Chapter 42: Heaven and Earth are Vast, but Reason is Greatest

"This is out of the question."

Qin Sheng was resolute. "If you won't go to Yaoguang, I won't go to the location you mentioned. We can just find a random place to complete the transaction."

"Fine then."

Duan De felt a pang of regret; he had missed an opportunity for a heist.

This kid was not only black-hearted but also cunning and cautious—truly difficult to deal with.

The two flew in a random direction, traveling a hundred thousand miles before finally coming to a stop in a deserted valley.

"Let me see the Chaos Ruin Dust first," Duan De said urgently.

"Fine, I'll take a small loss."

Qin Sheng took out a grain-sized piece of black soil from his Sea of Wheel and waved it in front of Duan De. Duan De's eyes went wide.

"That's it! That is indeed the Chaos Ruin Dust!"

Duan De was ecstatic. He reached out to grab it; this substance was vital to him, yet incredibly rare—even harder to come by than Immortal Gold.

Immortal Gold existed in every generation, but since ancient times, only a few pieces of Chaos Ruin Dust had ever appeared in the Chaos World.

"Please behave yourself, fellow Daoist," Qin Sheng said, putting the Chaos Ruin Dust away. "Now, where is my item?"

Duan De first produced a black bone and introduced it: "This is a Source Technique."

Qin Sheng frowned. "We agreed on a trade: your Dao-Life Mother Stone plus one Emperor Technique. Are you trying to swindle me with a Source Technique?"

Duan De protested indignantly, "This is a Source Technique passed down from the Source Emperor! It is no inferior to any Great Emperor's secret method!"

"If I didn't only have this specific Source Emperor technique on hand, I wouldn't even consider trading it with you!"

Hearing this, Qin Sheng flashed a brilliant smile.

"A technique of the Source Emperor? You are a man of your word, fellow Daoist. Source Techniques are good; one must learn them. I agree."

Whether Duan De knew Source Techniques was not in doubt; the Source Emperor was one of his past lives.

When exploring tombs, he required Source Techniques for support; it was an inheritance he possessed in almost every incarnation.

As for Qin Sheng's claim that Duan De only possessed one Emperor Technique, he certainly didn't believe it.

At the very least, he was certain Duan De had cultivated the complete Heaven-Tribulation Divine Art.

Duan De then took out a tattered piece of cloth covered in mold. When he slightly peeled back a corner, a stone the size of a heart could be seen inside, flowing with multiple colors.

Simultaneously, a sacred, ancient, and boundless aura of life drifted out. Duan De immediately covered the cloth back up.

Qin Sheng's heart stirred. What was this cloth?

Once wrapped around an Immortal Material, it could completely obscure all auras and powers.

"This is the Dao-Life Mother Stone."

Looking at the stone, the heartache on Duan De's face was unmistakable.

A Source Technique inheritance was knowledge; it could be replicated. Giving it away meant nothing, and he hadn't even brought out the entire Source Emperor Scripture, just the technique portion.

But this Dao-Life Mother Stone was different. It was hard to say if a second one could even be found in the current universe.

"Why is it so small?" Qin Sheng asked skeptically. "Is this enough to refine a weapon?"

"Qin! Don't act all high and mighty after getting a bargain!" Duan De glared at him fiercely.

"This is the beginning of all life in the heavens, the source of the universe's spirituality! All living things were born because of it. It looks tiny, but it is actually infinite. If you dissolve it, forget forging a coffin—it's enough to refine an entire palace!"

"How do I know you aren't lying to me?" Qin Sheng said. "How about this: let me see the stone first to inspect the goods."

"You black-hearted bastard, you're trying to scam me now!" Duan De saw through Qin Sheng's little scheme.

"Cash on delivery, goods on delivery."

Qin Sheng narrowed his eyes, his gaze shifting between the black bone and the cloth. He shook his head.

"If you aren't willing to let me inspect the Dao-Life Mother Stone, then forget it. But I must see the Source Technique first."

"Who knows if you're using a fake to fool me? If it's a fake, I'll suffer a massive loss once the trade is done."

"No!" Duan De refused flatly.

"I think it's feasible," Qin Sheng emphasized. "This is my bottom line."

Duan De's craving for the Chaos Ruin Dust far outweighed his need for the Dao-Life Mother Stone; this was the confidence behind Qin Sheng's condition.

However, Qin Sheng knew not to push Duan De too far, so he added

"Fellow Daoist, put yourself in my shoes. If I were the one trading an inheritance, you would surely have the same concerns. And since the Dao-Life Mother Stone is the most suitable material for the Chaos Ruin Dust, I cannot abandon it just for the sake of your Source Technique. That would be losing the forest for the trees, wouldn't it?"

Duan De's expression flickered uncertainly before he finally, reluctantly, handed the bone fragment to Qin Sheng.

