Chapter 2085: Heavenly Maiden Fiancée
Trapped within the spatial cage, the short, thin old man’s small eyes darted around, his heart shaken. With his escape techniques, he had actually been caught and brought back by Zhang Ruochen—such terrifying spatial methods.
True Dragon Island was no ordinary place. It exerted an extremely strong suppression on power, and space itself was sealed, preventing anyone from flying through the air. In such an environment, using spatial techniques would undoubtedly have their power greatly diminished.
“Old fellow, you’re quite impressive, managing to escape right in front of me. Watch me beat you to death,” Xiao Hei said, opening his mouth and spitting out the monarch-level sacred artifact seal.
The short, thin old man instantly cowered, looking pitifully at Zhang Ruochen and begging for mercy. “Two saintly lords, I was just afraid, that’s all. I truly know my mistake now, and I won’t dare to run again. Spare me this once, and I’ll honestly answer whatever you ask.”
As before, the moment the short, thin old man spoke, the surrounding heaven and earth rules became extremely active, like plucked silk strings or ripples formed by a stone thrown into a lake.
Zhang Ruochen held the spatial chain with one hand and said in a deep tone, “Speak quickly. Who exactly are you? Why did you appear on True Dragon Island so early?”
“Uh… wait, wait. I’ll tell the truth…”
The short, thin old man wore a bitter expression. “Actually, this old man is named Shi Sheng. Originally, I was just a stubborn stone on True Dragon Island. Because I was soaked in divine dragon blood, I slowly gained intelligence and eventually cultivated into human form.”
“So you weren’t telling the truth before. I knew you weren’t just some wandering cultivator,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Xiao Hei showed a strange expression, carefully examining the short, thin old man. “Old fellow, you’re actually a stone that transformed. To be able to withstand divine dragon blood, you’re no ordinary stone. No wonder you’re not afraid of my divine undying fire.”
Zhang Ruochen gave the short, thin old man a deep look. “Since you’ve lived on True Dragon Island all along, you must know the island well. Where did all the treasures once collected in the Dragon God Temple go?”
He had originally thought the Dragon God Temple ruins would be filled with treasures everywhere, but after traversing such a vast area, aside from that hidden space, they hadn’t encountered any treasures at all—truly strange.
“In these ruins, there used to be many treasures, but they were all taken by a few overlords on the island. Perhaps only some hidden or extremely dangerous places still have treasures left,” the short, thin old man said thoughtfully.
Unlike before, when the short, thin old man spoke these words, the heaven and earth rules remained very calm.
A strange light flickered in Zhang Ruochen’s eyes, and he immediately asked, “What overlords?”
“After the divine war at the end of the Middle Ages, five terrifying beings were born on the island. Each possessed earth-shattering abilities and occupied different areas of the Dragon God Temple. The treasures scattered everywhere were all collected by them,” the short, thin old man said, a deep wariness appearing in his eyes.
If it had been before, Zhang Ruochen might not have believed the short, thin old man’s words. But now that he knew True Dragon Island had a mysterious and unpredictable “Muzu” existence, it was entirely possible that other beings existed as well.
Zhang Ruochen continued, “Among those five overlords, is there one called Muzu?”
The short, thin old man looked at Zhang Ruochen in surprise. “You actually know about Muzu’s existence? Yes, Muzu is indeed one of the five overlords—the most eerie and terrifying. I’ve never even seen its true form. You’d better not provoke it, or you’ll only end up dead.”
“True Dragon Island’s environment is so harsh, filled with all kinds of terrifying powers. Any beings born here must be extraordinary,” Xiao Hei said seriously.
As it spoke, it couldn’t help glancing at the short, thin old man. This old fellow’s strength wasn’t great, but his body was incredibly tough, and his escape methods were nothing short of astonishing.
Zhang Ruochen pondered for a moment. “One last question: Do you know where the World Gate Key is?”
Compared to everything else, Zhang Ruochen was far more concerned about this matter, as it was the very purpose of their adventure into True Dragon Island.
Hearing the words “World Gate Key,” the short, thin old man’s heart trembled, and even the surrounding heaven and earth rules became chaotic.
On the surface, the short, thin old man showed a puzzled expression. “I don’t know. What is that? A key?”
“You really don’t know? The World Gate Key only appeared recently. Have you seen any strange phenomena on the island?” Zhang Ruochen pressed.
“I really don’t know. As for strange phenomena, I think I did see something,” the short, thin old man said.
“Where? Take us there immediately,” Xiao Hei said urgently.
Although it wasn’t certain that the World Gate Key was at the place where the phenomenon occurred, there was a high possibility.
At this stage, no one knew the exact location of the World Gate Key, or even what it looked like. They could only search everywhere.
