Chapter 1167: Turmoil Under Heaven
Zhang Ruochen’s footsteps were steady, and a chilling aura surged from his body as he gradually approached Shangguan Xianyan.
“Divine Son.”
Suddenly, one of the six Saint Elders, Elder Yuanzhou, stood up and called out to Zhang Ruochen.
Elder Yuanzhou was an ancestor of the Shangguan Clan, originally named Shangguan Zhou. He held extremely high prestige both within the Blood God Sect and the Shangguan Clan.
Clearly, Elder Yuanzhou was also somewhat worried that Zhang Ruochen might strike and kill Shangguan Xianyan, so he personally stepped forward to stop him. After all, Shangguan Xianyan was ultimately a prodigy of the Shangguan Clan, and Elder Yuanzhou could not simply stand by and do nothing.
Shangguan Xianyan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Since Elder Yuanzhou had intervened, Gu Linfeng most likely could not kill her now. Only at this moment did she realize that her undergarments were soaked through, drenched in cold sweat.
Zhang Ruochen halted his steps and asked with a smile, “Saint Elder, do you have some instruction?”
Elder Yuanzhou, dressed in a green robe with an immortal-like demeanor, said, “The Divine Son has rendered great merit by uncovering the Undying Blood Clan Saint who was lurking within the sect. This Elder believes that a reward is in order.”
Was he trying to extend an olive branch?
Zhang Ruochen thought it over carefully and immediately dismissed the idea.
After all, he was only a quasi-Saint with no strong background or backing. As a Saint Elder and a major figure of the Shangguan Clan, why would Elder Yuanzhou take the initiative to curry favor with him?
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes shifted, and he said, “In everyone’s eyes, this Divine Son is still guilty of a crime. What reward is there to speak of?”
Elder Yuanzhou smiled kindly and said, “As the Divine Son, you already hold the power of life and death over those below the Saint realm. Regardless of the circumstances behind Wei Longxing’s death, the Divine Son did nothing wrong.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Elder Yuanzhou is a man of reason.”
Elder Yuanzhou continued, “Furthermore, after the Sect Leader’s disappearance, the Blood God Sect is without a leader. The entire Kunlun Realm is in chaos, and a great upheaval has arrived. The Blood God Sect cannot go a single day without a master. We need someone to step forward and take the position of Sect Leader, leading the billions of followers through the current crisis.”
“The Divine Son is exceptionally intelligent, with unparalleled talent. At such a young age, you have already slain Saint-level experts. Among the world’s elite, you are a first-rate talent. This Elder believes that a coronation ceremony should be held immediately, inviting all the Saints of the world to witness the Divine Son becoming the new Sect Leader of the Blood God Sect.”
A single stone stirred a thousand ripples. The entire Guiyuan Divine Palace erupted once more, buzzing with heated discussion.
The coronation of a Sect Leader in an ancient sect was a major event that would shake the entire world, causing the entire Kunlun Realm to tremble.
If another cultivator had proposed this, the crowd might not have taken it seriously. But the one making the proposal was Elder Yuanzhou, one of the six Saint Elders, and that carried significant weight.
Even the several Dharma Kings and Palace Masters were visibly moved, their expressions shifting.
Zhang Ruochen was also somewhat surprised. He had not expected Elder Yuanzhou to say such a thing.
Zhang Ruochen was well aware that many major figures in the Blood God Sect had their eyes on the Sect Leader’s position. If he agreed, he might not even survive until the coronation ceremony before being assassinated.
To kill a person, one need not use a club; one could also use praise.
“Is he truly trying to support my ascension to the Sect Leader’s position, or is he planning to use this to eliminate me?”
Unable to discern Elder Yuanzhou’s true intentions, Zhang Ruochen carefully weighed his words and said, “For someone who has reached the Sect Leader’s level of cultivation, a single seclusion might take several years. The Sect Leader has only been missing for a few days; he could return at any time. There’s no need for us to rush into appointing a new Sect Leader.”
