"If there were to be any harvest, a closed-door session will be necessary." Yun Yang smiled. "Yun Yang first wishes both big brothers a smooth breakthrough here!"
Ling Xiaozui replied seriously, "We'll rush back as soon as we can before your final battle against the Four Seasons Tower. The Four Seasons Tower is our nemesis too; as enemies, they aren't exclusive to you!"
Yun Yang beamed but said nothing.
"As farewell looms, Yun Yang has another gift for both elder brothers. Perhaps, they'll be of help when the time comes." With a flick of his wrist, a violet gas rose from Yun Yang's palm. Two pieces of purple crystals appeared where there were none before.
He extended his arm and presented a piece to each man.
Both men were already feeling rejuvenated once they were bathed in the crystal's revitalizing aura, but when they actually saw the crystals, their eyes shone as if there were light beams shooting out from them. The shock written across their faces was not at all hidden.
"This - is this not the legendary item of fantasy? The Eastern Amethyst that can change a cultivator?"
Both experts expressed their shock with their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. They even turned pale, the rapid thumping of their heartfelt like the organ was about to jump out of their throats.
Even with their masterly cultivation base and nearly unperturbable mannerism, the duo could not help the ripple of emotions that broke their well of peace when they beheld the two pieces of violet crystals.
These were the dream items that people rarely came across, despite the many years that had passed!
Just a single crystal was worth more than a city if it were to be exchanged into quantifiable wealth. Perhaps, it should be put as such - if they had something like this, they would never exchange it, even if someone else were to offer an empire's worth of fortune!
The Eastern Amethyst.
The ancient myth had another name for it - the Ladder to Heaven. As the name had it, it was akin to having a ladder straight to heaven if one were to be in possession of the Eastern Amethyst.
This was how it came by its the name.
"Absolutely not! This item is too precious! We can't take it!"
Despite the gripping reluctance and an irrepressible thirst for the crystals, a desire for such things that set a wildfire within them that was hardly containable, the two experts suppressed the strong emotions and rejected the gift.
Such items were not common treasured resources of heaven and earth. If they accepted it, the favor they owed would be gigantic. Of course, the crux lied within the fact that Yun Yang might not have known the real use and actual value of such crystals; if he knew about them in the future and regretted giving them away, everyone would be rendered in an awkward state.
Both Ling Xiaozui and Dugu Chou felt a twinge of conscience; putting themselves in Yun Yang's shoes, if they had given something like this to others, they would really regret it for life and an internal demon would be birthed from such an act.
"This thing is called the Eastern Amethyst?" Yun Yang was struck with a realization. "Quite a nice name."
"You didn't know?" Both elders chuckled without humor. "All the more we can't have it!"
Yun Yang chortled and replied, "Yun Yang understands the kind intention both brothers have for me. While I don't know the name of such an item and its actual use… I am not short of them. I don't have a lot, about a dozen… The saying is that things are rare when they're scarce. After giving one crystal to each of you, I still have about a dozen. It's something I should do, regardless."
"A - a dozen?" The men's eyes dilated as their tone changed.
Such an unimaginable resource, such an ethereal item... it would be a lifetime's luck if one were to possess one or even half a piece, but he was giving out two crystals at a time and still had a dozen of them with him? So many?
If these two elderly men were not exceptionally composed and untainted by nature, they would have already brandished their weapons to rob Yun Yang!
Yun Yang nodded seriously to mean that he indeed still had more and that scarcity meant rarity was not just his smokescreen of an explanation.
While he did so, he thought that if he had honestly told them that he still had a few hundred thousands of such crystals, would he be robbed on the spot? It was a sign of brotherhood to give a piece or two to bosom friends when one had a dozen of such items, but it would be an absolute scrooge to give one piece to others when one had hundreds of thousands in his possession; no matter how rare or precious, it would sound ill to the ears. Wherever one could be, this was an undeniable truth!
"Actually, I've already distributed these crystals. Not only to the both of you, King Yun, Bai Yixue, Lao Mei, Fang Mofei and the rest…"
Yun Yang grinned. "Everyone will have one. I will keep two for myself, so there's really no need to be polite over it."
This was how Ling Xiaozui and Dugu Chou accepted the gift rather abashedly. Just as they received the crystals, they stored them in their spatial ring hurriedly. Bagging the items, they still felt as if they were dreaming.
How could they receive something so precious so easily? It felt unreal… It was said that whenever such an item appeared, there should be some sort of bloody fight or martial world battle over it.
Should thousands or hundred thousands of lives not be drained first before a result or an end could be reached?
Even a piece of such a crystal might very well compare to the Seventeenth Master of the Ninth Abyss' secret treasure map!
That martial world fight had previously taken hundreds of thousands of lives! Yet, what was happening before their eyes?
This was probably what people called a bonus - no, a godsend!
"Yun Yang, you must be careful in the future!" Ling Xiaozui reminded him seriously, "Don't act in haste and don't let anyone know that you have something like this. Even more so when you've gone to the Bound of Universe. Use them as soon as possible, if you can… Really. What these crystals contain are the traces of Dao and even the secret of the very universe! You must remember to be careful."
"Don't worry, I understand!"
Ling Xiaozui and Dugu Chou did not say more as they acted swiftly to search for the School of Kismet State's quarters and annihilate everyone in the school. They did not wait for Yun Xiaoyao and others mainly because Yun Yang's generous gift had still baffled them; so much so that they were still dazed, and plenty thrilled. This caused them to slip out of the city in the night and massacre the School of Kismet State. Even when they were seven thousand miles away from Tiantang City, they still felt their minds buzzing.
"Did he - did he just give them to us like that?" Dugu Chou felt his mind working at an incredible speed. He was in an inexplicable ecstasy, so much so that he dared not quite believe that the reality was true.
"Ye- yes…" Ling Xiaozui who could thoroughly empathize with the former had an impulsive need to retrieve the crystal and hold it in his hand to feel its actual presence.
"Regardless, the both of us have accepted quite a huge favor," Dugu Chou sighed. Despite his sigh, his tone was one of thrill and delight; the joy was uncontainable.
"Precisely," Ling Xiaozui sighed as well, "I feel the same. Firstly, I'm shocked by his generosity. Then, I'm floored by Supreme Cloud's way of carrying himself. How truly extraordinary…"
"Hmm? Would you care to elaborate?" Dugu Chou said.
"You feel like you're closer to him, do you not? Furthermore, I believe you actually don't feel too much in debt?" asked Ling Xiaozui.
"Correct, naturally," said Dugu Chou, "There's also the feeling of surprising favor. What you said about feeling indebted truly doesn't exist."
"Naturally? How so? You've accepted a mythical item that only appears in legends out of the blue, yet you feel at ease. Other than surprise, your state of mind is at peace without much thought. Why do you think this is so?" questioned Ling Xiaozui.
Dugu Chou was stunned then.
That was right - why did he not feel indebted despite accepting such stroke of luck? Reconsidering it, this did not make any sense!