Chapter 663: Appraisal
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Azure Palace of the Immortals.
Meng Qi could finally put his tense mind to rest once he was back in a safe place. With a grin, he showed Primogenitor Lingbao and Jiang Zhiwei treasures like the small green tree, Grand Sun’s Heart, Frost-eye Crystal, Celestial-river Sword, and Mystic Turtle Sword. “They are all here.”
“Huh?” Not even a person of Primogenitor Lingbao’s cultivation, realm, and character could restrain his surprise at seeing the small tree. It was not because of the Seven Strokes of Heaven Interception impartation contained in the tree. Rather, he was prepared for this possibility.
He said hesitantly, “This small tree isn’t simple…”
The Primogenitor’s words emboldened Meng Qi’s belief in his judgment. While pondering over it, he said, “When I first saw how exceptional this item was, I thought it was something akin to a divine weapon. Upon second thought, I wonder why Zhenwu, the Great Emperor would curse all treasures but the most valuable one.”
“Perhaps, not even a person of Zhenwu, the Great Emperor’s realm could curse this small tree,” Jiang Zhiwei interrupted.
“Or the small tree is capable of lifting curses or traps cast on it…” the Primogenitor muttered. If Jiang Zhiwei’s words were true, the value of this small tree would be immeasurable. It would be nothing like a divine weapon. He could not quite accept this possibility.
Meng Qi recalled how much worse the soaring green light and breath were in this incident compared to the Buddha’s Palm episode and said thoughtfully, “Two out of three of Zhenwu Great Emperor’s Secret Chambers were discovered. Even though the Chaos of Demonic Buddha caused great changes in the world and weakened the barricading ability of formations, the fact that this Secret Chamber had lasted might mean that the items inside were the most valuable. That could explain why this place was laid with the most intricate formation and why Zhenwu Great Emperor went so far as to create a little world here…”
Primogenitor Lingbao looked away from the treasures and began questioning Meng Qi on the details about the things he saw after entering the treasury. He hoped to be able to find some clues.
After giving a comprehensive explanation of everything that happened outside the Zhenwu Great Hall, Meng Qi smiled. “I’m aware of the existence of a ‘curse’ thanks to Zhenwu, the Great Emperor’s ‘reward’. Thus when I entered the hall, I wasn’t too concerned about this and cursorily probed the surroundings. If I couldn’t verify those treasures, I would have opened each of them to determine their authenticity lest I miss any of Zhenwu Great Emperor’s hidden treasures.”
“I was stunned when I couldn’t find any divine weapons. It didn’t feel right to me that Devil-rinsing Primogenitor would be this stingy and not leave even one weapon behind. Based on what I know from the two other Secret Chambers, I suspected that the most valuable treasure would be kept in the most hidden part of the hall. Since time waits for no one and I must still lift the curse, I began with the most valuable item lest any mishap happened. I would be vexed if I ended up leaving with items that are fairly worthless.”
“Perhaps it was thanks to the exceptional ability of the Eight Nine Mysteries to detect danger or perhaps I opened the door ordinarily equipped with a protective spell, I discovered the small tree after a simple sensing of my surroundings while determining the value of the treasures. I could detect a cold, dangerous power hidden in it. Moreover, this small tree could be comprehended in a typical manner and didn’t seem like it contained other dangers. So I thought of first grabbing the tree and stuff it somewhere safe before I grab the rest.”
Primogenitor Lingbao chuckled. “That is the right procedure. Even if Zhenwu Great Emperor told you the method to unlace the handsealand skills, you must not be careless. Caution will guarantee your safety, after all. The distance between the ancient great powers and us is too great; it is hard for us to speculate their thoughts and character. During the Primary Instruction of the Buddha’s Palm episode, the Qi activity tugged Jin Gang Temple which made the first discovery. Even after seeing there was no problem, the numerous Dharmakaya masters still waited to probe and inspect it.”
The Buddha’s Palm was already in the possession of Jin Gang Temple by then. Being an orthodox Buddhism sect, they were equipped with miraculous skills such as Providential Sight. It took a mere second for them to determine the condition of the Withering Bodhi Tree.
