Chapter 1163: The Divine Son Returns
Blood God Sect, Infant Lord Peak.
Infant Lord Peak was majestic and grand, with clouds and mists swirling. The dark blue mountain ridge stood like a divine spear amidst the towering peaks and ridges, pointing straight at the sky, exceptionally steep and perilous.
Ancient formation patterns were carved into the cliff faces, forming streaks of lightning. Unless one was a core figure of the Blood God Sect, it was impossible to ascend to the summit.
At this moment, within the Return Origin Divine Palace atop Infant Lord Peak, more than half of the Blood God Sect’s high-ranking members had gathered.
They radiated dazzling sacred light, each one a figure of great renown. Behind some cultivators, strange and unpredictable phenomena and phantom images of sacred forms hovered.
If a low-realm martial artist were to arrive here, they would likely have already knelt in worship, believing they had entered a sacred realm or immortal palace.
The four Dharma Kings of the Blood God Sect were all present. Seven of the Cross Heaven Palace’s palace masters sat among the seats, and all six Sacred Elders of the Elder Pavilion had arrived.
Ever since the power of the Blood God Scepter had been triggered, the secrets of the Endless Abyss had been fully exposed. Almost all of the Blood God Sect’s high-ranking members now knew that there were three more tiers below the Endless Abyss.
This matter had caused considerable upheaval within the sect.
What unsettled the Blood God Sect’s cultivators even more was that both the Sect Leader and the sect’s sacred artifact, the Blood God Scepter, had vanished simultaneously. It was like a massive earthquake, stirring panic and unrest.
Among the Seven Ancient Sects, the Blood God Sect had already been in decline over the past few centuries. Not only had its talents withered, but it also lacked top-tier experts to hold the line.
Now, in these chaotic times, other forces might seize the opportunity to strike against the Blood God Sect.
No one knew where the situation would lead next.
One of the six Sacred Elders of the Elder Pavilion, Elder Yuanxing, sat in a central position and spoke first: “Recently, several open and covert conflicts have erupted within the sect, causing considerable casualties. Some quasi-saints have even fallen. The Sect Leader has only been missing for a few days, and already the entire Blood God Sect is on the verge of splitting apart?”
Elder Yuanxing’s voice echoed through the Return Origin Divine Palace.
All the cultivators held their breath, not daring to make a sound.
Elder Yuanxing held an extremely high seniority within the sect, and his cultivation was unfathomably deep. He was usually as elusive as a divine dragon, never showing his tail.
Yet now, he had personally appeared to preside over the Elder Council, a clear sign that the Blood God Sect was indeed facing an unprecedented crisis.
One of the four Dharma Kings, Earth Origin Dharma King, stood up, his expression cold and stern. “The situation in Tiantai Prefecture is very unstable right now. Chaos could erupt at any moment. With the Sect Leader’s whereabouts unknown and the sect’s sacred artifact missing, the Blood God Sect will surely be targeted, becoming a prize that various forces want to carve up.”
“Our sect cannot be without a leader. This Dharma King believes we should elect a new Sect Leader as soon as possible. Otherwise, the Blood God Sect will face utter destruction.”
The Palace Master of the Qian Character Heaven Palace said, “The Sect Leader is only temporarily missing. He could return at any time. There’s no need to rush into selecting a new leader. Instead, we should investigate what powerful enemy the Sect Leader encountered that day, forcing him to activate the Blood God Scepter’s power. Could it be related to the Endless Abyss?”
…
The high-ranking members of the Blood God Sect argued endlessly. Some radical factions advocated for immediately selecting a new Sect Leader.
Others, the conservative faction, believed that since the Sect Leader had only been missing for a few days, there was no need to rush into choosing a successor. They argued for first consolidating the Blood God Sect’s defensive strength to repel any potential external enemies.
Sea Nether Dharma King sat in his seat, eyes closed, remaining silent the entire time, as if he had fallen asleep.
Suddenly, a message light talisman appeared in his hand.
Sea Nether Dharma King finally opened his eyes. Seeing the content on the talisman, a hint of amusement curled at the corner of his mouth. “That kid actually came back alive!”
In the Return Origin Divine Palace, several others also received message light talismans.
“Roar!”
The Three-Headed Flood Dragon King let out a long howl, carrying Zhang Ruochen as it descended to the foot of Infant Lord Peak. Sound waves rippled outward in circles, causing the world’s spiritual energy to crackle and explode.
“What’s going on?”
The Blood God Sect’s half-saints and saints in the Return Origin Divine Palace all extended their spiritual power to probe in the direction of the howl.
Of course, those who had received advance notice remained very calm, already having planned how to handle the upcoming upheaval.
In such a sensitive period, the Blood God Sect’s Divine Son returning was no small matter. It was like a stone thrown into a lake—who knew how many ripples it would create?
“Gu Linfeng?”
“His Highness the Divine Son… he… actually didn’t die in the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm…”
The cultivators present all exchanged glances, feeling surprised.
To be fair, Gu Linfeng was just a young junior, no different from a snot-nosed child in the eyes of saints.
But his identity was quite special—the Blood God Sect’s Divine Son.
In other words, the Sect Leader’s heir.
With the Sect Leader missing, the person most qualified to inherit the position of new Sect Leader was not some elder, Dharma King, or palace master, but the Divine Son.
The atmosphere in the Return Origin Divine Palace grew somewhat strange.
Zhang Ruochen, clad in a magnificent blood-red robe, leaped down from the Three-Headed Flood Dragon King’s back, moving with exceptional grace. Then, with one hand behind his back, he strode briskly toward the Return Origin Divine Palace.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze swept across the surroundings, taking in the expressions of all the cultivators.
