Chapter 306: Four Divine Artifacts! Is Long Xiao's Fate Unknown?! (15,000)

"Could it be—miscalculated?" Seeing Ji Si hesitated. "You mean the error is at the source?" another Fate Official asked.

"Yes." Seeing Ji Si nodded.

The so-called error at the source means that Great Zhou actually did not obtain two Divine Artifacts.

"Then how do we interpret the divination results?" King Tianyan asked.

"It is possible Zhao Xing merely passed near the location of a Divine Artifact, very close." Someone came up with a reasonable explanation. "This has happened in history; someone once passed the site of a Divine Artifact, and the Fate Official of that time, divining at the Heaven's Mechanism Pillar, received a similar sensation."

"In the end, no one discovered that person had obtained the artifact until the next group re-entered the place where he had been and found the Divine Artifact."

King Tianyan also nodded; inwardly, he was willing to accept that Zhao Xing had obtained a Divine Artifact. But reason told him it was impossible.

The Dragon Court Ancient Land is dangerous; Divine Artifacts are not simply picked up. They are either in forbidden zones or guarded by high-level traps or living beings.

Those that could be found by luck were long ago taken by others. After all, for a Second-Rank Heaven's Fortune Realm cultivator, who does not possess high-level fortune?

In fact, the Fate Officials thinking this way was not wrong; the Divine Artifact Zhao Xing obtained was indeed guarded by a Dragon King.

He did not pick it up; he exchanged for it.

"Even if we take a step back, this is still good news." Seeing Ji Si smiled. "At least two Divine Artifacts are related to Zhao Xing."

"As long as we ask about his experiences, we have a high chance of obtaining two Divine Artifacts."

"Correct." The other two Fate Officials also agreed.

"Should we activate the contingency plan?" someone asked.

The contingency plan was to immediately send a First-Rank expert into the Dragon Court to find Zhao Xing and find the Divine Artifact.

At this stage, entry into the Dragon Court is permitted but exit is forbidden, and the quota is limited. But Great Zhou did not throw everyone in at the start; the contingency plan reserved some quotas, not many, mainly to handle emergencies.

This now qualifies as an 'emergency'.

King Tianyan pondered for a moment and nodded: "Then send one person."

Sending one person is enough; they can coordinate Great Zhou's experts from within.

A Fate Official is undoubtedly the most suitable choice.

The reason a Fate Official was not sent in at the start is mainly because they need to use the Creation Disc and the Heaven's Mechanism Hall outside to perform divination.

A single Fate Official inside, without a Divine Artifact, is insufficient.

Our own people cannot be spared, and outsiders cannot calculate.

If they bring a Divine Artifact? That would be too risky.

If a Fate-type Divine Artifact were lost inside the Dragon Court, the loss would be too great.

"Since two Divine Artifacts are involved, let me go." Seeing Ji Si said. "King Tianyan, you must still hold the Heaven's Mechanism Hall."

"Agreed." King Tianyan nodded. "Come with me."

The other two Fate Officials returned to their original positions, while Seeing Ji Si followed King Tianyan to another secret chamber.

There was nothing else; it was mainly to explain the importance of Zhao Xing.

"What? He actually—"

After Seeing Ji Si finished reading the confidential file, he was instantly shocked. "I never thought that during my twenty years of seclusion, our dynasty would produce such a genius. Truly a blessing of Heaven's Mandate, a fortune for Great Zhou!"

"Si, be careful when you enter. Remember above all else to ensure Zhao Xing's safety. Divine Artifacts can be abandoned; Zhao Xing must not die." King Tianyan instructed.

"I understand." Seeing Ji Si nodded.

Treasure-level Divine Artifacts are also man-made; Great Zhou's super-massive Ninth-Rank Divine Weapons, many of which are not inferior to Treasure-level Divine Artifacts.

Rare treasures, though scarce in the world, do exist.

Peerless treasures are those that cannot be created in the current age and are irreplaceable.

Of course, in terms of value, Zhao Xing can also be compared to a peerless treasure.

Throughout history, only this one Zhao Xing has brought the Tianyan Divine Art to new heights.

If Zhao Xing can comprehend the Tianyan Divine Stele, it would be equivalent to creating a new ultimate Soul-type technique!

A technique can be passed to hundreds of millions of people across ten thousand generations!

After Seeing Ji Si finished reading the file, which bore the Emperor Jing's seal and personal approval, he could absolutely be regarded as a human peerless treasure.

"Brother, I am going." Seeing Ji Si said solemnly.

"Mm." King Tianyan said, "Be extremely careful."

Originally, they should not have activated the contingency quota so early, but with two Divine Artifacts appearing and Zhao Xing involved, they must use it when necessary.

The Heaven-Earth Longmen, on the great sea.

A First-Rank strange beast snake coiled, its massive shadow casting over a fleet of warships below.

In a snake-shaped palace formed by the joining of many warships.

A middle-aged man in splendid robes, with horned eyes and a pointed head, sat on the Wang Zuo, listening to the Fate Official's report.

The Great Snake Kingdom, like the Southern Barbarians, also learned from Great Zhou to call the officials responsible for divination and calculation Fate Officials.

"Lord Xiucheng, two Divine Artifacts have appeared in the Dragon Court Ancient Land." The Fate Official reported to the one on the throne.

Lord Xiucheng is the ruler of the Great Snake Kingdom, the younger brother of the Great Xiu Divine Lord.

His status in the Great Snake Kingdom is just as Liang Wang's status was in Great Zhou in years past.

He is also the First-Rank expert leading this expedition, carrying a Treasure-level Divine Artifact and the National Treasure Snake.

"Is there any more precise information?" Lord Xiucheng asked.

"No more. We cannot calculate it." The Fate Official shook his head.

King Tianyan and the others were able to obtain Zhao Xing's name mainly because Zhao Xing is one of Great Zhou's own people.

One's own people are naturally easier to calculate.

Others cannot; separated by the Heaven-Earth Longmen, it is already remarkable that they know a Divine Artifact has emerged.

Like certain top-tier sects, they know nothing of this; only Shen Sect, with its deep foundations, might possibly know.

"Without even knowing the name or location, it seems there is no fate between it and our nation." Lord Xiucheng shook his head.

Being unable to calculate more information proves that their connection to the Great Snake Nation is not significant.

Of course, it might not be related to other forces either; perhaps it has nothing to do with the Southern Barbarians or the Great Zhou.

"Send an envoy to the Southern Barbarian Wang Ting to inquire about the news."

"Yes."

Southern Barbarian Camp.

Jin Yu, Purple Dragon, Flame Light, and Holy Spirit, the four great Wang Ting, were also discussing within a flying divine weapon shaped like a colorful butterfly, where a powerful expert skilled in heavenly calculations was present.

"In the ancient lands of the Dragon Court, two divine artifacts have emerged."

"It can be confirmed that there is a strong connection to the Great Zhou Dynasty."

"Can the specific situation be confirmed? For instance, who obtained them and what is their strength?"

"No, the names cannot be known."

"The location?"

"It is highly likely in the Kingdom of Guting, followed by the Kingdom of Ziti."

"The scope is too large."

On the four Wang Zuo, golden giant phantoms resided, with statues of gods behind them; their divine thoughts intersected, stirring up waves of golden mist.

