Chapter 2052: Blasphemy Against the Gods
Hearing Zhang Ruochen's threatening words, Blood Float Great Saint's eyes immediately filled with intense killing intent.
"How dare you! A mere Saint King dares to shout in front of me? Are you looking for death?"
As he spoke, Blood Float Great Saint reached out a hand, releasing highly condensed Blood Fiend Qi that enveloped Zhang Ruochen. He had been looking for a suitable excuse to strike, and since Zhang Ruochen had willingly delivered himself, he naturally would not let the opportunity pass.
Jiemie Great Emperor was about to intervene, but another person moved faster. A surge of vast, righteous haoran zhengqi flew out, easily dispersing the Blood Fiend Qi.
A spirited old man in a Confucian robe stood before Blood Float Great Saint, his expression stern, exuding authority without anger.
He was none other than one of the Nine Emperors of Kunlun Realm from eight hundred years ago—Emperor Wen.
"Blood Float, you are the one who is too reckless. Do you truly believe Kunlun Realm has no one?"
Emperor Wen shouted, and streaks of white light surged from within him, transforming into even denser haoran zhengqi.
Ordinarily, Emperor Wen was extremely kind, like a seventy- or eighty-year-old scholar, gentle, refined, and unassuming, no different from an ordinary old man.
But once angered, the situation was entirely different. As a being who had achieved the title of Emperor, his dignity was not to be offended.
Emperor Wen was one of the most profound and unfathomable Great Saints of Kunlun Realm, infinitely close to godhood. Only a handful of beings, such as the Peach Tree and the Begonia Spirit Ancestor, could rival him. What he lacked was merely an opportunity to become a god.
With a Great Saint from the Hell Realm daring to act recklessly in Kunlun Realm, Emperor Wen, as a native Great Saint of Kunlun Realm, naturally could not stand idly by.
Jiemie Great Emperor also stepped forward at this moment, saying coldly, "Blood Float, you want to kill the Divine Envoy of my Guanghan Realm? Do you believe I can annihilate you right now?"
Seeing Emperor Wen and Jiemie Great Emperor successively step forward with such force, Hunling Great Saint of the Heavenly Court furrowed his brow slightly. "Blood Float, although you are an envoy of the Hell Realm, you must still abide by the rules. Otherwise, I will have to ask you to leave Kunlun Realm."
Regardless, Kunlun Realm was under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court. Allowing an envoy of the Hell Realm to act recklessly would undoubtedly be a slap in the face to the Heavenly Court.
Moreover, they had come to the Blood God Sect this time to investigate matters concerning Blood Lingxian. It would be unwise to stir up additional trouble, as it would only complicate things further.
After being warned by three people in succession, Blood Float Great Saint's gaze turned extremely dark. He wanted to lash out immediately, but after careful consideration, he held back.
His goal for this trip had not yet been achieved. He had not been able to catch the Blood God Sect in a fault to rescue Blood Butcher. If he caused a fallout now, it would undoubtedly be a loss outweighing any gain.
Thus, Blood Float Great Saint quickly calmed his emotions and fully retracted his aura.
"I merely wished to quickly clarify the situation regarding Blood Lingxian, and I may have been a bit impatient. After all, this concerns the rules of the Merit Battlefield. If uncontrollable factors arise, you all should know well what the consequences would be," Blood Float Great Saint said calmly.
His words were spoken with great righteousness, leaving no room for anyone to find fault.
Emperor Wen withdrew his aura, once again becoming refined and detached, exuding a sense of transcendence.
Jiemie Great Emperor, on the other hand, cast a cold glance at Blood Float Great Saint before walking toward Zhang Ruochen.
If Blood Float Great Saint were not an envoy dispatched by the Hell Realm, he would have truly wanted to slap him into a pool of flesh.
"Zhang Ruochen, have Blood Lingxian come out immediately."
A cold voice suddenly rang out.
The speaker was a valiant man clad in golden armor, nine feet tall, with long golden hair. He held a jade scepter and had three pairs of white wings behind him, radiating dazzling holy light.
Jiemie Great Emperor had just reached Zhang Ruochen's side and secretly transmitted a message: "This man is Aosi Great Saint of the Paradise Realm, hailing from the Radiant Divine Temple. He is the senior brother of Zhou Yu, both under the same god. He has lived for over ten thousand years, and his strength is unfathomable."
