Chapter 305: Confiscating the Family to Their Face, Blind Selection from the Treasury, Two Divine Artifacts

"Ah-choo~"

In Wang Cheng, inside the Fu Ming Envoy's manor.

Zhao Xing, who was counting the treasures, suddenly sneezed.

"Hmm? I've already reached this realm, why did I suddenly sneeze?"

"Could it be that my illness has returned?"

Zhao Xing became extremely vigilant.

The strong generally do not fall ill; if they do, it is a grave sickness.

"Observe the Five Elements internally, let the Qi of the Great Cycle flow!"

Zhao Xing immediately examined his physical condition carefully.

He could write the Treatise on the Six Qi of the Three Yin and Three Yang Great Cycle; the internal Five Elements and Six Qi are the Six Qi of the body.

His sensitivity to sensing certain illnesses is also quite acute.

The Longting Ancient Land is, after all, a world with significant differences from the outside world; Zhao Xing inspected carefully but found nothing abnormal.

"No illness, then someone is thinking of me."

Zhao Xing cast the "Five Fingers Heavenly Fate" technique again and calculated with his fingers.

A sensation from the mysterious void came through, and a blurry scene appeared before his eyes.

"A massive rock has appeared; isn't this the location of the Massive Rock Treasury I just visited?"

If he hadn't been there, judging useful information from such a simple image would be very difficult.

But Zhao Xing had just been there, so he naturally judged it quickly.

"Someone has gone." Zhao Xing increased his effort, consuming more than half of his Yuan Qi instantly, and then saw several blurry figures from behind.

There were five figures in total, each carrying a coffin on their back.

Among them, a purple figure stood at the original site of the Massive Rock Treasury, roaring at the sky.

"Could it be that people from the Corpse Puppet Sect have arrived?"

"So that's it — this person must be a powerhouse of the Corpse Puppet Sect."

"Am I being held in hatred by someone at the Heavenly Fate realm?"

Zhao Xing ended the spell, checked the almanac again, and after calibration, the almanac had already become the version for the Longting Ancient Land.

There was also a prompt on it: 【Side wealth enters the door, hidden disaster in the east, minor misfortune.】

"It doesn't matter; in Wang Cheng, they can't do anything to me anyway."

Putting away the almanac, Zhao Xing walked over to Cao Qianyue's side.

"How is it?"

Cao Qianyue was holding a Hundred Crafts Square, prying open an ancient-looking box.

"It's quite difficult to open."

Cao Qianyue didn't even shift his gaze; the light on the box rippled in waves.

"They are all ancient Seed Space formation arrays; the Great Zhou rarely teaches the techniques for this version of mechanism formations."

Lord Zhao, now also wealthy, said carelessly: "It's fine, don't feel pressured; if it really doesn't work, just break it open violently."

Breaking it open violently can easily cause damage to the items inside.

The Fu Ming craftsmen of the Dragon Clan, after all, are not versed in human formations; in their eyes, human boxes are as small as grains of rice.

They can break large formations quickly, but for treasure chests like those of the Corpse Puppet Sect, with such fragile structures, it is more difficult to handle. Zhao Xing had previously asked Cao Qianyue to join and had them craft decryption tools in advance specifically to deal with this situation.

Although Cao Qianyue is large in build, his hands are very skillful.

His hands have been modified; the nail part of his left hand suddenly extended five flat pry needles, which were inserted into the small holes exposed on the box.

His right hand lifted a hammer; the convex surface of the hammer suddenly detached four metal pieces resembling spinning tops.

"Rise!"

Five different lights suddenly erupted from Cao Qianyue's left hand; the originally round and integrated square box suddenly popped up from the middle, revealing a gap half a finger wide, but a force was pressing down, trying to close the treasure chest again.

"Chi chi chi chi~"

The four spinning tops immediately jammed into the central seam of the box and began spinning rapidly, forming a prop.

"The Four Directions Rotating Palace Instrument; quite impressive, Little Cao."

Zhao Xing watched Cao Qianyue open the box with great interest; he had to say, men simply cannot resist such a scene.

"Dai dai dai dai~"

"Rise!"

The box floated up, trembling continuously.

The central door swung wide open!

But Cao Qianyue no longer had a third hand to reach for the items inside the box.

"Your Lordship, lend a hand!"

Cao Qianyue's face turned flushed red.

"How do I operate?"

"Touch the box."

Zhao Xing nodded and quickly extended the arm of his straw-man clone into the box, grabbing the two items inside.

"Empty, empty? Your Lordship!"

"It's empty!"

!

Cao Qianyue immediately withdrew his hand; the four Rotating Palace Instruments gave a sudden push and quickly withdrew.

"!"

The box jolted violently, then sealed shut once more, perfectly airtight.

Crack-crack-crack-crack~

Zhao Xing could hear the mechanisms inside grinding away, frantically destroying themselves.

