Shocking the Nine Heavens With My Sword
Chapter 208 - 201 The Peerless Magical Instrument (2/5)

Chapter 208: Chapter 201 The Peerless Magical Instrument (2/5)

Ruan Jiaying told Zhou Heng about the secrets beyond the Heavenly Dragon Dynasty. In fact, this was no great secret, but to Zhou Heng, who hailed from a "remote and impoverished area," it was unprecedented, broadening his experiences significantly.

She continued, "The Night Demon Dynasty is ruled by the Night Demon Clan, with various other clans standing tall as well. During the Ancient Era, the Night Demon Clan was also one of the top clans, no less prestigious than the Heavenly Demon Clan."

Zhou Heng couldn’t help but express his interest, "Miss Ruan, do you have a map of the entire continent that I could take a look at?"

"No!" Ruan Jiaying shook her head, "No one has set foot in the Heavenly Demon Dynasty or the Night Demon Dynasty for many years. How easy do you think it is to get their maps! However, I can roughly describe the geography to you!"

She took up pen and paper and began to sketch on the blank sheet. The Three Great Dynasties neighbored each other, as if a round cake had been divided into three sections, occupying the center of the continent. Then, the Heavenly Dragon Dynasty extended outwards with four great Dynasties, each with numerous Dynasties under them, stretching all the way to the ocean’s edge.

"Do the Heavenly Demon Dynasty and Night Demon Dynasty not have subordinate countries?" Zhou Heng looked up and asked.

"There might be, or there might not be!" Ruan Jiaying answered ambiguously, "After all, no one has been there for so many years. The two Dynasties have almost completely isolated themselves, with only endless war on the borders!"

Zhou Heng understood the opposition of Alien Races. In the beginning, when the continent was filled with various countries, racial conflicts were irreconcilable until the Great Eternal Emperor suppressed them all with his absolute power and finally achieved unification.

"Miss Ruan, could you tell me about the Great Eternal Emperor?" Zhou Heng was especially interested in that emperor.

"I’m afraid I will disappoint Young Master Zhou! Although the Great Eternal Emperor’s achievements are unparalleled, few tales of his deeds have been passed down. Perhaps too many years have gone by, and they’ve been buried in the sands of history!"

Ruan Jiaying said with emotion, sighing as well. As an outstanding woman, she too was filled with admiration for that legendary figure.

There were so many Alien Races beyond humanity!

Zhou Heng’s expression remained unchanged, but his heart was churning like a stormy sea. If one day the Heavenly Dragon Dynasty could not withstand the attack of the other two Great Dynasties, would billions of human beings not be doomed when Alien Race armies poured in?

He was no hero who could save people from fire and water, but he could hold his ground in the face of such clear-cut issues. Should the Heavenly Dragon Dynasty collapse, it wouldn’t just be a simple change of power, but the end of mankind!

"A true man should battle fiercely on the battlefield!"

Zhou Heng murmured in his heart, with the Black Sword in his possession, thirsting for blood and seizing strength, the battlefield of slaughter was most suitable for him!

"Talking of which, I’ve digressed and almost forgot the main point!" Ruan Jiaying suddenly smiled, her charming face blossoming like a flower, "I’ve come today to inform Young Master Zhou of something!"

"Oh, what is it?"

"Young Master Zhou, didn’t you ask me to purchase various metals and Magic Artifacts for you? Ordinary metals can be transported here in any amount as long as Young Master Zhou is willing to spend the money, it just takes some time. However, high-tier metals and Magic Artifacts are rare and hard to come by!"

Ruan Jiaying paused, then continued, "I’ve just received word that a few days ago, Dayuan Country witnessed the emergence of what’s rumored to be a Peerless Magical Instrument, crossing the desolation of the sky, landing in the far West’s Wildfire Marsh, catching the attention of major forces!"

The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion spans the entire Heavenly Dragon Dynasty, and any event occurring in any corner is unlikely to escape their network of eyes and ears.

Struck by a sudden idea, Zhou Heng asked, "Miss Ruan, does Heavenly Treasure Pavilion have properties in the Heavenly Demon Dynasty and the Night Demon Dynasty as well?"

Taken aback by such a question from him, Ruan Jiaying pursed her lips and chuckled after a moment, "If Young Master Zhou ever has the chance to go there, won’t you find out then?"

Zhou Heng didn’t take offense, after all, he had also been keeping things from Ruan Jiaying, "What kind of Magic Artifact can be described as ’peerless’?"

In his opinion, Magic Artifacts were used to amplify Battle Power, whether it was a First Grade Divinity Transformation Realm Magic Artifact or a First Grade Spirit Gathering Realm Magic Artifact, the effect was actually the same, which was to increase the user’s battle power by a full hundred percent!

The difference was that the former allowed all Martial Artists to use it, while the latter could only allow Minor Warriors at the Spirit Gathering Realm to wield its power.

"Young Master Zhou probably does not know much about Magic Artifacts!" Ruan Jiaying once again pursed her lips in a smile; although she was only at the Spirit Gathering Realm, since she had Heavenly Treasure Pavilion as her massive backing, she felt no reverence for Zhou Heng.

To a business person, it doesn’t matter what level Zhou Heng is at, her attitude had never changed. Of course, if Zhou Heng were to advance to the Nascent Soul Realm one day, she would certainly need to be extremely respectful because this would mean having Deities within one’s body – a Demi Immortal, which even the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion would need to be wary of!

"Indeed not much!" Zhou Heng nodded, not the least bit embarrassed.