The short, thin old man’s eyes rolled, and he asked tentatively, “This old man can lead the way, but afterward, can the two saintly lords release me?”
“As long as you don’t play any tricks, I can let you go,” Zhang Ruochen said.
The short, thin old man immediately broke into a smile. “This old man wouldn’t dare play any tricks. Two saintly lords, let’s set off now.”
At this moment, the short, thin old man seemed even more eager than Zhang Ruochen and Xiao Hei, as if he hoped to gain his freedom as soon as possible.
Thus, Zhang Ruochen released the spatial cage but still used spatial chains to tightly bind the short, thin old man. At the same time, he sealed his power to prevent him from escaping again.
There was no choice—the short, thin old man’s escape skills were truly formidable, and precautions were necessary.
After the short, thin old man pointed out the general direction, Zhang Ruochen grabbed him and quickly dashed forward, with Xiao Hei following closely.
On a hill shrouded in illusion, the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden stood gracefully. A strange light flickered in her almond-shaped eyes, as if she had seen through something. “The old man Zhang Ruochen captured is problematic. He highly overlaps with the origin of the surrounding heaven and earth, and he seems to be standing at the center of that origin.”
“Let’s follow and see. If necessary, we’ll seize that old man.”
“Heavenly Maiden Dianxia, Zhang Ruochen and that owl sacred beast are both very strong. The Blazing Sun civilization suffered a great loss at their hands. If we clash with them, we might not be able to handle it. Following now is too risky. It’s better to notify the three Young Emperors first,” a senior from the Thousand Star Civilization said seriously.
The Thousand Star Civilization was one of the most powerful ancient civilizations, possessing a thousand life-bearing stars, which was the origin of its name.
Legend had it that the thousand life-bearing stars of the Thousand Star Civilization were a thousand ancient divine throne planets, containing unimaginable power. This allowed the civilization to produce talents in every generation, with a large number of strong beings born on each star.
The strongest below the Great Saint realm on each star could be titled “Young Emperor,” meaning the Thousand Star Civilization had a thousand Young Emperors, each with considerable strength.
Of course, the strength of these Young Emperors varied greatly, and not all belonged to the top tier.
But those ranked in the top ten were undoubtedly extremely powerful, each possessing the potential to become a top-tier Great Saint or even a god.
The matter of seizing the World Gate Key was of great importance. Apart from the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden personally leading the team, the Thousand Star Civilization had also dispatched three Young Emperors ranked in the top ten—the first, third, and sixth—all of whom were peak experts.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden shook her head. “If we wait for everything, we’ll miss every opportunity. If we lose their trail on True Dragon Island, finding them again will be like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
“But…”
The senior wanted to say more, but the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden interrupted him. “We have an advantage now. At least Zhang Ruochen hasn’t discovered the old man’s peculiarity. Perhaps we can seize him without even fighting.”
Her gaze swept over Zhang Ruochen and the others, who had already gone far. The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden didn’t hesitate and immediately set off.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden and her group concealed their auras extremely well, using an origin pearl to block spiritual power detection. They were also hundreds of miles away, so even though Zhang Ruochen and Xiao Hei were highly alert, they didn’t notice.
Zhang Ruochen and the other two moved at incredible speed, turning into three afterimages that flickered through the ruins. In the blink of an eye, they were thousands of miles away.
While leading the way, the short, thin old man was secretly calculating in his mind.
He was considering where to take Zhang Ruochen and Xiao Hei—a place most convenient for him to escape.
Although Zhang Ruochen had promised to release him afterward, humans were cunning, and he didn’t trust them.
Most importantly, Zhang Ruochen and Xiao Hei were after the World Gate Key, which instinctively made him wary.
In the blink of an eye, Zhang Ruochen and the others entered a spatial fault zone. The space here was extremely unstable, with faint traces of powerful divine power lingering—clearly a place where gods had once fought.
“Opportunity!”
The short, thin old man thought to himself.
With a thought, an incredibly strange power surged from within the short, thin old man’s body. His form shrank by tens of thousands of times, turning into a speck of light, instantly breaking through Zhang Ruochen’s seal.
Before Zhang Ruochen could react, he had vanished without a trace.
The short, thin old man had always had a way to break the seal, but elsewhere, even if he broke free, it would be useless—Zhang Ruochen would just catch him again with spatial techniques.
But this place was different. The space here was fragmented. Even Zhang Ruochen, as a space controller, would be limited, giving him enough time to escape.
“He escaped again?”
Xiao Hei’s eyes widened in astonishment.
With his power sealed and bound by spatial chains, even he would be helpless. That old fellow’s escape skills were too impressive!