In the blink of an eye, the half-man-high box collapsed, caved in, billowed a cloud of smoke, and turned to powder.

Hah. Cao Qianyue wiped the sweat from his brow.

Zhao Xing hefted the items in his hand and couldn't help but laugh: "Not bad, Dunlie. I didn't expect you to have such skill at opening boxes."

The two treasures in his hand were leather scrolls; Zhao Xing judged by the Dragon script that these should be very ancient Dragon artistic collections.

They might have little practical value, but they were worth money!

Dragon King Yin Xiu loved this kind of ancient collection most, just as Li Xiu loved collecting ancient calligraphy and paintings.

The magical box storing them had a high-grade mechanism; using the Four-Square Rotating Palace Instrument to crack it was the capability of a Third Rank artisan. That Cao Qianyue could open it was truly rare.

The Military Engineering Bureau was quite comprehensive, and Cao Qianyue was a genius within it.

"Hehe, Your Excellency flatters me," Cao Qianyue said with a simple smile. "My speed is still too slow."

"Just open them here," Zhao Xing said with a smile. "If you get tired or hungry, eat the Dragon Crystals as much as you like; there's plenty!"

"Thank you, Your Excellency!" Cao Qianyue nodded excitedly. He cultivated the Gluttony Method, and now eating other things gave little improvement, but Dragon Crystals were something he hadn't eaten in the outside world and had great effect. Since Zhao Xing let him eat freely, of course he was happy.

Patting Cao Qianyue on the shoulder, Zhao Xing smiled and walked out.

Cao Qianyue stayed at the manor to unlock and inventory the items.

He, meanwhile, continued to lead a squad of Fuming Dragon Artisans to open more secret vaults.

"It is the fourth day since entering the Dragon Court; surely not many people have randomly arrived at Gu Ting Wang Cheng."

"The earlier we open them, the more good things there will be."

"If we wait until many people gather, they will go and open them themselves."

Dragon King Yin Xiu is right there; we can go exchange whenever we want, so Zhao Xing was not in a hurry.

He estimated he had just gathered enough for one exchange opportunity.

If there is something to requisition, requisition a bit more.

"Let's go!"

Sensing a touch from one of his Ten Thousand Methods Avatars, Zhao Xing immediately led the Dragon Artisans to depart.

Wang Cheng was vast; as the Dragon Clan's royal city, even the area of the royal palace alone was the size of a prefecture.

If the administrative scope of Wang Cheng were included, it would cover nearly half a province.

However, though the place was large, suitable locations for establishing vaults were not many.

Because stability had to be considered.

If one established it last time, and the next time even one's own people couldn't find it, then building it would be meaningless.

"Discovered four Great Zhou vaults. Their levels are relatively high; one of them is even a safe house of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion."

"Forget it; let's not touch the Great Zhou ones for now."

One acts according to one's permissions; the First Rank vault level of Great Zhou was not something he could break at will.

Furthermore, if a First Rank from the current dynasty arrived at Gu Ting Wang Cheng to execute certain plans and found the vaults gone,

it would disrupt their plans.

"Hmm? This place?"

When Zhao Xing's avatar arrived at a high-grade treasure vault coordinate in his memory, he found that splendid pillar palaces had appeared here, with many Dragon Clan patrols around.

Dragons came and went; along rows of Dragon Stone streets, many Dragons stood before mountains of treasure, looking up and roaring.

"Aaaah~"

"Roar!"

"Xila!"

There were also Dragons fumbling around a pile of treasure mountains, swallowing clouds and spitting mist, some with tails entwined together.

Moments later, one Dragon spat out a pile of Dragon Crystals, then swept up a heap of things from the treasure mountain and left. If someone unfamiliar with the Gu Ting Dragon Clan, or someone with poor Dragon language skills, arrived, they would have no idea what they were doing.

But Zhao Xing, upon hearing and seeing, immediately understood.

"We've arrived at the Dragon Clan vegetable market."

"During the reign of Emperor Jing, was this the place where stalls were set up for trading?"

Zhao Xing looked around curiously.

High-ranking Dragons led Dragon Turtles one by one, carrying goods, moving slowly.

When Zhao Xing approached, some Dragons roared at him; it meant nothing else, just the Dragon Clan's hawking cries.

The general meaning was equivalent to:

"Take a look, have a look!"

"Our shop is having a discount sale today!"

"Want to know about the Diving Transformation Secret Method?"

The further east one went, the more precious the traded items became.

The treasure mountains stood taller one than the next.

When reaching a gate built of Dragon Crystals, Zhao Xing's avatar could not enter.

"Ahead is the trading ground of the 'Sang Ting' Lord."

After Zhao Xing's avatar approached, it was stopped by a group of Dragon Clan guards.

