Sage Monarch

After sending all the resources to the House of God Ordainment, Yang Qi could sense the destiny there improving. However, it wasn't enough, so he decided to ask for more. Furthermore, after thinking the situation through and identifying some of the danger areas, he had decided to go through with the Deva Baptism.

He wanted to speed up the progress with Eternal Millennium's martial-god soldier-kings, but unfortunately, they required a huge amount of destiny. The best way to acquire that would be to tap into the destiny of the Deva Dynasty.

"What? You're going through with the Deva Baptism?!"

Ser Temple was delighted. After all, if he could seal a deal like this, his standing in the yearly viceroy assessments of the Deva Dynasty would rise. Whenever he met his profit quotas, he would be rewarded, but if he could surpass those quotas, his rewards would further increase.

He could theoretically even be promoted.

"Yes, I've made my decision. I have the hundred perfect caliber godstones right here." He pulled them out and handed them over. "As for the list of items I want, it's longer than before, but I hope you can get them for me as quickly as possible."

"Alright," Ser Temple said. He looked over the list, and his expression flickered. "This is a very long list, and they're all extremely rare items. Some of these aren't used for cultivation in the dao of devils. For instance, the fossilized remains of an ancient dragon? Blood from a Dragonfolk expert in the Paramount God level? The shattered soul of a perished Paramount God from the dao of devils? What do you need these things for?"

"I cultivate a Paramount divine ability from the dao of devils that actually does require those things. Forgetting everything else, I have the godstones to pay for all this. So do we have a deal? Also, did you get me any information on the piece of the Mahātmā Jade and the True-Devil Unspoiled-by-Myriad-Kalpas-and-Tribulations Body?"

"Yes, we got plenty of information," Ser Temple replied, his face completely expressionless. "The Unspoiled Body was recorded on a piece of sheepskin, but it was later lost. Apparently, it fell down into the impure lands. And ever since the Ancient Road to the Gods disappeared, no one has been able to descend there. As for the Mahātmā Jade, there are actually many pieces of it. We couldn't locate every single one, but we can tell you of some nearby pieces. For instance, there are two forces some distance away, the Eternal-Life God-Dynasty and the Nacrelight Sageland, who both have a piece. There's a piece here in the Deva Dynasty, and the Proud Clan also has one. And there's a place near the former location of the halls of heaven where a piece exists. It's called the Bastille of the One God. The bastille is actually where the Sovereign Lord and the True Devil fought each other, and where the Mahātmā Jade was shattered."

"The Bastille of the One God?" Yang Qi murmured. He had never heard of this place.

"Yes, the Bastille of the One God. It's a very dangerous location, but also very popular among Paramount Gods. After all, many ancient treasures from the halls of heaven exist there. Many Paramount Gods have gone there hunting for treasure, and many have died. Supposedly, it's the core of the entire god world. That's all the information we could dig up. Hopefully it was worth the thirty billion godnotes you paid."

"Hold on. Are you saying your Deva Dynasty won't part with its piece of the Mahātmā Jade? From what I understand, none of your Paramount Gods can do anything with it, nor benefit from researching it. So why not sell it?"

"You really want to buy it?"

"Any top expert from the dao of devils would want to buy it," Yang Qi said. "Even if I can't directly use it, studying it should still provide benefits."

"But it won't," replied Ser Temple. "There have been Paramount Gods from the dao of devils who studied our piece of the Mahātmā Jade, and they never learned anything from it. That's why we have it tucked away in storage. That said, it's still considered a first-tier treasure, so if you insist on buying it, I'll have to contact my superiors to see if they approve of the idea."

"That's fine," Yang Qi replied.

"Alright. Wait here while I go find out how much it's worth."

Ser Temple left to talk with his superiors. A short time later he returned, a smile on his face. "The items on your list are worth three hundred perfect caliber godstones. And the Deva Baptism costs a hundred. Considering you just gave us a hundred, that means you now owe three hundred. Regarding the Mahātmā Jade, my superiors are going to discuss it and give you a response after your baptism."

"Alright!"

Without any hesitation, Yang Qi handed over the godstones, which Ser Temple accepted with trembling hands. Not even he had ever seen this many perfect caliber godstones together in one place.

