Chapter 734: Half-Saint Knowledge
This transaction had allowed the Divine Dragon Half-Human Clan to gain a massive advantage. The value of a single piece of Divine Dragon Bone was absolutely far greater than this.
Neither Elder Seal of the Divine Dragon Half-Human Clan nor Ao Xinyan had brought such a large quantity of Divine Dragon Blood and Dragon Emperor Blood with them.
Thus, that very day, Elder Seal immediately left the Divine Platform City and rushed back to the Divine Dragon Half-Human Clan to personally fetch the Divine Dragon Blood and Dragon Emperor Blood, hoping to exchange for the Divine Dragon Bone as soon as possible.
Ao Xinyan stayed behind and entered the inner world of the Cosmic Divine Wood Map together with Zhang Ruochen.
The Sky-Connecting Divine Tree grew at the center of the inner world, its branches and leaves extremely lush, reaching straight into the clouds. The leaves were like a green sea embedded above the cloud layer, constantly absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, making the spiritual energy in the Scroll World increasingly rich.
Zhang Ruochen took out the Divine Dragon Bone and handed it to Ao Xinyan, saying, "There is still one month until the Realm Son Banquet. In this Scroll World, that is roughly one year. With your ability, using one year's time, you should be able to completely refine the Divine Dragon Bone."
Ao Xinyan bit her lip gently, clearly somewhat surprised, and said, "You are giving me the Divine Dragon Bone now? But Elder Seal hasn't even delivered the Divine Dragon Blood and Dragon Emperor Blood yet."
"You are in my hands, so I'm not worried about the Divine Dragon Half-Human Clan reneging on the deal." Zhang Ruochen teased.
Ao Xinyan naturally knew Zhang Ruochen was joking, so she accepted the Divine Dragon Bone without hesitation.
"Roar!"
As the bone made contact with her body, a low dragon roar sounded from within the bone's interior, as if an ancient divine dragon was awakening, releasing a shocking and powerful force.
Immediately, strands of powerful dragon qi surged out from the bone, forming a massive vortex of dragon qi that enveloped Ao Xinyan at its center.
Thousands upon thousands of streams of dragon qi flew through the air, then continuously surged into her body.
Fortunately, they were in the Scroll World, where Zhang Ruochen had strong control, allowing him to withstand the pulling force of the dragon qi vortex. Otherwise, he might have been drawn into the vortex, his body torn apart by the dragon qi.
Xiao Hei walked out with his two paws behind his back, taking cat-like steps. Staring at the massive dragon qi vortex that spanned dozens of miles, he said, "This emperor was right about her. Ao Xinyan's physique is indeed astonishing. If she can completely refine the Divine Dragon Bone, she will take another step closer to a Divine Dragon Body."
Zhang Ruochen nodded. He had to admit that the energy contained in the Divine Dragon Bone was truly terrifying. Just the aura it emitted inspired fear, as if a divine dragon had manifested.
Dragon Three's physique was inferior to Ao Xinyan's, and he had not fully refined the Divine Dragon Bone, yet at the same cultivation level, he could overpower a Sacred Body.
If Ao Xinyan could completely refine the Divine Dragon Bone and combine it with the Divine Dragon Half-Human Clan's techniques, she could cultivate Divine Dragon Qi. By then, how powerful would she become?
At the very least, Dragon Three would definitely not be her match.
Xiao Hei said, "Ao Xinyan and Orange Moon Star Envoy are both talents that need focused cultivation. Since Ao Xinyan is already ahead on the path of cultivation, should this emperor bring Orange Moon Star Envoy into the Scroll World and urge her to speed up her training?"
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, saying, "Right now, Orange Moon Star Envoy's identity is very special. There are definitely Half-Saints from the Black Market secretly protecting her. We should not contact her easily, so as not to expose our identities."
"Besides, the Murong Clan is also a Medieval Aristocratic Clan with deep foundations. Since Orange Moon Star Envoy is already vying to become the Young Master of the Black Market First Class Hall, how could the Murong Clan not take out some precious resources to train her?"
When a cultivator's cultivation reaches the Fish-Dragon Realm, they must undergo a world-shaking transformation.
Some transform into dragons.
Others become fish.
To cultivate outstanding heirs, Medieval Aristocratic Clans would never be stingy. They would invest a large amount of resources into their heirs. Even if the Murong Clan was not as glorious and prosperous as it was eight hundred years ago, taking out one or two drops of Divine Blood should not be difficult.
It just depended on whether Orange Moon Star Envoy could refine the Divine Blood.
"The Ming Emperor Palace back then must have stored Divine Blood and countless precious treasures. I wonder if those treasures were taken by Chi Yao or hidden by the Bright Hall?" Zhang Ruochen sighed softly.
The once prosperous and flourishing Holy Bright Central Empire had ultimately fallen. The mountains and rivers had changed hands, and things were no longer as they were. He wondered if the Ming Emperor Palace still existed.
For some reason, Zhang Ruochen suddenly felt a deep longing for the imperial palace he once lived in and the people from those days. He silently decided that once the Sword Discussion Assembly was over, he would go to the Central Domain.
He really wanted to know what the Ming Emperor Palace looked like now.
And who was living in that palace now?
Xiao Hei seemed eager to leave the Scroll World. His eyes rolled around, and he said, "How about… bringing that girl Mu Lingxi into the Scroll World to cultivate?"