Even though it spoke High Dragon language, communication failed, and it still could not enter.

"Sang Ting is the Kingdom's Third Lord; his status and strength are both high—never mind, I shall come in person."

Zhao Xing's avatar ceased negotiations, withdrew, and waited at a distance.

At the same time.

True Person Ziluo arrived at the Dragon Clan's trading ground with his two disciples, You Sha and Yun Ji, and his two grand-disciples, You Jue and Ying Ji.

"Do not act rashly," True Person Ziluo instructed. "This is the Dragon Clan's trading ground; they do not intend to launch an attack."

"Yes." The disciples and grand-disciples all became very well-behaved, because True Person Ziluo was in a very bad mood now, his brows constantly furrowed.

True Person Ziluo frowned and looked around, sensing a bad omen.

He felt that damned thief was nearby as well.

Zhao Xing was indeed nearby; he had come specifically for the Corpse Puppet Sect's treasury.

The other treasuries were not urgent; since the Corpse Puppet Sect had sent people now, it must be opened immediately.

"This is one of only two high-level treasury sites of the Corpse Puppet Sect." Zhao Xing also looked around. "If the Corpse Puppet Sect people have already arrived and discovered the massive stone treasury was pried open, they will surely rush here immediately."

Suddenly, he flew to a mountain and saw True Person Ziluo on another peak.

The karmic resonance of the Heaven's Fate Realm in the misty void instantly stirred True Person Ziluo, causing him to whip his head around.

"Swish~"

Their gazes met, and True Person Ziluo immediately understood: "It is that thief!"

Zhao Xing also understood the other's identity: "He has come to snatch my things."

Swish, swish~

True Person Ziluo immediately flew over; he did not know Zhao Xing's identity and could not tell which faction he belonged to by his attire: "This Daoist friend—"

Zhao Xing turned and left, arriving at a place guarded by Dragon Clan sentries to wait.

True Person Ziluo had intended to pursue, but he suddenly snapped to: "This is bad!"

"Master, what is wrong?"

"This person suddenly appeared here; he likely knows about the treasury in this location." True Person Ziluo was both shocked and furious. "We must enter quickly."

However, entering the Sang Ting trading zone was not easy.

Because True Person Ziluo and his group had no startup capital and had not managed to obtain identity permissions.

"No good, he is coming."

True Person Ziluo's gaze suddenly turned toward the mountain gate of the Sang Ting trading zone.

There, Zhao Xing's true form soon arrived outside the Sang Ting trading zone, leading a team of Fuming craftsmen.

"Can't get in, can't get in—"

True Person Ziluo prayed silently.

He sensed Zhao Xing's strength was not high; it was only the fourth day, so he should not yet be able to enter the Sang Ting trading zone, as that required Lord-level permissions.

Seeming to sense True Person Ziluo's gaze, Zhao Xing revealed a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

Indeed, under normal circumstances.

His initial three ships of treasures could not possibly be exchanged for Lord-level permissions.

But the department he chose to enter was the Fuming Divine Temple.

The Fuming Dragon Clan members and dragon ships he brought were specially selected.

They were equivalent to the Dragon Clan's "Senior Maintenance Workers."

Zhao Xing pretended to be very urgent, carrying two sets of tools named 【Jue Shan】 and 【Huo Yin】 on his back along with the Fuming craftsmen, and simply flew straight in.

True Person Ziluo was instantly stunned!

Damn it, can one play it like this?

The Dragon Clan guards didn't even stop Zhao Xing and his group once!

"It is not some forbidden ground; I am a Senior Maintenance Worker of the Dragon Clan, carrying a set of maintenance tools into the Sang Ting trading zone; this is very reasonable." After entering, Zhao Xing revealed a faint smile.

One must admit, the identity of a Dragon Clan craftsman was very useful.

As long as it was not some forbidden ground or treasure site, but rather a commercial zone, one could enter whenever one wished.

"I heard that in a past life, there were even mechanism masters who carried two common Dragon Clan tools and snuck into the royal palace treasury; I wonder if that is true," Zhao Xing thought inwardly.

He did not even need to pretend, because he truly was a craftsman of the Fuming Divine Temple!

"You Sha, Yun Ji, you four stay here and keep watch; I am going to the Grand Arena now!" True Person Ziluo was also in a rush.

Although he did not know why the other party knew the location of their Corpse Puppet Sect's secret treasury, his intuition told him something very ominous was happening.

True Person Ziluo no longer wanted to use the 【Tribute】 channel to obtain an identity; he needed to rush to the Grand Arena immediately to acquire Lord-level identity.

Sang Ting trading zone, a lakeside area.

"Good luck; there are not many Dragon Clan members here."

"It is just a dragon spring for drawing water."

Zhao Xing looked down; not far from the lake, a Water-Attribute Dragon Clan member of Dragon General rank with three heads and two wings was lying nearby, sleeping.

