Chapter 1827: The Earth Master Appears
In the private room, Zhang Ruochen's gaze was fixed on Kong Hongbi and the other two.
Including Kong Hongbi, the three from the Bright Hall were all trembling, crushed by an invisible pressure that made it hard for them to breathe. There was no helping it—the gap in cultivation was too vast; it would be strange if they weren't terrified.
After applying enough pressure, Zhang Ruochen said calmly, "Hand over the divine stone."
Yuan Che and Guo Song, being of weaker mental fortitude, turned pale as paper upon hearing this.
Kong Hongbi's heart gave a "thud," and his aura became chaotic. "What does the lord mean?"
"I told you to hand over the divine stone, so hand it over. What's all the dawdling for?" Xiang Chunan shouted impatiently.
Murong Yue said coldly, "If it weren't for the divine stone, why would Hua Cangying of the Heavenly Son Saint Mansion personally invite you? If we hadn't saved you just now, you'd already be a dead man."
Kong Hongbi couldn't stay calm. "How is that possible? How did they know I had a divine stone on me?"
Murong Yue replied, "You don't need to know that question. Since the divine stone is on you, hand it over immediately and present it to His Highness."
Kong Hongbi was unwilling to give up the divine stone so easily. "I am the vice hall master of the Central Domain Bright Hall. I may not be able to provoke you, but I doubt you can afford to provoke that Saint Ancestor of the Bright Hall either."
"Are you threatening us?"
Xiang Chunan slammed the table, stood up abruptly, clenched his fists as big as cauldrons, and walked toward Kong Hongbi.
"Bam."
A punch landed on Kong Hongbi's face, sending him flying and crashing into the wall in the corner.
Kong Hongbi's face instantly swelled up like a pig's head.
Xiang Chunan walked over again, ready to continue the beating.
"Fine, I'll give it, I'll give it..."
Feeling the burning pain on his face, Kong Hongbi scrambled to his feet, took out an ice-jade box, and handed it to Xiang Chunan.
Since the fact that he had a divine stone was already exposed, he might as well hand it over cleanly.
Of course, what Kong Hongbi handed over was a Divine Radiance Stone that looked very similar to a divine stone. He only hoped the other party wouldn't recognize the fake.
"If you'd handed over the divine stone earlier, why would you have gotten beaten?"
Xiang Chunan took the ice-jade box and opened the lid. Instantly, a dazzling, brilliant light filled the private room, and a heart-stopping divine might emanated from it.
"It really is a divine stone. Where did these guys get such a good thing?"
Xiang Chunan's face showed amazement as he held the divine stone and quickly walked toward Zhang Ruochen.
Kong Hongbi was secretly delighted. Sure enough, they didn't recognize the divine stone either. It seemed the Divine Radiance Stone would be enough to fool them.
"Lord, the divine stone has been handed over to you. Can you let us leave now?" Kong Hongbi bowed to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen sat on the chair, reached out a hand, grabbed the Divine Radiance Stone, and squeezed it between his five fingers.
"Crack."
With a burst of force from his fingers, cracks spread across the Divine Radiance Stone.
Xiang Chunan looked surprised. "Is the legendary divine stone really this easy to crush?"
Kong Hongbi, Yuan Che, and Guo Song realized the other party had seen through their trick. Their legs went weak, and their whole bodies trembled, almost falling to their knees.
"I gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it. You deserve to die."
Murong Yue's body emitted an icy, bone-chilling demonic aura, and the Green Light Blunt Moon Slash appeared in her hand.
Xiang Chunan realized he had been deceived, and his lungs nearly burst with anger. He roared, "You dared to trick your Grandpa Xiang? Let's see if I don't beat you to death!"
Xiang Chunan clenched his iron fists and rained blows down on Kong Hongbi and the other two.
"Bam, bam."
The sounds of bones breaking and screams rang out, like pigs being slaughtered.
After a moment, Kong Hongbi and the others were beaten until they lay on the ground, unable to get up, their faces and bodies twisted out of shape.
"Enough," Zhang Ruochen said.
Xiang Chunan withdrew his fists and glared fiercely at the three. "If you try any more tricks, I'll grind your bones to powder."
Then, Xiang Chunan searched Kong Hongbi and found a storage bag.
"Big Brother, see if the divine stone is in this storage bag?" Xiang Chunan tossed the bag to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen used a space secret technique to break open the storage bag and searched inside, but he didn't find the divine stone.
"Where is the divine stone?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Kong Hongbi didn't dare meet Zhang Ruochen's eyes. He lowered his head and remained silent.
"Quite the tough nut. Looks like we'll have to use some marrow-extracting, soul-refining torture to make you obediently talk," Xie Chengzi said. He was well-versed in many evil techniques and was ready to use them on Kong Hongbi and the others.
Kong Hongbi's expression shifted slightly. "We were ordered to deliver the divine stone to Yunwu Commandery and hand it over to Zhang Ruochen, the Heir of Time and Space. You've heard of Zhang Ruochen, haven't you? He's a murderous demon king, someone who dares to go toe-to-toe with gods. If you take his divine stone, do you think he'll let you off?"
Kong Hongbi knew that Zhang Ruochen had made a fearsome name for himself in the Heavenly Court realm. Most cultivators wouldn't dare provoke that baleful star.
Mentioning Zhang Ruochen's name might work better than invoking the Bright Hall's Saint Ancestor.
Xiang Chunan was stunned at first, then burst out laughing. He quickly helped Kong Hongbi up. "So it was all a misunderstanding, haha! Brother, don't take it to heart. If you'd said that earlier, how could Old Xiang have hit you so hard?"
