Chapter 118

Even as strong as the Thirteen Great Bandits, when facing Yang Zhu, they only felt their breath hazy, unable to gauge his strength!

"Today I came to see you, senior, because I want to make a trade." Yang Zhu got straight to the point.

"Oh? Do tell."

Tu Tian immediately became interested; he wondered what treasure could be worth the Holy Body Dao-fetus coming specially to seek him.

"I have taken a liking to your Heaven-Swallowing Jar; I want to exchange it for something else. As long as you speak, I will do my best to satisfy."

Upon hearing that, Tu Tian's eyes flashed with a gleam of surprise; he had picked up that jar a hundred years ago, never expecting someone to come for it today.

"Heaven-Swallowing Jar..."

The Azure Flood Dragon King was likewise surprised; everyone knows that Tu Tian holds half an imperial weapon, and many desire it, yet obtaining it from the Thirteen Great Bandits is no easy feat.

Tu Tian did not answer immediately; instead, he paced back and forth in the room, his gaze shifting, as if thinking, as if weighing.

He would occasionally glance at Yang Zhu, then look thoughtfully at his own grandson, his heart seemingly torn.

"Forget it; I'll just consider it for that brat of yours—I'm going all out today."

After a last glance at Tu Fei, Tu Tian hardened his heart and said, "Since you came for the Heaven-Swallowing Jar, you must know what it is."

"Naturally." Yang Zhu nodded.

"I'll give you the Heaven-Swallowing Jar, but you need to exchange two stalks of holy medicine."

Holy medicine, second only to the undying medicine, after the ancient times the world changed, making it hard to regrow; it can be said to be cut off—each stalk used means one less in the world.

Each stalk of holy medicine possesses miraculous effects: regrowing flesh from white bone, swiftly healing wounds, increasing lifespan, etc.; it is incredibly tempting, capable of driving people mad.

Even those immortal holy lands produce only a few stalks, showing how precious holy medicine is.

"Any more?"

Yang Zhu inquired; although holy medicine is precious, for him who possesses three stalks of undying divine medicine, it is nothing.

Moreover, what he lacks least are rare treasures and various divine sources; within the inner world of the Wuji Scripture, they pile up higher than mountains.

"No… none left."

Two stalks of holy medicine—something even a Holy Body might not be able to produce—yet Yang Zhu acted so nonchalantly, truly beyond Tu Tian's expectation.

With a flourish of his embroidered robe, Yang Zhu filled the space with a rich medicinal fragrance, a green halo rippling; two jade-like spiritual medicines appeared in his hand.

One stalk was entirely crystalline, as if carved from luminous gemstone, its stem and leaves translucent and exquisite, spiritual qi suffusing.

The other resembled a root, bearing no flowers or fruit, appearing black as ink; at first glance it seemed an ordinary treetop.

Upon close inspection, one could see numerous fine runes on its surface, with vital essence circulating, all gathered beneath the bark.

A wisp of dark light leaked out; everyone inhaled once, their pores opened, bodies relaxed, and they instantly felt their lifespan increase by several years! "Two flawless stalks of holy medicine!"

The Azure Flood Dragon King's face filled with disbelief; having lived so long, he had only seen withered holy medicine, its vital essence long gone.

Now it was still the first time he had seen such an intact holy medicine; his heart could not help but be greatly excited.

"This is too..."

Beside him, the Green-Clothed Little Flood Dragon King's heart trembled, wondering what Yang Zhu's origins were, to produce two stalks of holy medicine capable of stirring up a bloody storm at a moment's notice.

"Refreshing!"

As a mighty one, Tu Tian's perception was keen; at first sight of those two stalks of holy medicine, he judged them top-tier even among holy medicines! He wasted no time, took out the Heaven-Swallowing Jar, held it a moment, removed its imprint, and handed it to Yang Zhu before taking the holy medicine.

