Chapter 1969: Two Town-Suppressing Treasures
Standing before the icy prison, Ling Feiyu’s eyes were filled with shock, unable to believe what the middle-aged man had said.
Zhang Ruochen, however, remained very calm, smiling slightly as he said, “Given the foundation of the Moon-Worshipping Cult, it is not unexpected to have a Medieval Awakener. However, Senior, since you have awakened, why did you not stop the strong ones within the cult from colluding with external enemies?”
Soul Devouring King stroked his beard, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. “You are quite knowledgeable, actually aware of the existence of Awakeners. It’s not that I, this old man, was unwilling to meddle in this matter, but rather that I had been sleeping in this icy prison all along. It was only not long ago that I sensed an extremely powerful energy fluctuation, which slowly roused me from my slumber.”
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen’s mind stirred. The powerful energy fluctuation Soul Devouring King mentioned likely referred to the unrestrained power of the Blazing God Leg that he had released.
Although it was far away, it had still disturbed Soul Devouring King, causing him to slowly awaken from his deep slumber.
Speaking of it, the environment of the icy prison was indeed very suitable for sleeping.
Turning his gaze, Zhang Ruochen looked at a cave within the prison, which had clearly been freshly dug. This was enough to show that Soul Devouring King was not lying; he had indeed just crawled out from underground.
“Senior has awakened at just the right time. With Senior guarding the Moon-Worshipping Cult, I believe no one will be able to threaten it any longer,” Zhang Ruochen said with a smile.
Normally, every Awakener was extremely powerful, a top-tier Saint King who could dominate an era.
Soul Devouring King looked pleased with himself. “Of course. With me here, how could I allow others to run wild in the cult? However, unless necessary, I will not act lightly, nor will I appear before others. The fewer people who know of my existence, the better.”
Indeed, like Jiang Yunchong and Hong Tianji, Soul Devouring King was also keeping a low profile, unwilling to step into the spotlight for now.
These Awakeners were all part of Kunlun Realm’s foundational strength.
Ling Feiyu waved her hand, opening the prison door.
“Please rest assured, Senior. Not a single piece of information about you will be leaked,” Ling Feiyu promised solemnly.
Soul Devouring King nodded. “Mm. Go ahead and release the other strong ones in the cult. Don’t worry about me.”
Hearing this, Ling Feiyu bowed to Soul Devouring King, then turned and headed off to release the other Saint realm cultivators imprisoned on this level.
As soon as Ling Feiyu left, Shou Shu sidled up to Zhang Ruochen and said, “Master Chen, why did you come to the cult? I thought you would go to Phoenix Lake to find the Little Saintess first.”
“I did plan to go find Lingxi, but I happened to hear that Canglong was planning to strike against the Moon-Worshipping Cult, so I rushed over first. Have you seen Lingxi recently?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Shou Shu chuckled. “Of course I have. I just came back from Phoenix Lake not long ago. Phoenix Lake has undergone a huge change now, and ordinary people really can’t find it. If Master Chen wants to see the Little Saintess, I can lead the way.”
“Mm. Once things here are settled, you will take me there,” Zhang Ruochen said.
If not for Canglong and Ruan Ling setting a trap for him, his original plan had been to go to Phoenix Lake first to reunite with Mu Lingxi and Lin Fei, and then come to Wuding Mountain to see Ling Feiyu.
Although the plan had been disrupted, it was not a big deal.
Before long, Ling Feiyu released all the imprisoned strong ones and left the icy prison together with Zhang Ruochen.
As for Shou Shu and Soul Devouring King, they remained in the icy prison. The father and son, reunited after a hundred thousand years, naturally had much to say to each other. The icy prison was exceptionally quiet, undisturbed by anyone, making it the perfect place for them to chat about old times.
On Saint Water Peak, there was a bamboo grove, very serene. Walking along the paths within it could calm one’s mind.
Zhang Ruochen and Ling Feiyu walked side by side for a long time without saying a word, the atmosphere somewhat heavy.
“Shua.”
A beam of holy light flew in from the horizon and landed in Zhang Ruochen’s hand. It was a Message Light Talisman.
After reading the contents of the talisman, Zhang Ruochen couldn’t help but smile. “It seems this Canglong really cares about Ruan Ling.”
“What’s going on?” Ling Feiyu asked.
Zhang Ruochen handed the talisman to her and said, “Canglong wants to ransom Ruan Ling and asked me to name a price. This is something we can make good use of.”
After reading the talisman’s content, Ling Feiyu said, “What do you plan to do?”
“Naturally, I will agree to Canglong. Since he is taking the initiative to ransom Ruan Ling, I’ll make the Nether God Hall bleed a little. I happen to need some things, and this might be an opportunity to get them,” Zhang Ruochen said with a smile.
Killing Ruan Ling outright would have little meaning. It was far more valuable to exchange her for some treasures.
After some thought, Zhang Ruochen inscribed a Message Light Talisman and waved his hand to send it off.
The next moment, Zhang Ruochen took out twenty bottles of Merit Washing Sword Marrow and said, “By the way, this is a gift I prepared for you. I mistakenly gave it to Ruan Ling earlier.”
Ling Feiyu glanced at Zhang Ruochen but did not refuse. She reached out and straightforwardly took the twenty bottles of Merit Washing Sword Marrow.
“Feiyu, I…”
Zhang Ruochen wanted to say something, but before he could finish, Ling Feiyu interrupted him. “You don’t need to say anything more. I already heard what you wanted to say earlier. Over the years, I have thought it through very clearly. Both of us are people pursuing the supreme Dao. We should not be held back by romantic attachments. Before becoming gods, I will not consider anything related to love and affection.”
