Chapter 2425: I Am the Emperor Who Slays Heaven and Earth
Yan Zhexian was quite intrigued and asked, "How did you see that it had been refined?"
Zhang Ruochen spoke with ease, saying, "There was once a record in ancient texts that Time-Space Coral is born in Star Dock, grows on ancient divine mines, initially white as jade, and after enduring an Eon Calamity, it becomes a tree, divided into black and white, shining for five hundred li. Three months of day, three months of night, that is one day."
This meant that Time-Space Coral is born on the Sea Stone Star Dock, grows atop ancient divine mines, and at first, its entire body is snow-white like jade. After surviving an Eon Calamity, it turns into a dual-colored black and white, with its light covering a range of five hundred li, where three months are daytime and three months are nighttime, making half a year one day.
Zhang Ruochen said, "From this, it can be seen that even for a black-and-white dual-colored Time-Space Coral tree, within the range of its light, the flow of time is extremely slow. Staying under the tree for half a year means only one day passes outside. Moreover, this time flow is very stable."
"Time-Space Coral trees with three colors or more are rarely recorded in ancient texts."
"A seven-colored Time-Space Coral tree is unheard of. If a living one were to appear in the world, it would surely alarm many deities, and its value would far exceed a Supreme Sacred Artifact, possibly even rivaling a Divine Artifact."
"But this seven-colored coral tree emits very unstable spatial power and quite chaotic temporal power, clearly indicating it is both a dead tree and has already been refined by someone."
The cultivator shrouded entirely in black gauze spoke with a hoarse, indistinct voice, "How do you know it's a dead tree? What if it hasn't completely died?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, "Time-Space Coral can only survive in ancient divine mines. Once separated from the mine and deprived of nourishment, it quickly dies."
The auctioneer, Ye Xiao, pointed to the gambling table and said, "Sir, have you not seen that beneath the seven-colored coral tree there is a cauldron of divine mud? When it was excavated from the ancient divine tomb, the divine mud was already there, and its divine nature had not been lost."
The gambling god, Seven-Handed Old Man, bared a mouthful of yellowed teeth, his smile somewhat fierce, and said, "Even a dead tree is not without value."
Yan Zhexian nodded, agreeing with the Seven-Handed Old Man's view.
Even if it were just a dead seven-colored coral tree, its value should still exceed one hundred thousand divine stones. If luck were on their side and the seven-colored coral tree wasn't completely dead—if even a trace of life force remained—then with the foundation of the Yama Clan, there would be a certain chance of reviving it.
If they gambled to that state, what were a hundred thousand divine stones worth?
Zhang Ruochen said, "If a dead tree has been successfully refined and well-preserved, its value is indeed very high, rivaling a Supreme Sacred Artifact. Selling for several hundred thousand divine stones would not be out of the question."
Back then, Zhang Ruochen's Seven-Yuan Monarch Sacred Artifact, the "Nether Sun Divine Wheel," which had the potential to be nurtured into a Supreme Sacred Artifact, was auctioned off in the Star Sea World for three hundred thousand divine stones.
True Supreme Sacred Artifacts are priceless, and no one would put them up for sale.
Yan Zhexian, seeing that this spatial cultivator seemed to have some insight, asked, "In your opinion, how many divine stones is this seven-colored coral tree worth?"
Zhang Ruochen glanced at the chips on the gambling table and said, "I think there's no need to add any more bets."
Yan Zhexian pursed her lips slightly, her gaze turning suspicious, and said, "Do you think this seven-colored coral tree was a failed refinement? Or was it improperly preserved, now existing in name only and worthless?"
"As I said earlier, the space here is unstable and time is chaotic. Even if it were just a dead tree, it shouldn't be in this state," Zhang Ruochen said.
A Corpse Clan Great Saint among the onlookers sneered, "Sir, do you not know that since the seven-colored coral tree has been refined, it has become an artifact? All artifacts require energy to be activated to display their power."
This Corpse Clan Great Saint was none other than Cang Baizi of the Eternal Life Hall.
He wore a green Daoist robe, a Daoist crown on his head, held a whisk, and had a moon mark on his forehead, emitting a foul stench of rotting corpse.
Yan Zhexian asked, "How certain are you?"
"What I just said were all guesses, so I might only be thirty to forty percent sure." Zhang Ruochen didn't dare to be too absolute, as this Miss Yan was not someone to be trifled with.