"Whoosh~"

Zhao Xing, leading the Fuming craftsmen, landed beside the dragon spring.

The security dragon, which had been sleeping, instantly woke up.

"Hah?"

Zhao Xing spat out the Fuming Token and activated Dragon Speech: "The dragon spring requires maintenance; move aside immediately."

"Hah, hah."

The two-winged water dragon obediently moved aside.

Although it did not know what needed repairing about a dragon spring.

But they're from the Fuming Divine Temple— if the Fuming Divine Temple says repairs are needed, then it's necessary! Does a mere water watcher understand better than the Fuming Divine Temple?

"Dig!"

Seeing the Dragon Clan guards retreat, Zhao Xing immediately ordered the Fuming Dragon Artisans to set up a barrier to block the view.

"Splash~"

A large quantity of treasures were extracted from the Dragon Spring.

Same operation, same technique.

With experience, the Fuming craftsmen grew even more skilled.

The three-layer seal on the Shiguai Sect's treasure vaults was dismantled layer by layer within an hour.

"Water Curtain Seal!"

Zhao Xing set a Dragon Language seal on the treasure vessel; instantly, the outside could no longer see inside the Dragon Boat.

Out of caution, he used the Dili Sect's Earth Spirit Hidden Art to restore the Dragon Spring to its original state—and even expanded it slightly.

The Dragon Spring was now three-tenths larger than before, though the water quality had been somewhat damaged.

But—. ·. · just say it was repaired!

"Return!"

Zhao Xing swished his tail, thoroughly satisfied.

"Roar~"

After watching the Fuming craftsmen leave, the guard dragon once again rushed to the Dragon Spring and took a look.

The Dragon Spring really had grown larger!

Then it lay down and slept again.

Zhao Xing returned the same way he came; since his aura was below Lord-level, he occasionally felt the gazes of many Lord-level dragons upon him.

But once they recognized the Fuming Divine Temple's Dragon Boat, they all withdrew their stares.

"The aura has fluctuated slightly, but within normal range," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

When he flew past the mountain gate of the Sangding Trading Zone.

You Sha and Yun Ji immediately sensed Zhao Xing's presence.

"He's out!"

"Senior brother, what should we do? Should we stop him?" Yun Ji asked.

"Master hasn't returned. Sister, what do you think?" You Sha said.

"You're the senior brother—it's your decision," Yun Ji replied.

You Sha cursed inwardly—this worthless woman didn't want to take any responsibility at all.

"Master told us to keep watch—so we just watch," You Sha said. "Master said not to act rashly."

"Yes, entirely as you command, Senior Brother."

Thus, Yun Ji and You Sha each dispatched disciples to follow him.

Two hours later, Zi Luo True Person returned.

His aura had changed noticeably—strongly infused with Dragon energy—and he carried a massive token on his back.

"Where is he?" Zi Luo True Person asked.

"Master, he's already out," You Sha replied respectfully. "I don't know if he succeeded, but I've sent disciples to follow him."

"Come with me inside," Zi Luo True Person said grimly. He had now obtained Lord-level status and was sufficient to enter the Sangding Trading Zone.

After searching for a while.

"Shhh~"

Zi Luo True Person appeared beside the Dragon Spring.

"Lord," the water dragon cowering beside the Dragon Spring trembled and prostrated itself on the ground.

"Go!" Zi Luo True Person waved his hand and blasted the guard dragon away.

Then he leapt into the murky Dragon Spring.

The next instant, he shot back up into the sky.

You Sha and Yun Ji didn't need to ask—they could tell from his expression alone that it was gone.

Master's fury was already uncontrollable.

"You bastard!!"

Zi Luo True Person gritted his teeth.

All the efforts of seven or eight generations of the Shiguai Sect had been stolen by Zhao Xing.

And he'd done it right before their eyes—plundered the entire vault.

This cannot be tolerated!

"Master, what do we do now?" You Sha asked cautiously.

"Find him!" Zi Luo True Person forced down his rage.

If he didn't reclaim it, his Dao would be blocked!

Second-Rank Fuming Envoy's Residence.

Hum~

Two Dragon Boats came to a stop.

Zhao Xing gave the Fuming Dragon Artisans a gag order, instructing them to return to the Divine Temple and await orders.

"Mouth!"

The Fuming Dragon Artisans obediently flew away.

"Unseal!"

Zhao Xing unsealed the dragon boat, then cast a wind technique to sweep all the treasures out.

Hearing the commotion, Cao Qianyue immediately rushed over.

Seeing the mountain-like pile of treasures fall from the sky, he was momentarily stunned.

"Your Lordship, did you steal—er, raid another treasury again?"

"Mm." Zhao Xing nodded. "Time is tight, the task is heavy; quickly sort these items by category."

