Chapter 1 Attention

Everyone's attention immediately shifted from the three Sovereign-grade items to Onodera.

Kogori Hotsumi hurriedly asked, "What's wrong? What does it say?"

As an excellent Fire Master, he had spent his nine years of compulsory education skipping classes and sleeping. He had almost forgotten the Chinese characters he learned in school. The sight of the dense ancient Chinese text on the bamboo slip made him dizzy.

Kobe Ichiro and the others were definitely more educated than Kogori Hotsumi, and some were even graduates of prestigious universities, but they couldn't understand the contents of the bamboo slip either.

Onodera looked at the skeleton with a complicated expression. "He is Xu Fu, and also Amaterasu Omikami."

The members of the Chizuru-gumi were silent. They had guessed as much, but didn't want to face it!

Kobe Ichiro urged in a deep voice, "What does it say?"

"This is Xu Fu's autobiography. According to the bamboo slip, he was ordered by the First Emperor to sail the sea in search of the elixir of immortality. It says: 'In the East Sea, there is a treasure left behind by Nuwa when she mended the heavens. Ten suns circle above it. Obtaining it grants eternal life, coexisting with Heaven.'"

Onodera said, "Xu Fu led young boys and girls, along with the jade plate given by the First Emperor, and sailed out to sea. Relying on the abilities of a *fangshi* (alchemist), it took him several years to finally find the island nation in the vast ocean. After several more years, he found this place..."

"To open the secret realm, he traveled all over the island nation, collecting precious jade, casting stone sculptures, and making jade plates, finally opening the secret realm."

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing's previous thoughts were confirmed.

During the Qin Dynasty, practitioners had the ability to open secret realms. Otherwise, Xu Fu wouldn't have been able to forcibly open Takamagahara.

In addition, Takamagahara was a secret realm that existed since ancient times, not created by Xu Fu.

Onodera continued, "When he arrived here, he discovered that the ten suns had already fallen, leaving only the bronze sacred tree. He tried to comprehend it for many years, but couldn't find the method."

"Beneath the tree is a spiritual pool. Mortals who bathe in it can be reborn, prolong their lives, and benefit their health. Cultivators who bathe in it can refine an immaculate body, and drinking it makes one immune to all poisons and diseases. Xu Fu believed that this was the immortal spring."

"But once the spring of immortality leaves the pool, it turns into ordinary water. Xu Fu couldn't take it back to the Central Plains. Therefore, the accompanying psychics suggested that Xu Fu occupy this place, establish a kingdom, and enjoy eternal life, which would be better than returning to the Central Plains as a subject."

"Xu Fu then named this place Qitianyuan and called himself Amaterasu Omikami. He found three mineral stones at the bottom of the pool—one copper, one iron, and one jade—and cast them into magical artifacts, signifying supreme power."

"He taught the mortals of the island nation etiquette, farming, sericulture, and weaving. He himself stayed here alone, recording this experience on bamboo slips."

After listening, Kogori Hotsumi looked up at the towering bronze tree. His expression was filled with disappointment.

Ryuzaki said, "Don't say that. Xu Fu didn't comprehend the secrets of the bronze tree."

Then, he looked at Onodera and said, "What are your thoughts?"

Onodera pondered for a long time and said, "Becoming the supreme main god of the island nation... However, the good times didn't last long. The pool gradually dried up, and this vibrant secret realm gradually withered. Xu Fu dismissed the people in the secret realm and let them go outside. So, the elixir of immortality that the First Emperor craved has already withered? And this bronze tree is a useless, discarded tree?"

Ryuzaki said, "Two possibilities!"

"First, Xu Fu didn't comprehend the secret of the bronze sacred tree. It is what the First Emperor craved. Look at this pool. It's clear that the immortal spring flows from the roots of the tree."

"Second, the bronze tree has no value, and the real treasure is somewhere else, but it's no longer here. The bamboo slips say that there is a treasure in the East Sea, circled by ten suns, but when Xu Fu found this place, the ten suns were already gone."

"After he occupied the immortal spring for many years, the immortal spring gradually withered, which also shows that the spiritual power of the secret realm is gradually dissipating. If the treasure was still here, it wouldn't be like this."

Kobe Ichiro pondered for a moment and said, "Which possibility is more likely?"

