Chapter 1349: The Imperial Court's Waters Run Deep
The southern cliff of Immortal Mechanism Mountain had completely turned into a sea of fire. Except for Zhang Ruochen and the others, all other living beings had been reduced to ashes.
The entire world seemed to have become lifeless and dead.
Qing Xiao's gaze was heavy. He wiped the bloodstains from the corner of his mouth and said, "Situ Fengcheng was a rare opponent. It's a pity I couldn't settle the score with him. Truly a regret."
"This is a great era, where geniuses and outstanding talents emerge in large numbers. Only a small number of people can grow up; more are destined to fall," Zhang Ruochen said.
This great battle had finally ended. Except for Mingdong Sword Saint who had escaped, almost all the Undying Blood Clan had been wiped out. It could be considered a great victory.
However, Zhang Ruochen's mood was not particularly joyful. Instead, he felt an even greater sense of crisis.
What secret was hidden deep within Immortal Mechanism Mountain?
Where did the Death Clan come from?
Just a single bone hand was so powerful. Would a skull fly out next? A leg bone? Or even a complete Death Clan powerhouse?
In the future, even greater crises would surely erupt. Today's battle was merely the prelude to a major upheaval.
Perhaps only by cultivating more diligently and improving his own cultivation realm would he not be left waiting for death in the future.
Canglan Martial Saint returned, folding her wings as she landed on the ground. "Yinghuo escaped! What exactly happened just now? Which human Great Saint blocked that bone hand deep in Immortal Mechanism Mountain?"
Earlier, Canglan Martial Saint had gone to pursue Yinghuo and had left this area, so she didn't know what had happened.
Pei Yutian and Qing Xiao naturally knew that Zhang Ruochen possessed an extraordinary secret. Such a secret could not be revealed to the outside world. If it were to spread, no one knew what kind of storm it would stir up.
Everyone was silent. After a moment, Pei Yutian turned and walked away, leaving behind a proud and aloof back. "I have matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first. Qing Xiao, does our bet still count?"
"Of course it counts," Qing Xiao said.
Pei Yutian did not look back. "I have already refined the Sacred Dao Rules to the half-real, half-illusory level. I will definitely break through to the True Saint realm before you do. You'd better prepare those two sacred medicines I want in advance."
By the time he spoke the last word, Pei Yutian had already disappeared at the edge of the earth.
"That guy is really desperate for money," Qing Xiao said with a shake of his head and a laugh.
Canglan Martial Saint frowned deeply, sweeping her gaze over Qing Xiao and Zhang Ruochen. "Did either of you hear what I said?"
Qing Xiao directly shook his head. "A being of that level—even if it appeared, with our cultivation, we wouldn't be able to see its figure clearly."
Canglan Martial Saint stared at Zhang Ruochen. "Did you see it clearly either?"
"No."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, not wanting Canglan Martial Saint to keep pressing the issue. So, he pointed toward the sea of fire behind him. "Situ Fengcheng self-detonated his Sacred Source and turned to ashes along with Zhu Qingyi. Do you want to go in and look for the Blazing Heaven Sword?"
Canglan Martial Saint looked at the two of them with a suspicious expression, feeling that they were deliberately hiding something. She snorted lightly, flapped the wings on her back, and charged into the sea of fire.
Seeing Canglan Martial Saint leave, Qing Xiao spoke to Zhang Ruochen seriously. "Senior Brother knows that you have many powerful helpers by your side and have already established your own force. The secrets you carry are also formidable, enough to inspire fear. However, the Imperial Court's waters run deep—much deeper than what you see on the surface. You must hide yourself well. Before the situation becomes clear, don't rush to step into the light."
Zhang Ruochen felt that Qing Xiao's words carried hidden meaning. "When will the situation become clear?"
"When the ten Blood Emperors of the Undying Blood Clan step into the Central Domain and conquer the First Central Imperial City. Or, when all ten Blood Emperors are completely suppressed and killed."
Qing Xiao knew some inside information, but he wasn't certain, so he spoke very cryptically.
When the situation was unclear, the bird that stuck its head out would be shot first. The higher one jumped, the faster one would die.
Clearly, Qing Xiao felt that Zhang Ruochen was too sharp and had already stood at the forefront of the storm, facing a major crisis at any moment. That was why he offered this warning.
Zhang Ruochen nodded, understanding the meaning behind Qing Xiao's words. "In the coming days, I will disappear for a while, moving from the open to the shadows."
"Any plans?" Qing Xiao asked.
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "Recruit troops, strengthen my power, and wait for the day when the situation becomes clear."
Canglan Martial Saint emerged from the sea of fire carrying the Blazing Heaven Sword. She stroked the blade, unable to hide the joy in her heart. Suddenly, her smile faded, and she said coldly, "Recruit troops and strengthen your power? Are you planning to rebel?"
"I only want to establish my own sect, increase my strength, and prepare for the coming upheaval," Zhang Ruochen said calmly.
Canglan Martial Saint nodded slightly. "At least you know your place. You must remember—opposing the Imperial Court will never end well. However, your performance this time was acceptable, and you have rendered great merit. I will report this matter to the higher-ups. Perhaps it can offset the crimes you once committed. Who knows, you might even be granted a title and a fief."
Although Canglan Martial Saint's words were harsh, Qing Xiao sensed something different. He found it strange. This proud leader of the Mysterious Maidens, who looked down on everyone, was actually going to plead for Zhang Ruochen?
Even Qing Xiao knew that Zhang Ruochen was a major criminal personally ordered by the Empress to be captured. There must be deep reasons behind it. Anyone who pleaded for him would be risking their life. Didn't Canglan Martial Saint know the danger involved?
This Mysterious Maiden leader's attitude left Qing Xiao somewhat puzzled.