“That old fox didn’t speak a single truthful word.”
Zhang Ruochen snorted, unleashing an unimaginable burst of speed, turning into a streak of light as he chased after the short, thin old man.
Zhang Ruochen had been prepared, leaving a spatial imprint on the short, thin old man, allowing him to vaguely sense his direction.
“Wait for me!”
Xiao Hei called out loudly, trying to catch up.
But after entering the spatial fault zone, the spatial structure became bizarre and unpredictable. Although it was following closely behind Zhang Ruochen, it found itself getting farther and farther away, as if they were running in opposite directions.
After chasing for a while longer, Xiao Hei realized it had completely lost Zhang Ruochen’s trail, appearing on a piece of spatial debris surrounded by nothingness.
“Damn, we’re separated!”
Xiao Hei didn’t dare to wander randomly anymore. It stopped and used formations and spiritual power to deduce the correct path out of the spatial debris.
“That old man is definitely problematic. He can’t be allowed to escape.”
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden immediately took out a sacred talisman, activated it into a ball of flame, and drew a circle with her arm. Instantly, a fiery talisman halo appeared on her body, shining brilliantly.
“Whoosh—”
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden burst into incredible speed, ignoring the fragmented space, turning into a crimson streak of light that vanished into the distance.
That was a talisman refined using origin power.
“Heavenly Maiden Dianxia…”
The six seniors of the Thousand Star Civilization showed alarmed expressions, but it was too late to stop her.
“That old man is very strange, escaping from Zhang Ruochen’s hands twice. The Heavenly Maiden Dianxia chasing him recklessly might be in danger. We must immediately send a message to the three Young Emperors,” one senior said gravely.
“Who exactly is that old man? Why is the Heavenly Maiden Dianxia taking such a big risk to chase him personally?”
…
The six seniors were very worried and immediately sent out three message light talismans.
With the strength of the three Young Emperors, as long as they could arrive in time, they would surely protect the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden.
Although they were in a spatial fault zone, Zhang Ruochen had refined the Five Elements Imperial Flower, his cultivation skyrocketing to the Lin Dao realm. Thus, even on True Dragon Island, he could still perform spatial displacement.
He pushed his spatial techniques to the limit, leaping across spatial fragments, moving like wind and lightning, relentlessly pursuing the short, thin old man.
After chasing nearly ten thousand miles, Zhang Ruochen had long lost track of where he was. The short, thin old man constantly changed direction, circling around, and nearly lost him several times.
During this process, spiritual power was almost useless; he could only rely on vague sensations.
“Buzz.”
An invisible wave suddenly appeared, causing space to violently tremble.
Even with Zhang Ruochen’s current control over space, he could no longer maintain a state of harmony with it. He was forcibly expelled and landed on a dark, sunless stretch of land, smashing a huge crater into the ground.
“Sizzle.”
A streak of firelight approached from afar, stopping dozens of feet away from Zhang Ruochen, coalescing into a beautiful, graceful figure—none other than the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden.
Turning his gaze, Zhang Ruochen looked at the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden. “I sensed someone tailing us from the shadows. I didn’t expect it to be you. Heavenly Maiden Dianxia, why are you following me?”
“Who says I’m following you? I can go wherever I want. Do you have the right to control me?” The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden crossed her arms in front of her chest and smiled faintly.
Zhang Ruochen laughed. “Anyway, you’re my fiancée, so it’s perfectly normal for you to follow me. A fiancée wouldn’t plot against her fiancé, would she?”
“You…”
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden couldn’t maintain her composed, strategic demeanor. Her teeth ground together. She hated it most when Zhang Ruochen brought up that matter. To a proud daughter of heaven like her, it was a great humiliation.
However, the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden quickly suppressed her anger and retorted with a smile, “With your current reputation, Zhang Ruochen, you’re qualified to be my fiancé. I don’t mind. But you killed the Blazing Sun Heavenly Son and the Great Sun King. The old Heavenly Lord of the Blazing Sun civilization will never let you go. Husband, I’m afraid you won’t have the chance to marry me.”
“They sought death themselves; I’m not to blame. Too many gods want to kill me. I’m not afraid of one more Blazing Sun old Heavenly Lord. My life and death are not for my fiancée to worry about.”
Zhang Ruochen knew the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden was full of schemes and could see through origins. She wouldn’t have followed without reason. Had she discovered something?
They stopped bickering and looked around, carefully examining their surroundings.
The short, thin old man had long disappeared, and even the spatial imprint could no longer be sensed.
Of course, Zhang Ruochen no longer had the mind to care about the short, thin old man. For some reason, a strong sense of unease grew in his heart.
