Chapter 1669: Origin Source
The great battle that had taken place in the Free Trade Zone quickly spread throughout the Divine Enshrinement Platform, shocking cultivators from all realms.
Two strange individuals, who had seemingly appeared from nowhere, had killed over a dozen Saint King realm experts from the Heavenly Realm Faction, including a World Leader and four Four-Winged Scarlet Angels.
"No one knows who those two are. Even Shang Zihong and Gongzi Yan attacked together, yet they still managed to escape."
"Didn't you see? They even used a Supreme Sacred Artifact. People like that definitely have terrifying backgrounds."
"What do you think, how will the Truth Divine Temple deal with those two strange ones?"
"The Truth Divine Temple can't catch them red-handed either. After all, it was the Heavenly Realm Faction cultivators who attacked first. Besides, Feng Yan is on good terms with those two. With the influence of the forces behind Feng Yan in the Truth Divine Temple, if they pull all the strings, they can clear those two of any blame."
...
The two strange ones everyone was talking about, Zhang Ruochen and Xiang Chunan, had fled and immediately hidden at the edge of the forbidden zone above the White Bone Slope on the Outer South Garden.
If Shang Zihong and Gongzi Yan pursued them, they would immediately flee into the forbidden zone.
"That was close. Those two are terrifyingly powerful. Especially that guy with three vermillion feathers stuck in his head, who the hell is he?" Xiang Chunan asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "That man is Shang Zihong, the leader of the Merit Divine Hall, and also my mortal enemy. I'm sorry for dragging you into this."
Xiang Chunan's expression turned serious. "What are you saying? Do I, Xiang Chunan, look like someone who is afraid of trouble?"
"Shh!"
Zhang Ruochen made a silencing gesture. A layer of Sword Dao Profound Gang emerged on the heavy sword in his hand, and he stared towards the direction of the White Bone Slope, saying in a deep voice, "Who's there? Come out."
"Hehe."
A pleasant laugh rang out.
A mass of starry mist materialized out of thin air on the White Bone Slope.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden, dressed in purple, stood within the starry mist. Her jet-black hair fell naturally like willow catkins, and atop her head was a bright red crown a foot high.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden's face was hazy, her voice elegant and pleasant. "Zhang Ruochen, your vigilance is quite high. You discovered me so quickly."
Seeing the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden, Zhang Ruochen did not relax his guard. Instead, he became even more cautious, ready to flee into the forbidden zone at any moment.
"Zhang Ruochen? You must have mistaken me for someone else, right?" Zhang Ruochen said.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden said, "You can fool others, but not me. You don't need to be so wary of me. I am not necessarily your enemy. Who knows, we might even become temporary friends."
Zhang Ruochen was very alarmed. His cultivation of the Formless and Featureless Thirty-Six Transformations had actually been seen through? If the other party were a Great Saint, it would be understandable, and he could only blame his own insufficient mastery. However, the other party's cultivation was not much stronger than his own.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Friends? Are you joking, Heavenly Maiden? How can two people who both possess Truth Esoterica become friends?"
By saying this, he was essentially confirming his identity.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden smiled. "That's right. Two people who possess Truth Esoterica are indeed irreconcilable enemies. That's why I said, temporarily become friends."
"How long is this 'temporarily'?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden said, "Why are you standing so far away from me? Why don't we sit down and talk slowly?"
The other party had likely cultivated the Way of Nothingness. Moreover, knowing full well that she would definitely kill him to seize the Truth Esoterica, how could Zhang Ruochen let her get close to him?
"My cultivation is only one realm higher than yours. As the master of time and space, are you afraid of me? Where has that heroic spirit from your great slaughter just now gone?"
Zhang Ruochen's gaze swept the surroundings. "If the Heavenly Maiden truly has no intention to kill, why did you arrange for two cultivators to hide nearby?"
This time, it was the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden's turn to be surprised.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden indeed had a very important matter she wanted to cooperate with Zhang Ruochen on. However, she was also worried that Zhang Ruochen might try to kill her, so she naturally had to make thorough preparations.
The two people the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden had arranged nearby were the two strongest members of the Thousand Star Civilization in the Truth Divine Temple.
With their formidable cultivation, they were actually unable to escape Zhang Ruochen's perception. This was indeed beyond her expectations.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden pondered for a moment, then gently waved her jade-white hand. "You two, withdraw."
Two figures emerged from the left and right sides of the White Bone Slope, retreating until they became two tiny black dots in the distance, guarding the area of the White Bone Slope.
"Is this enough sincerity for you now?" the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden asked.
Zhang Ruochen wasn't really afraid of the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden; he just didn't want to gamble with his life. Since she hadn't attacked directly and had even dismissed her two experts, she clearly wanted to discuss something with him.
In fact, Zhang Ruochen also had some questions.
"Alright, let's talk then," Zhang Ruochen said.
At the edge of the forbidden zone, heaven and earth were pitch black.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden took out an exquisite white jade long table and placed it on the ground. She then took out a Sarira lamp and set it on the table, before slowly sitting down at one end of the long table.
The faint Buddhist light emitted by the Sarira lamp illuminated her face, making her skin as clear and translucent as ice crystal and snow jade.