"No need for you to calculate their value; for those you cannot unlock, there is no need to be so cautious. Force them open, or just leave them be."

If the tribute-givers did not know the value, the Dragon King Yin Xiu would also distinguish them.

"Yes." Cao Qianyue immediately acted, and Zhao Xing also released his Ten Thousand Manifestations to assist Cao Qianyue.

Time was indeed pressing; he had already sensed someone tailing him.

Although the Fuming Temple area was inaccessible to the Corpse Puppet Sect.

However, True Person Zilu was at the Second Grade realm.

Even without startup funds, he could obtain permissions from the Grand Arena.

"He will surely obtain a Lord-level identity. To avoid complications from a long night, I must quickly spend these treasures, exchange them for good items from Yin Xiu, and turn the treasures into strength."

Although Wang Cheng forbade fighting, and he and True Person Zilu were not on the same level, the opponent could not challenge him through the arena.

But having a higher permission level could still cause him trouble.

"Lost them?" Outside the perimeter of the Fuming Temple area, True Person Zilu's face was terrifyingly dark as he looked at his two grand-disciples.

"Grand-Ancestor, we cannot enter." The two grand-disciples trembled.

The area encompassed by the Fuming Temple was so vast.

If they could not enter, how could they follow?

Zhao Xing could simply slip out from another direction.

Indeed, they had lost him.

"You, all go to the Arena!" True Person Zilu said, "Challenge those Dragon Dukes, complete your identity promotion, and do it as fast as possible!"

"Yes." The four disciples and grand-disciples immediately followed orders and headed for the Grand Arena.

"Click~"

True Person Zilu closed his eyes; his Dao robe billowed, and the coffin board behind him slowly shifted to reveal a crack.

"Buzz~"

Dragon flies, each the size of a fingernail, flew out.

They were corpse insects that had evolved by devouring dragon corpses.

They possessed twelve wings, two compound eyes, and sharp mouthparts.

True Person Zilu's eyes opened again; his pupils were divided into countless grids.

Each corpse insect became one of his eyes.

"Little thief! Dare to seize the Corpse Puppet Sect's secret hoard; this Seat will not spare you!"

Just as True Person Zilu wanted to wait like a hunter by a stump to catch Zhao Xing.

At this moment, Zhao Xing had already dragged four dragon pearl transport ships out of the Fuming Temple area.

"Your Lordship, where are we going?"

"North of Wang Cheng, there is a place called Gu Ting North Sea." Zhao Xing explained, "Though called a sea, it is actually a massive lake."

"That is the resting place of Dragon King Yin Xiu."

"He is the elder brother of Dragon King Yin Li; the two brothers take turns ruling. In another three hundred years, Dragon King Xiu will emerge, and his younger brother will fall into slumber."

"Dragon Kings lower their vital signs through slumber to extend their lifespan."

Cao Qianyue did not know this and simply listened quietly.

It was no harm for Zhao Xing to tell Cao Qianyue, for this would no longer be a secret in the future.

If experts from the current dynasty came, Zhao Xing would choose to tell them as well; after all, he alone could not exhaust a Dragon King's treasure.

"I intend to briefly awaken Dragon King 'Xiu', present tribute to him, just as we presented tribute to Dragon King 'Li'."

"Your Lordship, what is the difference?"

"Dragon King Xiu's temperament is relatively gentle and fair; his character differs from his younger brother's." Zhao Xing said, "We can exchange for more good items."

"I see."

Arriving at the North Sea Dragon Lake, Zhao Xing quickly found the area where Dragon King Xiu slept.

There were no dragons guarding this place, but there were many Dragon Script seals.

"Fire Transformation!"

Zhao Xing cast the Marquis Transformation Technique and dove straight into the sea.

"Splash~"

The dragon boat also tilted and submerged into the North Sea.

It soon encountered the first obstacle; the underwater currents pushed constantly, preventing it from advancing.

"North Sea Return Flow, Water Dragon God Hidden Curse!"

Zhao Xing activated the Dragon Script Unsealing Curse; fire spat bubbles underwater.

After the bubbles appeared, they did not float up; instead, they sank.

Inside the bubbles, ancient dragon scripts and patterns flowed.

The surging undercurrents were quickly suppressed by the bubbles Zhao Xing spat out.

The seabed before his eyes instantly changed from dimness to clarity.

Zhao Xing continued to propel the dragon boat forward.

Two ke after, the second obstacle appeared.

Twelve towering Shanfeng emerged from the seabed.

Dragon heads stood atop the Shanfeng, their eyes scanning with light, dividing the seabed space while causing the seawater to vibrate at super-frequency.

Any dragon clan member who intruded here without knowing the method would be shaken to death even if they were at the Lord level.

"Dunlie, deploy the Sea-Calming Divine Needle, inserting it clockwise into the Zhongguang, Zhaoyang, and Huangluo of the twelve mountains."

