# Chapter 600: One Night
Indeed, the wariness on Red Desire Star Envoy's face lessened somewhat as she asked, "You can cultivate a second-level spell successfully within half a day?"
"Why not?" Zhang Ruochen countered.
Red Desire Star Envoy remained somewhat skeptical. "How can you prove it?"
Zhang Ruochen spoke with great confidence, "Give me one night, and I can successfully cultivate another second-level spell as well."
Red Desire Star Envoy had given Zhang Ruochen two second-level spells. Besides "Thunder General's Wrath," there was another called "Earth Destruction Lightning Sea."
"Thunder General's Wrath" was not particularly rare among second-level lightning spells and was recorded in many spiritual power codices.
However, "Earth Destruction Lightning Sea" was different. It was an extremely powerful spell, belonging to the top tier among second-level lightning spells.
Most importantly, this spell was created by a spiritual power saint from the Black Market. Not to mention spiritual power masters from outside, even those trained internally by the Black Market rarely mastered it.
It could be said that the probability of Zhang Ruochen having previously cultivated "Earth Destruction Lightning Sea" was nearly zero.
Red Desire Star Envoy carefully examined Zhang Ruochen, then broke into a smile again, returning to the stone table and sitting down gracefully. "If you can successfully cultivate 'Earth Destruction Lightning Sea' within one night, I will reward you with a spiritual power artifact."
"In that case, I'll go into seclusion to cultivate now. Tomorrow morning, I'll demonstrate 'Earth Destruction Lightning Sea' for the Star Envoy."
Zhang Ruochen appeared full of confidence as he stood up, turned around, and re-entered his room.
Of course, Zhang Ruochen could not successfully cultivate a second-level spell in a single night.
However, he possessed the Cosmic Divine Wood Map. One night in the outside world meant several days within the Scroll World, giving him more than ten times the time.
Moreover, his spiritual power intensity was at the forty-fourth rank, already one rank higher than Red Desire Star Envoy's. Naturally, his speed in cultivating second-level spells would be much faster than hers.
One night's time was more than sufficient for cultivating the second-level spell "Earth Destruction Lightning Sea."
Red Desire Star Envoy certainly did not believe Zhang Ruochen could truly cultivate the second-level spell "Earth Destruction Lightning Sea" in a single night.
But what if he actually succeeded?
Red Desire Star Envoy began to ponder what Zhang Ruochen had said earlier.
To stay in Qingyun Commandery, they had to kill Blue Nether Star Envoy and cut off Di Yi's arm.
"Is this plan really feasible?"
Red Desire Star Envoy closed her eyes and began calculating various possibilities.
For instance, to kill Blue Nether Star Envoy, they would first need to arrange for someone to hold back Blue Nether Star Envoy's protector.
Second, after killing Blue Nether Star Envoy, who would they frame for it? The Liangyi Sect? The Demon Sect?
Third, could she and Zhang Shengming alone kill Blue Nether Star Envoy?
Fourth, after killing Blue Nether Star Envoy, would Di Yi personally come to Qingyun Commandery? With her current strength, could she withstand Di Yi's retaliation?
...
Killing Blue Nether Star Envoy was an extremely serious matter. They had to make various preparations in advance. Even a single mistake in any link could bring unpredictable consequences for her.
She thought for an entire night until the eastern sky turned pale before reopening her eyes. Her two beautiful pupils radiated sharp, cold killing intent.
Red Desire Star Envoy had made her decision. No matter what, she had to take the gamble. She could not just sit and wait for death.
The sound of a door opening came as Zhang Ruochen walked out from inside.
Seeing Red Desire Star Envoy still sitting by the stone table, he smiled slightly. "Did the Star Envoy sit here all night?"
Red Desire Star Envoy flicked the dew drops from her sleeves and laughed. "I was afraid you might flee out of guilt, so I naturally had to keep watch outside."
"The Star Envoy really knows how to joke. I have already successfully cultivated 'Earth Destruction Lightning Sea,' so why would I flee?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Red Desire Star Envoy stared deeply at Zhang Ruochen. Seeing his confident demeanor, which did not seem like boasting, she began to feel somewhat expectant.
She said, "Good. Come with me. I want to personally verify whether you have truly succeeded."
Red Desire Star Envoy stood up and led Zhang Ruochen to a grand hall. They entered a stone door, descended stone stairs leading underground, passed through layers of formations, and arrived beneath Red Willow Manor.
The pitch-black underground space was somewhat cold and quiet, with only the footsteps of Zhang Ruochen and Red Desire Star Envoy echoing.
If one released their spiritual power, they would sense that the surrounding heaven and earth spiritual energy was very active.
In the darkness, Zhang Ruochen said, "The Star Envoy is far too careless. If I harbored malicious intentions and attacked here, with the Star Envoy's cultivation, you probably wouldn't be my match."
Red Desire Star Envoy did not reply. She simply stopped, raised her palm, and pushed out a stream of true qi.
"Whoosh!"
Absorbing the true qi, spirit crystals embedded in the stone walls on all sides emitted dazzling light, illuminating the entire space.
At the center of the underground space stood a massive black altar. The edges of the altar were densely carved with inscriptions. Even the ground and stone walls bore inscriptions, some extending deep into the earth, all connected as a whole.
Red Desire Star Envoy turned around and looked at Zhang Ruochen with a smile. "This place is the hub of Red Willow Manor's one hundred and forty-seven formations. With just a thought, I can activate all the formations. If you had truly tried to deal with me just now, you would probably have been killed by the formations by now, reduced to a pile of ashes."
Zhang Ruochen's expression remained unchanged. "So the Star Envoy brought me here to test me."
