Liang felt a flicker of interest. One item? He suspected it was the exact item the opposing faction sought. Regardless, he had no interest in such dangerous artifacts; they would only lead to trouble.
After a mont, he nodded. "Then we have a deal."
Actually his goal was to leverage three specific items, yet he demanded five. Why the discrepancy? Perhaps he believed that the additional two would create a buffer.
After all, it certainly won't hurt to try. Each of these treasures held the promise of unimaginable wealth, a fortune that even the current him doesn't have.
A sigh of relief escaped Xia. This negotiation had been a struggle.
"Please, brother Liang, follow ," she said, leading him down a concealed passageway.
He nodded and followed her through a hidden passageway.
After a few monts they erged into a vast chamber dominated by a shimring spatial portal.
Stepping through it felt like plunging into a river of stars. They erged onto a circular platform suspended in the endless void of space, surrounded by swirling galaxies and distant light. Below them, an infinite sea of darkness.
With a graceful wave of her hand, Xia summoned a series of ethereal runes that glimred like miniature constellations before vanishing upon touching the platform. The air buzzed with energy as the platform began to flicker with light. A mont later, they were teleported once more.
As the light faded, Liang surveyed his new surroundings with keen interest. The air crackled with spiritual qi, thick and palpable, based on his experience he could feel that this place is sowhere in the Common Road Realm.
His gaze was drawn to a peculiar sight—an irregular cube floating majestically in the sky, its surface iridescent, reflecting glimrs of unseen energies. A surge of amusent coursed through him; without needing to inspect it closely, he recognized that this was no ordinary treasure. It was unmistakably a Sacred Artifact.
"This must be where the treasures are stored, right?" Liang said, pointing eagerly at the cube.
Xia's eyes widened with surprise. "How did you deduce that without triggering the sealing formation?"
Liang chuckled, a confident glint in his eye. "I'm not a formation master for nothing."
Indeed, the instant he laid eyes on the cube, he had sensed the intricate sealing formation enveloping it.
With a swift movent, he waved his hand, and an array of shimring voidforge runes surged forth from him, darting towards the cube. As they made contact, the surface of the cube erupted into a vast web of runes, forming a protective barrier that flickered ominously.
Liang nodded knowingly, as if he had already anticipated this outco.
"How much ti will you need?" Xia asked, her expression tense with urgency.
"Roughly about a year," Liang replied nonchalantly, his tone calm and asured.
Xia's face darkened. "Too long. Is there another way?"
After a mont of contemplation, Liang nodded slowly. "I'll need certain materials. With them, we should be able to expedite the process significantly."
"Let's say you have the materials. How much ti would you need?" Xia asked, her voice tinged with hope.
Liang's eyes flickered with thought, as if he were weighing his options. "If the materials are high-quality, I should be able to complete it in about two months."
Xia's face brightened at his response. "What materials do you need?"
With a knowing smile, Liang produced an empty jade slip from his space ring. He infused it with his divine sense and handed it to her.
Taking the jade slip, Xia probed it with her own divine sense. After a mont, she tucked it away. "I've already sent the list. The materials should be arriving shortly."
Liang's eyes narrowed slightly at her assurance, but he masked his thoughts. *Perhaps I should have asked for more,* he mused internally. In truth, he didn't require any materials to unravel the sealing formation; his universe rune alone was more than sufficient.
The real complexity of this situation lay not in the materials, but in the nature of the formation itself. It was inscribed using a void divine rune and was theoretically comparable to an eighth-order formation. However, its complexity was heightened by the divine rune's construction from four or five divine sparks—a revelation that astonished Liang.
Not even the Dong Clan possessed an expert capable of such a feat. Where could it have originated?
A na flickered in Liang's mind: the Transcendents Alliance.
Only these individuals would have the power to produce such a runic master.
A wave of confusion washed over Liang. What could be inside that warranted such a deadly feud with the All Things Pavilion?
Despite his intrigue, he pushed the thoughts aside for now. Understanding the identity of the individual who set the formation granted him a crucial advantage.
In fact, he could leverage this knowledge to extort the Transcendents Alliance—or, perhaps, use it for an even more audacious purpose...
Many thoughts swirled in Liang's mind, a whirlwind of possibility and strategy, before being interrupted by an unfamiliar voice.
"Mister Liang, the materials you need have arrived."
He turned to see two elderly n clad in flowing white robes, their presence radiating a mixture of wisdom and authority.
Xia stepped forward, her smile warm and inviting. "Allow to introduce these two esteed individuals. This is Elder Yin, and this is Elder Yun. They are our finest formation masters, here to assist you should the need arise."
Liang nodded respectfully, a smile playing on his lips. "It's a pleasure to et you both, Elders."
Elder Yin's laughter rumbled like distant thunder. "Oh, the pleasure is all ours, Mister Liang. If there's anything you require, do not hesitate to let us know!" He extended a hand, offering Liang a space ring.
Liang accepted it with a nod, his keen eyes scanning its contents. Though his expression remained gracious, inwardly he couldn't help but chuckle—this was undoubtedly compensation for his losses in the previous deal.
His gaze shifted to the two elders ditating a short distance away.
"It seems they don't fully trust ," Liang mused wryly, the corners of his lips twitching. "No matter; they won't sense anything amiss. Mimicking the effects of these materials is an easy feat for ."
With a wave of his hand, his aura surged, palpable and vibrant, as the universe rune blossod into existence around him. Countless intricate runes swirled around him, coalescing into the forms of three serpentine shapes, each one pulsating with energy.
These serpents entwined slowly around the cube, creating a srizing dance of light and shadow. Each second, a different rune from the sealing formation ignited montarily, before dimming again.
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