"Honored guest, I have a small request, I hope you can agree to it," said Saint Venerable Chi Lu.

"A request? Let me hear it," Wang Xu replied, having already acquired fifteen million Chaos Stones, he did not pay much attention to a small request.

"Surely, you've guessed, honored guest, that I spared no expense to obtain the Guiding Map to the Profound Dragon Ruins because I have my own intentions. That's right, I have important information about the Profound Dragon Ruins, and I want to take this opportunity to explore them," Saint Venerable Chi Lu said. "Since you, honored guest, also have this intention, and you even spent a lot of money to buy the Guiding Map to the Profound Dragon Ruins, you must also want to enter the ruins. In this case, we could form a powerful alliance and venture into the Profound Dragon Ruins together!"

Teaming up to explore the Profound Dragon Ruins?

Wang Xu's heart was moved.

He discreetly assessed Saint Venerable Chi Lu.

A Duality Saint Venerable Realm, judging from the strength of his aura, he belonged to the tier above elite, a top-notch Duality Saint Venerable.

But with just this level of power, even before Wang Xu was promoted to the Saint Venerable Realm, he could easily contend with it. Let alone now, having entered the Saint Venerable Realm, Wang Xu's strength had advanced by leaps and bounds. Let alone a Duality Saint Venerable, even someone from the Three Elements Saint Venerable Realm couldn't withstand two moves from him.

"Honored guest, although your realm is not higher than mine, your aura is far more substantial. It is precisely because I am concerned about my weakness that I dare not venture into the Profound Dragon Ruins alone. If you would let me accompany you, I can share the intelligence I've gathered over the years with you. How about it?" Saint Venerable Chi Lu tentatively asked.

The Profound Dragon Ruins, buried with treasures even the Great Emperor coveted, a mere Duality Saint Venerable going there, would likely face only death.

Wang Xu had the approval of the Celestial Tang Great Emperor. Since the Celestial Tang Great Emperor entrusted him with the Profound Dragon Talisman, letting him head to the Profound Dragon Ruins meant he had the hope to compete there.

"Oh? Tell me your intelligence and let's see if it truly has value," Wang Xu said.

Intelligence varies in importance. If it's trivial information, taking Saint Venerable Chi Lu along would be no better than carrying dead weight, merely a burden.

However, if Saint Venerable Chi Lu had significant intelligence highly beneficial for him, then bringing him along would be worthwhile.

"This..." Saint Venerable Chi Lu hesitated in expression.

Wang Xu suddenly realized.

Right away, Wang Xu lifted his palm, Supreme Laws surged: "I, Tai Xu, swear a Law Oath, never to leak any intelligence Saint Venerable Chi Lu confides to me, otherwise..."

With the oath formed, the Power of Law Restriction descended, and the Law Oath took effect.

"Haha, Tai Xu Saint Venerable is a straightforward person!"

Saint Venerable Chi Lu relaxed, "My intelligence is about the 'Profound Dragon Room' inside the Profound Dragon Ruins."

"Profound Dragon Room?" Wang Xu had no previous knowledge of the Profound Dragon Ruins, everything within it was completely unfamiliar to him.

"As Tai Xu Saint Venerable might know, the Profound Dragon Ruins are remnants of the ancient Profound Dragon Great Emperor, with treasures enough to attract countless predecessors who risked everything just to obtain the Great Emperor's Supreme Treasure," Saint Venerable Chi Lu explained. "But regrettably, despite the numerous treasures, the Profound Dragon Great Emperor only left them to those fated. Only by passing the trial in the Profound Dragon Room can one gain the Great Emperor's recognition and the Supreme Treasure, yet few have managed to succeed, with only a handful of the Supreme Treasures within the Profound Dragon Ruins being taken out."

Wang Xu nodded, the Profound Dragon Great Emperor was once a formidable figure during Kedan's era, renowned and potent.

The trial left by him would hardly be simple?

"Those who pass are, of course, delighted, but those who fail can only spend their entire lives trapped in the Profound Dragon Room, unable to leave," Saint Venerable Chi Lu continued.

Unable to leave the Profound Dragon Room for life!

Wang Xu's heart sank.

"Saint Venerable Chi Lu, you said you know about the Profound Dragon Room, surely it's more than just this," Wang Xu's meaning was clear, this bit of intelligence wasn't enough to prove your worth.

"To be honest, I managed to get some information about one Profound Dragon Room by accident. I know the contents of this Profound Dragon Room inside out, and the most crucial thing is, that particular Profound Dragon Room poses no life-threatening danger. Even if you and I cannot pass, we can at least save our lives," Saint Venerable Chi Lu communicated telepathically.

"Ah, I see." Wang Xu finally understood why a Duality Saint Venerable without even a Guiding Map dared to venture into the Profound Dragon Ruins, it turns out it was a well-prepared plan.

"Tai Xu Saint Venerable, as long as you're willing to take me along, I can share all the intelligence inside that Profound Dragon Room with you, how about it?" Saint Venerable Chi Lu proposed.

"Things don't seem as simple as you've described,"

Wang Xu glanced at Saint Venerable Chi Lu, "You also mentioned that this Profound Dragon Room once had countless strong figures rushing in, even we would be safe upon entry, surely they wouldn't be at risk either. In that case, the Profound Dragon Room must have long been filled with powerful figures, would we not then become fish on others' chopping boards?"

"Haha! I assure you, Tai Xu Saint Venerable, I've looked into it thoroughly. Inside all Profound Dragon Rooms, unless dying in the trial, the Trial Takers are absolutely prohibited from attacking each other!" Saint Venerable Chi Lu stated.

