Chapter 696: This Is Going to Prosper

The sudden shift in tone caught Zi Ji off guard. Although he appeared to be only forty or fifty years old, with no grey hairs on his head or beard, his true age far exceeded a thousand years. He possessed an unimaginable breadth of knowledge and had endured eons of changes that ordinary people could not comprehend.

Consequently, he could easily discern the depths of a person's mind and heart, and his own heart had long ceased to stir with emotion. However, facing this twenty-two-year-old youth, who was tens of times younger than himself, Zi Ji found his gaze so sharp that it felt as if his very soul was being pierced.

Faced with Yun Che's gaze, the words he was about to utter turned into a wry smile after a moment's hesitation: "What incredibly keen insight... No, rather than insight, perhaps it's more of an instinct?"

"I admit, I had a selfish motive in telling you about Xuanyuan Yufeng. However, what I said just now was not false in the slightest, nor did I intend to harm you. I merely wished to do you a favor, while also being pleased to see the Heavenly Sword Villa gain an enemy who could be described as 'unfathomable'."

Yun Che smiled faintly: "I can believe that. If I truly sensed any harmful intent from you, I wouldn't be sitting so calmly before you right now."

When he first met Zi Ji three years ago, he merely thought the man must be extraordinary. Now, the more they spoke, the more Yun Che felt that this person was truly unfathomable in both strength and identity. He wasted no more words. Reaching out, he took out a shimmering purple profound-coin card and placed it on the table before Zi Ji: "I've troubled Senior Zi for quite some time today. Let's get straight to business. I need ninety thousand catties of Purgatory Rock, three hundred catties of Devil-Burning Vines aged ninety years or more. If they are under ninety years but over sixty years, the quantity must be doubled. Also, six thousand Rakshasa Heartbreak Flowers, twelve thousand Skull Seeds, six thousand Withered Soul Grass..."

Yun Che spoke fluidly, without pause, listing a total of forty-nine different materials. If only one or two were mentioned, Zi Ji wouldn't have found it unusual, but all forty-nine materials Yun Che named were extremely violent and volatile! Each contained extremely high-density energy, and precisely because of this, they were incredibly dangerous... For example, a three-inch section of Devil-Burning Vine, if its corrosive power was unleashed, could destroy a Sky Profound Realm expert in a matter of breaths.

The reason Purple Vein Heavenly Crystals were so precious was not only due to their extremely high-density and layered power, but also because their energy was gentle, easily controlled, guided, and transformed for various purposes, or directly absorbed. However, the items Yun Che requested, though also possessing high energy, were the complete opposite. Their energy properties differed, but what they had in common was their extreme volatility and difficulty to control!

But precisely because of their "violent" nature, one or more of these ingredients could occasionally be used to create pills for breaking through cultivation bottlenecks... However, the success rate was undoubtedly appallingly low, and it came with considerable risk.

Yet, if successful... a pill capable of breaking through bottlenecks was undoubtedly a priceless treasure!

Therefore, although these forty-nine materials possessed extremely high energy levels, their demand was low, and their prices were naturally not exorbitant... After all, even the most skilled alchemists in the entire Profound Sky Continent wouldn't dare claim perfect mastery over any single one of them.

As for simultaneously controlling and utilizing several or even a dozen of them... it was estimated that success might not occur even once in several decades.

Yet Yun Che not only requested all forty-nine of these startlingly violent materials, but the quantities were also astonishingly large.

The three girls beside him listened, wide-eyed and dumbfounded.

Zi Ji closed his eyes. A small profound formation appeared on his slightly raised right hand. A moment later, the formation vanished, and he opened his eyes, exhaling softly as he spoke: "All forty-nine of these materials are in stock at Black Moon, though the quantity of each is far less than what you require. To gather everything, it will take some time."

"How long will it take?" Yun Che asked calmly. He knew that the quantity he sought was immense, impossible to acquire entirely from any other merchant guild, but the Black Moon Merchant Guild should not disappoint him... as long as he could afford enough profound coins.

"The Purgatory Rock must be collected from the bottom of the lava. For ninety thousand catties, it will roughly take fifteen days. As for the others, they can be gathered within five days," Zi Ji replied.

"Good!" Yun Che nodded: "Then I'll return in fifteen days. Please provide the quote, Senior Zi. To reassure Black Moon, I'll pay half upfront."

Although he spoke with certainty, Yun Che still felt a little apprehensive inside... He currently had over nine million purple profound coins, enough to buy a small city. These materials weren't outrageously expensive, and while the quantity was large... he should still be able to afford them, right?

If he couldn't afford it... he could always consider "acquiring" some from the Divine Phoenix Sect.

Zi Ji didn't fuss over the money with him, nodding and saying: "That would be for the best. While these aren't impossibly rare items, they are indeed valuable. The estimated total price is eight million... purple profound coins! As you said, a down payment of half will suffice for now."

