The group's attention instantly snapped away from the three Dominator-grade items and shifted toward Onodera. Furugori Magatsu hurriedly asked, "What are you gasping for? What's written on there?"
As an excellent Fire Specialist, his nine years of compulsory education had been spent skipping classes and sleeping. He had nearly forgotten that kanji lessons had even been part of his schooling, and staring at the dense, ancient Chinese characters covering the bamboo slips made his head spin.
The education level of Kobe Ichiro and the others was certainly better than Furugori Magatsu's—some of them had even graduated from prestigious universities—yet they, too, were at a loss to decipher the classical text on the bamboo slips.
Onodera looked toward the skeleton with mixed emotions. "He was Xu Fu... and he was also Amaterasu-omikami."
The members of the Thousand Cranes Group fell into collective silence, sharing a helpless feeling of having suspected as much yet wishing they did not have to confront it.
Kobe Ichiro pressed in a deep voice, "What does it say?"
"This is Xu Fu's autobiography. According to the bamboo slips, he was ordered by the First Emperor to sail east across the sea in search of the elixir of immortality. It records: In the Eastern Sea lies a supreme treasure left behind when Empress Wa mended the heavens; upon it rest the Ten Suns, and whoever obtains it shall achieve immortality and live as long as heaven itself." Onodera said:
"Xu Fu led virgin boys and girls, carrying the jade disc bestowed by the First Emperor, and set sail into the open sea. Relying on his abilities as a fangshi, he spent several years before finally locating this island nation in the boundless ocean. After several more years, he found this place.
"To open this secret realm, he traveled across the entire island nation, gathering precious jade, carving stone statues, and fashioning jade discs until he finally unlocked it."
Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing felt his earlier deduction confirmed.
During the Qin dynasty, practitioners possessed the ability to create secret realms; otherwise, Xu Fu could not have forced open Takamagahara.
Moreover, Takamagahara was an ancient secret realm that had existed since antiquity, not one created by Xu Fu.
Onodera continued, "Only when he arrived here did he realize that the ten suns had already perished, leaving behind only the Bronze Sacred Tree. He spent years in arduous contemplation, unable to unravel its mysteries. Beneath the tree lay a spiritual pool. If mortals bathed in it, their bodies would be reborn and their lifespans extended.
"If cultivators bathed in it, they could temper an untainted, precious physique. Drinking from it granted immunity to all poisons and ailments. Xu Fu believed this was the Spring of Immortality.
"However, once taken from the pool, the water of the spring would turn into ordinary water. Xu Fu could not bring it back to the Central Plains. The superpowered individuals accompanying him then suggested that he establish himself here, found a nation, and enjoy eternal life forever—would that not be far better than returning to the Central Plains to serve as a subject?
"Thus, Xu Fu named this place 'Takamagahara' and proclaimed himself the Great Goddess Amaterasu. At the bottom of the pool, he found three ores—one of bronze, one of iron, and one of jade—and forged them into magical artifacts symbolizing supreme authority.
"He civilized the mortals of the island nation, teaching them etiquette, farming, sericulture, and weaving... becoming the nation's supreme primary deity. But good times do not last. The pool's waters gradually dried up, and this vibrant secret realm withered away. Xu Fu dismissed the people residing in the realm, sending them to live in the outside world, while he remained behind alone, recording this entire journey on the bamboo slips."
Having heard this, Furugori Magatsu looked up at the Bronze Sacred Tree towering into the clouds. "So, the Spring of Immortality the First Emperor craved has already dried up? And this bronze tree is just a useless piece of junk?"
He could hardly hide his disappointment.
"You can't put it that way. Xu Fu simply never unlocked the bronze tree's secret," Ryuzaki Hajime said. Then, looking at Onodera, he asked, "What are your thoughts?"
Onodera pondered for a long while before speaking: "There are two possibilities. First, Xu Fu failed to comprehend the secrets of the Bronze Sacred Tree; it was the very thing the First Emperor truly desired. Look at this pool. It is evident that the Spring of Immortality flowed from the roots of the tree.
"Second, the bronze tree has no inherent value, and the true treasure was something else entirely, which is no longer here. The bamboo slips say that in the Eastern Sea lay a supreme treasure upon which the Ten Suns rested, yet when Xu Fu found this place, the ten suns were already gone.
"The fact that the Spring of Immortality gradually dried up after he had occupied it for many years also indicates that the spiritual energy of this realm was progressively dissipating. If the supreme treasure were still here, that would not have happened."
Kobe Ichiro pondered for a moment. "Which possibility is more likely?"
Without waiting for the others to answer, he turned to Commandery Princess Yinyao and asked, "Yuanshi-kun, what do you think?"