"Isn't this good? It shows that you are someone worthy of my trust."
Red Desire Star Envoy gave Zhang Ruochen a rather provocative look, then continued, "Didn't you claim to have successfully cultivated the second-level spell 'Earth Destruction Lightning Sea'? Demonstrate it for me."
Zhang Ruochen did not hesitate. He raised both arms, brought his hands together, and immediately released his spiritual power fully.
"Earth Destruction Lightning Sea."
With a rumbling sound, tens of thousands of lightning patterns as thin as hair emerged, densely packed, constantly shuttling back and forth, filling the entire underground space.
The lightning's radiance grew stronger and denser, as if turning into liquid, eventually forming a sea of lightning.
The formations in the underground space had already been activated, tightly containing the lightning's power and suppressing it within a certain range. If the power of the lightning sea were allowed to pour out unchecked, the entire Red Willow Manor would likely be reduced to scorched earth within a single breath.
Red Desire Star Envoy could hardly conceal the shock in her heart. She thought to herself, "He actually cultivated the second-level spell 'Earth Destruction Lightning Sea' in a single night. Truly a genius, an absolute genius."
Red Desire Star Envoy considered herself to have exceptional talent in spiritual power, but compared to the person before her, she still fell short.
Most importantly, this person was also a lightning-element spiritual power master.
Among all spiritual power masters, the offensive power of a lightning-element spiritual power master was absolutely the strongest.
Especially on the battlefield, a lightning-element spiritual power master could completely destroy an entire army.
She had struck gold!
Red Desire Star Envoy felt incredibly fortunate that she had encountered this person first and managed to recruit him to her side. Gaining him alone was more valuable than acquiring ten cultivators at the Fish-Dragon Ninth Change.
Red Desire Star Envoy resolved internally to spare no expense in binding Zhang Shengming to her side, making him her right-hand man.
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his spiritual power, and the lightning sea in the underground space gradually dissipated.
"Clap, clap!"
Red Desire Star Envoy lightly applauded, exclaiming in admiration, "Impressive, truly impressive. Young Master Zhang's talent in spiritual power makes even Red Desire willingly concede defeat."
She referred to herself as "Red Desire" instead of "this Star Envoy," deliberately lowering her posture.
Red Desire Star Envoy took out a purple crystal ball the size of a fist and handed it to Zhang Ruochen. "This spiritual power artifact is called 'Thunder Pearl.' It can increase the speed of spell condensation by three times and amplify spell power by ten times."
Zhang Ruochen took the Thunder Pearl, deliberately showing a surprised expression. "It can amplify spell power by ten times?"
Red Desire Star Envoy smiled. "That's right. I don't need to explain the importance of a spiritual power artifact to a spiritual power master. This Thunder Pearl is merely a top-grade spiritual power artifact. If it were a half-saint-level spiritual power artifact, it would be even more powerful."
"However, half-saint-level spiritual power artifacts are not only extremely expensive but also quite rare, even more uncommon than sacred artifacts. Without the right opportunity, even with plenty of spirit crystals, it's very difficult to buy one."
Zhang Ruochen said, "How could I dare to hope for a half-saint-level spiritual power artifact? With just this Thunder Pearl, my strength has greatly increased. I could probably easily defeat Ji Gui and Luo Shi with just a casual first-level spell."
Red Desire Star Envoy laughed. "Young Master Zhang is a forty-fourth-rank spiritual power master, such a noble status. Those two are not even worthy to be your opponents."
Zhang Ruochen looked at the underground altar and then at the surrounding formation inscriptions. "Actually, I'm very curious. With the formations of Red Willow Manor, you could easily kill Blue Nether Star Envoy. Why is the Star Envoy still hesitating?"
Red Desire Star Envoy's expression turned serious. "Blue Nether Star Envoy also has a very powerful backing. Even if we have to kill him, he cannot die at Red Willow Manor, or it will bring great trouble."
Zhang Ruochen could tell that Red Desire Star Envoy was indeed tempted, so he pressed further. "We can lure him elsewhere, set up a trap, and still kill him. With my current strength and the Star Envoy's illusion techniques, eliminating Blue Nether Star Envoy should not be difficult."
Zhang Ruochen was vigorously fanning the flames, naturally with his own plans in mind.
Killing Blue Nether Star Envoy would not only cut off one of Di Yi's arms but might also lure Di Yi to Qingyun Commandery.
Going to Evil Emperor City to kill Di Yi, even if Zhang Ruochen succeeded, it would be very difficult for him to escape alive from Evil Emperor City.
However, luring Di Yi to Qingyun Commandery and then killing him would be much less dangerous and difficult.
Red Desire Star Envoy's expression shifted uncertainly, her long, slender eyelashes blinking gently. "Is Young Master Zhang truly willing to take such a great risk and join Red Desire in this grand undertaking?"
"Water flows to lower places, people strive for higher ones. Who would willingly remain subordinate to others forever? I only ask that in the future, when the Star Envoy becomes the young master of the Black Market First Class Hall, I might also secure a Star Envoy position." Zhang Ruochen smiled.
Red Desire Star Envoy leaned her delicate body to the side, a faint smile appearing on her face. "Among those around me, only you have such courage, like a true man. Rest assured, once I become the young master, I will certainly secure a Star Envoy position for you. However, killing Blue Nether Star Envoy is a matter of great importance. We must plan it carefully."
Zhang Ruochen said, "The Star Envoy has such boldness. It seems I have not chosen the wrong person to follow."
Subsequently, Zhang Ruochen and Red Desire Star Envoy began discussing their plans in secret within the underground space.