Chapter 1913: Bountiful Haul
The battle had ended, and the Zhenyu Clan grounds were completely ruined. Many of the clansmen were dead or wounded, and they were on the precipice of being destroyed.
Of course, the Immortal Vampires suffered even worse. Their army had been a hundred thousand strong, and in the end, only Xuetu Shenzi, as well as Xia Wenxin, had escaped. They had pretty much been annihilated.
Once the news spreads, no one knew what kind of commotion it would cause.
First things first, many people got up and started to sweep the battlefield.
For their fallen allies, as long as their bodies were still around, they needed to be found and given a proper burial, and not left to exposed the elements.
They were all heroes, and the Zhenyu Clan would never forget them.
“Senior brother, let’s chant the sutras and ease the passing of the dead,” Sikong the Younger said.
Sikong the Elder’s eyes gleamed as he swept his gaze across the area and happily said, “We can recite that later. There are so many dead Immortal Vampires here on the battlefield; how many treasures must have been left behind. Shouldn’t we collect them first?”
Hundreds of thousands of Immortal Vampires were dead there, including a few Shenzis, princes, and princesses. The treasure they left behind would be amazing if one thought about it.
Sikong the Elder was already gearing up for the moment and was actually worried that his Dimensional Bracelet would not fit all of the loot.
However, Zhang Ruochen had not said anything, so he did not dare to do as he liked. As such, he looked at Zhang Ruochen expectantly.
Zhang Ruochen exhaled deeply and calmly said, “Just do whatever you want.”
Hearing that, Sikong the Elder said, “Senior uncle, leave this to me. I’ll definitely pick up all of the treasures left behind by the Immortal Vampires.”
As he said that, he immediately set off. Although he was fat, his movements were extremely agile.
While Sikong the Elder put the treasures into his Dimensional Bracelet, his fat face brimmed with joy.
“Saint bones of a Seven-step Saint King, the saint source of an Eight-step Saint King, a sacred artifact of the Fifth Radiance… all good stuff.” Sikong the Elder’s smile was blindingly brilliant.
There were treasures all around, even if it was another person they would be smiling from end to end.
Unlike Sikong the Elder, Sikong the Younger sat down on the spot, silently reciting the Buddhist sutra to ease the passing of the dead.
Xiang Chunan collapsed onto the ground and did not want to move anymore.
“Brother Xiang, let’s go to the Sword Tomb Palace to rest,” Luo Yi said.
“Sure.”
As soon as the battle ended, Shi Qiankun placed the Sword Tomb Palace aside so that those who had been seriously wounded could enter it for recuperation.
Zhang Ruochen turned his gaze to Luo Yi and looked at his back. A strange light flashed in his eye, and he was now even more suspicious of Luo Yi’s identity.
“Junior brother, want to capture him?” Bao Lie came to Zhang Ruochen’s side and whispered.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and said in a whisper, “Don’t act rashly for the time being. The battle has just ended. I don’t want to cause any trouble for now. Just monitor him in secret.”
“All right. Oh yeah, I will take this weapon for myself.”
Bao Lie nodded and reached out to take a silver spear in the distance.
The silver spear belonged to Wangqiu Shenzi and was a sacred artifact of the Ninth Radiance, a very rare object.
A smile appeared on Zhang Ruochen’s face. “This spear suits you well. With it, your strength will also improve.”
Even if Bao Lie did not mention it, he would have chosen a better weapon to give to Bao Lie himself.
The strong should be equipped with a powerful weapon.
With a toss, Bao Lie threw the golden spear and said with a smile, “Xinghun, I’ll return the spear to you. Use it well, don’t dishonor your father.”
Bao Xinghun stretched his hand out and caught the golden spear. He was stunned at first, but then a look of elation appeared on his face. “Father, don’t you worry, I will definitely not bring shame to you.”
How could he not be excited about regaining his golden spear?
With this Seventh Radiance sacred artifact, his strength would undoubtedly improve greatly. He was now a Six-step Saint King, and with the golden spear, he would be able to defeat or even kill a Seven-step Saint King.
“Your Highness, I will help Sikong the Elder,” Murong Yue said.
Zhang Ruochen nodded slightly and said, “Okay, go.”
Since she was granted permission, Murong Yue immediately went about it.
Unlike Sikong the Elder, she did not collect every treasure but went specifically for those truly precious ones.
The battlefield was too big, and there were too many dead. It would obviously take some time to sweep the battlefield.
A thought appeared in his mind and Zhang Ruochen took out the Zangshan Demonic Mirror as he prepared to study it.
The mirror was a Supreme Sacred Artifact, and while it was damaged, its power should still not be underestimated.
After some observation, Zhang Ruochen noticed something.
The Zangshan Demonic Mirror was not only missing its vessel spirits but also several other extremely important parts. Otherwise, its power would have been far stronger than it was now.
The Blood Dripper’s Sword Spirit appeared, and her gaze was set upon the Zangshan Demonic Mirror as she said, “I once heard a rumor that the Zangshan Demonic Mirror and the Bloodsea Demonic Mirror are a pair of Supreme Sacred Artifacts refined by the same master. One mountain and one sea; the inside of the mirrors consist of a world that can suppress the balance and kill a god.”
“Hmmm? The Zangshan Demonic Mirror is related to the Blood Sea Demonic Mirror?”
Zhang Ruochen’s face stiffened as he asked.
The woman in red neither confirmed nor denied and faintly said, “It’s just a rumor. After such a long time, many things are beyond anyone’s ability to explain.”
