God Emperor

Zhang Ruochen wandered around the Martial City of Ancient Taiyin City. He didn’t buy any suitable defensive or offensive items.

With his current cultivation, he would only need to use a defensive or offensive treasure if he was in a Saint-level attack.

Only the major ancient clans and sects could create items that could fend off or attack Saints. There were very few and only important figures could carry them.

The Blood God Sect’s Hierarch Fire Token was a powerful protective treasure. However, the previous Hierarch had taken it away. It wasn’t passed down to Zhang Ruochen.

There were very, very few treasures that could attack and hurt Saints.

The Fifth Town Destructive Rune that Shi Qiankun gave Zhang Ruochen was one. As for the Saint Figure Rune that the Taishang Elder had given him, it was an incredibly powerful attack treasure.

The most special thing about attack weapons was that it could overlook cultivation and repress the opponent.

Of course, in the Ancient Taiyin City, Zhang Ruochen wasn’t completely fruitless. He also bought some rare medicines.

According to Blackie, using these spiritual medicines with the sacred medicine from the Blue Dragon Dynasty could produce pills to heal Saints.

Under the Saint Realm, the most effective pill was none other than the Withered Pill. Any cultivator who took the Withered Pill would be able to be brought back, even if he was on the brink of dying.

But after reaching the Saint Realm, the cultivator’s body would change drastically. With changes in their life, the Withered Pill’s effectiveness would also decrease. To Xuanhuang Realm Saints, the Withered Pill wouldn’t be effective at all.

In the Saint Realm, whether it was a curing pill or pills for raising cultivation, they had to be divine pills to be effective.

Divine pills could only be received by chance.

Most Saints would use their comprehension and accumulation of time to reach a higher level. Cultivating 100 or 200 years to have a breakthrough was very normal.

They could only speed up if they found a divine pill.

Blackie organized the spiritual medicines that Zhang Ruochen had bought. “There should be a 10,000-year Willow Grass from the Blue Dragon Dynasty’s treasury, right?”

Zhang Ruochen took out the Golden Light Ribbon and searched. He took out a blade of saintly green grass. “This Willow Grass must be 20,000 years!”

The Willow Grass looked like a freshly-grown willow branch. Shreds of saintly light flowed on the surface of the leaf. It also emanated a dizzying fragrance.

Blackie’s eyes lit up. “Not bad. The higher the year, the stronger the Willow Grass is. The Spring Pill will also be stronger.”

“You’re making a Spring Pill?” Zhang Ruochen asked.

“Indeed.”

The Spring Pill was definitely a divine pill. It could help Saints heal. If a Saint had a Spring Pill, it was like him having an extra life.

If Blackie could really produce a Spring Pill, Zhang Ruochen would be more confident entering the Savage Barren Territory this time.

Blackie took out a pill furnace and began producing the Spring Pill.

Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged near the furnace and continued cultivating. Earlier, he’d refined a saint fruit. His cultivation had increased greatly. His body was well-saturated now.

According to his calculations, he should be at the peak of the Second Pre-Saint Level now. It was all due to the saint fruit. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be this fast at cultivating.

My physical body and Spiritual Power both reached the Saint Realm. It’s even stronger than my foundation for the Pre-Saint Realm. I can undergo the third Pre-Saint Trial at any time.

Zhang Ruochen decided to go into a wormhole and undergo the trial after reaching the eastern region. Only then would he be able to condense a saintly source and become a true Martial Saint.

Next, Zhang Ruochen took out the Time and Space Secret Guide. He continued studying the sword technique in the third level—the Twelfth Hour Sword Technique.

The Twelfth Hour Sword Technique represented 12 sword movements in total. Each movement had a different style and contained endless time rules. The more he studied them, the more he realized how miraculous and powerful the technique was.

Time was the most difficult to predict. It was formless and impossible to see. If Saint Xumi hadn’t combined time with sword to create the time-sword technique, Zhang Ruochen might not even be able to start learning.

“Saint Xumi definitely put in a lot of effort to create the time-sword technique. This way, I could use sword techniques to learn the mysteries of time.”

Comprehending the sword and time simultaneously, Zhang Ruochen was completely immersed.

Boom.

A huge sound came from the direction of the door.

Zhang Ruochen and Blackie were both shocked. A gray figure crashed open the door and rushed to the side of the furnace.

It was an old man that reeked of alcohol. He wore a wrinkly gray robe with a ragged hat. Messy white hair peeked out of the hat. He was no different from a beggar.

Sniff, sniff.

The man caressed the red-hot furnace and pressed his nose against the side. He sniffed powerfully as if mesmerized. “Willow Grass…23,640 years… Using such saintly medicine to create pills is such a waste.”

Zhang Ruochen stood up and looked at the intruder cautiously. It was clear that the old man had broken in because he’d smelled the fragrance. However, Blackie had already set up a formation to stop the smell from permeating.

