Chapter 1643: Wang Shen Mountain
Under the moonlight.
Mu Lingxi walked into the pavilion, raised a wine cup with both hands, and personally brought it before Zhang Ruochen.
Her small hands were as delicate as jade, and her starry eyes revealed a moving radiance.
Zhang Ruochen immediately stood up, his gaze softening as he took the wine cup. He looked toward Feng Yan and Xiang Chunan and said, "Actually, it's not that I'm unwilling to form a sworn brotherhood with you two, but I do have many concerns and don't want to drag you down."
Feng Yan smiled and said, "Brother Zhang saying this means he looks down on Feng Yan. Am I the kind of person who fears being implicated?"
"Bang."
Xiang Chunan slammed the table hard and said, "For a brother, I'd stab myself in the ribs without hesitation, even if it meant facing a mountain of swords and a sea of fire. Are you saying the words 'share hardships' are fake?"
Zhang Ruochen said no more and spoke solemnly, "Alright, since you two put it that way, I won't be pretentious. This cup of wine, I'll drink."
"Wait a moment, let's drink together."
Xiang Chunan and Feng Yan raised their cups together, and the three drank in unison.
The wine in the cups was drained in one gulp.
Xiang Chunan smashed his cup to the ground and asked, "So, who's the eldest, who's the second, and who's the third?"
Feng Yan said, "Arranging by age is too vulgar. Arranging by strength is too hurtful to feelings. How about we do it differently?"
"What way?"
Feng Yan said unhurriedly, "The day after tomorrow is the Fengshen Tai Assembly. Let's compete based on who gains more at Fengshen Tai, and use that to rank ourselves. What do you think?"
Without a second thought, Xiang Chunan said directly, "Alright, it's settled!"
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, "Brother Feng is a disciple of the Truth Divine Temple and definitely knows far more about Fengshen Tai than the two of us, so naturally he has an advantage. Are you trying to be the big brother?"
"Exactly, that's unfair. I want to be the big brother too," Xiang Chunan said.
"Don't worry, since we've already sworn brotherhood, we're family now. Tonight, I'll tell you everything I know about Fengshen Tai."
...
That night, Zhang Ruochen, Feng Yan, and Xiang Chunan drank nearly all the stored wine on Kongling Island. Inside and outside the pavilion, wine jars were scattered everywhere, a complete mess.
When life brings joy, enjoy it to the fullest; don't let the golden cup face the moon empty.
Sometimes, you have to set aside all worries and concerns and do the simplest, purest things.
That night, Zhang Ruochen was in an exceptionally good mood, like someone long stuck in a mud pit suddenly breaking free, feeling an unprecedented lightness.
He let himself go, just to get drunk.
Perhaps because of this change in mindset, when he woke up the next day, Zhang Ruochen was astonished to find that the sacred dao rules in his body had increased by several hundred, reaching a total of over four thousand two hundred.
He could clearly sense that his cultivation had entered a new realm.
Zhang Ruochen activated his technique, and the sacred qi in his body circulated rapidly. He formed fist seals with both hands, and a powerful storm of sacred qi condensed.
"Have I broken through to the Two-Step Saint King realm in one go?" Zhang Ruochen revealed a hint of joy.
The Saint King realm mainly relied on enlightenment, and it was also related to the cultivator's state of mind. Sometimes, a cultivator's cultivation could stagnate for years or decades; other times, it could surge forward overnight.
Without climbing the Nine-Step Heavenly Path, he naturally couldn't know if he had truly broken through, but a significant increase in cultivation was ultimately a good thing.
In the courtyard, an ancient tree covered in red flowers emitted a hazy glow.
Mu Lingxi stood under the tree, looking at the awakened Zhang Ruochen, and smiled lightly, "While you were drunk, Uncle Jing came by and took forty-two tokens, and on behalf of the entire Guanghan Realm, he thanked you."
Zhang Ruochen said, "It was just a small favor."
"For the Guanghan Realm, it's a huge deal. From now on, that King Wu Han shouldn't make things difficult for you anymore," Mu Lingxi said.
Zhang Ruochen smiled slightly, reached out an arm, and wrapped it around Mu Lingxi's slender willow-like waist, pulling her into his embrace.
