Chaotic World Book
Chapter 305 - 298: The Secret We Missed Before

Chapter 305: Chapter 298: The Secret We Missed Before

"You’re really sure about this? Don’t end up like Wanzhuang..."

"Yo, how affectionate. Wanzhuang~"

"Can you focus on the main point?"

"Confidence... I’d say about seventy to eighty percent. No one can claim a hundred percent certainty on any challenge, not even the First Layer of the Mystical Gate is without risk. Having a seventy to eighty percent chance of winning is pretty stable."

"Mm..." Zhao Changhe asked, "Do you need any help?"

"No need... just you?"

"..."

San Niang smiled sweetly and said, "On this matter, you’ve already contributed greatly, and you’ve been quite the sweet-talker. You clearly wanted to align me against Wu Balu, yet you made it sound like you were especially kind to the Four Symbols Sect, as if you were giving gifts to them..."

Zhao Changhe sighed, "That’s the truth. Even without giving you that item, I could still have drawn you to battle Wu Balu. You wanted to kill him from the start, who are you trying to fool?"

San Niang fell silent.

Indeed, when Zhao Changhe had offered the Xuanwu Stone, there was no other motive involved; it was purely to help the Four Symbols Sect.

Or perhaps it could also be that he didn’t want trouble from the Four Symbols Sect. After all, the space was handed over to Ying Wu, and once San Niang went in and found nothing, even the jelly dug out, she would naturally come to him for compensation, hinting at the onset of a fallout.

He did not want to fall out with them, and he wasn’t greedy for the gemstone, so he simply gave it away as a favor. At least he could keep the ring he got out of the deal to himself, and they wouldn’t come back asking for more since he discovered the place.

After receiving the gemstone, Vermilion Bird was also silent. Even now, knowing that this man was most likely not the successor of Emperor Ye, Vermilion Bird would find it difficult to take action against him.

If he used the Xuanwu Gemstone as a dowry to demand Xia Chichi, or to seek marriage from a Winged Fire Snake or the like, it would probably be quite a spectacle, but he asked for nothing, so it was really a gift.

No matter how demonic the ladies of the Demon Sect are, they still recognize favors, which is the reason why San Niang currently treats him particularly well.

Zhao Changhe suddenly chuckled, "Alright, as long as you’re able to advance, that’s good. I’m also waiting for the day when the Four Symbols Sect will make it onto the Heavenly List."

San Niang remarked, "If you do, fighting Vermilion Bird will become even more troublesome for you."

Zhao Changhe seemed not to care, instead, he changed the subject, "The Four Symbols Sect and I have too deep of a connection, mainly private matters. Once we start on that, there’s no end. Shall we discuss serious business? I want the Dragon Elephant Blood Ginseng. Does Ying Wu have any clues?"

"He does." San Niang said, "In the Extreme West, there’s the Kunlun Heavenly Pond. In records from the previous epoch, it was noted to have this herb, but it seems to have disappeared in this epoch, whether due to environmental changes or because it was over-harvested to the point that the Blood Ginseng can no longer grow to maturity. If you could find some Secret Realm there, it’s possible you might obtain some Blood Ginseng remaining from Ancient Times... Of course, the chances are slim, Secret Realms are hard to find, and even if you find one, it’s not guaranteed to contain Blood Ginseng. Are you willing to make the long journey to try your luck?"

Zhao Changhe was silent for a moment, then sighed, "What can I do, I’ve got to try. After all, I have no fixed abode, so what does it matter where I go?"

"Fine, our people will help you when the time comes."

"Your people, are you referring to the Four Symbols Sect or Ying Wu?"

San Niang gave a slight smile, "Both, of course. But you need to be careful; there are powerful forces there, as well as the Heavenly List."

Zhao Changhe showed little reaction, "Got it. I’m not going there to make trouble, so whether there’s a Heavenly List isn’t too important. They won’t just kill on sight... actually, having powerful forces there is good. Maybe they’ve secretly hoarded the Dragon Elephant Blood Ginseng, and I might be able to make a deal with them..."

"You’re thinking too much." San Niang said expressionlessly, "That place is a land of exile, a haven for criminals. Many who can’t make it in Central Earth, Demon Followers who are wanted, offended some powerful enemies, all sorts of scoundrels are there, engaging in all forms of deceit, swindling, and robbing. Countless knights from Central Earth have mysteriously vanished there, not even Tang Wanju’s people dare to enter lightly, and we from the Four Symbols Sect also refrain from expanding our followers there... With your unfamiliar face, who knows when you might lose your head, and you still think of doing business?"

"Then I’ll just keep a low profile, or I could pass myself off as someone from Wang Daozhong."

San Niang: "..."

At this moment, San Niang felt a strange sense of destiny. The place Xia Chichi chose for her expedition was there, the Western Border under the White Tiger, which was perfect for her. Her First Layer Secret Treasure was in that place. And perhaps Vermilion Bird would go too, not only to secretly protect Chichi but to prepare for her advancement into the Third Layer Secret Treasure.

