Promise!

Chapter 249, Merging with Gods

The stone door of the cave opened, and a chilling aura rushed out.

Zhuang Jin and Shangguan Yunchang were both martial artists at the second level of the Innate Qi Realm of Ice Attribute. They both had to use their internal energy to resist the attack. However, instead of being surprised, they were delighted, knowing that this meant there must be a powerful Ice Attribute treasure among them.

As a beast at the Five Viscera Realm, the Purple Kangaroo's mere aura caused a thin layer of ice crystals to form on its body, making it difficult to withstand. It could only remain outside while the two of them entered.

Upon entering the cave, one is greeted by a landscape of extremely high-quality Xuanbing Stones, exuding a misty, icy aura. Further inside, a forest of colorless, translucent Xuanbing Marrow, resembling ice crystals, stands like icicles, radiating a rich, icy light.

The piece of Xuanbing Marrow that Zhuang Jin had previously unearthed was only the size of a walnut, but here it is everywhere, almost readily available.

Further inside, some of the Xuanbing marrow faintly appeared blue, and the few at the very center had a rich purple hue on them, the light illuminating the area within several feet.

"Millennial Mystic Ice Marrow, and...Ten Thousand Year Mystic Ice Marrow?!"

Zhuang Jin and Shangguan Yunchang exchanged a glance, their expressions a mixture of shock and delight.

The Ten Thousand Year Mystic Ice Marrow, with its ice attribute, is suitable for refining rare and precious materials. It's the top-tier kind, even surpassing the Ice Spirit Pearl in rank.

By refining attributes in this way, with the right method, one can complete the second stage of the Innate Qi Realm in one month, strengthening one's own Innate Qi into Innate Ice Qi. The physical strength and aptitude will be greatly improved, but that's just the basics. The most important point is that there is a certain probability of transforming one's own Innate Qi into the ultimate ice attribute.

In this world, each realm is a mountain higher than the last. The terror of ultimate attributes is such that one can fight beyond one's level. For example, if one condenses attributes with ten-thousand-year-old Xuanbing Marrow and successfully transforms one's innate Qi into ultimate attributes, one can be comparable to an ordinary innate Qi realm third-level martial artist when at the second level of the Innate Qi realm, truly achieving the ability to challenge beyond one's level.

Moreover, the Ten Thousand Year Mystic Ice Marrow is a naturally formed treasure here; there are also treasures left behind by an immortal from eight hundred years ago.

The jade platform next to the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow has three layers. The bottom layer contains cultivation techniques, such as the first version of the Black Fiend Technique, the second version of the Five Elements Technique, and the third version of the Five Elements Technique. There are multiple versions of the latter two. The middle layer contains various secret techniques.

There were only three items on the top layer.

One is a celadon pot about three feet tall, with a wide mouth and two handles, and wisps of light swirling within its three-foot radius;

One is: a strange object that resembles two fish, one black and one white, chasing and swimming, with yin and yang lights flowing and changing, which makes one feel refreshed and clear-headed when looking at it;

One is: a bright pearl in which Yin and Yang are divided, the Five Elements are derived, and wind, thunder and ice are created, ultimately emitting a chaotic light.

"This is... a mid-grade Azure Origin Pot, a Yin-Yang Soul Cleansing Jade, and a Holy Spirit Pearl?!"

Zhuang Jin and Shangguan Yunchang both changed color upon seeing these three items.

Medium-grade Qingyuan teapot.

Needless to say, this item is the foundation of a noble family; a single divine object like this can support an entire family.

Yin Yang Cleansing Soul Jade.

This is an extremely rare and exquisite treasure that benefits the soul. Wearing it can subtly cleanse, nurture, and strengthen the soul.

The Innate Corpse-Slaying Realm and the even higher Yin God Realm involve the god within the human body.

Therefore, even rare and precious materials that are only available once and have a weak effect can be the grand finale item in the Suspended Heaven Bureau's top-tier auctions, fetching astronomical prices. Such resources will never be allowed to leave the country, and only the three great families are qualified to compete for them.

These are just those one-time use natural treasures with weak effects, let alone treasures like the Yin-Yang Soul Cleansing Jade which can have a long-lasting effect.
Even though Shangguan Yunchang came from a prestigious family, she had only heard of such treasures and had never seen them before.

The final Holy Spirit Pearl.

This is the eleventh spiritual pearl, in addition to the ten spiritual pearls of the Five Elements, Yin and Yang, Wind, Thunder, and Ice. It was born from the creation of heaven and earth, and is divided into Yin and Yang, derived from the Five Elements, and encompasses the Three Powers. When carried on one's person, it can conceal one's aura, purify the energy within one's body, greatly accelerate the speed of cultivation, and slowly improve and enhance one's aptitude.

