Chapter: 2090 - The End of a Genius, The Dark Son
The two had already been cultivating for over a year using the Sundial, refining all the Divine Power Crystals they had obtained. Of course, the two Dark Divine Power Crystals were beyond their ability to refine.
Through this period of cultivation, Zhang Ruochen had made tremendous gains. His Space Rules had reached 340,000, and his Time Rules had reached 260,000. More importantly, his comprehension of the Way of Time and the Way of Space had greatly improved, allowing him to understand many extremely crucial concepts.
Now, Zhang Ruochen had cultivated the first layer of the secret art, Space Annihilation, to great perfection. Its power could be said to have doubled, and he believed it should now be sufficient to contend with top-tier experts at the first level below Great Saint, making it one of his major trump cards.
"Divine Power Crystals are indeed good things, but unfortunately, after refining too many, the effect gradually diminishes. It can't increase Saint Dao Rules as massively as it did at the start," the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden sighed softly.
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, "Don't be too greedy. Achieving this effect is already quite good. At the very least, it has helped us temporarily overcome our difficulties."
For them, the greatest gain was not actually the increase in rules, but the comprehension and understanding of the Eternal Dao. This was the key to their current ability to withstand the erosion of the Four-Color Divine Light.
"That's true. Also, the lifespan I lost has been fully restored. The Sundial truly deserves its reputation as a legendary supreme treasure of the world," the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden said, looking up at the Sundial with joy in her eyes.
Previously, due to the erosion of Time Divine Power, the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden had lost a large amount of lifespan, to the point where her jet-black hair had turned grayish-white.
But now, the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden was radiant and rejuvenated. Her hair had turned black again, with no trace of aging.
The reason for this was that while they were comprehending the Eternal Dao, they had somehow touched upon a deeper power of the Sundial. Numerous extremely peculiar Time Imprint light spots flew out from the Sundial and merged into Zhang Ruochen's Time Rules, just like when Zhang Ruochen had first come into contact with the Sundial.
It should have been Zhang Ruochen whose lifespan increased, but because the river of rules composed of Eternal Dao rules flowed through both their bodies, the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden also benefited, and almost all the lifespan she had lost was restored.
With a wave of his hand, Zhang Ruochen put away the Sundial.
"Being trapped inside the belly of that Divine Power Monster is not safe. We need to find a way out as soon as possible," Zhang Ruochen said with a serious expression.
It was true that they were no longer afraid of the Four-Color Divine Light, but if the monster were to use other means to deal with them, the outcome would be unpredictable.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden nodded earnestly and said, "The space inside the monster's body is very large. Let's explore it first; we might find something."
Immediately, the two stood up and walked side by side, holding hands.
They needed to keep the river of rules flowing through each other's bodies, so physical contact was essential.
This space was extremely vast, spanning several thousand li in all directions, but unfortunately, it was empty and dead silent.
Thinking about it, it made sense. Given the monster's power, it probably wouldn't allow anything to exist safely inside its body.
With the terror of the Four-Color Divine Light, even a Monarch Sacred Artifact, over a long period of time, would very likely be refined away.
Suddenly, a deafening roar sounded.
Zhang Ruochen abruptly stopped in his tracks, as if he had sensed something.
Relying on his profound mastery of the Way of Space, he could vaguely perceive subtle spatial fluctuations within a radius of several hundred zhang, allowing him to anticipate danger and other things in advance.
There was no other choice. Inside this space, Spiritual Power was useless, and his eyesight was very limited. To investigate the situation, he had to rely on other means.
"What's wrong?" the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden asked curiously.
Zhang Ruochen said, "About several hundred zhang ahead, it seems there is someone else."
Hearing this, the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden showed a hint of surprise. This was inside the terrifying Divine Power Monster's body. Even they had barely managed to survive. How could there be someone else here?
If Zhang Ruochen's perception was correct, then the person ahead must be no ordinary individual.
Immediately, the two did their best to conceal their auras and cautiously moved forward.
"There really is someone," the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden said, her gaze sharpening.
Using her Origin Divine Eye, the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden could clearly see a person sitting cross-legged about a hundred zhang ahead.
Fortunately, her mastery of the Way of Origin had greatly improved, making her Origin Divine Eye even more miraculous. Otherwise, in this environment, she might not even be able to see ten zhang ahead.
Outside that person's body, there was a large amount of Four-Color Divine Light, almost drowning him.
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden could tell that this person was not dead, but his situation was extremely dire.
Eroded by the power of time, this person had become withered and thin as a stick. His hair had all turned snow-white, and a decaying aura emanated from his body, as if he were on the verge of death.
At the same time, eroded by the power of origin, his physical body was on the verge of collapse, about to turn into countless tiny particles invisible to the naked eye.
"Such a strange dark aura... Could he be..."
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden's expression suddenly changed.
