Chapter 1726: A Big Deal
Without a doubt, the Hundred Flowers Fairy also possessed Truth Esoterica.
However, the fact that she revealed this secret without any hesitation was quite unexpected to Zhang Ruochen.
The Hundred Flowers Fairy continued, “Having cultivated for just over a year, you’ve already crossed the sixth sea. Many will guess that you’ve obtained Truth Esoterica. With your current cultivation level, there are not a few below the Great Saint realm who could kill you. And among the Great Saints, some must have obtained Truth Esoterica as well. If they were to make a move, how confident are you in escaping alive?”
“Thank you for the advice, Fairy.”
Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands and added, “But I’m very puzzled. By revealing the secret that you possess Truth Esoterica, aren’t you afraid I might seize it? Aren’t you worried I’ll spread it and harm you?”
The Hundred Flowers Fairy gazed at Zhang Ruochen for a long moment and said, “Are you that kind of person?”
“No,” Zhang Ruochen replied.
The Hundred Flowers Fairy said, “I’ve always been accurate in judging people. You, Zhang Ruochen, would never stab a friend in the back. Truth Esoterica isn’t enough to twist your mind and turn you into a two-faced petty person.”
Zhang Ruochen took a sip from the luminous cup and smiled. “It’s my honor to be friends with the Fairy.”
The Hundred Flowers Fairy said, “Since we’re already friends, can you tell me a secret?”
“What secret?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
The Hundred Flowers Fairy said, “I want to know where the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree is.”
Zhang Ruochen’s expression tightened. “Why are you asking about that, Fairy?”
The Hundred Flowers Fairy said, “My main cultivation is the Way of Life, and the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree has been the being that cultivated the Way of Life to the highest level since ancient times.”
Zhang Ruochen caught on and said thoughtfully, “So the Fairy’s initiative to befriend me was actually to get the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree.”
The Hundred Flowers Fairy said, “The Sky-Connecting Divine Tree is very important to me, but I also genuinely want to befriend you. The two aren’t necessarily connected. Even if you don’t tell me where the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree is, we’ll still be friends.”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. “A hundred thousand years ago, the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree was cut down and has already disappeared from the Kunlun Realm.”
The Hundred Flowers Fairy was clearly already aware of this and said, “Even if it was cut down, the roots and trunk should have been preserved. For me, the annual rings on the trunk of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree are the best cultivation scriptures. If I could observe them, my cultivation level would surely advance by leaps and bounds. If Young Master Ruochen could provide me with some clues, we’ll have many opportunities for cooperation in the future.”
Addressing him as “Young Master Ruochen” indicated that, in the Hundred Flowers Fairy’s eyes, Zhang Ruochen now held an equal status to her.
Zhang Ruochen tapped his fingers lightly on the table and asked, “Can we really be friends?”
The Hundred Flowers Fairy said, “I think that for you, surrounded by enemies on all sides, you very much need friends.”
“Alright, since the Fairy says so, I’ll consider you a friend. I do indeed know where the trunk of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree is. But I can only tell you after I’ve reclaimed the Kunlun Realm,” Zhang Ruochen said.
“I knew I hadn’t approached the wrong person.”
A hint of joy appeared in the Hundred Flowers Fairy’s eyes, and her eyelashes trembled slightly. “Soon, cultivators from various subordinate mortal realms under the Heavenly Court will flood into the Kunlun Realm. I’ll definitely go too. When that time comes, you must fulfill your duties as a host and take me to see the famous historical sites and magnificent landscapes of the Kunlun Realm.”
“Traveling with the Fairy is a beautiful dream that countless cultivators long for,” Zhang Ruochen said with a smile.
Zhang Ruochen did not mention the new sprout of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree in the Qiankun Realm, as his relationship with the Hundred Flowers Fairy was still a bit short of being able to share everything.
Zhang Ruochen took out a piece of white paper, on which were written the names of four materials:
Royal Grade Sacred Jade Essence, Heavenly Dao Blood Stone, Rootless Heavenly Crane Flower, and Void Cosmic Tears.
Seeing the four materials on the paper, the Hundred Flowers Fairy immediately understood Zhang Ruochen’s intention. “You want to forge a physical body for the artifact spirit of a sacred artifact, and the highest-grade one at that.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “The Thousand Stamen Realm is a top-tier powerful realm, and the Hundred Flowers Palace’s connections span across many realms. Can you help me find these four materials?”
Zhang Ruochen had also given the material list to Su Jing. When Su Jing saw the four materials, his expression was indescribably pained. He only told Zhang Ruochen that he would do his best to gather them.
The Guanghan Realm’s connections were certainly far inferior to those of the Thousand Stamen Realm.
Thus, Zhang Ruochen handed the material list to the Hundred Flowers Fairy.
The Hundred Flowers Fairy said, “Royal Grade Sacred Jade Essence, also known as the Sacred Jade Venerable, possesses strength comparable to a Saint King. Although it’s very rare, the Hundred Flowers Palace does have one piece.”
“The Rootless Heavenly Crane Flower can also be found in the Thousand Stamen Realm.”
“Void Cosmic Tears are a special liquid floating in the universe, appearing only one drop at a time and very hard to encounter. Yet you want a hundred drops… I can only do my utmost to collect them for you.”
“The Heavenly Dao Blood Stone is even rarer, almost only findable by Great Saints, so I can’t guarantee I can find it for you.”
“Actually, if that sacred artifact of yours isn’t a Supreme Sacred Artifact, there’s no need to forge the highest-grade physical body for its artifact spirit. Forging an ordinary high-grade physical body would require much easier-to-find materials.”