With such a precious treasure before them, the atmosphere between Zhuang Jin and Shangguan Yunchang became delicate once again.

“Miss Shangguan, there are some other issues regarding the distribution of these treasures. Let’s have an open and honest discussion.”

Zhuang Jin asked in succession, "This is an immortal's ruin. Does your family know that you've come here, Miss Shangguan? What are your thoughts now, Miss Shangguan? Will you report this to your family? As one of the potential successors to the Shangguan family head, if you hand over the Azure Origin Pot, we can probably immediately secure the sole heir, right?"

"But if my family finds out about this secret that can influence the situation in the state capital, wouldn't I, as someone who knows the truth, be silenced by the Shangguan family? Even if I publicize the ruins, it will be useless; wouldn't the Shangguan family retaliate?"

"Furthermore, Miss Shangguan previously swore an oath with her Dao heart. Such things are quite idealistic; they may be useful or they may not. In such a life-or-death matter, it's hard to feel at ease!"

After Zhuang Jin saved the lives of the Fire Phoenix and Ice Phoenix, he could tell that Shangguan Yunchang was grateful, if not overly so. However, people's hearts are fickle. He wanted to take advantage of this relationship and the warmth of the moment to strike while the iron was hot and resolve all the hidden dangers as soon as possible. Otherwise, once things cooled down and Shangguan Yunchang regained her senses, things would become difficult.

Shangguan Yunchang's mindset is indeed different from before. Before, she was mostly forced to comply and pretended to be cooperative. If she found any flaws in Zhuang Jin, she would definitely go back on her word and tear up the contract. But after being saved, her mindset has changed slightly.

First, Zhuang Jin's cultivation of the Black Fiend Technique poses a limited threat, and she has no hope of surpassing the Yin God realm. From both the family's and her own perspective, this is tolerable. Second, she is not a cold-hearted person. Faced with a life-saving grace, she cannot repay kindness with enmity or bite back. At this moment, she is truly considering a solution that satisfies both sides.

"As I said, the clues that led to this place were obtained through special channels. It was my personal opportunity, and my family doesn't know about it. The Shangguan family is indeed not harmonious. I haven't considered reporting it in the short term. However, what you said is also true. As long as I hand over the Qingyuan Pot, I can immediately secure victory in the competition for the next family head and become the sole heir to the next family head."

"As for your concerns, let me ask you a question first. You must tell me truthfully whether you are carrying the token of the Suspended Heaven Division?" Shangguan Yunchang looked at Zhuang Jin and asked.

"Ahem, I unfortunately lost it when I came to the second level of the forbidden zone," Zhuang Jin coughed.

"That's quite a coincidence!"

Shangguan Yunchang glanced at Zhuang Jin deeply: "You must have noticed this as well, so I won't hide it from you. Within the Third Ring, the Suspended Sky Bureau's token can listen to sounds and, if necessary, obtain images; outside the Third Ring and outside the city, it only has a location function."

“The tokens of the next head of our three great families are special and not on our radar. Only the governor and the three Yin God ancestors of the three great families are qualified to examine them, but even that requires various procedures and they will not do such a thing.”

"Therefore, the two of us have come here in secrecy. Even if I hand over the Azure Origin Pot in the future, I will still conceal your existence."

"Regarding your other concerns, after we refine our attributes with the ten-thousand-year-old Xuanbing Marrow, I have another secret technique that allows me to use the Holy Spirit Pearl to absorb all the remaining Xuanbing Marrow energy in the cave. Such terrifying energy, if you were to self-destruct with the Holy Spirit Pearl, even a Yin God martial artist would be severely injured and have no chance of survival within a certain distance."

The subtext of these words is also about allocating resources: she gets the Azure Origin Pot and the Yin-Yang Cleansing Jade, while Zhuang Jin gets the Holy Spirit Pearl and the Full Cave of Profound Ice Marrow.

The two are of comparable value.

The Yin-Yang Cleansing Jade is about the same value as the Holy Spirit Pearl; the Azure Origin Pot can absorb medicinal herbs and continuously produce Azure Origin Liquid, but it requires establishing a power; and this cave full of Profound Ice Marrow, although non-renewable, has an extremely large total amount. After the Holy Spirit Pearl absorbs it, its self-destruction will make even Yin God martial artists wary.

This distribution is a win-win-win situation for Shangguan Yunchang. First, she can obtain the Qingyuan Pot and the Yin-Yang Cleansing Jade. The Qingyuan Pot can be handed over to the family in the future, which will lock the family head as the only person in charge. The Yin-Yang Cleansing Jade will allow her to go further in the martial arts world.

On the contrary, the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow is not really needed after condensing its attributes. She comes from a prestigious family and is not lacking in ordinary cultivation resources.

