Chapter 1624: Encountering the Golden-Winged Peng Clan Again
Zhang Ruochen took the invitation letter from Su Jing, roughly flipped through it, then stored it in his Space Ring and asked, "In these past three months, have Shang Zihong and the cultivators of the three Evil Realms made any other moves?"
Su Jing thought about it briefly, then gently shook his head. "No. Perhaps because they can't break through the Time Formation and Space Formation, they simply can't do anything to us and can only take their anger out on other major worlds."
Zhang Ruochen asked again, "What about the Kunlun Realm? Have they made any moves?"
Knowing that Zhang Ruochen had a close friendship with some cultivators from the Kunlun Realm, Su Jing said, "Among those cultivators from the Kunlun Realm, there are indeed a few formidable figures. Not long after the Divine Envoy went into seclusion, they attacked the Tianluo Dojo and actually managed to capture it. At the time, it caused quite a stir in the Truth Heaven Domain."
Zhang Ruochen nodded slightly. Just considering the human cultivators of the Kunlun Realm—Luo Xu, Wan Zhaoyi, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, Xue Wuye, the Monk Lidi, and others—none of them were weak. Moreover, they possessed extraordinary battle treasures. At the same cultivation level, very few cultivators could rival them.
The *Myriad Lamps Illuminating the World Diagram*, the Confucian Ancestor's Sacred Book, the Silver Kitchen Knife, and the Great Slaughter Buddha Blade—any one of these items would make a Great Saint envious, capable of sweeping through all opposition.
Capturing a dojo was not particularly surprising.
After all, not every dojo was as difficult to attack as the Moon God Dojo.
"However, about a month ago, they went to attack the Red Leaf Dojo but were ambushed by powerful enemies. They suffered a major defeat, and many cultivators were severely injured, their blood spilling across Red Leaf Mountain. It was quite tragic," Su Jing said seriously.
Zhang Ruochen's brow furrowed. "Such a thing happened?"
Su Jing said, "To be honest, the cultivators occupying the Red Leaf Dojo weren't much stronger than those at the Tianluo Dojo. I suspect they were schemed against and walked into a trap set by someone else. Of course, only they themselves know exactly what happened."
Zhang Ruochen fell silent, as if deep in thought.
A smile appeared in Su Jing's eyes. "After the Mirror Fragrance Cliff Dojo and the Moon God Dojo were captured, the news spread back to the Guanghan Realm. All the clans celebrated, and countless senior cultivators were filled with admiration. When the Divine Envoy returns to the Shatuo Heaven Domain, I expect many cultivators will come to visit."
"Now, in the eyes of the various clans of the Guanghan Realm, the Divine Envoy is a heroic figure, with a reputation second only to the Great Saints. I heard that the Moon God herself personally bestowed a treasure upon the Divine Envoy, which is already on its way to the Truth Heaven Domain."
From start to finish, Zhang Ruochen remained calm and unruffled, taking the so-called fame very lightly.
However, the treasure bestowed by the Moon God did spark some anticipation in him.
A gift from a god should not be too shabby.
Su Jing continued, "Now that the Divine Envoy has broken through to the Saint King Realm, his strength must have greatly increased. When do you plan to attack the remaining nineteen dojos of the Guanghan Realm?"
At this point, Su Jing was full of confidence in Zhang Ruochen, seeing him as the hope for revitalizing the Guanghan Realm.
If even the Moon God Dojo could be captured, reclaiming the other dojos should not be too difficult for him.
Zhang Ruochen felt that the ambush on the Kunlun Realm cultivators was somewhat suspicious, so he said cautiously, "No rush. Right now, only a handful of cultivators from the Guanghan Realm are training in the Truth Heaven Domain, and two dojos are enough for our use. I plan to first cross the Sea of Truth; perhaps I can secure more training slots for the Guanghan Realm."
Su Jing's eyes lit up. "With the Divine Envoy's current strength, you should be able to cross the second layer of the sea, right?"
Zhang Ruochen did not answer Su Jing, merely offering a faint smile.
Before breaking through to the Saint King Realm, Zhang Ruochen was already confident he could cross the second layer, or even the third.
