Chapter 305: Celestial Essence Ore Vein
The most powerful of the remaining disciples from the Celestial Profound Sacred Land were only at the Ninth Layer of the Spirit Transformation Realm, so the combined strength of Peng Yue, Deng Fang, and Yuan Yuan was more than enough to subdue them.
These disciples from the Celestial Profound Sacred Land didn’t struggle for long before laying down their arms and surrendering.
Then, the Tianze Emperor strode up to Shen Daoxing and said with emotion, "Yang, we truly have you to thank for this. Without you, all of Tianze would have been doomed beyond recovery. To think you possess such strength at such a young age... This is a debt Tianze can never repay. Please, first accept a bow from me."
As he spoke, the Tianze Emperor raised his hands and prepared to give Shen Daoxing a respectful bow.
Seeing this, Shen Daoxing quickly reached out and stopped the Tianze Emperor. "Your Majesty, you are too kind. To be honest, I have my own grievances with the Celestial Profound Sacred Land, and I was the one who consumed the Creation Pill. Your Majesty owes me nothing."
"Alas—"
The Tianze Emperor, however, quickly waved his hand. "Yang, you saved all of Tianze. What is one Creation Pill in comparison? Just tell me what you desire, Yang. As long as it is within Tianze’s power to give, I will present it to you with both hands."
Hearing this, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat, who had appeared out of nowhere, scurried in front of the Tianze Emperor. It stood up on its hind legs, held out a paw, and chittered "SQUEAK SQUEAK" incessantly, as if to say that *he* was the one who killed Xu Hong.
It was completely respectful toward Shen Daoxing, but showed no such courtesy to the Tianze Emperor.
It put on an air of condescension.
After making its point, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat even snorted coldly, crossed its paws over its chest, and angrily turned its head to the side.
Seeing this, the Tianze Emperor laughed and quickly placated it. "You’re right! You’re right! We also have you to thank, Lord of the Great Wilderness. You can also ask for whatever you need."
At this moment, the Eldest Prince, He Yu, stepped forward and gave Shen Daoxing a solemn bow:
"Thank you, Yang, for intervening to save Tianze. I apologize once again for what happened the other day. Those outsiders are not to be trusted, but you... you have Tianze’s absolute trust."
This time, he was sincere.
Beside them, He Qian also stepped forward. She placed her hands at her waist and performed a respectful curtsy. "Young Master Yang, it seems my debt to you is growing ever larger. We truly have you to thank this time. I really don’t know how I can ever repay you."
He Qian looked at Shen Daoxing, her eyes filled with disbelief. From the first time she saw him in action, she knew he was strong and not to be underestimated, but she never imagined he was *this* strong—strong enough to defeat an expert at the Ninth Layer of the Earth Profound Realm.
But it was precisely because of this that Tianze owed him so much this time.
"By the way, Young Master Yang, you came here for the Wind Source Ore..." As He Qian spoke, she suddenly remembered something. She turned to look at her father, the Emperor, paused, then had another thought and turned to look at the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat. "It’s just a pity that the map to Tianze’s Celestial Essence Ore Vein was stolen by Xu Hong, and Xu Hong has already been swallowed by the Lord of the Great Wilderness."
Hearing this, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat froze for a moment, then guiltily turned its head away.
"Hahaha! There’s no need to worry about that."
Just then, however, the Tianze Emperor suddenly began to laugh. As he did, he turned to Shen Daoxing. "Yang, please follow me."
The Tianze Emperor then took the lead, walking toward the altar in the center of Ancestor Mountain’s summit.
Shen Daoxing followed closely behind.
The Tianze Emperor walked onto the altar and up to the ruined statue of the Tianze Ancestor. It was unclear what he did.
CREAK.
A stone slab in front of the Tianze Ancestor statue suddenly slid open, revealing a set of stone steps leading downward.
The Tianze Emperor turned, smiled faintly at Shen Daoxing, and said, "Yang, please, follow me."
With that, he turned and descended.
Shen Daoxing followed behind him, and the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat scurried up onto his shoulder.
They descended the stone steps, and after a short while, Shen Daoxing arrived in a spacious underground chamber. Looking inside, he discovered another altar, identical to the one outside, with an intact statue of the Tianze Ancestor standing in the middle.
"Hehehe."
The Tianze Emperor smiled faintly and explained, "The Celestial Essence Ore Vein is the very lifeline for Tianze’s continued survival. We naturally cannot afford to be careless. The map outside was merely a copy."
As he spoke, the Tianze Emperor walked solemnly to the altar, gave it a respectful bow, and began chanting, as if reciting some kind of ritual incantation.
A few moments later, the statue began to emit a faint white glow. Then, an ancient map materialized from the statue’s chest, slowly floating down into the Tianze Emperor’s hands.
"Yang, you saved Tianze from peril. Forget a few pieces of Wind Source Ore; I would gladly give you an entire mountain. I know your time is precious, so I will take you there right now."
The Tianze Emperor turned to Shen Daoxing, his expression full of sincerity.
"SQUEAK! SQUEAK! SQUEAK!"
Hearing this, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat immediately began to wave its paws and squeal excitedly on Shen Daoxing’s shoulder.
The Tianze Emperor looked at the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat and smiled faintly. "Lord of the Great Wilderness, rest assured. I certainly haven’t forgotten about you."
With that, the Tianze Emperor turned and walked deeper into the underground chamber, stopping before a rock wall. It was impossible to see where, but he pressed something on its surface.
RUMBLE!
The rock wall in front of them slid apart, revealing a small passageway.
Shen Daoxing then followed the Tianze Emperor inside.
The passage was long and winding, with numerous forks. Anyone unfamiliar with the path would surely get lost.
They walked for a long time. Shen Daoxing felt they were continuously descending, and he could clearly sense the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi growing ever more concentrated.
Meanwhile, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat on his shoulder twitched its nose nonstop, growing more and more excited.
「An unknown amount of time passed.」
The Tianze Emperor came to a stop before a seemingly unremarkable rock wall, making no visible movement.
RUMBLE!
A tremor ran through the ground.
Shen Daoxing watched as a huge boulder before him slowly sank into the ground. The next moment, his view opened up, and a natural grotto appeared.
The grotto was vast and resplendent. Translucent, multicolored Crystal Stones studded the walls, their vibrant light illuminating the entire space. Merely by drawing near, Shen Daoxing could feel the dense Primordial Energy contained within the stones.
The instant the grotto was revealed, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat on Shen Daoxing’s shoulder shot forward like a black blur. It pounced inside without the slightest hesitation, latched onto a translucent Crystal Stone, and sank its sharp teeth into it mercilessly.
The Tianze Emperor smiled faintly and did not stop it. "Yang, this is the area within our Celestial Essence Ore Vein where the Primordial Energy is most concentrated. The ores within are the absolute finest, containing immense Primordial Energy, and there is an abundance of various precious and rare minerals. Take whatever you need. There’s no need to be polite."