Chapter 1722: Matters of the Heart
Zhang Ruochen's brows shot up, and he said coldly, "Give me one reason not to kill him."
The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden said, "In truth, he is as much a victim as you are. During the battle at Lingxiao Heavenly King Manor, his parents and relatives were all killed by the Sacred Bright Army. Yet, at that time, Chi Wansui bore no grudge against you, nor did he act against the descendants of the Sacred Bright Central Empire's former ministers."
"According to you, then, this is all my fault?" Zhang Ruochen said.
"Neither of you is at fault. The fault lies with this era. If you had not been born into this time, there would not be so many grievances and hatreds," the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden said.
Zhang Ruochen fixed his gaze on Qingxiao and said, "Senior Brother, do you also think I should not kill him?"
Qingxiao was silent for a long time before saying, "I should not speak out of turn, but I must say this: Chi Wansui has been blinded by hatred, his mind twisted. Must you become like him? You should know that the one truly responsible for all this is not him. Why did the Empress tell them that you were the murderer of their parents? Is that not worth pondering?"
Clearly, Qingxiao, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, and Chi Wansui all knew that Chi Kunlun and Chi Kongle were the children of Zhang Ruochen and Empress Chi Yao, but none of them dared to speak the truth.
That was the Empress's taboo.
Zhang Ruochen stared deeply at Chi Wansui, recalling many past events.
He and Chi Wansui had been enemies, but they had also fought side by side. Back then, Chi Wansui had acted with honor and integrity, never resorting to the kind of underhanded schemes he used now, manipulating two innocent children.
"Chi—"
Zhang Ruochen withdrew the blood-drenched Abyssal Ancient Sword and said, "The great calamity of the Kunlun Realm is imminent, so I will spare his life. However, your actions have crossed my bottom line. I will cripple one of your arms as a minor punishment and a stern warning."
"Chi chi."
Zhang Ruochen unleashed a ball of Purifying Divine Flame, incinerating Chi Wansui's left arm into ashes.
Chi Wansui let out a muffled groan, his body convulsing uncontrollably, clearly in great pain.
Having done this, Zhang Ruochen felt no joy at all. Instead, he was filled with immense desolation and an indescribable bitterness. Leaving behind a lonely, desolate silhouette, he prepared to depart.
The appearance of Chi Kunlun and Chi Kongle had thrown his heart into turmoil—partly joyful, partly painful. Zhang Ruochen wanted to be alone, to calm his mind and think about how to face them in the future.
The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden said, "Wait."
Zhang Ruochen stopped but did not turn around.
The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden walked over, sensing the deep pain in Zhang Ruochen's heart. She hesitated, unable to speak for a long time.
Qingxiao, however, was more straightforward and said bluntly, "This time, the Kunlun Realm needs your help to attack the Xumi Dao Field left by Xumi Saint Monk in the Truth Heaven Domain."
Zhang Ruochen set aside his dejection and said, "I once promised Luo Xu that I would act once for the Kunlun Realm to repay a past favor. But I am puzzled—the Heavenly Earth Altar of the Kunlun Realm is about to be breached. Why haven't you returned to set up defenses? What is the point of continuing to cultivate in the Truth Heaven Domain?"
The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden said, "One hundred thousand years ago, the Kunlun Realm was riddled with holes by the gods of the Hell Realm. It was Xumi Saint Monk who used his divine power to seal those holes, preserving the Kunlun Realm until now."
"Xumi Saint Monk's divine power has grown thin. Those world holes will open again. When that happens, the Kunlun Realm will turn into a battlefield of flames and war, and all the common people will likely die."
"However, the Empress recently sent a divine decree, telling us that there is something left by Xumi Saint Monk in the Xumi Dao Field. If we can obtain that item, we can activate the Space Inscription Runes and Time Imprints left by Xumi Saint Monk in the various world holes."
"Once those Space Inscription Runes and Time Imprints are activated, though they cannot stop the gods of the Hell Realm, they will be more than enough to deal with the Saint Kings of the Hell Realm."
Zhang Ruochen pondered and said, "Only beings below the Great Saint level can enter the world battlefield to fight. If the Xumi Dao Field truly contains something that can activate the Space Inscription Runes and Time Imprints left by Xumi Saint Monk one hundred thousand years ago, then the Kunlun Realm cultivators will have a fighting chance. They will not have to stand by and watch the Kunlun Realm be plundered by the various subordinate mortal worlds of the Hell Realm and the Heavenly Court Realm."
"Exactly," the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden said.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "When do you plan to attack the Xumi Dao Field?"
The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden said, "Currently, the Xumi Dao Field is occupied by the Paradise Realm, the ruling world of the Western Universe. Additionally, some disciples of the Space Divine Temple and the Time Divine Temple are cultivating there. Even with the activation of the 'Equality for All Living Beings,' it will be extremely difficult to take the Dao Field."
The Paradise Realm was filled with experts, and the methods of the Space Divine Temple and the Time Divine Temple were even more unpredictable.
This would be a hard battle.
The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden continued, "That is why we must prepare thoroughly before making a move. If you are willing to help, we can launch the attack in at most three days."
"Notify me in three days."
Zhang Ruochen agreed to this not only because of his promise to Luo Xu but also because he was very interested in the Xumi Dao Field itself. He was curious about what Xumi Saint Monk had left behind there.