The Blood God Sect’s Holy Maiden, Shangguan Xianyan, sat near the center. Her radiant, crystalline body was wrapped in nine layers of sacred light, making her appear exceptionally holy and beautiful, like a nine-heaven goddess.
At this moment, a flicker of unusual color passed through her lively eyes.
Hai Lingyin, Ji Shui, and others who had recently gone to the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm as half-saints were also somewhat surprised.
After all, the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm had been destroyed a month ago, and there had been no news of Gu Linfeng. Everyone had assumed he was dead.
Who would have thought that after so long, he would actually return?
Zhang Ruochen walked to a seat beside Shangguan Xianyan, glanced at her, smiled, and sat down.
But before Zhang Ruochen could even settle in, someone immediately challenged him.
“Your Highness the Divine Son has finally deigned to return?”
Earth Origin Dharma King said in a sarcastic tone, clearly displeased with Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen remained quite calm, smiling as he replied, “Having finished what needed to be done, it was only natural to return. Does the Dharma King have any guidance?”
“Good that you’ve returned.”
Earth Origin Dharma King snorted coldly. “Punishment Elder, seize him immediately and throw him into the Iron Prison Dungeon.”
The Punishment Elder, Saint Hongyuan, was Earth Origin Dharma King’s senior disciple and naturally followed his lead.
He stood up, and streams of sacred qi surged from his body. These streams twisted together, resembling hundreds of dark red chains, clattering noisily.
Zhang Ruochen remained unflustered, still sitting steadily in his seat. He picked up a cup of spiritual spring water, took a sip, and laughed. “Earth Origin Dharma King certainly throws his weight around. A sect’s Divine Son, to be seized just like that—you wield more power than the Sect Leader himself.”
Saint Hongyuan flicked his sleeve, glaring at Zhang Ruochen with an imposing air. “Gu Linfeng, in the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm, you murdered a fellow disciple, Wei Longxing, violating sect rules. You deserve the extreme punishment of ten thousand snakes devouring your heart. The Dharma King only ordered you thrown into the Iron Prison Dungeon—that’s already leniency.”
“Wei Longxing.”
Zhang Ruochen smiled faintly, muttering to himself, “If this Divine Son remembers correctly, Wei Longxing was Earth Origin Dharma King’s closed-door disciple, was he not?”
Wei Longxing’s talent was extremely high, and Earth Origin Dharma King had placed great hopes in him.
Wei Longxing had indeed not disappointed Earth Origin Dharma King. Before reaching a hundred years of age, his cultivation had reached the quasi-saint level. He had had a good chance of becoming the Divine Son, but Zhang Ruochen had pushed him out. At the time, Earth Origin Dharma King had already taken a strong dislike to Gu Linfeng.
Who would have thought that in the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm, Gu Linfeng would actually kill Wei Longxing?
How could Earth Origin Dharma King not be furious?
Earth Origin Dharma King merely snorted coldly, too lazy to argue further with Zhang Ruochen. “Seize him, now!”
“Hold on.”
Zhang Ruochen’s expression turned serious. He stood up and said calmly, “This Divine Son did indeed kill Wei Longxing, but it was because he plotted to murder me. Isn’t that reason enough?”
Saint Hongyuan said, “Plotted to murder you? Who can prove that Wei Longxing plotted to murder you? Do you have evidence?”
The saintly might radiating from Saint Hongyuan was like a surging red ocean. Zhang Ruochen was like a small boat caught in the wind and waves, on the verge of being torn apart at any moment.
Before returning to the Blood God Sect, Zhang Ruochen had already anticipated that someone would use Wei Longxing’s death to attack him, so he remained quite composed and calm.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze fixed on Shangguan Xianyan. “Holy Maiden, you should be very clear about what happened in the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm, shouldn’t you?”
Back then, Shangguan Xianyan, Wei Longxing, Hai Lingyin, and others had joined forces with the Shangguan Clan and the Cai Clan, determined to push Zhang Ruochen out or even eliminate him.
Later, Shangguan Xianyan realized that Zhang Ruochen was not someone to be trifled with and tried to mend their relationship.
Zhang Ruochen, however, still harbored hostility toward Shangguan Xianyan and wanted to use this opportunity to see where she stood.
If she told the truth, Zhang Ruochen might let her off and not pursue past grievances.
If she also tried to use this chance to crush Zhang Ruochen into eternal damnation, then from now on, Zhang Ruochen would show her no mercy.
Shangguan Xianyan had not expected Gu Linfeng to shift such a sensitive matter onto her.
If she said that Wei Longxing had indeed plotted against Gu Linfeng, she would certainly offend Earth Origin Dharma King.
If she said otherwise, she would offend Gu Linfeng.
In the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm, Shangguan Xianyan had witnessed Gu Linfeng’s ferocity—killing several beast kings and personally beating Wei Longxing to death. He was definitely a ruthless character.
As long as Gu Linfeng survived this time, once he had the chance, he would likely deal with her the same way he had dealt with Wei Longxing.
Saint Hongyuan looked at Shangguan Xianyan. “Holy Maiden, do you know whether Wei Longxing plotted against His Highness the Divine Son?”
A cold gleam flashed in Zhang Ruochen’s eyes. He lightly patted Shangguan Xianyan’s fragrant shoulder. “Holy Maiden, you must speak the truth. We cannot wrong an innocent person.”
Shangguan Xianyan bit her delicate teeth. Even though she had already reached the eighth-order half-saint level and her cultivation had greatly advanced, sitting beside Gu Linfeng still made her feel an immense pressure, causing her delicate body to tremble involuntarily.