Their conversation was completely confined to a very small space, impossible for others to deduce or eavesdrop on.

"Although the current information is scarce, as long as someone truly obtains them, they will eventually use them."

"Once used, more information will be obtained afterward, allowing us to narrow down the scope."

"Send someone in to contact our own powerful experts and organize a team to head to the Kingdom of Guting."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

The four Wang Zuo quickly reached a consensus.

A single treasure-grade divine artifact does not greatly affect the current world order, but if it is a peerless rare treasure-level divine artifact,

the impact is still not small.

Therefore, the Southern Barbarian forces immediately sent a person in to carry this confidential news and make arrangements.

Ancient lands of the Dragon Court, within the Wang Cheng of Guting.

When Zhao Xing and Cao Qianyue returned to the Fuming Temple, they clearly felt that the number of people had increased.

"Twenty days have passed, and there are quite a few people in the Wang Cheng of Guting now," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "I must speed up."

"Later, as more and more powerful experts arrive, it will not be so convenient for me."

If it were only a True Person of the Second Rank like Ziluo.

Then he would not fear anything, because killing is forbidden within the Wang Cheng.

The authority obtained by True Person Ziluo would at most be one rank higher than his, and might not be able to do anything to him.

But if he encounters a First-Rank expert, a First-Rank expert has at the very least Lord-level authority! Some might even have been granted the title of Dragon King!

For example, Bai Bai Yunwu of the Great Zhou; he holds the Dragon King-level title.

If he encounters a First-Rank expert from an opposing faction, they might very well use their authority to transfer him outside the city, then kill him and seize his treasures; that would be truly working for free.

Of course, after First-Rank experts enter the ancient lands of the Dragon Court, they generally do not stay in the Ten Great Ancient Kingdoms but head directly to the Central Dragon Court to explore.

First-Rank experts seem numerous, but placed within the Ten Great Ancient Kingdoms, their numbers are very scarce, and the probability of encountering one is very low.

"Hurry and dig through the treasury, then exchange twice more," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

"I can take at most two more divine artifacts."

"If I take more, Yin Xiu will be unable to play along."

If every attempt to ring the target succeeds, not only will his own people have doubts.

Yin Xiu will also think Zhao Xing is there to cause trouble!

As a Dragon King, Yin Xiu can afford to be magnanimous for one or two rounds; even if the divine artifacts are taken away, it would be fine.

But he cannot remain magnanimous forever.

"I must not be greedy now," Old Master Zhao warned himself. "Once I become stronger, I will come back and ransack his home; if he won't be magnanimous, I will force him to be."

After digging through two more high-level treasuries, Zhao Xing had gathered enough chances for two more exchanges.

He quickly entered the North Sea, the sleeping place of Dragon King Yin Xiu.

The process of summoning and tribute was completed.

Zhao Xing was teleported into the treasury of Dragon King Yin Xiu again.

"Hmm?"

"It seems to have been scrambled."

Zhao Xing compared it with his memory from last time.

He discovered that the position of the endless treasures on that land was very different from the previous time.

"Yin Xiu indeed cares about this point."

Actually, in Yin Xiu's eyes, Zhao Xing had only selected one divine artifact, and it was not even of the Dragon Clan.

The Dragon Emperor Codex was in a sealed state, and he was unaware of it.

However, this was not really a matter of whether it was a divine artifact or not.

His face would not hold up.

"I should try to find some that Yin Xiu cannot recognize," Zhao Xing thought to himself. "If it remains in its initial sealed state so he cannot see through it, that would be best."

"This way, it is safer."

Zhao Xing searched quickly.

With experience, he confirmed the location of the Divine Artifact in just three days.

"No more gambling this time; I'll directly choose a 'Treasure-grade' Divine Artifact."

"These two will do."

Zhao Xing selected a clay sculpture shaped like a rectangular brick, seemingly useless.

"【Wuji Sword Embryo · Concealed Edge】, rumored to be forged by the ancient Wuji Shen Sect; its initial form was exactly like this.

"Wuji Concealed Edge, its divine brilliance is restrained. All fluctuations and anomalies of the treasure are locked away; it can only be identified by the ancient Wuji Shen Sect mark. Not even Dragon King Yin Xiu, nor even a human arriving, could tell."

"Because the Wuji Shen Sect was the first ancient Shen Sect to be destroyed." Why did Zhao Xing know so much?

It was simple: after surpassing the version limit, players of the Fate class would look back on the past to answer some of their inner confusions.

Then it would be compiled into the story column to attract veteran players for nostalgia, earning a wave of traffic and money.

Zhao Xing also watched occasionally, so he was naturally quite clear about some things.

"The second Treasure-grade weapon, the Gong family's Divine Artifact 'Giant Divine Soldier'." Zhao Xing looked at the second item.

This one was quite large!

"In its normal state, it is nearly a hundred meters tall, appearing like a broad-bladed great sword, but in essence, it is of the same nature as 【Shen Luo · Pang Yuan】 that Shen Luo Wang once sat upon."

Zhao Xing naturally prioritized bringing back Divine Artifacts for the human race.

The limitations of the Dragon race's Divine Artifacts are relatively great.

Just as Dragon King Yin Xiu would not use the Si Nong Divine Artifact 【Kun Yuan Spirit Hoe】, humans would also find it difficult to use the Dragon race's Divine Artifacts, or the conditions for use would be extremely harsh.

"Taking these two, Dragon King Yin Xiu shouldn't be too heartbroken," Zhao Xing thought silently. "Taking these two out will also help me invest in Artificers and Martial Artists in the future."

After confirming, Zhao Xing touched the treasure.

"Voom~"

A vortex appeared, and Zhao Xing reappeared on the Dragon Crystal Road.

When Dragon King Yin Xiu saw the Giant Divine Soldier before Zhao Xing, he remained silent for a long time.

Zhao Xing's heart was uneasy.

Then, after ten breaths, Dragon King Yin Xiu flicked his dragon whiskers and directly sent Zhao Xing back to the sea surface.

"Haa~"

Zhao Xing let out a long breath.

"Old Dragon King really can't afford to play anymore; I can't come again."

Zhao Xing could clearly feel that Dragon King Yin Xiu was somewhat pained.

"But my expectations are about met; for Dragon King Yin Xiu, the most precious items are the Dragon Emperor Code and the Shennong Hoe. As for the rest suspected to be rare treasures, the probability is likely not high."

"As for the other treasures, they are not so necessary for me to take."

"Compared to safety, they are insignificant."

Zhao Xing always kept in mind: do not court death.

There was absolutely no need for him to take risks.

Because there are plenty of good places; there is no need to stubbornly clash with Dragon King Yin Xiu.

"This time, it took another seven days."

"There should be even more people coming to Wang Cheng."

"First, find the strong ones of this dynasty." Zhao Xing turned his flying boat and headed for the Grand Arena of Wang Cheng.

In the Grand Arena, there stands a statue of the Dragon God.

The Dragon God statue has countless scales; every Lord-level strong one who stands out in the Grand Arena

must leave their name on the scales of the Dragon God statue.

Dragon-script names can contain a lot of information; all factions will leave unique messages on them. Once seen, one will know if they are from the same camp.

In the Gu Ting Kingdom, there is also a creature named "Star Conch"; they are a colonial life form.