Canglan Martial Saint and Qing Xiao left together, heading toward the Ministry of War camp at Zhilin Pass.
"How deep are the Imperial Court's waters?"
Zhang Ruochen stared at their retreating figures, muttering to himself. Then, he too left the place.
After Mingdong Sword Saint and Yinghuo escaped, they regrouped at the border of Hongchuan Prefecture.
The battle at Immortal Mechanism Mountain had been too terrifying, as if heaven and earth were about to shatter. Yinghuo was naturally extremely curious and asked, "What exactly happened?"
When the Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin flew out of Zhang Ruochen's body, it was moving very fast, and Mingdong Sword Saint had been standing far away. So, he hadn't clearly seen who had made the move.
Even now, Mingdong Sword Saint still felt a chill down his spine. "A blazing sun and a bright moon simultaneously rose into the sky, shattering the bone hand. It should have been two human Emperor-level figures."
"A blazing sun and a bright moon? Could it be that the Martial Market Bank's Martial Venerable and the Demon Sect's Sect Leader both arrived at the same time?"
Yinghuo showed a puzzled expression, muttering to herself.
Mingdong Sword Saint couldn't be certain, so naturally, he couldn't answer her. "Anyway, since Emperor-level figures have made their move, even if our mission failed, we can't be blamed."
Yinghuo couldn't figure out the reason either and nodded. "Let's return to the Divine Temple first to report. Perhaps the Hall Master will know something."
……
In the Qiankun Realm, the Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin still hovered beneath the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, about ten zhang above the ground. It was crystal clear, shimmering with fluorescence, and one could faintly see a female corpse of exquisite beauty lying inside. She didn't look dead—more like she was sleeping.
A total of thirty-four bone fragments floated around the Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin, each imbued with powerful Death Evil Qi.
Every time they tried to reassemble, the sun and moon imprints on the coffin would shoot out a beam of light, shattering them again.
Zhang Ruochen and Blood Moon Ghost King stood beneath the Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin, trying various methods to communicate with the female corpse inside, but all failed.
She had fallen into silence. Only the Sun Imprint and Moon Imprint were continuously absorbing the wood-element Sacred Qi from the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, forming two long bridges of Sacred Qi.
"Who is she?"
Even Blood Moon Ghost King was asking this question.
Unable to communicate with the female corpse, Zhang Ruochen released his spiritual power to inquire with the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree. Perhaps it would know something.
The Sky-Connecting Divine Tree was indeed knowledgeable, but unfortunately, the new sapling had only inherited a very small part of the old tree's memories and was also unclear about the specific identity of the female corpse in the Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin.
"Since the Sun-Moon Crystal Coffin is a sacred artifact of the Moon Worship Demon Sect, perhaps the sect's main hall's ancient texts might contain some clues." Bai Li Princess walked over, appearing behind Zhang Ruochen and Blood Moon Ghost King.
Zhang Ruochen agreed with Bai Li Princess's view and murmured to himself, "Drunken Madman and Old Pine Nut—those two old antiques—might know something."
Drunken Madman and Old Pine Nut had been chased by Ye Xiaoxiang deep into Immortal Mechanism Mountain. Were they still alive?
Drunken Madman could brew the Six Saints Ascension Wine, and Old Pine Nut mastered the Transformation Saint Pill. If Zhang Ruochen could recruit them into the Bright Sect, it would be enough to help the Bright Sect rise quickly and become a first-rate major power in the Kunlun Realm.
Such talents—the Demon Sect didn't want them, but Zhang Ruochen desired them greatly.
Since that bone hand had already been shattered, the danger deep in Immortal Mechanism Mountain had decreased significantly. Zhang Ruochen planned to go there himself.
Before leaving, Zhang Ruochen asked the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree a second question: "Why can I sometimes mobilize the power of the Qiankun Realm and sometimes not?"
"Your body has not yet fully merged with the Qiankun Realm, and the Sacred Dao Rules you have cultivated have not yet fused with the realm's Heavenly and Earthly Rules. If you want to freely mobilize the Qiankun Realm's power for your own use, you will need a relatively long period of time," the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree said.
"I see."
Zhang Ruochen wasn't disappointed. Even if it worked only sometimes, it didn't matter. After all, unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't use that power at all.
The power one cultivated oneself was the purest—that was the true path.
Zhang Ruochen brought Guoguo, Demon Ape, and Bai Li Princess out of the Qiankun Realm and led them to the shore of Fate Lake. He smiled and said, "See that island in the middle of the lake? There's also a Divine Soil Medicine Garden on it, filled with sacred medicines. Now is your chance to make up for your past mistakes. Whoever gathers the most sacred medicines won't be punished—they'll even get a reward."
"Really? All sacred medicines?"
Guoguo's eyes burned with intense heat. He stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.
Zhang Ruochen guessed what Guoguo was thinking and said, "Bai Li, you don't need to gather medicines. Just keep an eye on them and make sure they don't sneak-eat again."
Bai Li Princess was clearly more steady than Guoguo and Demon Ape. She asked, "And you? Where are you going?"
"I'm going deep into Immortal Mechanism Mountain. I'll be back soon."
Zhang Ruochen said no more and directly headed toward the depths of Immortal Mechanism Mountain, not only to find Drunken Madman and Old Pine Nut but also to investigate what secrets were hidden there.
When he reached the peak of a mountain, he looked back and saw Guoguo and Demon Ape both howling as they rushed toward Wuyuan Island.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head with a smile and used his spiritual power to send a message to Bai Li Princess, telling her that Fate Lake and Wuyuan Island had Great Saint remnant formations left over from the Middle Ages. Letting Guoguo and Demon Ape suffer a little was fine, but she shouldn't let them lose their lives.
(End of chapter)