Chapter 230: Regret
Divine Resting Grass, in the martial arts world, is a herb containing potent toxins.
The poison extracted from a single Divine Resting Grass plant is enough to kill ten Heavenly Extreme Realm martial arts myths.
If the amount of poison is sufficient, refined to a high purity, and made into a Divine Resting Poison Pill, it could even kill a Half-Saint.
Of course, to refine a Divine Resting Poison Pill, at least a hundred Divine Resting Grass plants are needed. Moreover, a sixth-rank alchemist must personally perform the process for it to succeed.
Although Divine Resting Grass is highly toxic, it is also an indispensable auxiliary medicine for cultivating the "False God Body."
"For a physical body, Divine Resting Grass is a toxic substance. But for a Martial Soul, it has no toxicity. Absorbing the medicinal power of Divine Resting Grass, with the aid of a special secret technique, can even cause the Martial Soul to manifest a sacred illusion."
Zhang Ruochen carefully opened the wooden box containing the Divine Resting Grass.
As soon as the wooden box was opened a crack, black toxic gas escaped from it, filling the entire inner space of the Time-Space Crystal.
Zhang Ruochen was prepared. He mobilized the power of his Space Domain to control the flow of the toxic gas, preventing it from getting anywhere near his body.
At the same time, a white beam of light shot out from the top of Zhang Ruochen's head.
The light points in the beam coalesced into his Martial Soul, suspended in midair.
Under Zhang Ruochen's control, a drop of Half-Saint blood flew out from the jade bottle in front of him. It was as bright as a small, crimson sun, emitting a vast aura, and quickly merged with the Martial Soul.
After fusing with the Half-Saint blood, the Martial Soul solidified slightly and began to slowly absorb the gas emanating from the Divine Resting Grass.
"To cultivate the 'False God Body,' it's best to use Half-Saint Light. Since I don't have Half-Saint Light, I'll have to substitute it with Half-Saint blood."
In the Chi Kong Secret Vault, Zhang Ruochen had obtained a total of sixty-four drops of Half-Saint blood. He used one drop, leaving sixty-three.
With sixty-three drops of Half-Saint blood and the power of the Divine Resting Grass, it was enough to condense the "False God Body."
Half-Saint blood and Divine Resting Grass were both extremely precious, worth a fortune, which pained Zhang Ruochen greatly. But thinking that once he cultivated the "False God Body," he could recklessly absorb sacrificial power and enjoy treatment like a god, his heart was filled with excitement.
As long as it wasn't a Half-Saint level existence, no one could see through Zhang Ruochen's False God Body.
In the entire thirty-six commanderies of the Demon Ridge, how many Half-Saints were there?
Even if there were Half-Saints, figures of that level rarely showed themselves in the world.
Zhang Ruochen knew better than anyone how terrifying the power of a Half-Saint was. A Half-Saint could kill a Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artist with just a single glance.
The Heavenly Extreme Realm was the peak of martial arts, where one could be called a myth among martial artists.
But the Half-Saint had already surpassed martial arts, broken the limits of humanity, and even had a lifespan far exceeding that of ordinary people.
After a day and a night, that drop of Half-Saint blood was completely absorbed by the Martial Soul and fused with it.
Zhang Ruochen's Martial Soul seemed to have grown a bit stronger, emitting a faint sacred aura.
"Whoosh!"
A second drop of Half-Saint blood flew out from the jade bottle, transforming into a dragon-shaped blood aura. Like a set of dragon-shaped armor, it covered the surface of the Martial Soul, continuing to absorb the aura emitted by the Divine Resting Grass.
Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged on the ground, his hands constantly forming seals, continuously injecting True Qi into his soul veins to replenish the True Qi needed by the Martial Soul.
Time passed day by day. Zhang Ruochen, inside the Time-Space Crystal, was completely unaware of the passage of time.
There were only two days left until the Winter Solstice Sacrificial Ceremony. Snow fell from the sky. Overnight, the royal capital, with its red walls and green tiles, became a city of ice.
