Chapter 572: Qilin Armor
When the jade box was opened, what lay inside was a suit of crimson armor.
Even with formation inscriptions sealing the armor's aura, the people standing nearby could still feel a wave of scorching heat stinging their skin as it rushed toward them.
Qilin Armor.
Forged from three thousand six hundred and seventy-one scales of a Land Fire Qilin, this battle armor could expand or contract, reaching up to nine zhang in size or shrinking to as little as three inches. It was a defensive sacred artifact.
Fifth Senior Sister, Half-Saint Lingshu, had returned to the Eastern Domain Sacred City and invited a master refiner from the Divine Sword Sacred Land to forge the Qilin Armor.
Although forging a sacred artifact was quite tedious and complex, it was not overly difficult for the Divine Sword Sacred Land. After all, the Divine Sword Sacred Land represented the pinnacle of refining skill across the entire Eastern Domain, capable of rivaling even the Inscription Guild.
As long as top-tier refining materials were provided, they could forge a sacred artifact at the fastest possible speed.
Inside the Qilin Armor, a total of four hundred and seventy-six inscriptions were engraved, making it a high-quality hundred-inscription sacred artifact.
Moreover, on the back of the Qilin Armor, a pair of flame wings had been forged using the feathers of a Red Otter Beast and a Land Fire Qilin. Once the wings were spread and true qi was infused, they could unleash tremendous offensive power.
In other words, a cultivator wearing the Qilin Armor could soar through the sky and burrow into the earth, displaying unparalleled speed.
Last night, Fifth Senior Sister, Half-Saint Lingshu, had given the Qilin Armor to Zhang Ruochen. However, since he already possessed the Meteor Invisibility Cloak, he had discussed with Lingshu Half-Saint and decided to offer the Qilin Armor as a betrothal gift to Huang Yanchen.
Lingshu Half-Saint naturally had no objections. Since the Qilin Armor now belonged to Zhang Ruochen, it was entirely reasonable for him to give it to anyone he chose.
Seeing that the second jade box contained a sacred artifact-level battle armor, it drew countless envious glances.
Setting aside the difficulty of forging a sacred artifact, just finding the materials to forge one was extremely challenging.
Without great fortune, even a Half-Saint might spend an entire lifetime and still fail to gather enough materials to forge a single sacred artifact.
Furthermore, even if one managed to collect the materials, without sufficiently strong connections, it would be impossible to persuade a master refiner to forge the artifact.
On top of that, forging a sacred artifact-level battle armor required several times more materials than an offensive sacred artifact.
In other words, even for the same type of sacred artifact, a battle armor was far more valuable than a weapon.
Even for a deeply established clan like the Chen family, a treasure like the Qilin Armor would be stored in their Treasure Pavilion, and only Half-Saints who had made outstanding contributions to the clan would be qualified to wear it.
Huang Yanchen's gaze fixed on Zhang Ruochen as she shook her head. "You've already given me a Black Tortoise Sacred Source—that's the most precious treasure, far surpassing the betrothal gifts brought by Bu Qianfan. Why bother giving me the Black Water Liuli Crystal and the Qilin Armor? Some treasures you should keep for yourself; there's no need to sacrifice so much for me."
"It's nothing, just external possessions," Zhang Ruochen said with a smile, remaining exceptionally calm.
Huang Yanchen's words were naturally heard by the Chen family members, and everyone was once again stunned.
"What? Zhang Ruochen gave Cousin Yanchen a Sacred Source?"
"Impossible! A Sacred Source is such a precious treasure—only the family heir is entitled to receive one."
"If a Half-Saint consumes a Sacred Source and fully refines it, there's a fifty percent chance of breaking through to the Saint realm. I refuse to believe Zhang Ruochen would just give it away."
...
Not only did the Chen family members erupt in chaos, but even the cultivators from the four great Saint clans were shocked.
Take the Left Saint Clan, for example—throughout its history, it had only possessed a single Sacred Source.
One Sacred Source represented one Saint.
As long as a clan had a Saint to guard it, the clan would not decline.
If the Saint of the Left Saint Clan were killed by an outsider and the Sacred Source within their body stolen, the Left Saint Clan would lose its guardian Saint and would likely decline rapidly.
A Sacred Source was so important to a Saint clan, and naturally, it was even more invaluable to other cultivators.
Even Huang Yanchen's parents, Thousand Water Commandery Prince and Liuli Half-Saint, were greatly surprised, as Huang Yanchen had never mentioned the matter of the "Black Tortoise Sacred Source" to them.
If Huang Yanchen had truly consumed a Black Tortoise Sacred Source, then her status within the Chen family would reach a new height, making her one of the most heavily cultivated young members.
Liuli Half-Saint immediately walked over and asked seriously, "Yanchen, have you really consumed the Black Tortoise Sacred Source?"
Huang Yanchen glanced at Zhang Ruochen, who remained calm on the side, and no longer concealed the truth. She nodded and replied, "In the Black Tortoise Ruins Realm, Zhang Ruochen obtained the Black Tortoise inheritance, but he gave it to me."
Liuli Half-Saint was overjoyed, tightly gripping Huang Yanchen's hand, unable to contain her excitement.
Only those who had reached the Half-Saint realm could understand how difficult it was to reach the Saint realm. Only then could they grasp how precious a Sacred Source truly was.
