Chapter 1372: God-Defying Stele
“Heavenly Court? What is the Heavenly Court?” the Mad Alcoholic asked curiously.
Gu Songzi pointed to the broken stele beside him and said, “According to the inscription on the stele, about a hundred thousand years ago, a great upheaval occurred between heaven and earth. All the major worlds in the vast universe were nearly annihilated. It was during this great catastrophe that the various major worlds united to establish a sacred realm to withstand the calamity. The name of that sacred realm was the Heavenly Court.”
The Mad Alcoholic was considered one of the top-tier powerhouses standing at the pinnacle of the world and knew many secrets of the Kunlun Realm. Yet, at this moment, his face was filled with confusion. “A sacred realm, the Heavenly Court. I find this quite dubious. I’ve never heard of such a secret. Could it be someone’s fabrication?”
“With the terrifying cultivation of the person who carved this stele, how could they fabricate something like this?”
Gu Songzi shot the Mad Alcoholic a disdainful glance, his face full of contempt, as if he thought the man was an idiot.
“So, besides the Kunlun Realm, there are other major worlds in the universe?” the Mad Alcoholic said.
Gu Songzi replied, “That possibility cannot be ruled out. The universe is vast and boundless. The world we see might only be a drop in the ocean.”
“A hundred thousand years ago, the Kunlun Realm also experienced a great upheaval, with many gods falling. Could it be related to that catastrophe?” Zhang Ruochen’s brows were tightly furrowed. He paused, then added, “Does the stele record what exactly happened a hundred thousand years ago?”
Gu Songzi shook his head. “The inscription is incomplete. It doesn’t record that.”
“Then who carved this inscription?” Zhang Ruochen asked again.
“That’s not recorded either. However, that person must have been an incredibly powerful existence. Even with my level of spiritual power, deciphering it was extremely difficult,” Gu Songzi said.
Zhang Ruochen pressed further, “Earlier, you mentioned the God-Defying Stele. What does that mean?”
“It refers to the three characters at the very top of the broken stele. I’m not sure what they mean either,” Gu Songzi said, stroking his beard as he pondered deeply.
“Could it mean that this stele possesses the power to defy the gods?”
The Mad Alcoholic’s eyes widened, a fiery gleam appearing in them. He reached out with both hands and pressed them against the broken stele, channeling a steady stream of Saint Qi into it.
Unfortunately, the stone stele remained cold and unresponsive, showing no change whatsoever.
Next, the Mad Alcoholic cut his finger and dripped a drop of Saint blood onto the stele, but it still lay lifeless and inert.
“What a useless stele. It’s just a piece of rotten stone, though the name is quite intimidating.”
The Mad Alcoholic kicked out, sending the heavy broken stele flying into the air. Then, he threw a punch, striking the stele.
With the Mad Alcoholic’s cultivation, even a casual strike possessed the power to destroy heaven and earth. Yet, it couldn’t damage the stele in the slightest—truly bizarre.
“How did the God-Defying Stele fall into the Kunlun Realm? And who shattered it?”
Zhang Ruochen instructed Zhang Shaochu to send people to continue digging in the Luo River, hoping to unearth other fragments of the stele. Only by collecting all the inscriptions could they understand the true significance of the God-Defying Stele’s existence.
The Luo River stretched for thousands of miles. Relying solely on ordinary people to find the broken fragments was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Gu Songzi was also curious about the God-Defying Stele. He used his spiritual power to probe the riverbed, searching for it, but found nothing.
After searching three times without any results, Gu Songzi grew somewhat disheartened. Returning, he saw Zhang Ruochen sitting under a tree drinking wine. Frowning, he walked over and said, “Are you planning to become a drunkard like the Mad Alcoholic from now on?”
“What’s wrong with that?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Gu Songzi naturally knew what had happened a year ago and how deeply it had affected Zhang Ruochen. He said, “In the various temples, the divine statues of Empress Chi Yao still radiate divine light, but the heaven and earth Saint Qi in the Central Imperial City has greatly diminished.”
“What are you trying to say?” Zhang Ruochen took a sip of wine.
“The Empress has left the Central Imperial City, even left the Kunlun Realm.”
“So what?”
“Now, the ruler of the First Central Empire is… your ex-wife, Huang Yanchen. Surprised?”
Gu Songzi spoke while observing Zhang Ruochen’s expression.
Zhang Ruochen’s expression remained unchanged, as if he had only heard the name of a stranger. “Not surprised.”
“This woman betrayed you for wealth and power, siding with your enemy. Don’t you want to kill her?” Gu Songzi revealed a vicious look, making a throat-slitting gesture.
He wanted to provoke Zhang Ruochen this way, to reignite his drive and restore his vitality, rather than letting him remain so lifeless and resigned, as if waiting for death.
“If I wanted to kill her, I would have done it a year ago outside the Ziwei Palace,” Zhang Ruochen said casually.
“Why didn’t you?” Gu Songzi asked.
“Once the bond of kindness and love is severed, there’s no connection left. She’s no different from a stranger. Why kill someone who has no relation to me?” Zhang Ruochen countered.
“That’s true. After all, she once showed you kindness, and you once had feelings for her. Killing her with a single sword strike would make you seem unjust. Now that the bond is severed, there’s no burden left.”
Gu Songzi nodded, then narrowed his eyes and said tentatively, “How about I take a risk and go to the Central Imperial City to kill her?”
