Chapter 1345: Treasure of the Store

Even Shimian, let alone the Second Prince and Little Golden Roc King, who held higher status, was startled. What did 100,000 Heaven-tier essence stones even mean? One Heaven-tier essence stone was equivalent to 100,000 ordinary essence stones. People of their standing usually carried only a few hundred Heaven-tier essence stones at most. 100,000 Heaven-tier essence stones were enough to build a powerful army from scratch!

“This is fun, truly interesting,” Chiwen clapped his hands and laughed. Having grown up in the Dragon Palace treasury, he didn't have much attachment to treasures, so he looked as if he wanted to see the world thrown into chaos.

The expressions of the lion clan members changed drastically, then Shimian’s face darkened. “Are you joking?”

Yu Yanluo said calmly, “Of course not.” In truth, she felt a bit nervous. After all, with stone gambling, no one could be completely sure. Although she had extensive experience, the fact that they dared to set up such a gamble suggested their expertise was also significant. In the past, while 100,000 Heaven-tier essence stones was a large sum, it wouldn't have been too difficult for her, as she owned the Yu family. However, Xu Yu exposing her Medusa identity forced her to flee in a hurry, leaving many assets untransferred. Furthermore, the Snake Clan was now controlled by Elders Bai and Qing, and as a newcomer, she didn't yet possess real power, making it impossible to take such a sum from the clan. Despite this, she agreed without hesitation, because she trusted her beloved.

Receiving her answer, the lion clan members also started to panic. After all, this was an astronomical sum, and their three brothers weren't authorized to use so many resources.

“What’s wrong? You were so boastful just now, but now you’re chickening out?” Zuan's voice was full of mockery.

Lion Gong and Lion Rong's faces immediately flushed crimson. “You scoundrel, do you think we’d chicken out?”Anger value from Lion Gong +444444444…Anger value from Lion Shimian +444444444…They had just used taunts against others, but they themselves fell for one so easily. Yet, seeing that guy’s smug expression truly made them angry.

Shimian was relatively calmer. He said in a deep voice, “But as far as I know, you only had a little over a hundred essence stones, and only got a few hundred Heaven-tier essence stones by cutting out good stuff from stone gambling just now. Where would you get 100,000 Heaven-tier essence stones from?”

Yu Yanluo replied calmly, “Even if the Snake Clan is down on its luck, it’s still a major clan. As the clan leader, I do have 100,000 Heaven-tier essence stones.”

Hearing her say this, Shimian frowned deeply. Although he had initially planned to tempt her this way, her quick agreement now made him unsure. Could it be that she was afraid to accept the challenge, so she deliberately had her subordinate call out such an exorbitant price, hoping to scare them off and avoid the gamble? Thinking this, a faint smile appeared on his lips. He almost fell for their bluff.

“Alright, since Queen Medusa is so curious, how could we men back down? We'll gamble!”

“Third Brother!” Lion Rong and Lion Gong exclaimed anxiously. If they truly lost, the amount of compensation would be too enormous.

Shimian raised a hand to stop them, secretly explaining the situation. Only then did the two brothers breathe a sigh of relief, realizing how cunning the Snake Clan was.

Zuan’s eyes lit up. “Everyone present, please bear witness for us. If anyone tries to renege on the debt later…”

Little Golden Roc King, who was nearby, said with a half-smile, “Don’t worry, we few here still hold some sway in the Royal Court. If anyone truly can’t afford to lose, they probably won’t be able to stay in the demon race in the future.”

Second Prince also nodded. “Indeed, just compete with confidence.”

A fine bead of sweat trickled down Shimian's forehead. Even with his usual composure, he felt immense pressure at this moment. However, with so many important figures watching, he couldn’t back down now. So, he kept comforting himself: the Snake Clan was probably just putting on a brave front. If they weren’t afraid, then he had even less reason to be timid. With this thought, he gradually calmed down and signaled for them to begin.

At this point, the Butler of Green Garden introduced, “This Immortal-tier level is different from the other floors. Every raw stone here is extraordinary, possessing its own unique spiritual energy phenomena. That’s why they aren’t displayed on tables like on the other floors but are arranged among rock formations and trees, blending with the surrounding scenery. Their spiritual energy can influence the environment, and the environment, in turn, can nourish them. This way, even if a raw stone initially contains nothing, over time, it might still form some precious treasures.”

Zuan had noticed when he first entered that there were many rockeries and strange stones here, forming natural miniature landscapes with the surrounding plants. He hadn’t expected those stones to actually be Heaven-tier raw stones.

