Chapter 143

On New Year's Eve, Wuji Palace was ablaze with lights and music. Guests from all directions gathered in Zhengji Hall. This was the liveliest Zhengji Hall has been in nearly a hundred years.

But there was little joy on the guests’ faces as they welcomed the new year --- and if there was, it was feigned. They looked like a group of actors, dressed in their usual outfits, putting on a happy and harmonious play for Zong Zi Xiao to see.

And how could the audience not see their forced smiles? But that was exactly what amused him. Although he sat beneath the side of the throne, he had everyone above and below him sitting on pins and needles.

Halfway through the banquet, there was an accident. A loud bang came from within the Wuji Palace, accompanied by a tremor in the Zhengji Hall. The power of this explosion was not small.

Based on the direction of the sound, many people thought of a place instantly.

Cai Cheng Yi stomped his foot, "Oh no, the alchemy room has exploded!"

Zong Zi Xiao and Zong Zi Heng had already gotten up and rushed towards the alchemy room. The guests had also left their seats and followed them.

The alchemy room was already a dangerous place, with furnaces exploding or catching fire from time to time. Usually, only the low-level new disciples from the sect will labor in the alchemy room, and now that the Zong Clan's alchemy room was running around the clock, it was even more prone to accidents. However, based on the commotion, there were more than just one or two core furnaces.

The crowd arrived one after another to see the alchemy room, which had been mostly destroyed by the explosion and was on fire. A large number of Zong Clan's cultivators had rushed to set up a rainfall formation, and the palace people were carrying buckets of water to put out the fire.

"Xing Wen, what are you doing?!" An old voice suddenly shouted.

"My core, it's almost formed!" Ran Xing Wen was about to rush into the fire regardless, and the one who stopped him was the old master of the Giant Spirit Villa, who had dragged his sickly old body to Daming in order to see his son.

"It was that core furnace of yours that blew up." One of the cultivators who had been refining the core for Zong Zi Xiao with him said.

"No, this core can't be scrapped, it can't be scrapped." The crimson fire reflected in Ran Xing Wen's eyes as he broke away from his father's pull and was about to rush into the fire.

With a flip of his sleeve, Zong Zi Xiao's spiritual pressure knocked Ran Xing Wen to the ground. He looked at Ran Xing Wen from above and said coldly, "What trash to waste so much good material and still come up empty."

"No, it will work this time, it should work this time!" Ran Xing Wen was enraged. He exclaimed in defiance, "There is no core under this heaven that I cannot refine. This time, maybe too much gravel sand was put in. I will adjust the ratio again, I will definitely be able to refine ..."

"What have you refined?" Zong Zi Xiao said in a cold voice, "You still have the face to say that you are the best core master in this world."

Ran Xing Wen's face turned red. He usually spoke little and was a bit inarticulate, but when it came to quenching he would become frenzied, as if he was a different person. He clenched his fist and said excitedly, "To refine a supreme immortal core, you need supreme and rare base materials. Letting me use these mundane things to refine the core, naturally, naturally it takes time. If you can give me ..."

"Pa!"

Old Master Ran slapped Ran Xing Wen fiercely, "Bastard, what are you babbling about?!"

Ran Xing Wen was nearly knocked to the ground again. He froze, and he visibly sobered up.

Zong Zi Heng was feeling fearful on the side. He should have expected that the Ran family was well versed in the art of core refining, and it was impossible for them not to know about the Absolute Human Emperor, but they also knew that they must not allow Zong Zi Xiao to obtain the Absolute Human Emperor.

But Ran Xing Wen was an eccentric person who seemed to care only about making something to his own satisfaction. To a core master, the best base material was like the best sword to a swordsman, which was a lifelong desire. In his heart, he was probably expecting to produce the Absolute Human Emperor with his own hands.

Zong Zi Xiao narrowed his eyes dangerously, "What did you just want to say?"

Ran Xing Wen stammered and did not speak.

The crowd of guests also looked at him. Everyone was curious as to what followed the first half of what he had said.

"What is the treasure of the supreme and rare base materials?"

"..."

"Speak!" Zong Zi Xiao said in a stern voice.

Old Master Ran arched his hand and said, "Your Holiness, my son is obsessed with the art of the core. He does not understand worldly wisdom and sometimes speaks nonsense. Please forgive us, Your Holiness."

Zong Zi Xiao glared at the Ran family's father and son with murderous fury, "You have just said that in order to refine a supreme immortal core, you need supreme and rare base materials. The great sects have sent their own hidden treasures, but to you, they are all 'mundane'. Obviously you know what the rare treasure is!"

"I, I don't know." Ran Xing Wen dodged Zong Zi Xiao's knife-like gaze, "Your Holiness, when I saw my core was ruined again, I was momentarily enraged and said some nonsense that I don't even remember."

"The both of you, how dare you fool me!" Zong Zi Xiao's face showed a sinister look.

Zong Zi Heng walked in between them and said in a deep voice, "The fire in the alchemy room hasn't even been extinguished yet, plus it's New Year's Eve today, so there's no need to violently criticize here."