Kong Hongbi was overjoyed. So Zhang Ruochen's name really was that effective.
In that case, he should make even better use of this trump card.
Kong Hongbi said, "To be honest, Zhang Ruochen has a deep connection with our Bright Hall. The Saint Ancestor of the Bright Hall and he grew up together like childhood sweethearts. That's why she agreed to gift him the four divine stones."
"So there's that connection."
Xiang Chunan patted Kong Hongbi on the shoulder and made a gesture inviting him to sit. "Sit, brother, let's talk slowly."
Kong Hongbi smiled. "No, I need to deliver the divine stone to Yunwu Commandery immediately. I can't delay any longer."
"Why go to Yunwu Commandery? My big brother is right in front of you. Just give him the divine stone," Xiang Chunan said.
Kong Hongbi was stunned, then realization dawned. It was as if he'd been struck by lightning. His lips trembled. "Zhang... Zhang Ruochen..."
"That's right, it's me."
Zhang Ruochen took off his mask and looked at Kong Hongbi.
Yuan Che and Guo Song fainted on the spot, collapsing to the ground.
Kong Hongbi sucked in a cold breath, forcing himself to stay calm. He squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying. "Great... great... great! I'll give you the divine stone right now."
Kong Hongbi quickly took four sealed divine stones from his brow's Qi Sea and carefully presented them to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen toyed with the divine stones as he asked, "Where is the Bright Hall's Saint Ancestor now?"
Kong Hongbi said, "The Saint Ancestor has gone to the old site of Peacock Villa."
"Has Peacock Villa also become an awakening site?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Kong Hongbi didn't dare hide anything. "Yes."
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "Take your people and return to the Central Domain. If you get intercepted again, you should know what to say, right?"
"Understood, understood."
Kong Hongbi, feeling as if he'd been granted amnesty, took Yuan Che and Guo Song and fled from Tianjue Pavilion like they were escaping.
After getting out, Kong Hongbi was filled with regret. He had been such a coward in front of Zhang Ruochen, like a grandson. Why was he so afraid of him? What was so great about him?
"Hateful! Zhang Ruochen must have been playing with me on purpose." Kong Hongbi gritted his teeth, filled with anger and resentment.
Just then, a group of cultivators passed by Kong Hongbi and entered Tianjue Pavilion.
As soon as this group arrived, the noisy Tianjue Pavilion fell silent. All the cultivators were intimidated by their aura, not even daring to breathe loudly.
The Coming and Going Man and the Going Walker of the Nether God Hall, Hua Cangying of Saint Ze Realm, and several other cultivators whose fame was no less than theirs, all came out from the fifth-floor private rooms to the first floor to welcome this group.
Zhang Ruochen naturally noticed this group. "Who are these people, that the Coming and Going Man, the Going Walker, Hua Cangying, and others all go to greet them together? Huh, it's the Great Xi King of the Soul Realm."
The Great Xi King, named Lian Xi, was one of the fairies on the "Nine Immortal Beauties Chart." She had once joined Shang Zihong and others to besiege Zhang Ruochen. If not for Zhen Yuan and the Compassionate Sailor Fairy stepping in to save him, Zhang Ruochen would have been nine deaths and one life that time.
The nine fairies on the "Nine Immortal Beauties Chart" were not only stunningly beautiful but also immensely powerful and deeply connected.
This Great Xi King was no exception.
Xie Chengzi said, "Xie Canghai of the Black Demon Realm is traveling with them. That's unbelievable."
"Who is Xie Canghai?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Before Xie Chengzi could speak, Luo Yi spoke first. "The cultivators of the Black Demon Realm all practice techniques derived from the thirty-six 'Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions,' representing thirty-six lineages. Xie Canghai is the cultivator below the Great Saint realm in the Black Demon Realm who has mastered the 'Heavenly Demon Blood Axe Diagram' most deeply. His strength is formidable. Even that talented Great Xi King is just a little girl compared to him."
"That powerful?" Xiang Chunan said.
Luo Yi nodded and continued, "The Black Heart Demon Ancestor assigned a special task to Xie Canghai and thirty-five other cultivators: to find thirty-six Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription tablets and bring them back to the Black Demon Realm. It's said that before they came to the Kunlun Realm, the Black Heart Demon Ancestor bestowed various means upon them. In short, none of these thirty-six cultivators are easy to deal with."
Xiang Chunan said, "Is this Xie Canghai the one they've come to welcome?"
"No, there's someone standing in front of Xie Canghai... that person..." Zhang Ruochen frowned.
The person standing in front of Xie Canghai was unfathomably profound. He was clearly standing there, and his figure and features were visible. But the moment Zhang Ruochen saw him clearly, he forgot everything, unable to recall what he looked like at all.
Even Luo Yi, who could make Hua Cangying kneel, now had a grim expression. Clearly, the newcomer made him extremely wary.
"I don't believe it!"
Luo Yi mobilized his powerful spiritual power, opened his Heavenly Eye, and stared at that person.
Just then, the person sensed it. He stopped exchanging pleasantries with the Coming and Going Man and the others, looked up toward the fifth-floor private room, and a divine light shone from his pupils.
Immediately, Luo Yi let out a muffled groan. Blood flowed from his eyes, and he nearly fell backward.
Zhang Ruochen quickly reached out a hand to support Luo Yi, his heart filled with shock and awe.
Luo Yi's spiritual power was far stronger than Zhang Ruochen's, yet he couldn't withstand a single glance from the other party. How was that possible?
Who in the world was that person downstairs?
Luo Yi clutched his chest, his Sacred Heart aching as if it would split. His voice trembled. "Earth Master... that person is the Earth Master..."
(End of Chapter)