Secondly, having Zhuang Jin absorb the remaining Xuanbing Marrow with the Holy Spirit Pearl, the two combined would be enough to protect him and ensure his safety, thus putting his mind at ease.

Thirdly, if resources with such refined attributes as Xuanbing Marrow were to be scattered in large quantities, it would create many wild Innate Qi Realm Level 3 martial artists, which would be detrimental to aristocratic families. However, by absorbing them with the Holy Spirit Pearl as Zhuang Jin's trump card for self-protection, this problem would be avoided.

Of course, this allocation is actually very advantageous for Zhuang Jin as well.

"The mid-grade Azure Origin Pot is an extremely sensitive item. Even if I obtained it, I would need to build up my power, acquire medicinal herbs to produce Azure Origin Liquid, and then cultivate the herbs to monetize the resources. The entire process is extremely complex, and the Suspended Heaven Division pays close attention to this aspect, watching closely at the slightest sign of trouble, regarding any potential challenger as a thorn in their side... Therefore, even if I had it, it would be useless to me, like a chicken rib."

'The Yin-Yang Soul-Cleansing Jade is something I don't really need due to my unique circumstances.'

"On the contrary, the Holy Spirit Pearl, with its ability to conceal my aura, purify energy, accelerate cultivation, and enhance my physique, is truly beneficial to me. It can greatly shorten the accumulation time for each realm. After absorbing the remaining Profound Ice Marrow here, it can even serve as a strategic weapon, allowing me to attack or defend as needed."

On one hand, the Xuanbing Marrow in the entire cave contains an enormous amount of energy. After being absorbed by the Holy Spirit Pearl, it becomes like a nuclear weapon. Under this nuclear deterrence, it gives the Holy Spirit Pearl a certain degree of confidence to protect itself in front of the Suspended Heaven Division and the three great families.

On the other hand, the Holy Spirit Pearl absorbs the Profound Ice Marrow, and such pure ice-attribute energy can be used as cultivation resources.

Why did Zhuang Jin come to the city in the first place? Wasn't it for the cultivation techniques and resources?

Now, the cultivation technique is right before him, and he also has the resources for cultivation. The entire cave's Xuanbing Marrow can serve as cultivation resources for ten or even several decades, enough to support him to cultivate to the Yin Shen realm, and even to go quite far in the Yin Shen realm without being bound by constraints.

The energy that supported Zhuang Jin's breakthrough to the Yin God realm and his progress in that realm was used as cultivation resources. If he were to hide away in a desolate mountain forest where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was insufficient, and he had to use it for daily breathing, it would not only be a waste of resources, but such consumption would probably make it difficult to even break through to the Yin God realm. He quickly dismissed the idea after a moment's thought.

Zhuang Jin suddenly thought of something else and asked with concern, "The Holy Spirit Pearl absorbed the energy of the Profound Ice Marrow here only once, so there's no need for a Yin God martial artist to take action. Couldn't your family just send out a Xiantian Corpse Slaying Realm martial artist to replace me?"

“Each of the three great families in the state capital has only one patriarch at the Yin God realm, and each family has no more than a handful of innate corpse-slaying warriors. These are either highly respected elders of the family, or potential family heads, or candidates for the family head position. They would not be used to replace someone like Brother Zhuang who cultivates the Black Fiend Technique.”

Shangguan Yunchang glanced at Zhuang Jin with a look of 'self-delusion', and said again: "Don't be fooled by how fast I cultivate. It's because I'm one of the seeds of the next family head. In fact, high-end resources are very rare within the three great families. It's impossible to take care of everyone, and they are concentrated on a few people."

Zhuang Jin nodded upon hearing this. "Selecting the best, that's how you make efficient use of limited resources. This clear distinction between the strong and the weak is also conducive to the stability of the aristocratic families."

"Furthermore, according to your intelligence, it is difficult to break through the third level of the Innate Qi Realm under normal circumstances. I will explain this matter and use the Xuanbing Marrow as an excuse to reduce your threat level as much as possible. The three major families in the state city have been in charge of the Xuantian Division for ten years at a time. The previous five years and the next five years are the ten years in which my Shangguan family will be in charge of the Xuantian Division. My grandmother is the head of the Xuantian Division, and I am also among them. I can provide you with a certain degree of protection."

Perhaps because of the previous allocation, Shangguan Yunchang still felt that Zhuang Jin had been treated unfairly, so she made amends again.

"Then thank you very much, Miss Shangguan." Zhuang Jin said, secretly pondering as she expressed her gratitude.

These words revealed a lot of information. Under such a mechanism, he now understood why Feng Qingyin had targeted the Cen family when he sought revenge. It was likely that the Cen family, who were in charge of the Suspended Heaven Division back then, were the ones who orchestrated the plan against Feng Qingyin.