She had a very deep impression of this dark aura.
There were many cultivators in the Hell Realm who practiced the Way of Darkness, but none were as special as the Dark Son. According to legend, the Dark Son had entered the Abyss of Darkness and fused with a foreign Dark Force there.
Zhang Ruochen's expression was grave as he said, "It's the aura of the Dark Son. I didn't expect him to be inside the monster's belly as well. If I'm not mistaken, he was swallowed by the monster before us. Being eroded by the Four-Color Divine Light and still holding on until now is truly impressive. No wonder he is one of those with a danger level exceeding ten."
The "Ten Clans of Hell Ten Thousand Evil Record" contained information on many Saint King powerhouses of the Hell Realm, roughly divided into ten levels of danger, with level ten being the highest. Those at this level were top-tier experts in the Threshold of the Dao realm.
But in reality, peerless experts like Yan Wushen and the Dark Son were not recorded in the "Ten Clans of Hell Ten Thousand Evil Record" because they were too powerful and were classified as exceeding level ten.
According to legend, those with a danger level exceeding ten all possessed the terrifying strength to kill ordinary Undying Great Saints, truly standing at the pinnacle of the Saint King realm.
Even in the Hell Realm, the number of powerhouses with a danger level exceeding ten was pitifully small.
"The Dark Son is indeed very strong, but now he is at the end of his rope, his life about to wither. Who would have thought that the once-in-ten-thousand-years genius of the Darkness Temple would die inside the belly of a Divine Power Monster?" the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden said with a sigh.
The Dark Son was exceptionally talented. Many great figures of the Darkness Temple believed he would definitely become a god in the future. Yet now, he was about to die prematurely. The ways of the world were truly unpredictable.
Zhang Ruochen remained very calm, his gaze indifferent. The death of a Dark Son would only benefit the Kunlun Realm and bring no harm.
If possible, he would actually like to eliminate all the Hell Realm powerhouses who had set foot on True Dragon Island. He believed it would deal a considerable blow to the Hell Realm.
At this moment, the Dark Son was extremely weak, making it a perfect opportunity to strike and kill him. But after some thought, Zhang Ruochen ultimately did not make a move.
The reason was simple: the Dark Son was mysterious and unpredictable. If he acted rashly and encountered a desperate counterattack before the Dark Son's death, it might cause a lot of trouble.
Besides, the Dark Son would soon be refined by the Four-Color Divine Light anyway. There was no need to take such a risk.
Just as he was thinking, the Dark Son suddenly raised his head. On his wrinkled face, a pair of eyes slowly opened, staring directly at where the two were standing.
"We've been discovered. Even in such a weakened state, his alertness is still this high," the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden said, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.
Since they had been exposed, Zhang Ruochen and the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden no longer hid and continued walking forward.
Finally, they stopped ten zhang away from the Dark Son.
The Dark Son's gaze was very calm, as still as an ancient well, no longer possessing the sharp edge of a supreme genius. Instead, he looked like an old man who had seen through the affairs of the world.
When he looked at Zhang Ruochen and the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden, there was no hostility either, as if he were looking at two ordinary mortals. He said faintly, "I didn't expect that at the end of my life, I would meet you two. Perhaps this is the wonder of life—you can never predict what the future holds or what you will face next."
Zhang Ruochen snorted lightly, "The Hell Realm is always about destruction, wanting the entire universe to become dead and silent. And yet you speak of 'life.' Don't you find that ironic?"
The Dark Son was inherently proud and rarely looked up to anyone. He wouldn't bother with ordinary cultivators or say a single word to them. But in his eyes, Zhang Ruochen was clearly extraordinary, worthy of conversing with him, or rather, discussing the Dao.
The final discussion of the Dao before death.
On the Dark Son's withered, firewood-like old face, there was no trace of the radiance a young cultivator should have, but he forced a smile and said, "Is there no killing in the Heavenly Court? Are there no beings in the Heavenly Court who pursue death and destruction? If there are, then why can't there be someone in Hell who pursues life?"
"Since you pursue life, why did you come to the Kunlun Realm?" Zhang Ruochen countered.
The Dark Son said, "What I pursue is the continuous evolution of life—transcending the mundane, becoming a saint, and even becoming a god. The struggle between the Hell Realm and the Heavenly Court Realm is utterly meaningless. I only seek greater breakthroughs in cultivation and to go further on the path of the strong."
"The Kunlun Realm is different from ordinary great worlds. It has endured for ten thousand ages, nurturing countless wonders. Throughout history, too many exceptionally talented figures have been born here, such as the Ten Calamities Wen Tianjun, Xumi Saint Monk, Dragon Lord Jiwang, and so on. They are all heights of life that I aspire to. Therefore, I had to come, to follow in their footsteps and make my Dao more complete."
