# Chapter 2065: World Spirit
Putting away the war vessel, Zhang Ruochen and the others followed Ao Xinyan and ascended onto the continent-like Silver Dragon Island.
Tens of millions of Half-Dragon Divine Humans now lived on Silver Dragon Island, cultivating with the resources of the Divine Dragon Clan. Their strength had long since surpassed what it once was.
As descendants of the Five-Clawed Silver Dragon, staying on Silver Dragon Island was undoubtedly very helpful for the Half-Dragon Divine Humans to awaken their Divine Dragon bloodline.
When their bloodline fully revived and their Divine Dragon body reached completion, there would be little difference between them and true Divine Dragons.
Just like Ao Xinyan, who could now be classified as part of the Divine Dragon Clan. She could match a true Five-Clawed Silver Dragon in every aspect, which was why that taboo figure had appointed her as the Divine Dragon Princess.
Before long, the group arrived before a magnificent palace complex. Silver light blazed brilliantly as countless dragon qi surged upward, transforming into Five-Clawed Silver Dragons that danced through the sky, agile and lifelike.
"Such dense Heaven and Earth sacred qi. This is truly a rare cultivation treasure land," Zhang Ruochen murmured softly.
Ao Xinyan said, "Beneath the Silver Dragon Palace, three sacred veins converge. It is one of the places on Silver Dragon Island with the richest sacred qi. I spend most of my time cultivating here."
With that, Ao Xinyan waved her hand, and the dense dragon qi automatically dispersed, forming a passage leading to the Silver Dragon Palace.
"Everyone, please," Ao Xinyan said, making a gesture of invitation.
No one hesitated. They all followed Ao Xinyan into the sacred palace complex before them.
The Silver Dragon Palace was once a divine palace of the Five-Clawed Silver Dragon. Multiple Five-Clawed Silver Dragons at the divine realm had once dwelled here, and a rich Divine Dragon aura still lingered within.
From the outside, the Silver Dragon Palace was also extremely vast, composed of many halls. But upon entering, one would discover that it contained a hidden universe, far more expansive than what could be seen from outside.
Standing before these halls, Zhang Ruochen and the others all appeared minuscule, as if they had entered a land of giants.
With Ao Xinyan leading the way, Zhang Ruochen's group passed through the halls and entered the most magnificent palace of all.
As soon as he entered this palace, Zhang Ruochen's gaze was drawn to a figure within.
It was a white-robed youth who appeared to be sixteen or seventeen years old. He was exceedingly handsome, with a very youthful appearance like a boy next door. Yet his eyes were extremely deep, weathered by countless experiences. He naturally exuded an imperial aura of commanding the realm and overlooking all living beings beneath heaven, like a supreme emperor ruling an immortal dynasty.
"Fate Heavenly Corpse Emperor."
A strange light flashed in Zhang Ruochen's eyes.
Back when the Fate Heavenly Corpse Emperor had first been resurrected, Zhang Ruochen had dealings with him. He was all too familiar with him.
First the Dead Zen Ancestor, and now the Fate Heavenly Corpse Emperor. Zhang Ruochen truly had to admire Ao Xinyan for having such great ability to invite both of them to the Yin-Yang Sea at the same time.
Both of them could be called legendary figures. One had created the bizarre and unpredictable Dead Zen Buddhist Dharma, capable of easily manipulating corpses. Such a method would undoubtedly play a remarkable role on the battlefield.
The other was the first person after the Middle Ages to establish a Central Empire and unify the human race. He was a Great Emperor who defied fate and lived a second life after tens of thousands of years.
The key point was that his ability to live a second life was vaguely related to a divine-level giant from the Middle Ages called "Biluozi." In the past, Biluozi and Kongchengzi were inseparable. The two of them working together could match the fame of figures like Ten Calamities Wen Tianjun and Xumi Saint Monk. They were absolutely taboo-level existences.
Looking across the Heavenly Court Realm and the Hell Realm, there were few figures who could compare with Zhang Ruochen, the Dead Zen Ancestor, and the Fate Heavenly Corpse Emperor.
