Chapter 172: Not Wanting to Break the Engagement
Zhang Ruochen retreated nine zhang, steadied himself with a toe-point, and regained his balance.
Huang Yanchen also retreated nine zhang, landing lightly on the ground like a falling petal.
Turning her gaze back to Zhang Ruochen, her stunningly beautiful face revealed a look of astonishment. "How can your strength be this powerful? Have you reached the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Mysterious Extreme Realm?"
She knew that when she was at the Great Perfection of the Mysterious Extreme Realm, she had first cultivated the Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow and later refined a drop of Sacred Liquid, making her combat power comparable to the top ten on the *Mysterious Ranking*. Now, having broken through to the Earth Extreme Realm, her martial cultivation was nearly at the middle stage of the Earth Extreme Realm.
Among Earth Extreme Realm martial artists, she could be considered a formidable figure. Yet, under such an advantage, she could only tie with Zhang Ruochen.
That was why she suspected Zhang Ruochen had stepped into the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Mysterious Extreme Realm; otherwise, he couldn't be this strong. Reaching the Supreme Extreme Realm was equivalent to cultivating an extra realm compared to other martial artists.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "Not yet."
"Impossible!" Huang Yanchen's beautiful eyes narrowed. "Unless you reached the Supreme Extreme Realm in the Yellow Extreme Realm, only then could you be this powerful."
Zhang Ruochen neither confirmed nor denied it. "Senior Sister Huang, since I've taken your strike, the dragon horn should be kept by me. You have no objections, do you?"
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen didn't deny it, Huang Yanchen became even more certain of her suspicion. Zhang Ruochen had likely truly reached the Supreme Extreme Realm in the Yellow Extreme Realm.
This matter was no small thing. If it got out, it would cause a sensation and bring deadly danger to Zhang Ruochen.
Since there was an outsider nearby, Huang Yanchen didn't press him further.
In Huang Yanchen's view, Zi Qian was an outsider, and some secrets couldn't be shared with her.
Huang Yanchen shifted the topic to the dragon horn, staring at Zhang Ruochen. Her demeanor had shed some of its arrogance, gaining a touch of cold elegance. "I can let you keep the dragon horn, but do you know its purpose?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "It should be a key to open some important place, likely in the Crimson Sky Secret Mansion."
Huang Yanchen shook her head. "It can't be in the Crimson Sky Secret Mansion."
"Why?"
Zhang Ruochen vaguely felt that Huang Yanchen seemed to know something more.
Huang Yanchen cast another cold glance at Zi Qian. "Junior Sister Zi, Zhang Ruochen and I need to discuss some important matters. Could you step aside?"
Zi Qian looked at Zhang Ruochen, said nothing, turned immediately, and walked far away, disappearing from their sight.
Seeing Zi Qian leave, Huang Yanchen felt quite pleased and nodded in satisfaction. She said to Zhang Ruochen, "Five hundred years ago, the Thousand Water Commandery also took part in the battle against the Four-Winged Earth Dragon. The royal clan's secret records contain some little-known details about that battle—like the dragon horn."
"According to the royal records, five hundred years ago, after the human army killed the Four-Winged Earth Dragon, they found a dragon horn on its body. Using that horn as a key, they opened the gate of the Four Extremes Dragon Cave in the Crimson Sky Secret Mansion and plundered ninety percent of the treasures inside."
"That dragon horn is still preserved in the Thousand Water Commandery's royal treasury."
Zhang Ruochen squinted. "Dragon horns come in pairs. If one opens the Four Extremes Dragon Cave, what does the other open?"
The Four-Winged Earth Dragon had used its two dragon horns to forge keys, showing how much it valued those two treasure sites.
The other site must be on the same level as the Four Extremes Dragon Cave.
Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen both blurted out at almost the same time: "The Underwater Dragon Palace."
In the Demon Ridge region, there were only two mid-level ruins—the Crimson Sky Secret Mansion and the Underwater Dragon Palace—both built by the Four-Winged Earth Dragon.
The Underwater Dragon Palace was located at the bottom of the Tongming River and was even more dangerous than the Crimson Sky Secret Mansion. No one had yet managed to open its gate.
Only martial artists below the Heavenly Extreme Realm could evade the formations' killing power and enter the palace's outer perimeter to search for treasures.
In the Four-Winged Earth Dragon's view, martial artists below the Heavenly Extreme Realm were as weak as ants. So, when setting up the protective formations for the Dragon Palace, it hadn't considered them at all.