Before anyone could answer, he looked at Princess Yinyao and asked, "Yuan Shi Jun, what do you think? I remember the legends say that Xu Fu sailed out to sea twice, and he disappeared without a trace the second time. But the bamboo slips don't mention it. No, according to what's written on the bamboo slips, Xu Fu never returned to the Central Plains. Is the legend wrong?"

"That's not right. The jade plate was a magical artifact that Xu Fu painstakingly refined in order to open Takamagahara. It wasn't brought from the Central Plains. If Xu Fu had never returned to the Central Plains, how would the jade plate in Qinfeng Academy be explained? So Xu Fu concealed this experience and didn't mention it in the bamboo slips. This matter isn't that simple."

Zhang Yuanqing's mind raced, and he said, "Everyone, I'd like to examine the bronze sacred tree first."

With that, he used a Star Teleportation to leap in front of the bronze tree, staring at the broad trunk as wide as a city wall, and gazing at the complex patterns.

"I can't understand it at all," he muttered to himself. He used another Star Teleportation and, using the Windwalker Gloves to fly and Star Teleport, circled around the bronze sacred tree.

The Chizuru-gumi executives didn't have such advantages and could only watch eagerly, waiting.

It took a full ten minutes to circle the entire tree. "Nothing."

"Have you finished looking? It feels like a waste of time!" Kogori Hotsumi said, rolling his eyes.

Zhang Yuanqing, riding the air currents, looked down at him condescendingly and said lightly, "You can try leaving and see if I dare to kill you."

He then looked at Kobe Ichiro and said, "I'll go down to the bottom of the pool."

Kobe Ichiro asked, "We're leaving. Are you sure you want to stay?"

"I'll go too," Onodera said quickly, taking out a jetpack and leaping down into the abyss-like bottom of the pool.

Zhang Yuanqing was the first to reach the bottom of the pool. Under his feet were jagged rocks and clods of earth. There was no silt. This place had been dry for thousands of years and was no different from an abyss.

The surrounding stone walls were uneven. On the stone wall near the bronze sacred tree, thick bronze roots broke out of the rock and hung in the air.

"Incredible, this bronze tree seems to be a living thing, not a bronze sculpture," Zhang Yuanqing said. "Can you speak a foreign language?"

Zhang Yuanqing spoke in a foreign language.

Onodera, who landed with his jetpack, also saw the hanging roots.

"Oh, there's no need. I can speak Chinese," Onodera smiled. "As a scholar, mastering multiple languages is a necessary skill."

He summoned a sharp blade from his inventory, strode forward, grabbed a slender root, and cut it hard. *Creak, creak...*

The blade cutting the bronze root made a tooth-aching sound.

Zhang Yuanqing watched in silence, silently summoning the ghost bride and ordering her to watch the Chizuru-gumi executives to prevent them from slipping away and trapping him in the secret realm. Although he had the teleportation jade charm, the teleportation jade charm was limited by its own quality and couldn't enter overly powerful seals and barriers.

And the Takamagahara secret realm was obviously stronger than a Saint-level dungeon. In the rolling yin energy, the charming figure in the bright red wedding dress floated up.

He brought both Little Funny and the ghost bride.

"Hiss..." Onodera tried unsuccessfully and took a breath of cold air, exclaiming loudly, "It's alive! Unbelievable, unbelievable! It is indeed bronze, a metal, but it's also a life. How can there be such a magical creation in the world? What kind of power..."

Before he could finish speaking, he remembered that Yuan Shi Tianzun couldn't understand Japanese, so he repeated it in Chinese.

"Metal has life?" *Hiss*, that's indeed incredible. What kind of power can do such a magical thing? Thinking from another perspective, can other inanimate objects also come to life? Zhang Yuanqing wasn't an otaku, so the first thing he thought of was props, not silicone or inflatable somethings.

He even thought of the Yin Ruler. Could he make Yin Yue regain life again?

"What did you discover? What ideas do you have?" He wanted to hear the opinions of a professional.

"The authority of life belongs to the Musician profession. This immortal pool probably flows out of the bronze sacred tree."

Onodera pushed his glasses and analyzed, "The bronze sacred tree is likely related to the Musician profession, but Musicians can't create such a majestic landscape. Scholars have this ability, though."

"So it's a combination of the abilities of the Scholar and Musician professions that created the bronze sacred tree?"

Zhang Yuanqing suddenly understood and asked, "Then does this tree still have value? Is it dead or alive?"

