Chapter 517: Instrument

Translator: Radiant Editor: Radiant

Sensing the conversation take an unfavorable turn, Monarch Cang Yong was looking at Xue Ying with a grim expression. The fact that Xue Ying was holding the same neutral smile plastered on his face further filled Monarch Cang Yong with anxiety and helplessness. This Dong Bo is being so blunt! He knows I can't just deal with him openly because of His Majesty's backing.

Despite knowing he had no other choice, Monarch Cang Yong still felt bad about the situation he found himself fall into. With a thought, he released his domain to completely seal the entire hall. Under the operation of the domain, the room was now safe from prying eyes and ears. Not even scouting or probing treasures imbued with the laws could enter.

Xue Ying watched this happen in silence.

"Could Your Highness let me take a look at it first, to confirm whether the treasure you mentioned is, indeed, the one I seek?" Monarch Cang Yong asked.

"Here you go." The black sphere covered in uneven veined patterns appeared in Xue Ying's hand.

The very moment he laid eyes upon it, Monarch Cang Yong's eyes brightened up from excitement. From a glance, he had confirmed that the black sphere was, indeed, the treasure he had been dreaming of. With its help, he could increased his strength way beyond his current level. As a comparatively younger stage four World Deity, his strength was still far from sufficient to match the geezers who had lived far longer lives than him.

It was in the same vein with how Jing Qiu obtained the "Heart Sword Diagram", merging it with her personal secret skill to become a stage four World Deity. This encounter allowed her to stand on the same level as Monarch Cang Yong, in spite of her having only just become a stage four World Deity.

However, although her power level already surpassed that of a newly promoted stage four World Deity, it was quite ordinary for a stage four World Deity. Forget resisting in a fight against Monarch Mo Xue or powerful existences, her combat power was weaker even than Disciple brother Hui Ming's, or that of the Calm Sea Prefecture Master.

"If I can get my hands on it, I will become so much more powerful. On top of that, it will allow me to find more treasures in the future and increase my chances at transcending into eternity,"

Monarch Cang Yong explained. If his strength increased, it would also be easier for him to then find more treasure.

"And how will it do that?" Xue Ying asked as he waved his hand to retrieve the treasure.

"Your Highness could not uncover its secrets, right?" Monarch Cang Yong smiled. "I can say with confidence that, except for me, there is nobody in the entire deity world who can unravel its mysteries. In anyone else's hands, this thing would be nothing more than a toy. It's only once it enters my possession that it will reveal its use."

"Oh?" Xue Ying interjected. He had investigated the item for quite some time, yet he remained unable to unravel its secrets. The only thing he could be sure of was that it was no ordinary black ball.

"Hahaha, I've already prepared five kilograms of Demon Bone Ash, as well as two Chi-Dusk Beasts, each of them with the power of a stage three World Deity. All of these can be yours, and the only thing I'm asking for is that Your Highness returns me the treasure," Monarch Cang Yong said in a warm tone.

Xue Ying sighed. "Five kilograms of Demon Bone Ash as well as two Chi-Dusk Beasts? I had never before heard of a Chi-Dusk Beast, but since they have power comparable to a stage three World Deity, they must be very rare. You're truly generous, Monarch."

"The Chi-Dusk Beast is a sort of beast that belongs to the insect regnum. I've put much hard work into raising them, so they're sure to be absolutely loyal. From what I've heard, Your Highness has both a son and a daughter. You could just hand the two beasts over to your children to become their bodyguards," Monarch Cang Yong continued driving his bargain.

"Your offer is truly generous, but I am no longer in need of Demon Bone Ash at this moment. A large volume of stage four World Deities have been coming over to meet me lately, and some of them had brought over some Demon Bone Ash. That, combined with the amount I had already purchased on my own, means I now have enough Demon Bone Ashes. As for the insect beast? I'm afraid I have no need for them."

Monarch Cang Yong's complexion paled ever so slightly. This Dong Bo Xue Ying…what an appetite he has. I've already put so much on the table, yet he's still not satisfied! Even so, what else could he do but cooperate?

"Your Highness, the black ball will bring you no benefit. As long as Your Highness is willing to hand it over, I will bring out any treasure Your Highness demands, as long as it is within my power to obtain it. I can even swear an oath on this matter. I will give you three favors. In the future, whatever it is that your highness asks me to do, I will do my best to accomplish, as long as it doesn't require taking my own life. I'll do it even if it means I have to lose an avatar," Monarch Cang Yong was doing his best to negotiate a deal.

Xue Ying sent a look toward Monarch Cang Yong before taking out a flask of wine and pouring its contents into a wine cup that had been sitting atop the long table. "No rush, no rush. Let us slowly discuss this over a cup of wine."

Doing his best to suppress his anger, Monarch Cang Yong accepted the wine cup and accompanied Xue Ying for a round of drinking. At the moment, the result of this deal was in Xue Ying's hands. He already said everything he had to say, and had laid out everything he was willing use as payment for the black ball. Now, he could only wait for Xue Ying to decide whether to accept the exchange or not.

"Monarch Cang Yong, we've been talking for some time, but you still have yet to tell me what this thing truly is," Xue Ying stated as he took a small sip of his wine.

Monarch Cang Yong hesitated for a moment before finally replying, "The black ball is an extremely precious tool meant to be used for rearing insect beasts."

"A tool?" Xue Ying knitted his brows. "If what you say is true and this is nothing more than a tool, just why would you have tried so hard to acquire it?"