"Grandfather knows you are not inferior to anyone; today I exchanged for this stalk of holy medicine for you, hoping it will aid your future cultivation."

Tu Tian handed the green holy medicine to Tu Fei, giving careful instructions. He held high hopes for his sole grandson, believing that with sufficient time, Tu Fei could go far on the path to proving the Dao.

Tu Tian knew his lifespan was nearing its end, with little time left, yet he was unwilling and could not set his mind at ease regarding Tu Fei.

These years he has constantly sought ways to increase his lifespan, but it is extremely difficult—even ancient emperors could not resist the erosion of time, let alone a mighty one like him.

Holy medicine is hard to find; he has spent over a hundred years searching, not even seeing a shadow of it, and he is quite anxious.

Although the Heaven-Swallowing Jar, as half an imperial weapon, cannot guarantee invincibility for life, it is more than enough to keep him and his grandson worry-free for this lifetime—but what about after that?

Tu Tian looked far ahead, which is why he endured the pain to exchange half an imperial weapon for lifespan, gambling on a future breakthrough! Another important reason: Tu Tian learned from Tu Fei that his grandson, relying on Yang Zhu, had actually mastered the 'Stride' character secret among the Nine Secrets.

That is comparable to an emperor's ancient scripture, its value immeasurable—equivalent to owing Yang Zhu a tremendous favor.

The Thirteen Great Bandits are famed in the Northern Territories; besides their great strength, they also value loyalty highly, otherwise how could they stand?

Regarding this favor, Tu Tian cannot turn a blind eye; this is also one of the reasons he is willing to part with it.

"Grandfather..."

Tu Fei carefully put away the holy medicine, his eyes firm; he certainly understood his grandfather's painstaking intentions.

The Heaven-Swallowing Jar is wholly black as ink, its surface very smooth and fine; the jar is not large, just fitting in one hand.

"Sorry for the disturbance, Yang Zhu bids farewell."

Having obtained the item, Yang Zhu did not linger; after bidding farewell, he left with the Yaochi Holy Maiden.

Tu Fei, in accordance with his grandfather's demand, immediately chose to enter seclusion, striving to absorb the holy medicine.

"The Daoist and the Black Emperor have vanished; how are we to find them?"

After leaving the Azure Flood Dragon King's residence, the Yaochi Holy Maiden asked, "Since we arrived here, those two have disappeared in a puff of smoke; I don't know if they've taken notice of something."

"They won't go far; they'll surely be back soon."

Yang Zhu wasn't worried about those two; instead, he gently rubbed the Heaven-Swallowing Jar, not rushing to unite them, lest a big commotion draw unnecessary attention.

"Woof! You fat corpse, your 'Stride' secret still falls short compared to this king's!"

In the distance, the Black Emperor wore a pair of flowered pants, swift as wind, flinging Duan De, who had just grasped the 'Stride' secret, far behind, feeling very pleased.

"You damned dog, you've actually become a spirit, running on two legs!"

Behind, Duan De jumped anxiously, no matter how he chased, he could barely see the great black dog's back.

Whoosh—the great black dog came to Yang Zhu's side, full of expectation: "How is it? Did you succeed?"

"Exchanged for two stalks of holy medicine."

"Awoo! Hahaha, finally got it, woof!"

After getting an affirmative answer, the big black dog's eyes blazed, its excitement impossible to contain, a chorus of ghostly wails and wolf howls erupted, nearly driving it mad.

"Whoosh!"

He shot out like a streak of black light, running wildly, circling the nearby swamp for over ten laps, the excitement in his heart still impossible to suppress.

"Damn it, this damn dog won't go crazy, will it?"

The dog's barks never ceased, like a wild beast's mournful howl, making listeners' skin crawl; Duan De rubbed his arms and muttered.

Heaven-Swallowing Demon Jar — the big black dog had longed for it for years, even dreaming of gathering it all; now that he finally had it, how could he not go mad?

(End of chapter)