Chapter 1299: The Divine Hands Maiden
The relic contained immensely powerful spiritual power and knowledge, like a vast golden ocean. Even compared to Zhang Ruochen's current spiritual power intensity, it was as insignificant as a single drop of water.
It was precisely because the relic contained such a sea of spiritual power and knowledge that Zhang Ruochen could greedily absorb it, transforming it into his own knowledge and continuously enhancing his spiritual power intensity.
Of course, the relic could not only enhance a cultivator's spiritual power but also improve their cultivation level. However, Zhang Ruochen's meridians and sacred meridians were all destroyed, so he could not absorb the sacred power and sacred dao rules within the relic.
The relic was essentially the inheritance of the Buddha Emperor and the Golden Dragon, two Buddhist great saints.
After only a short time of refining, Zhang Ruochen felt his spiritual power had increased considerably, drawing closer to the fifty-third rank.
At that moment, a meaty aroma reached his nose. Zhang Ruochen stopped cultivating and opened his eyes, only to find that Qing Mo was actually roasting a dragon claw.
It wasn't the entire claw, just a small section. Even so, it was three meters long and probably weighed over a thousand jin of dragon meat.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen staring fixedly at the dragon meat, Qing Mo giggled, feeling a great sense of accomplishment.
Saint Liuli and Saint Yuansu also stopped healing their injuries. As the aroma reached them, they gently licked their lips, their eyes shining with a scorching light.
There was no helping it. The food Qing Mo made was just that enticing, capable of completely arousing one's appetite, making it impossible to focus on anything else.
Finally, the dragon meat was cooked through.
The four of them immediately began to share the food. Zhang Ruochen and the two female saints completely abandoned any pretense of dignity, snatching and competing with each other. In no time, their mouths were greasy, and they had devoured every last bit of the dragon meat.
Saint Liuli smacked her lips and licked her fingers, saying, "Before meeting Miss Qing Mo, I always thought there was no one in the world whose culinary skills could compare with that Divine Maiden in the palace. Today, my eyes have been truly opened. I never thought I could taste such delicious food outside the palace."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Is there really someone in the world whose culinary skills can rival Qing Mo's?"
Saint Liuli nodded. "By the Empress's side, there are nine Mysterious Maidens. Each one possesses extraordinary strength, making us look up to them in awe. Among them, one Mysterious Maiden inherited the legacy of the ancient God of Cuisine. She possesses the most wondrous pair of hands in the world and is called the Divine Hands Maiden. Every dish she makes is not only incredibly delicious but also possesses the wondrous power to enhance one's cultivation or spiritual power. Eating one of her dishes is like swallowing a sacred pill."
"Eating a dish comparable to swallowing a sacred pill? Isn't that a bit too exaggerated?"
Zhang Ruochen found it hard to believe because he knew very well how precious and difficult to refine sacred pills were. If a single dish could rival a sacred pill, how would alchemists even survive?
Saint Yuansu immediately shook her head. "It's not an exaggeration at all. It's true. Although only the Empress can taste the dishes made by the Divine Hands Maiden, as female officials by the Empress's side, we have been fortunate enough to receive the Empress's favor and taste some of them. Every time we finished eating, our cultivation would advance by leaps and bounds."
Saint Liuli nodded. "In fact, with our talent, it would have been very difficult for Saint Liuli and me to cultivate to the Saint realm in our entire lives. But we have only been cultivating for two hundred years and have already reached the Xuanhuang realm, surpassing many top talents. This is not only because of the special environment of the Ziwu Palace but also because we have been able to taste the Divine Hands Maiden's dishes."
Saint Yuansu said, "The dragon meat roasted by Miss Qing Mo also contains a wondrous power that can enhance a cultivator's cultivation. However, compared to the Divine Hands Maiden, there is still a significant gap. But in terms of deliciousness, it's already quite close. Miss Qing Mo's pair of hands can truly be called the best in the mortal world. After all, the Divine Hands Maiden inherited the legacy of the God of Cuisine, which is a divine method, not something of the mortal world."
The inheritance of a god was indeed extremely remarkable.
Even saints found it hard to imagine how profound a god's inheritance could be.
Qing Mo, however, seemed indifferent. She smiled playfully and said, "I'm just a little maid who cooks. How could I compare to that Divine Hands Maiden? If I ever get to meet her in the future, I'll definitely ask her for advice."
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen stood up. Looking down the mountain through the broken window lattice, his eyes narrowed slightly. "A Saint realm expert is rushing up the mountain. The speed is very fast. Their cultivation is at least at the Tongtian realm."
Saint Liuli and Saint Yuansu, suppressed by the mountain's "momentum," had their perception greatly reduced and sensed nothing.
"Is a spiritual power saint really that formidable? We're all saints, so why is the gap so huge?"
The two female saints exchanged glances, then stood up and walked to Zhang Ruochen's side, also looking down the mountain.
A moment later, a bloodstained, slender figure rushed up the mountain at great speed. She carried a powerful storm of sacred energy that threw the spiritual qi of the entire mountain into chaos.