By the end, a brilliant light shone in the Dark Son's eyes.
At this moment, the Dark Son seemed to have seen through everything—all the struggles, all the interests, all the conflicts between Heavenly Court and Hell—he had let them all go. He was just a simple cultivator.
"Unfortunately, your life is about to come to an end. You have no chance to pursue anything anymore. Fate always loves to toy with people," the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden said, shaking her head.
As far as she knew, the Dark Son had never appeared on any Merit Battlefield. He had always stayed in the Hell Realm to cultivate, causing many people to overlook his existence. Perhaps he was indeed single-mindedly devoted to the Dao.
But whether that was true or not didn't really matter, because his life was about to end.
The Dark Son said, "I have never believed in fate, nor have I ever visited the Destiny Temple, which all Hell Realm cultivators must go to worship. In fact, human effort determines everything. From the moment a cultivator steps onto the path of cultivation, they are already acting to defy fate and change their destiny. The weak are manipulated by fate, while the strong control it. I am suffering this calamity only because I am not strong enough."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred. Many cultivators had grand declarations—"My fate is mine to control, not the heavens' "—but how many could truly uphold that as a firm belief?
When faced with a desperate situation, most people would choose to resign themselves to fate, lacking the courage to fight any longer.
"Buzz."
Suddenly, the space shook violently. An extremely dangerous aura enveloped Zhang Ruochen, the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden, and the Dark Son.
Zhang Ruochen and the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden immediately looked up, their expressions sharpening. A highly condensed River of Time appeared, with countless time fragments dancing within it, throwing this entire space-time into chaos.
Zhang Ruochen could also summon a phantom of the River of Time, but its power was far inferior to this one.
Just as the two were about to make a move, they saw the Dark Son extend his withered arm and use his finger to draw on the ground, quickly tracing many intricate and profound secret patterns.
Instantly, countless light spots appeared in the sky, like billions of stars, presenting a grand and majestic momentum, making one feel as if they were truly in the starry universe.
Then, these light spots rotated, like a galaxy turning upside down, twisting the entire space-time.
Even that terrifying River of Time was twisted, deviating from its course. It failed to strike Zhang Ruochen and the other two as intended, quickly disappearing into the darkness.
After doing this, the Dark Son's form became even more withered, and his aura weakened to the extreme.
Zhang Ruochen's eyes flickered with a strange light. He stared intently at the Dark Son. The Dark Son's skillful handling suggested that he was already very familiar with the monster's methods.
"This is bad. This monster has many tricks. If we can't find a way out quickly, we might still end up being refined by it," the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden said, her expression becoming very serious.
The Dark Son said, "This monster has extremely high intelligence. It actually has ways to kill us quickly, but it deliberately refrains from doing so, wanting to slowly torment us, making us walk step by step toward death in despair and fear. And this just happens to give us a chance to escape."
"What chance?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The Dark Son said, "Everyone has weaknesses. I believe this monster is no exception. As long as we find its weakness, we might be able to escape."
"Weakness?" The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden fell into thought.
They were now inside the monster's body, and many things were unclear. Even if the monster had some weakness, it probably wouldn't be easy to find.
The Dark Son said, "This monster is formed from the combination of four types of Divine Power. It is completely different from the other monsters outside. Its essence has already mutated, and it might even be considered a true life form."
The Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden's eyes suddenly lit up. "These four types of Divine Power are all extremely powerful and belong to different gods. Perfectly fusing them is no easy task—in fact, it might be completely impossible. I suspect this monster only maintains a balance among the four types of Divine Power. If we can break that balance, we might be able to inflict heavy damage on it and thus gain a chance to escape."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen pondered for a moment and said, "This might indeed be a major weakness of the monster. But how do we break the balance of the Divine Power?"
Finding the weakness alone wasn't enough; they needed to come up with a feasible method.
"I once vaguely saw, at the top of this space, a very peculiar Divine Power vortex, displaying four different colors. The Divine Power flowing in from the outside seemed to all converge into that vortex," the Dark Son suddenly said.
Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred, and he quickly asked, "Where is that Divine Power vortex?"
The Dark Son didn't speak. Instead, he once again used his finger to draw on the ground.
"Swoosh."
A dark, dim light shot up into the sky, breaking through many obstacles, revealing some deeply hidden things.
Zhang Ruochen and the Thousand Star Heavenly Maiden both looked up. Without the obstruction, their gazes could now reach a place several thousand zhang above.
Just as the Dark Son had said, there was a huge Divine Power vortex slowly rotating there. They could vaguely sense the terrifying aura emanating from it, enough to destroy heaven and earth.
In just a moment, the secret patterns on the ground dimmed, the dark light disappeared, and the Divine Power vortex was hidden again.
"Cough, cough."
The Dark Son coughed violently, his face ashen, on the verge of reaching the end of his rope.
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