Following this line of thought, Jiang Zhiwei added: “Exactly. After all, the Secret Chamber isn’t prepared for you. Zhenwu Great Emperor had first set-up the chambers before rus.h.i.+ng to the Carefree Valley. Him leaving the Devil-rinsing Flag behind so subsequent visitors could eliminate the malicious intention and acquire his hidden possessions happened even further into the past. Thus, this chamber is evidently not designed as your reward. Rather, it is focused on not allowing outsiders to obtain the treasures. What a layered trap, to be cursed after breaking through the many difficult protective spells! One simply could not guard against such measures.”
“Haha! It takes time to acc.u.mulate experience! Fortunately, I was already careful about this aspect after encountering something similar.” Meng Qi glanced at Jiang Zhiwei before continuing, “It must not have been easy for the Grandmaster of your Sword Sect.”
She had once warned him about the possibility of the treasure being cursed but it was not new knowledge to him and he did not find it to be important.
Looking regretful, Jiang Zhiwei gave him a small smile. “The notes that Grandmaster left behind did not describe the incident in detail. But what is certain is that he was not alone. He had entered the Secret Chamber with friends and foes. Yet he, who was the weakest among them, was the one who came out holding the treasure.”
The Primogenitor looked at the small green tree. “I can’t recall anything about this tree. Moreover, the two Earth Immortals had slaughtered one another even before opening the door to the treasury. That is too strange…”
“Especially considering that one of the Earth Immortals was the former successor to Thunder G.o.d… and the fact that he left behind such a strong obsession after death…” Meng Qi added in a low voice.
“Perhaps he knew something or there was a deep resentment between them…” Jiang Zhiwei suggested.
The incident happened too far into the past and the Cao family had long taken whatever valuable remnants. Failing to come up with an explanation, the three of them decided to leave a message for ‘Qingyuan’ Cao Xianzhi and see if he could provide any useful information.
“Should we take this tree for the Dominator’s appraisal?” Meng Qi suggested.
Unlike the wooden craving that Master Lu privately gifted him, this tree was part of the spoils he obtained after completing a supplementary task of the main a.s.signment. Since the Dominator ought to be aware of this, an appraisal would mean little. They might even be able to use this opportunity to sound out the Dominator’s “insider information”.
“Good idea,” the Primogenitor muttered. “Seeing as the malicious intention still remains, Zhenwu Great Emperor had at least lived past the Chaos of Demonic Buddha but never went to the Secret Chamber. Neither did he eliminate the malicious intention himself. This sure makes one think.”
“Perhaps there was a hiccup in his immortality method…” Meng Qi blurted out.
He made this speculation based on the condition of Royal Advisor of Bomi!
They fell into a momentary silence as they flew toward the central jade pillar in the Immortal-tracking Alley and put up the tree for appraisal.
Meng Qi was tense, unsure just what the Dominator would make of this obviously exceptional impartation-bearing item.
The voice of the Dominator of Six Samsara was as booming and apathetic as ever.
“Supreme-wisdom Tree.”
“Supreme-wisdom Tree!” The three of them looked at each other in dismay. What a terrifying name!
“This item bears the fifth style of the Seven Strokes of Heaven Interception, World of Dao.” That was all the Dominator said, without giving a detailed description or its value!
Staring at the small tree with three branches and nine leaves, Meng Qi felt as if he was looking at a series of connected universes. He did not voice out the conjectures forming in his mind.
“Supreme-wisdom Tree…” The Primogenitor once again looked at the tree and a wry smile appeared on his face. “I can’t say anything.”
After learning the majestic name of the tree, Meng Qi was naturally unwilling to trade the right to use it for Dharmakakaya movements of Eight Nine Mysteries. “Primogenitor, can I exchange the right of every member of the Immortals to comprehend the Seven Strokes of Heaven Interception for the Chaos Vortex?” he asked, smiling.
The Chaos Vortex was one of the Dharmakaya movements of Eight Nine Mysteries. Since the Bodhi’s Stare would take a great deal of time to learn due to its difficulty, Meng Qi left it out of his consideration for the time being.
“Of course.” The Primogenitor laughed heartily. “As for this tree, you can decide whether you want to place it with the Immortals for safety reasons or keep it with you.”
Meng Qi had been trying in vain to comprehend the tree and imbue it with his breath and strength earlier. There was no inspiration at all. “I would leave it with the Immortals for the time being so everyone can comprehend it. I will pick it up before going on the Journey to the West a.s.signment.”
The Journey to the West task involved the shard of Celestial Court. Zhenwu’s malicious intention did mention the disappearance of the Ninth Heaven and the fall of Celestial Court had something to do with matters like the pursuit of illumination. Considering the name of the tree, it would be impossibly stupid of him if he did not bring it along for an experiment.
