Without a doubt, the Flower Goddess also possesses the profound truths of the Dao.
However, she revealed this secret without any hesitation, which was quite unexpected for Zhang Ruochen.
The Flower Goddess continued, “You’ve only been cultivating for a little over a year, yet you’ve already crossed the sixth layer of the sea. Many will suspect that you’ve obtained the Truth Profound Meaning. With your current cultivation level, there are plenty of people below the Great Saint realm who could kill you. And among the Great Saints, there are certainly those who have also obtained the Truth Profound Meaning. If they were to make a move, how confident are you in escaping alive?”
“Thank you for your guidance, Goddess,” Zhang Ruochen said, cupping his hands in respect. He then added, “But I’m puzzled. Aren’t you afraid that by revealing your possession of the Truth Profound Meaning, I might try to seize it? Or that I might spread the word and cause trouble for you?”
The Flower Goddess gazed at Zhang Ruochen for a long moment before replying, “Are you that kind of person?”
“No,” Zhang Ruochen answered.
The Flower Goddess said, “I’ve always been good at judging people. You, Zhang Ruochen, would never stab a friend in the back. The Truth Profound Meaning isn’t enough to twist your heart and turn you into a two-faced villain.”
Zhang Ruochen took a sip from his luminous cup and smiled, “It’s an honour to be friends with the Goddess.”
The Flower Goddess said, “Since we’re already friends, could you tell me a secret?”
“What secret?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
The Flower Goddess replied, “I want to know where the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree is.”
Zhang Ruochen’s expression tightened. “Why do you ask about that?”
The Flower Goddess explained, “I specialise in the Dao of Life, and the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree is the being that has cultivated the Dao of Life to the highest level since ancient times.”
Zhang Ruochen caught on and said thoughtfully, “So, the reason you’ve been so friendly with me is because you’re after the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree.”
The Flower Goddess said, “The Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree is very important to me, but I also genuinely want to befriend you. The two aren’t mutually exclusive. Even if you don’t tell me the location of the tree, we can still be friends.”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. “The Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree was cut down 100,000 years ago and has since disappeared from the Kunlun Realm.”
The Flower Goddess, who clearly already knew this, said, “Even if it was cut down, its roots and trunk should still remain. For me, the rings of the tree’s trunk are the best cultivation manuals. If I could study them, my cultivation would advance by leaps and bounds. If you could provide me with some clues, we’ll have many opportunities to collaborate in the future.”
By addressing Zhang Ruochen as “Young Master Ruochen,” the Flower Goddess was acknowledging that he now held a status equal to hers in her eyes.
Zhang Ruochen tapped the table lightly with his fingers and asked, “Can we really be friends?”
The Flower Goddess replied, “I think someone like you, surrounded by enemies on all sides, is in great need of friends.”
“Alright, since you put it that way, I’ll consider you a friend. I do know where the trunk of the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree is. But I’ll only tell you after I’ve secured the Kunlun Realm,” Zhang Ruochen said.
“I knew I hadn’t approached the wrong person,” the Flower Goddess said, her eyes lighting up with joy. Her eyelashes fluttered as she added, “Soon, cultivators from the various mortal worlds under the Heavenly Court will flood into the Kunlun Realm. I’ll definitely be going too. When that happens, you must play the role of a gracious host and show me around the famous landmarks and majestic landscapes of the Kunlun Realm.”
“Traveling with the Goddess is a dream come true for countless cultivators,” Zhang Ruochen said with a smile.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t mention the new sprout of the Heaven-Connecting Divine Tree in the Qiankun Realm. After all, his relationship with the Flower Goddess wasn’t yet at the stage where they could share everything.
Zhang Ruochen took out a piece of paper with the names of four materials written on it:
– Essence of Royal-Grade Saint Jade
– Heavenly Dao Bloodstone
– Rootless Celestial Crane Flower
– Tears of the Void Cosmos
Seeing the list, the Flower Goddess immediately understood Zhang Ruochen’s intentions. “You’re trying to condense a Dao body for the spirit of a Saint Artifact, and not just any Dao body, but the highest grade one.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “The Thousand Petal Realm is a top-tier realm, and the Flower Palace has connections across many worlds. Surely you can help me find these four materials?”
Zhang Ruochen had also given the list to Su Jing. When Su Jing saw the four materials, his expression had been one of utter despair. He had only told Zhang Ruochen that he would do his best to gather them.
The connections of the Guanghan Realm were far inferior to those of the Thousand Petal Realm, which was why Zhang Ruochen had now turned to the Flower Goddess.
The Flower Goddess said, “The Essence of Royal-Grade Saint Jade, also known as the Saint Jade Monarch, possesses strength comparable to a Saint King. Although rare, the Flower Palace happens to have one.”
“The Rootless Celestial Crane Flower can also be found in the Thousand Petal Realm.”
“The Tears of the Void Cosmos are a special liquid that floats in the cosmos. Only one drop appears at a time, and it’s extremely hard to come by. Yet you need a hundred drops… I’ll do my best to collect them for you.”
“The Heavenly Dao Bloodstone is even rarer. Only Great Saints are usually able to find it, so I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to locate it for you.”
“Actually, if your Saint Artifact isn’t a Supreme Saint Artifact, there’s no need to condense the highest-grade Dao body for its spirit. The materials for a high-grade Dao body are much easier to find.”