As for now, his goals were naturally set higher.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's confident demeanor, Su Jing grew even more delighted. "In the first year, crossing the second layer of the sea would earn six training slots. If the Divine Envoy succeeds, it would be another great boon for the Guanghan Realm."
Afterward, the three of them discussed a few more matters before parting ways.
When crossing the Sea of Truth, a powerful Spiritual Power greatly aided cultivators. Therefore, Zhang Ruochen decided to go to the Hundred Flowers Palace immediately to purchase the Six Desires Ancient Pill.
Before leaving, Zhang Ruochen took out two bottles of Sacred Pills for enhancing Spiritual Power, along with over a dozen other bottles of various Sacred Pills, and handed them all to Mu Lingxi.
However, he did not give her the Joy and Anger Pill.
If Mu Lingxi's temperament became erratic due to the side effects of the Joy and Anger Pill, wouldn't Zhang Ruochen be digging his own grave?
Of course, Mu Lingxi's pair of Phoenix Wings contained the vast inheritance power of the Ice and Fire Phoenix, so both her Spiritual Power and cultivation level progressed far faster than ordinary cultivators.
She was not far from the Saint King Realm.
Using the seeds of the True Illusion Sacred Flower, Zhang Ruochen condensed a "Void Illusion Realm," silently leaving the Moon God Dojo and appearing on the street.
He did not immediately head to the Hundred Flowers Palace. Instead, he walked around the Moon God Dojo, quietly investigating.
"Three watchers, all at the Half-Saint King level."
Without needing to guess, Zhang Ruochen knew they were spies sent by Shang Zihong or the three Evil Realms, tasked with monitoring the movements of everyone in the Moon God Dojo.
Perhaps they knew that the Moon God Dojo had a Teleportation Array, making surveillance largely useless, so the spies they sent were not particularly powerful.
Zhang Ruochen silently memorized the appearances and auras of these three cultivators but did not kill them. Instead, he headed toward the Hundred Flowers Palace.
Arriving at a relatively secluded alley, Zhang Ruochen transformed into a handsome man with dragon horns on his head, dragon wings on his back, and a dragon-scale armor suit, his brows exuding a cold, proud aura.
He concealed his cultivation to the Half-Saint King level.
The Hundred Flowers Palace was magnificent and grand, like an immortal palace or sacred hall, with radiant clouds of light, dense Sacred Qi, and a lively atmosphere. Cultivators streamed in and out of the main gate in an endless flow.
As soon as Zhang Ruochen stepped through the gate, a white-robed maid at the Lower Saint level approached and bowed to him. "Qing Xing pays respects to the young master. Does the young master need any assistance?"
Zhang Ruochen exuded an air of arrogance, displaying the bearing of a Dragon Clan noble. "I wish to see the Demon-Suppressing King."
Seeing that the visitor had an extraordinary demeanor and formidable cultivation, Qing Xing knew she could not afford to offend him and asked cautiously, "Is the young master a VIP of our Hundred Flowers Palace?"
Zhang Ruochen's finger traced over his Space Ring.
*Whoosh!*
A flash of light emanated from the ring.
A token appeared in Zhang Ruochen's hand. He flashed it before Qing Xing's eyes before quickly putting it away.
Seeing the VIP token, Qing Xing became even more respectful toward Zhang Ruochen. "The young master has come at an inopportune time. Lord Demon-Suppressing King has important business and has just returned to the Thousand Stamen Realm. Currently, the one in charge of the Hundred Flowers Palace is Lord Dan Ling King."
"Dan Ling King."
Zhang Ruochen murmured the name, and a scene from the Extreme Pleasure Underground Palace flashed through his mind. He then said, "Very well. Take me to see Dan Ling King now."
His purpose in coming to the Hundred Flowers Palace was to purchase the Six Desires Ancient Pill and redeem the Golden Step Dragon Carriage. Whether it was the Demon-Suppressing King or Dan Ling King made no difference to Zhang Ruochen. As long as he could meet Ji Fanxin through them, that was all that mattered.
Without going through them, it would be impossible to meet the world-renowned Flower Fairy.
Moreover, the Illumination Sacred Lotus pollen in his body had been absorbed by the Devouring Sacred Flower, so Ji Fanxin probably did not know he had come to the Hundred Flowers Palace.
