Chapter 2091: A Sea of Treasures
"That divine power vortex should be the source of the monster's strength. If we destroy it, the balance of the four divine powers will be broken, and the monster will face great trouble. Then, we'll have a chance to escape," the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden said seriously.
Using her Origin Divine Eye, she could directly peer into the essence of all things.
But then, the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden furrowed her brows slightly and said, "The power condensed in that divine power vortex is extremely strong. Ordinary attacks would probably be shredded the moment they get close, making it impossible to damage it."
"Moreover, the location of the divine power vortex is very peculiar. The space is twisted severely, making any attack difficult to reach. And if the first attack fails, it will surely alert the monster. So, we only have one chance."
Clearly, although they had found the monster's weakness, escaping through it was no easy task.
"My time is running out. At the final moment, no matter what, I have to give it a try," the Dark Son said, his eyes dim and lifeless. Perhaps it was the appearance of Zhang Ruochen and the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden that gave him hope of escape, as his pitch-black eyes once again shone with a resolute light.
If there was a chance to live, who would want to die?
Moreover, he knew that Zhang Ruochen and the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden were both extremely intelligent. They would surely realize that relying on their own strength alone, the probability of destroying the divine power vortex was minuscule.
But there was only one chance.
Only by joining forces could they significantly increase the odds of success.
"The three of us—one from the Kunlun Realm, one from an ancient civilization, and one from the Hell Realm—should all be enemies. Yet now, we have no choice but to join forces to fight for a way out. What do you say?"
The Thousand Star Celestial Maiden stared at Zhang Ruochen, wanting to know if he was willing to set aside his prejudices and cooperate fully.
Zhang Ruochen, however, looked like an old monk in meditation, as if deep in thought.
If they added the Dark Son, their chances would indeed increase considerably.
Even though the Dark Son was now very weak, Zhang Ruochen did not underestimate him in the slightest. If it came to a fight, the means he could unleash would be absolutely terrifying.
Although he wasn't very willing, there was no other choice at the moment.
"Zhang Ruochen, I know you have deep prejudices against the Hell Realm and don't want to cooperate with me. Rest assured, once we get out, we will still be mortal enemies. At that time, I would very much like to have a fair, one-on-one peak duel with you. Whether you die or I die, it will all depend on strength," the Dark Son said with a heroic spirit that commanded admiration, making Zhang Ruochen seem indecisive in comparison.
His mind racing, Zhang Ruochen made a decision. After all, the Dark Son's condition was very poor; he couldn't hold on much longer.
Zhang Ruochen said, "We'll cooperate. Go all out once."
Hearing this, the Dark Son raised his head and gave Zhang Ruochen a deep look, then nodded. "Good. Let's break the shackles of fate together."
Immediately, the three began to discuss the details of their cooperation. They only had one chance, so none of them dared to be careless. They had to do their best to consider everything.
Soon, the three were ready. The Dark Son began drawing on the ground again.
Compared to before, the secret patterns he carved this time were much more complex, dense and intricate, while he poured in a vast amount of dark power.
The Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror hovered above Zhang Ruochen and the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden. They continuously infused their sacred Qi into it, fully unleashing its strongest power.
At the same time, a black sacred bell flew out from the Dark Son's body, exuding an extremely ancient aura and vast divine might.
Without a doubt, the sacred bell was a divine relic, left behind by a deity who cultivated the path of darkness.
"Rustle."
The secret patterns on the ground were activated, emitting an extremely dark and profound light that shot into the sky. Just like before, it broke through all the obstacles above.
The massive divine power vortex once again appeared before Zhang Ruochen and the other two.
"Strike."
Without any hesitation, the three unleashed their strongest attacks.
The Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror and the black sacred bell were both launched, releasing powerful supreme power and dark divine force respectively. Like two black dragons, they sought to break free from the cage and soar into the heavens.
Under their deliberate control, the supreme power and dark divine force converged, erupting like a volcanic blast and directly crashing into the divine power vortex.
"Boom."
The divine power vortex shook violently, and all the layers of barriers shattered in an instant.
The next moment, the divine power vortex was torn apart. Vast divine power surged, spreading in all directions, causing the entire space to tremble violently and become highly unstable.