Eight million, and in purple profound coins, was undoubtedly an astronomical sum. Even for the Black Moon Grand Guild, it was a large amount. Yun Che, however, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then cleanly and efficiently pushed the profound-coin card to Zi Ji, paying four million purple profound coins.

After paying the remaining balance, the tens of millions of purple profound coins extorted from the Xiao Sect would be almost entirely depleted...

Yun Che groaned inwardly... He had originally thought this massive sum would be enough to squander for several lifetimes, but who knew... Alas! He was about to be completely broke.

Once the down payment was complete, Zi Ji, after a brief but difficult hesitation, finally asked: "Yun Che, the Black Moon Merchant Guild never inquires about the purpose of our esteemed guests' purchases. However, I am genuinely curious: all forty-nine of these items are extremely volatile and violent, and the quantities are astonishing. What exactly do you intend to use them for? Heh heh, if it's convenient, please enlighten me; if not, just dismiss it with a smile. This old man will not press for an answer, nor will I investigate secretly."

Yun Che smiled. With a flick of his palm, he placed a dark brown, spherical pill on the stone table. Instantly, an incredibly rich, pungent medicinal fragrance rapidly diffused, causing the three girls beside him to furrow their brows simultaneously.

"This is..." Zi Ji's gaze immediately fixed upon it. Based solely on its aura, he could tell this was no ordinary pill. He extended two fingers, carefully picked it up, and brought it before his eyes. The pill was perfectly smooth and translucent; Zi Ji's gaze could pass directly through it, clearly seeing Yun Che's face. What truly astounded Zi Ji was the aura it emanated. After a brief observation, he began to concentrate his spirit, slowly infusing his profound energy into it...

In just a flash, Zi Ji abruptly raised his head, uttering words filled with profound astonishment: "This is actually a treasure pill capable of breaking through extremely high bottlenecks!!"

"And those below the Tyrant Profound Realm... can directly break through!!"

Zi Ji exclaimed "those below the Tyrant Profound Realm can directly break through" with immense shock. Not to mention ordinary profound practitioners, even the Masters of the Four Sacred Grounds would be greatly astonished to hear these words.

Because this statement clearly meant... this pill could allow anyone below the Tyrant Profound Realm to... face no more bottlenecks!

This pill was the "Tyrant Emperor Pill" from the Illusory Demon Realm, which allowed a peak Monarch Profound Realm practitioner to directly break through their bottleneck and achieve the Tyrant Emperor realm. The difference was that the Tyrant Emperor Pill of the Illusory Demon Realm was refined from thirty-six materials, while the one Yun Che presented was made from forty-nine, and its quality was flawless. In terms of medicinal power, it simply couldn't be compared to the Tyrant Emperor Pill refined by the Illusory Demon Royal Family.

"Senior Zi truly has discerning eyes," Yun Che praised sincerely. To so accurately state the effects of the Tyrant Emperor Pill with such a simple test was truly beyond the capability of an ordinary person. "Please enlighten me, Senior Zi, what approximate price could this pill fetch?"

Zi Ji's attention was now completely captivated by the Tyrant Emperor Pill. As his profound energy probe deepened, an increasingly obvious look of shock appeared on his usually unperturbed face. After a full ten-odd breaths of silence, he slowly set the Tyrant Emperor Pill down, then looked at Yun Che and slowly shook his head: "This old man has encountered countless spiritual pills and exotic treasures in my life, and I have always been able to discern their authenticity and value upon holding them... But this treasure pill, its value, this old man truly finds it difficult to estimate."

"Pills capable of breaking through bottlenecks must possess extremely potent medicinal properties. Because of this, they are not only incredibly difficult to refine, but also carry extremely high risks when consumed... The higher the bottleneck it can break through, the harder it is to refine, and the higher the risk. Even a pill capable of breaking through a Sky Profound bottleneck, with moderate risk, is a priceless treasure in the Four Sacred Grounds, reserved only for their most core young disciples. But this treasure pill..."

As Zi Ji spoke, his excitement was unrestrained: "The medicinal power contained within is profound, complex, and overwhelmingly potent. There are dozens of distinct auras within it; merely combining them should be as difficult as ascending to heaven. What's even more astonishing is that despite the fusion of these dozens of potent medicinal powers, their reaction to external forces is incredibly docile and easy to control. A profound practitioner at the Tyrant Profound Realm can easily guide it. A profound practitioner at the peak of the Monarch Profound Realm, blocked by a bottleneck, who consumes this pill, would only need one or two days to achieve the Tyrant Emperor realm. Unless interfered with by external forces, there is almost no possibility of failure! Furthermore, the entire process carries no risk, and there's no need to worry about the medicinal power running wild and causing a backlash."

"Even more astonishing is the purity of its medicinal aura; it is simply flawless. I probed it multiple times just now and couldn't find a single trace of impurity! For a treasure pill of this caliber to be so pure, this old man, who has lived for over a thousand years, has never witnessed its like in my entire life."

