Before long, the two of them arrived in front of a hidden chamber deep inside the Celestial Palace. The hidden chamber sat inside a separate courtyard. Strange flowers and rare plants filled the area on all sides, spilling over with life. It looked quiet and peaceful, yet the stillness in the place carried something off about it.
The door to the hidden chamber was covered in warding sigils. It was obvious something extremely important was kept inside, or else this was where they handled dealings that weren’t meant for outside eyes.
Elder Cillian stopped, turned to Jared, and said, “Please wait here a moment, Mr. Chance. I’ll go invite the Hall Master. Once he hears you possess the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Bloodline, he’ll definitely come out to meet you in person.”
Jared nodded. “Much appreciated.”
Elder Cillian turned and left in a rush. His steps came fast, as if he was afraid Jared might disappear if he took too long.
Jared stood at the entrance to the hidden chamber and swept his gaze over the area around him. Then his spirit sense slipped out without a sound and seeped into the hidden chamber. The space inside wasn’t large, and the furnishings were simple. There was only a stone table and two stone chairs. But beneath the stone table, a small Spiritual Energy Convergence Array had been hidden away, continuously drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. And in one corner of the room, several jade vials had been set out, each one holding healing elixirs.
So… this was where they planned to sit down with me and talk terms…
A faint sneer touched Jared’s mouth. A short while later, the door to the hidden chamber was pushed open. An old man with a full head of white hair walked in. He wore a plain white robe in an old style, without a single extra ornament on it.
Everything about him was understated. But his face was lean, and his eyes ran deep, as if entire stars and seas were hidden inside them.
His aura was completely drawn in, giving him a depth no one could easily test, like an ancient well no one could see the bottom of. His cultivation had already reached the peak of True Immortal Realm Level Two. He was only one step away from stepping into True Immortal Realm Level Three.
This man was the Lord of the Basilica, Alaric Vale. In the Luminous Sanctuary, Alaric Vale’s name stood for authority and power. He was second only to the Sovereign of the Sanctuary. Alaric Vale walked up to Jared and let his gaze settle on him. A strange light flickered through his eyes.
That look held admiration. It held wonder, too. But more than anything, it burned with a feverish hunger that was hard to hide, like a starving wolf that had just spotted a fat sheep.
“The Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Bloodline…” he murmured, and there was a rough note of wonder in his voice. “I never thought I’d live long enough to see a bloodline like this with my own eyes.”
Alaric smiled faintly. His tone stayed warm and easy, nothing like the kind of man who controlled a massive force with one hand. “Jared… Jared Chance… please, sit…”
Jared took the guest seat. He sat with calm ease, not the least bit stiff, as if this were his place instead of theirs. Alaric sat down across from him. His eyes still rested on Jared, full of open appreciation, as if he were staring at some priceless treasure and worrying it might suddenly grow wings and fly away.
“Jared, you’ve come all the way to the Celestial Basilica. What exactly do you want here?” Alaric asked it plainly. “With a bloodline like yours, every major power should’ve been fighting over you long ago. So why did you come here alone, to a remote place like my Celestial Basilica?”
Jared looked at him and didn’t bother circling around it. “I want the Celestial Basilica to help me with something.”
Alaric smiled and waved a hand. “Say it. As long as the Celestial Basilica can do it, we won’t refuse. Forget one favor; even if you asked for ten or a hundred, for the sake of your Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Bloodline, the Celestial Basilica would still do everything it could.”
It sounded good. But Jared knew exactly what that promise was built on. It began and ended with the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Bloodline. If he had been nothing more than an ordinary cultivator, he likely wouldn’t even have had the right to meet Alaric. They would’ve thrown him out long ago.
Jared reached into his clothes and took out a soul crystal. The crystal was smooth and clear from end to end. A faint blue light flowed through it, and even from his hand, it carried a cold, icy touch. Looking closer, two hazy figures could be seen inside. They were curled up within the crystal, eyes shut, their presence so weak it looked like they could scatter at any moment. The two figures were Sidney and his wife. They had ended up like this because they had tried to save Jared. The Celestial Palace had sealed their souls inside this soul crystal.
Alaric’s gaze tightened, and something shifted in his eyes. He reached out, took the soul crystal, and examined it carefully. “This is… a twin-soul crystal?” Alaric sounded taken aback. “And these two souls are badly damaged. They’re already on the verge of dispersing.”
Jared’s voice stayed even, but every word landed with weight. “There are two people in there. They’re my friends. Their bodies were destroyed, and their souls were sealed inside this soul crystal… I heard the Celestial Basilica has a secret method that can awaken souls and rebuild a body. I want the Celestial Basilica to step in and save their lives.”
Alaric fell silent for a moment. His fingers slowly rubbed across the surface of the soul crystal, as if he were quietly measuring something out. A moment later, he raised his head and looked at Jared again. Something complicated flickered through his eyes. “Jared, those two souls have been sealed inside this soul crystal for quite a while, haven’t they?”
Jared nodded. “Several months.”
Alaric let out a breath. “A soul that’s been sealed too long falls into a deep sleep. Waking them up won’t be easy—especially when the damage is this severe. Without rare treasures to support the process, it’ll be very hard to restore them to what they were before.”
Jared looked at him and said nothing. He only waited for the rest. He knew the other side was never going to help for free. This was the real point of the meeting.