"As for the other four envoys, Emperor Wen belongs to Kunlun Realm, so you should not be unfamiliar with him. The white-haired Hunling Great Saint represents the Heavenly Court and is extremely powerful. The one clad in pitch-black demon armor is Heiyu Great Saint, whose true form is a ferocious demonic bird, representing the Black Demon Realm."
"As for the one who just attacked, he is Blood Float Great Saint of the Hell Realm. He has long fought on the Merit Battlefield, and many Great Saints from the Heavenly Court side have fallen by his hand."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred, giving him a rough understanding of these six xuntianshi.
His thoughts racing, Zhang Ruochen turned his gaze to Aosi Great Saint and said, neither humble nor arrogant, "Blood Lingxian was slain by our sect's Blood God Ancestor in the Middle Ages. What remains is merely a single holy thought. After being used once, it dissipated into nothingness. Therefore, I have no way to make Blood Lingxian reappear."
"Sophistry! How could a mere holy thought, dormant for over a hundred thousand years, easily suppress so many top-tier Saint Kings? In my view, that was likely not Blood Lingxian's holy thought at all, but a Great Saint-level expert hidden within the Blood God Sect," Aosi Great Saint shouted coldly.
Heiyu Great Saint stepped forward, his eyes sharp, and said in a deep voice, "The rules of the Merit Battlefield cannot be broken by anyone. Zhang Ruochen, since you claim it was Blood Lingxian's holy thought that acted and has already dissipated, why are you afraid of an investigation?"
Ever since the biangu at the Blood God Sect, xuntianshi had been watching the sect from the Nine Heavens above, and no one had entered or left during that time.
Moreover, the more Zhang Ruochen obstructed them, the more it indicated that something was amiss.
"Zhang Ruochen, step aside immediately. I will personally investigate this altar. If you dare to hinder me, do not blame me for showing no mercy," Blood Float Great Saint seized the opportunity to speak, his tone extremely domineering.
Seeing someone from the Heavenly Court side targeting the Blood God Sect, Blood Float Great Saint was more than happy to witness it. The more severe the internal conflict, the more advantageous it was for him.
After all, if the five xuntianshi of the Heavenly Court united and stood together against external forces, he would indeed find it difficult to make a move.
Hunling Great Saint pondered for a moment, then looked at Zhang Ruochen and said, "The Heavenly Court has ordered that this matter must be thoroughly investigated. Therefore, the entire Blood God Sect must cooperate."
Who dared to defy the Heavenly Court's command?
Zhang Ruochen understood that unless he got to the bottom of this, the four envoys of the Heavenly Court, Paradise Realm, Black Demon Realm, and Hell Realm would not let the matter rest.
With this in mind, Zhang Ruochen said solemnly, "Since the Heavenly Court has issued an order, I will naturally cooperate fully. However, if anyone attempts to wantonly destroy the Blood God Sect, I will absolutely not allow it."
"You can rest assured on that point," Hunling Great Saint said.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen said no more.
At that moment, Aosi Great Saint's gaze swept over Zhou Yu, who was imprisoned on the Blood God Altar, and his eyes turned cold. In a low voice, he said, "Zhang Ruochen, release Zhou Yu and Mo Sheng immediately."
Few knew exactly what agreement the Paradise Realm faction had reached with the Moon God, but Aosi Great Saint was well aware of it.
Five top-tier wuxing divine objects, sixty thousand divine stones, and allowing Guanghan Realm to relocate to the excellent cultivation conditions of the Ziluo Heaven Domain—the Paradise Realm faction had paid an enormous price this time.
If this were anywhere else, Aosi Great Saint would have truly wanted to kill Zhang Ruochen on the spot to wash away this humiliation.
Jiemie Great Emperor took out a space pouch and handed it to Zhang Ruochen. "This is what the Moon God asked me to give you. Release them."
Zhang Ruochen quickly reached out to take it. With a sweep of his spiritual power, he confirmed that it contained five top-tier wuxing divine objects and twenty divine stones. He nodded slightly.
With a wave of his hand, Zhang Ruochen released the restraints on Zhou Yu and Mo Sheng, sending them down from the Blood God Altar.
