Chapter 1781: Old Acquaintances, Old Places
Of course, Zhang Ruochen was no ordinary man. As soon as he left Qianshui Royal City, he reined in his emotions, burying everything deep within his heart.
There were more important things to do.
Lifting his head, he took a deep breath and sensed something unusual.
"The Qianshui Commandery is merely a remote corner of the Eastern Domain, yet the concentration of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi here has reached such a level. There's even a trace of Heavenly Earth Saint Qi flowing in the air."
"It seems Kunlun Realm is truly beginning to revive."
In the past, the concentration of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi of Qianshui Commandery was less than one-fifth of what it was now.
From this, he could infer that the sacred lands occupied by the first-rate sects and top-tier cults of Kunlun Realm must have even denser Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and Heavenly Earth Saint Qi.
Next, Zhang Ruochen conducted a further investigation.
He discovered that the spatial structure and material hardness of Kunlun Realm had also increased severalfold. Although it was still far from matching the Heavenly Court Realm, it was no weaker than the top thousand great worlds on the Myriad Realms Merit Ranking.
Even the soil seemed to contain spiritual substances, and ordinary weeds grew like green jade.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing just how far Kunlun Realm can go once it fully revives."
Zhang Ruochen transmitted his spiritual power, summoning the True Wonder Little Daoist, the Swallowing Elephant Rabbit, and the Demon Ape from within the city. Then, he mounted the Golden Step Dragon Chariot and flew toward the direction of Yunwu Commandery.
Yunwu Commandery was about a hundred thousand miles from Qianshui Royal City. With the Golden Step Dragon Chariot's current speed, they entered the territory of Yunwu Commandery in less than an hour.
Arriving outside the royal city.
"Finally back!"
Zhang Ruochen jumped off the chariot, gazing at the familiar city in the distance, his mood greatly improved.
Soon, he would see his mother, as well as his fourth brother and ninth sister. If the family could gather together, even just for a simple meal, it would be a truly happy occasion.
These past two years in the Heavenly Court Realm, he had been caught up in constant killing and bloodshed, facing storms of danger every day, with life and death hanging in the balance. Zhang Ruochen's heart was truly weary.
This time, returning to Yunwu Commandery, he planned to take them all into the Qiankun Realm.
If possible, Zhang Ruochen even intended to relocate all the common people of Yunwu Commandery.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen's eyes narrowed slightly. He detected multiple powerful auras emanating from within Yunwu Commandery. Although they were using aura-concealing techniques, they could not escape Zhang Ruochen's perception.
"Four Saint Kings, thirteen Saints. For such a small city as Yunwu Royal City, quite a number of strong practitioners have gathered here."
Yunwu Royal City was not too far from the Thirteenth Merit Post Station, so it wasn't strange for a large number of cultivators to appear. However, Zhang Ruochen had many enemies, so he had to be cautious.
Moreover, Saint Kings from the Paradise Realm and Hell Realm all possessed treasures to conceal their auras, so Zhang Ruochen might not be able to detect them all. There might even be more formidable figures in the city.
"Please don't let anything have happened."
Zhang Ruochen did not want to alert the enemy, so he refrained from releasing his spiritual power to investigate, fearing that an expert might sense it.
He ordered the True Wonder Little Daoist, the Swallowing Elephant Rabbit, and the Demon Ape to wait outside the city. Then, he activated the power of the Buddha Emperor's Buddha Beads, concealed his aura, and quietly entered the city.
In the span of a single breath, Zhang Ruochen appeared inside the royal palace.
He did not find his mother, "Consort Lin," his fourth brother, "Zhang Shaochu," or his ninth sister, "Zhang Yuxi." Zhang Ruochen's heart tightened. Had the thing he feared most finally happened?
Leaving the palace, Zhang Ruochen's eyes were filled with cold light. He was about to reveal his identity and force all the Saints and Saint Kings in Yunwu Royal City to show themselves, hoping to extract some information from them.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen stopped and looked toward the side of the street. He saw an imposing mansion, with a gold-rimmed plaque above the gate bearing two vigorous characters: "Lin Mansion."
A holy light flickered in Zhang Ruochen's pupils. He sensed something amiss and walked toward the gate.
"Clang, clang."
Zhang Ruochen picked up the door knocker and rapped it.
After knocking for a long time, a light footstep finally sounded from inside. The heavy door opened, and a beautiful woman in her early twenties appeared before Zhang Ruochen.
Lin Ningshan.
Zhang Ruochen's cousin.
The young girl who had once looked down on Zhang Ruochen now stood before him again. Just like back then, Zhang Ruochen's heart remained calm, without a trace of emotion.
Lin Ningshan's eyes seemed dazed at first, then, as if recognizing Zhang Ruochen, a hint of joy appeared on her pretty face. But immediately, she tensed up, her expression turning strange.
Over the years, she seemed to have matured considerably, having long lost her former naivety and arrogance.
When she saw Zhang Ruochen, a trace of inferiority flickered across her face. However, she quickly blinked at him anxiously, as if hinting at something.
Zhang Ruochen acted as if he hadn't noticed her hint and said, "It's been so many years. Won't you invite me in for a sit?"
Lin Ningshan's neck stiffened, and she shook her head slightly. But the next moment, her face turned pale, and she quickly nodded, trembling as she said, "Come... come in..."
Zhang Ruochen followed her calmly, limping as he entered the Lin Mansion. After walking about ten zhang,
Suddenly, a gust of Yin Wind descended from above.