"The Divine Needles enter the bodies at depths of twelve zhang forty-six ke, nine zhang thirty-five ke, seven zhang fifteen ke—"

The Mechanism Master's Sea-Calming Divine Needle was originally inherited from dragon clan craftsmanship.

Of course, the dragon clan version and the human clan version differed greatly.

He remembered the sequence to pass, and could barely operate the Artificer family's heavy artifact, but it was not as effective as Cao Qianyue's; if inserted incorrectly even once, it would trigger the great formation's counterattack function.

"Yes!"

Cao Qianyue immediately began operating on the dragon boat.

"Boom~"

He operated the dragon boat, following Zhao Xing's instructions, precisely inserting the dragon clan version of the Sea-Calming Divine Needle into the corresponding positions; the water exploded, and the surrounding seawater ceased trembling.

Zhao Xing continued forward, while those twelve Sea-Calming Divine Needles remained planted there.

After diving in the sea for one ke, a dragon palace emitting a faint Jin Guang appeared on the seabed.

"The final trial."

Zhao Xing arrived outside the dragon palace.

"Click!"

"Click!"

Layers of dragon crystals rolled up from the boat; long strips of dragon crystals interlaced, slots closed, extending forward layer by layer.

On the periphery of the dragon palace, a dragon crystal avenue formed, upon which the pattern of the Dragon King "Xiu" was pieced together.

Immediately after, Zhao Xing spent two million dragon crystals to construct a massive Wang Zuo.

The Wang Zuo was embedded within what appeared to be a blooming petal.

Of course, Cao Qianyue thought it looked like half an eggshell.

This kid thought everything looked edible.

"Almost done," Zhao Xing thought silently.

"The ancient ritual to summon Dragon King 'Xiu' has been completed."

"The Sea-Calming Divine Needles can be retrieved, but this avenue cannot; this is the price of awakening."

Humming, the dragon crystal avenue and the Wang Zuo emitted true light, with countless shadows spreading inward toward the dragon palace.

Who knows how much time passed.

"Boom~"

The dragon palace trembled, and the dark seawater became even darker.

Suddenly—

Two bright lights appeared.

When Zhao Xing saw the lights, his heart trembled, and his body could not help but shudder.

For those were the eyes of Dragon King Xiu.

He had already awakened it!

Cold eyes emerged from the gloomy seawater, followed by sharp dragon horns and flowing dragon whiskers.

Dragon King "Yin Xiu" appeared above the Wang Zuo!

Zhao Xing immediately prostrated himself at the other end of the dragon crystal avenue, activating the Upper Dragon Tongue: "Respected Dragon King, Great Guardian of the Ancient Ting Kingdom, Inheritor of the Eastern Emperor's Golden Script, Impartial Arbiter—"

Dragon King "Xiu" had lived for a vast age, and he had many titles.

Zhao Xing recited mainly his four primary titles.

Among the three titles—Dragon King, Arbiter, and Guardian of the Ancient Ting Kingdom—they were the same as "Yin Li's"; only "Inheritor of the Eastern Emperor's Golden Script" was a title unique to Dragon King "Xiu".

The Eastern Emperor's Golden Script was created by the ancient Dragon Emperor "Xie"; even dragon kings found it difficult to learn.

But Dragon King "Xiu" mastered a portion of the Dragon Emperor's Golden Script.

Of course, all this happened seventy thousand years ago, during the era when Dragon King Xiu was active; nowadays, not many in the dragon clan know of this title.

"—Subject 'Zhao' of the Ancient Ting Kingdom, devoutly summons your descent."

Having spoken, Zhao Xing waited silently.

"Hum~"

The dark seabed suddenly brightened, and Zhao Xing felt himself moving.

When he looked up again, he had already appeared a thousand meters before the Wang Zuo.

He saw the phantom of Dragon King Xiu appear upon the Wang Zuo; the dragon spirit had left the body—this was one of Dragon King Xiu's dragon spirits.

Besides true awakening, Dragon King "Xiu's" shallow sleep awakening manifests in this manner.

Because for Dragon King's massive body to fully unleash its vitality from slumber is no easy task.

Between waking and sleeping, Dragon King Xiu also consumes enormous resources and pays a considerable price.

To truly awaken him, Zhao Xing's dragon coins worth tens of millions were far from sufficient.

"(Dragon Tongue) State your purpose."

An ethereal voice appeared in Zhao Xing's mind.

"To pay tribute," Zhao Xing said concisely.

Long Wang Xiu raised his head, and the water around the four dragon boats began to swirl rapidly.

Cao Qianyue had long since left the dragon boat and was waiting on a small skiff.

"Splash~"

The churning water suddenly drew the four dragon boats into four whirlpools, dragging them down into the Long Gong.