Even if martial artists below the Heavenly Extreme Realm could evade the formations and enter the outer perimeter of the Underwater Dragon Palace, they would still face various dangers. Out of ten who entered, only two or three would survive.
Over ninety percent of the treasures in the Four Extremes Dragon Cave had already been taken, and the rest had been scoured countless times by students entering the Crimson Sky Secret Mansion over the centuries.
But ninety-nine percent of the treasures in the Underwater Dragon Palace remained untouched, still locked inside.
That was the Dragon Palace of a Four-Winged Earth Dragon—the lair of a Saint-level existence. It was hard to imagine how many precious items were inside.
No wonder Huang Yanchen had sent Zi Qian away. She had already guessed that this dragon horn might be the key to the Underwater Dragon Palace.
Huang Yanchen crossed her arms over her chest. "This matter must not be known to anyone—not even your father, the Yunwu Commandery King, or my father, the Thousand Water Commandery King. The royal clans have too many descendants. If they were to open the Underwater Dragon Palace, how much would be left for us?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "The fewer who know, the better. If word leaks out, the consequences would be dire. But can the two of us alone swallow the treasures of the Underwater Dragon Palace?"
He glanced at Zi Qian, whose figure was faintly visible in the distance, considering bringing her along. After all, she had found the dragon horn, so she deserved a share.
Huang Yanchen also looked serious. "Only martial artists below the Heavenly Extreme Realm can evade the Dragon Palace's formations. Of course, the stronger one's cultivation, the higher the survival rate inside. There's no rush. We can discuss it slowly after entering the inner palace of the Martial Market Academy."
Suddenly, Huang Yanchen smiled warmly at Zhang Ruochen, her expression complex.
Zhang Ruochen said, "What are you staring at me for?"
Huang Yanchen laughed. "You reached the Supreme Extreme Realm in the Yellow Extreme Realm, right?"
"That's right." Zhang Ruochen admitted frankly.
He wasn't a man who cowered or refused to acknowledge things. Besides, he wasn't good at lying.
Since that was the case, he might as well admit it openly.
Huang Yanchen drew in a sharp breath, her eyes sparkling with an indescribable joy, as if she had found a treasure.
Being able to cultivate to the Supreme Extreme Realm was like having an extra realm compared to other martial artists.
How extraordinary must one's talent be to achieve that?
Huang Yanchen said, "What's your fastest burst speed now?"
"Seventy-five meters per second," Zhang Ruochen replied.
Huang Yanchen paused briefly, then said coldly, "With your current strength, you could become the number one on the *Mysterious Ranking* in the Demon Ridge region, and you might even have a chance to reach the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Mysterious Extreme Realm."
She couldn't imagine how terrifying it would be if Zhang Ruochen also reached the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Mysterious Extreme Realm.
Huang Yanchen was a woman too, and deep down, she admired exceptionally talented prodigies.
In the past, she thought Zhang Tiangui's talent was astonishingly brilliant and had always used him as her goal. But now she realized that her fiancé seemed even more outstanding and remarkable than Zhang Tiangui.
Zhang Tiangui couldn't compare to him at all.
"Three years from now, I won't break the engagement. If I do, wouldn't I be giving him to another woman?" Huang Yanchen lightly touched her chin with her jade finger, a sly smile in her eyes, thinking to herself.
Since they were already engaged, why break it off?
Of course, she wouldn't tell Zhang Ruochen what she was thinking now. She still had to maintain her noble and cold demeanor.
Huang Yanchen cast a light glance at Zhang Ruochen. "If you want to strive for the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Mysterious Extreme Realm, I can help you. If you need cultivation resources, just tell me. Even Sacred Liquid, I can get you some. But it's not free—we're only in a fake engagement, not that close yet. You'll have to pay me back later."
Zhang Ruochen looked at her with a hint of a smile, feeling for the first time that this Senior Sister Huang, aside from her temper, was actually a decent person. They could be friends.
Of course, they would have to wait until three years later, after they dissolved the engagement, to become friends.
Suddenly, Huang Yanchen's expression turned serious. "One more thing I forgot to tell you. The Crimson Sky Secret Mansion has become extremely dangerous. Not only have the evil men from the Black Market escaped, but a bloodthirsty monster has also appeared. I've decided to end the Intermediate Relic Exploration Exam early and leave the Crimson Sky Secret Mansion now."
Just as Huang Yanchen finished speaking, Zi Qian, standing in the distance, suddenly let out a scream, as if she had been attacked.
Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen reacted instantly, both executing the Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow at almost the same time, turning into two afterimages as they rushed toward Zi Qian's direction.