Liuli Half-Saint was also a proud daughter of the Chen family, reaching the Half-Saint realm at a young age, yet her chances of becoming a Saint remained extremely slim.
Although Huang Yanchen's current cultivation level was still low, her chances of becoming a Saint were greater than her mother's.
Pulse Master Chen Ji immediately stepped forward and declared, "Today, I announce before everyone that Huang Yanchen will henceforth be the heir to the Chen family's Xuan Mountain Branch."
The Chen family not only had a family heir but also an heir for each branch.
By declaring Huang Yanchen as the heir to the branch, Chen Ji was proclaiming that she would one day become a high-ranking member of the Chen family.
No one present raised any objections.
Are you kidding? Huang Yanchen had consumed a Sacred Source, giving her a high probability of becoming a Saint in the future.
Now, the Chen family naturally had to do everything to win her over, at least promising her the status of branch heir. Otherwise, the Chen family might lose a Saint in the future.
Inside the Eastern Domain Sacred Prince Manor, atop a twelve-story tower, the green-robed elder and the white-robed elder exchanged glances.
"The Xuan Mountain Branch has obtained a Sacred Source. It seems that from now on, the Xuan Mountain Branch's status within the Chen family will rise significantly," the green-robed elder sighed.
The white-robed elder snorted coldly. "If I could obtain a Sacred Source, I would have a ninety percent chance of reaching the Saint realm and becoming the family's new Saint. Unfortunately, that outsider's descendant has already consumed the Sacred Source."
Although the green-robed elder and the white-robed elder were both pulse masters of the Chen family, they dared not forcibly seize the Sacred Source. The Chen family's rules were extremely strict; anyone who violated them would face death.
The several Half-Saints present were all as excited as if they had been injected with stimulants, staring intently at Huang Yanchen.
If Huang Yanchen were not a descendant of the Chen family, someone might have already taken the risk to snatch her away.
Huang Yanchen said, "The Black Tortoise Sacred Source should count as the third betrothal gift, so there's no need to open the last jade box."
She took the third jade box from Lei Jing and handed it to Zhang Ruochen, signaling him to put it away.
Huang Yanchen revealed the secret of the Black Tortoise Sacred Source precisely because she did not want Zhang Ruochen to continue spending extravagantly. He had already given her too much.
Everyone could tell that the treasure in the third jade box was certainly even more precious.
But Huang Yanchen returned it to Zhang Ruochen, naturally causing great dissatisfaction among the Chen family members, who felt she was favoring an outsider.
Zhang Ruochen took the third jade box, glanced at the surrounding crowd, and said, "Actually, the first two betrothal gifts were meant for Senior Sister Yanchen. Only this last one was intended for the Chen family."
"Since Senior Sister Yanchen believes the three betrothal gifts have been delivered, I will take back this last one."
"Uncle, Aunt, you have no objections, do you?"
Thousand Water Commandery Prince and Liuli Half-Saint naturally had no objections. After all, the three betrothal gifts Zhang Ruochen had brought—Black Water Liuli Crystal, Qilin Armor, and Black Tortoise Sacred Source—were all priceless treasures.
If they still had objections, it would seem too greedy.
Pulse Master Chen Ji squinted his aged eyes, staring at the third jade box for a moment, but ultimately said nothing.
Thousand Water Commandery Prince looked at Zhang Ruochen and smiled. "Your feelings for Yanchen are clear to all of us. The betrothal gifts you've brought have already shocked us. Zhang Ruochen, from now on, Yanchen is entrusted to you. Take good care of her."
Liuli Half-Saint's eyes also softened. "Ruochen, put it away and keep it for yourself. Your sacred path has only just begun, and you will need plenty of cultivation resources in the future."
Zhang Ruochen nodded, bowed deeply to Thousand Water Commandery Prince and Liuli Half-Saint, and then placed the third jade box back onto the back of the Land Fire Qilin.
At that moment, Bu Qianfan, standing not far away, spoke up. "Zhang Ruochen, since you've brought it here, opening the jade box to let us see what treasure lies inside shouldn't be a problem, should it?"
Bu Qianfan's words voiced the thoughts of everyone present.
The Black Water Liuli Crystal and the Qilin Armor had already piqued everyone's curiosity.
"Could it be the legendary Buddha Emperor Relic?"
Someone said just that.
Instantly, a single stone stirred up a thousand waves. Everyone's gaze turned fervent, all eyes fixed on the third jade box.
The Buddha Emperor Relic was like the Sacred Source of the Buddha Emperor, a legendary treasure.
Whether the Buddha Emperor Relic was in Zhang Ruochen's possession had always been a mystery, never definitively confirmed.
Now, with someone bringing it up, it naturally caused a huge commotion.
"Zhang Ruochen even gave the Black Tortoise Sacred Source to Huang Yanchen, so it's not impossible that he would offer the Buddha Emperor Relic as a betrothal gift."
"Zhang Ruochen, open the jade box and let us see the treasure you've brought."
...
More and more people grew curious about the third jade box, shouting for Zhang Ruochen to open it and satisfy everyone's curiosity.
Even Pulse Master Chen Ji took the initiative to say, "Zhang Ruochen, since everyone wants to know what's inside, open it and let the younger generation see. I swear to you, no matter what treasure is in the jade box, the Chen family will not covet it. You brought it here, and you will take it away as you please."