Without life-threatening risks or worries, even though Wang Xu still harbored some doubts, comparatively, he no longer had a reason to refuse.

"Good! Since we are kindred spirits, let's venture into the Profound Dragon Ruins together!" Wang Xu agreed.

Chi Lu Saint Venerable's face lit up with joy upon hearing this.

He was certain that besides the Guiding Map, Wang Xu must have other information about the Profound Dragon Ruins. The success rate of obtaining treasures would increase by at least thirty to forty percent by exploring the Profound Dragon Ruins together with Wang Xu!

...

Ten years later, in the depths of the Land of the Far North, Buluan City.

A Red Leaf Flying Boat quietly left Buluan City, heading north.

Wang Xu, clad in a black robe, and Chi Lu Saint Venerable, draped in a yellow robe, stood on the deck with their spirits ablaze.

"At our speed, and with the Guiding Map by our side, we can reach the entrance of the Profound Dragon Ruins in less than ten thousand years!" Chi Lu Saint Venerable laughed.

Reaching the Profound Dragon Ruins in ten thousand years was already extremely fast.

Bear in mind, there were no Teleportation Arrays to the Forgotten Ancient Ruins. The journey was not only long, but if they accidentally stumbled into a Forbidden Area and got trapped, they could waste considerable time measured by the Law Era, or, if they were even more unfortunate, lose their lives, dying on the way.

That Wang Xu and Chi Lu could ensure reaching the Profound Dragon Ruins within ten thousand years without danger was incredibly lucky.

"I hope we can obtain a Heaven-Shocking Secret Collection this time, just one will be enough! Even the lowest level one will do!" Chi Lu Saint Venerable prayed.

"Brother Chi Lu, aren't you, as an appraiser of Vast Blood Mountain City, supposed to have at least one Heaven-Shocking Secret Collection?" Wang Xu started to feel some goodwill towards Chi Lu Saint Venerable, addressing each other as brothers.

From what Wang Xu had seen, even a lowest level Heaven-Shocking Secret Collection was worth about twenty million Chaos Stones. Chi Lu Saint Venerable had spent fifteen million Chaos Stones just to purchase the Guiding Map, so his actual wealth should be more. Besides, as an internal personnel of Vast Blood Mountain City, he should have no problem owning a Heaven-Shocking Secret Collection.

"Brother Tai Xu, I understand why you ask, but you don't know. I cultivate Sword Technique, and what I truly possess is Hand Collection, the value of which far exceeds your imagination!" Chi Lu Saint Venerable lamented, "Although those lower-level Heaven-Shocking Secret Collections are worth merely twenty million Chaos Stones, a finger, a toe, is of no help to me. Owning them is like owning nothing. The Hand Collection with all five fingers is what I truly desire!"

Wang Xu nodded.

In the midst of Chaos, not everyone is like him, willing to give up external force, only honing the physical body.

Sword Technique, Swordsmanship, Staff Technique, Spear Technique... etc., those who took these paths all needed the utmost important Hand Collection, and the value of Hand Collection naturally became exaggerated, overriding expectations.

"Brother Chi Lu, why are you so persistent? You only need to gather five fingers, and after fusion, won't your strength soar anyway?" Wang Xu said.

"You..." Chi Lu gave Wang Xu an exasperated look, "Are you really unaware or pretending to be unaware? Every Heaven-Shocking Secret Collection is independent, unable to integrate into a single entity. Forced use only inflicts severe damage to the body, haven't you ever heard of this?"

Wang Xu was taken aback.

This was something he truly didn't know.

All along, Wang Xu had smoothly integrated the Heaven-Shocking Secret Collections. His right hand and left foot could harmoniously coexist within him, naturally ignoring this issue.

Little did he expect that Heaven-Shocking Secret Collections would mutually repel!

In this case, Wang Xu turned out to be a unique exception among cultivators.

"The Heaven-Shocking Secret Collection, when integrated with the body, can reproduce the incredible might of ancient beings at great cost, the terrifying extent of which is extraordinary," Chi Lu Saint Venerable explained, seeing Wang Xu seemingly genuinely unaware, "but each Heaven-Shocking Secret Collection comes from different ancients, and their bloodlines generate extreme repulsion, unable to meld into one."

"Thus, in battles, cultivators can only use one Heaven-Shocking Secret Collection to confront the enemy."

Wang Xu heard this, glancing down at his right hand and left foot.

The two Heaven-Shocking Secret Collections, through You Ji's devouring transformation, seamlessly integrated with his body, not needing to be stored in specially crafted boxes like the Green Robed Divine Master or others.

"If there's more information about the Heaven-Shocking Secret Collection, I'll buy it all," Wang Xu said.

Earlier, Wang Xu was just a Celestial God, taking enormous risks and paying steep prices every time he used a Heaven-Shocking Secret Collection, almost wagering his life.

But now, having ascended to the Saint Venerable Realm, he could drive the Heaven-Shocking Secret Collection to a limited extent without falling into weakness, naturally making it a Great Killing Weapon in his arsenal.

Wang Xu began to value the existence of the Heaven-Shocking Secret Collection.

"You needn't buy it. Here's the 'Heaven-Shocking Secret Scripture,' which records most information about the Heaven-Shocking Secret Collection. You can browse it, and it might help you understand the Heaven-Shocking Secret Collection," Chi Lu Saint Venerable swept his Sumeru Storage Ring, retrieving an ancient book, and handed it to Wang Xu, "Take a good look, and don't say such things in the future. People will laugh at you if they hear!"

"Thank you." Wang Xu took the 'Heaven-Shocking Secret Scripture' and immediately started eagerly browsing it. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)