If his judgment were wrong and caused her to lose one hundred fifty thousand divine stones, she wouldn't be as easy to deal with as Cang Jie.
Since it didn't concern him, he would just speak the truth.
"Heh, thirty to forty percent certainty is no different from blind gambling."
Cang Baizi and the other onlookers all laughed.
Yan Zhexian became hesitant. She had already invested one hundred fifty thousand divine stones. If she listened to this unknown spatial cultivator and didn't add more bets, cutting her losses, it would mean all those divine stones were wasted.
One hundred fifty thousand divine stones—even with her noble birth, she couldn't come up with that amount; she would have to go begging to the ancestors.
If the ancestors found out she had lost one hundred fifty thousand divine stones at the gambling table, she would surely face punishment.
She couldn't accept it. She really couldn't accept it.
"No, no, if it were worthless, how could the gambling god, Seven-Handed Old Man, have bet one hundred forty thousand divine stones?"
Yan Zhexian suddenly suspected that this unknown spatial cultivator might be someone arranged by the Seven-Handed Old Man.
The Seven-Handed Old Man always won his bets, clearly skilled in reading people's minds.
Zhang Ruochen saw through Yan Zhexian's thoughts and felt extremely exasperated, sighing inwardly, With your level of experience, you dare to gamble heavily against a gambling god? I really feel sorry for your Yama Clan ancestors.
At least she was the mother of his child. If she lost the bet and her mentality collapsed, it would be very bad for the child.
Zhang Ruochen didn't want to watch her fall into the trap, so he decided to do his best to help her win this round or at least minimize the losses.
Of course, with top-tier Great Saints present, including the legendary gambling god, Zhang Ruochen wasn't absolutely certain either.
That gambling god occasionally glanced at Zhang Ruochen with a smile, his expression quite eerie, putting immense pressure on Zhang Ruochen, as if his eyes could see through all unknowns in the world.
Zhang Ruochen suspected that his transformation technique had already been seen through by the gambling god.
Pushing aside all distracting thoughts, Zhang Ruochen looked at Ye Xiao and said, "If I knew the identity of the ancient divine tomb owner from which the seven-colored coral tree was excavated, I might be able to make a more precise judgment."
The Seven-Handed Old Man let out a ghostly laugh, "That makes sense. At least we can determine whether he had the ability to refine a treasure of this level."
Everyone's gaze turned to Ye Xiao.
Ye Xiao said, "This..."
"I think we have the right to know," Yan Zhexian said.
Ye Xiao's expression was hesitant, and he said cautiously, "Please wait a moment. I need to consult the building master."
A clear, melodious voice pierced through the crystal walls, coming from some direction in the Divine Maiden Tower, echoing in the gambling hall, "No need. Tell them."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze followed the direction of the voice.
Through the crystal walls and the thick night, he saw, in the distant palace complex, a vermilion platform where a woman stood, radiant as the moon.
Just a fleeting glance, and the woman's figure disappeared.
Was she the building master of the Divine Maiden Tower?
In the entire gambling hall, only three people pinpointed the woman's location and looked over.
Besides Zhang Ruochen, the other two were the Seven-Handed Old Man and Cang Baizi.
Ye Xiao said, "The owner of that ancient divine tomb is an existence from an immensely distant era. Based on the various artifacts unearthed, it should be the Withering Glory Divine Lord."
Hearing this name, most cultivators present showed bewildered expressions.
Zhang Ruochen absorbed the knowledge from the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, closed his eyes to search, and found a trace of information about the Withering Glory Divine Lord. He was a powerhouse from forty to fifty eons ago, belonging to the Stone Clan of the Hell Realm, known as the Lord of All Deities of the Stone Clan.
Just as Zhang Ruochen found the information, Ye Xiao also recounted some details about the Withering Glory Divine Lord.
"So it's the Withering Glory Divine Lord. I've heard some legends about him. He was indeed an extraordinary deity."
"The Nether Hall actually excavated the tomb of the Withering Glory Divine Lord. How many good things must they have dug up?"
"If this news gets out, the Stone Clan's experts will surely go after the Nether Hall. No wonder Ye Xiao didn't dare to speak up. The building master has real guts."
"I don't believe the Nether Hall really excavated the Withering Glory Divine Lord's tomb. Even if they did, it was probably just a partial dig."
...
