Chapter 891: Probing
Due to the severity of his injuries, Zhang Ruochen's eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and before long, he completely lost consciousness.
When he woke up again, it was already dusk the next day.
"Bang."
Zhang Ruochen pressed his palm against the stone bed, using the rebound force to spring up, then landed swiftly on the ground.
He looked at his arms, which had fully recovered, and stretched his limbs, finding that all his injuries had healed completely.
However, Zhang Ruochen's expression soon changed, because he discovered that his space ring and space bracelet were missing. Even the Sky-Soaring Sword was nowhere to be found.
After all, the space ring and space bracelet contained many extraordinary treasures.
"What exactly happened?"
Zhang Ruochen rubbed his aching temples, gradually recalling the events before he lost consciousness. The figure of Feiyu Sword Saint appeared in his mind.
Then, his eyes widened. "Did she take everything from me?"
Zhang Ruochen immediately walked deeper into the cave dwelling and soon saw Feiyu Sword Saint.
Feiyu Sword Saint sat beside a spirit spring, wearing a light purple robe. Her jet-black hair was coiled atop her head, secured by three red-gold hairpins, forming an antique bun.
Feiyu Sword Saint had suppressed her sacred aura, allowing Zhang Ruochen to see her true form clearly.
Even from behind, she exuded beauty—her snow-white neck and slender, rounded waist could ignite desire even in a man with a steady heart.
Zhang Ruochen walked closer, but as soon as he stepped within ten zhang of her—
The purple robe on Feiyu Sword Saint immediately emitted strands of purple lightning, transforming into hundreds of tiny lightning sword shadows that struck at Zhang Ruochen from both the ground and the air.
"Boom."
Zhang Ruochen blocked with his arms and was sent flying backward.
He retreated seven steps before stabilizing himself.
It wasn't Feiyu Sword Saint who attacked him, but the light purple robe itself, which possessed its own defensive power, repelling Zhang Ruochen.
Based on his estimation, even if Feiyu Sword Saint sat still, the purple robe alone would likely prevent ordinary saints from approaching her.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze sharpened as he stared at Feiyu Sword Saint. "Could that be the Lightning Mother Purple Robe?"
"Since you know of the Lightning Mother Purple Robe, then you'd better stay far away from me. Keeping your distance won't do you any harm."
Feiyu Sword Saint didn't turn around, merely speaking in a calm, indifferent tone.
So it really was the Lightning Mother Purple Robe.
Legend had it that during the Middle Ages, there was a god who could control all lightning and thunder in the world, known as the "Lightning Mother."
The Lightning Mother Purple Robe, as the name suggested, was a garment once worn by the Lightning Mother.
The robe not only contained endless lightning but also carried the will of a god. Calling it a "divine robe" would not be an exaggeration.
Zhang Ruochen had only read about the Lightning Mother Purple Robe in an ancient text and never imagined that someone could actually possess such fortune, obtaining a relic of a god.
Feiyu Sword Saint then stood up, holding the hilt of the Abyssal Ancient Sword in one hand while stroking the blade with the other. Her voice carried a hint of admiration: "The Kunlun Realm actually has a second sword forged from Creation Divine Iron. No wonder the Empress personally ordered your capture. You two indeed share an extraordinary connection."
Feiyu Sword Saint didn't ask about the origin of the Abyssal Ancient Sword or why the Empress wanted to capture him.
Because she knew that even if she asked, Zhang Ruochen wouldn't answer.
"The sword is a fine one. Once it matures, it might be able to block the Empress's Blood-Drop Sword. But... it has already bonded with its master. I'll return it to you."
Feiyu Sword Saint pressed two slender, jade-like fingers together, forming a sword seal. Wisps of white sword qi and sacred mist emerged from between her fingers.
"Whoosh—"
With a flick of her fingers, the Abyssal Ancient Sword transformed into a streak of black light, flying out and embedding itself in the ground before Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen didn't retrieve the Abyssal Ancient Sword. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed on Feiyu Sword Saint. "And the Sky-Soaring Sword."
"Until your suspicion is cleared, I will temporarily keep the Sky-Soaring Sword for you. Even if Xuanji Sword Saint were here and made the same mistake, I would say the same thing," Feiyu Sword Saint said.
If anyone else had spoken so forcefully, Zhang Ruochen would likely have taken offense and even attacked recklessly to reclaim the Sky-Soaring Sword.
But Feiyu Sword Saint's voice wasn't harsh; instead, it carried a soft, melodious quality. It only made one more curious about what kind of person she truly was.
Feiyu Sword Saint then picked up an object from the stone table—the box containing the Buddha Emperor Relic.
With a gentle flick of her finger, she broke the seal on the box. When she opened it, a burst of golden light shot out, filling the entire cave dwelling.
"The Buddha Emperor's relic is indeed with you."
Feiyu Sword Saint smiled slightly, using her thumb and forefinger to pick up the relic, holding it in her hand and examining it closely.