Elder Yuanzhou opened his mouth, about to continue.
Zhang Ruochen added, “Moreover, since ancient times, a Divine Son can only take over as Sect Leader after reaching the Saint realm. I have only just passed my first quasi-Saint tribulation. Whether I can survive the other two is still uncertain.”
Haiming Dharma King, seated in his place, let out a cold laugh and thought to himself, “This kid still has some self-awareness. He hasn’t become so arrogant as to be beyond redemption.”
Elder Yuanzhou seemed somewhat resigned and glanced at Elder Yuanxing.
Elder Yuanxing shook his head slightly, then stood up and said, “Since the Divine Son is unwilling to take over the Sect Leader’s position, then let us wait a little longer. However, we cannot wait too long. The current situation in the world is unpredictable. Fierce battles have erupted in every domain, and some ancient sects have already been destroyed. The Blood God Sect is also fraught with danger, and the Sect Leader’s position cannot remain vacant forever.”
“This Elder believes that when the Divine Son achieves Sainthood, if the Sect Leader has not yet returned, a coronation ceremony must be held to appoint the Divine Son as the next Sect Leader of the Blood God Sect. Does anyone have any objections?”
With both Elder Yuanzhou and Elder Yuanxing speaking, it represented the will of the Elder Council. Even if some coveted the Sect Leader’s position, it was not the time to voice their objections.
Besides, Gu Linfeng had to reach the Saint realm before he could become Sect Leader; it was not as if he would take the position immediately.
“No objections,” Haiming Dharma King said first.
Subsequently, all the Saints and half-Saints of the Blood God Sect voiced their agreement, respecting the Elder Council’s decision, and no one raised any dissent.
The Elder Council meeting continued, discussing a series of major events that had recently occurred:
In the Barbarian Secret Realm, an ancient behemoth had cultivated to the Great Saint realm. At that time, the eastern sky was filled with purple clouds, spreading all the way to Taizhou in the Central Domain. Almost all human Saints sensed it.
Subsequently, that ancient behemoth launched a war of all races, attempting to unify the various beast clans in the Barbarian Secret Realm.
Now, the Barbarian Secret Realm was awash in blood, with one ancient mountain after another stained red.
“An ancient behemoth has become a Great Saint?”
Zhang Ruochen was shocked. The significance of this event was extraordinary.
After all, the current laws of heaven and earth were vastly different from those of the ancient era. Since the Middle Ages, almost no ancient behemoth had been able to reach the Great Saint realm.
Ming Emperor had once told Zhang Ruochen that once an ancient behemoth reached the Great Saint realm, it could fully activate its ancient bloodline, becoming the most powerful living being in the Kunlun Realm, with the potential even to become a god.
For humanity, the emergence of an ancient behemoth at the Great Saint realm meant that a catastrophe was imminent.
That ancient behemoth was still waging war in the Barbarian Secret Realm and had not yet invaded the territory of the First Central Empire. But once it unified the various barbarian beast clans, its next step would surely be to deal with humanity.
Following that, the meeting discussed another major event, related to Empress Chi Yao.
“Since the Empress left the Central Imperial City, she has not reappeared. The beast emperors and blood emperors who had fled overseas in fear have all returned to the Kunlun Realm. Some believe that the Empress’s power was too great and that she was slain by the Heavenly Dao.”
“In the Eastern Domain, the undead and evil spirits are growing increasingly rampant. They have established a ghost city in the Zhuishan Mountain Range, calling it Fengdu. It is said that within a radius of hundreds of thousands of miles around Fengdu, there are no living creatures. All towns have disappeared, leaving only ghost nests.”
“The Ministry of War, the Eastern Domain Saint Prince’s Mansion, and the Martial Market Bank formed a coalition and attacked Fengdu three times, but failed to capture it, suffering countless casualties instead.”
…
Then, the discussion turned to the Southern Domain and the Northern Domain.