I recall that according to legend, Xu Fu sailed out twice, vanishing without a trace only on his second voyage. Yet there's no mention of that in the bamboo slips. No, according to what's written here, Xu Fu never went back to the Central Plains at all. Was the legend wrong?
No, that's not right. The jade disc was a magical artifact painstakingly crafted by Xu Fu to open Takamagahara, not brought from the Central Plains. If Xu Fu never returned to the Central Plains, how can the diagram of the jade disc at Qinfeng Academy be explained?
So Xu Fu omitted this chapter of his life and left it off the bamboo slips. This isn't that simple...
Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts raced, and he said, "Gentlemen, I would like to examine the Bronze Sacred Tree first."
With that, he cast Star Escape and leaped before the Bronze Sacred Tree, staring at the trunk broad as a city wall and studying the intricate patterns.
I can't understand any of it... he muttered to himself. Vanishing once more with Star Escape, he combined the flight ability of the Gale Walker Gloves with Star Escape to circle around the Bronze Sacred Tree and inspect it.
The executives of the Thousand Cranes Group lacked such mobility and could only watch eagerly, waiting.
It took him a solid ten-plus minutes just to complete a full circuit around the tree.
He came away with nothing.
"Are you done yet? Feels like a waste of time," Furugori Magatsu said, his eyes shifting. "We're leaving. Are you sure you want to stay behind?"
Riding the air currents and looking down at him from above, Zhang Yuanqing said indifferently, "Try walking away, and see if I dare to kill you."
Turning to Kobe Ichiro, he said, "I'm going down to the bottom of the pool to take a look."
"I'll go too," Onodera said hastily. Pulling out a jetpack, he leaped down into the abyss-like pool basin.
Zhang Yuanqing reached the bottom of the pool first. Beneath his feet lay jagged rubble and clods of earth without a speck of mud; having dried up thousands of years ago, it was no different from a chasm.
The surrounding rock walls were rugged and uneven. On the wall closest to the Bronze Sacred Tree, thick bronze roots thrust out from the stone, hanging suspended in midair.
"Incredible... This bronze tree seems to be a living organism rather than a bronze sculpture..." Landing with his jetpack on his back, Onodera also caught sight of the dangling roots.
"Can you speak a foreign language?" Zhang Yuanqing asked in English.
"Oh, that won't be necessary; I can speak Chinese," Onodera said with a smile. "As a Scholar, mastering multiple languages is a prerequisite skill."
He summoned a sharp blade from his inventory, strode forward, seized a slender root, and sawed at it with force.
Screeech, screeech...
The blade cutting against the bronze root produced a grating, tooth-aching screech.
Zhang Yuanqing watched in silence, quietly summoning the Ghost Bride and instructing her to float up and watch the Thousand Cranes Group executives to prevent them from slipping away and trapping him inside the secret realm.
Although he had an incredible item like the teleportation jade talisman, its function was constrained by its grade; it could not penetrate seals or barriers that were excessively powerful.
And a secret realm like Takamagahara clearly exceeded a Saint-stage instance.
Amid billows of yin energy, a graceful figure in a bright red wedding gown drifted upward.
—He had brought both Little Doubi and the Ghost Bride along.
"Hiss..." Having failed in his attempt, Onodera drew in a sharp breath again and cried out, "Incredible! Truly incredible! It really is bronze, a metal, yet at the same time it is alive. How could such a miraculous creation exist in this world? What kind of power could grant life to metal?"
Having said that, he remembered that Yuanshi Tianzun could not understand Japanese, so he repeated it in Chinese.
Granting life to metal? Hiss, it really is unbelievable. What power could accomplish something so wondrous? Thinking from another angle, could other inanimate objects also be brought to life?
Zhang Yuanqing was no otaku, so his mind immediately jumped to items, rather than certain things made of silicone or inflatable material.
He even thought of yin corpses—could a yin corpse be granted life once more?
"What have you discovered? Any theories?" He decided to hear a professional's perspective.
"The authority over life belongs to the Musician class. This pool of immortality most likely flowed from within the Bronze Sacred Tree," Onodera analyzed, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Therefore, the Bronze Sacred Tree is connected to the Musician class. However, a Musician couldn't engineer such a grand, majestic wonder; Scholars, on the other hand, possess that ability."
So the Bronze Sacred Tree was created by combining the powers of both Scholars and Musicians? Zhang Yuanqing came to a realization and asked, "Then is this tree still of any value? Is it dead or alive?"
