Hao’s face, full of the slyness of a merchant, didn’t drive Yun Shang and the others crazy. Instead, Yun Shang, stroking his white beard, shook his head and said, “Just as Xin Mei said, you really have the potential to become the greatest merchant in the universe. Even if you can’t find ‘that power,’ you can still make a name for yourself in this world.”
“Of course!” Although Hao had a thick skin, he couldn’t help but blush slightly.
“I wonder if these items count as some benefits for you,” Yun Shang, clearly prepared in advance, opened his hand, revealing five uniquely shaped rings resting in his palm.
Although it was the post-universe era, rings were still the most common type of accessory, and even many weapons and armors were designed in the shape of rings, wrapped in high-tech packaging.
However, the rings Yun Shang had brought out were clearly genuine treasures. Not only did they have strange appearances, but they also emitted a faint, seven-colored glow, as if they were imbued with the legendary essence of immortals.
“What kind of things are these?” Hao feigned indifference, grabbed the rings, and put them on his fingers. Strangely enough, although they looked large, the rings automatically shrank to perfectly fit his fingers.
Each of the five rings had its own unique appearance and aura. The first was pure white, a simple circle, but when touched, it gave off an ethereal sensation. The second was golden, with a pair of golden wings as the ring setting. The third looked like a stone, ancient and heavy. The fourth was shaped like a fierce dragon, its tail and head circling the finger. The last was a deep black, different from the other four in that it wasn’t round, resembling a piece struck by lightning and broken into two parts, barely connected on Hao’s finger.
“Yun Ling Ring, Golden Wing Ring, Stone Mist Ring, Dragon Roar Ring, and Thunder Wrath Ring,” Yun Shang said. “These rings contain the divine power of our five main gods. Although only one percent of their divine power can be used outside the divine realm, they can still instantly unleash combat power equivalent to level one hundred. As long as you don’t provoke the elders in the Senate, you should be able to ensure your safety.”
“What are their specific uses?” Hao naturally knew these were treasures. His own combat power was only around level fifteen, but the rings could offer a tenfold increase in power.
“My Yun Ling Ring can use my ultimate skill, ‘Reverse Flow,’ in times of crisis,” Yun Shang naturally only knew about his own ring. “Although it can only stop time for one second where you are, it can help you a lot.”
“One second? What’s the use of that?” Hao had been full of confidence, but when he heard that the rings were far inferior to the gods’ real abilities, he became disheartened again.
“Each ring can only be used three times. You must use them wisely.”
“Use them?!” Hao muttered in his heart. “As soon as I get out, I’ll sell all five rings. A god’s ring, how much would that be worth? Maybe I can exchange them for several battleships.”
“There’s another condition!” This time, it wasn’t Hao who spoke but Hun Yuan Zi, who had fully awakened. He seemed to have no intention of punishing Hao and instead started negotiating on his behalf. “You said earlier that he must find ‘that power’ and help the gods lift the seal. First, Yang Hao must reach the realm of a celestial immortal. But Yang Hao’s current strength, even without breaking through the Yuan Ying realm, is not enough to stand among experts. Therefore, to help him find ‘that power,’ you must help him improve his strength, at least enough to break through the Yuan Ying realm! Only then will Yang Hao have the hope of completing his cultivation tasks quickly.”
“Break through the Yuan Ying realm!!” This condition startled Yang Hao greatly. He knew from past experience that Hun Yuan Zi had often said that cultivators would encounter several major checkpoints on the path of cultivation.
The first major checkpoint was the foundation building stage. Not everyone could build their foundation; only those with true talent could complete this stage and begin their journey of cultivation. This alone eliminated ninety percent of people.
The second major checkpoint was breaking through the Yuan Ying realm. Even if someone had talent and could reach the He He realm, like Yang Hao now, everything depended on effort and talent. Breaking through the Yuan Ying realm required time and luck.
A cultivator who could break through the Yuan Ying realm within thirty years was already considered a miracle. For more people, even among ten thousand, nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine of them could not make any progress at all.
Especially in the Dan Ding dual cultivation sect, the improvement of cultivation realms was not achieved through meditation or breathing techniques but through refining nine main elixirs. Each elixir refined could lead to a new realm.
Hao had already paid a staggering price to reach the He He realm, even needing to gain control of the Saint Bear Star. How could breaking through the Yuan Ying realm, one of the three major challenges in cultivation, be easy?
To break through the Yuan Ying realm, one must refine a miraculous main elixir called the “Hun Tian Chi Nu Dan.” This elixir couldn’t be completed just by gathering all the ingredients; even the most precious medicinal herbs existed in the divine realm. More importantly, there was another crucial element.
