Chapter 688: 416th place_2

Chapter 688: 416th place_2

In recent days, he had been poring over the collection of books and Jade Scrolls in the Ten Thousand Array Pavilion day and night. By now, he had looked through all the Ancient Scroll Jade Slips there, feeling that he had gained countless insights and knowledge.

Whenever the Array Masters who frequented the Ten Thousand Array Pavilion caught sight of Zhao Sheng, they would immediately pay their respects with great reverence, then carefully step aside.

However, not everyone acted this way.

A woman with a pure aura and exquisitely beautiful features suddenly stood out from the crowd, bowing deeply to Zhao Sheng, and said in a sweet voice, “Dong Family’s legitimate daughter, Dong Tianzhen, pays respects to Senior Zhao.”

“Stand and speak. What brings you to this old man?”

Zhao Sheng’s gaze shifted slightly at her words, and with a gentle wave of his sleeve, he helped the young woman rise.

“Tianzhen has learned that Senior is deeply fascinated by Array Dao. By chance, I have a Heart Inquiry Array Diagram here, and I was thinking of offering it to you?”

“Hmm? Where is that Heart Inquiry Array Diagram now?” Zhao Sheng’s interest was piqued, and he immediately thought of the Heart Inquiry Road on Phoenix Peak, prompting him to ask further.

Dong Tianzhen’s eyes shimmered, and she said with a delighted smile, “It’s in my cave mansion. If Senior doesn’t consider it beneath him, why not visit Tianzhen’s abode to see its true form?”

Zhao Sheng gave the woman a look, and his expression suddenly turned cold as he said indifferently, “Forget it! I have important matters to attend to; I don’t need to see the Array Diagram.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhao Sheng soared into the sky, transforming into a streak of fire that rapidly sped away.

Dong Tianzhen watched him leave with immense disappointment. Her radiantly beautiful face dimmed in an instant, and she almost bit through her neat, lovely teeth in frustration.

An imposing-looking young Array Master nearby, who witnessed the scene, felt terribly sorry for her and quickly stepped forward to console the beauty, “Sister Zhen, don’t be sad! It is Senior Zhao who fails to recognize true value. I can accompany you to see the Heart Inquiry…”

“Get lost!”

Before he could finish speaking, Dong Tianzhen suddenly looked up and bellowed, waving her sleeve to unleash a burst of red light that struck him and sent him flying far away.

…

Elsewhere, Zhao Sheng flew into the high skies above Wuji Valley. His Divine Thought spread out and promptly located Huang Yu.

A flash of fire took him across a large swath of Wuji Valley and he landed in the Octagonal Wind Pavilion at the top of the valley.

At that moment, Huang Yu was sitting on a jade stool, with a pot of Spiritual Tea in front of him on the table next to which was placed a pair of exquisite, transparent jade cups.

Steam rose from the cups, turning into a cluster of pure, azure mist above which released a refreshing scent that soothed the spirit.

“Haha, I have been waiting for a long time. Come, have a seat, my friend. This Green Cloud Tea will lose much of its essence in nourishing the spirit and replenishing energy if it gets cold,” said Huang Yu with a chuckle, inviting Zhao Sheng to sit down.

Zhao Sheng approached and took a seat on the jade stool opposite. He picked up the jade cup and drank the tea in one go, feeling a clear energy rising from his stomach into his Purple Mansion, transforming into a warm nourishment that invisibly moistened his Divine Soul and instantly relieved exhaustion.

“What excellent tea! Another cup, please,” Zhao Sheng couldn’t help but praise.

“Green Cloud Tea is harvested from a forbidden land within the Seventh Level Cloud Sea, and therefore the quantity is extremely scarce. I only have one pot brewed, no more than that!”

As Huang Yu spoke, he drew a line of liquid from the pot into Zhao Sheng’s cup, filling it to just the right level, leaving the tea a jade-green hue.

Without another word, Zhao Sheng picked up the cup again and emptied it with one gulp, and then he said, “Another!

“Ah, tea drinking is not the same as wine drinking; it’s meant to be savored not guzzled! By doing this, you are truly wasting a fine pot of Green Cloud Treasure Tea!”

Despite his words, Huang Yu still dutifully poured another cup.

In the blink of an eye, Zhao Sheng’s cup was empty once more.

This time, no matter what he said, Huang Yu refused to pour any more.

Getting flustered, the Array Master Grandmaster promptly put away both the pot and the tea into his Storage Bag, ensuring that neither of them could drink any more!

Zhao Sheng, feigning dissatisfaction, muttered, “Such a miser! Isn’t it just a pot of tea you’re withholding? Just tell me where that Forbidden Land is, I’ll go and be back in no time.”

