Chapter 1668: Gift!

Chapter 1668: A Gift!

"By the way."

"Look, this is the gift I promised you earlier, my second brother."

"Take a look."

With a wave of his right hand, two identical items appeared before Zhou Zhou.

Zhou Zhou glanced at them.

The object on his left was a fishing rod.

The rod was entirely purple, its surface intricately carved with the image of a vast cosmos. It radiated an aura beyond that of a sacred artifact—undeniably, a lower-tier transcendental sacred artifact!

"Transcendental sacred artifact?"

Zhou Zhou exclaimed, his face filled with astonishment.

He and the Spring-Autumn Law Master had previously agreed upon a reward—a set of fish gear at the level of Supreme Will Sacred Instruments, hadn't they?

How had it upgraded?

The Heavens' Punishment God King looked at the Spring-Autumn Law Master with a gaze equally strange.

Didn't he know?

That stubborn, iron-clad nature—how could he suddenly be willing today to offer such a valuable treasure to someone else?

And especially, his favorite fishing rod?

A fishing rod of lower-tier transcendence sacred instrument level—how many did even he possess in his own hands? How could he possibly offer it as a gift to his third brother?

The Spring-Autumn Law Master, gazing at this rod with a sense of reluctance, felt a pang in his heart.

Yet he forced a smile and said:

"This rod is named 'Nine Songs,' a fishing rod of lower-tier transcendence sacred instrument level."

"It can reel in treasures of transcendent will, and in the highest cases, even those of upper-tier transcendent will."

"I heard that among its previous owners, there was a record of someone using it to catch a treasure from the realm of eternal immortality—though I don't know if that's true, I only heard it from others."

"Anyway."

"This is an exceptionally rare fishing rod."

"I noticed that you, Third Brother, have a certain interest in fishing. With this rod, your catch will surely exceed your expectations."

After speaking these words, Spring and Autumn's Master still felt his heart bleeding.

As the Heavenly Punishment God had said, a divine artifact of transcendent rank—such a fishing rod—was something exceedingly scarce, even in His own hands.

He naturally did not wish to part with it.

Indeed, before, he had even agreed to give Zhou Zhou a set of the finest fishing rods of the supreme transcendent will level.

But there was no way around it.

By his side, the Heavenly Punishment God King presented two gifts. Among them, the strange fruit remained intact—indeed, a rare treasure worthy of the Supreme Unconquerable Will Realm.

Yet the transmission of "Will Origin" was something entirely different—it was a genuine, transcendent will-level inheritance!

Even within the realm of transcendent will inheritances, "Will Origin" stood as a particularly precious one.

If he were to now reveal the previously promised Supreme Will Realm treasure, it would not be entirely out of line—after all, that had been explicitly agreed upon earlier.

But still… it would have been a loss of prestige.

Master Chongqiu was not one to indulge in comparisons.

Yet, as fellow Supreme Lords-in-Training, the Heavenly Punishment God King had presented something so magnificent, while he had only offered a fishing tool of Will Saint-Device level—something that seemed to imply he had no understanding of the value of cultivating subordinates of Supreme Will Realm status under Zhou Shou.

Thus, he had no choice but to hastily change his mind, tears welling in his eyes, and instead present this fishing rod of lower transcendence saint-device level.

Watching Zhou Zhou express gratitude and accept the "Jiuge" he had offered, Master Chongqiu silently comforted himself within.

It's nothing. It's just a fishing rod of lower transcendence saint-device level.

After all, this Jiuge was caught by Him over the past two days across the Everlasting Continent, drawing upon Zhou Zhan's fate from the Pool of Universal Chaos.

He hadn't invested much effort into it.

Since it's already been given away, as if he'd never even reeled it in at all.

Yet, despite this reasoning,

Springtime Law Master still felt a deep sense of reluctance.

My fishing rod...

On the surface, He remained composed, displaying an air of generous hospitality.

Only Tiancheng God King, standing beside him, seemed to sense something. His gaze upon Springtime Law Master was laced with contempt.

You've given it away—what's there to be sad about? Look at you, so miserly.

At this moment...

Chunqiu Fa-zhu forcefully shifted his attention, pointing to the token on his right hand.

"This is my Chunqiu Treasure Vault token."

"Through this token, you may enter my Chunqiu Treasure Vault—there, I have stored all the treasures I have caught from the River of Time and the Chaos Pool of the Infinite Realms, as well as some others I obtained from other places."

"All the items I find unnecessary yet valuable are kept within."

"The treasures inside range from the lowest to the highest—some are of the Supreme Deity level, while others even reach the level of transcendent will."

"But I have not marked them. To find the precious ones, you must rely entirely on your own discernment."

Chunqiu Fa-zhu smiled, handing the token to Zhouzhou. "With this token, your third brother, you may enter my Chunqiu Treasure Vault and take one item from it."

