Chapter 87

Chapter 87: Unsurpassed Divine Mountain

"Sister, be careful with your words!"

Lan Youruo’s expression underwent a great change. She instinctively looked up at the sky—as if deities were present just three feet above—fearing that Lin Qianmo’s words might be overheard by the gods.

Qi Ruyu, Ye Hongchen, and the others felt their hair stand on end.

Lin Qianmo’s questions, each more astonishing than the last, were topics that, if made public, would stir immense upheaval throughout all realms.

"System," Ye Xu thought to himself, "how many heavenly secrets points are required to query whether the Heavenly Emperor is dead or alive?"

[700,000 heavenly secrets points.]

700,000—it didn’t sound expensive at first, but upon closer thought, merely discerning the Heavenly Emperor’s survival status demanded such a vast sum. If he wanted to inquire about the Emperor’s whereabouts, how much more would that cost?

Ye Xu was inwardly shocked.

"How many heavenly secrets points are required to find out the Heavenly Emperor’s exact whereabouts?" he asked again.

[20,000,000 heavenly secrets points.]

Ye Xu was astounded. Just the location alone held a value comparable to a celestial scripture, rivaling all the secrets of Godfall Ridge. Truly, he deserved to be called the most formidable figure of all time.

"Daoist friend," Ye Xu said, "if you wish to know whether the Heavenly Emperor lives, I can give you the answer."

Lin Qianmo’s eyes flickered. "Please name your price, Daoist friend."

"Two Quasi-Emperor Weapons," Ye Xu replied.

"Deal."

With a wave of her sleeves, Lin Qianmo produced a phoenix-tail zither and a demon-subduing staff within Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

Authentic beyond doubt—both were Quasi-Emperor divine weapons.

Their terrifying aura instantly pressed down upon everyone like a mountain.

"System," Ye Xu thought, "how many heavenly secrets points can these two items be exchanged for?"

[1,200,000.]

Ye Xu’s eyes brightened. He would net 500,000 heavenly secrets points from this—a most profitable deal indeed.

Beside him, Qi Ruyu’s heart ached. Merely asking whether the Heavenly Emperor lived or died cost two Quasi-Emperor divine weapons. Her master was far too extravagant.

With 500,000 heavenly secrets points added to his account, Ye Xu was in an excellent mood, a radiant smile spreading across his face.

Ye Hongchen and Qi Ruyu gazed at him resentfully.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations, Host. Spent 700,000 heavenly secrets points. Query successful.]

[Name: Li?]

[Identity: Ruler of the first Heavenly Court in history across all realms, the first Heavenly Emperor.]

[Status: Alive.]

"…"

Ye Xu cursed inwardly. The information was far too brief—even the full name was incomplete. Was this the so-called discretion regarding the Revered One?

"The Heavenly Emperor is still alive," said Ye Xu.

A simple sentence, yet it crashed into everyone’s hearts like a heavy bomb.

Ye Xian’er showed bewilderment. The Heavenly Emperor was the strongest person in history, eternal and undying. Wasn’t that entirely normal?

So why did figures like Lan Youruo and Lin Qianmo all display such expressions of disbelief?

"Master," Lin Qianmo continued, "then do you know the Heavenly Emperor’s whereabouts?" She wasn’t satisfied just knowing he was alive; she yearned more urgently to learn of his location.

"Daoist friend," Ye Xu smiled, "I naturally know the Heavenly Emperor’s whereabouts, but the price is steep. If you could produce one immortal artifact and one classic of the immortal path, I might possibly consider it."

The complete version of the Red Dust Tribulation Sutra was solely in Lin Qianmo’s possession.

The versions cultivated by Qi Ruyu and Ye Hongchen had been modified by Lin Qianmo and could only lead to the Saint King realm. For Ye Xu, they held not the slightest value.

"Senior," Qi Ruyu protested discontentedly, "it’s just a location; can’t you make it cheaper? We count as regular patrons of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. Consider giving us a discount. How about two Quasi-Emperor Weapons?"

Wishful thinking!

Ye Xu shot him a look. Revealing heavenly secrets brought divine retribution upon him, and especially when it concerned a Supreme Lord like the Heavenly Emperor, the destined divine punishment would only be more terrible.

It was only within Heaven’s Secret Pavilion that he could act so brazenly.

But that didn’t mean Ye Xu disregarded divine retribution.

After all, he didn’t want to be confined to the pavilion forever; he yearned to step out and witness the world’s wonders, the vastness of the universe.

Two Quasi-Emperor Weapons? Barely a fraction of the true cost.

Qi Ruyu chuckled awkwardly and wisely kept his mouth shut.

"It’s too expensive."

Lin Qianmo gently shook her head. In her current state, she could not produce such precious items. The Red Dust Tribulation Sutra was her very foundation; she couldn’t possibly hand it over to Ye Xu.

Perhaps someday, upon ascending back to the immortal realm, she would discover the Heavenly Emperor’s whereabouts herself.