He was still young, after all, with limited experiences, and coming from Origin Stone Town, where not even a single Martial Artist of the Spirit Gathering Realm could be found, naturally limited his perspectives.

"Entering Nascent Soul Realm, Martial Artists begin to form a Divine Fetus within their bodies, nurturing Deities, an earth-shattering transformation!" Ruan Jiaying explained gravely, as Nascent Soul Realm Experts deserved everyone’s awe!

"And the same is true for Magic Artifacts!"

"Once Magic Artifacts reach the Nascent Soul Realm, they too will spawn Deities! Of course, such Deities don’t have self-awareness but can exert their inherent battle power without the master’s manipulation!"

"That is to say, even if you are only in the Spirit Gathering Realm, as long as you can get a Nascent Soul Realm Magic Artifact to recognize you as its master, then you can use that artifact to slay any expert of the Spirit Sea Realm or Mountains and Rivers Realm!"

Zhou Heng eventually showed surprise. Wasn’t this a Forbidden Artifact? Forbidden Artifacts had a limit on the number of uses, but this one didn’t!

"Young Master Zhou is interested, isn’t he?" Ruan Jiaying glanced at him, "A Magic Artifact that has reached the level of the Nascent Soul Realm, because it possesses a Deity, will choose its master autonomously. Even the Heavenly Dragon Empire only has a Nascent Soul Realm Old Ancestor, and it’s impossible to subdue it by force!"

"Therefore, this has caused a great sensation. No one knows how many forces will enter the Wildfire Marsh. If one can obtain that Magic Artifact, not to say it could rival a Nascent Soul expert, but it would definitely be the foremost combat power below the Nascent Soul Realm!"

"Of course, we can’t be sure yet if it’s such a peerless Magical Instrument! But after it was unearthed, it was able to fly by itself, which is almost certainly the case!"

This indeed was big news!

Zhou Heng expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Miss Ruan, for taking the trouble to inform me personally. I’ll remember this favor!"

He knew she kept showing goodwill only to get close to him, to pry information out of him, or to conduct another bloodline test, to prove he was the rightful owner that the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion had been searching for years. An act of kindness was one thing, but Zhou Heng could reciprocate in other ways; he would never put himself in grave danger!

Unlike his grudge with the Ying Family, what the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was looking for could be "Immortal," which was completely beyond comparison! Once it was proven that he had an Immortal Object, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion would surely deploy experts of the Nascent Soul Realm, or even the Divine Infant Realm!

And what about the Ying Family? Would the family’s Old Ancestor personally take action just because a member of their family was killed?

Ruan Jiaying sighed softly, her expression one of sorrow as if she was greatly aggrieved.

Zhou Heng knew she was just putting on a show for him, and he didn’t take it to heart. After some thought, he said, "Miss Ruan, I’d like to introduce a business opportunity to you!"

"Oh?"

...

Zhou Heng referred Lu Chenfu to Ruan Jiaying, confident that with Lu Chenfu’s intelligence, she wouldn’t be devoured by Ruan Jiaying. With the channels of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion at her disposal, it would be much easier for Lu Chenfu to re-establish her commercial empire.

The next day, Zhou Heng did not set out immediately, instead, he went to a valley outside the Imperial Capital, where a large amount of metal had been brought in, some even freshly mined ore!

These were metals that Ruan Jiaying had gathered for him; there was simply too much to be transported into the Imperial Capital, so he had to come to receive them personally.

Zhou Heng didn’t inspect them before signing the receipt contract, and instructed everyone to leave. The guards who had been watching the goods looked at Zhou Heng with extremely strange expressions, curious as to how he would deal with this mountain-valley-filling cargo.

Unfortunately, Zhou Heng couldn’t let them know his secret ability to devour metal. If word spread, he might be treated as a spy of the Alien Races!

Although he wasn’t someone concerned with reputation, being marked as a foreign spy would make him a target despised and chased after by all, which was always troublesome.

With his Divine Sense spread out, Zhou Heng could ensure there was not a single living person within a thousand zhang. For efficiency’s sake, he sliced open his right hand, and a crimson gold skeletal hand grabbed a metal chunk. In less than a second, the metal disintegrated into decay, while a bit of metal essence was added to Zhou Heng’s blood.

Devour! Devour! Devour!

The valley full of ordinary metal had a combined value that did not exceed a thousand Spirit Stones, and the essence contained within was pitifully scarce. However, their sheer quantity made them somewhat significant.

Despite the quantity, the devouring process was astonishingly fast due to the low quality. In less than half a day, two-thirds had already been cleared.

"Hmm?"

Zhou Heng suddenly stopped and found in his hand an extremely black and heavy block of iron, dense and fine in quality. He showed a surprised look as it was clearly a high-quality metal, rich in essence, yet it had been sold as scrap!

What a bargain!

His eyes brightened at the thought of how many valuable materials might be gathering dust in the homes of ordinary people, used as stones to prop up tables or as wood for a fire. Although such cases might occur only once in ten thousand, he wasn’t short on money, and could afford it.

Zhou Heng stored the black iron in the Nine Mystic Trial Tower and continued to rapidly devour the other materials, hoping to come across another one.

Alas, until the last chunk of metal was refined, Zhou Heng had not encountered another, and what had been an unexpected joy would not remain a surprise if it happened often.

By now, the decayed metal resembled mud, submerging up to Zhou Heng’s thighs, raising a cloud of dust with every step.

With a shake of his hands, Zhou Heng forcefully pressed these metal scraps into the ground, wondering if a large metal deposit might form there after many years.

After another trip back to the Imperial Capital, he was on his way, heading towards Dayuan Country. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit qidian.com to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)