Looking at Ling Feiyu’s resolute gaze, Zhang Ruochen knew she had truly made up her mind and would not change it. He nodded. “Alright. We will talk about everything after we both become gods. If we do not become gods, we are still mortals.”
Inevitably, the two exchanged a smile.
Having cleared everything up, facing each other, they both felt much lighter. No more entanglements, no more worries.
“Feiyu, what was that treasure Canglong was trying to obtain?” Zhang Ruochen asked curiously.
A strange light flickered in Ling Feiyu’s eyes. “That is the Moon Soul Pearl left behind by the Moon God in the past. Legend says it was condensed from the essence of Guanghan Realm’s source. It can nourish the physical body and the sacred soul. It is usually held by the cult leader, and only those who have rendered great service are qualified to cultivate with the Moon Soul Pearl.”
Outsiders only knew that the Moon-Worshipping Cult possessed the Supreme Sacred Artifact, the Life-and-Death Bronze Furnace, as its strongest foundation. They did not know that the cult also had another supreme treasure, left by the Moon God, a divine relic of immense significance to the Moon-Worshipping Cult.
The Moon-Worshipping Cult had been able to stand unshaken through the ages, producing generation after generation of powerful cultivators, largely thanks to the Moon Soul Pearl.
“Is the Moon Soul Pearl still on Wuding Mountain?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Ling Feiyu nodded. “Mm. The Life-and-Death Bronze Furnace and the Moon Soul Pearl are both town-suppressing treasures of the Moon-Worshipping Cult. Unless the main altar is breached, they must never be taken out of Wuding Mountain. Come, I’ll take you to see this treasure.”
With that, Ling Feiyu transformed into a streak of light, flew out of the bamboo grove, and headed straight for Saint Gold Peak.
Zhang Ruochen did not hesitate and immediately followed.
He was very interested in the treasure left by the Moon God.
Inside Saint Gold Peak, there was a hidden cave dwelling, surrounded by layers of formations. Even a top-tier Saint King would find it extremely difficult to force their way in.
In the entire Moon-Worshipping Cult, only a few people knew the method to enter the hidden cave dwelling.
Arriving before a cliff face, Ling Feiyu used a secret technique to open a passage in the cliff, then stepped inside.
Zhang Ruochen had no concerns and followed closely behind.
As soon as the two entered, the passage vanished without a trace, leaving no sign behind.
The passage was somewhat narrow, but after not walking far, the space ahead opened up.
At the end of the passage was an exceptionally spacious area, filled with dense heaven and earth sacred qi, almost liquefied.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze was immediately drawn to an ancient and towering sacred furnace.
This furnace was twenty zhang tall, with a diameter exceeding ten zhang. Its entire body was a verdant green, its surface engraved with numerous secret patterns, even recording many profound sacred arts.
Without a doubt, this furnace was the Moon-Worshipping Cult’s town-suppressing treasure, the Life-and-Death Bronze Furnace, an extremely ancient Supreme Sacred Artifact.
On the furnace’s surface, several areas appeared dark red, said to have been stained with divine blood in the past.
Like the Azure Heaven Floating Pagoda, the Life-and-Death Bronze Furnace also had no artifact spirit.
If it did, unless a top-tier powerhouse personally intervened, no one would be able to attack Wuding Mountain.
“The Life-and-Death Bronze Furnace is not just an offensive Supreme Sacred Artifact. For the cult, its greater value lies in the fact that the flow of time inside is different from the outside world, at a ratio of ten to one,” Ling Feiyu said as she stepped forward.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen’s expression changed, and he was greatly surprised. “The Life-and-Death Bronze Furnace is actually a treasure containing the power of time. No wonder the cultivators of the Moon-Worshipping Cult cultivate so quickly.”
Time treasures were extremely precious. Even the Time Divine Temple could produce only a few, especially those with a large ratio.
As far as Zhang Ruochen knew, the most famous time treasure in Kunlun Realm was the Heavenly Wheel Seal held by Chi Yao, with a time ratio of thirty to one. Next was the Sword Pavilion, where each floor had a different time ratio, with the seventh floor reaching seven to one.
Cultivating with the aid of a time treasure could undoubtedly achieve twice the results with half the effort.
He had never expected that the Life-and-Death Bronze Furnace was also a time treasure. A ten-to-one time ratio was already very rare. Cultivating inside for ten months would mean only one month had passed outside.
With both the Life-and-Death Bronze Furnace and the Moon Soul Pearl as treasures, it would be truly strange if the Moon-Worshipping Cult could not cultivate some powerful cultivators.
“Not only that, the Life-and-Death Bronze Furnace also releases a strange flame that can temper the body. Used together with the Moon Soul Pearl, the effect is excellent. The Moon Soul Pearl is inside the Life-and-Death Bronze Furnace. Since you saved the cult from destruction this time, I can make the decision to let you cultivate inside the furnace for a period of time,” Ling Feiyu said seriously.
The secrets of the Life-and-Death Bronze Furnace and the Moon Soul Pearl were known to very few even within the Moon-Worshipping Cult, let alone outsiders.
As for allowing outsiders to use the Life-and-Death Bronze Furnace and the Moon Soul Pearl, that was even more impossible. Throughout history, the Moon-Worshipping Cult had rarely made such exceptions.
But this time, Zhang Ruochen had helped the Moon-Worshipping Cult survive a great calamity, which was enough to qualify the cult to make an exception for him.