A few hours later, Ser Temple said, "Patriarch Bloodcloak, all of the items you've requested have been gathered. As for the Deva Baptism, it'll take place in two weeks. Just return here, and you can take the teleportation portal to the baptism ground."

"Alright," Yang Qi said, accepting another golden sphere. After checking it to confirm it contained all of the items he had requested, he smiled and left, heading back to the teleportation portal he'd built on Bloodcloak Island.

Without hesitation, he sent the new collection of resources back to the House of God Ordainment, causing the destiny there to rise dramatically. The disciples were advancing by leaps and bounds considering the resources that were being lavished on them. Not even the imperial princes back in the Eternal-Life God-Dynasty could receive resources one-tenth of this level.

Eternal Millennium was completely taken aback.

He even considered heading to the House of God Ordainment as his true self to check the situation, but in the end, he held back. After all, as the destiny of the House of God Ordainment grew, the martial-god soldier-kings shivered with desire, leaving him with little mental capacity to spend on other matters.

Two weeks later, Yang Qi was back at Ser Temple's residence.

Ser Temple was waiting for him, and acting more courteous than ever. At the same time, he inspected 'Patriarch Bloodcloak' more closely than before, and came to realize that he was extremely mysterious and hard to read.

Inwardly, he was shocked. 'What good fortune did this devil come across? Hardly any time has passed, but his aura has become even more formidable than mine. Has he really been using all those resources? The people I sent to keep an eye on him haven't reported anything noteworthy. My superiors already agreed to sell him the Mahātmā Jade. After all, we've studied it for countless tens of thousands of years without learning a thing. It might as well be a piece of junk. Besides, he'll probably just end up painting a target on himself because of it. And after he gets killed by some other Paramount God from the dao of devils, we'll just end up getting it back."

"Viceroy, is it possible that your superiors have actually agreed to sell me the Mahātmā Jade?" Yang Qi suddenly asked.

"Congratulations," Ser Temple replied. "In keeping with the longstanding traditions of the Deva Dynasty, we'll sell anything for the right price. You're a valuable customer, after all, and this transaction will further boost our reputation. After all, there are Paramount Gods who are willing to fly four or five years just to get here to do business."

"And what's it going to cost me?" Yang Qi asked. "A lot, I'm going to guess."

"Well, that's a given. The Mahātmā Jade is on the same level as the God Legion Seal. It might be broken, and countless people might have failed to gain enlightenment from it, but there's always a chance someone could use it to become a paragonic entity. And that's why the price has been set at three thousand perfect caliber godstones!"

Ser Temple stared at 'Patriarch Bloodcloak', absolutely convinced that he would never be able to afford something that expensive.

As expected, Yang Qi's face became a mask of shock. "Three thousand? Did I hear that correctly? Or did you say three hundred?" Of course, it was an act. He could obviously pay three thousand if he wanted to. But how could he just agree to the first offer? That would attract far too much attention, and if his secrets were revealed, it could lead to trouble. In fact, they might even try to do something to him during the baptism.

"You heard me right," Ser Temple said, his face expressionless. "Three thousand."

"I couldn't possibly afford that." Yang Qi sighed. "Ai.... Well, I guess we can just forget it. I'll have to wait until I'm an Unbounded expert. Maybe then I can amass that much wealth."

"You're welcome to purchase it at any time," Ser Temple said. "Alright, let's head to the baptism site." If Yang Qi had actually claimed to be able to afford three thousand perfect caliber godstones, he might have done something untoward.

'Who could've guessed that I would just be able to buy that piece of the Mahātmā Jade!' Yang Qi thought. 'Not that I can just go and do that. I'll go through with the baptism and pretend to experience a breakthrough. Once "Patriarch Bloodcloak" is in the Unbounded level, I can afford to make the purchase without worrying about them trying something funny. Plans within plans. They think I can't use the Mahātmā Jade, and that if I take it, I'll end up killed by some Paramount God from the dao of devils. In that case, it would eventually find its way back to them. How could they possibly know what I'll be capable of if I get my hands on it?'