A great joyous event occurred in the Lin Clan, an eighth-rate family of the Yunwu Commandery.
Lin Jingye, the Lin Clan's number one expert, broke through to the Heavenly Extreme Realm, becoming a grand occasion in the martial arts world of the Yunwu Commandery. Countless people went to the Lin residence to offer congratulations.
It must be known that the total number of known Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artists in the entire Yunwu Commandery was only fourteen. Each one was an unparalleled powerhouse, existing like a myth.
With the birth of a Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artist, the Lin Clan's status in the Yunwu Commandery would immediately rise to a new height, even giving them a certain voice in the imperial court.
At this moment, a family meeting was being held in the Lin Clan's courtyard.
Lin Jingye, already over seventy years old but looking only about fifty, sat in the highest seat, exuding a powerful aura of authority without anger.
The powerful True Qi fluctuations of a Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artist seemed to solidify the air in the entire room, making it impossible to circulate, instilling fear.
Lin Fengxian, Lin Enbo, Lin Xizhao, and other powerful figures all sat in the lower seats. Besides them, young talents like Lin Chenyu and Lin Ningshan also attended the meeting.
Lin Fengxian, as the current head of the Lin Clan, stood up and spoke first: "Since Father has broken through to the Heavenly Extreme Realm, our Lin Clan can openly become a seventh-rate family. Only by becoming a seventh-rate family can the Lin Clan's power expand more than tenfold."
Lin Chenyu, the number one young expert of the Lin Clan, sneered: "For the Lin Clan to become a seventh-rate family, we still need an opportunity."
"What opportunity?" Lin Fengxian asked.
Lin Chenyu said: "To become a seventh-rate family, we must gain the support of the royal clan. Ningshan has already turned sixteen; it's time to fulfill the marriage contract made two years ago. As long as Ningshan marries the Seventh Prince, the Lin Clan's status in the Yunwu Commandery will surely become even higher. Then, naturally, we can smoothly become a seventh-rate family."
Lin Fengxian frowned slightly, not expecting Lin Chenyu to bring this up.
Two years ago, when the Seventh Prince and Lin Ningshan were engaged, Lin Fengxian was fully in favor.
But later, he learned that the Seventh Prince truly wanted to marry Han Qiu, the daughter of the Cloud Platform Sect Master. Even if Lin Ningshan married the Seventh Prince, she would only be a concubine, in a very lowly position.
What kind of status was Han Qiu? Not even the royal clan of the Yunwu Commandery dared to provoke her. If Lin Ningshan were to serve the same husband as her, how could she fare well?
Lin Fengxian, after all, was Lin Ningshan's father, and naturally didn't want to push his daughter into a fire pit.
Lin Ningshan was already engaged to the Seventh Prince, and the agreed-upon marriage time had arrived. It was probably too late to back out now.
But now, with the birth of a Heavenly Extreme Realm martial arts myth in the Lin Clan, perhaps there was still a turning point.
Lin Fengxian immediately cupped his hands and bowed to Lin Jingye, who was sitting above: "Father, I think Ningshan marrying the Seventh Prince may not be a good thing. It might even bring great disaster to the Lin Clan."
Lin Jingye snorted coldly: "I said back then that this matter was not advisable, but you wouldn't listen. Now you know regret? If only Ningshan could have been with Chen'er back then... ah!"
Lin Ningshan, sitting below, brightened slightly when she heard Lin Jingye mention Zhang Ruochen, but quickly dimmed.
She knew that there was no chance for her and Zhang Ruochen anymore. Even if Zhang Ruochen gave her a chance, Princess Yanchen wouldn't.
If the Lin Clan didn't dare to offend Han Qiu, did they dare to offend Princess Yanchen?
If she had to blame anyone, it was herself for not cherishing what she had back then.
Once lost, it was truly lost!
Lin Jingye pondered for a moment, then looked at Lin Ningshan: "Ningshan, do you want to marry the Seventh Prince?"