The Star Conch Queen can communicate with all Star Conches, and the Star Conches can also communicate with each other.

Through the Star Conches, the Dragon race has a means of long-distance communication.

Of course, this is far less convenient than the Earth Realm; the range is relatively small. Zhao Xing must first confirm the person is within the communication range before discussing using Star Conches to communicate.

"Aaaah~"

"!!"

"Boom-crack!"

When Zhao Xing arrived at the Arena area, in a thundercloud to the east, two ten-thousand-meter Thunder Dragons were fighting each other.

"One of the Thunder Dragons is a Dharma Image transformed by a Martial Artist." Zhao Xing was currently in Fire Transformation state and immediately saw through the trick.

Dharma Image transformation differs from the Hou Transformation Method.

A Martial Artist's Dharma Image transformation uses Yuan Qi and the refined blood of strange beasts to construct the false as real.

The Si Nong's Hou Transformation Method, however, is a transformation at the physical level.

One leans towards a true transformation at the level of life; the other is a transformation of technique. The difference between the two is great.

With Dharma Image transformation, if the Martial Artist is killed, the Dharma Image vanishes, and what remains is the human's corpse.

If a Si Nong is killed while casting the Hou Transformation Method, what remains is the corpse of the corresponding Divine Beast!

"There are people in the south too." Zhao Xing activated his Heavenly Eye to check; someone was standing on a Grade Two Malevolent Soul Dragon, fighting against a Tian Wu.

"Why so many?"

Zhao Xing glanced casually and discovered that in the Grand Arena, there were seven High-Grade 【individuals】.

There are only five mid-rank human beings.

This is merely the edge region it has observed.

"The number of high-rank beings in the Ancient Ting Kingdom shouldn't be this high," Zhao Xing frowned.

"My lord, is something amiss?" Cao Qianyue asked.

"Do the math and you'll see," Zhao Xing said.

"Including our dynasty, the total number of high-rank beings across all major factions doesn't exceed five thousand."

"According to past experience, ninety percent of high-rank beings head to the Central Dragon Court."

"Everyone mainly competes over the Central Dragon Court."

"The remaining ten percent are scattered across ten ancient kingdoms—even if all of them were in Wang Cheng, the average number in the Ancient Ting Kingdom,"

"would only be fifty."

"The actual number should be even less."

"We've already seen seven right here—the density of elites is off."

Cao Qianyue suddenly understood.

"Marquis, what should we do now?"

"First, make contact with our dynasty's elites," Zhao Xing said. "According to our dynasty's convention for exploring the Dragon Court, each kingdom's Wang Cheng must have one First Rank and two Second Rank officers stationed."

"Aren't you looking for a dining partner? Now's a good time to find one."

"Yes," Cao Qianyue thought of his good friend Li Muwan.

The Dragon God statue stretched over ten kilometers; Zhao Xing began searching from the dragon's head, since he could read Upper Dragon Script.

Cao Qianyue headed toward the dragon's tail, because if any mid-rank beings left traces, it would be in the tail region.

As a Fourth Rank perfected cultivator, he could also contact Third Rank elites.

In-in-in-in^

Zhao Xing activated Illusion Form and Invisibility, using the Celestial Mechanism Robe to conceal himself, swiftly searching the Dragon God statue.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Zhao Xing saw two familiar names at the junction of the dragon's head and body.

"Lord of the Bright Moon Mansion, Ye Ye Yukong? King Luo Tian of the Divine Net Kingdom?" Zhao Xing froze. "Why are these two here? Is this a coincidence?"

Regardless, meeting someone familiar was a good thing.

He immediately took out the Star Conch and blew a thread of Qi into it.

At the same time, his fingers tapped rhythmically on the conch's shell.

Soon, light glowed on the other side of the Star Conch. Since the secret code had been prearranged, Zhao Xing quickly received a response.

A rhythmic dragon roar and vibration sounded.

"Zhao Xing? I was just looking for you. Where are you in Wang Cheng?"

"Huh? Looking for me?" Zhao Xing immediately grew wary and did not respond right away.

The King of the Divine Net Kingdom instantly realized and sent another message: "Prince Yanda, the Pearl."

Zhao Xing's wariness eased slightly—the King of the Divine Net Kingdom's killing of Prince Yanda might be known to others.

But the transaction of the Celestial Spirit Pearl was private.

"Where is the King of the Divine Net Kingdom?" Zhao Xing remained cautious, asking first where the other was—this was too coincidental: both Second Ranks stationed in Ancient Ting Wang Cheng were people he knew?

"Xi Yin Da Quan—" the King of the Divine Net Kingdom gave a long string of names.

There was no help for it; the dragon race's naming habits were like this—translated into Dazhou language, it became a long string.

Place names couldn't be abbreviated; they expressed direction and coordinates. A slight difference could mean a vast distance.

"Alright, I'm coming right away."

Zhao Xing sealed the Star Conch and immediately sent a clone to go.

His true body remained hidden near the Grand Arena.

Xi La Mansion—the abbreviated name of the place where the King of the Divine Net Kingdom was staying.

At a high mountain in Xi La Mansion, Zhao Xing met the King of the Divine Net Kingdom, Luo Tian, and Ye Ye Yukong.

"So it really is them?"

"Zhao Xing! Hahaha, long time no see!" Ye Ye Yukong burst into laughter and rushed over.

"Big Brother Ye, King Luo," Zhao Xing greeted. "Why are you both here?"

"Little brother, come inside and I'll explain," Ye Ye Yukong pulled Zhao Xing inside.

Moments later, Zhao Xing understood.

The King of the Divine Net Kingdom and Ye Ye Yukong were both specially dispatched by Emperor Jing.

Of course, "specially dispatched" was a nicer way of saying it.

In truth, Emperor Jing had issued an order: to celebrate the promotions of my two beloved ministers, I grant you both permission to go to the Dragon Court's ancient lands to enjoy (and work).

Originally, the two were not in Ancient Ting Wang Cheng.

But Seeing Ji Si entered quickly and soon contacted Ye Ye Yukong and the King of the Divine Net Kingdom nearby, urging them to rush to Ancient Ting Wang Cheng.

Because they knew Zhao Xing well—communication would be easier.

"So there are still two other permanent Second Ranks stationed in Ancient Ting Wang Cheng?" Zhao Xing asked.

"More than that," Ye Ye Yukong said. "Including us, there are five Second Ranks total—one Vice Dean of the Divine Martial Academy, one Grand Musician of the Heavenly Music Mansion, and one Grand Physician of the Heavenly Medicine Academy."

The combination was rather odd.

But Zhao Xing was no stranger to the world—military physicians were combat-capable, especially those in the physician branch known as Poison Physicians.

A Second Rank Poison Physician could unleash a massive plague—and there'd be no defense against it.

It is somewhat similar to a hybrid of the Southern Barbarians' Insect Witch and Blood Witch.

"It is not only us who have arrived," Ye Yukong said. "The number of powerful figures from other factions has also increased. Logically, most First-Grade experts head toward the Central Dragon Court; in Wang Cheng, there are at most one or two First-Grades. Yet now..."

"The Crown Prince of the Great Snake Kingdom, Prince Fengxiu."

"The Grand Elder of the Baigu Sect, the Seven-Perfection True Lord."