Zhou Yu and Mo Sheng's expressions were extremely unpleasant. Without a word, they retreated behind their respective Great Saints. Their dignity had been thoroughly shattered this time, and anything they said would be useless.
"There are also the other cultivators from the Black Demon Realm," Heiyu Great Saint said.
The Paradise Realm faction had paid such a heavy price not only for Zhou Yu and Mo Sheng but also for the other suppressed cultivators from the Black Demon Realm.
Losing over a thousand Saint King-level experts in one go would undoubtedly be a severe blow to the Black Demon Realm.
Zhang Ruochen said nothing. He flipped his hand and took out a space linglongqiu, straightforwardly releasing the Black Demon Realm cultivators he had suppressed.
"Hand over the traitors of the Black Demon Realm," Heiyu Great Saint said again.
The "traitors" he referred to were naturally Du Mosheng, Pei Linhu, and the others.
Zhang Ruochen was well aware of Heiyu Great Saint's intentions. He simply felt that Du Mosheng and the others defecting to the Blood God Sect trampled on the dignity of the Black Demon Realm and needed to be eliminated.
Thus, Zhang Ruochen declared loudly, "Du Mosheng and the others are now members of my Blood God Sect. Please forgive me, but I cannot hand them over."
"I am going to clean house, and no one can stop me," Heiyu Great Saint said with extreme dominance.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze hardened. "Then you can try."
Hearing this, Heiyu Great Saint's body exuded a terrifying killing intent. A mere Saint King junior dared to defy him like this—truly ignorant of life and death.
Jiemie Great Emperor stepped forward, neutralizing Heiyu Great Saint's killing intent. "Heiyu, are you trying to break the rules? Those who have defected from the Black Demon Realm are none of your business now."
Seeing Jiemie Great Emperor intervene, Heiyu Great Saint's expression grew even darker.
"We are here to investigate Blood Lingxian's situation. Put all personal matters aside for now and do not delay the main task," Emperor Wen said, extremely calmly.
Hunling Great Saint nodded. "Let us focus on the main task. I still need to return to the Heavenly Court to report as soon as possible."
Hearing this, Heiyu Great Saint could no longer continue to trouble Zhang Ruochen. The matter of cleaning house would have to be set aside for now.
Zhang Ruochen remained calm and unruffled, casually grabbing Blood Butcher and tossing him into the space linglongqiu.
This action, however, caught the attention of Blood Float Great Saint, whose eyes flashed with a fierce light.
"Zhang Ruochen, release Blood Butcher, and I will pretend nothing happened and immediately leave the Blood God Sect," Blood Float Great Saint transmitted secretly.
The corners of Zhang Ruochen's mouth lifted slightly as he transmitted back, "If you want me to release Blood Butcher, it's not impossible. Give me a Supreme Sacred Artifact."
Hearing Zhang Ruochen's conditions, Blood Float Great Saint's mouth twitched involuntarily. A Supreme Sacred Artifact—Zhang Ruochen really dared to ask.
How precious were Supreme Sacred Artifacts? Many Great Saint-level experts did not even possess one.
"Do you think a Supreme Sacred Artifact is something trivial? I can give you at most a top-tier Ten-Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifact. You should know that if I catch you in a fault, you will not only get nothing but also face great trouble," Blood Float Great Saint transmitted again.
Zhang Ruochen transmitted back, "Threatening me? Unfortunately, I don't fall for that. Without a Supreme Sacred Artifact, don't even think about getting Blood Butcher back."
"You..."
Blood Float Great Saint was furious, his chest burning with rage.
A mere Saint King junior dared to be so arrogant in front of him—truly unforgivable.
Zhang Ruochen, however, acted as if nothing had happened, waving his hand to also store the Azure Heaven Sacred Dragon into the space linglongqiu.
Seeing this, Zhou Yu clenched his fists. That dragon had cost him immense effort to capture in the desolate secret realm. He had intended to make it his mount, but now it had fallen into Zhang Ruochen's hands.
After doing all this, Zhang Ruochen gracefully left the Blood God Altar to allow the envoys from all sides to conduct their investigation.
Although these six envoys were powerful, they had only descended as avatars into the Blood God Sect. He hoped that using space bubbles to conceal that blood mist space would be enough to fool them.
Soon, all six xuntianshi ascended the Blood God Altar and began a thorough investigation.
