Before long, the two of them arrived in front of a hidden chamber deep inside the Celestial Pce.


    The hidden chamber sat inside a separate courtyard. Strange flowers and rare nts filled the area on all sides, spilling over with life. It looked quiet and peaceful, yet the stillness in the ce 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-wed Golden Dragon Bloodline, he''ll definitelye 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''trge, 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 nned to sit down with him and talk terms.


    A faint sneer touched Jared''s mouth.


    A short whileter, the door to the hidden chamber was pushed open.


    An old man with a full head of white hair walked in.


    He wore a in 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 waspletely 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-ric Vale.


    In the Luminous Sanctuary, ric Vale''s name stood for authority and power. He was second only to the Basilica Lord.


    ric 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-wed 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."


    ric smiled faintly. His tone stayed warm and easy, nothing like the kind of man who controlled a massive force with one hand.


    "Jared, please, sit."


    Jared took the guest seat. He sat with calm ease, not the least bit stiff, as if this were his ce instead of theirs.


    ric 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''vee all the way to the Celestial Basilica. What exactly do you want here?"


    ric asked it inly. "With a bloodline like yours, every major power should''ve been fighting over you long ago. So why did youe here alone, to a remote ce 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."


    ric 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 tenor a hundred, for the sake of your Five-wed 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-wed Golden Dragon Bloodline.


    If he had been nothing more than an ordinary cultivator, he likely wouldn''t even have had the right to meet ric.


    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


    Pce had sealed their soul and sense inside this soul crystal.


    ric''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?"


    ric sounded taken aback. "And these two soul and sense are badly damaged.


    They''re already on the verge of dispersing."


    Jared''s voice stayed even, but every wordnded with weight. "There are two people in there. They''re my friends. Their bodies were Soul and sense


    destroyed, and their


    were sealed inside this soul crystal: I heard the Celestial Basilica has a secret method that can awaken soul and sense and rebuild a body. I want the Celestial Basilica to step in and save their lives."


    ric 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 momentter, he raised his head and looked at Jared again. Somethingplicated flickered through his eyes.


    "Jared, those two soul and sense have been sealed inside this soul crystal for quite


    a while, haven''t they?"


    Jared nodded. "Several months."


    ric let out a breath. "A soul and sense 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.