"Two princes from the Southern Barbarian Wang Ting: 'Tuoba Lie' of the Golden Feather Wang Ting, and 'Mo Si', a prince of the Purple Long Wang Ting."

"All are renowned First-Grade experts!"

Many of these First-Grade experts are quite famous.

Hearing this, Zhao Xing also understood that his current concern was not about obtaining treasure, but about safety.

"Who is the guardian of Gu Ting Wang Cheng?" Zhao Xing asked.

The Wang Cheng guardian is the First-Grade expert permanently stationed in Wang Cheng by the Great Zhou.

"The Wang Cheng guardian is 'Ji Mengjun'." The Shenluo King's face showed an expression of admiration.

Ye Yukong felt the same; a hint of admiration even glimmered in his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xing could not help but feel somewhat surprised.

This was because Ji Mengjun was a First-Grade Soul Dancer; she served as the Deputy Hall Master of the War Dance Hall in the Military Realm and concurrently as the Sixth-Rank Great Dancer of the Eight-Rank Bureau in the Imperial Palace.

The Eight-Rank Dance is hailed as the highest standard of the Great Zhou; the Director of the Imperial Palace's Eight-Rank Bureau can be said to hold the highest honor among all dancers in the world.

This is because it is the configuration used when the Emperor personally leads an army, and only the Emperor may employ the Eight Dances.

Of course, the Eight-Rank Bureau does not normally appoint a Director.

Therefore, the Seventh-Rank Great Dancer is effectively the leader of all dancers.

The Sixth-Rank Great Dancer is already the second-in-command.

As the Sixth-Rank Great Dancer, Ji Mengjun is renowned throughout the world.

It is well known that the Great Zhou possesses six great war dances: "Cloud Gate," "Great Zhang," "Great Shao," "Great Xia,"

"Great Wu." Among these, the first five were passed down from ancient times, while "Great Wu" was created during the Zhou Dynasty.

The six great war dances are all ultimate techniques.

However, the six great war dances are too large in scale; they often require tens of thousands of people to perform.

Building upon this foundation, the dancers of the Great Zhou extended and created the Six Minor Dances.

They are respectively: "Dance," "Feather Dance," "Imperial Dance," "Dance," "Shield Dance," and "Human Dance."

Among these, Ji Mengjun participated in the adaptation of the "Imperial Dance" and led the creation of the "Dance."

The key point is that Ji Mengjun is not old; she is not yet four hundred years of age.

For a First-Grader, this age can be said to be the very peak.

Ji Mengjun is also a great beauty; she was once rated as the number one beauty during the reign of Emperor Jing.

"So she is a First-Grade Soul Dancer," Zhao Xing thought inwardly. "Such a 'beautiful young matron' with such formidable strength; no wonder Ye Yukong admires her."

As a Soul Dancer, Ji Mengjun can act alone; even without leading a group of dancers to form a war dance formation, she can still exert First-Grade power.

The dance of a Soul Dancer can only be viewed at noon, for at dawn and dusk, one's primordial soul would be drawn away.

"Did the two of you come here by order of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Indeed." The Shenluo King and Ye Yukong exchanged glances, then asked: "Zhao Xing, just yesterday at the Hour of Zi,

the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion in the outside world calculated that two divine artifacts have emerged. Their location is Gu Ting Wang Cheng, and they may be related to you."

Zhao Xing's expression remained unchanged as he listened quietly.

"The Lord Ji Si of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion said that you may have passed through a location where a divine artifact is concealed."

"The probability of obtaining the divine artifact is quite high."

Zhao Xing looked up and asked: "Who else knows of this matter?"

The Shenluo King said: "In Wang Cheng, it is only myself, Brother Ye, and Lord Ji."

"Zhao Xing, think carefully; did you discover anything unusual?"

Zhao Xing pondered: "Is Lord Ji Ji in Wang Cheng?"

Ye Yukong: "She is still on the road; it will take about one more day to arrive."

"In that case, let us wait for Lord Ji to arrive before speaking together."

"Very well."

The Shenluo King and Ye Yukong both knew that Zhao Xing had some connection with the Fate Official King Tianyan; since it involved important secrets, the two did not inquire further.

Even Ji Mengjun did not come to ask about it.

After one day, Ji Si arrived at Gu Ting Wang Cheng.

He, Zhao Xing, the Shenluo King, and Ye Yukong agreed to meet at Ji Mengjun's residence.

Upon receiving the order, the three immediately rushed to Ji Mengjun's residence.

When Zhao Xing stepped into Ji Mengjun's palace, he felt a momentary daze.

Before his eyes, it seemed as though a brilliant star had ignited.

The figure ahead walked forward under the starlight, shifting from blurry to clear.

Her cloud-like hair was tied high, with strands of pearls and jade ornaments interspersed among her ink-black tresses, swaying with graceful motion.

Ji Mengjun wore only a gown of cloud-like light gauze.

Yet Zhao Xing felt as though he saw all the beauty in the world upon her; every movement carried a Dao rhyme that intoxicated the heart.

When his gaze met Ji Mengjun's, it was as if struck by lightning; the main soul within his straw body actually began to tremble.

However, once the figure became completely clear, this sensation vanished quickly.

First, Zhao Xing's divine soul was powerful, so he regained clarity relatively fast; second, Ji Mengjun quickly suppressed her Dao rhyme.

By the second glance, he appeared no different from an ordinary person.

"Presenting myself to Lord Ji," Zhao Xing clasped his hands.

"Marquis Shenwei, no need for formalities," Ji Mengjun raised her jade hand lightly, her voice very gentle.

Zhao Xing then bowed to Ji Si beside Ji Mengjun: "Greetings, Lord Ji."

"Zhao Xing, I assume the Lord of Mingyue and King Shenluo have already spoken to you about the intent behind seeking you," Ji Si asked. "Yes," Zhao Xing nodded.

"Then have you discovered any place in Wang Cheng that made your heart surge with sudden intuition, or have you seen any strange person or object?"

What Ji Si mentioned were common sensations high-grade experts feel regarding treasures.

Zhao Xing shook his head and said, "No."

He answered so quickly that both Ye Yukong and King Shenluo showed some disappointment in their eyes.

However, the next moment, Zhao Xing said, "The two divine artifacts you mentioned are already in my hands."

Ye Yukong: "(⊙_⊙)"

King Shenluo: "(⊙_⊙)"

A trace of strange color also appeared in Ji Mengjun's eyes.

Ji Si was stunned: "Is this truly so?"

Zhao Xing nodded: "Truly."

Since a First-Rank Fate Official had entered, there was no need for him to conceal anything.

After all, this order would certainly have to pass through King Tianyan.

Ji Si smiled and said, "Very well, follow me."

Zhao Xing said, "Yes."

He followed Ji Si into the secret chamber prepared by Ji Mengjun.

King Shenluo and Ye Yukong could only wait in the main hall.

Inside the secret chamber.

Ji Si went straight to the point: "Zhao Xing, what is the grade of the two divine artifacts you obtained, and what are their functions? Have you figured them out?"

Zhao Xing pondered and said, "One is the peerless divine artifact of my Dili Sect, the Kunyuan Primordial Spirit Hoe. As for the second, I suspect it is related to the Dragon Clan."

Ji Si's expression trembled: "The Shennong Hoe?!"

Hearing this name, he lost his composure somewhat.