Zong Zi Yun also came to intervene. Compared to his indifference and arrogance towards others, Zong Zi Xiao was quite polite to him: "Your Holiness, there is no need to get angry on this New Year's Eve. It is not too late to talk about it after eating and drinking."

The Ran Family’s father and son were pale in the face, not even daring to breathe hard, while the guests around them were whispering.

Zong Zi Xiao pondered for a moment and said grimly, "I have given you countless treasures and months of time, yet you have disappointed me again and again, so you better take this time to think about how to explain to me." He flicked his sleeves and left.

Zong Zi Heng glanced at Old Master Ran, at the same time Old Master Ran also raised his head and locked eyes with Zong Zi Heng. With just an exchange of glances, they understood what was in each other's mind.

Huang Dao Zi, who was hidden in the crowd, looked at Zong Zi Xiao’s back. His gaze heavy and elusive.

---

This accident ended the banquet at the Zhengji Hall early.

Zong Zi Heng was apprehensive. He knew Zong Zi Xiao must be able to force the Ran family's father and son to reveal what that rare and precious base material really was. He dared not imagine what Zong Zi Xiao would do to him when he knew the truth.

And he did not know how to stop Zong Zi Xiao.

As the guests dispersed, Zong Zi Xiao had drunk quite a lot of wine, but his feet were not the least bit weak. After he left the banquet, he intended to go and force the Ran family's father and son to answer. Obviously, they had concealed something very important from him, and this matter might be the key to him obtaining the supreme immortal core.

"Where are you going?" Zong Zi Heng asked.

Zong Zi Xiao twisted his head to look at him, "Big brother, you are asking the obvious."

"Master Ran is highly respected in the immortal cultivation world, and Giant Spirit Villa has never been involved in Jianghu's disputes, so you should not make things difficult for them."

"The matter of alchemy is so important, and Ran Xing Wen still dares to hide something from me. Do you think I will let them off easily?"

"You still need the Ran family to make cores for you."

"True, but I don't need all of the Ran family members."

"Zong Zi Xiao!" Zong Zi Heng said in a deep voice, "Create less sins."

Zong Zi Xiao smiled coldly, "Depends on whether they value their lives or not."

Zong Zi Heng looked at Zong Zi Xiao’s back, his pupils became a grey and defeated color.

Zong Zi Xiao had intended to force out Ran Xing Wen's unfinished words immediately, but he was stopped halfway by Huang Dao Zi.

Huang Dao Zi opened the door and said, "Your Holiness doesn't need to ask the Ran family's father and son. I know what the rare treasure Young Master Ran is talking about."

Zong Zi Xiao looked Huang Dao Zi up and down, "You?"

Huang Dao Zi arched his hand, "I dare not deceive Your Holiness. I do know."

"What are you, and how do you know? I want to hear the truth from Ran Xing Wen's mouth. What do you know, you stinky fortune teller!"

Zong Zi Xiao held in his anger. The stuff he had scavenged from the immortal families was about to run out. As the alchemy continued to fail again and again, he was about to lose his patience.

Huang Dao Zi said unhurriedly, "Your Holiness will have a hard time getting answers from the Ran family. Even if they die, they will keep the secret. Your Holiness may be able to pry their mouths open, but it is bound to make a big fuss. If I tell you the truth, it will be much easier for you to examine them yourself."

Zong Zi Xiao narrowed his eyes. He felt that Huang Dao Zi should not dare to risk his life to swindle him, so what did this man really know? He said, "If you have known for a long time but didn't say anything, that means you are hiding the same thing from me as the Ran family’s father and son. Now you popped out again for no apparent reason, what exactly is your purpose?"

Huang Dao Zi smiled bitterly and said, "I didn't tell because I was afraid of death, but I will tell you now because the Giant Spirit Villa has been kind to me, having given me relief when I was poor and desperate."

"So you are not afraid of death now?"

"I am still of use to Your Holiness, and I hope Your Holiness will be kind."

Zong Zi Xiao looked at Huang Dao Zi grimly, "Speak, tell me all you know."

Huang Dao Zi sighed, "In fact, the rare treasure Young Master Ran is talking about is a human golden core."

Zong Zi Xiao already had a similar suspicion in his mind and was therefore not surprised, "Just this? What's so rare about a golden core?"

"Giant Spirit Villa is a famous and upright sect, so they would never refine a human core. Moreover, they also dare not say, because this golden core is almost impossible to obtain."

Zong Zi Xiao was silent for a long time before he said, "Whose core is it?"

He had never bothered to eat human cores. When Lu Zhao Feng was dying, he dug out his own core and gave it to him, but he also crushed it with one foot. He despised the core-stealing demonic cultivator from the bottom of his heart. But now, if he really needs a human core to help him break through to the ninth Chongtian, he really hesitated.

Huang Dao Zi took a deep breath, "Your Holiness, I actually ... dare not say."

"Are you looking for death?" Zong Zi glanced fiercely at him, "Under this heaven, is there anyone's golden core that I can't get?"

Huang Dao Zi's voice trembled slightly from fear, "It's ... the Emperor's."

----

Edited on 1 May 21 (Emzie)

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