“Hmph, such big talk! That place, even I wouldn’t dare say I could just waltz in anytime I want. It requires the right time and conditions to temporarily break through the formation and enter, and even then, you only have less than a hundred breaths of time inside. Where does a young lad like you get such confidence from!”

Hearing this, Zhao Sheng’s interest was suddenly piqued, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Since you, Elder Huang, are capable of breaking through the formation, why can’t you completely decipher the Ancient Prohibition of that Forbidden Land?”

Huang Yu couldn’t help but glower at him, saying indignantly, “Are you playing dumb on purpose, boy! Have you not read the books in the Ten Thousand Array Pavilion? Do you not know that every time the formation is broken, the Ancient Prohibition undergoes a tremendous change, becoming effectively a completely new formation?

If the Ancient Prohibition was so easy to break, then for twenty thousand years, the successive generations of Array Masters in this realm wouldn’t have regretted it to their deaths.”

At this point, Huang Yu, still fuming, took out three milky-white jade scrolls and threw them into Zhao Sheng’s arms, saying gruffly, “Take these! I’ve known your purpose for coming, boy. The jade scrolls contain the ‘Da Yan Heavenly Number’ and ‘Taiji Yousuan’ you wanted.

When you have integrated these two Array Dao secret techniques, come find me for the ‘Mixed Element Battle Calculation’.”

Zhao Sheng’s eyes flashed as he grinned and tucked away the jade scrolls, casually tossing out a palm-sized, pure white Array Plate.

“The young lad knows how much you’ve put into this! To pay back peach with a plum, how about I let you play with this Ten Thousand Talisman Array Plate for a couple of months?”

Upon seeing the Ten Thousand Talisman Array Plate, Elder Huang’s eyes lit up, and with one sweep of his sleeve, the Ten-thousand Ancient Array Plate disappeared from the table.

“Two months is not enough! At least a year.”

Zhao Sheng shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this, “No, no, a year is too much. I still need it to deduce formations. Half a year at most!”

“Deal, half a year it is,” agreed Huang Yu instantly, his face breaking into a joyful smile.

The Ten Thousand Talisman Array Plate is considered a heavy treasure among the practitioners of the Array Dao; Array Masters cherish it even more than a Spiritual Treasure.

If it weren’t for Zhao Sheng having the backing of a True Buddha, Huang Yu might have contemplated snatching it from Zhao Sheng’s hands.

Seeing this, Zhao Sheng immediately realized he had been tricked; it turns out he could have bargained the price down.

But well… forget it, forget it! Elder Huang was somewhat like a half-master to him, so there’s no point fussing over a little loss.

However, Elder Huang had the bearing of a grandmaster and would not take advantage of a junior.

After thinking it over, he took out two ancient scrolls bound in gold from his Storage Bag and handed them to Zhao Sheng, his eyes brimming with mirth as he said, “I won’t let you suffer a loss. These two golden books contain information on more than two hundred Dragon Seals and Phoenix Seals. Take them to study, but don’t spread them around!”

Zhao Sheng took them and unfurled one of the scrolls for a brief look, only to see on the smooth and delicate surface the appearance of a dozen tortuous and rigorous golden symbols that resembled tadpole script, none other than the legendary Upper Realm’s secret script Dragon Seal.

These Dragon Seals seemed to possess a sort of magic; as soon as Zhao Sheng looked at them, his Divine Thought began to drain rapidly, a golden light flickered before his eyes, and the Dragon Seals on the scroll suddenly began to move, then one by one took flight, plunging into his pupils, causing him to feel dizzy and almost as if the world was spinning.

Snap!

With a snap, Zhao Sheng hastily closed the scroll, the Dragon Seal disappearing from sight, the dizziness in his mind instantly ceasing, and his Divine Thought no longer draining.

“Tsk, the secret script of the Upper Realm is indeed powerful!” Zhao Sheng took a sharp breath in, then, after securing the scrolls, gave a cupped fist salute, “Thank you for the treasure, Elder Huang!”

“Oh, always with the thank you’s – it’s like gratitude is separate from affection. The secret script of the Upper Realm is not something only I know; Liu Yishou and Li Buzhengjing in other places have also collected quite a bit. When the time comes, you should knock them hard, try to squeeze out their collections.

In the future, when the scenery is right, if you can let me feast my eyes, that too would complete our bond of affection,” said Huang Yu.

Zhao Sheng nodded thoughtfully, “I’ve taken note of your words, Elder Huang. It seems the other two masters would feel the same, but why…”

Hearing this, Huang Yu showed a bitter smile and sighed, “Don’t you think we three want to as well? It’s just the obligations to our respective sects and the longstanding differences that are hard to resolve. So, exchanging things just can’t be brought up out of consideration for face.

However, with you acting as a go-between, the situation is quite different. After all, one respects the master not the disciple. Moreover… alas!”

Zhao Sheng nodded, of course

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