The cauldron, known historically as the Great Elixir Cauldron, could only be manufactured by the top craftsmen using the world’s rarest materials. Unfortunately, during the first revival of the cultivators, the last existing Great Elixir Cauldron was destroyed by hostile forces, and the blueprints and methods for manufacturing it had been lost thousands of years ago.
Throughout the long history that followed, the elders of the Dan Ding sect devoted themselves to research, unwilling to let the Yuan Ying realm checkpoint block the path of cultivation, sacrificing countless lives and years. Finally, one day, several elders of the Dan Ding sect found a more sophisticated and rare Chi Nu Cauldron to replace it.
That was the real female body. Using the dantian of a special woman as the cauldron for refining elixirs, the effect could rival the Chi Nu Cauldron. To match the rarity of the elixir cauldron, the woman must be extremely special.
Hao and his companions were in the divine realm, of course, unable to find a way to make a real Chi Nu Cauldron. The only way was to have the gods find a woman capable of serving as the female cauldron.
The most difficult and almost impossible requirement was that the female cauldron for refining the elixir couldn’t be just any woman. She must be a woman whose own strength had already surpassed the Yuan Ying realm, who would take various aphrodisiacs and rare materials for seven days, and then engage in a union with the cultivator before enduring the great tribulation of breaking through the Yuan Ying realm to successfully refine the elixir.
After all, a woman whose strength had already surpassed the Yuan Ying realm would never willingly serve as someone else’s female cauldron. Coupled with enduring the erosion of aphrodisiacs for seven days, it was practically unbearable for a woman.
Therefore, breaking through the Yuan Ying realm was simply something that could only be encountered by chance. The term “dual cultivation” in the Dan Ding dual cultivation sect was also related to the high difficulty of the Yuan Ying realm. In the past, every disciple of the Dan Ding sect prayed every night that they might be blessed with the favor of a fairy willing to marry them. But in reality, how could such good fortune exist? Thus, those who could truly break through this realm were truly one in ten thousand.
“This is impossible!” The condition proposed by Hun Yuan Zi was something even Yang Hao couldn’t believe. “Master, you don’t have to ask the impossible of me. After all, we have always been together. With you, a loose immortal who has already broken through the Yuan Ying realm, by my side, no one can bully me!”
Hao’s words made sense. Now, the two of them each had physical forms, and their strength had increased more than tenfold. In the future, when they fought together, they would probably only be the ones bullying others, with no one able to harm them.
“No!” Hun Yuan Zi shook his head. “You don’t understand. Although the Dan Ding dual cultivation sect’s cultivation is much simpler than other sects, it is still as difficult as climbing to the heavens. It took me, with my extraordinary talent, great effort to barely reach the realm of a loose immortal. For you to break through to the realm of a celestial immortal in such a short time is simply impossible.”
“Then what should I do?” Hao was startled.
“We can only take one step at a time. Now that we have the gods’ help, the first thing we need to do is help you break through the most difficult Yuan Ying realm,” Hun Yuan Zi smiled. “Consider this as a benefit for helping the gods.”
“Actually, Master, you’re already a loose immortal. Why don’t I give you the star map behind me, and you can become that so-called Emperor of the Universe,” Hao suggested with an imaginative idea. “Then I can focus on helping you collect money and women, taking every opportunity that comes our way without missing out.”
“This task must be done by you, and only you!” Hun Yuan Zi had his own plans. “My goal is only revenge. To achieve revenge, I can even sacrifice my life. I don’t have time to focus on improving my own power. But you are different. You are young and talented. You can definitely enter the true path of cultivation faster than me. Your only goal is to quickly create the remaining main elixirs, break through to the realm of a celestial immortal, become the Emperor of the Universe, and obtain ‘that power.'”
“Then after I become the Emperor of the Universe, I can…” Hao was about to suggest something else, but he quickly understood Hun Yuan Zi’s meaning. By saying this, Hun Yuan Zi didn’t want him to get involved in the vendetta of the Dan Ding sect anymore because the Senate of the Empire had already become the most powerful and influential place in the universe. If he went for revenge before completing his cultivation, he would easily be sacrificed first.
Hun Yuan Zi would rather take revenge himself than let Yang Hao get involved.
“From now on, we each have our own mission!” Hun Yuan Zi’s face was calm, but his voice was like the tide. “You must become the strongest being in the universe, while I, after taking revenge, will fall into endless darkness. When you stand at the peak of the universe, there’s no need to think of me anymore.”
“Master!” Yang Hao was speechless.
As the sky darkened, the Angel of Darkness King Sa An looked up at the heavens. “Another night has come.”
Dusk settled over the land, and the deeper sorrows within people’s hearts were no longer audible.
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