Chapter 354 Gambling on Stones
"Jiang Liu, is he really the successor of the second generation of Yuan Tianshi? Are you confident?" Black Emperor was somewhat worried. He had gained a lot in the gambling on stones just now, but he didn't want to lose it all in one fell swoop.
"It's about fifty-fifty!" Jiang Liu didn't dare to be too certain.
"Go for it, bro! We're your strong support, we're cheering you on and giving you a thumbs up!"
The bandits were encouraging Jiang Liu, but they didn't seem to have high hopes for him.
The crowd discussed animatedly as they followed the pebbled path, passing through several ancient groves of trees and a Taoist temple, continuing deeper into the area until they reached the eighteenth level of the stone garden, where they finally stopped. Just a wall away lay the Heavenly Grade Stone Garden of the Daoist Holy Land.
The stone here is already quite expensive; one pound of stone is worth ten pounds of source material. The stone is more expensive than the source material, and ordinary people simply cannot afford it.
After the eighteenth level of the Stone Garden, the gamble is no longer on pure sources, but on more precious things, such as the elixir of immortality, holy spirits, and refining materials exclusive to the Great Emperor.
"This place is so valuable that even a single stone here is worth a thousand pounds. Many people go there to try their luck, but they all end up losing everything!"
"Some stones weigh only a few kilograms, yet they are worth tens of thousands of kilograms of source material, which even the supreme elders of the holy lands find painful."
People around were talking about it, and many were both excited and helpless when the name of the Tianzihao Stone Garden was mentioned. The threshold was too high, and they simply couldn't afford it.
"Shortsighted! Those are all rare stones. If anything is cut out, it will surely be a rare treasure with astonishing value!"
"That's right, once the Eastern Treasure is cut out, let alone ten thousand catties of Source, even hundreds of thousands of catties of Source might not be able to stop it. You'll become rich overnight!"
The Tianzihao Stone Garden is overseen by experts, and ordinary people cannot enter; they can only observe from the outside. Only those who select stones are allowed to enter, as the stones here are extremely precious.
Inside the garden, there was an old Taoist nun sitting cross-legged on a futon, her age hard to tell, and she remained motionless. There were also four or five other elderly people selecting stones.
When Jiang Liu and Ye Fan walked in, she remained motionless, like a withered old tree.
The others also stopped making noise and gathered around the Tianzihao Stone Garden, watching quietly. Fortunately, there were no walls, only vegetation, so everything was visible.
As soon as Jiang Liu stepped into the garden, he felt the primordial aura, which was extremely strong. He felt as if he had returned to the ancient primordial mine and was in a forbidden zone.
The stones in this Heavenly Stone Garden are all undoubtedly rare gems. Jiang Liu guessed that most of these stones were likely transported from the restricted area, or were located very close to the restricted area of the Primordial Ancient Mine.
"Ye Fan, how do we gamble?" Jiang Liu asked.
"From a value perspective, whoever bets on the larger increase wins, and the winner takes everything!"
"Good, that suits me perfectly..."
This gamble is not just about who offers the most valuable treasure, but also about taking into account the costs involved.
Jiang Liu knew perfectly well what treasures the Immortal Stone Workshop in Dao Yi Holy Land held, and he knew without a doubt that choosing the Nine-Aperture Stone Man would guarantee victory.
Ye Fan's Origin Technique was indeed extraordinary. Perhaps his Origin Heavenly Awareness was not yet fully developed, but his Midas Touch was extremely skillful. He naturally also saw the Nine-Aperture Stone Man. In a spot in the bamboo forest where the sun shone directly, the Nine-Aperture Stone Man was bathed in sunlight.
This is a strange stone shaped like a human, formed by heaven and earth. Legend has it that if such a stone has enough time to absorb the essence of the sun and moon, it will eventually become a holy spirit.
Jiang Liu obtained such a divine stone in the world of "Yang Shen" and eventually refined it into an avatar, possessing the power of a human immortal.
This stone is extremely attractive to any Source Master. It is naturally humanoid, has nine orifices, and is exceptionally special.
