Chapter 211: The Strange Trend

Ye Feng found Zong Ao’s expression rather strange at that moment—it seemed as if he had seen something incredible, a mix of shock and wariness.
Shaking his head in confusion, he pointed at the middle-aged man who had been staying at his apartment for several days and said with a smile, “I found this guy at the market…”
Ye Feng briefly recounted how he met him that day. Then he pointed at his own head, spun around a few times, and whispered to Zong Ao, “There’s something odd about him…”
“How many days has he been here?” Zong Ao was clearly very interested in this stranger.
“About two or three days,” Ye Feng replied honestly.
Zong Ao lowered his voice and whispered to Ye Feng while carefully observing his reaction, “Is he really stupid or pretending to be?”
“He must be real. I’ve tried many times, and my conclusion is that his intelligence is equivalent to that of a three-year-old child—even worse than Xiao Bei and Xiao Yu.” Ye Feng helplessly spread his hands.
Zong Ao noticed that while they were discussing him, the man didn’t even lift his eyelids. Instead, he poured himself a cup of hot water, drank it, and played with his two pet beasts.
“Okay, I get it!” Zong Ao slowly withdrew his gaze.
“What’s wrong, senior? Do you know him?” Ye Feng asked curiously.
“No, I don’t!” Zong Ao shook his head. “I just… never mind…”
“By the way, you’ve been on Agri Planet for some time now. You must have heard of Perite’s treasure, right?” Zong Ao changed the subject.
“I have,” Ye Feng nodded. He had certainly heard many legends about Perite, the man who had shaped Agri Planet into what it is today.
In the tavern, since there were no major news stories, some drunkards would tell foreign visitors about Perite’s story. To Ye Feng, it sounded like the adventure tales from Earth’s pirate era.
“That’s probably just a legend, right?” Ye Feng was skeptical of such mythical stories.
“No! Perite’s treasure really exists, and we’ve even found its location. But to open it, we need six keys!” Zong Ao didn’t seem to be joking.
“You’re not kidding me, are you?” Ye Feng’s face showed utter disbelief.

“As far as we know, there are currently three such keys in existence. They belong to our Tianjian Sect, the Beast Control Sect, and the Artificer Sect. However, the key from the Artificer Sect seems to have been stolen; our information isn’t entirely certain. The remaining three keys are not in the top twenty sects. It’s very likely they are in the hands of private individuals or hidden somewhere undiscovered.”

“Elder, I’m not sure why you’re telling me this,” Ye Feng said, looking at Zong Ao in confusion.

“We’ve noticed many things about you, and we know quite well that you’re the one who supplies rare materials to Yue Ming,” Zong Ao said, still smiling. “I think you’re quite skilled at gathering things. I believe you might be able to obtain the other keys as well.”

“Elder, you’re overestimating me!” Ye Feng was speechless. “I don’t have such great abilities. I supply Yue Ming with goods just because I happen to be able to get those things?!”

“This kind of task is quite difficult for me! The cultivation world is so vast; finding a key that’s less than the size of a palm isn’t easy at all!”

“That key isn’t what you imagine it to be.” Zong Ao took out an object that looked like copper from his ring. It was a finely crafted hexagonal item with intricate carvings on it. It was slightly smaller than Ye Feng had imagined, about the size of a thumb. “This is one of the keys. The others have different shapes, but the same color and similar size! I can give you some pictures of keyholes for reference.”

Zong Ao handed over several pictures.

Ye Feng flipped through them one by one. “From triangles to octagons?”

“That’s right!” Zong Ao nodded.

“That treasure is hidden in a palace. There are six side halls and one main hall on the outermost layer of the palace. The palace appears at irregular intervals, but there are always signs before it appears each time. Our keys can open each side hall individually, but we can’t enter them.”

“It can open them, but why can’t we enter?” Ye Feng found it hard to understand.

