Chapter 534

Chapter 534: The Value of the Heavenly Book

Ye Xu did not take the Qian Kun Ring.

He fixed his gaze on the Second Young Master, discovering much like with the Third, Sixth, and Ninth, this Second Young Master also bore the power of the Great Celestial Lord. It masked his thoughts completely.

However, judging by the Second Young Master’s reaction, he clearly wasn’t here to confront the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion as Xuan Du Ancient Immortal had suspected.

The matter of the Canglan Merchant Alliance was merely a pretext.

The Second Young Master’s brow furrowed slightly.

"The Master refuses the Qian Kun Ring. Does he mean to strike at me?" His heart skipped a beat.

"Hahaha…"

Suddenly,

Ye Xu unleashed a carefree laugh, accepting the Qian Kun Ring. It converted to one hundred million Hongmeng points. He chuckled, "A fleeting dream barely holds value, yet you offer a fortune upfront. Truly generous of you, young friend."

"Xuan Du’s insolence offended you, Master. I count it an honor if you choose to overlook it." The Second Young Master replied.

"Xuan Du, senior brother, step outside for now."

He spoke solemnly.

"Understood."

Relieved, Xuan Du Ancient Immortal wasted no time departing the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

Xiao Ling frowned. "Junior brother, our master’s order is clear: on this journey, I cannot leave you for even a moment. Forgive my refusal."

The Second Young Master offered a thin smile.

"Senior brother, if the Master truly meant us harm, you couldn’t shield us anyway." The Second Young Master’s lips curled without warmth. "This is a private matter between the Pavilion Master and myself. Kindly withdraw."

"So be it."

With a sigh, Xiao Ling left the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

Once they were gone, the Second Young Master turned back to Ye Xu, taking two steps forward. "Master, I seek to know: Does the Eighth Young Master live, or has he perished?"

The Eighth Young Master’s death had echoed through every realm.

His name had vanished from the Dao Lord ranking, and not a shred of news had surfaced.

Anxiety churned within the Second Young Master.

"Five hundred million divine stones," Ye Xu named his price.

"Agreed."

Without hesitating, the Second Young Master produced a One Tribulation Dao Sovereign treasure and passed it to Ye Xu.

Ding!

[Congratulations, host. Acquired five hundred million Hongmeng points.]

Satisfied, Ye Xu answered, "After Luo Qianchen and her companions subdued him, Luo Yuanfu came to the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion to inquire whether he lived. But midway, his master contacted him. Told him the Eighth Young Master survived."

Ye Xu had benefitted without spending a single stone for this answer.

Swoosh!

Hearing the news about Obliteration Daoist, Second Young Master’s pupils suddenly contracted. Eighth Young Master had been beaten to the annihilation of his form and soul by three young masters together, yet he still hadn’t fallen.

Behind this, there must have been Obliteration Daoist manipulating things.

"Master, how was he saved and revived?" Second Young Master said in a stern voice.

He vaguely felt that Eighth Young Master’s inexplicable death and resurrection hid an extremely huge secret behind it, one that might very well overturn his own perception.

"System, to inquire about the entire process of Eighth Young Master’s resurrection, how many Hongmeng points are needed?"

"Eight trillion."

Ye Xu felt deeply shocked.

Eight trillion Hongmeng points far exceeded his expectations. After all, for investigating the information of each of the nine young masters, it only cost ninety-nine billion Hongmeng points.

"The secret of Eighth Young Master’s resurrection must have touched on the core secret of the Nine Great Heavenly Books; otherwise, it absolutely couldn’t be so expensive." Ye Xu thought to himself.

"My friend, if you can produce nine trillion divine stones, I will tell you how Obliteration Daoist revived him." Ye Xu smiled lightly.

"Too much."

Second Young Master shook his head and laughed weakly.

Although he was honored as the Young Master of Destiny Sect, the divine stones he could mobilize only amounted to around a few hundred billion at most. That was already an extremely enormous fortune.

But it fell far short of eight trillion.

"In that case, forgive me for being unable to help." Ye Xu said regretfully.

Feeling heavy-hearted, Second Young Master took a deep breath and said, "Master, if I wish to find the complete Heavenly Book of Fate, how many divine stones would be needed?"

"How much value does the Heavenly Book hold, after all?"

For the first question, Ye Xu didn’t bother to ask the system.

Since Second Young Master couldn’t afford the price, asking would be futile.

For the second question, Ye Xu was somewhat interested. He inquired in his mind, "System, to explore the use of the Heavenly Book, how many Hongmeng points are needed?"

Ding!

"Complete information requires ten trillion Hongmeng points."

"Summary information requires two hundred billion Hongmeng points."

"Hiss…"

Ye Xu drew in a sharp breath.

Ten trillion Hongmeng points would be enough for him to achieve cultivation as a Celestial Lord.

The system’s reply made him increasingly certain that the value of the Heavenly Book was definitely not as simple as what was superficially known; there were deeper layers of secrets.