According to legend, there is a magical stone in the world, born with nine orifices, capable of transforming into a holy spirit, a being close to immortality. However, this stone is too small, only one foot long.
Ye Fan looked at the nine-aperture stone man, wanting to use his Origin Technique to test him.
But Jiang Liu acted quickly, without any hesitation, grabbing the nine-aperture stone figure in one hand and saying, "I've chosen it, this is it!"
"So fast?" Duan De was stunned. He was making a bet with someone, and although he had great confidence in Jiang Liu, the fact that Jiang Liu was chosen without even looking at him still made him feel like he had been cheated.
"Many people with profound knowledge of source techniques have seen this nine-aperture stone man, but no one has dared to touch it for so many years..."
"Young man, are you really going to move this stone?"
"Haha, this time we're betting on the price increase. Even if this Nine-Aperture Stone Man has 90,000 catties of pure source, how much more can it increase in price? Besides, it might not even have a divine source!"
Ye Fan frowned, feeling that this was not a battle of source techniques, but more like a guessing game.
"Little Yezi, keep going! The most expensive isn't necessarily the best. I have faith in you..." the girl in purple shouted.
“Sometimes, the most expensive is the best!” Jiang Liu held the nine-aperture stone figure, feeling a little regretful. Unlike the stone in the “Yang Shen” world, it did not take shape, but died in its gestation and became an ordinary stone.
The Great Xia prince, the Ji family god king, the Yaochi saintess, the Yaoguang saint son, Hua Yunfei, Yao Xi and others gathered together, talking about something, but they were clearly full of confidence, and laughter could be heard from time to time.
Yao Xi occasionally glanced at Jiang Liu, her eyes filled with worry.
Jiang Liu was indeed very worried. If he hadn't known beforehand that the Nine-Aperture Stone Man had a dragon-patterned black-gold holy spirit sword between his eyebrows, he would never have dared to choose this Nine-Aperture Stone so easily.
Even with the Heavenly Eye, one could only see something unusual about its heart.
"Is someone going to move the Nine-Aperture Stone Man? I've come to the right place, old man. I'll take a good look." Some more old men came after hearing the news.
"Last time, those experts from the Yuanmu family studied it for most of the day, but in the end they shook their heads and gave up. Is someone really going to cut this stone today?"
Jiang Liu waited for a while before Ye Fan finally chose a source stone. As expected, it was the Ice and Snow Source Stone that contained the ancient divine medicine.
"Have you made your choice?" Jiang Liu asked.
"I don't believe you can tell the true nature of this nine-aperture stone figure at a glance. If you really have that ability, you can call yourself a Source Master!" Ye Fan stroked the Source Stone beside him, full of confidence.
He chose a very large stone, taller than a person, but the price wasn't outrageous, at three thousand catties.
Of course, it is still extremely expensive, but compared to the stone materials in this top-tier garden, such a large piece is already considered the floor price.
Those watching around the stone garden were astonished; the difference in spending between the two was simply too great.
One is 90,000 jin of raw material, and the other is 3,000 jin; they are worlds apart.
“This time we’re betting on the price increase, my brother is in danger!” Even Jiang Taixu, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
Duan De and Hei Huang were a bit unsure of themselves and dared not gamble anymore, fearing they would be scammed and lose everything.
“Okay, let’s open source it! Since you’re a step behind, you go first!” Jiang Liu said.
"Snap!"
The stone skin peeled off, and Ye Fan began to cut.
"What is that? It looks like a human figure!"
"That's right, a person flew out!"
"A fairy flying from a stone!"
"Fatty, still want to gamble?" someone asked, holding a thousand catties of Yuan. Then many people looked intently at Duan De, ready to pull out Yuan as soon as he agreed.
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Chapter 355 A Smile Can Heal All Grudges
Jiang Liu was stunned as he watched Ye Fan slowly cut open the source stone, revealing the source of ice and snow, and then cut out the incomplete divine medicine.
He wasn't stunned by the divine herb, but by a jade piece in his hand, which contained a memory—Ye Fan's memory. He had just placed it inside the Nine-Aperture Stone Man, and then it ended up in his own hands.