"Third brother, it is now time to test your eye for value."

Chunqiu Fa-zhu smiled with great satisfaction.

The number of treasures within his Chunqiu Treasure Vault is so vast it reaches into the billions.

And under His deliberate arrangement, these treasures—unless one surrenders to the Master—would likely not be able to be properly assessed in rank merely through observation.

How long has His third brother risen?

He does not believe that, with only a fleeting experience, his third brother could possibly identify the most precious treasure among the billions of divine artifacts!

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhou's eyes lit up.

For the Springtime Sovereign Master, who has possessed the Chaotic Pool of Ten Thousand Worlds for countless ages, his collection must be beyond imagination, and their ranks surely unparalleled.

The mere thought of such a vast collection stirred his curiosity.

With nothing else to do, why not go and see for himself now?

He immediately shared this idea with the Springtime Sovereign Master.

The Sovereign Master was taken aback—neither expected nor anticipated such impatience from Zhou Zhou.

But He didn't refuse either, chuckling, "Very well, then—let's go now."

"I'll be waiting here for you."

A mere moment of waiting—after all, as a supreme being of the mid-tier, His time spent fishing could span tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years.

Waiting for a few days was nothing at all.

And with Zhou Zhou's willpower, even if He observed with the utmost care, He would surely have finished his inspection within just a few days.

A few days—no more than a blink of an eye—to Him.

He could wait.

"I'll also be waiting for you to emerge."

The Heavenly Punishment God King had grown curious too.

He wanted to see just what his third brother could possibly extract from the Spring and Autumn Treasury of the Spring and Autumn Master—and claim for himself.

He had, by chance, once entered the Spring Treasure Vault of the Spring and Autumn Master prior to this.

The treasures within, even as viewed through His eyes, stirred profound astonishment and envy in Him.

Though His power vastly surpassed that of the Spring and Autumn Master, He was fully aware of his own deficiencies in the realm of collecting relics.

In truth, He could not even begin to compare.

Thus, during that visit to the Spring Treasure Vault, He merely took away a single lower-tier Will Artifact.

To His own strength, this artifact held no value whatsoever and even duplicated one he already possessed. In the end, He could only reluctantly bestow it as a reward upon one of His subordinates.

Having experienced such a situation before, He now eagerly anticipated whether Zhou Zhou could make the Spring and Autumn Master falter in this matter.

"Needn't wait that long."

Zhou Zhou shook his head with a smile. "I can have it done in just two hours."

The Heaven-Enforced God King raised a brow, his anticipation for Zhou Zhou's performance growing ever stronger.

Upon hearing this, Chunqiu Fa-zhu breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed that his third brother had no intention of taking advantage of him at this moment.

No wonder he's such a true brother!

Chunqiu Fa-zhu found himself moved by the thought.

"Very well, we'll wait for you."

He nodded.

Zhou Zhou, seeing this, said nothing further. With his hand firmly gripping the seal, he poured his willpower into it.

As the willpower flowed into the seal, a silvery, thread-like glow began to radiate from it.

These glimmers coalesced in the air, forming a bright silver portal of time and space.

Zhou Zhou studied the portal for several seconds before stepping through it with a single motion. Then, his brow slightly arched.

He gazed upon this pure, luminous silver world before him, and exclaimed in astonishment:

"This aura... it is the breath of a great cosmos."

"Correct,"

The voice of Chaochun the Lawful Master came from above, carrying a gentle smile. "This place was originally a great cosmos, which I pulled out of the Chaotic Pool of Ten Thousand Realms."

"I noticed this great cosmos was exceptionally suited for storing precious treasures. So, first, I relocated all its native inhabitants to another unclaimed great cosmos. Then, I completely restructured this one. After the transformation, I placed the vast majority of my unused treasures into this cosmos."

"It has been serving me for nearly half a million years."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhou silently gasped.

Though he too had now reached the realm of Supreme Will, he had never before attempted such a grand gesture—consuming an entire great cosmos and turning it into his personal vault.

And from the casual tone of Chaochun the Lawful Master, it seemed clear that such feats had been performed by him countless times.

He shook his head, not thinking much further.

Then Zhou Zhou scanned the desolate silver world around him and asked, "Where are the treasures?"

"Ha ha."

"Let me show you that."

As the Spring-Autumn Master's words fell like leaves from a branch,

transparent orbs of light began to appear across every corner of the silver space where Zhou Zhou stood.

Within each of these luminous spheres lay a vast array of treasures—

divine medicines, alchemical formulas, architectural designs, blueprints, sleeping beings, miniature worlds, unique lifeforms, and even micro-civilizations.

The variety was endless! Dense and overwhelming in number.