However, the Dead Zen Ancestor and the Fate Heavenly Corpse Emperor were both too low-key. After returning to the Kunlun Realm for such a long time, Zhang Ruochen had never heard any news about them. He had once thought they had already broken through to the Great Saint realm and could no longer participate in the merit battles within the Kunlun Realm.
He never expected to meet them at the Yin-Yang Sea.
Both of them were shrouded in a layer of mist, making it difficult for anyone to see through their true strength, let alone know what level of cultivation they had reached.
Given the mystery of the Dead Zen Ancestor and the Fate Heavenly Corpse Emperor, there should be very few people in the Heavenly Court Realm and the Hell Realm who knew of their existence.
After a brief observation, Zhang Ruochen noticed that the corpse qi on the Fate Heavenly Corpse Emperor was already extremely faint, almost imperceptible. Perhaps after some more time, the corpse qi on his body would completely disappear, making him indistinguishable from an ordinary person.
He was indeed the supreme emperor of the past, possessing all sorts of unimaginable methods. In terms of cultivation time, he far surpassed Zhang Ruochen by ten or even a hundred times.
The Fate Heavenly Corpse Emperor turned his head and cast his gaze toward Zhang Ruochen, speaking very calmly, "Zhang Ruochen, you've come too."
Zhang Ruochen sat down in the seat opposite the Fate Heavenly Corpse Emperor. Though he was young, the aura he exuded was like that of a young emperor, not inferior to the Fate Heavenly Corpse Emperor or the Dead Zen Ancestor.
"I thought you wouldn't get involved in such troublesome matters. I didn't expect you to arrive so early. That doesn't seem like your style," Zhang Ruochen said with a meaningful tone.
The Fate Heavenly Corpse Emperor said, "A person's character is determined by their emotions. At a height like ours, we are no longer swayed by emotions. This matter concerns the key to the World Gate. Naturally, this emperor must come."
The Dead Zen Ancestor pressed his palms together, his appearance solemn and dignified, and chanted a Buddhist mantra, saying, "Life in this world is like being in a thorny forest. If the heart does not move, the person does not act recklessly. If it does not move, it is not harmed. If the heart moves, the person acts recklessly, hurting the body and paining the bones, thus experiencing all kinds of suffering in the world."
The Fate Heavenly Corpse Emperor caught the hidden meaning in the Dead Zen Ancestor's words. His gaze was calm as still water, and he said, "Dead Zen, this emperor does have the intention to take control of the key to the World Gate to prevent any mishap. But as long as it does not fall into the hands of the Hell Realm and the World Gate is not opened, then everything is fine. This emperor's heart has not moved."
At this moment, the other cultivators also entered the hall and found seats for themselves. As the host here, Ao Xinyan naturally sat in the main seat at the center of the hall.
"Ao Xinyan, first tell us about the situation with the key to the World Gate. As far as this emperor knows, ever since the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree was cut down, the key to the World Gate has disappeared. Why has it appeared again now?"
Xiao Hei's eyes were filled with confusion.
Ao Xinyan's expression turned serious, and she said, "Whether the key to the World Gate exists or not is actually related to the state of the World Spirit."
"World Spirit."
Hearing these four words, Zhang Ruochen's gaze sharpened.
No wonder Ao Xinyan had said this matter concerned the life and death of the Kunlun Realm. It turned out to involve the World Spirit.
Zhang Ruochen was no stranger to the World Spirit. He had encountered it back in the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm.
The so-called World Spirit was the origin qi of a world becoming powerful enough to give birth to intelligence. It could control everything within that world. It could be called the Heavenly Dao, and all order and rules were related to it.
As a ten-thousand-year undying great world, the Kunlun Realm naturally possessed a World Spirit, and an extremely powerful one at that.
As everyone knew, the former World Spirit of the Kunlun Realm was the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree. When the Kunlun Realm was born, the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree had already existed. The two were in a symbiotic relationship.