A She Divine Artifact!

How could he not know the power of a She Divine Artifact?

"Legend says the Kunyuan Primordial Spirit Hoe can dig away the earth veins of nineteen provinces; anything underground, any barrier or underground palace, will be dug down by it."

"You, you actually obtained it."

Ji Si looked at Zhao Xing, his eyes filled with light; Zhao Xing seemed born of the times, a lucky star brought by heaven to the Kunyuan Underground Palace!

"In the unseen, there is naturally a heavenly destiny," Ji Si sighed with emotion.

Zhao Xing had written the Benwo Sect's "Two Sutras Commentary Collection" and "Treatise on Material Laws," written the Tianshi Sect's "Treatise on the Great Zhou Tian of Three Yin, Three Yang, and Six Qi," and now he had recovered a divine artifact for the Dili Sect.

It seemed truly like the Sage Disciple of Agriculture from the ancient era, possessing great fortune, capable of leading his sect toward prosperity.

"Pity we cannot go out now; otherwise, I would send you back immediately."

At this stage, the Dragon Court allows entry but forbids exit.

In the subsequent closing phase, it will allow exit but forbid entry.

Of course, Ji Si did not know that Zhao Xing could actually go out; he could summon the 【Ancient Yin Warship】 with the Shang Tang Token, shuttle between the Yin and Yang realms, and exit from the Yin Realm.

"Zhao Xing, have you researched the Dragon Clan's divine artifact?" Ji Si quickly adjusted his emotions and continued asking.

Lord Zhao instantly understood in a split second.

Ji Si was actually asking him if he was willing to hand over the Dragon Clan's divine artifact to other powerful experts for research.

After all, to maximize the imperial court's interests, naturally, one should give this divine artifact to a First-Rank expert who understands it better to use.

Zhao Xing nodded: "Yes. As you already know, the special nature of the Tianyan Spirit Art I cultivate requires a supreme soul method to decipher."

Once Ji Si knew the secret, Zhao Xing's sealing technique would be ineffective against Ji Si, so it could be spoken.

This reason was not a mere excuse.

The Decree section of the Dragon Emperor Codex truly cannot be unlocked by ordinary people; besides needing a specific location, one must also possess powerful divine sense capacity.

Ji Si nodded: "That is very good."

After a pause, he added: "Were there any other treasures at the place where the divine artifact was obtained?"

"Yes," Zhao Xing said. "I suspect there should be several more precious treasures inside."

"What?!" Ji Si was stunned.

He had originally asked casually, without much expectation.

Obtaining two divine artifacts at once, and seeing Zhao Xing's appearance, he seemed uninjured; that meant he had taken an enormous stroke of good fortune.

Divine artifacts in piles? He dared not imagine that.

How could he know that Zhao Xing had obtained four, not two!

It was just that for the latter two, since Ji Si had already entered, he did not know.

However, even if he were outside, it would be difficult to know.

Because King Tianyan and the others had not received any news either.

Mainly, various factions sent Fate Officials into the arena, interfering with one another.

The two divine artifacts Zhao Xing obtained later did not appear in the calculations of the Creation Plate and the Heavenly Mechanism Pillar.

"Listen to me, that day I arrived at Wang Cheng———"

Zhao Xing revealed the matter of the Dragon King Yin Xiu.

"I happened upon this method of tribute in an ancient text within the Fuming Divine Temple."

"I learned that Dragon King Yin Xiu has such a tribute custom."

Seeing Ji Si exclaimed: "There are such things?"

He had assumed the sleeping Dragon King would simply sleep, accepting tribute only upon awakening.

He never expected tribute could be accepted as it neared awakening.

"Do all Ten Kingdoms follow this rule?" Seeing Ji Si asked.

"I don't know," Zhao Xing shook his head. "No such thing is mentioned in the ancient texts."

In truth, only Yin Xiu of the Guting Kingdom follows this custom.

Because Dragon King Yin Xiu is the inheritor of the Golden Script of Dong Huang, as he nears awakening, he enters a light sleep, allowing his Dragon Spirit to awaken first.

He uses his Dragon Spirit to read ancient texts, helping the Dragon Spirit gradually recover its state.

At the moment of true awakening, Yin Xiu can immediately unleash the full power of his physical body.

The other Dragon Kings, however, all have a buffer period during their physical awakening.

It is like the Spirit-Sealing Ice Coffin of the Xuantian Sect—its powerful cultivators, upon awakening from cryogenic hibernation, also require a buffer period to adapt.

In simple terms, Yin Xiu has no "confused" state after awakening—he immediately reaches peak strength.

The other Dragon Kings all suffer varying degrees of "sleeping aftereffects," preventing them from instantly regaining peak power.

Since the Dragon Spirit is already awake and idle, why not accept tribute while it's at it?

After all, his return to ruling the Guting Kingdom is not far off.

But this custom is very ancient, and Dragon King Yin Xiu never publicized it; among today's Guting Dragon Clan,

very few dragons even know of it.

"There's no time to lose—we must go immediately to Dragon King Yin Xiu's location and make the exchange!" Seeing Ji Si became instantly excited.

At this moment, Seeing Ji Si was no different from players in Zhao Xing's past life who had discovered hidden quests.

Eyes gleaming, hands rubbing like flies.

"Zhao Xing, I assign King Tianyan and the Fuzhu Sect's Lord to guard your safety."

"If deciphering the Dragon Clan's divine artifact requires leaving the city, you must inform me and Commandant Ji."

Seeing Ji Si had not forgotten her primary mission.

"Yes," Zhao Xing nodded obediently.

"Shhh—"

Seeing Ji Si immediately brought Zhao Xing to the main hall, gave her instructions, then hurried off to discuss matters with Ji Mengjun.

It goes without saying they would mobilize vast resources to trade with Dragon King Yin Xiu.

But this had nothing to do with Zhao Xing—he had no intention of going again.

Before leaving Ji Mengjun's palace with Zhao Xing, King Tianyan and Ye Ye Yukong briefly watched a dance.

Since the divine artifacts still rested on Zhao Xing, Seeing Ji Si had Ji Mengjun cast a spell to temporarily erase his memory of acquiring the two artifacts.

Watching the two men emerge from the palace looking slightly dazed, Zhao Xing smiled inwardly: "Seeing Ji Si is more cautious than King Tianyan."

"Young brother, where are you headed next?" Ye Ye Yukong asked. They had received their temporary assignment to guard Zhao Xing.

"I'm a Fuming artisan—I plan to take on tasks from the Fuming Divine Temple to accumulate merit in the Guting Kingdom," Zhao Xing said. "With enough merit, I can exchange for trips to the Central Dragon Court."

Taking Fuming Divine Temple tasks not only accumulates merit but also lets me casually raid the strongholds of other factions.

The Huikui Sect's high-level vaults are empty, but other major factions still have theirs.

The powerful ones from the Great Zhou have also arrived.

What does Old Master Zhao care?

If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up!

"I'm a Fuming artisan—during demolition and construction, I accidentally unearthed another faction's vaults.

That's perfectly reasonable."

"Wherever there's a vault, I'll take the demolition and construction tasks—perfect, since King Tianyan is also a mechanism master, no need to hire Dragon Clan craftsmen," Zhao Xing thought silently.

"No."

Quickly, Zhao Xing rejected the idea in his mind.

