305: Chapter 299 The Perfect Deal is Made

"It is no easy task to retrieve it intact."

"How about we join forces to break through the mud and rock layers above, and flip the skeleton out from the spider lair?"

This was a very pragmatic proposal.

Relying on one person's strength alone to move such a massive object in a short time, while also pushing aside the deep swamp pressure, would consume a great deal of energy.

Moreover, before having complete control of the situation, neither was at ease leaving the other alone on the surface.

Cooperation was the best choice for now.

"That suits me perfectly."

Ren Quanxu did not hesitate at all and nodded immediately.

"Although I am injured, I still have some strength left."

No sooner said than done.

The two stopped wasting words and immediately unleashed their respective Divine Abilities.

"Rise!"

Chen Zhiwen let out a low shout.

He did not use brute force with his spiritual power; instead, a golden light flashed between his brows.

That immense Divine Sense, comparable to the Late Stage of the Nascent Soul, poured out without reservation.

The Divine Sense transformed into countless invisible hands, reaching deep into the underground swamp.

Chen Zhiwen had long since reached the peak of perfection in the use of Divine Sense.

Under his precise control, the heavy, viscous, and immovable deep-layer mud seemed as if it had been given life.

It began to surge and push away in all directions crazily.

A vacuum channel leading to the underground was forming at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Ren Quanxu, watching from the side, felt his pupils constrict slightly.

"What terrifying Divine Sense!"

He was secretly shocked.

Although he had long known that Chen Zhiwen was unfathomable, seeing him move mountains and drain seas with just his Divine Sense was something else.

Even at his peak, he might not be able to perform such a feat with such ease.

"This person must not be antagonized."

Ren Quanxu quickly revised his judgment.

Yet, his hand movements did not slow down in the slightest.

"Thick Earth Bears Objects, Earth Veins Turn Over!"

Ren Quanxu quickly formed a strange seal with his hands.

As a Cultivator specializing in earth-type Cultivation Techniques, this was his home turf beneath the earth.

He was seen glowing with a yellowish-brown halo.

Extremely heavy earth spiritual power, like a breached river, poured crazily into the depths of the swamp along the channel Chen Zhiwen had cleared.

"Rumble—"

The earth began to tremble violently, as if a ground Dragon was turning over underground.

A massive wave of spiritual power erupted from deep within the earth.

Immediately following, that layer of gray-white rock sealing the skeleton emitted a cracking sound, unable to bear the weight.

"Crack! Crack!"

Bursts of blinding yellowish-brown light shot out from the cracks in the ground, soaring straight into the sky.

The entire underground basin was illuminated by this light, as if it were broad daylight.

With the shattering of the rock layers, the pressure belonging to the Great Perfection of Nascent Soul Stage Yao Beast was completely released.

Chen Zhiwen frowned slightly, circulating his spiritual power to resist the immense pressure coming from underground.

At the same time, his peripheral vision never left Ren Quanxu beside him.

Although the two were cooperating, Chen Zhiwen knew very well that this cooperation was as fragile as a thin sheet of paper.

At this moment, Ren Quanxu was in a terrible state.

His forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, and his complexion had become even paler due to the massive consumption of spiritual power.

Even his breathing had become rapid.

However, Chen Zhiwen keenly noticed that a wisp of Ren Quanxu's Divine Sense was tightly coiled around the "Sanyi Hunyuan Talisman" in his sleeve from start to finish.

That was an extremely dangerous signal.

It was like an injured venomous snake; although it curled its body, its fangs were always facing outward, ready to activate the Talisman at any moment to perish together with others.

Clearly, Ren Quanxu was also guarding against Chen Zhiwen.

He was afraid that Chen Zhiwen would suddenly attack at a critical moment to kill and seize the treasure.

After all, faced with a priceless skeleton of a Great Perfection of Nascent Soul Stage Yao Beast, it was hard for anyone to remain rational.

The two thus harbored their own ulterior motives, maintaining this delicate balance.

Neither exposed it, and neither let down their guard.

"It's coming out!"

Ren Quanxu suddenly shouted, his hands thrusting upwards violently.

"Rise for me!"

Accompanied by his roar, the mud in the center of the swamp exploded.

A massive object, wrapped in a sky full of mud and gravel, flashed out from underground.

"Boom!!!"

The giant object landed, and the entire basin shook.

The dust settled.

That breathtaking skeleton was finally presented in its entirety before the two.

It was the giant skeleton of the Tier 4 Plague Spider King!

Viewing it up close, the sense of shock was even more intense.

