Chapter 1776: Winds and Clouds Shift, the Great Era Has Arrived
After a long time.
A heavy voice came from the blood-red divine temple: "In the Heavenly Court, divine wars are forbidden. I, the Master, cannot break the rules either. In this matter, the fault indeed lies with Yan God and Second-Grade Blood Ancestor. How can they be released? Name your terms!"
From then on, the conversation between Moon God and the master of the blood-red divine temple could no longer be heard by anyone.
An agreement of some sort was reached, and in the end, Moon God released Yan God and Second-Grade Blood Ancestor from Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron.
However, Yan God and Second-Grade Blood Ancestor seemed to have lost something within the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron, and they were clearly weakened to an extreme degree.
The two gods glared toward Moon God Mountain, a sense of unprecedented humiliation and rage surging within them. Finally, they transformed into two beams of divine light and flew toward the blood-red divine temple suspended in the sky.
Moments later, the blood-red divine temple vanished, hidden within the void.
Yan God and Second-Grade Blood Ancestor appeared before the Blood War Divine Temple. The two gods had already concealed their emotions, displaying a majestic bearing as they conversed with the master of the temple.
Yan God's pupils flickered with the light of flames. "I, this god, and Second-Grade Blood Ancestor have both had ninety percent of our divine blood, a large number of divine thoughts, and divine souls drained by Moon God. Our vitality is severely damaged, and we cannot recover in a short time. This is truly hard to swallow."
A vast, distant voice came from the temple: "When mistakes are made, punishment must be received. Even gods are no exception. You two are to blame for the mess that has unfolded."
Yan God fell silent, offering no excuses.
The victor is king, the loser a bandit.
Failure was the greatest mistake, and no amount of excuses would change that.
Second-Grade Blood Ancestor said, "Master, this disciple does not understand. Why compromise with Moon God? This disciple does not believe that Master truly fears Moon God's threats. Even if she could truly break into Paradise Realm, destroy the Blood War Divine Temple, and slaughter the living beings of Paradise Realm, in the end, she would only meet her death. In a situation where both sides perish, under normal circumstances, Moon God would not act."
The voice from the temple spoke again: "Today's events have already exceeded our expectations. Someone from the Heavenly Palace has already spoken, declaring this matter over. If we continue, the situation will only worsen, bringing us no benefit."
Second-Grade Blood Ancestor frowned. "Someone from the Heavenly Palace? Who? Why would they not even give face to Master?"
"The one guarding the Heavenly River."
Second-Grade Blood Ancestor and Yan God exchanged a glance, and then they had nothing more to say.
...
The storm that erupted in the Shatuo Heaven Domain spread like raging waves, quickly reaching the entire Heavenly Court and even various mortal realms.
Previously, few cultivators had heard of the Shatuo Heaven Domain, but now it, along with the Guanghan Realm and Kunlun Realm, instantly became renowned.
Moon God, who had long been forgotten by cultivators, was truly recognized by this generation of cultivators through this battle.
The name Moon God became thunderous.
Of course, the world of gods was beyond the understanding of most cultivators, and they dared not discuss it casually. Thus, Zhang Ruochen, a young Saint King, became the focus of discussion among cultivators across myriad realms.
Zhang Ruochen's actions in the Truth Heaven Domain had only made him known to the most top-tier favored sons of heaven.
But the battle at Moon God Mountain made him famous throughout the Heavenly Court, turning him into a hotly debated figure among the Saint realm. Even the immensely popular geniuses on lists like the "Saint King Merit Ranking" and "Assassin Heavenly King Ranking" had their limelight stolen by him.
After all, he was likely the only one who, as a Saint King, could influence a divine war.
Thousand Star Heaven Domain.
The Thousand Star Heaven Domain was a cultivation territory allocated to the Thousand Star Civilization by Paradise Realm. The concentration of Heaven and Earth Saint Qi was more than ten times that of the Shatuo Heaven Domain, and the activity of Heaven and Earth Rules far surpassed it, making it a top-tier heaven domain.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden said, "This guy is truly formidable. He dares to directly confront gods. His mental fortitude far surpasses mine. I must work harder to temper my heart."
Death God Temple.
Han Qiu, upon hearing the news of the divine war at Moon God Mountain, revealed a smile on her delicate face. "As expected of the man I have my eyes on. He is truly extraordinary."
Then, with some concern, she added, "I hope he didn't die in that divine war."
A Le wiped the sword in his hand and murmured, "Zhang Ruochen definitely won't die. Even if he does, he'll fight his way back from the gates of hell. His life is tougher than anyone's."
This divine war did not have a lasting impact, as it was soon overshadowed by another, even more shocking piece of news.
One hundred thousand years ago, the Kunlun Realm, ranked in the top five of the "Myriad Realms Merit Ranking," was breached by the Hell Realm. As a subordinate mortal realm of the Heavenly Court Realm, the gods of the Heavenly Palace rushed to protect the Kunlun Realm at the first moment, blocking the invasion of the Hell Realm.
The Kunlun Realm was one of the few eternal, undying great worlds in the universe. Throughout history, it had produced many legendary figures and left behind countless divine traces, opportunities, and inheritances.
Even though the Kunlun Realm had declined, it remained a treasure land coveted even by gods, and naturally, it could not be allowed to fall into the hands of the Hell Realm.
A shocking divine war erupted in the starry sky not far from the Kunlun Realm.
The gods of the Heavenly Palace and the Ten Clans of Hell fought until a vast, boundless stretch of starry sky fell silent. Countless stars were annihilated, turning into dense, fiery orbs that streaked across the night sky.
Every night, meteor showers fell.
All cultivators grew tense and uneasy, fearing that this war would escalate into a brutal conflict like one hundred thousand years ago, causing the fall of nearly half the gods and the destruction of over a thousand realms.