Zhang Ruochen smiled. “If I’m going to forge a physical body, I want the best. Of course, if the materials can’t be gathered completely, I’ll consider an ordinary high-grade physical body later.”
“Also, if possible, help me find twelve Saint King-level elephant souls.”
During the attack on the Yin Yang Hall, Zhang Ruochen had killed Zhan Yu, the number one expert of the younger generation from the Black Demon Realm, and extracted twelve Saint King-level dragon souls from his body.
If he could find twelve Saint King-level elephant souls, Zhang Ruochen was confident he could cultivate the eleventh palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm to great perfection in one go.
Moreover, with twelve dragon souls and twelve elephant souls, Zhang Ruochen’s power would surely increase by a large margin.
The Hundred Flowers Fairy said, “Do you know how many sacred stones twelve Saint King-level elephant souls are worth? Nearly a hundred million sacred stones. Add the four materials you mentioned earlier, each of which is priceless. Even if you plundered the Yin Yang Hall and made a fortune, taking out several hundred million sacred stones at once probably isn’t easy, right?”
Zhang Ruochen took out various storage vessels and placed them in front of the Hundred Flowers Fairy. “In the Truth Heaven Domain, I killed quite a few cultivators—some openly, some secretly—and obtained many treasures from them. Fairy, can you calculate how many sacred stones the treasures in these storage vessels are worth?”
Before the Hundred Flowers Fairy were over a hundred storage vessels.
“This guy… has killed quite a few cultivators…”
The Hundred Flowers Fairy waved her hand, and the petals surrounding her and Zhang Ruochen disappeared. Then, Qian Liwen, standing behind her, walked over, opened the storage vessels one by one, and quickly inspected them using his spiritual power.
The more he inspected, the more astonished his expression became.
After a while, Qian Liwen transmitted a few words to the Hundred Flowers Fairy.
A look of surprise appeared in the Hundred Flowers Fairy’s eyes. “So it turns out you’re not just Zhang Ruochen and Lin Yue, but also the mysterious spatial cultivator who killed Feng Jian, the leader of the Heavenly Track Realm.”
From the items Zhang Ruochen had taken out, the Hundred Flowers Fairy deduced many things and discovered quite a few of his secrets.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t mind. The more secrets they knew about each other, the tighter their bond would be.
“So, does the Hundred Flowers Palace dare to accept these items?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
“Dare? Why wouldn’t we? However, these things are quite tricky to handle, so the price will naturally be lower than the market value,” the Hundred Flowers Fairy said.
Zhang Ruochen realized that this Hundred Flowers Fairy was not just a naive beauty with cultivation talent; she was also quite shrewd and bold. To become the leader of a major world, one was indeed no ordinary person.
He had underestimated her before.
After his inspection, Qian Liwen said, “Miss, the items Zhang Ruochen has taken out are worth approximately two hundred sixty-four million three hundred thousand sacred stones.”
“Two hundred million sacred stones—the Hundred Flowers Palace will take them all,” the Hundred Flowers Fairy said.
Zhang Ruochen gave a faint, bitter smile. More than sixty million sacred stones had been cut off just like that. And this was only the initial estimated price; the actual selling price would surely be higher.
However, many of these items were not fit to be seen in public and absolutely could not be sold through sacred stores opened by the Guanghan Realm. For now, he had to entrust them to the Hundred Flowers Palace.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Alright, since the Fairy says two hundred million sacred stones, then two hundred million it is. Consider these sacred stones as a deposit to the Hundred Flowers Palace. When you find the materials I need, I’ll hand over the remaining sacred stones to you.”
This was definitely a big deal!
Normally, such large sums only appeared in transactions with Great Saints. Yao Jue Wang and Qian Liwen both showed delighted expressions. This time, the Hundred Flowers Palace had made a huge profit.
The Fairy handling business herself was indeed easier than them.
Zhang Ruochen stood up, preparing to leave.
The Hundred Flowers Fairy said, “I heard from my senior sister that you’re looking for the Earth Kill Organization and the Death God Temple?”
“That’s right. Any news?” Zhang Ruochen’s face lit up with joy.
The Hundred Flowers Fairy nodded. “You’ve come at just the right time. Earlier, the Death God Temple sent word that they’ll be setting up a temporary contact point tonight. Clients in need can go there to place orders.”
The Earth Kill Organization, the Death God Temple, and the Heaven Kill Organization were collectively known as the three top-tier killing organizations. Zhang Ruochen had always wanted to contact them.
However, the Earth Kill Organization and the Death God Temple didn’t dare offend the Truth Divine Temple, so they were very cautious about taking orders in the Truth Heaven Domain.
Each time, the location of the temporary contact point was different, and old clients had to lead new ones to find it.
Zhang Ruochen said, “I want to kill some people. Can the Hundred Flowers Palace send a cultivator to take me to the temporary contact point?”
“No need to send anyone else. I’ll take you myself. I also want to kill some people.” A cold light flickered in the Hundred Flowers Fairy’s eyes, and her ethereal, detached aura instantly turned sharp.
Night fell, dark and moonless.
Zhang Ruochen put on a metal mask, and Xie Chengzi, concealing his aura, followed behind him.
The Hundred Flowers Fairy transformed into an ordinary-looking, thin female cultivator. The three of them left the Heavenly Capital Sacred Market together and arrived at the edge of the Heavenly Capital Mountain.
Many cultivators had already gathered there, most wearing masks, veils, or cloaks to hide their identities. Only a few seemed unconcerned and didn’t conceal themselves.
Their gazes were all fixed on the distant night sky, waiting silently.