Onodera shook his head. "Hard to say. It might be dead, or it might be dormant. But the treasure is definitely gone; otherwise, why would things end up like this? This sacred tree holds far more symbolic and ornamental value than practical utility. If I were an Artifact Refiner, I would be able to read its information even if it lacks item attributes. Alas."
Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing felt a twinge of disappointment. Saying nothing more, he exhaled a breath of lunar energy, which tumbled onto the ground and coalesced into a chubby infant with sparse downy hair.
Let's have Little Doubi give it a try to see how he reacts to the Bronze Sacred Tree. He can also slip inside the trunk to look around—could such a massive tree truly be solid all the way through?
He immediately issued a Treasure Seeking command to Little Doubi. Unfortunately, his backpack had limited space, so he hadn't brought the Treasure Hunting Cloak; otherwise, he would have draped it over his good son.
Little Doubi raised his head, glanced left and right, and spotted the dense hanging roots. His glossy black eyes instantly lit up, and he scrambled over on all fours.
He scurried up the steep wall, grasped a root, followed it along, and plunged straight into the rock face.
The next second, Little Doubi bounced right back out like a small rubber ball and tumbled across the pool floor several times.
He sat up with a dazed little face, stared blankly for a few seconds, and burst into loud wails.
He can't enter the trunk... Zhang Yuanqing fell silent.
***
Songhai, hotel room.
Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes and dialed Fu Qingyang's number.
Presumably knowing he was on an important mission, Fu Qingyang picked up quickly. "What did you find in Takamagahara?"
"The genuine Ame no Murakumo, Magatama, and Yata no Kagami are all inside Takamagahara, and they are all Dominator-grade items..." Zhang Yuanqing briefly summarized the situation within Takamagahara, then raised his question: "That jade disc was a magical artifact crafted by Xu Fu in the island nation. If he never returned to the Central Plains, Qinfeng Academy couldn't possibly possess a hand-drawn diagram of it. Boss, what do you make of this?"
Fu Qingyang was a Scout, possessing sharper intuition, far more cunning, and vastly superior knowledge.
Therefore, whenever in doubt, consulting the Money Prince was never a bad idea.
"Simple. Xu Fu omitted his return to the Central Plains, as it was either disgraceful to him or concealed other motives. Time is short, so I will be brief." Fu Qingyang's diction was clear and rounded, his voice magnetic: "First, Xu Fu returned to the Central Plains with a specific objective; he certainly had no intention of reporting the details of Takamagahara to the First Emperor, or the emperor would have arrived in person long ago.
"Second, Xu Fu was deeply ambitious. Judging by his later actions, he intended to hoard Takamagahara all for himself.
"Lastly, he had already entered Takamagahara. What reason could have compelled him to make another return to the Central Plains?"
A flash of inspiration struck Zhang Yuanqing. His heart leaped, and he blurted out, "To seek a way to comprehend the Bronze Sacred Tree?"
Fu Qingyang said, "Correct. The reason the First Emperor dispatched Xu Fu across the sea to seek the elixir of immortality was precisely because he possessed a certain item or knowledge, aware of what lay within Takamagahara. If you were the First Emperor, would you have handed that thing over to Xu Fu?"
Zhang Yuanqing replied without hesitation, "I would send people to search for it, and once Takamagahara was found, go there in person. I get it. Boss, you're saying that Xu Fu found Takamagahara but concealed it and never informed the First Emperor. He returned to the Central Plains with the jade disc to deceive the emperor, aiming to swindle or steal the thing in the emperor's possession.
"However, he failed. With no other choice, he came up with an excuse to sail out a second time and never returned, crowning himself king in the island nation. He meant to rely on the Spring of Immortality to live forever, but when the world underwent cataclysmic changes and spiritual energy decayed, the spring dried up, leaving him to pass away seated right here in Takamagahara."
Looked at this way, the logic clicked perfectly into place.
Fu Qingyang said, "That is roughly it. If our deductions are correct, then inside Qinfeng Academy, behind those two stone doors at the bottom of Jiaoren Lake, there may lie the method to unravel the Bronze Sacred Tree. Find a way to bring the jade disc back."
"Leave it to me!" Zhang Yuanqing's heart surged with excitement.
Compared to the Bronze Sacred Tree, Dominator-grade items were nothing.
***
Takamagahara, pool bottom.
If I directly demand the jade disc from the Thousand Cranes Group, they most likely won't agree and will offer monetary compensation instead. After all, Takamagahara holds extraordinary significance for them.
There are only three divine artifacts in Takamagahara—a smaller haul than expected. Without that supreme treasure, our previously signed agreement is effectively moot. If I demand one of the Three Sacred Treasures outright, they will never agree...