“I will seal the tree to guard against greedy fools who take unwise actions,” the Primogenitor said while nodding. To him, it was enough to comprehend the tree to aid his breakthrough. The Supreme-Wisdom Tree did not seem mystical at the moment so he felt no greed for it.
Once they were done with the most crucial discussion, Meng Qi glanced at Jiang Zhiwei. She looked as if she truly wanted to comprehend the tree. Smiling, he said, “Be patient. Let’s first divide our harvest.”
He looked at Taoist Chong He and said, “Please take the first pick, Primogenitor.”
Since the most valuable treasure had gone to Meng Qi, he decided to give the Primogenitor—who had been a great help this time—the first pick. This would pave the way for an amicable future. After all, they did not share a relations.h.i.+p in which the Primogenitor would not have minded going without a reward.
This was the most basic form of human relations.h.i.+p. This should sometimes be emphasized even in relations.h.i.+ps with parents and friends. After all, no one would offer unconditional help forever.
With the collaboration and reward this time, it would be easier for Meng Qi to ask the Primogenitor for help in the future task involving the Netherworld’s remnants.
Primogenitor Lingbao did not feign modesty. Glancing at the treasures, he picked up the bottle gourd and removed its stopper. He gave it a sniff and a trace of joy flashed across his expression. “It really is the Dark Fortune Elixir.”
The Dark Fortune Elixir was an ancient miraculous elixir said to heal even one at the brink of death. Moreover, it could extend one’s lifespan by nearly 10,000 years. Even if the world had changed greatly since then, it could still extend one’s lifespan by more than 200 years. Over in the Six Samsara, this item was on par with a divine weapon.
It was not a priority for Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei who became or were about to become Peerless Master Pros in their early twenties. They did not find it nearly as valuable as main ingredients for a divine weapon. It was another story for the aged Chong He.
“There is only one pellet. Heh, this is all I need. Coupled with the opportunity to comprehend the Seven Strokes of Heaven Interception, it seems like I made off with a bountiful harvest this time.” The Primogenitor chose not to take anything else out of respect for his juniors.
Meng Qi instantly nodded and turned to look at Jiang Zhiwei. “Your turn.”
She glanced at the treasures and then picked up the Celestial-river Sword. “The Dominator should be able to disa.s.semble this and use the suitable parts to enhance my Sun-penetrating Rainbow Sword.”
The gleaming Celestial-river Sword was like a reflection of the stars and a glittering illusion. Jiang Zhiwei was a girl after all. The choice between such a sword and the Mystic Turtle Sword seemed obvious.
“Is that all?” Meng Qi was surprised.
Jiang Zhiwei smiled. “I didn’t contribute much this time and you basically completed the serial tasks on your own. I feel a little embarra.s.sed to even receive this Precious Weapon of exquisite quality and the opportunity to comprehend the Seven Strokes of Heaven Interception.”
“No way,” Meng Qi said with a frown.
The pretty Jiang Zhiwei smiled at him and then pulled a straight face. “Do you wish for my guilt to fester and turn my heart demonic?”
“Alright then.” Meng Qi could only stop trying to persuade Jiang Zhiwei after hearing her words. Besides, the main ingredient for a divine weapon was in his possession. He could lend it to her should there be a crisis.
“With the Ancient s.p.a.ce-breaching Talisman, escaping weapon, and the Mystic Turtle Sword in hand, I now have two sabers and two swords. The only problem is that both swords are superior to the two sabers. Evidently, my bladesmans.h.i.+p is lacking compared to my sword art…” Meng Qi put away the treasures one by one with the intention of bringing them to the Dominator for appraisal. Who knew if they might have specific uses?
When he looked at the Grand Sun’s Heart and Frost-eye Crystal, he could not help narrowing his eyes. A smile then appeared on his face.
The Grand Sun’s Heart and the heavy Oceanic Dominion Pearl complemented each other well. The Frost-eye Crystal and the Wrist Bone of Nether were both water-based and cold-natured. Meanwhile, the other two main ingredients for forging divine weapons could be basically used to refine one. If not for the fact that he still had to complete certain a.s.signments and that the Wrist Bone of Nether was needed to lure Life-changing Sect, the first pair would do well for his sabers and the second pair for his swords. This was such a perfect outcome!