Chapter 2014: Old Matters of Eight Hundred Years Ago
Not long after, a piece of news spread from the Hell Realm.
"I heard that old monk Xumi's heir is quite arrogant. Back then, my father had the chance to devour old monk Xumi and always regretted missing that opportunity. Now that Xumi's heir has appeared, let this Divine Son devour him instead. Zhang Ruochen's life belongs to me, and no one else can touch it."
These words came from the Ghost Lord's Eighth Son, spoken with overbearing dominance, much like Zhou Yu of the Paradise Realm, as if he had already claimed Zhang Ruochen.
Who was the Ghost Lord? He was a titan among the Ghost Clan in the Hell Realm, having survived twelve Ghost Tribulations and cultivated the legendary Chaotic Ghost Body, with strength beyond imagination.
He had a total of nine sons, each exceptionally talented, though most had already grown to the Great Saint Realm, with only the Eighth Son and Ninth Son still in the Saint King Realm.
Previously, the Ghost Lord's Ninth Son, Chang, had appeared at Luo River, first driven back by Old Mother Qushan, and later, when the Heavenly Beginning Fairy emerged from seclusion, she annihilated him, body and soul.
As for the Ghost Lord's Eighth Son, his strength was undoubtedly many times greater than Chang's. He was the number one Saint King among the Ghost Clan in the Hell Realm, with power no less than Zhou Yu's.
Rumor had it that he was a divine disciple of the Darkness Temple, specializing in the Path of Darkness, with unpredictable and sinister methods. Those who opposed him would ultimately be mercilessly devoured.
"Being targeted by both Zhou Yu and the Ghost Lord's Eighth Son at the same time—does Zhang Ruochen still have a way out?"
"People really should keep a low profile. What is too rigid breaks easily."
"Zhang Ruochen isn't weak now either, and he's the Heir of Time and Space. He shouldn't be killed that easily."
"So what if he's the Heir of Time and Space? He's still too young and falls short compared to the top-tier powerhouses."
...
Everyone understood that Zhang Ruochen had been making too much noise recently, angering both the Paradise Realm and the Hell Realm simultaneously.
On the surface, it was Zhou Yu and the Ghost Lord's Eighth Son who had spoken out to deal with Zhang Ruochen.
But in reality, those targeting Zhang Ruochen were far more than just these two. It was only that others were not as high-profile as Zhou Yu and the Ghost Lord's Eighth Son.
However, no matter how chaotic the outside world became, within the Peacock Manor, everything remained calm.
Zhang Ruochen, the focus of attention from all sides, paid no heed to what was happening outside. He devoted himself entirely to healing within the Peacock Manor.
It took a full half-month before Zhang Ruochen emerged from his secluded cultivation ground.
By then, Zhang Ruochen had not only fully recovered from his injuries but also completely consolidated his cultivation, reaching a new peak in spirit, energy, and vitality.
"Zhang Ruochen, you really know how to stir up trouble! You've got the style of this Emperor back in the day. Now you've become the center of attention, and plenty of people have declared they want your life," Xiao Hei said with a hint of schadenfreude.
Zhang Ruochen replied calmly, "It's not that I love trouble, but trouble always finds me. Over the years, too many have wanted my life. If my life weren't tough enough, I'd have died countless times by now."
Since leaving Yunwu Commandery, he had faced countless hardships and dangers, enduring numerous life-and-death ordeals. The fact that he was still alive seemed incredible to many.
"If anyone wants to touch our junior brother, they'll have to get through us first," Jin Yu said with a snort.
Zhang Ruochen said, "There's no need to overthink this. I'm not someone they can easily manipulate. If they want to kill me, they'd better be prepared to be killed in return."
"Compared to these matters, I'm more interested in uncovering some old events from eight hundred years ago."
Hearing this, the expressions of Kong Lanyou, Jin Yu, and the others shifted slightly.
Kong Lanyou let out a soft sigh and said, "Cousin, I know you care deeply about Grandfather's usurpation of power back then. The reasons behind it, you've probably already guessed."
"Grandfather seized power for two reasons. First, Uncle-in-law went missing, leaving the Sacred Bright realm leaderless and in chaos. Grandfather was always ambitious, so he naturally wanted to take control of the Sacred Bright court."
"Second, Grandfather was under the control of Xue Hou. Chi Yao wasn't wrong. Back then, Grandfather transformed into a Seven-Colored Peacock and swallowed Xue Hou into his belly, but he failed to kill her. Instead, Xue Hou broke through her cultivation and left behind a terrible blood poison. After that, Xue Hou used the Blood Soul Art to control Grandfather."
"Xue Hou originally wanted to use Grandfather to fully control the Sacred Bright court. But then the Chi Qing Central Empire launched a war. The Sacred Bright realm was in chaos and couldn't withstand the attack of the Chi Qing Central Empire. It quickly fell apart."
"I only learned about these things later. I can only say that it was all a twist of fate. If Uncle-in-law hadn't disappeared, no matter how powerful Xue Hou's methods were, she couldn't have thrown the Sacred Bright realm into chaos."
Speaking of those events, Kong Lanyou's voice was filled with emotion and regret. Reality was truly too cruel.
The uncle-in-law she referred to was naturally Zhang Ruochen's father, Ming Emperor.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen fell silent. According to Kong Lanyou, Xue Hou was indeed still alive. That meant the identity of the person in the Endless Abyss who wanted to see him was already clear.
"How is this matter related to Xue Hou?" Jin Yu asked curiously.
Not only him, but Luo Chen and Bao Lie were also full of doubt.
Although they were disciples of Ming Emperor, they did not know the relationship between Ming Emperor and Xue Hou.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Because Xue Hou was the birth mother of my previous life."
Since there were no outsiders here, he did not hold back and directly revealed this huge secret.
"Master's wife is Xue Hou? How is that possible?"
Jin Yu, Luo Chen, and Bao Lie all exclaimed in shock, finding it hard to believe.
Who was Xue Hou? She was the strongest of the Undying Blood Clan eight hundred years ago, with immense power. Even Ming Emperor could not overcome her; he had to join forces with Qing Emperor just to contend with her.
Even now, to Jin Yu and the other two, Xue Hou was still a terrifying figure from legend.
Zhang Ruochen showed a bitter expression and said, "I don't want to believe it either, but that's the truth. I hate the Undying Blood Clan, yet the birth mother of my previous life was from the Undying Blood Clan. How ironic."
"Everything was Xue Hou's scheme. Even Uncle-in-law was almost deceived by her. Cousin, you've already died once and have no connection to the Undying Blood Clan anymore. So there's no need to trouble yourself over this," Kong Lanyou said, trying to comfort him.
Jin Yu nodded and said, "Lanyou is right. We don't care about Xue Hou. All we know is that you are Zhang Ruochen, the son of Ming Emperor, our junior brother. Nothing else matters."
"That's right. The bond between us brothers will never change," Bao Lie added.
Luo Chen didn't speak but nodded seriously, placing a hand on Zhang Ruochen's shoulder.
Looking around at Kong Lanyou and his three senior brothers, Zhang Ruochen nodded firmly and said, "I understand all of this. Don't worry, I won't dwell on this matter too much."
The way Kong Lanyou and the others treated him truly moved Zhang Ruochen. So what if the birth mother of his previous life was Xue Hou? After his rebirth, he had no further ties to the Undying Blood Clan and would never side with them.