Onodera shook his head. "It's hard to say. It may be dead or dormant, but...the treasure must be gone. Otherwise, why would it be like this? This sacred tree has more symbolic and ornamental significance than practical value."

He added, "If I were a Refiner, I could read its information, even if it doesn't have item attributes. Too bad I'm not."

Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing was a little disappointed. He didn't speak again, and gently spat out a mouthful of Taiyin power, which rolled on the ground and transformed into a bald, round-faced baby.

"Let Little Funny try and see what its reaction to the bronze sacred tree is. By the way, go into the trunk and see. Is such a thick tree solid inside?"

He immediately issued a treasure-hunting order to Little Funny. Unfortunately, the backpack had limited capacity and couldn't bring the treasure-hunting cloak, otherwise he would have put it on his good baby.

Little Funny raised its head and looked around, then saw the dense hanging roots. Its black eyes suddenly lit up, and it immediately moved its limbs and crawled over. It climbed along the steep wall, grabbed the roots, and then plunged into the stone wall along the roots.

In the next second, Little Funny bounced out like a small rubber ball and rolled a few times at the bottom of the pool.

It sat up with a dazed look, stunned for a few seconds, and then burst into tears.

Unable to enter the trunk, Zhang Yuanqing fell into silence.

Songhai, hotel room.

Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes and dialed Fu Qingyang's number.

Perhaps knowing that he was doing something important, Fu Qingyang quickly answered, "What did you gain in Takamagahara?"

"The real Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, Yasakani-no-Magatama, and Yata-no-Kagami are all in Takamagahara, all Sovereign-grade items!" Zhang Yuanqing briefly explained the situation in Takamagahara and then raised his doubts, "That jade plate was a magical artifact refined by Xu Fu in the island nation. If he didn't return to the Central Plains, Qinfeng Academy couldn't have its hand-drawn map, Boss. What do you think about this?" Fu Qingyang was a scout and had a sharper mind. His cunning and knowledge were far superior to his.

"So, when in doubt, ask Young Master Qian."

"Very simple, Xu Fu omitted the experience of returning to the Central Plains. This isn't glorious for him, or there's another hidden reason. Time is limited, so I'll make it short!"

Fu Qingyang's words were clear and forceful, and his voice was magnetic. "First, Xu Fu returned to the Central Plains with a certain purpose. It definitely wasn't to report the details of Takamagahara to the First Emperor. Otherwise, the First Emperor would have come in person long ago."

"Second, Xu Fu was ambitious. Judging from his later performance, he wanted to monopolize Takamagahara."

"Finally, he had already entered Takamagahara, so what reason forced him to return to the Central Plains again?"

Zhang Yuanqing had a flash of inspiration and blurted out, "To seek a way to comprehend the bronze sacred tree?"

Fu Qingyang said, "That's right. The reason why the First Emperor sent Xu Fu to sea to find the elixir of immortality was probably because he controlled some item or information and knew what was in Takamagahara."

"If you were the First Emperor, would you give that thing to Xu Fu?"

Zhang Yuanqing said without hesitation, "I would send someone to look for it and then go there myself after finding Takamagahara."

"I understand. What you mean is that Xu Fu found Takamagahara but hid it and didn't report it to the First Emperor. He returned to the Central Plains with the jade plate to fool the First Emperor, but he actually wanted to deceive or steal the thing controlled by the First Emperor."

"But he failed. Helpless, he found a reason to sail out to sea for the second time and never returned to the Central Plains, establishing himself as king in the island nation. He originally wanted to rely on the immortal spring for longevity, but the world changed drastically, the spiritual power declined, and the immortal spring withered. He could only die in Takamagahara."

"Thinking about it this way, the logic makes sense."

Fu Qingyang said, "That's roughly it. If our speculation is correct, then the two stone doors at the bottom of Jiaoren Lake in Qinfeng Academy may hide a way to crack the bronze sacred tree. Find a way to bring the jade plate back."

"Leave it to me!" Zhang Yuanqing's heart immediately burned with passion.

For example, the bronze sacred tree, a Sovereign-grade item, was nothing.

Takamagahara, bottom of the pool.

If he directly asked the Chizuru-gumi for the jade plate, they probably wouldn't agree and would offer monetary compensation instead. After all, Takamagahara had extraordinary significance for them.