Mu Lingxi struggled symbolically for a moment, then, like a docile kitten, pressed her flushed face against Zhang Ruochen's chest and said softly, "Are you curious why I urged you to form a brotherhood with them last night?"
"I understand," Zhang Ruochen said.
Mu Lingxi said, "I know you didn't want to form a brotherhood because you have great enemies like Empress Chi Yao and the dark forces. Getting too close to any cultivator would harm them. But in my heart, there's only you. I hope you can have friends too, friends who can share your burdens and fight alongside you, so you can be a little lighter. Am I being too selfish?"
Mu Lingxi lifted her head, a bit nervous, worried that Zhang Ruochen might be angry.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Only by sincerely making friends and brothers will others treat you sincerely. I won't tell them about my enemies; I'll deal with them myself."
"I'm sorry."
Tears flowed from Mu Lingxi's eyes.
Zhang Ruochen kissed Mu Lingxi's snow-white neck and laughed, "Don't say sorry. You were trying to help me, weren't you? Just the method was wrong. You'll have to change it in the future."
"Mm."
Mu Lingxi nodded.
...
Fengshen Tai is one of the few ancient relics in the Heavenly Court Realm.
It is said that when the Heavenly Court Realm was first established, the Truth Divine Temple was built here precisely because of its great connection to Fengshen Tai.
However, Fengshen Tai is sealed all year round, and even disciples of the Truth Divine Temple rarely know its exact location. It only appears every ten years during the Fengshen Tai Assembly.
On the morning of the Fengshen Tai Assembly, a vermilion cloud boat sailed to the edge of Kongling Island and docked. Led by Feng Xi, Feng Yan, Zhang Ruochen, Xiang Chunan, and Mu Lingxi boarded together.
In addition, twenty-two other first-class disciples who were attached to Kongling Island also boarded the cloud boat with them.
To be precise, they were all attached to Feng Xi.
Looking at those twenty-two first-class disciples of considerable strength, Zhang Ruochen was secretly amazed.
Any first-class disciple was a genius among geniuses, holding a high status in the Truth Heaven Domain. If they left the Truth Heaven Domain and went to a subordinate mortal realm, even a Great Saint from a weak realm would personally receive them.
From this, one could see that Feng Xi's status in the Truth Heaven Domain was extraordinary; otherwise, how could so many first-class disciples be attached to her?
That Miss Feng Xi had a very strong aura and was quite aloof, not saying a single word from start to finish.
The twenty-two first-class disciples present, including Feng Yan, did not dare to speak loudly, standing like a group of ministers before a dignified queen, silent as cicadas in winter.
"Her cultivation is very strong, no less than Ji Fanxin's," Zhang Ruochen judged.
The cloud boat started again, heading to various floating islands to pick up people.
Those floating islands were almost all cultivation grounds for divine-transmission disciples.
One by one, divine-transmission disciples boarded the cloud boat, each looking proud and spirited, like dragons and phoenixes among men. The number of first-class disciples following behind each divine-transmission disciple varied.
Some divine-transmission disciples had only one or two first-class disciples behind them.
Some had seven or eight.
Someone like Feng Xi, who had over twenty first-class disciples as followers, was virtually unheard of.
Gradually, the number of divine-transmission disciples on the cloud boat reached over twenty. The boatman stopped going to other floating islands to pick up people and headed straight for Wang Shen Mountain.
Wang Shen Mountain was only tens of thousands of li from the Truth Divine Temple. The mountain body was yellowish-brown, devoid of any plants, with steep cliffs and an imposing grandeur.
The part of the mountain above the clouds was over thirty thousand meters high. The two-hundred-meter-long cloud boat looked like a tiny black speck in comparison.
Zhang Ruochen and the others disembarked from the cloud boat and climbed Wang Shen Mountain, only to find that the mountaintop was already crowded with many cultivators. They came from various worlds, wearing different sacred robes and divine armors. Human cultivators made up only a small portion; most were from other races.
"Brother Zhang, Brother Xiang, see you inside Fengshen Mountain," Feng Yan said with a smile.
Xiang Chunan waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, with our strength, passing the qualification test will be a piece of cake."
Originally, if Zhang Ruochen had come as the divine envoy of the Guanghan Realm, he could have obtained an invitation letter and openly entered the Fengshen Tai Assembly venue.
But from Feng Yan, he learned that the Fengshen Tai Assembly was not just a grand event; it also involved competition for ancient relics and could be very dangerous.