At the same time, her spiritual power focused on Zhang Ruochen, observing his expression.
Zhang Ruochen's expression remained unchanged, but his ten fingers clenched slightly. "You broke the ownership inscription on the space ring?"
The Buddha Emperor Relic had always been stored inside the space ring, protected by an ownership inscription. Anyone trying to forcibly open the ring would cause it to explode.
That was why Zhang Ruochen was surprised to see Feiyu Sword Saint holding the Buddha Emperor Relic.
"Is it that difficult? Can't a sword saint sever an ownership inscription?" Feiyu Sword Saint said lightly.
The Buddha Emperor Relic was an invaluable treasure. Even saints would fight tooth and nail over it. Now that it had fallen into Feiyu Sword Saint's hands, how could she possibly return it to Zhang Ruochen?
But with his current cultivation level, fighting Feiyu Sword Saint would be like throwing an egg against a rock.
In the end, Zhang Ruochen held back, withdrawing his sacred qi, and said sarcastically, "As a sword saint and the First Saintess of the Moon Worship Demon Sect, are you really going to take something from a junior?"
Feiyu Sword Saint, named Ling Feiyu, had once been a saintess of the Demon Sect. Now, she was the Palace Master of the Saintess Palace, one of the nine palaces of the Demon Sect, known as the First Saintess.
Zhang Ruochen had heard Ling Feiyu's name from Mu Lingxi before. Combined with the fact that female sword saints in the Kunlun Realm were few and far between, it wasn't hard to guess her identity.
"To others, the Buddha Emperor Relic is indeed an extraordinary treasure, but to me, it holds little appeal."
Ling Feiyu placed the Buddha Emperor Relic back into the box and then put the box into the space ring.
"Space storage vessels are also rare treasures. I can return the space ring and its contents to you, but I'll keep the space bracelet. Consider it our first fair trade."
Ling Feiyu flicked her finger, and the space ring flew up, shooting toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen caught the space ring and asked, "First trade? What do you mean?"
"If I hadn't given you the Withered Wood Pill, do you think your injuries would have healed so quickly? One Withered Wood Pill for one space bracelet—that should be a fair exchange." Ling Feiyu nodded slightly, as if talking to herself.
Zhang Ruochen infused his spiritual power into the space ring and inspected it.
The Buddha Emperor Relic, the Space-Time Secret Scripture, the Divine Stubborn Fruit, the Wish-Fulfilling Vase, and a jar of divine blood—all were still inside the ring's inner space. Ling Feiyu hadn't taken a single item.
Any one of these treasures, if taken out, would cause a sensation and spark a bloody conflict. Yet Ling Feiyu showed no interest in them at all.
Was she a person of strong principles, or did she believe she already had Zhang Ruochen under her control?
Zhang Ruochen said, "So, according to you, there's a second trade?"
"Exactly."
Ling Feiyu nodded. "I want all the divine blood in that jar inside the space ring. Name your price."
In truth, Zhang Ruochen had stored most of the divine blood in the Scroll World, keeping only one jar in the space ring for easy access.
But even that one jar contained over a thousand drops.
Zhang Ruochen said, "The Buddha Emperor Relic didn't interest you, yet you care so much about a jar of divine blood?"
Ling Feiyu replied calmly, "The Buddha Emperor Relic is precious, but after the Middle Ages, there have still been exceptionally talented individuals who reached the Great Saint realm and left behind their legacies. Moreover, gods were born in the Middle Ages, the Ancient Ages, the Primordial Ages, and the Far Ancient Ages, leaving behind divine inheritances scattered across the Kunlun Realm."
Zhang Ruochen was secretly startled. "You've obtained the inheritance of a Great Saint? Or even the inheritance of a god?"
"You don't need to ask. Just tell me—what price do you want for that jar of divine blood?"
Ling Feiyu slowly stood up, turned around, and fixed her sparkling, starlike eyes on Zhang Ruochen. Her gaze seemed capable of seeing through all the illusions of the world.
They were stunning eyes, full of vitality yet carrying a hint of seduction, as if they could steal a man's soul.
The only flaw was that she wore a veil, making it impossible to see her true face.
Zhang Ruochen's mind wavered slightly but quickly regained composure. "If you want the divine blood, there is a way, but I haven't decided what I want yet. Once I do, I'll trade with you."
With that, Zhang Ruochen picked up the Abyssal Ancient Sword and walked outside.
He was, of course, testing Ling Feiyu's limits, wanting to know if she truly had principles or was merely pretending for some other purpose.
"Calm in the face of danger, steady in character. Neither servile nor arrogant, unswayed by beauty. With such a temperament and the best talent in a hundred thousand years, this child's future achievements are truly immeasurable."
Ling Feiyu gently touched the space bracelet on her wrist, lost in thought. Then she added, "It seems I'll have to take him to the ancestral graves of the Skyward Sword Lineage to test whether he is truly an infiltrator of the Undying Blood Clan."
...