Chapter 1025: A World-Shaking Event
The victor becomes king, the loser a bandit. War has always been brutal, and that dark period of history is painful to recall.
Bai Xuanyu’s eyes were red-rimmed with bloodshot veins. “Back when Sacred Bright City was breached, it was the Lingxiao Heavenly King’s Mansion that stayed behind, slaughtering many cultivators loyal to the empire. Our Bai Clan’s ancestor died in that massacre.”
Bai Xuanshuang comforted her younger sister. “Actually, we’re already very fortunate. We received help from Twelfth Master, embarked on the path of cultivation, and regained the strength to take revenge on our enemies. Instead of becoming slaves, living out a lowly life.”
Zhang Ruochen’s heart stirred, and he began to inquire about matters concerning “Twelfth Master.”
According to Bai Xuanshuang and Bai Xuanyu, Twelfth Master had led some of the imperial clan’s descendants and loyal cultivators of the Holy Bright Central Empire, rescuing many persecuted orphans of the former dynasty.
For eight hundred years, they had operated in the shadows, clashing with the imperial court—both to seek revenge and to await the return of Emperor Ming.
They firmly believed that Emperor Ming was not dead.
Apart from Twelfth Master, there was another relatively large force that answered to Emperor Ming’s elder sister, the former dynasty’s Grand Princess.
However, the Grand Princess believed that the Holy Bright Central Empire’s cause was lost, and the First Central Empire’s power was too overwhelming. Continuing to resist would be like smashing an egg against a rock, leading only to more deaths.
Thus, she led another group away from Kunlun Realm, retreating to a certain ruin realm outside the domain to recuperate and rebuild.
In summary, the forces loyal to Twelfth Master were the radical faction.
Those loyal to the Grand Princess were the conservative faction.
Twelfth Master wanted to use his power to rescue more orphans of the former dynasty, allowing them to live with dignity rather than becoming war slaves, servants, or prostitutes.
The Grand Princess was clearly more rational, hoping to avoid further loss of life.
Take Zhang Fengxing and Zhang Shu, for example—their fates were utterly tragic.
If their ancestors had left with the Grand Princess, perhaps such a tragedy would never have occurred.
Who was right? Who was wrong?
In truth, neither had done anything wrong; they simply had different philosophies.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “And what about the Bright Hall?”
Bai Xuanshuang’s eyes flashed with hostile cold light. “The Bright Hall is a bunch of usurpers. Back then, Emperor Ming disappeared, the Crown Prince was assassinated, and the entire Holy Bright Central Empire’s court fell into chaos.”
“Originally, everyone wanted to recommend Twelfth Master as Regent King, waiting for Emperor Ming’s return. But Kong Shangling, the master of Peacock Villa, believed himself to be the strongest under Emperor Ming and the most qualified to become the ruler of the Holy Bright Central Empire.”
“So, Kong Shangling allied with a group of court officials, seized control of the government with lightning speed, and entered the Emperor Ming Palace.”
“At that time, Emperor Qing and Empress Chi Yao used this as an excuse, leading the armies of the Chiqing Central Empire to punish Kong Shangling, thereby swallowing the Holy Bright Central Empire, bringing nearly a century of war and disaster to Kunlun Realm.”
“Three hundred years ago, after Kong Shangling died of old age, relations between the Bright Hall and us eased somewhat. Often, we would cooperate to resist the imperial court’s suppression.”
Bai Xuanshuang and Bai Xuanyu told Zhang Ruochen many things, stirring both anger and reflection within him.
The fall of an empire involved countless conflicts that could not be explained in just a few words. There were too many stories, too many hidden details, that even those involved might not fully understand.
Bai Xuanshuang and Bai Xuanyu had not personally experienced that history. What they knew was told to them by others, making their account relatively objective.
From different perspectives, everyone had different views.
Even what Murong Yue had told them differed in some subtle ways.
Bai Xuanshuang and Bai Xuanyu led Zhang Ruochen up the stairs to the hall where Qin Yutong resided.
Bai Xuanyu fetched a pot of hot tea and filled a cup for Zhang Ruochen.
“I’ve already sent a message to Senior Sister, telling her you’ve come out of seclusion. She should be here soon,” Bai Xuanyu said.
Zhang Ruochen took out a jar of divine blood and gave each of them one hundred drops.
Such a large amount of divine blood shocked Bai Xuanshuang and Bai Xuanyu. They wanted to refuse, not daring to accept it.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Both of you have reached the Fourth-Rank Half-Saint before the age of one hundred, which shows your talent is extremely high. But your physiques are far too weak, with no chance of becoming a Saint.”
“If you each refine one hundred drops of divine blood, not only will your cultivation advance by leaps and bounds, but your physical bodies will also be greatly strengthened. In the future, you might even have a glimmer of hope to achieve Sainthood.”
Driven by their desire to become Saints, Bai Xuanyu and Bai Xuanshuang finally accepted the divine blood.
They both bowed to Zhang Ruochen. “Thank you, Young Master.”
Bai Xuanshuang’s eyes darted around, and she whispered, “Young Master, you must not tell Senior Sister about this, or she will scold us.”