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Xiao Hei and shook his head, saying, "Do you think I am the only one with Time-Space treasures? Back when Xumi Saint Monk was alive, he refined quite a few Time-Space treasures. As far as I know, the Demon Sect has one called the Mixed Origin Ten Directions Pearl."
"It is said that inside the Mixed Origin Ten Directions Pearl, there is a Mixed Origin World. When cultivators train in that world for seven days, only one day passes outside."
"After countless tens of thousands of years of operation by the Demon Sect, the resources in that Mixed Origin World are quite abundant. It has long become a sacred ground for cultivation. Even if it cannot compare to the Scroll World with the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, it is probably not far off."
"Given Senior Sister Duanmu's status, she definitely has the opportunity to enter the Mixed Origin Ten Directions Pearl to cultivate."
"Besides, there are definitely Demon Sect Half-Saints secretly protecting Duanmu Star Envoy. If she wants to see us, she will contact us on her own. If we contact her, it might actually harm her."
Seeing Xiao Hei's eyes constantly shifting, Zhang Ruochen knew exactly what he was thinking. He smiled and said, "I know you want to catch that Divine Demon Rat. Don't worry, there will definitely be an opportunity."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "If you really want to go find Senior Sister Duanmu, I won't stop you. But you must promise me to protect her and listen to her."
Yesterday, when Zhang Ruochen fought Snake Two on the battle platform, he noticed that Shou Shu seemed quite hostile toward Mu Lingxi. The Demon Sect was a place where strength spoke, and Mu Lingxi's current cultivation was definitely inferior to Shou Shu's.
Mu Lingxi and Xiao Hei had a very good relationship. If Xiao Hei could stay by her side, he might be able to help at a critical moment.
Xiao Hei was naturally very willing and immediately agreed.
After sending Xiao Hei out of the Scroll World, Zhang Ruochen went to the base of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree and began his own cultivation.
The Realm Son Banquet would definitely involve a fierce battle. No matter what, he had to work hard to make his cultivation stronger before then.
First, Zhang Ruochen planned to digest Qi Hong's knowledge and memories.
In the Fallen God Tomb Forest, Zhang Ruochen had refined Qi Hong's Half-Saint Light. Due to time constraints, he had only absorbed the Saint Qi within it and had not digested the Half-Saint's knowledge and memories.
Relatively speaking, the knowledge and memories of a Half-Saint spanning over a hundred years were even more precious.
At this moment, Qi Hong's knowledge and memories were sealed in his Qi Sea.
"Hua!"
Zhang Ruochen opened the seal, and a massive flood of memories surged through his soul veins toward his Martial Soul, preparing to merge with Zhang Ruochen's own memories.
Qi Hong's memories were vast, like a massive torrent.
Zhang Ruochen's memories, on the other hand, were relatively weak, like a lake.
If he allowed Qi Hong's "memory torrent" to flood into Zhang Ruochen's "memory lake," it would definitely cause a huge impact on Zhang Ruochen's memories, severely interfering with his Sacred Path cultivation.
Therefore, Zhang Ruochen only selected the valuable parts of Qi Hong's memories. All other irrelevant memories were erased.
In the end, only one percent of Qi Hong's memories were preserved.
Even so, it took Zhang Ruochen a month to go through all of Qi Hong's memories in his mind and memorize them.
At the same time, through Qi Hong's memories, Zhang Ruochen learned many secrets.
Secrets about the Qi Clan, secrets about the Demon Sect, and some of Qi Hong's own personal secrets.
"The Demon Sect is actually cooperating with the Four Symbols Sect to seize the Sword Pavilion."
According to Qi Hong's memories, Zhang Ruochen learned that a supreme treasure of the Demon Sect seemed to be sealed inside the Sword Pavilion.
It was for this reason that the Demon Sect had cooperated with the Four Symbols Sect, wanting to secretly help the Four Symbols Sect win the Sword Discussion Assembly. As long as the Four Symbols Sect obtained the Sword Pavilion, the Demon Sect could retrieve that treasure.
This secret was extremely significant, involving the interests of three major powers: the Liangyi Sect, the Demon Sect, and the Four Symbols Sect.
The Liangyi Sect had, after all, taught Zhang Ruochen.
He could not stand by and watch the Demon Sect and the Four Symbols Sect take the Sword Pavilion. During the Sword Discussion Assembly, he had to defeat all the sword cultivators of the Four Symbols Sect and protect the Sword Pavilion.
Afterward, Zhang Ruochen began to fully digest the knowledge within Qi Hong's memories.
Knowledge and memories were inseparable, with overlapping parts and independent aspects.
The knowledge of a Half-Saint was naturally vast.
If he could completely refine a Half-Saint's knowledge and turn it into his own, then Zhang Ruochen's understanding of martial arts, the sword, the Sacred Path, and all things in heaven and earth would reach an entirely new level.
This included combat experience, understanding of human nature, and knowledge of the entire Kunlun Realm, all of which would be elevated to the level of a Half-Saint.
This step was also very dangerous.
If Zhang Ruochen's will was not firm enough, he might be influenced by Qi Hong's knowledge, affecting his own cultivation and leading him into an irreversible situation. In the future, his achievements would at most reach Qi Hong's level.
Zhang Ruochen's goal was not just to reach the Half-Saint realm, so he had to be extremely careful. (To be continued.)