Chapter 1670: Xumi Saint Monk's Relic

Zhang Ruochen looked up at the sacred tree covered in red flowers, finding it utterly unbelievable.

"How does it compare to your Way of Space and Way of Time?" Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden asked, standing beneath the tree with her hands clasped behind her back, her slender figure outlining an elegant curve.

The person was more beautiful than the flowers.

Zhang Ruochen said, "Not bad."

Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden had intended to compete with Zhang Ruochen, but seeing how calm he remained, she dropped the subject and directly stated her purpose for visiting. "Do you know what happened at Feng Dome in the Inner South Garden?"

"I do."

"Are you interested in following me to break into that palace complex and seize a supreme great opportunity?" Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden asked.

Zhang Ruochen refused outright: "Too dangerous. I'm not going."

If the palace complex that suddenly appeared at Feng Dome was truly connected to the palace deep within the restricted zone, then it was absolutely not to be entered.

Even Great Saint-level ancient ferocious beings had appeared. What difference would it make for cultivators like them to barge in, other than seeking death?

Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden's delicate brows furrowed slightly. "Based on the intelligence I've gathered, Zhang Ruochen shouldn't be someone who fears trouble. The rumors seem somewhat exaggerated."

"This has nothing to do with being afraid or not. I simply don't want to go die for nothing," Zhang Ruochen said.

Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden said, "I control the Way of Origin, and you control Time and Space. If the two of us join forces, even if that palace complex is dangerous, we can come and go freely, can't we?"

"Come and go freely?"

An image flashed through Zhang Ruochen's mind—a massive divine hand floating in the cold, pitch-black void, its emitted aura like a waterfall suspended between heaven and earth.

It was because of that divine hand that space teleportation could not be used within the palace complex. Even if forcibly employed, it carried tremendous risk.

How could coming and going freely be so easy?

Zhang Ruochen's gaze grew even more resolute. He waved his hand and said, "There's nothing more to discuss on this matter. Heavenly Maiden, please return."

Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden refused to give up. "What if I told you I know where Xumi Saint Monk fell?"

A sharp glint flashed in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. "Where?"

Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden smiled slightly. "If you come with me to Feng Dome, I'll naturally tell you. As far as I know, Xumi Saint Monk left behind a supreme inheritance at his fallen site. For a hundred thousand years, the Time Divine Temple and Space Divine Temple have spent countless effort and resources searching for it, yet they've only found traces and cannot pinpoint the exact location."

Zhang Ruochen gradually calmed down, pondering the truth of her words. "Why should I believe you know where Xumi Saint Monk fell?"

As if expecting this question, Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden said, "A hundred thousand years ago, Xumi Saint Monk had a deep friendship with a Divine Ancestor of the Thousand Star Civilization. They even exchanged a strand of hair."

"When a great upheaval occurred in the Kunlun Realm, the strand of Xumi Saint Monk's beard held by the Divine Ancestor transmitted a divine thought. The Divine Ancestor knew something had happened to Xumi Saint Monk and immediately rushed to help... but alas, he arrived too late. The tragedy had already occurred."

As she spoke, Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden took out a star-sparkling iron box and handed it to Zhang Ruochen.

The iron box was a cube, ancient and heavy, with starlight constantly spilling from it. It was clearly not made of ordinary metal.

Zhang Ruochen slowly opened the box, and pure Buddhist light radiated out, accompanied by heavenly chants filling the air.

Through the Buddhist light, he could see a white beard lying at the bottom of the box.

Just a single white strand, yet it contained immense Buddhist power, constantly purifying the darkness and ancient yin energy of the restricted zone. It was extraordinarily miraculous.

At that moment, the *Space-Time Secret Scripture* on Zhang Ruochen's body emitted a faint silver glow, resonating with the white beard.

"Whoosh—"

Strange patterns appeared on the silver pages. Each silver page seemed like a brilliant starry sky, capable of expanding to infinite size.

Zhang Ruochen did not notice the *Space-Time Secret Scripture*'s anomaly, his attention fully focused on the white beard.

"That is..."

Zhang Ruochen opened his Heavenly Eye, staring at the white beard. Inside, it was a vast expanse of white, indistinct—as if there were a massive space.

Xumi Saint Monk's cultivation was beyond the understanding of ordinary cultivators. Even a single beard cultivating into a world was not strange.

Zhang Ruochen sensed a peculiar aura within the beard, as if a voice were telling him that Xumi Saint Monk had left something for him inside it.

Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden's eyes grew exceptionally bright. She marveled inwardly, *Truly the Heir of Time and Space. Before him, the beard shows a tremor it never has before. Could it be, as the ancestor said, that Senior Xumi Saint Monk left a world inside the beard?*

Zhang Ruochen reached out a finger, intending to pick up the beard and probe the space behind the white mist.

"Bang."

Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden closed the lid and snatched the box back. "This is the beard Xumi Saint Monk left for my ancestor. It now belongs to the Thousand Star Civilization."

Zhang Ruochen's gaze fixed on the box, but he did not attempt to seize it. Instead, he said calmly, "Even if you have a strand of Xumi Saint Monk's beard, that doesn't prove you know where he fell."