"The Shangguan family is currently in charge of the Suspended Heaven Bureau, and this will remain the case for the next five years. If Shangguan Yunchang is loyal to me, it's equivalent to extending a tentacle into the Suspended Heaven Bureau, allowing me to rest easy for five years... After five years, with the acceleration of the Holy Spirit Pearl, I will most likely have reached the Yin God Realm."

"Yes, the key is the next five years. Right now, Shangguan Yunchang's feelings are driven by gratitude and a desire to make amends, but these emotions are unlikely to last. It would be good if this connection could be strengthened."

Thinking this, Zhuang Jin looked at Shangguan Yunchang and tentatively asked, "Miss Shangguan, does your family accept men who will marry into your family? What do you think of me?"

Shangguan Yunchang: ? ? ?
No, just a moment ago you were full of concerns and worried about your own safety, how come the next moment you're talking about marrying into the family?
She quickly realized that, in the end, this guy was still afraid of dying, and she was so angry that she laughed: "Fine, as long as you can beat me."

"Alright, I'll remember that. Miss Shangguan, don't go back on your word."

Zhuang Jin seized the opportunity and finalized the matter.

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Yunchang rolled her eyes in silence and didn't say anything more, taking the remark more as a joke.

Next, the two distributed the treasures. Shangguan Yunchang received the Yin-Yang Cleansing Jade, while Zhuang Jin obtained the Holy Spirit Pearl. They each found the refining secret method on the second floor of the jade platform, and began to refine it, establishing a connection.

Then, Shangguan Yunchang continued to peruse other secret techniques, while Zhuang Jin perused the lower level of the jade platform, searching for the complete text of the Black Fiend Technique in the first column.

'The Great Realm of Qi Condensation: Qi Condensation, Meridian Opening, Fetal Breathing; the Great Realm of Innate Qi: True Qi,罡 Qi, Corpse Severing; the Three Realms of Yin Spirit: Tranquil Mind, Serenity, Utmost Emptiness. These three realms do not have the three-tiered division of the Innate Realm… Is the realm of Yin Spirit above the realm of Yang Spirit?'

'Huh, after the Yang Shen chapter, there's actually a realm envisioned by that immortal?'

Zhuang Jin quickly flipped through the pages, about to take a closer look.

At this moment, Shangguan Yunchang suddenly threw over a secret technique: "Take a look at this method."

The Ten Thousand Years of Profound Ice Marrow is difficult to condense and absorb using conventional methods, requiring special secret techniques. Shangguan Yunchang possesses one such technique, which is also recorded on the second floor of the Jade Platform. However, there is another secret technique here: the Yin-Yang Union Technique.

More precisely, this Yin-Yang Union Technique is not a secret method specifically created for condensing and absorbing the ten-thousand-year-old Xuanbing Marrow, but an extremely rare spiritual dual cultivation secret method. Two people can enhance their spirit and nourish their soul by cultivating together. Absorbing the ten-thousand-year-old Xuanbing Marrow using this method is just an insignificant side effect.

Compared to Shangguan Yunchang's secret method of absorbing the ten-thousand-year-old Xuanbing marrow, the Yin-Yang Union Divine Technique has a faster absorption speed, requiring only ten days to complete the second step of condensing attributes; it can also better absorb the energy of the ten-thousand-year-old Xuanbing marrow, enhance aptitude, and increase the probability of obtaining the ultimate ice attribute.

—Well, it's also worth mentioning that you shouldn't assume that this method is anything special just because it has the words "dual cultivation". It's just a martial arts secret technique, a very proper one. It's best to have one man and one woman, but two men or two women are also acceptable.

'No wonder the external mechanics are relatively easier for two people.'

—This doesn't mean that it's impossible for someone to pass the test. If Zhuang Jin can use the Ice Soul Divine Sword - One Sword Returns to Origin infinitely, he is expected to be able to kill two people with one sword after dozens or hundreds of attempts and break through the barrier.

'The immortal probably foresaw that many years later, with the powerful clans of the Great Qian Dynasty dominating and monopolizing power, if the newcomer truly possessed exceptional talent and could pass the test single-handedly, that would be enough to demonstrate their innate abilities, and the treasures within the ruins could be safely given to them; if not, then a combination of two people would be the easier way to pass the test. So, was this dual cultivation technique for the mind prepared as a cheat code?'

Zhuang Jin suddenly understood the immortal's intention.

Getting back to the main point, neither Zhuang Jin nor Shangguan Yunchang were coy people. After making some preparations, they took a piece of ten-thousand-year-old Xuanbing Marrow and tried to start cultivating with the Yin-Yang Union Divine Technique.

The next moment, just as the two were activating this secret technique, the Holy Spirit Pearl and Yin-Yang Cleansing Jade, which they had already begun to refine, seemed to resonate with each other and floated up.

……

(End of this chapter)