"Once or twice might be fine, but too many times will raise suspicion."

"The plan must be tighter."

"Got it—I can blame it on ancient coins!"

Zhao Xing quickly made his decision.

King Tianyan frowned: "Fuming artisan? How did you switch to such a Dragon Clan official title?"

Zhao Xing shrugged: "The Dragon Clan has no Minister of Agriculture. The Gong School is closest to me, so I chose it."

King Tianyan said: "Don't the Dragons have farmers? I recall they grow divine trees like Dragon Blood Wood and Dragon Fruit."

"In Wang Cheng, lords run rampant, city governors are worse than dogs. Yin Li is stingy—how could such a good thing fall to me?" Zhao Xing casually dumped the blame on Yin Li.

King Tianyan nodded.

Ye Ye Yukong looked annoyed: "King Tianyan is a mechanism master—fine to go to the Fuming Divine Temple. You, as Minister of Agriculture, at least have some connection."

"What would a martial artist like me do at the Fuming Divine Temple?"

King Tianyan chuckled: "Mine digging! Your strength? Perfect for a miner."

Ye Ye Yukong's face dropped.

In truth, King Tianyan was just joking.

Ye Ye Yukong was a Lord-level power in the Dragon Clan—how could he be sent to mine ore?

While offering tributes to Yin Li to secure passage to the Fu Ming Palace, he ended up as a Level-Two Supervisor.

Shen Luo Wang also became a Level-Two Fu Ming Envoy within the Fu Ming Divine Palace.

Lord-level strength does not directly correlate with official rank; Shen Luo Wang's tributed resources were only enough to qualify him as a Level-Two Fu Ming Envoy.

A Level-One Fu Ming Envoy is the second-in-command of the Fu Ming Divine Palace, ranking only below the Palace Master—impossible to be promoted to that position upon arrival.

Thus, Zhao Xing's main body returned to his assigned residence in the Fu Ming Divine Palace with two divine artifacts, studying the Dragon Emperor's Codex.

His avatar began taking missions alongside Shen Luo Wang, Ye Ye Yukong, and Cao Qianyue.

This mission suited Shen Luo Wang and Cao Qianyue well.

But it was somewhat tedious for Zhao Xing and Ye Ye Yukong.

Then, when Zhao Xing accidentally unearthed a high-tier storage vault of the Sheng Ling Wang Ting.

Ye Ye Yukong immediately perked up.

"Holy shit, Old Luo, Brother Zhao—this, this looks like the Sheng Ling Wang Ting emblem, right?!" Ye Ye Yukong pointed at the cracked earth, where beneath lay a flat stone door bearing the Sheng Ling emblem.

"Be more confident—drop the 'looks like.'" Shen Luo Wang rushed over, glanced once, and laughed. "It is."

Shen Luo Wang scanned the surroundings, excitedly saying: "I sense the fluctuations of the mechanism array—hahaha, we've found treasure!"

"Shen Luo Wang, can you open it?" Zhao Xing asked. "Do we need to call the Fu Ming craftsmen?"

"Call them for this?" Shen Luo Wang snorted. "I am Shen Luo Wang of the Great Zhou. If I must rely on others to break the seal of some barbarian vault, I might as well die."

Zhao Xing said nothing, only silently raised his thumb.

Though this form of praise was uncommon, Shen Luo Wang instantly understood, lifting his head and saying: "Step back and watch me perform my art."

"Hurry up, hurry up!" Ye Ye Yukong rubbed his hands.

Cao Qianyue had no say; Zhao Xing pulled him behind Shen Luo Wang: "Shen Luo Wang, this is my personal guard—let him assist you."

Zhao Xing sought to let Xiao Cao learn some techniques from Shen Luo Wang.

Shen Luo Wang glanced at Cao Qianyue, then gave a slight nod: "Simple matter. Come here."

Xiao Cao looked at Zhao Xing with deep gratitude, then followed.

Shen Luo Wang's skills were no exaggeration—he had never been to the Dragon Court's ancient lands before.

Yet he quickly mastered the Dragon Clan's craftsmanship, and within days, he handled it better than even the Fu Ming descendants.

Opening the Sheng Ling Wang Ting vault took only about ten minutes.

After emptying the vault, unlocking chests and other intricate devices was nearly instantaneous.

With experts present, things went smoothly—and inventorying was swift.

Ultimately, they estimated the total value of the Sheng Ling Wang Ting vault:

"Approximately forty million Dragon Coins."

"Whoa~" Ye Ye Yukong sucked in a breath.

"Zhao Xing, Old Ye—how do we split it?" Shen Luo Wang asked.

As for Cao Qianyue, he had no right to participate in the division.

Ye Ye Yukong said: "By military rules, Shen Luo, you contributed the most—you deserve seven tenths. But since the Fu Ming Dragon Craftsmen could open this too, let's say five tenths."

"Zhao Xing takes four tenths; I'll take one."

Ye Ye Yukong contributed nothing—taking one tenth was already generous.

Zhao Xing smiled: "I have no objections."

Without Fu Ming Dragon Craftsmen, and ignoring other factors, Shen Luo Wang's contribution was greatest and irreplaceable—he deserved seven or eight tenths.

Now that Dragon Craftsmen are present, five tenths is reasonable.

Though this meant Zhao Xing received less, it was safer.

He couldn't keep finding treasures alone.

Ye Ye Yukong and Shen Luo Wang could share the resentment.

Of course, if Shen Luo Wang grew greedy, Zhao Xing would no longer include him.

Shen Luo Wang nodded: "Fair. Then it's settled."

On the fifth day, Zhao Xing 'accidentally' discovered a storage vault belonging to the top sect Tian Yin Sect—its value was not especially high.

Total value: eight million.

While Ye Ye Yukong and Shen Luo Wang were in high spirits, Zhao Xing slapped his forehead: "Of course—we can get rich this way too!"

Shen Luo Wang seemed to grasp something, his eyes lighting up.

Ye Ye Yukong blinked: "What do you mean?"

Zhao Xing pulled out the Purple-Gold Ancient Coin: "Big Brother Ye, Shen Luo Wang—you haven't forgotten this, have you?"

Shen Luo Wang burst into laughter: "Hahaha, you're devious!"

He reacted quickly; Ye Ye Yukong took half a beat, then understood: "Whoa—you mean using this to locate others' vaults?"

"Exactly!"

Ye Ye Yukong suddenly realized: "No wonder we've amassed so much in just a few days—it's all thanks to Brother Zhao!"

Shen Luo Wang also said: "Then I shouldn't have taken so much before. Zhao Xing, let's recalculate."

Zhao Xing waved his hand: "Nonsense—we're all one family. Why dwell on the past?"

Shen Luo Wang no longer insisted.

Zhao Xing said: "From now on, we'll use this to seek treasure—seek vaults of sects, Southern Barbarians, and Eastern Islands."

Ye Ye Yukong asked: "Can we ask the officials for help? If we're digging, let's dig something big!"

"Do you think Lord Ji hasn't done this?" Zhao Xing said.

"You now know about Dragon King Yin Xiu. First-Rank experts, focus your efforts on gathering funds."

"They have gone in and out several times already. The imperial court's reserves left in Wang Ting's Wang Cheng are limited; where will the money come from?"