At this moment, Yu Yanluo didn't dare to be negligent. After all, 100,000 Heaven-tier essence stones were at stake, so she began to wander through the garden, looking for something she liked. Suddenly, she paused, noticing a strange stone in the ornamental fish pond. It resembled a coiled snake and a giant turtle. The snake had a dragon head, phoenix wings, and a python body, while the giant turtle had an Ao's back and a Qilin's tail, with an ancient, profound Daoist aura flowing throughout its body.

“Is this sculpted?” Yun Jianyue couldn’t help but ask, because the snake and giant turtle were incredibly lifelike.

The butler smiled and shook his head. “Not at all. The shape of this stone is naturally formed, which is why it’s so divine and mystical. This stone is called Beigong Xuanwu, and it’s one of the Green Garden’s most prized treasures.”

Hearing this explanation, even the other princes and princesses present showed some surprise. To have such a shape naturally formed, it must surely contain an extraordinary treasure.

Lion Rong, fearing they would act first, hurriedly asked, “What’s the price of this raw stone? We’ll buy it!”

The Butler of Green Garden smiled knowingly. “100,000 Heaven-tier essence stones.”

Lion Rong: “…”Zuan: “…”Everyone else was also speechless. As expected of a ‘prized treasure.’ No wonder such an extraordinary phenomenon was always displayed here, uncut. It turned out to be because it was too expensive. One must know that many top-tier raw stones indeed come with various phenomena, but not every such raw stone will yield something. Otherwise, why would merchant associations like Green Garden display them for sale? Wouldn't it be better to cut them open themselves? Even with raw stones exhibiting various phenomena, the probability of cutting out something is only relatively higher, not guaranteed. In the stone gambling business, countless people have gambled everything on these unusual stones, only to end up empty-handed. Moreover, even if something good is cut out, its value might not match the price of the raw stone itself. 100,000 Heaven-tier essence stones—in reality, what couldn't you do with such a huge sum? To gamble on this was simply too risky.

The Butler of Green Garden smiled as he looked at Lion Rong. “How does Seventh Prince intend to pay?”

“Uh, I take that back,” Lion Rong's face burned crimson. Under normal circumstances, he would never have lost face like this; he would have gritted his teeth and endured. Unfortunately, 100,000 Heaven-tier essence stones were simply too much to bear.

The Butler of Green Garden didn't seem offended in the slightest; clearly, this wasn't the first time he had seen such a situation over the years.

Yu Yanluo secretly stuck out her tongue. She couldn't afford this either, so she had to look at others.

“Ice Stone Girl, can you see anything unusual?” Yun Jianyue stared at the stone, eager to try, feeling as if a cat were scratching her heart.

“I can’t,” Yan Xuehen shook her head slightly. “The laws of heaven and earth allow these raw stones to block cultivators’ divine sense probes. Moreover, this raw stone has natural phenomena, making it even harder to see through easily.” Suddenly, her heart tightened. “You’re not planning to steal it, are you?”

Yun Jianyue’s expression became a bit unnatural. “Hmph, am I such a violent person? I’m just curious what’s inside.”

“Don’t act recklessly. Your injuries haven't healed yet, and your strength isn't what it used to be. This butler's cultivation isn't low, and there's an even more terrifying presence hidden in the shadows of this Immortal-tier room, presumably the guardian of Green Garden,” Yan Xuehen hastily reminded her.

“I’m not that reckless,” Yun Jianyue’s face flushed. “What, are you actually concerned about me?”

“Pah, I don't care if you die,” Yan Xuehen’s face stiffened, and she ignored her.

Zuan was filled with doubts at this moment. The foundation of this Fox Merchant Association was even more exaggerated than he had imagined. A random raw stone was worth 100,000 Heaven-tier essence stones. How much was the entire Immortal-tier section worth then? Given the demon race’s crude and direct nature, if it didn’t have enough strength, it would have been robbed countless times by now. Yet, in the Royal Court, teeming with masters, it remained safe and sound. Who exactly was behind this merchant association? He had previously thought it was an asset of the Azure Hill Nation, but now it seemed that not to mention Azure Hill Nation, even the entire Tiger Clan combined might not have such immense power. But it couldn’t possibly be the demon royal family behind it, could it?

At this moment, Shimian also stopped on the other side, staring blankly at a massive stone. This giant stone resembled a mountain peak, extremely steep and perilous. Around the giant stone, a circle of ethereal mist naturally formed, like morning glow or clouds. What was even more striking was a slender stone protruding abruptly from within the ‘mountain peak,’ appearing like a graceful, beautiful maiden standing there.

The butler had already arrived beside him and began to explain considerately, “This stone is called Wushan Goddess…”