Chapter 1193: News About a Divine Artifact
In the following period, the Scroll World would once again seal itself to undergo world evolution.
The transformation from the Scroll World into the Qiankun Realm was not an instantaneous process; it required a rather lengthy period.
Normally, the birth of a world would take tens of millions of years, or even hundreds of millions of years.
Under the guidance of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, the birth of the Qiankun Realm would not take such an immense amount of time. The power of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree could accelerate that process by ten thousand times, or even a hundred thousand times.
Before the Scroll World sealed itself, Xiao Hei emerged from within and handed two Saint-level Blood-Suppressing Talismans to Zhang Ruochen, saying, "I, the Emperor, have done my utmost, but the Saint-level Blood-Suppressing Talismans are far too complex. I could only refine two of them."
Zhang Ruochen had given him two thousand drops of divine blood, yet in the end, only two Saint-level Blood-Suppressing Talismans were produced. This demonstrated just how valuable a single Saint-level Blood-Suppressing Talisman was.
The total wealth of some Saints might not even be enough to refine one.
Zhang Ruochen carefully stored the two Saint-level Blood-Suppressing Talismans into his Space Ring, afraid of damaging them. Then, he looked at Xiao Hei and asked, "How long will the evolution of the Qiankun Realm take?"
"At least a few months, possibly even several years," Xiao Hei said.
"That long?" Zhang Ruochen frowned.
"Long? The evolution of the Qiankun Realm has already broken the natural rules of world birth. Do you know how long the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm evolved before it became a stable world? At least several million years. The birth process of the Kunlun Realm is even more incalculably long," Xiao Hei said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "If I had known it would take this long, I should have had the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree refine the World Spirit of the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm earlier."
"Refine it earlier? What if you hadn't cultivated your physical body to the Saint Realm? Without a Saint-level physical body, you wouldn't be able to bear the Qiankun Realm. Once the Qiankun Realm is born, it would be exposed to the universe, becoming a target for plunder and partition by various worlds, ultimately heading toward destruction," Xiao Hei said.
Zhang Ruochen was quite confident in himself and didn't think he would fail to cultivate his physical body to sainthood.
However, after hearing Xiao Hei's words, he still wore a cautious expression and asked, "How vast is the universe? Are there worlds as powerful as the Kunlun Realm? If the Kunlun Realm were exposed to the universe, would it also become a target for plunder and partition by other worlds?"
"Who knows?"
Even Xiao Hei, who claimed to know everything, was at a loss when faced with such a question.
The Cosmic Divine Wood Map was completely sealed, and the space gate could no longer be opened to enter the Scroll World.
Blood Moon Ghost King did not leave the Scroll World and remained inside. According to Xiao Hei, the evolution of the Qiankun Realm was full of opportunities, and it was also the moment when the rules of heaven and earth took shape.
Blood Moon Ghost King intended to take this opportunity to comprehend the rules of heaven and earth and elevate her cultivation to a higher realm.
Xiao Hei said, "By the time the Qiankun Realm fully stabilizes, Blood Moon Ghost King's cultivation will likely reach a rather astonishing height."
Losing Blood Moon Ghost King, a powerful ally comparable to a Tongtian Realm Saint, indeed caught Zhang Ruochen off guard, forcing him to temporarily shelve many plans.
However, his current cultivation was still far from hers, so he couldn't forcibly command her to act.
Moreover, Zhang Ruochen was not someone who liked to rely on external forces. He always believed that only one's own power was true strength.
"During this time, I must also focus on elevating my cultivation," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
After stepping into the Saint Realm, the people Zhang Ruochen encountered had changed. They were all overlords at the pinnacle of the cultivation world, figures whose every move shook the earth.
To deal with them, he needed even greater strength.
Xiao Hei sighed and said, "Zhang Ruochen, the Cosmic Divine Wood Map is about to shatter. Before that happens, I need to retrieve my physical body, and you must help me."
Zhang Ruochen knew that most of what Xiao Hei said was exaggerated. In reality, it was merely the artifact spirit of the Cosmic Divine Wood Map, much like the dragon soul in the Azure Dragon Emperor Seal, without the terrifying power to slaughter heaven and earth.
Once the Cosmic Divine Wood Map shattered, Xiao Hei would lose its vessel, becoming like a wandering ghost, and might even die along with the map's destruction.
Zhang Ruochen's expression was serious, and he didn't make sarcastic remarks. He asked, "Retrieve your physical body? What does that mean?"
Xiao Hei began to spout nonsense with a straight face, saying, "Back in the day, I, the Emperor, was known as the Heaven-Slaying, Earth-Destroying Emperor. My fame spread across the world, and my powerful cultivation could suppress an entire era. Any legendary figure was nothing but a tiny speck before me."
"Because my cultivation was unmatched, I accomplished many earth-shattering deeds, which displeased that old bald monk Xumi. Out of jealousy, feeling that I had stolen his thunder, he used despicable means to separate my physical body from my saint soul."
"My physical body was sealed in an ancient ruin, while my saint soul was sealed inside the Cosmic Divine Wood Map. Isn't that infuriating?"