Moments later, Xiu's voice rang out again.

"You shall receive a reward from the Dragon King."

"Enter from here, and you may choose twice."

"You have fifteen days to make your choice."

"Once a choice is made, it cannot be changed."

Zhao Xing respectfully said, "I thank my King for this reward."

Having spoken, he obediently swam into a whirlpool hovering above the Dragon Crystal Avenue.

The heavens spun and the earth turned; the stars shifted and the universe reversed.

After passing through the whirlpool, Zhao Xing appeared in a void.

He looked down and saw a landmass floating below, rapidly growing larger before his eyes.

The land was entirely covered with treasures piled like mountains, stretching endlessly; its diameter was nearly over ten thousand kilometers!

"The Treasury World of Dragon King Xiu!"

Zhao Xing's heart surged with excitement.

"It can be said to be the third most precious treasury of the Dragon Court."

The Great Dragon King has no treasury; he has slept for far longer than his son, and his treasury was divided among his sons.

Unless a massive outburst of spiritual energy occurs in the Dragon Court, he will not awaken.

Only the vaults of the Central Dragon Court are stronger than Dragon King Xiu's treasury.

However, that is a forbidden zone of the Dragon Clan, and exploring it carries great danger.

As for Dragon King Xiu's place, there is absolutely no danger.

Dragon King Xiu's treasury is vast, and a powerful force seals the radiance of all the treasures within; one can only judge them by their shape, inscriptions, and patterns.

"It tests one's eye, just like gambling on antiques," Zhao Xing thought silently.

He activated the Heaven Eye Technique and began a large-scale scan.

"For others, it is a blind selection, but for me, it is not."

Zhao Xiu pushed the Great Expansion Divine Art to its limit while flying swiftly, traversing Dragon King Xiu's treasury at the fastest possible speed.

Even so, he flew for a full day before roughly completing the tour.

"Second pass!"

Zhao Xing spent another two and a half days conducting a second round of screening.

"Third pass!"

The third search was even more meticulous.

The treasures here in Dragon King Xiu's domain are immune to destruction by others, as they are wrapped in the Dragon King's power.

Every treasure floated like a sphere of light; relying solely on perception, the fluctuations emitted by each treasure were identical.

"Fifteen days is a very short time for Dragon King Xiu's long life, but it is very long for me."

Zhao Xing was not in a hurry; he swept through again and again, only stopping on the thirteenth day.

"With nearly two days remaining, I will begin the comparison."

"Hum~"

His mind operated at extreme speed, bringing forth the scenes he had witnessed over these thirteen days.

After repeated comparisons, an hour later.

Zhao Xing opened his eyes.

"I have confirmed three treasures of the rarest level, which are commonly known as Divine Artifacts."

"I have also discovered five suspected peerless treasures."

Why are there more suspected peerless treasures?

Because Zhao Xing could not determine with certainty; they looked the part, but there was a high probability they were not.

The ones he could confirm were three.

"Whoosh~"

Zhao Xing quickly confirmed the first treasure he must take.

He arrived before a golden sphere of light.

Inside the sphere was a black dragon-patterned carving plate.

"The 'Dragon King Code' of Dragon Emperor Jie!"

"It is not the complete Dragon King Code, merely one-ninth of it, yet this one-ninth is still at the Divine Artifact level."

"The one here with Dragon King Xiu should be the Decree Chapter."

"With it, I can explore many forbidden zones of the Central Dragon Court; with its power, I can even cast the corresponding Nine Great Spells!"

Without hesitation, Zhao Xing touched the sphere of light and took it into his hand.

Dragon King Xiu did not know the true nature of this item, as it required activation at a specific location within the Dragon Court's Sacred Land.

The era of the Dragon Emperor is too distant from the era of the Dragon King; let alone Xiu, even the Great Dragon Kings have never seen the true Dragon Emperor. "How should I choose the second one? Should I choose the confirmed rare treasure, or take a gamble on a peerless treasure?"

Without hesitating long, Zhao Xing chose to take a gamble.

Because he was not certain whether someone would come to make a blind selection after him.

The matter of Dragon King Xiu definitely can't be hidden for long.

It's now the eighteenth day since Dragon Court opened; once he goes out, it will be the twentieth day of its opening.

Such a long stretch of time—I'm afraid many experts will have already arrived at Wang Cheng.

"For Old Meng's sake, I'll take the gamble."

Zhao Xing hurried along once more, arriving at the second location in his memory.

Within the enormous orb of light, the shadow of a hoe appeared.

Zhao Xing touched the orb of light.

The instant he touched it, a wondrous sensation flooded straight into his mind.

Entering this wondrous sensation, every single Dili Sect spell of his was instantly pulled up to the topmost, perfected level!

"Gambled right." Zhao Xing showed a faint smile. "Old Meng, this time you'll have to enshrine me. Let's see if you still nag me."