Although the era of the Withering Glory Divine Lord had passed millions of years, figures as great as him, even if their flesh and spirit had perished, their names could still echo through the ages.
Leaving a name for eternity is something all deities in the world dream of.
"With the Withering Glory Divine Lord's cultivation, refining a seven-colored coral tree wouldn't be difficult."
"It seems the seven-colored coral tree has been refined into a time-space treasure, and its value might even surpass that of a Supreme Sacred Artifact."
"Heavens! Such a supreme treasure, and the Nether Hall actually handed it over to the Gambling Artifact City of the Divine Maiden Tower?"
...
The Seven-Handed Old Man snorted lightly, "Blind optimism! The Withering Glory Divine Lord has been dead for forty to fifty eons. Even a deity's immortal body might have corroded into bones. How could the seven-colored coral tree not be corroded?"
Someone retorted, "The Withering Glory Divine Lord must have inscribed divine patterns and supreme inscription runes on the seven-colored coral tree to resist the corrosion of time."
"The gambling god is just afraid others will add bets and drive up the price," Cang Baizi said with a somewhat sarcastic laugh.
Zhang Ruochen casually glanced at Cang Baizi, thinking to himself, This corpse Dao cultivator is highly skilled and definitely not short on divine stones. He doesn't bet himself but keeps chiming in from the sidelines.
Could he be a secret shill hired by the Divine Maiden Tower?
The six Great Saints who had only bet one thousand divine stones all showed eager expressions, but when they saw the bets on the table had already reached over a hundred thousand divine stones, they all sighed in disappointment.
"I bet two hundred thousand divine stones."
The black-gauze cultivator, who had been mostly silent, threw out seven black chip cards, adding seventy thousand divine stones in one go.
The Seven-Handed Old Man chuckled, "I'll follow."
He then threw out seven black chip cards as well, raising his bet to two hundred ten thousand divine stones.
Cang Baizi's pale, almost eerie face broke into a smile, "Gambling god, didn't you just say the seven-colored coral tree might have been corroded? Why are you adding bets so readily?"
The Seven-Handed Old Man said, "Since I've already thrown in a pile of divine stones, I don't mind adding another seventy thousand. What if... what if there's a ten to twenty percent chance of winning?"
Cang Baizi's gaze subtly flicked toward Yan Zhexian, and he smiled, "Gambling god, that line only fools little girls."
Yan Zhexian clearly trusted the Seven-Handed Old Man's judgment more, picking up seven black chip cards, ready to follow the bet.
Zhang Ruochen grabbed her arm.
"Let go? You dare touch my hand? Believe me, I'll chop it off?" Yan Zhexian's eyes turned cold, and a divine flame talisman pattern appeared on her arm.
Zhang Ruochen let the divine flame burn his hand, secretly transmitting his voice, coldly saying, "Listen to my advice. Don't add any more bets."
"Based on your thirty to forty percent certainty?" Yan Zhexian said aloud, not using a voice transmission.
Seeing that he hadn't let go, she grew angrier, thinking of Zhang Ruochen from the Heaven Hunting Battlefield.
That disgusting hand of Zhang Ruochen had touched places it shouldn't, and she had always wanted to chop it off.
A big part of why she was betting on the seven-colored coral tree was to use it against Zhang Ruochen, to suppress that so-called heir of time and space.
Although the entire Hell Realm now mistakenly believed she was pregnant with Zhang Ruochen's child, and even her great-grandfather wanted her to marry him, she would never agree.
A man like Zhang Ruochen—romantic, cold-blooded, and ruthless, who even killed his own friends—what did his talent matter?
She only felt disgust.
How could she lower herself to marry him?
On the Heaven Hunting Battlefield, when Zhang Ruochen risked everything to save Yu Huang, she saw it not as loyalty but as lust for Yu Huang's beauty, unable to change his lecherous nature.
Zhang Ruochen, of course, had no idea how many thoughts were running through Yan Zhexian's mind. He transmitted, "It's not thirty to forty percent certainty. Now, I'm over seventy percent sure."
Though his hand was still on her arm, Yan Zhexian inexplicably felt less resistance and instead felt a strange sense of closeness.
This bizarre emotion, coming from nowhere, made her calm down for a moment. She transmitted back, "Why are you suddenly over seventy percent sure?"
"Because the tomb owner is the Withering Glory Divine Lord."
"What do you mean?"