Blood Float Great Saint, Aosi Great Saint, and Heiyu Great Saint, in particular, examined the most meticulously, leaving no stone unturned.
Zhang Ruochen appeared calm on the surface but was quite nervous inside, fearing something might go wrong.
At one point, Emperor Wen suddenly cast a meaningful glance his way, causing Zhang Ruochen's heart to skip a beat.
Zhang Ruochen immediately realized that Emperor Wen was a leader of the Confucian path and a top-tier spiritual power Great Saint. In terms of investigative ability, no one could compare to him.
The space bubbles he had created, though ingenious, might not escape Emperor Wen's spiritual power detection.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was growing tense, Emperor Wen's gentle voice rang in his ear: "At your level of cultivation, you can already create space bubbles—I am quite surprised. However, it is not enough. These people are not so easily fooled. Do not worry; I will never let outsiders know the secrets of Kunlun Realm. They will find nothing."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen breathed a silent sigh of relief. With Emperor Wen's covert assistance, there should be no further mishaps.
He suspected that Emperor Wen knew far more secrets than he did, perhaps even the secrets hidden within this Blood God Altar.
Emperor Wen closed his eyes, appearing to do nothing, yet his aura vanished completely, as if he had become a pine, a bamboo, or a stone—somewhat eerie. Zhang Ruochen guessed that he was using some spiritual power technique to interfere with the perceptions of the other five xuntianshi.
"How can this be? Could Blood Lingxian be hiding beneath this altar?" Blood Float Great Saint furrowed his brow.
Immediately, he wanted to go beneath the Blood God Altar.
Zhang Ruochen snorted coldly. "The underground is where the Blood God Ancestor rests. No one is allowed to enter."
"No matter what place it is, as long as there is suspicion, I must investigate," Blood Float Great Saint sneered.
Without waiting for Zhang Ruochen to respond, Blood Float Great Saint directly flew toward the underground space beneath the Blood God Altar.
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly, then relaxed. The underground of the Blood God Altar contained only the divine corpse of the Blood God. No matter how thoroughly Blood Float Great Saint investigated, he would find nothing.
Blood Float Great Saint quickly entered the underground space, and the divine corpse of the Blood God, over a thousand zhang tall, immediately came into view.
Even after eons of death, a powerful sacred force still enveloped the divine corpse, making it difficult to approach.
The Blood God's corpse still exuded vigorous blood energy, full of vitality, making one wonder if he was still alive, merely in a state of slumber.
"The divine corpse of the Blood God is indeed powerful. I wonder if the treasure he took from the Undying Blood Clan back in the day is within his corpse?" Blood Float Great Saint's eyes gleamed with light.
Even Blood Butcher knew of this secret, so how could Blood Float Great Saint not?
With the Blood God's divine corpse right before him, Blood Float Great Saint naturally would not miss this golden opportunity. If he could obtain that treasure, he might soon ascend to the divine realm.
Without hesitation, Blood Float Great Saint quickly approached the divine corpse, reaching out a hand to release a vast amount of Blood Fiend Qi, attempting to penetrate the Blood God's body.
"Buzz."
The moment the Blood Fiend Qi invaded the Blood God's body, a vast divine might suddenly erupted from within.
The entire Blood God Altar trembled violently.
The sacred force surrounding the divine corpse surged, and a majestic voice echoed through the void: "Die."
"Boom."
The sacred force struck Blood Float Great Saint's body, blasting him out of the underground space.
Blood Float Great Saint crashed heavily to the ground, his body nearly shattering, his aura instantly weakening.
Seeing this, the other xuntianshi all showed expressions of surprise, unsure of what had happened.
"Those who blaspheme against the gods—this is their fate," Zhang Ruochen said.
As the sect leader of the Blood God Sect, Zhang Ruochen knew many things about the Blood God. Legend had it that the Blood God was a deity who had mastered the Profound Meaning. Thus, even in death, his divine thought could remain eternal, roaming beyond the Nine Heavens, far beyond ordinary gods who had not mastered the Profound Meaning.
Blood Float Great Saint had ended up like this because he had disrespected the Blood God, triggering the Blood God's undying divine thought and receiving punishment. He had brought it upon himself.
...
Continuing to recommend Xiaoyu's new book, "The Legend of the Heavenly Emperor."