Corpse Bamboo you found earlier. That kind of thing is honestly a bit too sinister, so we’ll help take it off your hands.”
Zu An looked really troubled, almost as if he felt that the True Corpse Bone was a bit too filthy for his hand.
Shi Min was speechless.
You have successfully trolled Shi Min for +999 +999 +999…
You have successfully trolled Shi Gong for +999 +999 +999…
You have successfully trolled Shi Rong for +999 +999 +999…
This little b.a.s.t.a.r.d only has blind luck, and yet he’s actually climbing all over us?!!!
Shi Rong was the first one to erupt in rage. “You d.a.m.n b.a.s.t.a.r.d, you’re going too far!”
“I’m going too far? I just repeated what you said to me before,” Zu An said with a shrug. “What, don’t tell me you guys want to go back on your bet? The princes and princesses here are all witnesses. I advise you to behave.”
The others were speechless, and only Shang Liuyu had a smile on her face. This guy really was just as she remembered.
Hu Yong laughed so hard that the edges of his mouth seemed about to reach his ears. “Hahahahah! I’ve really grown in experience today! Turns out the Lion race is nothing but a bunch of sore losers!”
No matter how thick Shi Min’s skin was, he couldn"t stand such mockery in front of so many people. He said, “Enough. Seventh brother, give him the True Corpse Bamboo.”
“Third brother!” Shi Rong exclaimed, his eyes completely red. He was still quite young and couldn"t immediately accept such a loss.
“Seventh brother!” Shi Min snapped, shooting him a glare.
Shi Rong thus handed over the True Corpse Bamboo unwillingly. Zu An took it, then patted his shoulder, saying, “That’s a good little boy~”
Shi Rong erupted with rage, exclaiming, “What did you say?!”
He was still young, so such words were what angered him the most. Zu An had talked to him like a senior addressing a junior, which really p.i.s.sed him off.
You have successfully trolled Shi Rong for +444 +444 +444…
Zu An replied, sounding ‘stunned’, “So you don’t like it when other people praise you! Then I’ll say you’re a bad little boy.”
Shi Rong was speechless. He was so angry that his hair was standing on end. He yelled, “Scoundrel, I’m going to fight you!”
You have successfully trolled Shi Rong for +999 +999 +999…
Yun Jianyue burst out laughing, saying, “Stone cold woman, this guy really is despicable.”
“This kind of behavior is indeed unlike that of a proper gentleman,” Yan Xuehen said, frowning slightly. With her background, she didn’t really like that kind of thing too much.
“Hmph, what do you understand? This is how you have to be when you’re facing your enemies!” Yun Jianyue replied in dissatisfaction. “If he had entered our Holy Sect early on, who knows how much less I would’ve had to worry about.”
Yan Xuehen remained indifferent, as if she had no interest in discussing the matter with her.
Seeing that Yan Xuehen didn’t praise Zu An the way she had before, Yun Jianyue sighed in relief. What was I thinking before?
…
Zu An shook his head and said, “Do I have to agree just because you want to fight against me?”
“Do you have no sense of a warrior’s dignity?!” Shi Rong exclaimed with wide eyes.
“I think it’s people who owe money but don’t pay back who lack any warrior’s dignity. I’m really starting to wonder if you perhaps want to use that chance to kill me, so you won’t have to pay those hundred thousand heaven-grade ki stones anymore.” Zu An harrumphed.
“You…” Shi Rong’s face had turned entirely red. That wasn’t his intention at all; he had just acted impulsively from anger. However, he saw the looks directed at him, and they seemed to really believe what he was saying.
You have successfully trolled Shi Rong for +555 +555 +555…
Shi Min said seriously, “Don’t worry; how can we renege on our debt if we lose? However, a hundred thousand ki stones is no small number and we need a few days to collect it. We will bring it over then.”
Zu An nodded and said, “That’s fine. Then, let’s write up a contract.”
Shi Min was speechless. He eventually replied, “Our Lion race always keeps our word. Are you worried that we might back out of our debt?”
You have successfully trolled Shi Min for +600 +600 +600…
“Even blood brothers need to write contracts for money; otherwise, there might be misunderstandings in the future,” Zu An said, looking at him with a smile.
Shi Min gave him a hateful look, but he still made the contract in the end. Then, he stormed out with his brothers; he wasn’t shameless enough to stay there any longer.
…
When they left the Jade Garden, Shi Gong asked with a frown, “Third brother, are we really going to pay them a hundred thousand ki stones? That’s not a small amount at all!”
Shi Min said coldly, “Of course not. The crown prince already told us to target the Snake race in the arena. I was a bit hesitant then, because I wanted to get some cash from the Snake race first. But now that this has happened, they cannot blame me for acting like this. We can just properly cripple them in the arena.”
1. Upon reaching the master rank, there are seven mortal forms. Furthermore, the seven mortal forms are split into three sections for several reasons. The lower two are the hero and essence mortal forms, while the central three are the core, power, and air mortal forms. Those five are tied to the master rank. Once one’s cultivation reaches the upper two, the wisdom and ascension mortal forms, one can be said to have reached the grandmaster level. -Chapter 1294 ☜
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