At the end of the Middle Ages, the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree was cut down by a ferocious person, causing severe damage to the origin qi of the Kunlun Realm. Since then, the Kunlun Realm had gradually declined. Rules were missing, the cultivation environment grew increasingly harsh, and no living being could cultivate to become a god. Even those who cultivated to the Great Saint realm were extremely rare.
It wasn't until Empress Chi Yao defied heaven and became a god that this shackle was broken.
As a result, the Kunlun Realm began to recover, giving birth to countless precious cultivation resources.
Ao Xinyan continued, "Everyone should know that before the recent ancient times, the World Spirit of the Kunlun Realm had always been the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree. But it wasn't just the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree. As a ten-thousand-year undying great world, the power of its origin qi far surpassed that of ordinary great worlds."
"The origin qi of the Kunlun Realm was split in two from the very beginning. One part combined with the Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Root, while the other part was hidden in an extremely mysterious space. In other words, the Kunlun Realm has always had dual World Spirits. To reach that space, a special key was needed—the key to the World Gate."
"In the past, when the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree was cut down, the origin qi of the Kunlun Realm suffered a heavy blow. The other half of the origin qi fell into dormancy, and the key to the World Gate also disappeared."
Upon hearing this, everyone present couldn't help but show expressions of shock. Such a secret was undoubtedly something none of them had known before.
According to Ao Xinyan, the Kunlun Realm had dual World Spirits. The one hidden in that mysterious space should be even more important. It was the foundation of the Kunlun Realm, and even the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree was derived from it.
"Why has the key to the World Gate appeared now? And why does the Hell Realm know about it?" Zhang Ruochen asked curiously.
Although he had some guesses in his mind, he still wanted to get a definite answer from Ao Xinyan's mouth.
Ao Xinyan said, "The appearance of the key to the World Gate means that the origin qi hidden in that mysterious space has already awakened. The reason is that a new Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Root has appeared, one that can resonate with the origin of the Kunlun Realm."
"The Darkness Temple has always been eyeing the origin of the Kunlun Realm, so as soon as the key to the World Gate appeared, they sensed it through special means."
Speaking of this, Ao Xinyan couldn't help but sigh. The methods of the Darkness Temple were truly terrifying. Even though the key to the World Gate existed in the Yin-Yang Sea, it couldn't be hidden from them.
"If the Hell Realm gets the key to the World Gate and uses it to open that mysterious space, taking away the most fundamental World Spirit of the Kunlun Realm, then the Kunlun Realm will be completely finished. We absolutely cannot let them succeed," Xiao Hei said, his emotions very agitated.
Then, Xiao Hei looked at Ao Xinyan and asked, "Why didn't that great one take the key to the World Gate away?"
"The key to the World Gate is very special. It is closely connected to the World Spirit. It cannot be taken out of the Kunlun Realm, nor can it even leave the Yin-Yang Sea," Ao Xinyan said, shaking her head.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Hei's heart sank.
The Dead Zen Ancestor frowned and said, "The Hell Realm army has already completely sealed off the sea area where True Dragon Island is located. Many powerful figures are stationed there. Once True Dragon Island is breached, stopping them from seizing the key to the World Gate will probably not be an easy task."
He had already gone to investigate the area around True Dragon Island and had even exchanged blows with four of the Seven Absolute Killing Gods of the Nether Hall. He had truly felt the power of the Hell Realm army.
With just their small group, they clearly couldn't fight head-on against the Hell Realm.
"Why hasn't the Hell Realm army attacked True Dragon Island yet?" Zhang Ruochen asked with a puzzled look in his eyes.
The Hell Realm was so eager to seize the key to the World Gate. There was no reason for them to be so calm.
Ao Xinyan said, "True Dragon Island is protected by the strongest forbidden formation in the Yin-Yang Sea. A direct assault cannot break through it. So the Hell Realm army is waiting for the right moment. When day and night alternate, that is when the forbidden formation is at its weakest."
The Yin-Yang Sea was very special. Its day and night were different from the outside world. A day-night alternation occurred only once every half month.
In other words, one day-night cycle in the Yin-Yang Sea was equivalent to one month in the outside world.