"I am the Heavenly Maiden of the Thousand Star Civilization, destined to become its Celestial Lord. Would I deceive you with lies?" Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden said disdainfully.

Zhang Ruochen had been deceived by women countless times. Even women who became gods could lie, let alone a Heavenly Maiden.

Zhang Ruochen said, "The palace complex at Feng Dome is a dangerous place. Many cultivators have reportedly died there. Going with you would mean taking great risks, possibly even losing my life. I absolutely won't take that risk based on your word alone. Unless..."

Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden quickly asked, "Unless what?"

"Unless you give me that beard. Then I'll go with you," Zhang Ruochen said.

To his surprise, Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden agreed readily.

Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly, finding this unusual. Even if Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden couldn't see the beard's peculiarities, surely the many experts of the Thousand Star Civilization could? Why was she agreeing so easily?

What Zhang Ruochen didn't know was that when the Divine Ancestor of the Thousand Star Civilization gave the beard to Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden, he instructed her to hand it over to the Heir of Time and Space if she ever encountered one.

Zhang Ruochen added, "I have one more condition. Before going to Feng Dome, I must first raise my cultivation to the Three-Step Saint King realm and my spiritual power to the fifty-seventh rank. You will provide the sacred fruits and sacred medicines needed."

"Fine, I agree."

Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden didn't find this condition excessive. After all, Feng Dome was indeed dangerous, requiring a life-or-death struggle. If not for an elder in her clan nearing the end of his lifespan and urgently needing the divine spring to extend his life, even she wouldn't take the risk.

As for the sacred fruits and medicines needed to raise cultivation and spiritual power, they were even simpler for her.

The Thousand Star Civilization was filled with experts. In the Inner Four Gardens and Outer Four Gardens, they had gathered many sacred fruits and medicines. For instance, Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden herself, upon entering the God-Sealing Platform, never personally gathered anything. She merely consumed sacred fruits and medicines delivered by other cultivators to advance.

That was why her cultivation had progressed ahead of Zhang Ruochen, breaking through to the Three-Step Saint King realm first.

After Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden left, Xiang Chunan emerged from the shadows, his expression somewhat strange. "Brother Ruochen, is the Truth Esoterica really as precious as you say?"

Zhang Ruochen countered, "Do you trust me?"

"Of course, I trust you," Xiang Chunan said.

Zhang Ruochen said, "Even if the Truth Esoterica is priceless, I will never take your share."

"I, Xiang Chunan, would never do that either. Besides, is Truth Esoterica more precious than brotherly loyalty? Brother Ruochen, how about I give you all the Truth Esoterica right now?" Xiang Chunan said earnestly, afraid that the Truth Esoterica might create a rift between them.

"Absolutely not. If you do that, we can't be brothers anymore."

After a pause, Zhang Ruochen's expression turned serious. "I have to go to Feng Dome. We'll need to part ways for a while."

"I'll go with you. We'll face fire and water together," Xiang Chunan said, patting his broad chest.

Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "My feud with the Heavenly Realm Faction has already implicated you. This time, I absolutely cannot let you take the risk again."

Just as Xiang Chunan was about to speak, Zhang Ruochen quickly added, "I'm not letting you come because I have another, more important matter to entrust to you."

After entrusting Mu Lingxi to Xiang Chunan, Zhang Ruochen once again stepped into the Free Trade Zone alone.

Of course, he changed his appearance and build again, looking like a twenty-something in plain clothes, utterly unremarkable.

The Free Trade Zone had returned to calm, but as Zhang Ruochen walked forward, he heard many cultivators discussing the earlier battle, calling him and Xiang Chunan two terrifyingly powerful mysterious freaks.

Some speculated they were rising stars from Pangu Realm, the dominant world of the East;

Others guessed they were secret divine disciples trained by the Truth Divine Temple.

These guesses were not entirely baseless.

After all, the ten great divine disciples stationed at the God-Sealing Platform had not issued an arrest warrant, clearly indicating that someone with heaven-defying influence had suppressed the matter.

To make the Heavenly Realm Faction suffer a great loss without facing consequences—such backing was chilling to think about. It was only natural to speculate about Pangu Realm and the Truth Divine Temple.

Soon, Zhang Ruochen arrived beneath a magnificent forging tower. Looking up, he couldn't see its top, only sensing powerful sacred auras emanating from within.

Such a towering forging structure was among the finest in the Free Trade Zone.

"Rumble."

At the same time, a carriage wrapped in white sacred light approached from afar, pulled by eight white-feathered peacocks.

The carriage walls were adorned with various small, exquisite treasures: a Ten-Thousand-Pattern Sacred Artifact-level wind chime, a naturally grown green-patterned gourd, snow grass, sacred jade marrow, and more.

As the carriage moved, the wind chime swayed, the gourd tinkled, and the jade marrow flowed—weaving together a heavenly, melodious symphony.

Driving the carriage was an extremely beautiful woman, standing atop a white-feathered peacock, radiating light in all directions. She was Tianchu Celestial Maiden's disciple, Li Miaohan, once ranked nineteenth on the *Sacred Merit Ranking*.

(End of Chapter)