"Once you've memorized the technique, return the bone to me. It is not part of the trade."

"Don't worry, don't worry. I only take what is mine," Qin Sheng smiled.

*Very good. It seems the bone fragment itself is a treasure.*

The black bone fragment did not come from a human body, but from a beast. It was covered in Daoist runes that looked like tadpoles.

As Qin Sheng imprinted these runes with his divine sense, he felt their profound mystery; celestial phenomena, terrestrial terrain, the cosmic void—everything was contained within.

Truly worthy of the Source Emperor's technique!

Once these runes were etched into his mind, Qin Sheng would never forget them. He then looked at Duan De and asked

"Fellow Daoist, why are there no cultivation scriptures of the Source Emperor?"

Duan De rolled his eyes. "Take them or leave them."

"I'll take them, of course," Qin Sheng laughed. "Now, let's proceed with the formal trade. I will give you the Chaos Ruin Dust and this bone fragment, and in return, you give me the Dao-Life Mother Stone. We do it all at once."

"Fellow Daoist, don't try any tricks."

"I should be saying that to you!" Duan De retorted.

Grains of black dust flew out from Qin Sheng's Sea of Wheel, and Duan De's eyes turned red.

This was supposed to be his!

"A bit more, a bit more," Duan De muttered.

When the Chaos Ruin Dust accumulated to the size of half a human head, Qin Sheng stopped.

"That's it?" Duan De was highly dissatisfied. "You're being quite dishonest."

"This is all there is. Tell me, do we trade or not?" Qin Sheng was firm.

There was no helping it; once he had extracted this amount of Chaos Ruin Dust, the Heaven-Swallowing Demon Lid had reacted, suppressing the remaining dust and preventing him from taking any more.

"Deal!"

Duan De opened the cloth and pushed the Dao-Life Mother Stone toward Qin Sheng. Qin Sheng, in turn, pushed the two items toward him. The process was slow, as both were wary of the other playing tricks.

The moment they could touch the other's treasure, both Qin Sheng and Duan De snatched them into their possession at maximum speed.

As the Dao-Life Mother Stone entered his Sea of Wheel, the Heaven-Swallowing Demon Lid reacted instantly, suppressing and sealing it so that it could neither harm Qin Sheng nor escape.

Qin Sheng was delighted; it was the real deal!

*BOOM!*

The heavens and earth roared. Qin Sheng summoned the Imitation Dragon-Pattern Black Gold Tripod and smashed it toward Duan De. The unscrupulous Taoist was no slower; he struck out with a jade bottle, its aura surging, not inferior to Qin Sheng's tripod.

The tripod and bottle collided, causing the mountains to crumble and the earth to split.

"Fellow Daoist, you have such a black heart!"

"Immortal Qin, I knew you wouldn't play fair, but this time, I'm destined to be one step ahead of you!"

Duan De laughed loudly, his arrogance reaching its peak.

"It has always been me, the Great Taoist, scamming others! If I don't get back everything you owe me today, I'll take your surname!"

Duan De flicked the tattered cloth, releasing a terrifying aura, like the emergence of the Grim Reaper or the descent of the Underworld.

The mold spots on the cloth actually began to flow, looking like living blood.

The ground rumbled and cracked, the destruction spreading a thousand miles in an instant. Yin energy rose, and the shadows of vengeful spirits and zombies filled the land.

Qin Sheng was startled. This piece of cloth from the fat man was indeed a treasure!

"Hand over the Chaos Ruin Dust on your body and my Dao-Life Mother Stone!" Duan De shouted triumphantly.

Qin Sheng sighed softly. "Fellow Daoist, I never expected you to be this kind of person. You have disappointed me deeply. My sincerity has been fed to the dogs."

"I remember our first meeting outside the Demon Emperor's Tomb; the atmosphere between us was so harmonious, filled with laughter."

"In just one short year, you have become like this—fallen into the demonic path. It is truly heartbreaking."

"You certainly have a silver tongue," Duan De said proudly.

"Too bad that even if you talked until the heavens broke, it wouldn't matter today!"

Qin Sheng shook his head. "Forget it, forget it. The Buddha said the sea of suffering is boundless, but turning back is reaching the shore. Let me use the ultimate logic of the mortal world to awaken you."

A black lid was summoned by Qin Sheng, its ghostly faces appearing lifelike.

Strands of aura radiated outward, destroying mountains and rivers for ten thousand miles and sweeping away the Underworld.

Qin Sheng looked at Duan De and smiled slightly, revealing his white teeth.

"Fellow Daoist, what do you think of my 'logic'?"

Looking at the Heaven-Swallowing Demon Lid, Duan De's face turned green. He recognized the object.

"Immortal Qin... actually, my name is Qin De."

Qin Sheng smiled with relief. See? Sometimes there is no need for fighting and killing; after all, everyone is someone who can understand "logic."

(End of Chapter)