Chapter 1425: The Weak Are Prey to the Strong
After the banquet, Su Qingling took Zhang Ruochen to the library of the Tongyou Sacred Domain. She took down books from the shelves one by one and placed them in Zhang Ruochen's hands.
"The Rakshasa Clan of Hell."
"Merit Battles and Merit Points."
...
Su Qingling wore a fitted, azure-green long robe, a faint fragrance emanating from her body. Standing below the bookshelf, she clapped her hands together, her starry eyes fixed on Zhang Ruochen. "The questions you want answered are all in these books."
"The Rakshasa Clan is one of the Lower Three Clans of the Hell Realm. By constantly devouring the flesh and blood of living beings, their cultivation grows stronger and stronger. Among them, human flesh and blood is the most delicious to them."
"Rakshasa males are extremely ugly but possess immense strength, capable of moving mountains and shifting peaks. Rakshasa females, however, are as beautiful as celestial maidens. If a cultivator is not careful, they can be seduced and end up dying a violent death."
With Zhang Ruochen's current spiritual power intensity, he could read extremely quickly. In an instant, he finished reading *The Rakshasa Clan of Hell*.
Then, Zhang Ruochen picked up *Merit Battles and Merit Points* and began flipping through it.
The battles between the Heavenly Court Realm and the Hell Realm were called "Merit Battles."
The more cultivators of the Hell Realm one killed, the higher the merit points for the cultivator and their major world.
The higher a major world's merit points, the higher its ranking on the *Myriad Worlds Merit Ranking*. It could gain an extraordinary status in the Heavenly Court Realm and would not have to become a battlefield for conflict with the Hell Realm.
Su Qingling stood to the side. "When a major world is opened up and becomes a battlefield, it generally goes through two stages."
"For example, after the Zuling Realm was chosen as a battlefield, the first stage is called the Initial Battlefield Stage."
"During this stage, the Great Saint-level powerhouses on both sides clash outside the domain. The armies led by Saint Kings fight within the major world."
"The Rakshasa army of the Hell Realm aims to seize the resources of the Zuling Realm, devour the flesh and blood of living beings, and become stronger."
"The army of the Heavenly Court Realm aims to kill more Rakshasa to earn merit points. Of course, the cultivators of the Zuling Realm mostly want to protect their own major world."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze sharpened. "Why do the Great Saint-level powerhouses fight outside the domain instead of inside the world?"
Su Qingling giggled. "The destructive power of Great Saint-level powerhouses is too terrifying. Imagine a group of Great Saints from the Heavenly Court Realm and the Hell Realm fighting inside the Zuling Realm. It wouldn't take thirty years; in just a few months, they could shatter the Zuling Realm into pieces."
"The Rakshasa Clan wouldn't get the flesh and blood they want to devour or the treasures they want to plunder, and billions of living beings in the Zuling Realm would perish. In that case, what difference would it make from fighting in a desolate starry sky?"
"Both sides would lose out, and it would be meaningless."
"Therefore, the interior of a major world is actually a battlefield for beings below the Great Saint level."
Zhang Ruochen felt that the Heavenly Court Realm was deliberately sacrificing weak worlds like the Zuling Realm. He asked, "Why doesn't the Heavenly Court Realm counterattack the Hell Realm? Why not launch a divine war and directly destroy the Hell Realm?"
Su Qingling's smile faded, and she sighed lightly. "If the Heavenly Court Realm were stronger than the Hell Realm, they would have launched a counterattack long ago. Why would they allow one subordinate mortal world after another to be devoured by the Hell Realm?"
"As for divine wars, one did break out."
"That was a hundred thousand years ago. That divine war swept across the entire universe, causing more than half of the gods in the Heavenly Court Realm to fall, destroying over a thousand major worlds, and severely depleting the Hell Realm's strength as well."
"Even after a hundred thousand years, both sides have not fully recovered. Naturally, neither is willing to easily launch a large-scale divine war now."
Zhang Ruochen fell silent, feeling a deep sense of helplessness and sorrow.
Finally, he understood more profoundly the words of the Moon God: reality is cruel, all living beings are pawns. To protect one's family, friends, and loved ones, one must become stronger.
Su Qingling continued, "Next, let's talk about the second stage of war: the Doomsday Battlefield Stage."
"During this stage, the entire major world has already been shattered. All the treasures that Saint Kings are interested in have been looted clean. Moreover, the spatial structure of the major world has become very unstable, unable to withstand the power of Saint Kings."
"Therefore, the Saint Kings on both sides withdraw from the battlefield. After that, only Saints and those below the Saint level remain on the battlefield, continuing to plunder the resources of the major world."
Zhang Ruochen's muscles tensed, and his hands clenched into fists. His voice was heavy. "Why must a specific major world be designated as a battlefield? What is the purpose of this? Don't the gods of the Heavenly Court Realm find it cruel?"
Su Qingling said, "There's no other way. You have to understand that even if the Heavenly Court Realm doesn't open up a battlefield, the Hell Realm will still continuously attack the subordinate mortal worlds, creating destruction and death. It's better to designate a battlefield where the armies of both sides can clash. In that way, the losses are actually smaller."
"At the beginning, the Heavenly Court Realm and the Hell Realm were fighting everywhere, both suffering heavy losses. After tens of thousands of years of evolution, they finally defaulted to this set of war rules."