Their ranks ranged from the lowest—first-tier Supreme Deity—to the highest, beings whose wills had transcended the bounds of existence.

Zhou Zhou, though under the secret techniques of Chaochun Fa Zhou, could not specifically sense the exact hierarchy of these treasures.

Yet merely by observing their appearances, Zhou Zhou could still discern some of their worth.

Brother, brother.

Do you think, with my own depth of understanding and experience, it would be impossible for me to select the most precious item from among your billions of treasures?

Yet you have overlooked one thing.

The treasures I have seen and handled may actually be far more numerous than you can possibly imagine.

You've brought a mouse into a grain storehouse.

With a leisurely demeanor, his willpower radiated outward from the core of his will, spreading across the entire Chaochun Treasure Vault in an instant, observing every artifact's form and characteristics, using those features to determine both their value and whether they truly suited him.

After one full minute,

Zhou Zhou had found his target.

He extended a hand, and instantly saw an ancient mirror drift from afar, hovering before him.

"It's likely a lower-tier transcendence relic..."

Zhou Zhou gazed at the mirror, his mind subtly nodding in agreement.

With his vast experience, he knew without a doubt that this was indeed a lower-tier transcendence relic.

In truth, the Springtime Treasure Vault contained other transcendence relics, even one of mid-tier.

Yet Zhou Zhou did not take them.

For that was a mid-tier transcendence relic—a fishing rod.

The Springtime Master had clearly cherished it. To seize it would seem like an unwarranted intrusion.

Moreover, he had already taken two transcendence relics from the Springtime Master. There was no need to become greedy and snatch the finest treasure from his vault, risking a strained relationship and a scene that would be utterly unbecoming.

He had no shortage of mid-tier transcendence relics either.

He did not linger, and with a single step, returned to the silver gate, stepping through it.

The next instant.

Time and space shifted, and he stood before the Spring-Age Law Master and the Heaven-Punishment God King.

"Finding the desired treasure so quickly?"

The Spring-Age Law Master was astonished.

He had just disclosed the origin of the Spring Treasure Vault to Zhou Zhou and then departed immediately, not observing the process of Zhou Zhou's search. He hadn't expected such swift results.

"Third Brother, aren't you selecting carefully?"

The Heaven-Punishment God King chuckled, offering advice. "That vault holds countless treasures—there's no shortage of fine items. If you don't take something of will-transcendence level, I'd say you're truly missing out."

Even the Spring-Age Law Master spoke with generosity. "Brother is right. Take your time, Third Brother. No need to rush—we'll wait for you."

The Spring-Age Law Master had his own thoughts.

And yet, he had emerged mere moments later.

It was likely that his third brother had simply picked a random treasure and left—perhaps not even a relic of the Supreme Will Realm, but something of the Highest God’s caliber.

Though He did not wish for any of the precious artifacts within the vault to vanish, if His cherished third brother had merely taken a single item of the Highest God’s rank and departed, even with His frugality, He would still feel a pang of unease.

"Never mind."

Zhou Zhou smiled, shaking his head with a mysterious air. "And who says I didn’t get something wonderful?"

"Ah?"

Both Tian Cheng God King and Chun Qiu Law Master stared at him, stunned.

How could Zhou Zhou, having only just entered the Chun Qiu Vault, possibly have discovered anything of value in such a short span?

Zhou Zhou knew exactly what they were thinking from their expressions.

He had no intention of hiding it. With a simple motion of his right hand, an ancient mirror slowly rose into the palm of his hand.

The ancient mirror, as soon as it emerged, seemed to unseal a long-buried seal, radiating an astonishing power and aura.

And that very aura—was the essence of a lower-tier Transcendent Holy Artifact!

Both Tian Chen God King and Chaochun Law Master stood motionless, stunned by the mirror.

Especially Chaochun Law Master.

He stared at the mirror, his face etched with a bitter expression. "You've actually obtained it, Third Brother?"

"Yes."

Zhou Zhou nodded. "The moment I saw the mirror, I felt an inexplicable connection between it and myself. So I simply took it."

"Heavens, I also saw a dark, mysterious fishing rod there—but since Second Brother has a deep affection for fishing gear, I decided not to take it."

Zhou Zhou chuckled carelessly.

At the very mention of the dark fishing rod, Chaochun Law Master's heart suddenly dropped.

And when He heard Zhou Zhou say he liked to collect fishing rods, so he had deliberately left the dark purple one behind, He immediately relaxed, a smile spreading across his face, his gaze toward Zhou Zhou growing warmer and more kind.

Such a brother!

Though he could have taken the finest, he instead chose to keep the inferior one, saving the better for himself.

A true brother indeed!

At that very moment,

the discomfort the Spring-Autumn Master had felt upon losing a lower-tier transcendence artifact vanished entirely.