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Chapter 1345: One of the Greatest Treasures
Forget about Shi Min, even the high-ranked Second Imperial Prince and Little Golden Peng King were startled. A hundred thousand heaven-grade ki stones? What kind of concept was that?
A single heaven-grade ki stone was equivalent to a hundred thousand ordinary ki stones. For people like them, they normally only carried a few hundred heaven-grade ki stones at most. A hundred thousand ki stones was enough to form a powerful army out of nothing!
Chi Wen clapped his hands and exclaimed with hearty laughter, “This is so fun! That’s how you make things interesting!”
He had grown up with the Dragon Palace’s treasury at his fingertips, so he had no concept of value. That was why he didn’t care no matter how far things were blown out of proportion.
The expressions of the lion princes changed greatly. Then, Shi Min’s expression became overcast as he exclaimed, “Are you all joking right now?”
Yu Yanluo said calmly, “Of course not.”
She actually felt a bit of regret at the moment. After all, in rock betting, no one had absolute confidence. She was full of experience, but if the lion princes dared to hold such a bet, they definitely had their own achievements in the field.
In the past, even though a hundred thousand heaven-grade ki stones was a large amount, the wealthy Yu clan wouldn’t have found it too difficult a matter. However, Xu Yu had exposed her identity as the Medusa Queen and forced her to leave in a hurry. She hadn’t had any time to move her assets. Furthermore, the Snake race was controlled by Elders White and Blue, so as a newcomer, she didn’t actually have much real strength, let alone the ability to take out such a sum from the clan.
Still, she agreed without any hesitation because she trusted her lover.
When they received her reply, the lion princes were all alarmed. After all, that was a huge amount! The three brothers didn’t have the right to use so much money.
“What’s wrong? Weren’t you all shouting noisily earlier? Why do you look so terrified right now?” Zu An remarked with an expression of extreme disdain.
Shi Gong and Shi Rong’s faces turned entirely red as they cried, “You bastard, why would we feel fear?”
You have successfully trolled Shi Gong for +444 +444 +444…
You have successfully trolled Shi Rong for +444 +444 +444…
They had been trying to use psychological tricks against the other group before, and yet now, they were easily affected by the same strategy. They really were infuriated when they saw his smug expression.
Shi Min was comparatively calmer. He said seriously, “According to what I know, however, you only have a hundred ki stones on you, and you used the rock betting earlier to win a few hundred heaven-grade ki stones. How could you possibly bring out a hundred thousand heaven-grade ki stones?”
Yu Yanluo calmly replied, “No matter how much the Snake race has fallen, we are still a great clan. I am the leader of a clan, so a hundred thousand heaven-grade ki stones is still doable.”
Shi Min frowned deeply when he heard what she said. Even though it had been his plan from the start, he had been wondering how to lure her in. Now, however, Yu Yanluo had agreed so fast that he was caught off guard.
Could it be that she’s actually too scared to hold this bet, so she had her subordinate raise a ridiculous price to scare us off, thus avoiding the bet entirely? A smile formed on his face when he thought of that. To think he had almost been fooled by them!
Thus, he replied, “Fine. Since even the Medusa Queen is so willing, how can men like us shrink back? A bet it is!”
“Third brother!” Shi Rong and Shi Gong exclaimed in panic. If they really lost, the price they had to pay would be a bit too great!
Shi Min raised his hand to stop the two of them and secretly explained things to them. When the brothers heard what he said, they sighed in relief. The Snake race really was too crafty!
Zu An’s eyes lit up. He said, “Everyone, please serve as witnesses for us. If anyone were to renege on their debt after losing…”
The Little Golden Peng King said with an ambiguous smile, “Worry not. We have at least a bit of influence in the Fiend King Court. If anyone really refuses to admit defeat, they will have no standing left in the Fiend King Court in the future.”
The Second Prince also nodded and added, “Indeed. You can compete boldly to your heart’s content.”
Even Shi Min was starting to sweat a bit. Even though he was usually calm and steady, he still felt tremendous pressure at the moment. Unfortunately, with so many important individuals watching, there was no way he would shrink back halfway.
As such, he continued to convince himself that the Snake race was just acting strong on purpose. Since even they weren’t scared, what did he have to be scared for? He gradually calmed down when he thought of that. Thus, he gestured that they could begin.
The butler explained, “Unlike the other floors, every single stone in the immortal floor is extraordinary. All of them have their own unique ki patterns. That is why this floor is like the lower floors where they are placed on a table; instead, they are kept amid the natural environment. Their ki can influence the surrounding environment, and the environment can also nourish them. That way, even if there was nothing in the stones to begin with, as the years pass, they might form some precious things.”
Zu An had noticed that the floor contained many strange stones arranged within a large rock garden, creating a rich natural environment. He hadn’t expected those rocks to be the stones they were to choose, though.