The identity "Zhang Ruochen" was still too sensitive and would be targeted.
So, Zhang Ruochen changed his mind, altered his appearance, and participated in the Fengshen Tai Assembly in another way.
Feng Xi, Feng Yan, and the twenty-two first-class disciples walked toward the southern cliff of Wang Shen Mountain.
At the edge of the southern cliff stood an ancient divine gate dozens of zhang tall. Only by entering this gate could one reach Fengshen Tai.
On either side of the gate stood sixteen battle generals in white sacred armor. Any cultivator coming here had to hand over an invitation letter before they would let them pass.
"Greetings, Senior Sister Feng."
The sixteen battle generals in white sacred armor all bowed to Feng Xi.
Just moments ago, several other divine-transmission disciples who entered the divine gate did not receive such treatment.
Feng Xi handed over her invitation letter, then walked through the divine gate with her hands behind her back. As she stepped inside, her graceful figure disappeared, as if swallowed by a curtain of water.
The cultivators on Wang Shen Mountain looked at the massive divine gate and the figures continuously entering it, all showing expressions of envy. Anyone who received an invitation letter was a top-tier talent below the Great Saint level.
That divine gate was a symbol of strength and status.
Those cultivators who had not received an invitation letter could only participate in the qualification test for a slim chance to enter the venue.
A thirty-something-year-old scholar sighed and said, "If I could participate in the Fengshen Tai Assembly, it would be the glory of a lifetime. Going back to Tianyuan Realm, I could brag about it for the rest of my life."
"It's said that most of the nine fairies from the 'Nine Immortal Beauties Painting' will attend the Fengshen Tai Assembly. If I could enter Fengshen Tai and see my goddess, the Hundred Flowers Fairy, I'd be willing to live a hundred years less," said a young man carrying a sacred sword.
"At Fengshen Tai, there are seven secret grounds where you can dig up relics left by ancient gods. It's said that at the last Fengshen Tai Assembly, someone dug up a fragment of a divine artifact in the Blood Light Canyon."
"Pfft, what's a divine artifact fragment? I heard from that old immortal at home that ten thousand years ago, someone broke into the Dark Demon Well at Fengshen Tai and released an ancient demon god. Later, that ancient demon god even joined the Truth Divine Temple and became one of its top big shots."
...
On Wang Shen Mountain, the crowd of cultivators waited while sharing various legends.
In short, everyone was very excited, all wanting to pass the qualification test and enter the Fengshen Tai Assembly venue, each with different goals.
"Look, that's... nine golden divine dragons pulling a sacred chariot!" someone exclaimed in surprise.
Everyone's gaze turned toward the sea of clouds.
A thousand li away, nine golden divine dragons, each hundreds of zhang long, pulled an ancient chariot, speeding toward Wang Shen Mountain at an astonishing pace. The aura emanating from the ancient chariot was extremely intimidating, with a momentum that could swallow mountains and rivers.
"That golden dragon chariot is a Nine Radiance Ten-Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifact."
"Heavens, even a Great Saint might not possess a Nine Radiance Ten-Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifact. Who is the master of that golden dragon chariot? What kind of extraordinary big shot?"
Mu Lingxi stared at the golden ancient chariot, her expression somewhat strange. She naturally knew that it was Zhang Ruochen's Golden Step Dragon Chariot, which in the past only each generation of emperors of the Holy Bright Central Empire was qualified to ride.
How could such an important item as the Golden Step Dragon Chariot fall into the hands of another cultivator?
Moreover, Zhang Ruochen had never mentioned this matter to her.
"Rumble."
Gradually, the Golden Step Dragon Chariot arrived at Wang Shen Mountain and stopped. The curtain woven from sacred tassels and liquid gold was slowly lifted by a jade-like hand of breathtaking beauty.
Before the beauty in the chariot even stepped out, a fragrant floral scent wafted outward, spreading across the entire Wang Shen Mountain, intoxicating everyone.
The bare rock mountain body sprouted one gorgeous flower after another, becoming vibrant with life. The moisture in the air condensed into white, icy flower petals, turning into a rain of flowers that drifted down.
Seeing the sudden astonishing phenomena, some male cultivators guessed the identity of the Golden Step Dragon Chariot's owner and were overjoyed.
(End of chapter)