Zhang Ruochen smiled. “And you must not tell anyone else, or it could bring deadly trouble upon me.”
“No, no, we definitely won’t.”
Bai Xuanshuang and Bai Xuanyu said in unison, then hurriedly withdrew to hide the two small jars of divine blood.
Bai Xuanshuang and Bai Xuanyu were both unfortunate souls. Because of the fall of the Holy Bright Central Empire, their ancestors had suffered greatly.
By giving them the two small jars of divine blood, Zhang Ruochen considered it some compensation to the Bai Clan.
Of course, he did not give divine blood to just anyone.
He had seen that Bai Xuanshuang and Bai Xuanyu were not overly scheming or greedy, which was why he made the gift.
If they had been cunning individuals, Zhang Ruochen would not have dared to give away such valuable items so easily.
Qin Yutong returned, still wearing a veil and a light blue long dress. A red pendant hung from her slender waist, giving her an antique, graceful charm.
She sat elegantly across from Zhang Ruochen, took out two white beast-skin scrolls, and handed them to him. “Here are the latest editions of the *Half-Saint List* and the *Outer Half-Saint List*. Would you like to take a look?”
“Is that so?”
Zhang Ruochen picked up the *Half-Saint List* and the *Outer Half-Saint List* and quickly scanned them.
Neither list contained his name.
Although Zhang Ruochen had killed two Saints of the Demon Sect, overshadowing the Nine Realm Sons for a time, Shengshu Cainü knew his true strength and had not placed him on either list.
Grand Minister of Works and Second Minister of Works had both made it onto the *Outer Half-Saint List*, ranked at 472nd and 473rd.
Their duel with Kong Hongbi had made them famous overnight.
That battle had been too brief, with neither side using their full strength, making it hard to judge their true power.
Thus, their rankings were relatively low.
Besides them, another name stood out, surprising Zhang Ruochen.
That person was A Le.
A Le was ranked near the bottom of the *Outer Half-Saint List*, barely squeezing in, but it still shocked Zhang Ruochen.
He had not received the abundant cultivation resources of the Nine Realm Sons, yet his cultivation speed was not much slower than theirs—truly heaven-defying.
“It was the right choice to pass the *Nine Cycles Life-Death Art* to him. Perhaps he will become the first to cultivate it to the Ninth Cycle,” Zhang Ruochen said with a slight smile.
The cultivation method of the *Nine Cycles Life-Death Art* was completely different from orthodox methods. It was a path that walked the edge, constantly teetering between life and death.
The more dangerous, the closer to death, the faster one’s cultivation would advance.
Each time one died, their power would surge dramatically.
Of course, sometimes, once you died, you were truly dead, never to revive.
Because of the uniqueness of this technique, A Le’s cultivation speed far exceeded ordinary people, leaving even the Realm Sons in the dust.
After reading the two lists, Zhang Ruochen handed them back, placing them on the table.
Qin Yutong’s expression was very serious. “Besides this, another major event has occurred.”
“What major event?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Qin Yutong said, “According to reports, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the Central Imperial City has sharply declined. Some speculate that the Empress’s true body has left the Central Imperial City.”
Hearing this news, even Zhang Ruochen’s expression became extremely grave.
As the saying goes, a mountain’s fame comes not from its height but from the immortals dwelling there; a river’s spirit comes not from its depth but from the dragons residing within.
The Central Imperial City was where the Empress’s true body resided, drawing all the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from Kunlun Realm to converge there.
This made the Central Imperial City the place with the densest spiritual energy in Kunlun Realm, attracting cultivators from all over the world.
The Empress’s true body had not left the Central Imperial City for many years.
“Where would she go if she left the Central Imperial City?” Zhang Ruochen frowned deeply.
Qin Yutong said, “Many speculate that the Empress’s true body leaving the Central Imperial City is likely related to the recent wars across Kunlun Realm.”
“It is said that because of this, several Blood Emperors of the Undying Blood Clan in the Northern Domain have all fled Kunlun Realm, hiding overseas.”
“In the Eastern Domain, the Ghost Kings that escaped from the Underworld have all gone into hiding, disappearing without a trace, their whereabouts unknown.”
“In the Southern Domain, the Dead Zen Sect has also calmed down considerably. Their top experts all vanished overnight, likely also avoiding the Empress’s edge.”
Zhang Ruochen smiled slightly. “At her level of cultivation, the mere movement of her true body shakes the entire world. I imagine even the Beast Emperors in the wild secret realms are terrified.”
Qin Yutong added, “Of course, there is another theory. Some speculate that the Empress’s true body is actually hiding, avoiding the Heavenly Dao. Since there have been no reports of her appearing in the Northern, Eastern, or Southern Domains, her whereabouts have become a mystery.”
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes shifted continuously. “At the very least, until this mystery is solved, the Saint-level titans of the Dead Zen Sect, the Undying Blood Clan, and the Underworld spirits dare not act rashly. They can only lie low and hide. This is a good thing for humanity.”
Qin Yutong nodded in agreement with Zhang Ruochen’s view.
After a moment of thought, Zhang Ruochen asked again, “Have you investigated the whereabouts of the other eight commanders of the Azure Dragon Army for me?”