"Master," Lin Qianmo said with a smile, "let’s discuss the Unsurpassed Divine Mountain instead." Already, knowing the Heavenly Emperor was alive was an immense gain.

Letting go of her fixation, Lin Qianmo inquired about matters concerning the Unsurpassed Divine Mountain.

The Unsurpassed Divine Mountain had legends over one hundred thousand years old. Even back in the Yuan Realm, she’d heard many tales and personally investigated, always ending with empty hands.

Ye Xu’s gaze shifted slightly. Ascertaining the precise location of the Unsurpassed Divine Mountain required two hundred thousand heavenly secrets points.

But that was merely for its position.

To know all the information about it would cost far more than twenty thousand points.

"System," Ye Xu queried internally, "how many heavenly secrets points to uncover all the information about the Unsurpassed Divine Mountain?"

‘Option ①: Scout the location of the Unsurpassed Divine Mountain. Two hundred thousand heavenly secrets points. This transaction provides location only.’

‘Option ②: Scout the location of the Unsurpassed Divine Mountain and the method for its manifestation. Requires six hundred thousand heavenly secrets points. This transaction provides precise timing and location.’

‘Option ③: Scout all information regarding the Unsurpassed Divine Mountain. Requires two million two hundred thousand heavenly secrets points.’

The system considerately provided three options.

Knowing the full picture, Ye Xu looked towards Lin Qianmo and stated, "If you wish to know how to bring forth the Unsurpassed Divine Mountain and its specific location, it will require two Quasi-Emperor Weapons."

Ye Xu firmly held to his original price.

Each Quasi-Emperor divine weapon amounted to around six hundred thousand heavenly secrets points. He couldn’t earn nothing on this deal.

In business, if one made no profit whatsoever, it essentially incurred a loss.

Ye Xu was deeply aware of this principle.

“Two additional Quasi-Emperor Weapons?” Qi Ruyu asked, bursting with excitement.

“Silence,” Lin Qianmo ordered, casting a glance that immediately made Qi Ruyu obediently quiet.

“Sister, I happen to have an extra Quasi-Emperor Weapon on hand; it’s of little use to me otherwise. Let me lend you my strength,” Lan Youruo offered.

“Very well,” agreed Lin Qianmo without any polite refusal. Her contribution of two Quasi-Emperor Weapons had already strained her resources significantly; two more would be beyond her ability.

Lan Youruo then retrieved a multicolored pearl, within which eight divine dragons swam in a mesmerizingly wondrous manner.

These were the souls of eight mighty dragons, possessing fearsome power. When the multicolored pearl was activated, it could form an Eight Heavenly Dragons grand formation — meet a god, slay a god; meet a devil, slay a devil.

With a flick of her intent, Lin Qianmo summoned a gourd that hovered in the air. From within the gourd, a terrifying sword intent emanated, as though it concealed infinite sharp sword auras.

Lin Qianmo presented both Quasi-Emperor Weapons to Ye Xu, stating, “Master, please accept these.”

Ye Xu accepted with a beaming smile, certainly not feigning politeness.

A further six hundred thousand heavenly secrets points entered his account.

Qi Ruyu and Ye Hongchen burned with righteous indignation. Far from possessing the dignified air of an esteemed senior, Ye Xu seemed decidedly a wicked profiteer, straight out of the secular world.

Their hearts ached in agony.

“System, investigate the method and precise location of how to manifest the Unsurpassed Divine Mountain,” Ye Xu commanded mentally.

【Ding!】

【The Unsurpassed Divine Mountain: One hundred and twenty thousand years ago, Emperor Venerable Buzhou, the sovereign of Unsurpassed Sacred Ground in Spirit Realm, was ambushed and grievously wounded. During the battle, the Unsurpassed Divine Seal was shattered. Almost the entire Unsurpassed Sacred Ground was annihilated by its enemies. With his great magic, the dying Emperor Venerable Buzhou concealed what remained of the Unsurpassed Sacred Ground within the boundless void.】

【The mountain gate of the Unsurpassed Sacred Ground was ultimately transformed into the Unsurpassed Divine Mountain.】

【Two hundred and ten thousand years ago, the Unsurpassed Divine Mountain drifted into the Yuan Realm and slowly moved westward from its northern arrival point. It is currently hidden in the deepest part of the Poisonous Forest of the Western Region. Approximately one year and three months remain before it is destined to manifest in the world.】

【Note: Possessing even one fragment of the Unsurpassed Divine Seal enables one to activate it within the Poisonous Forest. Doing so creates a resonance that summons the Unsurpassed Divine Mountain down into the world from its hidden dimension.】

“Just one fragment works?” Ye Xu inquired mentally.

From Ao Lie’s memories, he knew that gathering all fragments to reforge the Unsurpassed Divine Seal was supposedly required to guide down the Unsurpassed Divine Mountain. So he had been unsure if a single fragment alone could establish a connection.

【Yes!】

The System’s reply was, as always, succinct and powerful.

“It seems this time,” Ye Xu considered thoughtfully, “Ao Lie will need to participate as well.”