“The so-called activation is just opening a door. Once the door is opened, various treasures shoot out. It lasts for about an hour before the door closes automatically. We’ve tried to avoid those shooting treasures and sneak in, but when we reach the door, we get flung back!” Zong Ao wore a bitter smile; it seemed the person who was flung back back then was himself.
“So, you’ve never entered that palace?” Ye Feng shook his head and laughed.
“You could say that. But over the years, we’ve obtained a small amount of items from the Heavenly Realm, as well as some from the Cultivation World.”
“So you think there are more valuable things in the palace?” Ye Feng understood what Zong Ao meant.
“You’ve heard Perryt’s story; you must know he gathered quite a few items from the Heavenly Realm!” Zong Ao seemed firmly convinced of this.
“I’m skeptical about his story. You know, legends say his strength is comparable to that of the powerful beings in charge of punishment in the Heavenly Realm. I don’t think such a powerful being could stay in the Cultivation World, and moreover, the Cultivation World can’t provide him with the spiritual energy needed for cultivation,” Ye Feng said bluntly.
“He might have used some special method to refuse ascension, which is why he stayed. As for his cultivation level, he can use the celestial crystals he obtained for cultivation—there’s no need to go to the Heavenly Realm,” Zong Ao proposed his hypothesis.
“Alright, I’ll give it a try!” Ye Feng felt that Zong Ao seemed inexplicably obsessed with this matter.
“For us who already have a key, it doesn’t matter who holds the rest. What’s important is that all six keys must be gathered to open the treasure. Of course, any faction that obtains a key is eligible to explore the treasure. So once you get the key, other sects will surely try to snatch it from you. Try to stay low-key! Many sects know about this treasure!” Zong Ao stood up. “After talking so much, I should leave now!”
After seeing Zong Ao off, Ye Feng turned back and saw the man who called himself the sect leader carefully studying the pictures of the keyholes. Ye Feng approached cautiously. “Have you seen these before?”
“I can’t remember…” He shook his head, frowning slightly.
“If you can’t remember, think slowly!” Ye Feng felt a hint of anticipation—he always sensed that this so-called sect leader hid many secrets.
“I’m hungry…” After studying the pictures for a while, the sect leader handed them back to Ye Feng and called out to him.

“Alright, let’s go out and eat!” Ye Feng reluctantly took the picture handed back to him, speechless. At that moment, Ye Feng felt an urge to use the Ultimate Repair Power to fix this guy’s head, but thinking of the serious consequences that would arise from using it on a human, he couldn’t bring himself to do so. In fact, Ye Feng had also searched in the Void Realm for pills to treat amnesia these days, but there were hundreds of such pills, all at high prices. He didn’t know what exactly caused the amnesia, so he couldn’t prescribe the right treatment. When Ye Feng left with the two little guys and the sect leader’s father, it didn’t draw much attention. This was because almost everyone on the street—men and women alike—was dressed in black armor and silver gloves, with two pet beasts on their shoulders: a golden bird and a mini panda. Ye Feng looked at this recently popular fashion style in exasperation, knowing full well that he was the culprit behind it. Bernard and Xiao Yu stared in surprise at the spirit beasts on their shoulders, wondering why those who looked just like them didn’t seem like their kind at all. The sect leader’s father, on the other hand, looked around with a silly grin on his face. “Boss, are they fake?” Bernard couldn’t help but ask. “They’re just ordinary black bear spirit beasts. Special potions were used to bleach their color so they look like you,” Ye Feng said, utterly exasperated by those who came up with such a scheme to make money. “A bunch of scoundrels!” “What about Xiao Yu?” Bernard pressed further. “It’s just an ordinary bird spirit beast, dyed golden with dye!” Ye Feng shook his head helplessly. “Ignore them. They’re a bunch of boring folks.” “Look at that guy—he doesn’t even have armor or gloves, yet he still brings two spirit beasts out. Isn’t he afraid of being laughed at?” A young man pointed at Ye Feng from afar and laughed with his companions. They all dressed the same way: black armor, silver gloves, and two spirit beasts on their shoulders. Ye Feng ignored their nonsense and led the three of them into a hotel he often visited.

“Mr. Blade, what would you like to eat today?” The waiter here was well aware of Ye Feng’s identity. Even before Ye Feng became famous, he often frequented this hotel. After seeing the footage, both the waiter and the owner were certain that this regular customer was the powerful warrior who had defeated the Asura. However, after defeating the Asura, Ye Feng never returned to this hotel because the inn he stayed at also provided food, though not as delicious as what was served here.
As soon as the waiter finished speaking, everyone in the hotel turned to look at Ye Feng. That mysterious warrior who had defeated the Asura was named Blade, and he was also the supplier who provided goods to Yue Ming. This fact was no longer a secret on Agri Planet.