"Of course, this is another manifestation of the weak being prey to the strong. Because the major worlds chosen as battlefields are the ones with the least potential and the weakest."
"The strong can decide the fate of the weak. This is a cruel law throughout the entire universe."
It was cruel, it was real, but it was the truth.
Zhang Ruochen calmed his mind. "Since a battlefield is opened up, even if it gets shattered and billions of living beings perish, there should still be a victor, right?"
Su Qingling nodded. "That is indeed the case. However, the Heavenly Court Realm has always lost more than it has won. For example, in our Western Universe, the number of world battlefields has always been ten. When one is destroyed, a new battlefield is opened."
"Out of ten battlefields, the Heavenly Court Realm can win at most three. And what is called 'victory' is just killing more Hell Realm cultivators than the number of Heavenly Court Realm cultivators who died."
After asking all his questions, Zhang Ruochen read through all the relevant books and then left the library.
The saints attending the Ten Thousand Saints Conference were all staying in the Tongyou Sacred Domain, each saint having an independent cultivation cave.
Zhang Ruochen arrived outside his assigned cultivation cave. A Half-Saint was already waiting there, bowing to Zhang Ruochen. "Holy Saint, my young master told me to inform you that the World Treasury of the Guanghan Realm will open in three days. As the Divine Envoy of the Saint-level Merit War, you can enter the treasury first and choose any three treasures."
"Who is your young master?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"My young master is a friend of the Holy Saint and also a Realm Son of the Saint-level Merit War." The Half-Saint spoke with an admiring look.
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "Call me in three days."
Entering the cultivation cave, Zhang Ruochen took out the Condensed True Sacred Dew, swallowed it, and began to refine and absorb it with all his might.
After spending three days and three nights, Zhang Ruochen refined nearly three hundred drops of Condensed True Sacred Dew, and his cultivation improved by another notch.
He was not far from the middle stage of the Tongtian Realm.
"Time, time, why is time so pressing?"
If Zhang Ruochen had enough time, he was fully confident that with ten thousand drops of Condensed True Sacred Dew, he could break through to the True Saint Realm.
Once he reached the True Saint Realm, Zhang Ruochen would no longer fear any opponent below the Saint King level.
But now, he didn't have that much time.
Zhang Ruochen thought of the "Time Formation" but then shook his head gently.
How profound was the Time Formation? How could it be studied in a short time?
Just then, Zhang Ruochen heard Xiao Hei's voice transmission. "Zhang Ruochen, this emperor and the Mu girl have arrived outside your cultivation cave. Why aren't you coming out to welcome us?"
Zhang Ruochen frowned, stopped cultivating, and walked outside the cave. Sure enough, he saw Mu Lingxi and Xiao Hei.
"Surprised? Excited?"
Xiao Hei wiggled its feathered big butt and walked straight into the cave.
Zhang Ruochen grabbed one of its wings and dragged it back out, his expression serious. "Why have you come here?"
Mu Lingxi said, "Naturally, to participate in the Seventh Merit War."
"Nonsense. With your cultivation, how dare you set foot on the Merit Battlefield?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Mu Lingxi retorted, "What's wrong with my cultivation? I've already broken through to the Middle Stage Saint Realm. I can even fight against Saints of the Xuanhuang Realm. It's not like I can't go to the battlefield. Besides, all the saints of the Guanghan Realm must go to the Merit Battlefield. I am now a saint of the Guanghan Realm, just like you."
Zhang Ruochen said very seriously, "Do you know how dangerous the Merit Battlefield is? Of all the saints who go, more than half might die there. Our flesh and blood will be eaten by Rakshasa, and our bones will be gone. If the battlefield is extremely brutal, it's very possible that all the saints of the Guanghan Realm will be wiped out."
"If you know it's so dangerous, why are you still going?" Mu Lingxi's eyes reddened.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I have no choice."
"I have no choice either," Mu Lingxi said.
Zhang Ruochen clenched his fingers, then grabbed Mu Lingxi's small hand. Ignoring her struggle, he dragged her toward the Moon God Mountain. "Come with me to see the Moon God. Let the Moon God cancel your qualification. I will never allow you to go to the Merit Battlefield."
Just as Zhang Ruochen took three steps, he suddenly stopped and looked around. The surrounding scenery had all disappeared.
An invisible force enveloped this area.
Mu Lingxi also showed a strange expression and looked ahead.
There, the figure of the Moon God appeared outside Zhang Ruochen's cultivation cave. Her figure was breathtakingly beautiful, her body forming graceful curves, exuding an icy, otherworldly temperament.
The Moon God's slender jade hand slowly raised, and white specks of light appeared in her palm.
"Whoosh."
Those specks of light flew toward Mu Lingxi and merged into her body.
Instantly, Mu Lingxi's cultivation surged, breaking through repeatedly until she reached the Chedi Realm before stopping.
The Moon God's clear, cold voice reached Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi's ears. "Zhang Ruochen, I can only do this much. It is best for Mu Lingxi to go to the Zuling Realm. If her luck is good enough, she might obtain a decent opportunity."
Zhang Ruochen stared at the Moon God's figure, a puzzled look on his face. "What opportunity?"
"Look through the books about the Zuling Realm, and you will naturally find the answer."
With the last word spoken, the Moon God's figure vanished.
At the same time, the surrounding scenery reappeared.