She held a sacred sword, flames burning on her crystal-clear skin. Her crimson hair flew in the wind, leaving bright sparks in the air.
"It's Martial Saint..."
"Martial Saint must have been chased here by the Undying Blood Clan. Young master, you must save her."
Saint Liuli and Saint Yuansu couldn't help but grab Zhang Ruochen's arms, looking at him with pleading eyes, as if they truly regarded him as an omnipotent savior.
Canglan Martial Saint was injured, her face pale, with traces of blood at the corners of her mouth. Her Crimson Flame Phoenix Armor was covered in bright red sacred blood. Every step she took left a bloody footprint.
Behind her, a large cloud of blood mist was in pursuit.
"Canglan Martial Saint, why keep struggling? You can't escape today."
"You've already killed four of our Blood Saints, and you still think you can get away?"
"Haha, I really want to subdue a Mysterious Maiden as a concubine. I wonder if those human soldiers would be furious if they saw a saint pressing a Mysterious Maiden beneath him?"
...
More than ten Blood Saints emerged from the blood mist, unhurriedly chasing up the mountain.
In their eyes, Canglan Martial Saint fleeing to the mountaintop was like walking into a dead end. There was no way she could escape. This was just a last-ditch struggle. As long as they slowly closed the net, they could capture her.
"Young master, you must help Martial Saint. We'll agree to any condition."
Saint Liuli was extremely anxious. With no other options, she could only turn to Zhang Ruochen for help.
Zhang Ruochen sighed softly. "You overestimate me. I'm not as strong as you think. I'm also heavily injured and can't fight."
Saint Liuli and Saint Yuansu's eyes dimmed. Then, their gazes became resolute. They rushed out of the dilapidated hall, intending to join Canglan Martial Saint.
Even if they were heavily injured and couldn't help much, they could at least self-destruct their sacred sources and perish together with the Undying Blood Clan.
But as soon as they reached the edge of the Daoist temple, they stepped into a spatial maze.
Immediately, they felt their bodies completely out of their control. Even though they were charging forward, their bodies moved to the right or backward, unable to leave that area.
"This..."
The two female saints stopped and slowly moved their steps, but it was still useless. This area was extremely strange, as if they could never get out.
Canglan Martial Saint arrived outside the Daoist temple and saw their figures. She immediately shouted, "Get out of here quickly! A large number of Undying Blood Clan Saint realm experts are coming."
The two female saints seemed unable to hear her words, still moving slowly, sometimes retreating, sometimes jumping up, sometimes moving left.
Canglan Martial Saint frowned slightly and rushed toward them, intending to take them away.
However, as soon as she entered the spatial maze, her body also fell out of her control.
Canglan Martial Saint immediately stopped and snorted coldly, "Just a maze formation. Do you think it can trap me?"
She gripped her sword with both hands, and a three-zhang-long flame sword qi shot from the tip. She slashed downward, trying to forcefully break the formation.
But as she struck, the attack didn't hit the ground. Instead, it appeared above her head, slashing toward her fair neck.
"Not good."
Canglan Martial Saint showed a look of shock. She quickly swung her sacred sword upward to block the sword qi falling from above.
However, the sword she swung upward changed direction again, slashing toward her waist.
Canglan Martial Saint quickly crushed a protective jade talisman, forming a defensive light shield that blocked the two sword qi. This was her last protective jade talisman. She never thought she would use it to block her own attacks.
Still, it was fortunate she had this last talisman. If the famous Canglan Martial Saint died by her own sword, it would be a real joke.
Having learned her lesson, Canglan Martial Saint dared not act recklessly. She stood still and observed carefully.
Suddenly, Canglan Martial Saint's beautiful eyes focused. She saw two figures outside the Daoist temple: a frail, sickly young man and a sixteen or seventeen-year-old maid in green.
It was Zhang Ruochen and Qing Mo.
Zhang Ruochen walked into the spatial maze, first bringing Saint Liuli and Saint Yuansu back to the Daoist temple.
Then, he walked toward Canglan Martial Saint and said calmly, "Follow my steps. Don't make a single mistake."
Canglan Martial Saint looked at Zhang Ruochen's back with a puzzled expression, silently wondering if he was the formation master who set up this maze.
Canglan Martial Saint followed, memorizing the position of each step she took.
Entering the Daoist temple, Saint Liuli and Saint Yuansu immediately rushed over to ask about Canglan Martial Saint's injuries.
"Just a minor injury. Nothing serious. Most of the sacred blood on me is from the Undying Blood Clan's Blood Saints."
Despite being heavily injured, Canglan Martial Saint still maintained a calm expression on her beautiful face. Her back was straight, full of pride and heroic spirit.
Zhang Ruochen stood quietly to the side, not exposing her. Instead, he looked down the mountain at the blood mist surging toward the summit and sighed softly.
He hadn't wanted to invite trouble, but trouble insisted on coming to him.