And now this guy looking for the Dragon Elephant Blood Ginseng was also heading there. San Niang hadn’t told Vermilion Bird and Chichi about it yet, as it fell under Ying Wu’s area of influence. Who knew what sparks might fly if these people unexpectedly ran into each other there... Thinking about it, San Niang didn’t even feel like going to the Yellow Sand Market anymore. What fun was there to find now at the Yellow Sand Market compared to Kunlun...

Unfortunately, she needed to visit the Xuanwu Secret Realm to see if cultivation would be beneficial; she couldn’t leave it for the short term. Such a pity.

"Oh right..." Zhao Changhe suddenly tapped his head, "San Niang, do you know where the Thief Sect is?"

"Why do you ask about this all of a sudden?"

"I feel like they really like these kinds of places, don’t they? It just came to mind instantly."

"That’s right, the Thief Sect should be located over there. Nobody knows where the exact entrance is; for all you know, what looks like an ordinary grocery store on the surface could be the Main Base of the Thief Sect."

"That’s enough certainty for me," Zhao Changhe, with many of his questions resolved, happily raised his glass in a toast, "San Niang, you truly are my lucky star."

San Niang touched her cup to his with a smile, "Likewise. When do you plan to go?"

Zhao Changhe silently reflected inwardly.

In the past few days, as he taught everyone cultivation, his own injuries had indeed healed. Furthermore, after re-enacting techniques from the Heavenly Book and pondering over the Saber Technique and the Vulture Hunting Teeth spear for several days, he felt he had made substantial progress.

As for breaking through the Ninth Layer of the Blood Evil Skill... the Blood Token given by Ying Wu, after studying it, it seemed that extracting the Evil Qi from the Blood Token to nourish and temper his Blood Evil could potentially lead to a breakthrough to the Ninth Layer. However, according to Cui Wenjing’s theory, relying solely on this method for a breakthrough would mean attaining a half-baked Ninth Layer; achieving a perfect union of life force and cultivation would still require further tempering and enlightenment, so there was no rush.

The Blood Token would serve as a foundation then; when the opportunity arrives, there would be no need to consider where to find Evil Qi to absorb, as he’d already have it on him. The annoying part was carrying more and more stuff, which was genuinely uncomfortable. Probably the first thing to do upon reaching the Western Border would not be to find the Blood Ginseng but to locate the Thief Sect.

With this in mind, he said, "I could leave at any time... But before that, may I entrust San Niang with one more thing?"

San Niang paused, "What’s that?"

"I want to hand over the brothers in the mountain village to the Blood God Sect... If San Niang were to introduce them, there shouldn’t be a problem, right?"

San Niang looked at him meaningfully for a long while, then suddenly smiled, "Younger brother, you’re not being honest. Planning to take over the nest, huh?"

Zhao Changhe just smiled without saying anything.

"I’ll write them a letter of introduction, Xue Canghai has to give me this much face," San Niang said as she lazily stood up, stretching in a way that made waves.

Zhao Changhe lowered his head to drink.

"Since you’ve made a request of me, I have a small one too," San Niang said as she turned and walked out the door. "Take me to see the Azure Dragon Pond."

The Azure Dragon Pond, Shuilian Cave.

That was where Zhao Changhe and Xia Chichi had committed to each other. During the time after Xia Chichi left with the Vermilion Bird and while Zhao Changhe served as the Mountain Village Chief, he seldom visited this place again, and if he did, it was only for preparing for battles...

Because being here made it too easy to be reminded of her and influenced his martial arts progression during that period.

To this day, summer had already begun, and this was no longer a problem; Zhao Changhe also wanted to enter the Shuilian Cave once more to see if they had missed anything back then.

Taking San Niang with him into the cave, the space within was still not large. In the center stood a small altar where the Azure Dragon Seal was placed, with nothing else around. It was very similar to the Xuanwu Cave, clearly part of the same system.

But the altar in the Xuanwu Cave could be moved, revealing an exit when pushed aside.

What about here?

San Niang’s gaze also fell on the altar. Noticing Zhao Changhe seemed to want to push it, she suddenly reached out to stop him, "Don’t touch it."

Zhao Changhe: "?"

San Niang frowned and looked for a while, then suddenly said, "This place gives me a strange feeling... The energy is somewhat abnormal. Such an ordinary and peaceful place, yet it makes my heart pound... You were lucky you didn’t touch anything haphazardly before. If it had actually been pushed open, Beimang might have been destroyed..."

Zhao Changhe gasped in shock.

Could it be that Beimang moving to the north of the Capital was connected to this?

Does this mean that an enormous secret was actually hidden in Newbie Village?

After San Niang circled the altar a few times, her brows relaxed, "Oh, it’s not as exaggerated as that, an average person can’t move it. Let me see..."

She hugged the altar, gently turned it, and shifted its position.

Almost immediately, a "rumble" could be heard from below, as if some massive mechanism underground were connecting.

"The Ancient Azure Dragon, also a part of the Human Emperor’s heritage..." San Niang turned her head to look at Zhao Changhe, her eyes sparkling, "What do you say? Should I cut you down and monopolize the treasure trove all for myself?"

Zhao Changhe replied irritably, "If I’m not mistaken, what’s inside is just a burial mound, and moreover, there’s someone inside it trying to crawl out."