Qing Xing's pretty face showed an apologetic expression. "Today, several VIPs and major clients wish to see Lord Dan Ling King. Perhaps the young master could wait in the VIP room for a moment?"
Zhang Ruochen was in no hurry, so he nodded lightly and followed Qing Xing to the VIP room.
The VIP room was built in an antique style, with calligraphy and paintings by famous masters hanging on the walls. It was very quiet, and the walls and floor were inscribed with array patterns to ensure the safety of every VIP.
Qing Xing led Zhang Ruochen into the VIP room and then withdrew.
Inside the VIP room stood several screens made of beast bones. The material of the screens was unknown, but it emitted a faint, cool aura. That aura could calm the mind, clear the thoughts, and instantly induce a state of enlightenment.
Besides Zhang Ruochen, three other beings were seated inside.
To Zhang Ruochen's right sat a man with a gaunt face.
However, he was not human. On the tip of his nose grew a jade-white spike, suggesting he was from the Eagle Clan.
The Eagle Clan was a major avian clan spread across various worlds in the universe. Some Eagle Clan members with ancient divine bloodlines possessed terrifying strength, daring to prey on dragons and capture phoenixes.
However, their clan consciousness was very weak, and most were solitary wanderers.
The gaunt man sat with his eyes closed, his hands loosely clasped near his abdomen. Between his palms, wisps of white Sacred Mist swirled, emitting sparkling specks of light, as if he were cultivating some powerful technique.
Whether due to his cultivation of a special technique or carrying an artifact to conceal his aura, even with Zhang Ruochen's current Saint King Realm cultivation, he could not see through him.
What puzzled Zhang Ruochen was that he sensed a strange aura from this man.
He could not quite pinpoint what was strange, but it made him uneasy and agitated.
This situation was rare, so Zhang Ruochen quietly released his Space Domain, becoming vigilant.
Behind the screen directly in front of Zhang Ruochen sat two men. He could not see their faces but could hear their conversation. They were not using Spiritual Power telepathy, and their tone was quite arrogant.
A voice with a distinctive tone sounded from behind the screen: "Seventh Brother's cultivation is so formidable; how could he possibly disappear without a trace?"
"I think this matter is quite suspicious. It most likely has something to do with that Flower Fairy."
"Ever since Seventh Brother met her, he has been spellbound. He even abandoned his own dojo to move into the Hundred Flowers Palace. Who knows how many Sacred Stones he has spent pursuing the Flower Fairy?"
Another man's voice rang out: "Brother Yin Peng, you are overthinking things, aren't you? The Flower Fairy is a disciple of the Mandala Flower God. How could she harm the Golden-Winged Peng Prince? In my opinion, the Golden-Winged Peng Prince is probably in seclusion somewhere, which is why he hasn't replied to your messages."
"Heh, I know you, Prince Luo Nan, also want to pursue the Flower Fairy, which is why you are defending her. Am I right?" the man called "Brother Yin Peng" snorted coldly.
Prince Luo Nan chuckled. "Which of the extraordinary women on the *Nine Immortal Beauties Chart* would not be worth pursuing? Besides, if I could win the Flower Fairy's heart, the title 'Prince Luo Nan' might one day be changed to 'Crown Prince Luo Nan.'"
Brother Yin Peng said coldly, "If that Flower Fairy is involved in my Seventh Brother's disappearance, our Golden-Winged Great Peng Clan is not to be trifled with. Even if she is a disciple of the Mandala Flower God, she must pay with her life."
"You have no appreciation for a beautiful woman at all," Prince Luo Nan sighed lightly.
Hearing their conversation, Zhang Ruochen could not help but find it amusing. What a small world—he had run into members of the Golden-Winged Great Peng Clan again.
Unfortunately, that Golden-Winged Peng Prince had probably already been refined into nothingness by Ji Fanxin.
He just hoped Ji Fanxin had been thorough and left no traces behind. Otherwise, if the Golden-Winged Great Peng Clan investigated, they might trace it back to him.
The Golden-Winged Great Peng Clan was an extremely powerful ancient clan, overbearing and domineering. Even gods were reluctant to provoke them, and Zhang Ruochen was certainly even less willing to do so.
Footsteps sounded from outside.
Zhang Ruochen sensed Dan Ling King's aura and immediately sat up straight.