I'll start with a demand they can't possibly accept—demanding one of the Three Sacred Treasures—and then settle for second best, pretending to reluctantly ask for the key instead.
The art of negotiation is asking for the moon before settling for a bargain.
If they still refuse, force will be the only option left. They have three Dominator-grade items, so force can be used, but it must be used cleverly...
Ideas whirled through his mind, and he soon settled on a plan.
"Looks like this sacred tree truly has no value left," Zhang Yuanqing sighed, looking toward Onodera Yosuke. "Let's head back up."
With that, he pressed a hand downward. A gust of wind howled into being, sweeping him upward back to the surface.
Carrying his jetpack, Onodera was only a moment slower in returning to the edge of the pool.
"What did you discover?" Kobe Ichiro asked.
Zhang Yuanqing shook his head. "The Bronze Sacred Tree holds no value."
At this moment, he felt exceedingly fortunate that Commandery Princess Yinyao was a yin corpse. A yin corpse had no facial expressions, and wearing sunglasses, there was no need to worry that Ryuzaki Hajime would pick up on anything unusual.
"Is that so?" Kobe Ichiro looked toward Onodera, who was far more trustworthy to him.
Onodera nodded and shared his deductions regarding the Bronze Sacred Tree with his companions, sighing, "Yuanshi-kun is right. The bronze tree has little value. It seems our haul is limited to the Three Sacred Treasures."
Hearing this, the executives of the Thousand Cranes Group could hardly conceal their disappointment.
They had arrived expecting a massive windfall, so coming away empty-handed on that front was unavoidably dispiriting. Fortunately, the three Dominator-grade items went a long way toward making up for that disappointment.
Throughout its entire history, the Thousand Cranes Group had only ever possessed three Dominator-grade items, and during times of conflict, Heaven's Punishment had confiscated two of them.
Today, the Thousand Cranes Group—the official organization of an entire nation—held only a single Dominator-grade item, and a lower-quality one among Dominator gear at that.
The Three Sacred Treasures were different; all of them were of refined quality.
With these three items, the overall strength of the Thousand Cranes Group multiplied several times over in an instant.
Just then, Zhang Yuanqing spoke up: "Now then, let us discuss the distribution of the spoils. Gentlemen, I will take one of the three items. No objections, I presume?"
The expressions of the Thousand Cranes Group executives instantly darkened.
"No way!" Blunt and straightforward by nature, Furugori Magatsu refused without hesitation. "These three divine artifacts must belong to our Thousand Cranes Group! They can't be given to you—don't even think about it!"
Zhang Yuanqing silently unzipped his backpack and said coldly, "Is the Thousand Cranes Group going back on its word? It seems I overestimated your character. You people of this island nation truly are scoundrels who mind petty courtesies while lacking great righteousness, who fear might but harbor no virtue."
Asano Ryo dutifully finished translating, then panicked, pleading tearfully, "Everyone, please calm down! Let's talk this out peacefully; we mustn't fight amongst ourselves! I think giving Yuanshi-kun one of the divine artifacts is—"
Before she could finish, Furugori Magatsu roared, cutting her off: "Baka! You have no right to speak here! Know your place and status! Just because the Leader agreed to promote you, don't think you're qualified to lecture us! Get lost, or you'll be expelled from the Thousand Cranes Group!"
Kobe Ichiro and the others looked at her coldly as well.
Probably having never been treated so harshly in her life, Asano Ryo's eyes welled with tears. Frightened into silence, she held back tears that threatened to spill at any second.
Zhang Yuanqing decisively pulled the thirty-centimeter-long Thunderstorm Cannon from his backpack. Pointing the dark, gaping muzzle straight at Furugori Magatsu, he said coldly, "You can die now!"
A flash of intuition struck Furugori Magatsu. He instinctively looked down at the Yata no Kagami in his hand, only to see a vision flash across the mirror—he was struck by a ball of lightning, his body blasted into mangled chunks of flesh, and the shockwave injured Kobe Ichiro and the others nearby.
The Yata no Kagami can even foretell danger? The thought flashed through Furugori Magatsu's mind.
At that exact moment, Zhang Yuanqing pulled the trigger!
Purple lightning condensed rapidly at the muzzle, arcs of electricity crackling and snapping before a ball of lightning shot forth.
Furugori Magatsu's heart leaped into his throat, and he roared, "Get clear!"
He hurled a fireball into the distance, his body enveloped in rising flames as he executed Fire Traveling to dodge.
From above, Zhang Yuanqing flung a wind blade straight at him.
Meanwhile, the others instinctively scattered.
Boom!
The entire ground shook violently as rocks and soil blasted outward, throwing up a cloud of dust that choked the air.