There were only three divine artifacts in Takamagahara, a smaller harvest than expected. Without that treasure, the previously signed contract wouldn't count. He would directly demand one of the three divine artifacts, but they would never agree. He would first make a request that they couldn't agree to, demanding the three divine artifacts, and then reluctantly settle for the key as a second choice.

The art of bargaining was to ask for the sky and then settle on the ground.

If they still didn't agree, then he would have to resort to force. They had three Sovereign-grade items, so force could be used, but it had to be used skillfully.

His mind raced, and he quickly had an idea.

"It seems that this sacred tree really has no value," Zhang Yuanqing sighed and looked at Onodera Yosuke. "Let's go up."

With that, he pressed his palm down and a violent wind blew, carrying him up and back to the surface.

Onodera, with his jetpack, was a little slower and returned to the edge of the pool.

"Any discoveries?" Kobe Ichiro asked.

Zhang Yuanqing shook his head. "The bronze sacred tree has no value."

At this time, he was extremely grateful that Princess Yinyao was a *yinshi* (corpse spirit), because *yinshi* had no expressions and wore sunglasses, so he didn't have to worry about Ryuzaki seeing anything unusual.

"Is that so?" Kobe Ichiro looked at Onodera, who was more trustworthy.

Onodera nodded and told his companions his guess about the bronze sacred tree, sighing, "Yuan Shi Jun is right. The bronze tree isn't very valuable. It seems that our harvest is limited to the three divine artifacts." Hearing this, the Chizuru-gumi executives couldn't hide their disappointment.

They had come with the expectation of making a fortune, but they had been disappointed. Fortunately, the three Sovereign-grade items somewhat compensated for their disappointment. Throughout the history of the Chizuru-gumi, they had only had three Sovereign-grade items, and two of them had been confiscated by the Heavenly Punishment due to war.

The current Chizuru-gumi, a national official, only had one Sovereign-grade item, and it was of relatively poor quality among Sovereigns.

The three divine artifacts were different. They were all of excellent quality.

With these three items, the overall strength of the Chizuru-gumi would increase several times over.

At this time, Zhang Yuanqing said, "Then, let's talk about the distribution of the spoils. Everyone, I'll take one of the three items. No objections, right?"

The Chizuru-gumi executives' expressions darkened.

"No way!" Kogori Hotsumi was straightforward and refused without hesitation!

Zhang Yuanqing silently unzipped his backpack and said coldly, "These three divine artifacts must belong to my Chizuru-gumi. You can't have them. Don't even think about it."

"Is the Chizuru-gumi going back on its word? It seems I overestimated your character. You islanders are indeed a group who know small etiquette but lack great righteousness, and who fear power but don't appreciate virtue."

Asano Ryo diligently translated, then said anxiously with a tearful voice, "Everyone, calm down. Let's talk it over. Please don't fight."

Before she could finish speaking, Kogori Hotsumi interrupted her with a roar, "Baka! You don't have the right to speak here. Know your place and status. Don't think that just because the group leader promised to promote you, you have the right to point fingers. Get out of here, or I'll expel you from the Chizuru-gumi." Kobe Ichiro and the others also looked at her coldly.

Asano Ryo had probably never been treated so rudely. Her eyes turned red and she was so scared that she didn't dare to speak, tears about to fall.

Zhang Yuanqing decisively grabbed the 30-centimeter-long Thunderstorm Cannon from his backpack, the dark and thick muzzle aimed precisely at Kogori Hotsumi, and said coldly, "You can die!"

Kogori Hotsumi, instinctively sensing danger, looked at the Yata-no-Kagami in his hand. He saw an image flashing in the mirror...

He was hit by a ball lightning and his body was torn apart into pieces of flesh. The shockwave injured Kobe Ichiro and the others next to him.

"The Yata-no-Kagami can predict danger?" The thought flashed through Kogori Hotsumi's mind.

At this time, Zhang Yuanqing pulled the trigger!

The muzzle quickly condensed purple lightning, arcs of electricity crackling and jumping, and a ball lightning shot out.

Kogori Hotsumi's heart jumped and he shouted, "Quick, get out of the way!"

He grabbed a ball of fire and threw it into the distance, his body immediately wrapped in flames, using Fire Movement to avoid it. Zhang Yuanqing, high above, threw a Wind Blade over.

On the other side, the others instinctively scattered and fled.