The entire skeleton presented a strange, deep green color, as if it had been carved from some kind of top-grade jade.

Every bone was crystal clear, with faint spiritual light flowing over it.

Especially those thirty-plus giant legs like spears; even though only white bones remained, they still emitted a bone-chilling, sharp aura.

In the chest cavity of the skeleton, one could vaguely see a dark-colored bead the size of a fist.

Although its luster was dim, it still emitted terrifying poison gas.

That was the residue of the Yao Beast's core that had not completely dissipated, or perhaps the crystallization of the poison sac.

"Good stuff... truly good stuff."

Ren Quanxu muttered to himself, his eyes unfocused.

This was the skeleton of a Great Perfection of Nascent Soul Stage Yao Beast.

If taken to an Artifact Refining Grandmaster, it would be enough to refine a whole set of top-tier Tier 4 Magic Treasures, or even a Pseudo Spirit Treasure!

Even if taken apart and sold as Materials, it would be an astronomical sum.

Chen Zhiwen did not speak.

He walked slowly to the front of the massive skeleton.

He reached out and gently stroked the cold surface of the bones.

It felt warm and smooth to the touch, as hard as iron.

He could even feel the surging power contained within.

"Zheng!"

A clear sword hum sounded.

Without any warning, Chen Zhiwen drew the "hidden edge" sword from his back.

A cold light flashed.

He did not use any spiritual power, relying purely on the strength of his Physical Body and the sharpness of the sword itself, he slashed fiercely at one of the thickest leg bones.

"Clang—!!!"

A loud sound of metal clashing reverberated in the empty cave.

Sparks flew everywhere.

Chen Zhiwen felt his tiger's mouth slightly numb, and the long sword in his hand was jarred high up.

Looking at that leg bone again, only a shallow white mark was left on it.

Not even a speck of bone dust had fallen off.

"So hard!"

A bright light flashed in Chen Zhiwen's eyes.

Although this "hidden edge" sword looked dilapidated, its essence was extremely high, and it was peerlessly sharp.

One strike like this would damage even ordinary Tier 4 Magic Treasures.

Yet this skeleton was almost completely undamaged.

This was enough to prove that the material of this skeleton had reached an incredible level.

"Brother Ren."

Chen Zhiwen sheathed his sword and turned around.

His expression became exceptionally serious, and his tone carried a hint of unquestionable firmness.

"I am very interested in this skeleton."

"I want to take this skeleton for myself."

As soon as these words were spoken, the already heavy atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing.

Ren Quanxu's eyes instantly became sharp.

His fingers clutching the Talisman unconsciously tightened a few notches.

Swallowing it alone?

This was a supreme treasure worth tens of thousands of Mid-Grade Spirit Stones!

No matter who it was, they would not easily let go.

However, Ren Quanxu did not immediately turn hostile.

His gaze swept over Chen Zhiwen's calm face, then looked at the long sword at the other's waist that had just revealed its sharpness.

He quickly calculated the pros and cons in his mind.

He was currently severely injured and not yet recovered, with his magic power exhausted.

If he were to force a fight, he would have to use that life-saving trump card.

But once the trump card was used, even if he could kill Chen Zhiwen, he would inevitably be severely injured, and might even fall in Realm due to the backlash.

Moreover, although this skeleton was good, its size was too massive.

His Storage Pouch couldn't hold it at all.

To take it away, it had to be dismantled.

But this skeleton was incredibly hard, and in his current state, it would take at least several days and nights to dismantle it.

During this period, there were too many variables.

Looking at Chen Zhiwen, he was calm and composed, unfathomable.

Furthermore, that display of moving mountains with Divine Sense just now had truly shocked him.

"If one loses their life for money, or destroys their Dao foundation, that is truly stupid."

Ren Quanxu was a smart man; he only hesitated for a moment.

The look of vigilance on his face melted away like ice and snow, replaced again by a warm smile.

"Since Brother Chen has spoken, a gentleman helps others achieve their goals."

Ren Quanxu agreed very readily, as if the greed in his eyes just moments ago had never existed.

"Although this skeleton is precious, it is indeed a bit too hot to handle in my hands."

"However..."

Changing the subject, Ren Quanxu raised two fingers, looking at Chen Zhiwen with burning eyes.

"Close brothers, clear accounts."

"I have two conditions. If Brother Chen can agree, this skeleton is yours."

Chen Zhiwen smiled slightly.

"Brother Ren, please speak."

As long as a problem could be solved with money, it was not a problem for him.

Ren Quanxu retracted one finger and said with a solemn expression:

"First."