Zhang Ruochen rubbed his chin, skeptical of Xiao Hei's words, and said, "It's been a hundred thousand years. Your physical body has probably decayed by now, right? How about I find you a powerful sacred artifact to house your saint soul?"
"No, I must retrieve my physical body and once again look down upon the world, making the saints of the Kunlun Realm wail and howl."
Xiao Hei exuded a powerful aura, standing on its hind legs with its front paws clasped behind its back, and said proudly, "Back then, I had already cultivated to the supreme realm of indestructibility and immortality. Even after a hundred thousand years, my physical body must still be intact."
"If that's truly the case, I will accompany you on this journey no matter what," Zhang Ruochen said.
"Don't worry, I won't let you go for nothing. In that ancient ruin where I was sealed, there is also an extraordinary treasure—a true supreme treasure." Xiao Hei said mysteriously.
"What treasure?"
Zhang Ruochen asked casually, not taking its words to heart.
Xiao Hei's eyes darted around, glancing in all directions before lowering its voice, "Remember the Divine Dragon Sun-Moon Chaos Tower, one of the ten divine artifacts of the Kunlun Realm that I once mentioned to you?"
Zhang Ruochen's heart pounded rapidly. He stared into Xiao Hei's round cat eyes, their faces almost touching.
"Is this true?" Zhang Ruochen whispered.
Xiao Hei had long mentioned the Divine Dragon Sun-Moon Chaos Tower and had even spent considerable effort cultivating cultivators with the five physiques needed to control this divine artifact.
This cat was shrewd. If it didn't truly know where the Divine Dragon Sun-Moon Chaos Tower was, why would it bother with such a tedious task?
Remember, in the Kunlun Realm, the ten divine artifacts had long since vanished, becoming part of myths and legends.
If Zhang Ruochen could actually find a divine artifact and wield it, it would be enough to intimidate the world.
"I swear to heaven, this is absolutely true."
Xiao Hei extended three claws and said with utmost seriousness.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Where is that ancient ruin?"
Xiao Hei hesitated. This matter involved a divine artifact, so it didn't dare reveal the location rashly. Instead, it chuckled and said, "Are we going to that ancient ruin now?"
"No."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and said, "At the very least, we need to resolve the matter of the Blood God Sect first before we can go."
"In that case, there's no rush. When the time comes, I'll personally take you there. That ancient ruin is quite extraordinary. Who knows, you might have already heard legends about it."
Xiao Hei deliberately said this without revealing the exact location of the ancient ruin.
Zhang Ruochen didn't press further. Instead, he seriously considered how to deal with the Sect Leader's wife and the Xia Prince of the Yellow Heaven Tribe.
Once those two were eliminated, the crisis of the Blood God Sect would be resolved. The other Undying Blood Clan infiltrators were all insignificant minor characters.
"Relying solely on the Blood God Sect's own strength, it's impossible to deal with the Sect Leader's wife. Even the five Saint Elders combined might not be a match for her. Moreover, among the five Saint Elders, some might be under her command."
He needed to seek external help.
Zhang Ruochen's mind conjured several candidates, such as Kong Lanyou, Ling Feiyu, Luo Xu... but in the end, he dismissed them all.
If Zhang Ruochen personally invited them, they would surely be willing to help.
However, far-off water couldn't quench a nearby fire. By the time they arrived, the Blood God Sect might have already undergone a major upheaval.
Zhang Ruochen took out the blood-sealed sacred decree given to him by Shengshu Cainü, held it in his palm, and muttered to himself, "Why not borrow the power of the imperial court and the Confucian path?"
In the Central Domain, the imperial court and the Confucian path were undoubtedly the most powerful forces, surpassing all other sects and schools.
As long as he produced Shengshu Cainü's blood-sealed sacred decree, it would be as if she herself had arrived. Given her status in the Confucian path and the imperial court, the energy she could mobilize would be extraordinary.
Now, Zhang Ruochen was only worried about one thing.
Bringing in the forces of the imperial court and the Confucian path might indeed destroy the Xia Prince and the Sect Leader's wife, but what if they also took the opportunity to destroy the Blood God Sect?
The Blood God Sect was one of the top evil sects in Tiantai Prefecture. Although it didn't openly oppose the imperial court like the Bright Hall, there were still many conflicts and frictions between them.
If given the chance to destroy the Blood God Sect, how could the imperial court let it slip by?
"First, I can borrow the power of the imperial court and the Confucian path to eliminate the Xia Prince of the Yellow Heaven Tribe. As for the Sect Leader's wife, that can wait for now." Zhang Ruochen made this decision.
Subsequently, he used Message Light Talismans to send two messages, one to Elder Yuan Zhou and the other to Huang Yanchen.
Among the remaining five Saint Elders of the Blood God Sect, Elder Yuan Zhou could still be trusted.
Therefore, Zhang Ruochen immediately informed him that the Sect Leader's wife was an Undying Blood Clan infiltrator, hoping he would be on guard and prepare some measures in advance to deal with unexpected situations.