“However, there is something that is certain. This mirror is very unusual. If it was complete, it should be a top-level Supreme Sacred Artifact.
“Also, I need to remind you that I can faintly sense that the Zangshan Demonic Mirror’s vessel spirit is not destroyed. If it appears, you may not be able to deal with it.”
Hearing that, Zhang Ruochen could not help but frown slightly as thoughts ran quickly in his mind.
Soon, however, he relaxed his scrunched up brows. There was a saying, “just deal with it when the time comes”, so he did not need to think about it too much.
Moreover, it was impossible for him to discard the Zangshan Demonic Mirror just because its vessel spirit was still around, and it was even more impossible to destroy it.
The woman in red turned and looked at the Ancient Abyssal Blade, her eyes filled with longing and reluctance. “Abyss, I came to the Sword Vault because I sensed that you needed me. Now, I must go. The Kunlun Realm is in peril, and I need to take command of the Central Imperial City, as well as deal with the powerhouses from the Celestial Court’s realms,” she said.
The Ancient Abyssal Blade was reluctant to see her go too. He could not help but step forward and held the woman in red tightly in his arms.
They had just met, and now, they needed to part again.
Before the currents of fate, all longing and emotion needed to be let go.
“Blood Dripper, I will make myself stronger and stronger, and one day, I will become stronger than you. When that time comes, I will protect you instead.”
Abyss let go of the woman in red and spoke with grim determination.
The woman in red stretched her hands out and stroked Abyss’ cheek as she broke into a beautiful smile. “I believe that day will come,” she said softly.
Nex to them, Zhang Ruochen felt a little uncomfortable. The two swords were actually being all lovey-dovey while he, as a human, was like a lone wolf.
“Sigh…”
Hearing Zhang Ruochen’s long sigh, the two swords quickly separated, and Blood Dripper turned into a blood-colored rainbow as she flew away in an instant.
The ancient wards before her were completely ineffective as if they were never there, to begin with.
Seeing the Blood Dripper leave, Zhang Ruochen could not help but pat Abyss’ shoulder as he said, “You will meet again, and this time, it won’t take another eight hundred years.”
Abyss’ Sword Spirit nodded and said, “Yeah, but before I become strong enough, I will not meet Blood Dripper.”
“There are sacred artifacts all over the battlefield. You can just absorb and refine them as you wish. You have culminated your body successfully, and your efficiency in refining sacred artifacts should be much higher,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Hearing that, the Ancient Abyssal Blade did not hesitate as it immediately flew out and got ready to feast as he absorbed and refined the sacred artifacts as he pleased.
Before it had consolidated its body, the Ancient Abyssal Blade had absorbed a large amount of Sword Qi and Sword Path Precepts, so its quality had improved significantly. As long as it absorbed and refined a few more sacred artifacts, it would not have any problems upgrading itself to an Eighth Radiance sacred artifact.
After seeing the Blood Dripper, he was undoubtedly even more eager to become stronger.
Some time later, the sweep of the battlefield was completed.
“Senior uncle, what a bountiful haul. I have never seen so many treasures before in my life.”
Sikong the Elder ran back with a look of excitement.
With a wave of his hand, a large number of treasures flew out of his Dimensional Bracelet and piled up into a mountain.
He had to admit that Sikong the Elder was very thorough with his looting; even a weapon shard was not missed.
Zhang Ruochen glanced through the mountain of treasures. It was mainly made out of Saint Sources, Saint Bones, and Saint Artifacts. Most of the Saint Bones and Saint Artifacts were broken or incomplete, due to the brutal battle earlier.
Of the mobilized Immortal Vampire hundred-thousand-strong army the Immortal Vampires mobilized, the lowest cultivation level was also a Demi-Saint, so there were many treasures left behind, and all of them valuable.
“Pick a few that you like. I’ll use the others to strengthen the Ming Sect.”
Zhang Ruochen spoke after some thought.
“Hehe, I won’t hold back then.” Elder Sikong sniggered.
Immediately after, he selected a few treasures from the treasure mountain and put them back into his Dimensional Bracelet.
Zhang Ruochen did not care what treasures he chose. He later stored all of the remaining treasures in the Qiankun Realm.
The Saint Sources were very important, and they could allow the Ming Sect to cultivate a large number of elites within a short period of time.
As for those broken sacred artifacts, they could be used as Abyss’ food, so he would not complain about having too much of them.
“Your Highness, the treasures of the elites are all inside here.”
Murong Yue appeared in the flash and handed Zhang Ruochen a Dimensional Ring.
Zhang Ruochen released his spiritual power and searched the Dimensional Ring.
He was particularly excited to see the treasure that Murong Yue had brought back.
In terms of numbers, the amount that Murong Yue brought back was a lot lesser than Sikong the Elder’s, but they were all exceptional items. Every single one of them was of great value.
For example, the Nine-eye Heavenly Lord’s White Bone Mountain, while severely damaged, still had some precious Saint Bones and a large Divine Bone inside it. All of these were excellent materials to refine Blood Suppressant Talismans.
There were also the three destroyed Saintkiller Warships; two were half-destroyed, and one was more-or-less intact. If repaired, they would be formidable weapons.
“I never thought that there would be six Godstones embedded in the divine bone. That can spur the sundial for six days, and my cultivation base will improve significantly. The Nine-eye Heavenly Lord sure had lots of good stuff on him.”
Zhang Ruochen smiled, and he was in an excellent mood.