The nine top experts behind the nine young masters likely knew the inside story.

"My friend, your question is too difficult. I have two versions I can tell you…" Ye Xu spoke in detail, and Second Young Master listened confusedly.

After this speech, Second Young Master was both amused and exasperated.

Heaven’s Secret Pavilion was truly a place for doing business.

Pay for one piece, get one piece of information.

Without any hesitation at all.

"Even if it’s only Simplified Version information, I still want to know it."

Ye Xu quoted a price of two hundred eighty billion Hongmeng points.

Second Young Master gritted his teeth, materializing his one hundred and eight Great Dao Worlds; various magic treasures, thousands of immortal plants, and magnificent Precious Materials came into view.

His Great Dao World was simply a treasure trove, encompassing everything.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Second Young Master channeled his magic power and began moving the magic treasures.

Ye Xu exchanged them one by one.

[Congratulations, host, obtained two billion Hongmeng points.]

[Congratulations, host, obtained one point eight billion Hongmeng points.]

…

Half an hour later, Second Young Master finally gathered the two hundred eighty billion Hongmeng points needed, where nine-tenths of his one hundred and eight Great Dao Worlds were emptied out.

"Truly rich beyond measure."

Ye Xu remarked emotionally.

As a One Tribulation Dao Sovereign, Second Young Master possessed wealth that even Three Tribulations Dao Sovereigns and Four Tribulations Dao Sovereigns did not have; the nine young masters of the Hongmeng Dao Realm were indeed worthy of their reputation.

"System, inquire immediately."

Ding!

A soft sound rang out.

Information flooded into Ye Xu’s mind.

Ye Xu said unhurriedly, "As everyone knows, the Nine Great Heavenly Books were born at the creation of the Hongmeng Dao Realm, and have traversed eight epochs without disaster or calamity, being undying and imperishable."

Second Young Master nodded.

He had long known what Ye Xu stated.

"For the Great Celestial Lord to advance another level, one of the methods is to master a Heavenly Book, relying on its miraculous power to take that step."

Second Young Master’s eyes turned stern.

He had speculated about this matter himself, and Ye Xu’s words just confirmed his suspicions.

"Is that all?"

Second Young Master asked with surprise.

"There’s one more piece of information."

Ye Xu declared gravely, "The Heavenly Books possess spirits and can exist in both the past and present."

Three sentences revealed three key pieces of information.

First, the Heavenly Books are undying and imperishable, without disaster or calamity, existing perpetually from ancient times through eight epochs.

Second, it was the most crucial point.

The Great Celestial Lord needed to become stronger, and the Heavenly Book was the most effective way.

From this point, Ye Xu also thought of a possibility.

The realm above the Great Celestial Lord should be free from disaster and calamity, immortal and imperishable, truly having the same lifespan as heaven and earth.

Combining with that thought, powerful beings of that realm should be able to traverse past and present, and peer into the future.

It must be understood.

The Hongmeng Dao Realm had complete fundamental principles, making it worlds apart from the Pangu universe or other lower plane universes.

What people there could shuttle through were past epochs, truly entering past Time and Space and residing in the past; this was completely different from Immortal Emperors with the Three Yuan Proof from lower worlds leaping through the river of Time and Space.

After all, no matter how long the history of lower plane universes might be, it couldn’t compare to the Hongmeng Dao Realm, and they were destined for destruction someday.

But the Hongmeng Dao Realm had been born for eight epochs, passing through countless ages, yet it had never faced destruction.

"Existing in past and present…"

The Second Young Master muttered to himself.

The Dao Sovereign had the Five Declines of Celestial Beings; overcoming them brought an opportunity to advance to the Celestial Lord Realm.

But the Celestial Lord Realm also entailed disaster and calamity.

Once one survived the ultimate Dao tribulation, one could ascend to become a Great Celestial Lord.

However.

Even the Great Celestial Lord couldn’t return to the past or peer into the future, yet this alone proved the Heavenly Book was at a higher level than the Great Celestial Lord.

Ye Xu had not deceived him.

The Second Young Master’s heart also grew fervent.

Mastering the Heavenly Book, breaking free from time’s shackles, having the same lifespan as heaven and earth, without disaster or calamity, being immortal and imperishable—that was the true eternity and true freedom.

"Master, the Heavenly Book has a spirit, but where is this Spirit of the Heavenly Book?"

The Second Young Master’s mind gradually calmed. He stared at Ye Xu and asked another question.

He had always clearly known he was connected to the Heavenly Book.

It wasn’t just him.

The nine young masters all had ties to the Heavenly Book.

However, he didn’t know the specific reason.

Ye Xu’s eyes grew profound, his voice tinged with mockery, "Young friend, knowing the Spirit of the Heavenly Book’s whereabouts is nearly as valuable as the Heavenly Book itself."

"You are utterly impoverished now and can’t afford it."

"In my opinion, you can send a message to your master and come to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion for a visit."