Yu Yanluo didn’t dare to show any negligence. After all, the stakes had climbed to a hundred thousand heaven-grade ki stones! She began to slowly walk through the garden in search of stones she liked.
Suddenly, she stopped. She noticed a strange stone in an ornamental fish pond. It resembled a snake wrapped around a giant turtle. The snake had the head of a dragon and the wings of a phoenix, while the giant turtle had qilin scales on its back. Its entire body swirled with an ancient and profound aura.
“Was this sculpted?” Yun Jianyue couldn't help but ask. The snake and the giant tortoise were just too realistic!
The butler shook his head slightly and replied, “That is not the case. This stone’s shape was naturally formed, and that is why it is so mystical. This stone is named the Northern Palace Black Tortoise, and it is one of the immortal floor’s greatest treasures.”
Even the other princes and princesses were shocked when they heard that. If even something naturally formed looked like that, it definitely held an extraordinary treasure inside!
Shi Rong was scared that the other group would steal it first and quickly asked, “How much is this stone? We’ll buy it!”
The butler had an ambiguous smile as he said, “A hundred thousand heaven-grade ki stones.”
Shi Rong and Zu An were equally speechless.
The others were completely dumbstruck. As expected of something that was known as one of this place’s greatest treasures! No wonder even though something so amazing was right before their eyes, no one had opened it to see what was inside. It turned out to have been because the item was just too expensive.
After all, there were many top-tier unpolished stones that produced all kinds of special signs, but not every single one of those stones would actually have something inside. Otherwise, why would a business like Jade Garden keep them there to sell? Wouldn’t it be better if they just opened it up themselves?
Even for such unpolished stones that had all manner of extraordinary features, comparatively, the probability of having something inside was only somewhat higher than it would be for other stones; there was no guaranteed chance of success. Countless people had staked everything betting on such unpolished stones with amazing signs, and yet ended up losing everything. Furthermore, even if something amazing came out, it wasn’t guaranteed to match the price they paid to open it.
If one had a hundred thousand ki stones, why wouldn’t they just keep it for themselves? Why would they have to gamble with it? The risk was just way too great.
The butler looked at Shi Rong with a smile, asking, “How does the seventh prince wish to make the payment?”
“Uh… Pretend I didn’t say anything,” Shi Rong replied, his face completely red.
At any other time, how could he let himself be embarrassed like that? He would just have had to grit his teeth all throughout. However, this was a hundred thousand ki stones! He really couldn't pay that kind of price.
The butler didn’t seem all that affected. It clearly wasn’t the first time he had seen such a situation over the years.
Yu Yanluo secretly wrinkled her nose. She couldn't afford that thing either, so she could only take a look at the others first.
“Stone cold woman, do you sense anything special from it?” Yun Jianyue asked, staring at the stone. She was quite eager to give it a try, feeling incredibly curious.
“I cannot.” Yan Xuehen shook her head slightly and explained, “The natural laws of the world isolate the divine senses of cultivators. Furthermore, those natural signs that have been produced are not so easily seen through.”
Suddenly, she thought of something and added, “You are not planning on stealing it, are you?”
Yun Jianyue’s expression became a bit unnatural as she replied, “Hmph, am I that kind of violent person? I was just curious as to what exactly was inside, that’s all.”
“You had better not. You have not fully recovered from your injuries yet, so you are not as strong as you were before. This butler’s cultivation is high, and there is someone even more terrifying hidden on this immortal floor. I believe they are the guardian of the Jade Garden,” Yan Xuehen quickly warned her.
“Am I someone that hot-headed?” Yun Jianyue retorted, her face heating up. “What, you’re actually worried for me?”
“Hah! No way.” An annoyed expression appeared on Yan Xuehen’s face. She didn’t pay Yun Jianyue any more attention.
…
Meanwhile, Zu An was truly puzzled. The Fox Merchant Group’s backing was even crazier than he imagined! Just any random rock was a hundred thousand ki stones! Then, how much was the entire immortal floor added up worth?
According to the fiend races’ barbaric and unreasonable style of doing things, without enough strength, this place would already have been robbed who knew how many times over. And yet, it still managed to peacefully exist in the Fiend King Court where there were powerful cultivators everywhere.
Who exactly was backing this merchant group, though? He had thought that it was Bluefield Country’s business, but now, forget about Bluefield Country, not even adding in the Tiger race would amount to enough power. There was no way it could be the fiend races’ royal family, right?
Meanwhile, Shi Min stopped on the other side. As he examined the huge rock in front of him, he was completely stunned.
The rock was like a mountain peak, and it was rugged and steep. Around the enormous rock was a ring of smoke that looked like the multicolored morning glow, but also resembled a kind of mist. The most eye-catching part, however, was a slender stone that protruded outward from the ‘peak’. It was as if a slender and elegant young lady were standing there.
The butler quickly walked over and considerately explained, “This stone is named Mount Wu’s Goddess…”