A Great Immortal Venerable, for the average Immortal King, might be a considerable helper and could be of use in the future.
But for Chu Zheng, the existence of Shan Ruiyuan held no value.
With her talent, she couldn't possibly keep up with his pace of advancement. He was about to step into the Space-time Domain, and by then, the existence of Shan Ruiyuan would be insignificant, merely a burden.
Moreover, the Shan Clan placing such a woman by his side always made him feel there were ulterior motives. Chu Zheng would not trust having someone he couldn't fully rely on by his side.
Hearing Chu Zheng's words, Shan Ruiyuan was stunned on the spot, momentarily unable to react.
Her cultivation was mediocre, her talent was average, nothing impressive; such an evaluation she had never heard in her lifetime.
From the beginning of her path on the Immortal Path, she was a rare prodigy within her clan, elevated from a side branch to the main lineage, cherished by various clan elders and bearing significant expectations.
If anyone else had made such an evaluation, she would have reasons to argue against it.
But the one speaking was Chu Zheng, a unique prodigy in the history of the Immortal Path.
The Ancestor of Ancient Immortals was still oscillating at the True Immortal level when Chu Zheng had already become an Immortal King, making any comparison unnecessary.
As for her, attaining the Great Immortal Venerable took her nearly twenty millennia; among her peers, this was considered fast, but not even qualifying to compare with Chu Zheng.
After a long silence, Shan Ruiyuan cautiously looked up and asked:
"Then what do you mean by this?"
Before coming, the clan had ordered her to satisfy all of Chu Zheng's demands. Now that he was dissatisfied with the conditions, naturally, they had to be changed.
Chu Zheng pondered for a moment and proposed a condition:
"I need more Space-Time Marrow Crystals, at least one more."
The marrow crystals of two Mythical Realm creatures should suffice to push both his Immortal Path and Qi Refining cultivation into the Space-time Domain.
The first step of the Tenth Order, in the Great Universe, could be called Taoist Master, and in many Taoist Orthodoxy within the Myriad Realms, the strongest are at this realm.
Once stepping into the Space-time Domain, his Dao Marks would transform into Dao Seals, allowing him to wield two Dao Seals. At that time, his power would truly transform, making ordinary Taoist Masters, even those at the Perfection of the Taoist Lord Realm, no match for him.
At this point, in the realm of the Immortal Path, he would be invincible in the Immortal Monarch domain, second only to the Immortal Emperor!
Most crucially, the first step of the Tenth Order allows initial contact with the Space-time Law, granting significant amplification of Heavenly Fate while cultivating and even enabling future predictions.
He could at least discern some clues about the future, and at this stage, the Dao Seed within him might undergo some changes.
Only by unraveling the Space-time Law could he glean some clues about past events from ancient histories.
Although the Immortal Dao Heavenly Destiny is currently unwilling to lend him any Heavenly Fate, he can still enjoy some benefits from it, making cultivation smoother.
After hearing Chu Zheng's condition, Shan Ruiyuan hesitated, slightly wavering:
"I... I can relay your message back to the clan, but I can't guarantee the outcome."
Space-Time Marrow Crystals are too precious; not every Mythical Realm creature can separate marrow crystals from their blood marrow after death. If they underwent too many battles and drained too much energy, there wouldn't be enough to extract a crystal.
To obtain a marrow crystal, the battle must end quickly, requiring at least Half Ancestor or even Ancestral Realm intervention.
But such beings rarely leave a complete corpse, and at such a level, creatures typically don't go out of their way to collect such special Spiritual Objects as Space-Time Marrow Crystals, which only have minor utility for Ninth Order creatures and are otherwise considered valueless.
Thus, the rarity of Space-Time Marrow Crystals undoubtedly skyrockets.
Chu Zheng nodded, casually tossing out a Communication Token: "Once the Space-Time Marrow Crystal is delivered, communicate with me. If the Shan Clan refuses, don't bother contacting me, and let the matter rest."
He wished to avoid too much entanglement with the Shan Clan. This compensation was offered by them out of respect for the Moonlight Immortal Ancestor.
Similarly, he did not want to trouble the Moonlight Immortal Ancestor further and didn't wish to dispute with the Shan Clan at this juncture.
He would accept the items, but that did not mean the matter between him and the Shan Clan was resolved. When he had the capability to settle these grievances, he would naturally address it himself.
The pressure on the Moonlight Immortal Ancestor now was undoubtedly beyond his imagination. At this critical point, choosing the path of least resistance was the best choice.
Now, his sole focus was on cultivation, quickly enhancing his cultivation, without a second priority.
Shan Ruiyuan took the Communication Token and tentatively asked:
Chu Zheng waved his hand: "You may leave."
As he spoke, Chu Zheng's figure disappeared into the void.
Gazing into the empty void, Shan Ruiyuan breathed a sigh of relief, yet couldn't help but feel a hint of disappointment.
After this encounter, Chu Zheng was more normal than she imagined, lacking the peculiar quirks typically associated with prodigious talents.
For someone like him, even being by his side for a brief period would likely yield considerable gains.
At least, it would greatly benefit her path of cultivation.