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, “If I’m going to do it, I’ll do it with the best materials. Of course, if the materials prove impossible to gather, I can always consider a high-grade Dao body later.”
“Also, if possible, help me find twelve Saint King-level elephant souls.”
During the attack on the Yin-Yang Palace, Zhang Ruochen had killed Zhan Yu, the top genius of the younger generation from the Black Demon Realm, and extracted twelve Saint King-level dragon souls from his body.
If he could find twelve Saint King-level elephant souls, Zhang Ruochen was confident he could master the eleventh level of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm. Moreover, with the twelve dragon souls and twelve elephant souls, his strength would increase dramatically.
The Flower Goddess said, “Do you know how much twelve Saint King-level elephant souls are worth? Nearly 100 million Saint Stones. Add to that the four materials you’ve requested, each of which is extremely valuable. Even if you’ve made a fortune from raiding the Yin-Yang Palace, coming up with several hundred million Saint Stones in one go won’t be easy, will it?”
Zhang Ruochen took out several storage vessels and placed them in front of the Flower Goddess. “In the Truth Heavenly Domain, I’ve killed quite a few cultivators—some openly, some covertly. But I’ve managed to acquire quite a few treasures from them. Goddess, could you calculate how much these treasures are worth in Saint Stones?”
The number of storage vessels in front of the Flower Goddess numbered over a hundred.
“This guy… has really killed a lot of cultivators…” the Flower Goddess thought to herself.
She waved her hand, and the petals surrounding her and Zhang Ruochen disappeared. Then, Qian Liwen, who had been standing behind her, stepped forward and began inspecting the contents of the storage vessels with his spiritual sense.
The more he inspected, the more astonished his expression became.
After a while, Qian Liwen whispered a few words to the Flower Goddess.
The Flower Goddess’s eyes showed a hint of surprise. “So, you’re not just Zhang Ruochen and Lin Yue. You’re also the mysterious spatial cultivator who killed Feng Jian, the leader of the Heavenly Track Realm.”
From the items Zhang Ruochen had brought out, the Flower Goddess had deduced many things and uncovered several of his secrets.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t seem bothered. The more secrets they shared, the stronger their bond would become.
“So, is the Flower Palace willing to take these items?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
“Of course, why wouldn’t we? However, these items are quite troublesome to handle, so the price will be slightly lower than the market value,” the Flower Goddess replied.
Zhang Ruochen realised that the Flower Goddess wasn’t just a beautiful and talented cultivator. She was also shrewd and bold. To become the leader of a major world, one couldn’t be ordinary.
He had underestimated her before.
After Qian Liwen finished his inspection, he said, “Miss, the items Zhang Ruochen has brought are worth approximately 264.3 million Saint Stones.”
“The Flower Palace will take them all for 200 million Saint Stones,” the Flower Goddess declared.
Zhang Ruochen gave a wry smile. She had just cut out over 60 million Saint Stones from the initial estimate. And this was just the preliminary valuation—the actual selling price would likely be even higher.
However, many of these items couldn’t be openly sold through the Guanghan Realm’s shops, so he had no choice but to let the Flower Palace handle them.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Alright, 200 million Saint Stones it is. Consider this as a deposit for the Flower Palace. Once you’ve found the materials I need, I’ll pay the remaining amount.”
This was undoubtedly a massive deal! Transactions of this scale usually only occurred between Great Saints. Both Yao Juewang and Qian Liwen couldn’t hide their delight. This time, the Flower Palace had struck gold.
When the Goddess herself handled business, things went much more smoothly.
Zhang Ruochen stood up, preparing to leave.
The Flower Goddess said, “I heard from my senior sister that you’re looking for the Earth Kill Organization and the Death God Temple?”
“That’s right. Any news?” Zhang Ruochen asked, his eyes lighting up.
The Flower Goddess nodded. “You’ve come at the right time. Earlier, the Death God Temple sent word that they’ll be setting up a temporary contact point tonight. Clients with needs can place their orders there.”
The Earth Kill Organization, the Death God Temple, and the Heaven Kill Organization were known as the three top assassination organizations. Zhang Ruochen had always wanted to get in touch with them.
However, the Earth Kill Organization and the Death God Temple didn’t dare offend the Truth Godly Domain, so they were extremely cautious about taking orders in the Truth Heavenly Domain.
The location of their temporary contact points changed every time, and only old clients could lead others to them.
Zhang Ruochen said, “I’m looking to eliminate some people. Could the Flower Palace send someone to guide me to the temporary contact point?”
“There’s no need to send anyone else. I’ll take you there myself. I also have some people I’d like to eliminate,” the Flower Goddess said, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. Her usual ethereal and serene demeanour suddenly turned sharp.
As night fell, the moon was nowhere to be seen.
Zhang Ruochen donned a metal mask, while Xie Chengzi concealed his aura and followed behind him.
The Flower Goddess transformed into an ordinary-looking, slender female cultivator. The three of them left the Heavenly Capital Saint Market and arrived at the edge of Heavenly Capital Mountain.
Many cultivators had already gathered there, most of them wearing masks, veils, or cloaks to hide their identities. Only a few didn’t bother to conceal themselves.
Their eyes were fixed on the distant darkness, waiting quietly.