The Dead Zen Sect had made a comeback, capturing a first-rate sect with a Middle Ages heritage in the Southern Domain. They established a teaching altar, spread their doctrines, and recruited disciples widely, openly challenging the imperial court. They had already taken nine prefectures and occupied hundreds of commanderies.
The Dead Zen Ancestor had even proclaimed himself the “Holy Dharma Buddha,” appointing eighteen Arhats and seventy-two Bodhisattvas, vying for orthodox status with the Ten Thousand Buddha Path and contending for control of the world with the First Central Empire.
Of course, the greatest turmoil came from the Northern Domain.
It was said that the Undying Blood Clan had already conquered more than half of the Northern Domain’s territory, turning billions of humans into their blood food and prisoners.
A large portion of the imperial court’s army was concentrated in the Northern Domain, locked in a fierce battle with the Undying Blood Clan that darkened the sky and shattered the land.
It was said that in some key cities and sacred mountain sites of the Northern Domain, every inch of land was soaked in blood. Saints fell every day, and the corpses of ordinary soldiers piled up like mountains, cartload after cartload being transported back to the Central Domain.
Although the nine provinces of the Central Domain were the heartland of the First Central Empire and the most stable region for human forces, they were not peaceful.
Fengdu Ghost City, the Dead Zen Sect, and the Undying Blood Clan had all dispatched large numbers of powerful experts to infiltrate the Central Domain, causing destruction and unrest in an attempt to disrupt the imperial court’s rear.
Moreover, the various clans and aristocratic families in the Central Domain were already ambitious, eager to seize a share of the spoils in the chaotic times. They had established connections with the Dead Zen Sect and the Undying Blood Clan, secretly deploying their forces.
The Central Domain, once the most stable region, was now on the verge of erupting into great turmoil.
Zhang Ruochen had not expected the situation in the Kunlun Realm to have deteriorated to such an extent. Some human forces were even cooperating with the Undying Blood Clan. Did they not realize that was a path to self-destruction?
“Chi Yao alone possessed such immense authority that she could stabilize the entire Kunlun Realm?” Zhang Ruochen murmured to himself.
When Chi Yao ruled from the Central Imperial City, the world was at peace, martial arts flourished, and it was a golden age. Humanity’s status in the Kunlun Realm rose steadily, making them the foremost among all races.
But the moment Chi Yao disappeared, the entire Kunlun Realm descended into chaos. Countless humans died, countless were displaced, and countless became prisoners.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Is the war in the Northern Domain truly so brutal that even the imperial court cannot hold the line?”
The First Central Empire was immensely powerful. Even just the Ministry of War alone could suppress various ruins realms and prefectures. There was no reason why the empire could not withstand the Undying Blood Clan’s assault just because the Empress had disappeared.
A half-Saint who had just returned from the Northern Domain sighed and said, “The imperial court assembled an unprecedented punitive force, combining the Ministry of War, the Earth God Temple, and the Confucian Path, yet they are still retreating in defeat, unable to stop the Undying Blood Clan. When I left, I saw a convoy carrying nothing but corpses, with mournful songs sung all along the road.”
“It is said that Undying Blood Clan Saints have infiltrated the punitive force, causing instability among the troops. At critical moments, internal strife always breaks out, giving the Undying Blood Clan an opportunity to exploit.”
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze hardened, and he took a deep breath.
Logically, as the Crown Prince of the Sacred Bright Central Empire, he should have been pleased. But Zhang Ruochen could not bring himself to feel any joy; instead, he was deeply worried.
“I need to release the ‘Blood Clan Secret Scroll’ as soon as possible. But how should I release it, and to whom should I entrust it?”
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes lit up as he thought of someone. Perhaps entrusting the “Blood Clan Secret Scroll” to her would be the most appropriate and the most reassuring.
…
(After several consecutive nights of sleeping at three or four in the morning, I feel my body can’t take it anymore. I really can’t write today; my condition is terrible, so just one chapter!
I’ll try to adjust and see if I can post a chapter by noon tomorrow.
My apologies.)