"The Withering Glory Divine Lord was indeed a powerful deity, but he was not skilled in artifact refining, nor was he a spatial or temporal cultivator. A natural treasure like the seven-colored coral tree cannot be refined just by being powerful. If it were Xumi Saint Monk, I would support you in betting everything."
Yan Zhexian said suspiciously, "The Withering Glory Divine Lord lived millions of years ago. How do you know him so well? Who are you? Why should I trust you?"
"If you don't trust me, at least trust the deities of the Nether Hall and the Goddess Twelve Pavilions. If the seven-colored coral tree had truly been refined into an artifact, would they have sent it to the gambling table?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Yan Zhexian had thought of that layer but clung to wishful thinking.
Perhaps the deities of the Nether Hall and the Goddess Twelve Pavilions just weren't sure and didn't dare to unseal it easily.
If unsealed, it could still sell for several hundred thousand divine stones.
If they lost the gamble, the losses would be severe.
The deities of the two major forces didn't dare to gamble, but she, Yan Zhexian, was very eager to try.
Seeing that she still wouldn't give up, Zhang Ruochen said, "I've said all I can. I won't persuade you further. Anyway, I definitely won't be getting that ten-thousand divine stone reward you promised."
The Seven-Handed Old Man seemed to have overheard Zhang Ruochen and Yan Zhexian's spiritual voice transmission and laughed, "Little girl, you'd better listen to his advice and pull back. He's not just a spatial cultivator; he's a spatial controller. His judgment is certainly more accurate than yours."
"Senior, why don't you pull back?" Yan Zhexian countered.
The Seven-Handed Old Man said, "I'm old, have plenty of divine stones, but I fear death, so I have to take a gamble. If I hit that ten to twenty percent chance and get the seven-colored coral tree, I can extend my life."
Yan Zhexian was deeply conflicted. Giving up and admitting defeat wasn't in her nature.
Besides, she had already thrown in one hundred fifty thousand divine stones.
Zhang Ruochen stared at the Seven-Handed Old Man, a look of incomprehension in his eyes. Clearly, this old man had seen through his identity. With his shrewdness, he couldn't be unaware of the high risk of betting on the seven-colored coral tree.
Why was he still betting?
Was it really just for that ten to twenty percent chance, as he said? That didn't sound like something a gambling god would say.
Ye Xiao urged, "If you don't add a bet now, it means you automatically forfeit the right to add."
Yan Zhexian gripped the seven black chip cards tightly, her gaze firming up. Just as she was about to throw them onto the table—
Her hand was grabbed again.
Thinking it was Zhang Ruochen again, Yan Zhexian's beautiful eyes widened, ready to flare up, but she heard Yan Huangtu's voice in her ear, "We're not following!"
"Fifth Uncle." Yan Zhexian said.
Yan Huangtu released her wrist and scolded, "Nonsense! How dare you be so bold as to go head-to-head with the famous gambling god? Consider these one hundred fifty thousand divine stones as a lesson learned."
In Yan Huangtu's view, Yan Zhexian gambling against the gambling god was like a child sparring with a Great Saint—no different from throwing away money. She was bound to lose.
Cutting losses in time was the best outcome.
With Yan Huangtu came four other Yama Clan experts, all above the Thousand Questions Realm. They wore talisman robes and exuded a powerful aura, clearly all of significant background.
Yan Huangtu carefully examined Zhang Ruochen, clasped his hands, and said, "Thank you for stopping her. Win or lose, I consider you a friend. The ten thousand divine stones she promised will still be paid. May I ask your name?"
Zhang Ruochen knew Yan Huangtu was eyeing his strength, wanting to befriend or recruit him. Still, he had a certain kingly bearing.
"I am the Emperor Who Slays Heaven and Earth," Zhang Ruochen said, returning the salute.
Yan Huangtu found the name somewhat familiar but couldn't recall where he had heard it.
This man was highly skilled and proficient in the Way of Space. It was normal to have heard his name.
He would look into his background later.
As Zhang Ruochen and Yan Huangtu exchanged pleasantries, the gambling table erupted in fierce competition. In just a few rounds, the chips thrown down by the Seven-Handed Old Man and the black-gauze cultivator had already exceeded five hundred thousand divine stones, leaving everyone present stunned.
After all, even some deities couldn't come up with that many divine stones.
The news of the seven-colored coral tree bet had spread throughout the Divine Maiden Tower in no time, and more and more cultivators came to watch the excitement.