"While the item itself is rather valuable, the really precious part of it is what it currently contains. Currently, an egg lies inside this black ball, the egg of a Flowing Light Insect," Monarch Cang Yong revealed in a hushed voice.

Hearing this, Xue Ying's pupils shrunk and his complexion changed. A Flowing Light Insect? In spite of its common name, the insect itself was the subject of a certain legend, a terrifying myth that spoke of one of the most terrifying insects among the countless kinds there were. There had once been a stage three World Deity who successfully nurtured a Flowing Light Insect to its maturity. Using this insect, that person was said to have defeated a powerful existence! This was precisely why so many people envied those that nurtured insect beast—they could train beasts that were much more powerful than the users themselves.

Could this black ball truly be hiding such a powerful thing? Xue Ying thought to himself. Moreover, the insect was said to have absolute loyalty. The Flowing Light Insects were strong enough that they could either act by themselves on the behalf of their own, or simply guard their owner by taking them inside their body. Once the trainer entered the insect's body, they would be completely safe.

On top of that, Flowing Light Insects were famous for their speed! It truly was a terrifying existence that was both adept at speed and able to protect its owner while also having the power to fight against powerful existences.

"It's still just an egg, though. Without proper nurturing through the correct method, it would have no chance of becoming so powerful to defeat powerful existences. Moreover, nobody other than me has any way to open this item. This complex diagram on the surface of the black ball acts as a lock, and there's absolutely no way to open it without using the correct method. Without the special method, nobody, not even His Majesty himself could open this lock," Monarch Cang Yong explained.

Xue Ying revealed a slight smile. "It can't be opened? That's not necessarily true."

Somewhat startled, Monarch Cang Yong hurriedly said, "Your Highness, please state your conditions. Even if you were to succeed in opening it, you would still lack the necessary knowledge to raise it."

He didn't dare gamble on this matter. The Bloodshed God Emperor was, after all, the most powerful figure in the entire Deity World. With his status, there was always some chance that he could recover this lost knowledge. Since he could recover absolute arts, it would not be so hard to believe that the Bloodshed God Emperor might also have some knowledge on insect beasts. Forget the method to open the sphere, he might even know how to raise the insect.

In truth, Xue Ying had no intention of bothering his teacher. Moreover, raising an insect beast would take time and resources, and he had neither to spare at the moment.

"You already have the method for breeding the insect beast breeding as well as a way to open the sphere? Am I correct to assume that you've also obtained there from the same ruins?" Xue Ying inquired.

Monarch Cang Yong nodded.

"Give me the breeding method," Xue Ying ordered.

No trace of hesitation in his actions, Monarch Cang Yong flipped his hand and a thick black book immediately appeared before him. "Your Highness, all you need to do is send your consciousness over to probe the book in order to receive its inheritance. This is a very ancient and precious book that contains information on breeding insect beasts. Its value is comparable to an absolute art," Monarch Cang Yong boasted. In spite of his words, there was no way that the two would really have an equal standing. After all, the breeding method had one major flaw—one would have to find a corresponding egg before they could make use of it.

"What I meant is that I want you to give me this book. Add in the five kilograms of Demon Bone Ash and two Chi-Dusk beasts that you mentioned before and I will return you the black sphere," Xue Ying explained.

"You want this inheritance item?" Monarch Cang Yong asked, stunned at the implication.

Inheritance items could be inherited and used again without limitation.

Xue Ying had begun to learn the "Luminous Sun"using a similar item. Even though he learned the contents of the absolute art, however, he had no way of imparting it to others, since his realm was simply not high enough. He could only wait until the day he managed to learn the whole thing perfectly if he wanted to share it.

"That is correct," Xue Ying assented.

"Why would you want the item itself, though? Would it not suffice to learn it once?" Monarch Cang Yong was quite unsatisfied about this turn of events. The item contained ancient information on insect beast breeding methods which he could use as a bargain chip in trading with others, only allowing them to receive its contents after they paid a hefty price.

Xue Ying chuckled. "Have you not learned the whole thing already? Once you get the sphere back, your power will increase by leaps and bound. This inheritance item is nothing more than some external source of influence, right? As for me, I don't have a Flowing Light Insect, so the art itself is useless to me. On top of that, I have no time to spend on it anyway. However, do you even have anything you can exchange for the black sphere other than the inheritance item?

"You probably don't, so it would be best if you gave it to me, alongside what you previously mentioned. That's the only way I would be willing to give you the black ball, the only way I could see this transaction as being fair," Xue Ying concluded.

Monarch Cang Yong hesitated. He truly hated the idea of having to part with the inheritance item. It was, after all, the most precious treasure in his possession, and something that he had never even considered Xue Ying might ask for. If I keep it, I could perhaps use it as a barter chip in the very best case. Since I've already learned it, it no longer has any major use for me. He had already begun weighing his options as best as he could. As for imparting this art to my disciples, hmph. As long as I have enough power, there's no need for me to even bother with disciples. Meanwhile, there's no chance Dong Bo would consider accepting my initial offer any longer. Whatever. Once this transaction goes through, I will have only lost an external source of influence while greatly increasing my personal strength. That's worth it.I

Staring straight at Xue Ying for a moment, Monarch Cang Yong finally said, "Fine. I agree to your terms."

"Let us make an oath then, one that my teacher will be witness to," Xue Ying said.

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