Just how sensitive was the old man’s nose to be able to smell the fragrance through the formation?

The furnace was also burning red-hot. The temperature was so high, but the man could touch it without getting hurt. It was clear that the man wasn’t a common figure.

With my Spiritual Power, I can only estimate that the Willow Grass is around 23,000 years. He just sniffed and could determine the exact year. This isn’t easy.

Zhang Ruochen tried to keep calm as he walked toward the old man.

The old man didn’t even look at him or Blackie. He just hugged the furnace and sighed. “This grade of Willow Grass should be used to create willow wine. It’s a complete waste to be turned into a Spring Pill.”

Blackie stretched its claws, shining with cold light. It prepared to attack.

Zhang Ruochen stopped it.

This old alcoholic seemed strange, but he wasn’t about to steal the pill furnace. It was best not to attack first, lest they create a big enemy.

Zhang Ruochen looked very handsome in his white robe. He came to the back of the old man and smiled. “Senior seems very well-versed in producing wine and pills. May I know your name?”

The man let go of the furnace and looked back at Zhang Ruochen. “Not well-versed at all. I only know some things.” After a pause, he said, “I drank too much wine and I’m all a bit numb. I don’t remember my name, but people who know me all call me Crazy Alcoholic.”

“You’re indeed a crazy alcoholic,” Blackie said coldly.

The Crazy Alcoholic wasn’t angry. He grabbed the wine gourd hanging on his hip and poured it into his mouth. It was emptied in an instant.

“The gourd is too small. I can drink it all in one gulp.”

He put the gourd back on his hip and took a bag of wine from his back. He sat beside the furnace and continued drinking.

Blackie sent a telepathic message to Zhang Ruochen. “This Crazy Alcoholic isn’t a simple figure. He might know your identity and might just be pretending to be crazy to get close and steal your treasures.”

“I’ll test him.”

Zhang Ruochen walked toward the Crazy Alcoholic. He suddenly sped up, leaving a trail of afterimages, and appeared beside the Crazy Alcoholic. He reached out two fingers to steal the wine bag.

Unexpectedly, he didn’t face any problems and grabbed the bag easily.

The Crazy Alcoholic looked up blankly and asked, “What are you doing?”

Zhang Ruochen grabbed the wine bag. Looking at the pure and artless eyes of the Crazy Alcoholic, he didn’t know what to do.

“Haha, I got it. You like drinking too, right?”

The Crazy Alcoholic jumped up like a little child. He made several flips, filled with excitement.

Zhang Ruochen let out a relieved breath but smelled the thick smell of alcohol. The Crazy Alcoholic suddenly came before him. He stared crazily from the short distance and urged, “Drink! Since you want to drink, don’t be shy. Just one word: drink.”

Zhang Ruochen thought carefully. He’d been too tense during this time. Everyone he saw was like a cunning fox. Sometimes, he really should change this mindset.

He smiled. “Thank you for your wine. I’ll drink.”

He grabbed the wine bag and poured it into his mouth. The Crazy Alcoholic’s wine wasn’t spiritual wine or saintly wine. It couldn’t enhance his cultivation or increase his Spiritual Power, but it was spicy and strong.

Seeing him drink, the Crazy Alcoholic grew even more excited. He dragged Zhang Ruochen outside, saying he’d take him elsewhere to drink and not go home until they were drunk.

Zhang Ruochen could see that the Crazy Alcoholic had no ulterior motives. He was just a drinker.

Zhang Ruochen also wanted to take this advantage to adjust his mind so he wouldn’t give himself any problems. He really went outside to drink with the Crazy Alcoholic.

The man brought Zhang Ruochen to an underground wine cellar. There were jars of various sizes.

Zhang Ruochen’s Spiritual Power and physical body had both reached the Saint Realm, so he wasn’t afraid of hard liquor. He was confident that he wouldn’t be drunk no matter how much he drank.

He and the Crazy Alcoholic drank three vats in a row.

The Crazy Alcoholic put it down. Looking at how Zhang Ruochen was still standing, he was a bit shocked. “The Dragon and Mad Oxen Wine is the 17th strongest wine in the world but you drank three vats without falling. You’re comparable to how I was when I was young. Not bad, not bad.”

“What Dragon and Mad Oxen Wine?”

Zhang Ruochen’s mind was a bit messed up now. He couldn’t sense that Holy Qi was spinning wildly in him at all. Each strand of Holy Qi was like a mad ox. Even the speed of his blood flowing had doubled.

Boom.

Just then, an ear-splitting boom came from above ground. The wine cellar shook as well. Clouds of dust fell down as if it was about to cave in.

“Gu Linfeng, come out to die.”

A cold and emotionless voice passed through the ground and into the wine cellar.

In the night, the Death Knight held a blood-red spear and shattered the gates of Ancient Taiyin City. He rushed in. The previous boom was the sound of the city gates breaking.