"This place is dangerous, and I am not in a good state right now."

"In the upcoming journey, if I encounter life-threatening danger, Brother Chen must help me within his capabilities."

With these words, at least before leaving this Spiritual Vein, Chen Zhiwen would not attack him.

"Reasonable."

Chen Zhiwen nodded.

"As long as it is not a hopeless situation, I will certainly do my best."

Ren Quanxu nodded with satisfaction, then raised his second finger.

"Second."

"You and I both know the value of this skeleton."

"If taken to an auction, it would fetch at least thirty to forty thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones."

"I won't ask for much."

"I want compensation of ten thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones."

"As long as Brother Chen brings out these ten thousand Spirit Stones, you can take this complete Great Perfection of Nascent Soul Stage Yao Beast skeleton away right now."

Ten thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones; one must know that the entire net worth of an ordinary early Nascent Soul stage cultivator was only about that much.

Ren Quanxu was gambling.

Gambling that Chen Zhiwen could not produce so much cash, thus having to yield a portion of the skeleton material.

However, to his surprise, Chen Zhiwen did not even frown.

"Ten thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones?"

He repeated in a low voice, then nodded and agreed without hesitation.

"Deal."

At this moment, the immense wealth Chen Zhiwen displayed once again refreshed Ren Quanxu's understanding.

Chen Zhiwen reached out and wiped his waist.

He took out a storage ring that had been prepared long ago and tossed it over casually.

"There are five thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones in here."

"For the remaining five thousand, I will use equivalent resources to offset it."

Ren Quanxu took the storage ring and skeptically probed it with his Divine Sense.

The next second, his mouth opened slightly, and a look of great surprise appeared in his eyes.

The space in this storage ring was not small.

Inside, five thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones were indeed neatly stacked.

And next to the Spirit Stones, various miscellaneous resources were piled up.

There were high-grade Talismans, top-quality Spiritual Artifacts, several bottles of extremely rare Medicinal Pills, and even a few pieces of rare Ore.

As an Elder of Tian Yin Pavilion, Ren Quanxu naturally had a good eye.

He quickly estimated.

Although these things were miscellaneous, they were all hard currency.

Taken to the market to sell, let alone five thousand, even selling them for six or seven thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones would be easy.

"Fellow Daoist Chen... you are indeed wealthy."

Ren Quanxu took a deep breath, and the way he looked at Chen Zhiwen changed.

If before he was only wary of the other's strength, now he was full of surprise at this "wealthy benefactor."

Carrying so many resources and cash with him, what kind of background did this person have?

Although the Heavenly Sword Sect was powerful, an ordinary Nascent Soul Elder could not possibly have such a large net worth.

Chen Zhiwen was calm, as if what he had just given away was nothing more than a pile of scrap metal.

"These resources of mine are more than enough to offset ten thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones."

"If Brother Ren feels it's not enough, I can add another one thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones."

His tone was flat, yet it carried an invisible dominance.

"Enough, enough!"

Ren Quanxu waved his hands hurriedly, his face beaming with joy.

He quickly put away the storage ring, as if afraid that Chen Zhiwen would go back on his word.

"Brother Chen is straightforward!"

"Since that is the case, this skeleton is Brother Chen's from now on."

Ren Quanxu said readily, even taking the initiative to step back a distance to show sincerity.

Although he was greedy for money, he knew when to stop while ahead.

This gain of over ten thousand Spirit Stones, plus the Materials allocated earlier, meant he had already earned a fortune on this trip.

And he was rid of the trouble of moving the skeleton.

Why not?

"Many thanks."

Chen Zhiwen was not polite either.

He walked to the front of the massive skeleton and waved his large sleeve.

A suction force poured out.

That giant skeleton, over eighty zhang long, instantly turned into a green light and was stored into his System space.

A satisfied smile finally appeared on the corner of his mouth.

This deal was worth it.

If this skeleton were taken to a large-scale auction outside and promoted, it could likely sell for thirty to forty thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

Excluding the ten thousand given to Ren Quanxu, he would net a profit of twenty to thirty thousand.

More importantly, the Materials contained in this skeleton were of great use for his subsequent cultivation of a certain secret technique.

It could also be used to refine Puppet arts.

In the empty cave, the two smiled at each other.

Everyone was happy.

"Since the matter here is finished."

Ren Quanxu was in a great mood, and his pale complexion seemed to have become a bit more ruddy.

"Brother Chen, it is time for us to leave this ghostly place."

"There must be quite a few good things waiting for us in other parts of this Spiritual Vein."