Lin Ningshan quickly turned around and shouted, "Be careful!"
Without needing her warning, Zhang Ruochen had already sensed something was wrong. He slowly looked up.
Above him, the Yin Wind condensed into a dark, ferocious ghost shadow, erupting with powerful sacred aura. In an instant, Lin Ningshan was crushed to the ground by that aura, her eyes filled with boundless terror.
But the next moment, she witnessed an even more shocking scene.
Zhang Ruochen stood still, blowing out a breath of air. The ferocious ghost shadow let out a miserable scream, its soul scattered by the force of the breath.
Then, Zhang Ruochen raised his arm and grabbed toward the rockery pond in the distance.
A man in a black robe materialized. He was a spiritual power Saint. It was he who had been controlling a Ghost King, trying to kill Zhang Ruochen.
Realizing he had provoked someone he couldn't afford to offend, the black-robed man immediately activated a sacred technique and fled toward the depths of the Lin Mansion.
Zhang Ruochen pointed a finger, and a sword aura shot from his fingertip.
"Bang."
The black-robed man's body exploded into a cloud of blood mist.
For a long time, Lin Ningshan remained frozen in shock. That black-robed man had been terrifying, like a true god, releasing his sacred might and forcing all the cultivators of the Lin family to kneel.
But before Zhang Ruochen, he was like an ant, killed with a single finger.
Looking at Zhang Ruochen again, Lin Ningshan's eyes were filled with immense reverence. She knelt directly before him and said, "Cousin... please... save Grandfather and Father... please..."
Zhang Ruochen glanced toward the depths of the Lin Mansion and said, "Get up. Lead the way."
He had no good feelings for this Lin Mansion.
If it weren't for inquiring about his mother's whereabouts, Zhang Ruochen wouldn't have set foot inside at all.
Of course, Lin Ningshan's grandfather, Zhang Ruochen's maternal grandfather, was still a decent old man. If he were truly in danger, Zhang Ruochen wouldn't mind lending a hand.
...
The Lin Family Ancestral Hall.
All the members and servants of the Lin family were gathered together, kneeling on the ground. Among them were Lin Ningshan's grandfather, "Lin Jingye," her father, "Lin Fengxian," and her elder brother, "Lin Chenyu."
A seductive woman in a black robe stood among the crowd. Her legs were long and slender, her undergarments extremely short, revealing her snow-white waist and sexy navel. A smile was always on her face.
She was a captivating beauty who could enchant anyone, yet no one dared to have any improper thoughts about her. Instead, everyone trembled in fear.
"Soul Search Secret Art."
The black-robed woman's fingers clawed at the void, surging with black light and mist.
Lin Chenyu's body was enveloped by the black mist and lifted off the ground. The black mist, like tentacles, burrowed into Lin Chenyu's head.
"Ah..."
Lin Chenyu's face twisted in agony as he screamed.
Lin Jingye, as if drawing on some unknown strength, broke through the suppression of the sacred might and stood up abruptly, his eyes red as he roared, "Let Yu'er go! If you want something... come at me, old man!"
The black-robed woman turned to Lin Jingye and smiled, "Fine! Then tell me, where is Zhang Ruochen?"
"I don't know," Lin Jingye said.
"I knew you'd say that, which is why I didn't bother asking you. Using the Soul Search Secret Art directly will naturally yield the information I want. However, my Soul Search Secret Art is quite overbearing. Those subjected to it will all become muddled idiots. Hehe." The black-robed woman let out a seductive laugh.
"Old man, I'll fight you!"
Lin Jingye charged at the black-robed woman, but after only three steps, a bald-headed man beside her stepped forward and swung an iron rod, striking Lin Jingye's knees.
"Crack."
Lin Jingye's legs shattered like porcelain, turning into bloody chunks of flesh.
"Bang." Half of Lin Jingye's body crashed heavily to the ground, drenched in blood, utterly miserable.
"Grandfather."
Lin Ningshan rushed in from outside, knelt down, and cradled Lin Jingye's face, tears streaming from her eyes.
The bald-headed man licked his blood-stained rod and grinned, "Girl, who was that knocking at the door? Has Xie Hong's ghost king already devoured him?"
Lin Ningshan was clearly terrified of the bald-headed man. Her gaze involuntarily drifted toward the corridor.
The bald-headed man sensed something and looked in that direction. He saw a young man limping toward them.
"Where did this cripple come from? Where's Xie Hong?" the bald-headed man bellowed.
He sensed a dangerous aura from the cripple.
"Cripple?"
The black-robed woman also looked over, and her beautiful eyes, like black pearls, widened in shock. "Zhang... Zhang Ruochen..."
The space trembled slightly, and Zhang Ruochen's figure appeared before the black-robed woman.
The black-robed woman's face instantly lost its color. She struck out with both palms simultaneously, converting her spiritual power into lightning, which transformed into dozens of electric dragons that surged toward Zhang Ruochen.
"A spiritual power Saint King, no less."
Zhang Ruochen pressed his palm forward, and a vortex appeared. The lightning rushing toward him automatically reversed direction, striking the black-robed woman instead. The blast sent her flying, crashing through a wall and tumbling into the ancestral hall.
"Shua, shua."
In the Lin Mansion, over a dozen Saint-level cultivators in black robes burst forth with whooshing sounds, surrounding Zhang Ruochen.