Zi Ji's lavish praise and astonishment didn't particularly faze Yun Che, as this Tyrant Emperor Pill was, after all, made by him, and he was clearer than anyone about its medicinal power and purity. At most, he was surprised that Zi Ji was so proficient in alchemy. However, the three girls beside them had their beautiful eyes wide open, their mouths agape for a long time...

Because it was the first time they had ever heard such "exaggerated" praise from Zi Ji.

"Since this pill has earned such high praise from Senior Zi, if it were to be sold to the Four Sacred Grounds, could one pill fetch three taels of Purple Vein Divine Crystal?" Yun Che asked very seriously.

Divine items like Purple Vein Divine Crystals could only be produced in large quantities by forces with tens of thousands of years of accumulated heritage, such as the Four Sacred Grounds, throughout the entire Profound Sky Continent. Some ordinary sects likely hadn't even seen what a Purple Vein Divine Crystal looked like.

"Heh heh," Zi Ji chuckled, then shook his head and slowly extended two fingers towards Yun Che.

"Oh, around two taels?" Yun Che nodded slowly. He wasn't disappointed at all. After all, Purple Vein Divine Crystals were extremely rare and valuable. For a Tyrant Emperor Pill, which wasn't costly for him to make, to fetch as much as two taels of Purple Vein Divine Crystal was incredibly worthwhile.

"No!" Zi Ji still shook his head: "It's two catties!"

"Huh?" Yun Che was instantly stunned.

"You underestimate the value and rarity of pills that can break through bottlenecks," Zi Ji exclaimed with a sigh: "Purple Vein Divine Crystals are indeed incredibly precious and can rapidly boost a profound practitioner's profound energy in a short time. But if one is stuck at a bottleneck, unable to break through, then no amount of Purple Vein Divine Crystals will matter. In places like the Four Sacred Grounds, bottlenecks below the Monarch Profound Realm can be forcibly broken with the assistance of several Emperor-level experts. However, at the peak of the Monarch Profound Realm, the bottleneck leading to the Tyrant Profound Realm cannot be assisted by even Emperor-level power. Over tens of thousands of years, countless talents from the Sacred Grounds, striving to break through the Monarch Profound bottleneck early and not fall behind, desperately cultivated and sought insights, while also painstakingly searching for treasure pills that could aid in breakthrough. Treasure pills capable of breaking through the Monarch Profound bottleneck are rare in the world; if one is occasionally found, it is invariably given to the sect's most core disciples... Yet these types of treasure pills often come with uncontrollable risks, and who knows how many highly-ranked and talented young disciples have suffered backlash from such pills, damaging their meridians, diminishing their talent, and utterly destroying their profound path. And for those who didn't want to, or dared not, rely on external help, who knows how many lingered at the Monarch Profound bottleneck for several years, or even more than ten years, unable to break through... even if they eventually succeeded, they would have long fallen behind, becoming mediocre."

"However, the one in my hand can not only directly break through the Monarch Profound bottleneck without any risk... It even has a significant effect on breaking through the Tyrant Profound bottleneck."

Even after so many words of praise, Zi Ji's eyes were still full of wonder: "If the Four Sacred Grounds learned of this pill, it would definitely cause a massive uproar. They would spare no expense to contend for it. Two catties of Purple Vein Divine Crystal is still the most conservative estimate... After all, possessing this treasure pill would allow a junior to break through to the Tyrant Emperor realm in the shortest possible time, granting the sect another powerful pillar for its future."

"Oh..." Yun Che's gaze drifted... Goodness gracious, this was going to make him rich!

"Yun Che, would it be convenient to tell me the name of this treasure pill? And who was the esteemed individual who refined it?" Zi Ji asked with earnestness. He was very familiar with the highest-level alchemists in the Profound Sky Continent. But among them, not a single one possessed the ability to refine such a treasure pill... If there were, he would have surely known by now.

"Oh, this pill was just casually refined, so it hasn't been named yet," Yun Che said indifferently. He couldn't possibly reveal the name "Tyrant Emperor Pill," as it would be problematic if there were records of the Illusory Demon Realm's "Tyrant Emperor Pill" in the Profound Sky Continent. Furthermore, its medicinal effects were far superior to the Tyrant Emperor Pill, so not calling it that was perfectly fine.

"Heh heh," Zi Ji shook his head and chuckled: "This old man doesn't believe that. Such a treasure pill, merely possessing one would be enough to shake the world; how could it be casually refined? Since it's inconvenient to say, this old man will naturally not ask again."

Yun Che glanced at him, his lips curving into a smirk, and with a flick of his left hand...

With a clatter, over thirty Tyrant Emperor Pills were casually tossed onto the stone table by Yun Che, as if he were scattering a handful of candies.