Chapter 297: Array and Divine Iron Clue

Chapter 297: Chapter 297: Array and Divine Iron Clue

"And who might you two be? To stop me like this, you must have something I’m looking for, yes?"

Zhang Chi was inwardly nervous, but he remained outwardly composed. He immediately stopped his Escape Light and asked with a smile.

He brazenly swept his powerful Divine Thought over the two Nascent Soul True Monarchs, confirming that they were both in the Nascent Soul Early Stage.

At the same time, Zhang Chi got a clear look at them. It was a pair of cultivators, one man and one woman.

The man was middle-aged, with a dignified appearance and a scholarly air about him. He wore a long, three-stranded beard.

The woman was a beautiful, full-figured lady dressed in courtly robes.

"Ye... Yes, Senior. We are Supreme Elders of the Golden Wind Sect. We have a Tier Four Low Grade Array and a clue to the whereabouts of Star Divine Iron. We were wondering if they could be exchanged for the Ten Thousand Year Earth Milk Spirit Liquid you mentioned."

"Indeed. This junior is Cai Qunfeng, and this is my Daoist partner, Xiang Min."

Sensing the powerful Divine Thought, the pupils of the two Nascent Soul cultivators shrank. They immediately became more respectful, even retracting their imposing auras.

The beautiful woman was the first to respond, and the scholarly cultivator quickly chimed in, both wearing expressions of reverence.

As it turned out, while they had received a message, it only stated that the person was suspected to be a Nascent Soul Cultivator with valuable treasures; it hadn’t specified the exact level of his Cultivation.

After all, the cultivators who had sent the message were all below the Nascent Soul Realm. They could tell Zhang Chi’s Divine Thought was strong, but they had no way of knowing *how* strong.

But now, the two of them realized his Divine Thought was far superior to their own. He was very likely a Nascent Soul Late Stage powerhouse.

This realization made them extremely wary and respectful. They even began to regret having followed him so rashly.

"So, it’s Fellow Daoist Cai and Fellow Daoist Xiang. A pleasure to meet you. I hail from the distant north and am merely passing through. You can simply call me Fellow Daoist Xiao."

"Where is your Array? Let me take a look first. You can also tell me about the clue. If they are truly of value, I guarantee I will make it worth your while."

"If you don’t believe me, look!"

Zhang Chi’s tone was calm, but inwardly, he was delighted.

After all, a clue to the Star Divine Iron and an Array was already an excellent start.

Moreover, he believed they must have Nascent Soul Items, but were just reluctant to part with them. ’Or perhaps,’ he thought, ’the incentive isn’t great enough.’

With that, he waved his hand. A fingertip-sized glob of Ten Thousand Year Earth Milk Spirit Liquid materialized above his palm, radiating astonishing Spiritual Power and a soft white light.

"It really is Ten Thousand Year Earth Milk Spirit Liquid! Senior, you spoke the truth!"

Upon seeing it, Cai Qunfeng and Xiang Min’s eyes lit up, their breath catching and their hearts pounding.

WHOOSH!

The two exchanged a glance and nodded. Cai Qunfeng then swiped his Storage Bag and produced sixteen small, exquisite, golden triangular Array Flags and a palm-sized golden Array Disc.

"How does this Array look, Senior?" Cai Qunfeng asked with a confident tone.

"A Tier Four Low Grade Gold Fiend Gale Array? It’s rather ordinary, I suppose. However, I’m only buying it for a junior of mine. This will... barely suffice."

Zhang Chi was even more pleased upon seeing the Array, but his tone conveyed a distinct lack of satisfaction.

He was an Array Master himself. Although he was only at Tier Three Peak and couldn’t deploy a Tier Four Array, he certainly had the eye for one.

Therefore, he had recognized the set of Array Deployment Tools at a glance. He also knew that this particular Array balanced both offense and defense, making it quite exceptional among Tier Four Low Grade Arrays.

But praising it outright would be out of character for a grandmaster like him, and would surely give him away.

Which was precisely why he had said what he did.

Besides, it was a better position from which to negotiate the price.