“If you’re really that bored, feel free to try.”
Zhang Ruochen picked up his wine flask, stood up, and gazed at the setting sun on the horizon, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
“Forget it. The imperial court is full of experts, and the waters run deep. Unless the Saint Ancestor personally makes a move, there’s little chance of success. Anyone else who goes would never return. Speaking of which, it’s strange. A year ago, the Saint Ancestor said she would wait for us to return, but she never came back. Could she have met with misfortune? Did the Empress kill her?” Gu Songzi continued to provoke Zhang Ruochen.
At that moment, a sharp glint indeed flashed in Zhang Ruochen’s eyes.
Gu Songzi realized that Zhang Ruochen’s heart was troubled not by Huang Yanchen but by the Empress. So, he pressed on vividly, “The Saint Ancestor is the Empress’s great enemy. After the Empress became a god, she beheaded ten Blood Emperors and purged the Wild Secret Realm and the Four Seas. How could she spare the Saint Ancestor?”
“Enough!”
Zhang Ruochen shouted coldly. “If Lanyou dies, I will annihilate Chi Yao’s nine clans.”
“To annihilate a god’s nine clans, you first need the strength to oppose a god, don’t you? Drowning yourself in drink will only make you weaker. Forget opposing a god—I could easily suppress you myself,” Gu Songzi said.
“Is that so?”
Zhang Ruochen’s pupils turned dark red. His entire aura changed, and a formless cold energy surged around him. With a flicker of movement, he charged toward Gu Songzi.
Though he was a man, as he rushed forward, he transformed into a sword shadow, stabbing straight at Gu Songzi’s heart.
Startled, Gu Songzi quickly mobilized his spiritual power, forming a two-meter-wide array seal in his palm and pressing it forward to block Zhang Ruochen’s attack.
But the power of Zhang Ruochen’s sword strike was incredibly concentrated.
“Boom.”
The sword tip pierced through the array seal and struck Gu Songzi’s chest.
A protective talisman on Gu Songzi’s body exploded, blocking the strike, but the force of the sword sent him flying backward.
Gu Songzi landed on the ground, clutching his chest, staring at Zhang Ruochen, who had reformed into human shape, and said in shock, “Sword intent condensed into a sword—have you already become a Sword Saint?”
“Why are you two fighting?”
The Mad Alcoholic, carrying the God-Defying Stele, rushed over and positioned himself between Zhang Ruochen and Gu Songzi, separating them.
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen could repel Gu Songzi, the Mad Alcoholic was inwardly astonished.
Although Gu Songzi was not skilled in combat, his formation mastery was profound. Even a casually formed array seal was not something an ordinary Saint could pierce.
“Isn’t it a good thing that they’re fighting?”
Gu Songzi retorted. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, and he sneered, “Excellent stealth technique. You’ve already come within a hundred zhang, and I only just detected you.”
At the same time, Zhang Ruochen and the Mad Alcoholic also sensed something and stared at the ground.
The dark red light in Zhang Ruochen’s eyes gradually faded. He stomped his foot on the ground, sending a wave of thick Xuanhuang Saint Qi surging into the earth.
“Boom.”
A miserable cry came from underground, and then an incredibly ugly, short, thin man flew out from beneath the earth, crashing heavily to the ground.
“Master Zhang, Master Zhang, it’s me, I’m the Divine Demon Rat, that chief rat from the Ten Thousand Beasts Palace of the Moon-Worshipping Cult. We’re on the same side…”
The short, thin man scrambled up from the ground, respectfully bowing to Zhang Ruochen, and said with a fawning smile, “Congratulations to Master Zhang on being titled Sword Saint. Truly a cause for celebration.”
The sword strike Zhang Ruochen had just unleashed had put immense pressure on the Divine Demon Rat, confirming that he was indeed a Sword Saint. Facing a Sword Saint, the Divine Demon Rat dared not be as casual as before and had to show proper respect.
Zhang Ruochen picked up his wine flask, sat down on the ground, and began drinking again. “How did you find this place?”
“Blackie told me you were here,” the Divine Demon Rat said.
A glimmer of vitality returned to Zhang Ruochen’s eyes. “Xiao Hei? How does it know I’m here?”
“Blackie said it is omnipresent, omniscient, capable of slaughtering heaven and earth, and all-powerful. With a snap of its fingers, it can know all the affairs of the world.”
As the Divine Demon Rat spoke these words, his eyes sparkled with reverence.
Zhang Ruochen could tell at a glance that the Divine Demon Rat had been brainwashed by Xiao Hei. “Where is it?”
“Didn’t I just say?” the Divine Demon Rat replied.
Not far away, the Mad Alcoholic and Gu Songzi were both momentarily stunned. When had he said that?
Zhang Ruochen said, “It’s omnipresent?”
“Exactly.”
The Divine Demon Rat said this with utmost seriousness.
Hearing this, the Mad Alcoholic and Gu Songzi felt like ten thousand mythical beasts were stampeding through their hearts. They had seen people who could boast, but never one who could boast like this.
What was most infuriating was that this boasting had actually convinced a primordial beast that had stepped into the Saint realm. The Mad Alcoholic and Gu Songzi both sighed inwardly, lamenting that the disciples of the cult were getting worse with each generation.
Zhang Ruochen asked again, “What did it send you here for?”