Ye Ye Yukong was somewhat stunned: "I never expected high-ranking officials to engage in such dealings. I thought..."

"Brother Ye, this is requisitioning." Zhao Xing said sternly and righteously.

The Shen Luo King also shouted, "Brother Zhao speaks correctly. Brother Ye, do not speak nonsense."

"Yes, yes, it is requisitioning!" Ye Ye Yukong said fiercely.

Zhao Xing said, "We must move faster. Once officials from other factions arrive, we will have no chance."

In truth, this was purely a pretext to scoop up money.

Zhao Xing knew the location directly; even if other factions entered to obscure the Heavenly Secrets, it would be useless.

Even Ji Si might not scoop up wealth as fast as the three of them.

He was now trying his best to rationalize his actions.

One must have grounds and reasons even when getting rich.

"Very well, then thank you, Brother Zhao, for leading us to wealth!"

The Shen Luo King and Ye Ye Yukong were full of energy.

Zhao Xing's clone, the Shen Luo King, and Ye Ye Yukong dug with great delight.

The true body began studying the Dragon Emperor Code and the Kun Primordial Spirit Hoe.

"It can basically be confirmed that this is the Decree Chapter, one of the nine parts of the Dragon Emperor Code," Zhao Xing thought silently. "However, I cannot activate it now; I must go to the Central Long Wang Ting."

It was in a sealed state; otherwise, Yin Xiu would not have failed to recognize it.

If he could recognize it, he would absolutely not have brought it out for exchange.

"Going to the Central Long Wang Ting now is still somewhat dangerous; after all, the First-Ranks are all over there."

"Let us first scoop up some things from Dragon King Yin Xiu before doing anything else."

"Even if I tell Ji Si and ask him to send people to escort me, that will still take some time."

"Otherwise, if I just obtained it and immediately discovered some clues, that would be far too abnormal."

Zhao Xing set the Long Wang Ting Code aside and turned his attention to studying the Shennong Hoe.

"The Kun Primordial Spirit Hoe, this divine artifact of the Earth, is truly a fine thing."

The moment he picked up the Shennong Hoe, he entered a mystical state where all Earthly Advantage Laws reached the supreme perfection level.

"With it, when we fight the Southern Barbarians in the future, relying on it to open an ancient road, we can go directly to the foot of the Southern Barbarian Holy Mountain!"

"Using it to open ancient underground tunnels requires no consideration of terrain at all."

During Emperor Jing's reign, they fought the Southern Barbarians without building ancient underground tunnels. Was it because he did not want to build them? No, it was too difficult, required massive investment, and was simply not cost-effective.

But if there is the Shennong Hoe, it is different; the effect of this peerless treasure can give Great Zhou an additional battlefield.

"Hehe, the Great Zhou version of the Babok Worm; I ask you, are you afraid?"

"Even if we fight the Yan Guang Wang Ting, I, this old man, will not fear it."

"If they dare come? One hoe strike will knock them dead."

Old Master Zhao had never forgotten the Yan Guang Wang Ting, but now with the Shennong Hoe, it would be turning heaven and earth upside down.

The ones who should have a headache are the Southern Barbarians, not him!

Time passed, and soon it was ten days later.

As Zhao Xing, the Shen Luo King, and Ye Ye Yukong continued digging for treasures, the wealth they accumulated grew ever larger.

The Shen Luo King and Ye Ye Yukong had their mouths stretched wide with smiles.

"Who would have ever thought? In ten days, we actually dug up treasures worth 200 million. This is simply..."

"So satisfying!" Ye Ye Yukong jumped in.

"Thanks to Brother Zhao," the Shen Luo King sighed. "Without Brother Zhao, how could we have had such an opportunity?"

"Yes," Ye Ye Yukong nodded.

"It is about enough; let us stop digging." Zhao Xing said. "As time passes, people from other factions are increasing in number."

"The difficulty of digging into others' treasuries is also increasing; basically, someone has already gone to retrieve them or is guarding them."

"Moreover, the longer we delay, the higher the threshold for exchange becomes. You should also go to the lower treasuries and try your luck."

"Yes, it is about enough," the Shen Luo King said:

"Those sect factions and Southern Barbarian factions that rushed over would love nothing more than to eat us alive."

"Hahaha." Ye Ye Yukong thought of this and laughed uncontrollably. "At the beginning, some people did not even know what was happening, but there were a few times we dug right in front of people."

"Especially that Feng Xiu Jun from the Great Snake Kingdom; he is said to be the Crown Prince of the Great Snake Kingdom. His face turned green with anger."

"But he could only watch us dig there."

"Hahahaha." The Shen Luo King also laughed.

It must be said that guarding for Zhao Xing was not in vain.

Not only did they get rich, but it was also incredibly satisfying.

Killing people is not this gratifying.

"Very well, the treasure-digging operation has reached a pause. You two go find Lord Ji and apply for the exchange," Zhao Xing said.

He would not go, but these two could still go.

Strengthening the power of these two is also not bad.

"Very well, let us go."

Zhao Xing, the Shen Luo King, and Ye Ye Yukong found Ji Si to learn the situation.

"The threshold for receiving tribute from Dragon King Xiu is getting higher and higher," Ji Si said. "Nowadays, the threshold has already doubled."

"Sixty million is required to obtain one blind selection opportunity."

"What? Sixty million?!" Ye Yukong and the Divine Luo King were both startled. "Didn't they say 20 million in tribute allows one selection?"

The three requisitioned the treasure vaults, with a total value of roughly two hundred million.

Among them, Zhao Xing took one hundred and twenty million, while Ye Yukong and the Divine Luo King combined took eighty million.

That is to say, the two combined only had enough to exchange for one time.

But there was no other way; after Ji Si arrived, he mobilized personnel on a massive scale, entering and exiting purely by overwhelming numbers. Moreover, as a Fate Official, his success rate was terrifyingly high.

Dragon King Yin Xiu was forced to raise the standard for exchanging tribute.

"Except for me exchanging a few ninth-rank heavy artifacts, everyone else lost out, but calculating it, it is still a small profit," Ji Si said. "However, if everyone were profiting, Dragon King Yin Xiu would go bankrupt within a year. It is quite normal for him to raise the standard."

"This matter will likely be impossible to conceal soon; I am also urgently mobilizing resources here."

"Strive to go a few more times before the situation is exposed."

"Once the situation is exposed, not only the Human Race factions, but the Lord-level figures from the Gu Ting Kingdom will likely swarm here."

Ye Yukong and the Divine Luo King immediately wore bitter smiles.

"My lord, is your high success rate because you carry ancient coins?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Correct," Ji Si smiled. "This is the advantage of a Fate Official. The Dragon King lived in the ancient era and has never seen things like ancient coins, so I can select ninth-rank items every time."

This was also what Zhao Xing had reminded him of, because the reason he selected divine artifacts was using coins.

"However, Yin Xiu cannot take a joke; I only selected ten ninth-rank treasures, and he forbade me from going again."

Zhao Xing, the Divine Luo King, and Ye Yukong could not help but laugh.

It was not surprising they couldn't take a joke; you win every time you play the ring toss, who would play with you?

"Divine Luo, Mingyue, Zhao Xing, your money probably only grants one opportunity."

"The Imperial Court's resources are also tight; nowadays, there are ten First-Rank figures in Wang Cheng."