Mountain God Watanabe Kichita was just about to fall back when he noticed the Magatama glow with an emerald aura. In the next instant, the stones rocketing toward him altered their trajectories on their own, flying past him on either side.
The shockwave was also parted by an invisible force, as if deliberately avoiding Watanabe.
"Automatic nullification of attacks?" Watanabe Kichita was both surprised and overjoyed.
Furugori Magatsu was not so fortunate. Struck in the chest by the wind blade, blood soaked his clothes in an instant, exposing bone beneath the wound.
"Baka!" Clutching his chest, he let out a furious growl.
Zhang Yuanqing raised the barrel once more, aiming it directly at him.
The Fire Demon felt his scalp prickle. Not daring to say another word, he tensed his entire body on full alert.
The Thousand Cranes Group executives who had retreated into the distance gathered back around, their eyes gleaming. Yuanshi Tianzun's single shot had triggered unknown capabilities in two of the artifacts!
Worthy of being items forged by ancient superpowered beings! Worthy of materials from Takamagahara! All three artifacts were truly top-tier.
Surprisingly, no one paid any mind to Furugori Magatsu's injuries.
"Yuanshi-kun, we do not wish to fight you. But if you persist in forcing our hand, do not blame us for showing no mercy," Kobe Ichiro said in a heavy voice.
He gripped Ame no Murakumo tightly, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
Tears brimming in her eyes, Asano Ryo looked at Yuanshi-kun, her heart melting with emotion. For a moment, she forgot to translate. Seeing Vice Leader Furugori glare at her with open contempt, Yuanshi-kun had actually fired his gun and declared war right then and there!
Though the conflict originated from the dispute over the spoils, there had definitely been a part of it driven by defending her against injustice.
Onodera Yosuke quietly stepped in as translator.
"It seems Leader Kobe doesn't wish to keep his word either. In that case, don't blame this Tianzun for disregarding martial ethics." Pressing his palms down, Zhang Yuanqing rose into the air and stood high above, looking down at everyone. Coldly, he said, "Look behind you."
By now, the dust had gradually cleared, revealing a crater over ten meters in diameter where the blast had detonated.
Zhang Yuanqing said indifferently, "Leader Kobe, do you think your Ame no Murakumo packs more punch, or does my hand cannon? How about this: I'll stay in the sky while you stay on the ground, and we'll trade a few blows?"
As long as he kept quiet, nobody would know that the Thunderstorm Cannon had a firing limit.
The faces of the Thousand Cranes Group executives changed slightly.
"Hmph! We have the numbers, every one of us is a Saint, and we have the Three Sacred Treasures to aid us—why would we fear you?!" Furugori Magatsu barked. "Today, if you try to take the Three Sacred Treasures by force, your yin corpse will remain here forever!"
Zhang Yuanqing burst into hearty laughter. "Do you gentlemen really believe you're faster than me?"
Kobe Ichiro's expression changed. "Yuanshi Tianzun, what do you mean by that?"
"If I leave Takamagahara right now and take the key with me, can you outrun me?" Seeing the grim expressions on everyone below, Zhang Yuanqing continued: "And what if I leak this matter to Heaven's Punishment? Do you think Heaven's Punishment won't confiscate these three top-tier items? What if I leak this to the Fear Heavenly King? Do you think Fear wouldn't launch an assault on the Thousand Cranes Group?"
The more he spoke, the uglier the faces of the Thousand Cranes Group executives became.
Kobe Ichiro ground his teeth, finding to his bitter dismay that the other had struck their exact weak spot.
He took a deep breath and shook his head. "The Three Sacred Treasures must belong to our Thousand Cranes Group. Yuanshi Tianzun, leak it if you must. If the Thousand Cranes Group stands firm, Heaven's Punishment will surely let us keep one item. And if the Fear Heavenly King comes, senior leadership from Heaven's Punishment will intervene. Meanwhile, you will end up with nothing.
"As for speed, we are indeed not as fast as you, but Furugori Magatsu can also use Fire Traveling; he is not inferior to you."
Zhang Yuanqing showed a well-timed flash of anger, intentionally furrowing his brow and appearing deep in thought. After a long while, he said slowly, "Very well, Leader Kobe. Rather than both sides taking heavy losses, why don't we each take a step back?"
Kobe Ichiro felt inwardly relieved. "What compromise do you propose?"
Zhang Yuanqing said, "One billion yen, the key to Takamagahara, and three opportunities to borrow the items. Sign a contract with me, and we'll consider this matter settled. Otherwise, we break apart and see who burns."
The dagger was finally revealed.
Chapter 413