*Boom!*

The whole earth trembled violently, rocks and soil erupting and raising dust into the sky.

Mountain God Watanabe Yoshita was about to retreat when he suddenly felt the Yasakani-no-Magatama light up with a green glow. In the next second, the stones that were erupting changed their trajectory and shot past his side. The shockwave was also separated by an invisible force, as if deliberately avoiding Watanabe.

"Automatic neutralization of attacks?" Watanabe Yoshita was both surprised and delighted.

Kogori Hotsumi wasn't so lucky. He was hit in the chest by the Wind Blade and blood instantly stained his clothes red, the wound revealing bone.

"Baka!" He clutched his chest and roared angrily.

Zhang Yuanqing raised his muzzle again and aimed at him.

The Fire Master's scalp went numb, and he didn't dare to say anything, his whole body tensed and wary.

The Chizuru-gumi executives who had retreated to the distance gathered again, their eyes shining. Yuan Shi Tianzun's shot had once again triggered the unknown functions of the two items.

"As expected of items refined by ancient psychics, as expected of the materials in Takamagahara, these three items are excellent."

Instead, no one cared about Kogori Hotsumi's strength.

"Yuan Shi Jun, we don't want to fight you, but if you insist on forcing us, don't blame me for being unreasonable," Kobe Ichiro said in a deep voice!

He gripped the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi tightly, ready to strike.

Asano Ryo looked at Yuan Shi Jun with tearful eyes, her heart filled with gratitude, and forgot to translate for a moment. Yuan Shi Jun saw that Vice-Leader Kogori was glaring at him and directly declared war. Although the conflict stemmed from unequal distribution, there was also an element of defending her.

Onodera Yosuke silently acted as a translator.

"It seems that Group Leader Kobe doesn't want to keep his promise either, so don't blame this Heavenly Lord for being unethical..."

Zhang Yuanqing pressed down with both hands, rose into the air, stood high in the sky, looked down at the crowd, and said coldly, "Look behind you."

At this time, the dust slowly dissipated. A giant pit with a diameter of more than ten meters appeared in the place where the explosion had occurred.

"Group Leader Kobe, do you think your Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi is more powerful, or my hand cannon? How about I stand in the sky and you stand on the ground, and we have a match?"

As long as he didn't say it, no one would know that the Thunderstorm Cannon had firing restrictions. The Chizuru-gumi executives' faces changed slightly.

"Hmph, we have many people, all Saints, and we have the help of three divine artifacts. Why would we be afraid of you!" Kogori Hotsumi shouted.

Zhang Yuanqing laughed loudly, "Do you think you are fast, or am I fast?"

Kobe Ichiro's expression changed. "Yuan Shi Tianzun, what do you mean?" He said, "If you want to forcibly take the three divine artifacts today, then the *yinshi* will stay here forever."

Zhang Yuanqing continued, "If I leave Takamagahara now and take the key, can you outrun me?"

Zhang Yuanqing saw the expressions of everyone below stiffen and continued, "If I leak this to the Heavenly Punishment, do you think the Heavenly Punishment will take away these three excellent items? If I leak this to the Fear Heavenly King, do you think Fear will attack the Chizuru-gumi?"

The more he spoke, the uglier the faces of the Chizuru-gumi executives became.

Kobe Ichiro gritted his teeth, but discovered with sorrow that the other party had hit his weak spot.

He took a deep breath and shook his head. "The three divine artifacts must belong to my Chizuru-gumi. Yuan Shi Tianzun, leak it if you want to leak it. If the Chizuru-gumi works hard to persevere, the Heavenly Punishment will naturally leave one item. If the Fear Heavenly King comes, the high-level officials of the Heavenly Punishment will stop him. And you, you will get nothing."

"As for speed, we are indeed not as fast as you, but Kogori Hotsumi can also use Fire Movement, which is not weaker than you."

Zhang Yuanqing appropriately revealed an annoyed expression, deliberately frowned, fell into contemplation, and after a long time, slowly said, "Forget it, Group Leader Kobe. Rather than both sides suffering, let's each take a step back."

Kobe Ichiro's heart relaxed slightly. "How to step back?"

Zhang Yuanqing said, "Reveal the ultimate goal, ten billion island nation dollars, the Takamagahara key, and three opportunities to borrow items, sign a contract with me, and this matter will be over. Otherwise, we will break up completely."