A month later, the divine war in the starry sky ended.
A piece of news spread through the Heavenly Court Realm: "Gods have fallen in the starry sky. The gods of the Heavenly Court Realm and the Hell Realm, unwilling to let the situation spiral out of control, have ceased fighting."
Cultivators from all worlds let out long sighs of relief.
But they understood that the Hell Realm would never let the matter rest so easily. Since the divine war had ended, the armies of Saint realm cultivators from the Hell Realm were likely already on their way to the Kunlun Realm.
The Kunlun Realm had become a battlefield between the Heavenly Court Realm and the Hell Realm.
This was the outcome both the gods of the Heavenly Court Realm and the Hell Realm wanted to see. From now on, it would be a matter of each relying on their own skills, competing for the various treasures and opportunities within the Kunlun Realm.
...
Merit Divine Temple.
Shang Zihong clasped his fists and bowed toward a mass of three-colored divine mist above. "Greetings, Master."
Yan God's voice came from the divine mist. "Zihong, you have not disappointed your master. Not only did you endure the purgatory punishment within the Life and Death Purgatory Furnace, but your physical body has become even stronger, and your cultivation has already broken through to the Eight-Step Saint King realm, correct?"
"Yes," Shang Zihong replied calmly.
"Very well. This time, you will lead the team to the Kunlun Realm."
Shang Zihong's gaze was restrained, showing no emotional fluctuation. "I am too young. There are many senior brothers and sisters who are stronger and more experienced than I am. It would be better for them to lead the team."
"You need not be modest. Although you are indeed slightly weaker than them now, your potential far surpasses theirs. Once you break through to the Nine-Step Saint King realm, even those on the 'Saint King Merit Ranking' will be unable to do anything to you."
"Do not say you have no ambition. This trip to the Kunlun Realm is the time to showcase your abilities. There, you may obtain supreme opportunities and forge an immortal sacred body that will leave other Great Saints in the dust."
Shang Zihong no longer refused. "Will Great Saints participate in the battle?"
"Great Saints cannot enter the Kunlun Realm. Their battlefield lies outside the Kunlun Realm. You all are the true main force of this war," Yan God's voice rang out.
Shang Zihong asked again, "What about the native Great Saints of the Kunlun Realm?"
"Do not worry. They will leave the Kunlun Realm."
Yan God continued, "Since the Kunlun Realm seeks the protection of the Heavenly Court Realm, it must naturally abide by the rules of the Heavenly Court Realm. Remember, this time, not only must you clash with the Hell Realm, but you must also take the opportunity to cut off the path of the Kunlun Realm. Additionally, eliminate Zhang Ruochen. Do not let him continue to stir up trouble. If he breaks through to the Great Saint realm, it will be difficult to deal with."
...
Ruiya Realm.
The voice of You God sounded within a dark space, filled with intense fury. "You two will lead the army to the Kunlun Realm this time. You must capture all living beings related to Zhang Ruochen at the first opportunity, force him to appear, kill him, extract his sacred soul, and bring it before me."
"Rest assured, Master. We will make Zhang Ruochen wish he were dead rather than alive."
Below You God stood a man and a woman.
The man was three meters tall, with a burly physique, radiating black sacred light. Tens of millions of sacred dao rules flowed across his skin. It was hard to imagine that this was only a Nine-Step Saint King. After all, a Nine-Step Saint King who could cultivate ten million sacred dao rules was already an extremely formidable existence.
The woman wore a sexy black robe and held a wooden staff, revealing two extremely fair legs. It could be imagined that beneath the black robe lay an absolute enchantress. However, the spiritual power fluctuations emanating from her were not much weaker than the sacred dao aura of the burly man.
...
Black Demon Realm.
The phantom of Black Heart Demon Lord stood in the sky. "You are the top geniuses among the Saint Kings of the Black Demon Realm who have cultivated the thirty-six diagrams of the 'Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription' to the highest level. When you go to the Kunlun Realm, you must find the thirty-six true inscriptions of the 'Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription' and bring them back to the Black Demon Realm. Additionally, there are two other tasks: eliminate Zhang Ruochen and find Qiangu Nüdi."
"Yes."
Thirty-six Saint King realm beings knelt on one knee below, all of them top-tier experts below the Great Saint realm.
Qiong Lin, the leader of the Black Demon Realm in the Truth Heaven Domain, was the youngest among them. The aura emanating from him was much weaker compared to the other thirty-five.
Further away, countless demonic cultivators knelt, all with Saint realm cultivation. At a glance, one could only see a sea of people.
...
Blood War Divine Temple.
After Fourth-Grade Blood Ancestor issued the divine decree, a patch of blood-red light spots, like rain of blood, flew toward the direction of the teleportation array.
Each light spot was a Saint realm cultivator.
...
In the vast, boundless starry sky, there was a massive star. It took twelve fixed stars to orbit around it to illuminate it.
Even the fixed stars seemed somewhat small in comparison.
Rakshasa Princess Luo Sha, wearing a thin Ten Thousand Saint Plain Garment, sat atop a war chariot.
Behind the war chariot followed a Rakshasa army, slowly moving toward a spatial rift.
Rakshasa Princess's snow-white jade fingers gently touched her crimson lips as she muttered to herself, "I'm really looking forward to it. I wonder if that guy will return to the Kunlun Realm? My destined one, you must come."
...
(Many readers have speculated that Chi Yao used hatred to force Zhang Ruochen, tempering his mental fortitude and making him grow through adversity, which is why she killed him and kept deceiving him, never telling him the truth. Uh... I can only say that everyone's imagination is too limited! Is it really that simple? And thinking like that is really a bit far-fetched! Everyone, let your minds wander a bit more...)