Zhang Ruochen sat at the other end of the white jade long table. "It's truly a miracle that two people who both possess Truth Esoterica can sit together so calmly."
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden smiled gracefully. "How much Truth Esoterica have you seized?"
There was no point in hiding it anymore. Zhang Ruochen said directly, "Five ten-thousandths."
"I have six ten-thousandths."
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden then asked, "Do you know why you are still alive?"
"Why?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden said, "Because your current cultivation is only at the Second-Step Saint King realm. You are like an unripe Sacred Fruit. Even if I kill you now, I would only obtain five ten-thousandths of the Truth Esoterica."
"But as your cultivation advances and you cross a few more layers of the Truth Sea, you will surely obtain even more Truth Esoterica. So I plan to wait until you reach the Ninth-Step Saint King realm before I pluck you."
"You see me as a Sacred Fruit?" Zhang Ruochen's eyes narrowed.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden was quite frank. "From the day you embarked on the path of cultivation, you should have understood the principle of the strong preying on the weak. Blame only yourself for exposing the secret of possessing Truth Esoterica."
"Do you know that a cultivator who gathers one percent of the Truth Esoterica can become a Truth Envoy? Do you know what a Truth Envoy represents? A Truth Envoy can mobilize a terrifying power that can contend with gods."
Zhang Ruochen snorted lightly. "Are you so confident that you can still kill me when I reach the Ninth-Step Saint King realm?"
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden's starry eyes were beautiful and moving. "When you reach the Ninth-Step Saint King realm, a Great Saint from the Thousand Star Civilization will naturally take your life. If a Great Saint can't kill you, a god will act. A god can kill you, can't they?"
Zhang Ruochen fell silent.
For the identity of a Truth Envoy, for the Truth Esoterica, it was entirely possible for gods to take action.
He could only blame himself for being too careless when crossing the Truth Sea, allowing the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden to see through his secret.
He could only blame himself for the Daylight Arrow he shot back then failing to kill the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden, thus planting the seed of future disaster.
Now, even if he killed the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden to silence her, it would be useless. The secret of his possessing Truth Esoterica was surely already known to some beings of the Thousand Star Civilization, and it couldn't be hidden.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden took out the Daylight Arrow and placed it on the table, pushing it towards Zhang Ruochen. "I don't know your true purpose for shooting this arrow, but since I intend to be your temporary friend, I'll return this arrow to you as a meeting gift."
Zhang Ruochen took back the Daylight Arrow and smiled. "It seems you have a favor to ask of me."
"A favor? Not exactly. At best, it's a cooperation," the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden said.
"No cooperation."
Zhang Ruochen refused directly. "Knowing that I will eventually be killed by your Thousand Star Civilization, why should I cooperate with you?"
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden smiled faintly. "Actually, it's not necessarily necessary to kill you for me to obtain the Truth Esoterica on you. As long as you pledge allegiance to the Thousand Star Civilization and voluntarily offer the Truth Esoterica you obtain each time to me, I will not only spare your life but also value you heavily. Who knows, you might even have the chance to become a prince consort of the Thousand Star Civilization. What do you think? Consider my proposal carefully. You don't have to answer immediately. I'll give you time to think."
Zhang Ruochen pondered inwardly. Where did the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden get such confidence that she could control him?
Even if she cultivated the Way of Nothingness, he cultivated two Eternal Paths simultaneously.
Did she think the identity of "prince consort" was very attractive?
Zhang Ruochen did not reveal his thoughts. "Not only can I have the great backing of the Thousand Star Civilization, but I can also obtain a large amount of cultivation resources and win the beauty. Your proposal, Heavenly Maiden, gives me no reason to refuse."
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden's starry eyes shimmered with captivating light. "I only said you have the chance to become a prince consort of the Thousand Star Civilization. Whether you can seize the opportunity depends on your performance."
Zhang Ruochen smiled slightly, then asked, "I am very curious. How exactly did you see through my identity, and how did you track me here?"
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden, believing she could control everything, did not hide it from Zhang Ruochen. "Because I am the master of one of the Nine Eternal Paths: the Way of Origin Source."
"The Way of Origin Source?" Zhang Ruochen was momentarily stunned.
Not the Way of Nothingness?
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden extended a finger and lightly tapped the white jade long table. Instantly, the white jade long table shattered, turning into nothingness.
No.
It wasn't nothingness. It had transformed into billions of extremely tiny particles, invisible to the naked eye. Only by using a Heavenly Eye or spiritual power could one vaguely detect something unusual.
Back then, when the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden killed the gatekeeper in the Truth Sea, Zhang Ruochen was far away, so he mistakenly thought she had turned the gatekeeper into a state of nothingness.
"Origin Source is the origin of all things."
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden raised her jade-like hand slightly.
"Whoosh—"
The billions of particles rapidly combined and connected, re-condensing into matter visible to the naked eye.
It was no longer a white jade long table, but a five-foot-long iron sword.
With a point of her finger, the iron sword shattered, and then transformed into a red Sacred Tree dozens of meters tall, covered in beautiful blooming flowers.
Petals fell like red snow, scattering over the heads of the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden and Zhang Ruochen.