"As expected, I stole your fortune, and took away the green copper block, the Daoist scripture, the All-Encompassing Mantra, and the inheritance of the Source Celestial Master that should have been yours. Have you already lost the halo of the Chosen One of the Planes?"
The small jade piece shattered into powder. Jiang Liu felt that fate was playing tricks on him. Ye Tiandi, who should have been able to suppress his enemies for a lifetime, never be defeated, fight his way into the immortal path, and become an immortal with his entire sect, was actually restricted by the protector of the Holy Son of Yao Guang and became a puppet.
"However, given your protagonist aura, you shouldn't become a stepping stone for the Undying Heavenly Art. It's very likely that you'll suppress the Holy Son of Yao Guang instead... Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to transmit this information. Clearly, that restriction poses no threat to you. Everything has changed, become unrecognizable!"
The onlookers were still marveling at this miraculous herb that resembled a jade foot. This plant was truly extraordinary. Above its light blue roots were two small, foot-shaped tubers, only an inch long, silvery-white in color, similar to those of the Ice and Snow Source. However, they were so similar to human feet that they were mistaken for the severed feet of a little jade maiden.
Such a miraculous medicine naturally attracted fierce competition to buy, with elders from sacred sites offering prices as high as 70,000 jin of the source.
"Haha... The increase is at least 70,000, Fatty, I think you're going to lose this Taoist robe!"
"Fatty, prepare to cough up blood!"
Duan De and Hei Huang looked grim, staring anxiously at Jiang Liu. If they lost, they would be back to square one.
Jiang Liu looked at Ye Fan. If Ye Fan could convey this information to him and remind him to be careful, then the harsh words he just said must have been just for show.
"Ye Fan, have you found Xiao Nannan?" Jiang Liu suddenly asked.
Ye Fan was slightly taken aback, concealing his expression, and shook his head, saying, "What little girl? I don't know what you're talking about."
"After this round of gambling, I'll help you get out of this predicament!" Jiang Liu said in a low voice.
"I'm telling you to leave quickly. There are powerful beings at the level of a great being who are interested in us, these visitors from the other side of the starry sky, and they're eyeing Earth. I don't know if they can even reach the other side of the starry sky, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Although we had a major conflict before, and I killed you once, this concerns the safety of Earth. I hope you'll consider the bigger picture..."
"As I said, the Liu Yunzhi of the past is dead, and the new one is named Jiang Liu. Let bygones be bygones, and let bygones be bygones!"
You've changed!
People change...
"Unfortunately, I am now powerless... I almost had my Mother Qi of All Things taken away!" Ye Fan's expression was somewhat gloomy. Anyone who is controlled by others would not be in a good mood.
"Don't worry, all reactionaries are paper tigers! Since you have the Holy Son of Yao Guang behind you, I can win without any guilt..."
Jiang Liu immediately sent a telepathic message to Duan De, instructing him to continue the bet and take as much as he could get. To this end, he brought out all his savings.
"They've gone mad... they've gone mad..."
"Even a desperate gamble can't salvage the situation!"
"Fatty, you're out of resources. I'll offer you a thousand catties of resources in return. How about you and Big Black Dog sell yourselves... Hahaha..."
Jiang Liu slowly sliced through the source stone, ignoring the jeers around him. When the last cut came down, the Nine-Aperture Stone Man was reduced to rubble. Only the heart area showed some abnormalities, while a cocoon-like object finally emerged from between his eyebrows, about an inch long and half an inch thick.
Something has come out.
"What is that? Could it be a rare treasure?"
The cut object was dark gold in color and shimmered, revealing itself to be a metal cocoon, giving it a very special feel.
"How much value could something so small have? Could it possibly exceed 150,000 jin of raw materials?"
Those who had spent a huge amount of resources to gamble with the fat man began to panic. At this moment, the dark golden metal, though small, possessed a certain charm that attracted everyone's attention.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, it trembled slightly. A terrifying killing intent emanated from it, chilling people to the bone and turning many faces pale instantly.
A small sword with dragon patterns and black gold has been born. It is a divine sword born from heaven and earth, interwoven with divine patterns that symbolize the killing and destruction of heaven and earth.