"If Senior thinks it will suffice, then that’s all that matters."

Cai Qunfeng’s confidence was instantly crushed. He knew he was dealing with an expert.

He also finally understood why the man wanted a Tier Four Array. ’So it’s for his junior.’

Previously, he and Xiang Min had harbored some suspicions about the man’s identity for this very reason.

After all, a typical Nascent Soul True Monarch, especially one with Middle to Late Stage Nascent Soul Cultivation, wouldn’t resort to buying a Tier Four Array from a minor Oasis, even if they didn’t already own one.

Now, their doubts vanished.

In their minds, this senior surely possessed a far better Array. He was likely just unwilling to part with it, or perhaps it was unsuitable for a junior. That would explain why he was looking to casually buy a replacement.

They even figured that the Spiritual Object for Nascent Soul Formation he was after must also be for that same junior.

Still, even though he didn’t seem particularly impressed, he hadn’t rejected it. Cai Qunfeng and Xiang Min both breathed a small sigh of relief.

"We know of an Ancient Oasis Ruins set to open in a hundred years," Xiang Min continued. "Within those ruins lies an Ancient Sect called the Pill and Artifact Sect. Its cultivators were skilled not only in Alchemy but also in Artifact Refining. The ruins are therefore certain to contain all kinds of Artifact Refining Materials, and there is a high probability you will find Star Divine Iron there."

"That’s right," Cai Qunfeng chimed in. "This Oasis encountered a rare Black Desert countless years ago and was subsequently buried by sandstorms. Rumor has it most of the cultivators inside were unable to escape in time before it became ruins, so a great deal of Artifact Refining Materials must have been left behind."

"If you’re interested, Senior, you could explore it with us when it opens."

’So that’s how it is!’

Zhang Chi was surprised, but also a little disappointed.

For one, there was only a *possibility* of finding Star Divine Iron in the ruins.

For another, exploring them would surely be no simple task.

Otherwise, Cai Qunfeng and Xiang Min would have plundered the ruins clean long ago, rather than just offering him a clue about them.

If he were truly a Nascent Soul Late Stage powerhouse, he might have considered exploring the ruins with them.

Unfortunately, he was just putting on an act. If he actually went with them, his cover would surely be blown.

"So, Senior? Is the clue acceptable? If it is, I can share the specific details. For the clue and this Array, we would only ask for ten drops of Earth Milk Spirit Liquid," Cai Qunfeng said, his voice full of hope.

"The clue is mediocre. Even with the Array, the most I can offer is two drops of Ten Thousand Year Earth Milk. After all, Ten Thousand Year Earth Milk not only raises your Cultivation, but more importantly, it can help you break through bottlenecks and reach a higher Realm."

Zhang Chi, however, just shook his head and made his counteroffer.

"But..."

Cai Qunfeng and Xiang Min were crestfallen, but they had to admit he had a point.

"Of course, if you’re interested in other things, I have some items you can look at."

With another wave of his hand, Zhang Chi produced the three Tier Four materials he had acquired earlier, along with a black claw that radiated a fierce aura.

"Those are Tier Four materials: Phoenix Blood Stone, Ice Sandalwood, and Celestial Spirit Sand! And this... is this material from a Tier Four Demon Beast?"

The eyes of both Cai and Xiang lit up at the sight.

They were especially stunned by the Demon Beast material, and their gazes toward Zhang Chi turned from wary to reverent.

After all, a Tier Four Demon Beast was no easy prey.

Possessing such a material meant he wasn’t just a Nascent Soul Powerhouse—his Combat Power had to be immense.

Of course, what they didn’t know was that this was one of the claws Zhang Chi had obtained after slaying the Nascent Soul Body Cultivator from the True Demon Sect.

Zhang Chi had brought it out for two reasons: first, to tempt them, and second, to further intimidate them.

Furthermore, he had already cleansed the claw of its Demonic Qi, so he wasn’t worried they would be able to discern its true origin.

And in fact, they couldn’t. Just as he’d planned, they mistook the claw for a simple Tier Four Demon Beast material.