Lin Ningshan bit her lip and gently shook her head.
In just two years, at the Cloud Platform Sect, Lin Ningshan had seen too many proud daughters of heaven who were more outstanding than herself, and she had long lost her former pride. She had gradually become mature and rational.
Lin Jingye said: "Alright! For your sake, and for the future of the entire Lin Clan, I will personally go to the royal palace. After all, it was we who sought the marriage alliance. Now wanting to break off the engagement, the hope is very slim. You must be mentally prepared."
Lin Ningshan was overjoyed inside, thinking to herself, Grandfather is now a Heavenly Extreme Realm martial arts myth. Even the Yunwu Commandery King will have to show him some respect. Maybe there really is a chance to call off the marriage.
That very day, Lin Jingye entered the royal palace, visited the Yunwu Commandery King and the Queen, and discussed the marriage between the Seventh Prince and Lin Ningshan.
At the same time, Lin Jingye proposed breaking off the engagement, on the grounds that Lin Ningshan was unworthy of the Seventh Prince and didn't want to affect his future.
The Yunwu Commandery King was quite angry and immediately rejected Lin Jingye's proposal.
How could a royal marriage be called off so easily?
Lin Jingye also knew that breaking off the engagement was impossible, so he had to find another way. He took a detour to visit Consort Lin.
Lin Jingye was Consort Lin's father, so he naturally had the right to see her.
Lin Jingye had originally wanted to see Zhang Ruochen as well, but upon hearing that he was in seclusion training, he didn't disturb him. He talked with Consort Lin for a while and told her about the Lin Clan's current awkward situation.
When Lin Jingye left the royal palace, the Queen and the Seventh Prince were also discussing the matter in a secret chamber within the palace.
The Queen sneered coldly: "Lin Jingye has quite the nerve. He just broke through to the Heavenly Extreme Realm and thinks he's invincible. He dares to propose breaking off the engagement. Does he think the royal clan's marriage contract is a joke?"
Zhang Tiangui sat opposite the Queen and smiled: "Mother, you misunderstand Lin Jingye this time."
"I misunderstand him?" The Queen was a bit surprised.
Zhang Tiangui said: "Now, any clear-eyed person can see that Han Qiu and I are destined to be together. What status does Han Qiu have? She is the daughter of the Cloud Platform Sect Master. A hundred Lin Ningshans combined can't compare to a single finger of hers. As long as Lin Jingye is sensible, he definitely won't dare to marry his granddaughter to me. His granddaughter's life is a small matter; implicating the entire Lin Clan in annihilation is the real issue."
Hearing Zhang Tiangui's words, the Queen finally understood: "My son, what are your chances of winning Han Qiu?"
Zhang Tiangui smiled confidently: "One hundred percent."
The Queen said: "To avoid complications, why not grant the Lin Clan's wish and cancel this engagement?"
Zhang Tiangui was also well aware of a woman's jealousy. Han Qiu was a woman too; how could she not be jealous?
If the Yunwu Commandery's power was strong, taking a concubine would be a trivial matter.
But the Yunwu Commandery's power couldn't compare to the Cloud Platform Sect. If he dared to take a concubine lightly, it would indeed be detrimental to his pursuit of Han Qiu.
Zhang Tiangui's eyes turned dark: "In my view, Lin Ningshan is just a lowly woman, dispensable. But in Zhang Ruochen's eyes, it might not be the same. Perhaps she can be used to deal with Zhang Ruochen."
The Queen nodded: "Zhang Ruochen's progress is too fast. In just two years, he has reached the Earth Extreme Realm. It's said that even an expert like Zi Yinyang couldn't kill him. If he's allowed to grow further, I'm afraid he might threaten you."
Zhang Tiangui's eyes showed a hint of disdain, and he smiled: "I won't give him another chance to grow. Mother, just wait and see. After the sacrificial ceremony, there will be no Zhang Ruochen in the Yunwu Commandery."