That's right—this was the historically lost 【Kun Yuan Divine Hoe】, which also had a nickname: the 'Shennong Hoe.'

It was one of the Four She Divine Artifacts.

Only a She Divine Artifact could possess such a miraculous effect, temporarily elevating his entry-level Dili arts to the topmost, perfected level.

"Hum~"

Once the two choices were completed, a vortex passage appeared behind Zhao Xing.

An invisible force pulled him out.

Zhao Xing reappeared on the Dragon Crystal Avenue, prostrate on the ground.

"I thank my lord for the reward."

Dragon King Xiu carefully examined what Zhao Xing had chosen, said nothing, and only gave his dragon whiskers a gentle flick.

"Splash~

A current of water pushed Zhao Xing and Cao Qianyue outward.

Though it was only a light push, Zhao Xing and Cao Qianyue were instantly deposited above the North Sea.

"Marquis?" Cao Qianyue grew anxious. "How can this Dragon King be like this? The twelve Sea-Calming Divine Needles are still down there!"

Dragon King Xiu, although he had failed to recognize the Dragon Emperor Codex—

The Shennong Hoe was on a high level, so of course Dragon King Xiu could identify it.

But he had no way to use it; the entire Dragon Court couldn't use it, because this was the exclusive divine artifact of the Minister of Agriculture.

Having given too much, he could only pull out the twelve Sea-Calming Divine Needles as a token of consolation.

Zhao Xing, however, couldn't care less: "Let him take them back."

With the 【Kun Yuan Divine Hoe】 and a component of the 【Dragon Emperor Codex】 already in hand, why would he still want those 'Sea-Calming Divine Needles'?

Even if ten thousand Sea-Calming Divine Needles were thrown away, Lord Zhao wouldn't care in the slightest.

After all, those were merely eighth-tier dragon-race treasures—rare outside, but not uncommon within the Dragon Court.

"Let's go. Next time we come, the tribute will have to be even greater," Zhao Xing said.

Tribute, tribute—the Dragon King has to make a profit!

Although Dragon King Xiu was relatively fair, if he was constantly made to take a loss—

He would feel the pinch too, and the tribute demanded next time would be greater.

Moreover, as the number of people coming to pay tribute grew, the standard would rise as well.

Zhao Xing had to hurry and make money, striving to come back and trade a few more times.

The instant Zhao Xing emerged from Dragon King Xiu's treasury,

Outside, in the Juzi Palace, within the Heavenly Mechanism Chamber of the Fate Officials.

Four first-rank Fate Officials, including King Tianyan, sat cross-legged within the "Heavenly Mechanism Pillars."

Suddenly "Whirr~"

One of the Fate Officials, 'Seeing Ji Si,' suddenly opened his eyes, a look of delight spreading across his face.

The moment he opened his eyes, the other three Fate Officials, including King Tianyan, all sensed something as well.

"Ji Si." King Tianyan and the other two Fate Officials hurriedly flew to Ji Si's Heavenly Mechanism Pillar. "How did it go?"

Ji Si and the other two held no royal titles, so King Tianyan addressed them by name directly.

"Two pieces!" Ji Si held up two fingers, his smile creasing into folds like the bark of a withered tree. "What about you?"

"Two pieces as well."

"Two pieces."

The four Fate Officials quickly reached a consensus.

"Hahahaha!"

The four Fate Officials burst into laughter—when four Fate Officials reach a consensus, it proves the possibility is very, very high.

Two divine artifacts have emerged, and they fell into the hands of Great Zhou!

In less than a month, of course this was cause for celebration!

"King Tianyan, shall we see who it is?" Ji Si asked expectantly.

King Tianyan swept a glance at the other three, saw they were all expectant, and could not help but laugh: "Fine. We're just calculating on our own people anyway, so the difficulty isn't great and it won't consume much divination power. Let's satisfy everyone's curiosity."

The four then returned to their Heavenly Mechanism Pillars, channeled their power in unison, shifted the direction of their divination, and began to determine which powerful expert of Great Zhou these two divine artifacts had fallen to.

The divination was unexpectedly effortless. A quarter of an hour later—

Dense clusters of names surfaced on all four Heavenly Mechanism Pillars.

Nine-tenths of those names were the same single name: Zhao Xing.

"Zhao Xing?" King Tianyan was stunned, thinking he must have misread it.

The other three also flew out of the Heavenly Mechanism Pillar and came to King Tianyan's side.

"King Tianyan, what was your result?"

"Mine is Zhao Xing, the Marquis of Divine Might, Zhao Xing."

"Mine is the same."

"A mid-grade official, Zhao Xing? In less than a month, he obtained two divine artifacts?"

The three first-rank fate officials immediately grew suspicious of their earlier divination; even King Tianyan himself felt somewhat dazed.