Qingxiao and the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden exchanged glances, both showing joy. With Zhang Ruochen's help, the attack on the Xumi Dao Field would truly have a glimmer of hope.
Zhang Ruochen turned to leave but paused and asked, "If the Hell Realm and the various mortal worlds of the Heavenly Court Realm all send troops to fight in the Kunlun Realm, the Kunlun Realm will likely be destroyed. Have you thought about where the living beings of the Kunlun Realm will go then?"
Hearing this, Qingxiao and the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden understood that Zhang Ruochen still cared about the Kunlun Realm in his heart.
The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden said, "The Empress selected nine Realm Sons and bestowed upon them nine Realm Son Seals. Each Realm Son Seal contains a nascent world. As the cultivation of the Realm Sons deepens, the nascent worlds within the seals become more complete. If they continue to evolve, they will eventually become true worlds."
"If the day comes when the Kunlun Realm is truly destroyed, the Realm Sons will act to gather the living beings of the Kunlun Realm into the worlds within the Realm Son Seals, providing them with another space to survive. Of course, this is the outcome we least wish to see."
Zhang Ruochen asked no further questions. He nodded and walked away, disappearing over the horizon.
Back at the Moon God Dao Field, Xiao Hei and the True Wonder Daoist immediately surrounded Zhang Ruochen.
"So? So? Are they really your son and daughter?" Xiao Hei asked.
Zhang Ruochen was in no mood to discuss this. Without a word, he walked deeper into the Dao Field.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's grim expression, Xiao Hei wisely refrained from pressing further. Instead, he said cheerfully, "I have good news for you. All the Dao Fields of the Guanghan Realm have been taken. Moreover, I have set up formations in those Dao Fields. Ordinary Saint Kings won't be able to break in."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "What about the Imperial Saint Jade?"
Xiao Hei sighed in frustration. "Half a year ago, the Moon God came to the Truth Heaven Domain and took it away."
"The Moon God came to the Truth Heaven Domain?" Zhang Ruochen was surprised.
Xiao Hei nodded. "The Moon God's divine power has recovered significantly. She personally went to negotiate with the gods of the Truth Divine Temple. I don't know what agreement they reached, but now, three people from the Guanghan Realm can come to the Truth Heaven Domain to cultivate each month. When the Moon God came to the Moon God Dao Field, she discovered the Imperial Saint Jade and snatched it from me."
Zhang Ruochen knew well that the Moon God had a very assertive personality. Now that her divine power had grown, she would naturally fight for more benefits for the Guanghan Realm.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen silent, Xiao Hei grinned smugly and said, "Of course, after half a year of my training, the Imperial Saint Jade has already acknowledged me as its master and is cultivating the techniques I passed on to it. Even if it now follows the Moon God for training, I can still command it to do certain things."
"Mm."
Zhang Ruochen walked straight into a forging pavilion, then activated the defensive formation, blocking Xiao Hei and the True Wonder Daoist outside.
The True Wonder Daoist said, "Zhang Ruochen is in a very low mood. It seems those two children really are connected to him. Should we send a message to Miss Mu and ask her to come to the Moon God Dao Field to comfort Zhang Ruochen?"
Xiao Hei rolled his eyes at the True Wonder Daoist. "Are you out of your mind? How can we let Mu Lingxi know about this? Besides, Mu Lingxi left with the Moon God. The Moon God must have some very important task for her, or perhaps she wants to pass on a better cultivation method. Even if we send a message to Mu Lingxi, she probably can't come back immediately."
The True Wonder Daoist said, "Then what do we do? What if Zhang Ruochen becomes completely disheartened..."
"Nonsense!"
Xiao Hei snorted. "Knowing Zhang Ruochen as I do, he will pull through. He will definitely find the best way to handle this. Let's not bring it up again. Let him be alone for a while."
Inside the forging pavilion, Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged on the ground, not cultivating. His eyes were vacant, his mind in a daze.
A day and a night passed before some light returned to Zhang Ruochen's eyes. He let out a long breath and muttered to himself, "If I tell them that I am their father, they will never believe me. Even if they did, it would only bring them more pain."
"The grievances and hatreds between Chi Yao and me should not involve them. They should live happily, not be consumed by hatred."
"Chi Yao, why are you so cruel to your own children? Why do you make them live in hatred? Since you cannot give them love and happiness, why did you bring them into this world? You truly are a cold-blooded and heartless woman!"
But could Zhang Ruochen himself give them love and happiness?
Zhang Ruochen looked up, forcing his eyes open to keep the tears from falling.
Gradually, the moisture in his eyes faded, and his gaze grew more resolute. "Enough! Dwelling on matters of the heart will only weaken a hero's spirit. The priority now is to continuously improve my strength. Otherwise... if they ever face danger in the future, how can I protect them?"
With that, Zhang Ruochen immersed his spirit into his Qi Sea, arriving at the bank of the Tongtian River.
Beneath the Qiankun Realm, the sacred soul of Qing Jin had been suppressed into a mass of green soul mist.
Zhang Ruochen had heard the names "Qing Jin" mentioned by Wu Ying Xianzi and Shang Zihong. It was most likely the name of this sacred soul when it was alive, and it belonged to a formidable figure.
He wondered how powerful the Yi Emperor Bone Staff would become after absorbing this sacred soul mist.