This place was desolate and ruined, with many holes of varying sizes on the ground. The smallest were only three feet in diameter, while the largest reached dozens of feet. They were deep and dark, leading to unknown places, like the mouths of demons, giving a creepy feeling.
“The space rules here are so dense. Space has become completely chaotic and disordered. No wonder I can’t harmonize with it.” After a brief perception, Zhang Ruochen immediately made a discovery.
His intuition told him this place was no simple matter. The short, thin old man had clearly lured him here deliberately to escape.
In this situation, Zhang Ruochen didn’t dare act rashly.
“Such a complex spatial structure. This is… origin divine power, and spatial divine power.”
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden’s origin divine eye made a discovery, and her expression changed drastically.
“What’s wrong, fiancée?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
He was getting used to calling her that!
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden gritted her teeth, knowing Zhang Ruochen was deliberately provoking her to disturb her state of mind. Since that was the case, she would play along.
A forced smile appeared on her exquisite, beautiful face. “Husband, we might be in big trouble. If I’m not mistaken, gods who cultivated the Way of Origin and the Way of Space once fought here, and their residual divine power hasn’t dissipated to this day.”
Using her origin divine eye, she saw some finer details but didn’t share them, unwilling to tell Zhang Ruochen. However, a very bad premonition arose in her heart.
“Origin and space.”
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen’s heart stirred, and he immediately thought of Xumi Saint Monk.
In the Middle Ages, it seemed only Xumi Saint Monk had the highest spatial mastery in the Kunlun Realm. Of course, the god who cultivated the Way of Space could also belong to the Hell Realm.
Whether cultivators from the Heavenly Court Realm or the Hell Realm, they all had the opportunity to cultivate the Nine Eternal Paths. Even without entering the various divine temples, they could still achieve great accomplishments.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden continued, “With the strange spatial structure here, even a true Great Saint would find it hard to break free. Following you is indeed bad luck. Husband, you’re now a Lin Dao realm expert. You must protect me.”
“You managed to get here on your own strength. It would be strange if you needed my protection,” Zhang Ruochen thought to himself, while also being on guard against the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden.
Who knew what scheme she was plotting?
Because of the Truth Esoterica, they were enemies, not friends. Perhaps Zhang Ruochen himself was her target.
…
The vanished short, thin old man appeared ten miles away, standing on a large rock, smiling broadly as he watched Zhang Ruochen and the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden.
A cold light flashed in Zhang Ruochen’s eyes, but he didn’t act, because the spot where the short, thin old man stood was just outside the strange space, visible but unreachable.
“I only wanted to escape, but you insisted on chasing me. Now that things have turned out this way, you can’t blame me,” the short, thin old man said innocently.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden used her origin divine eye to carefully examine the short, thin old man. “This old fellow is indeed strange. He faintly carries the origin energy of the Kunlun Realm. Could the World Gate Key be on him?”
The short, thin old man soon noticed the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden’s penetrating gaze, feeling an uncomfortable sensation, as if all his secrets had been seen through.
“It’s the origin divine eye. This little girl is actually a controller of the Way of Origin, and that kid is a controller of the Way of Space. The two of them coming here is quite interesting.” After a brief observation, the short, thin old man’s heart stirred.
“This old man will take his leave first. Good luck to you. Until we never meet again.”
Leaving these words, the short, thin old man’s figure became increasingly transparent, vanishing in an instant.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Zhang Ruochen and the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden immediately tried to chase after him, but were struck by an ancient origin divine power lingering in the air, sent flying back, tumbling into a heap, kicking up dust.
Having broken through to the Lin Dao realm, Zhang Ruochen had entered the ranks of top experts below the Great Saint realm, harboring ambitions to sweep through the heroes of the world. Unfortunately, before he could make his mark, he was outwitted by an old fox.
Zhang Ruochen caught the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden in his arms, his body sinking into the bottom of a large pit in the earth, a sharp pain shooting through his back.
“Take your dirty hands off me.”
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden was furious. Just now, when that origin divine power struck, this bastard Zhang Ruochen had actually flashed behind her, using her as a shield. Fortunately, she carried an origin pearl, which helped her neutralize that origin divine power.
“Didn’t you ask me to protect you? Now I’m the one on the bottom, willingly taking the fall for you.” Zhang Ruochen smiled, but didn’t linger on her fragrant, soft body. He released his arms and pushed her away with force.
With that push, Zhang Ruochen left a spatial imprint on her soft jade-like back, just in case.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden had once helped him when he needed it most, so Zhang Ruochen hesitated for a moment. In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to kill her to seize the Truth Esoterica.
…
I was too busy yesterday to update, my apologies. This chapter is about six thousand words, full of sincerity.