"How much time is left until the next day-night alternation?" Zhang Ruochen immediately pressed.
The Purple Radiance Saint King of the Three-Eyed Ancient Clan said, "Three days."
Hearing this answer, everyone present felt their hearts sink. Only three days. That was truly too short.
"The Hell Realm has captured all the dragon clan from our Ancestral Dragon Mountain. Could they use this to launch an early attack?" The Devouring Demon Dragon asked with deep worry in his eyes.
Tens of thousands of dragon clan members from Ancestral Dragon Mountain had all fallen into the hands of the Hell Realm army. If they couldn't be rescued, Ancestral Dragon Mountain would surely decline from this. Relying on just the few of them, who knew how many years it would take for Ancestral Dragon Mountain to gradually recover its strength.
Unfortunately, their strength was all too weak. They couldn't even protect themselves, let alone go rescue the other dragon clan members.
Ao Xinyan shook her head and said, "Unless it is the time of day-night alternation, even if the Hell Realm sacrifices all the dragon clan from Ancestral Dragon Mountain, it will be useless. They are not that foolish. However, rescuing those dragon clan members will not be an easy task either."
Upon hearing this, the Devouring Demon Dragon couldn't say anything more. After all, he couldn't force Zhang Ruochen and the others to risk their lives for this.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Zhang Ruochen looked at Ao Xinyan and said, "Arrange a quiet place for me. I need to make some preparations."
"No problem," Ao Xinyan said.
Zhang Ruochen did not delay. He immediately stood up and left together with Xiao Hei.
As Ao Xinyan had said, many of the halls in the Silver Dragon Palace were vacant, unoccupied by anyone.
Time was very tight. Zhang Ruochen entered one of the palaces and then sealed it with a space formation, not wanting any living being to disturb him.
"Zhang Ruochen, why did you drag this emperor over here?" Xiao Hei asked with great confusion.
Zhang Ruochen said seriously, "In three days, a fierce battle is unavoidable. There are too many powerful figures in the Hell Realm. With my current strength, I may not be able to handle them. I need to improve a bit more."
"There are only three days left. Even with the help of the Sundial, you can only cultivate for three years. That won't allow you to increase your cultivation and strength by much. Do you have some way to quickly boost your strength?" Xiao Hei asked with some gravity.
The further one went, the more difficult it became to increase one's cultivation and strength. Forget three years—even thirty years might not bring a major breakthrough.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I plan to refine those five top-grade Five Elements divine objects and cultivate my Five Elements Chaos Body to its peak. That should give my strength a considerable boost. Additionally, I need your cooperation to set up more powerful time formations and space formations. It would be best to combine them with a ninth-grade formation as a means to deal with the Seven Absolute Killing Gods of the Nether Hall."
Relying on his own strength alone, he might not be a match for the Seven Absolute Killing Gods of the Nether Hall.
However, if he prepared time formations and space formations in advance, he might have the strength to contend with them. At the very least, he needed to trap them at a critical moment.
"Refining the Five Elements divine objects now? Isn't that too early? There is great risk involved," Xiao Hei said with a worried expression.
When a cultivator had just reached the Heaven-Connecting realm, their physical body had not yet been tempered to perfection by the power of heaven and earth. Rashly refining Five Elements divine objects, even with a Five Elements Chaos Body, might not be something they could withstand. If they were careless, they could suffer severe injuries.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head slightly and said, "On the path of cultivation, nothing is absolutely safe. And this is the best option at hand. Don't worry. With my current physique, I am confident I can refine the Five Elements divine objects."
Seeing Zhang Ruochen so insistent, Xiao Hei had no choice but to nod and say, "Alright, give it a try. But don't force yourself. As for setting up the formations, this emperor will do his utmost to help."
Mainly, he really couldn't think of a better way, so he had to let Zhang Ruochen take the risk.
Moreover, although refining the Five Elements divine objects was very dangerous, if everything went smoothly, it would undoubtedly bring enormous benefits to Zhang Ruochen, making his subsequent cultivation much easier.
...
Little Fish wishes all readers a happy Mid-Autumn Festival!