"I cannot allocate resources to you to enter; you must understand."

Ji Si said.

The Lord of Mingyue Mansion and the Divine Luo King nodded.

Resources are limited; naturally, priority goes to First-Rank experts or Fate Officials to try their luck.

"Divine Luo, Zhao Xing. You two go; I will not try my luck." Ye Yukong felt somewhat regretful, but at least Zhao Xing and the Divine Luo King could still go.

"I will not go; I am afraid the Dragon King cannot take a joke." Zhao Xing shook his head. "Brother Ye, I will lend you my money."

Zhao Xing finding money was just a side benefit.

The main purpose was to accumulate merit for the Fuming Temple.

Doing a favor at this moment, why not?

"This, you let me go? What about yourself?" Ye Yukong asked.

"Do not ask so much," Ji Si said. "It involves secrets."

Ye Yukong was immediately choked back.

"You have two chances; I will also lend you the Hongyun Coin." Zhao Xing smiled. "As for the Purple Gold Ancient Coin, that is impossible; you do not know the Way of Divination."

"Agreed!" Ye Yukong was not shy, silently recording the favor in his heart. "Watch me go fetch a divine artifact!"

The Divine Luo King watched from the side with envy.

His relationship with Zhao Xing was not as good as Ye Yukong's; being able to bring him wealth was already good; this money and the Hongyun Coin were not for him.

"Mingyue, Divine Luo, I will schedule you for tomorrow; you go tomorrow," Ji Si spoke.

"Yes," Ye Yukong and the Divine Luo King nodded.

They were still quite looking forward to the upcoming exchange.

Because up to now, the ten First-Rank figures on the Imperial Court's side, and the thirty-plus Second-Rank Fate Officials, had not drawn any divine artifacts; the highest was ninth-rank level treasures. The luckiest was him, Ji Si; relying on ancient coins to take a shortcut, he drew a ninth-rank top-grade heavy artifact.

Of course, it was also possible that Ji Si simply did not say it.

This was also normal; Ji Si, this First-Rank Fate Official, did not need to report anything to them.

Even Zhao Xing did not know if what Ji Si said was true or false.

"After giving away favors and accumulating merit for a while, I must also leave Wang Cheng."

"It can be foreseen that the future Gu Ting Wang Cheng will absolutely be crowded with First and Second-Rank experts."

"I have also dug up so many treasure vaults; I will surely attract hatred," Zhao Xing thought inwardly. "After taking benefits, one must run quickly,"

"go to the Central Wang Ting to activate the Dragon Emperor Codex."

"As long as I master the Nine Great Spells, even if I encounter a First-Ranker in the Dragon Court Ancient Land, I will not fear."

The next day, Ye Yukong and the Divine Luo King went and returned.

The Divine Luo King only drew one eighth-rank top-grade divine weapon; this could only be said to be neither profit nor loss.

Ye Yukong drew a ninth-rank mid-grade level armor; a small profit.

When he returned the Hongyun Coin, he still felt some regret.

"It seems the divine artifact is not destined for me."

"You should be content," the Divine Luo King said. "After all, you made a profit."

Zhao Xing said nothing.

In the following days, he performed merit tasks within Wang Cheng.

Time passed day by day, and it was soon December of the third year of Dazhi.

At this time, the situation in Gu Ting Wang Cheng was completely different from half a year ago.

Ji Si and others frequently entering and exiting the Beihai Grounds had finally attracted attention from all sides.

The Crown Prince of the Great Snake Kingdom, "Fengxiu Dajun," and the Supreme Elder of the Baigu Sect, the Seven Extremes True Lord.

Two princes from the Southern Barbarian Wang Ting: "Tuoba Lie" of the Jin Yu Wang Ting and "Mo Si," a prince of the Purple Long Wang Ting.

In the Sect Realm, first-grade experts like Blood Shadow Heavenly Venerable and Mountain Ghost King Lord lead the way.

The number of first-grade experts from Gu Ting Wang Cheng totals over fifty-six!

"So many first-grade experts." Zhao Xing, hearing the news, felt a chill. "With so many first-grade experts, they could even overthrow Gu Ting Wang Cheng. If they bring divine artifacts, it might trigger a major upheaval."

Back in October, the news spread, and finally, this rule of Dragon King Yin Xiu was revealed.

They might even exchange for divine artifacts of the rare treasure grade!

Thus, this news instantly caused a sensation!

Forces from all sides urgently mobilized resources from elsewhere, trying to get a share of the spoils.

However, by this time, their cost had already become very, very high.

Even Seeing Ji Si could only occupy one lane and queue to proceed.

The speed of exchange also slowed down.

Due to Zhao Xing, Great Zhou led far ahead in this exchange, gaining huge benefits, while other factions lost money in various ways.

Plus, many treasuries were mysteriously emptied; after investigation, the finger pointed at Great Zhou.

Thus, friction grew increasingly severe.

The resentment of all factions toward Great Zhou had accumulated to a critical point.

"It is very likely we will have to fight, and conflict will arise," Zhao Xing thought silently. "My merit accumulation is nearly complete; wait two more days, then I must leave."

Just as he was about to go find Seeing Ji Si to discuss this matter.

Suddenly, Shen Luo Wang and Ye Ye Yukong entered with gloomy expressions.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Xing looked at the two.

"Intelligence reports that in the Nine Star Fire Prison of the Central Long Wang Ting, a ten-thousand-person melee has broken out, with experts from many factions,"

"ambushing our dynasty's expert exploration teams," Shen Luo Wang said.

"What? Ten thousand people?" Zhao Xing was stunned. "The entire human race doesn't even have ten thousand high-grade experts."

"Not just the human race; those who used permissions to borrow Dragon Clan power to attack are also counted in," Ye Ye Yukong said.

"I didn't expect fighting to break out in Central Wang Ting before any battle occurred here in Gu Ting Wang Cheng."

Zhao Xing frowned. "What are the specific details?"

"It is said that White Dragon King suffered heavy impact, is trapped in the Nine Star Fire Prison, and his life or death is unknown," Shen Luo Wang pondered: "I estimate some experts from Gu Ting Wang Ting must be transferred there—huh? Zhao Xing, what's wrong? Why does your face look so terrible?"

"Is there a detailed list of the Bai Yun Wu team?" Zhao Xing said with a gloomy face.

"Here." Shen Luo Wang handed it over, puzzled.

Zhao Xing quickly took it, glanced over it, and a flash of shock passed through his eyes.

Because Long Xiao was conspicuously on the Bai Yun Wu team list!

"Snap!" Zhao Xing closed the list, immediately looked at Ye Ye Yukong and Shen Luo Wang. "Two of you, I need to go immediately to the Nine Star Fire Prison area of the Central Long Wang Ting for rescue; I wish to ask the two of you to escort me there!"

"This matter involves life and death; if you are unwilling, I will not force you."

Shen Luo Wang and Ye Ye Yukong exchanged a glance, instantly realizing it was time for the two of them to repay Zhao Xing's debt.

This matter involves life and death; they could refuse, but if they refused, they would part ways with Zhao Xing forever. After that, they would never advance further, their thoughts would never be unblocked, and they might even develop heart demons!

"I'll go!" Ye Ye Yukong did not hesitate.

"I will go through fire and water without hesitation!" Shen Luo Wang nodded.