Dazzling beams of light flew out from the torn divine power vortex. Zhang Ruochen saw clearly that each beam of divine light contained a treasure, and the number was astonishing.
Fist-sized sacred pills, bronze ancient artifacts radiating powerful might, crystal-clear sacred sources...
"This monster is indeed one of the five overlords," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
According to the short, thin old man, the Dragon God Palace ruins had indeed scattered many treasures, but most had been collected by the five overlords dwelling there.
Zhang Ruochen had suspected this before. After all, if such a terrifying monster couldn't even be counted among the five overlords, just how powerful would those five be?
"Roar!"
The divine power monster let out an angry roar that echoed through its inner world, shaking Zhang Ruochen and the other two until they spat sacred blood, their sacred souls seemingly on the verge of shattering.
The vortex that had been shattered began to slowly form again.
"We must break through the monster's body and escape immediately. Otherwise, once the vortex reforms, we're dead for sure."
As he said this, the Dark Son manipulated the black sacred bell and struck it against the void.
"Bang."
The bell's sound shook the void, but it couldn't break through the monster's body.
It couldn't be pierced.
The vortex was reforming too quickly, growing stronger.
"I'll break it. You go collect those treasures. Since we're here, we can't leave empty-handed," Zhang Ruochen said to the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden.
Zhang Ruochen focused his mind, releasing space rules to seize a strand of free-floating space divine power. He manipulated that power like a divine blade and slashed out.
"Boom."
The monster's body was torn open with a huge gash.
Standing inside its inner world and looking out, the gash was dozens of meters long, like a narrow canyon. This gash was their only path to survival.
Although Zhang Ruochen had refined a large amount of space divine crystals and had the means to borrow space divine power, sustaining it was extremely difficult. He shouted, "I can only hold this open for three breaths. You go first."
Just then, a change occurred.
With lightning speed, the Dark Son erupted with a far stronger aura than before. He activated the black sacred bell, releasing a powerful suction force, and from beside the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden, he absorbed all the divine light enveloping the treasures.
"You two fools have outlived your usefulness. Die."
The Dark Son lifted the black sacred bell and rushed toward the edge of the gash, radiating terrifying killing intent. Two pitch-black chains flew out from his body.
The chains carried a monstrous blood fiend aura, like two violent black dragons, and shot straight toward Zhang Ruochen and the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden.
Given the terrifying power of the chains, even an Immortal Great Saint, if caught off guard, might fall.
Who would have thought that the Dark Son, who seemed so weak, would suddenly turn on them?
The Dark Son at this moment was a completely different person from before. His eyes were cold and ruthless, his body exuding all kinds of evil power fluctuations. He stared at Zhang Ruochen and the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden as if they were fools.
However, just as he thought they were doomed...
The space around Zhang Ruochen rippled slightly, slowing the two chains as if they were stuck in a quagmire.
"Did you think I wasn't on guard against you?" Zhang Ruochen said calmly.
The Dark Son's eyes narrowed deeply. "Weren't you going all out to sustain the escape passage? How could you still have the strength to block my attack?"
"If I hadn't said that, how would you have shown your true colors?" Zhang Ruochen replied.
The Thousand Star Celestial Maiden had already moved behind Zhang Ruochen. She condensed a beam of origin divine light from her sacred Qi, her eyes flashing with cold light. "Well done, Dark Son. I underestimated you. You're truly cunning and treacherous. You almost fooled me earlier."
Without another word, Zhang Ruochen acted. He mobilized space rules and pressed his hand forward, causing a large area of space around the Dark Son to collapse rapidly.
With the divine power vortex damaged, the various suppressions within this space had become very weak, no longer hindering Zhang Ruochen's space techniques.
Even if the Dark Son was on the same level as Yan Wushen, Zhang Ruochen was confident he could fight him.
With his current cultivation, his mastery of the way of space and the way of time might not be inferior to the top-tier powerhouses below the Great Saint realm.
"It seems I underestimated you. Even this couldn't ambush you," the Dark Son said, showing no panic as the space around him crumbled.
His calmness made Zhang Ruochen and the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden sense danger.
Truly, the Dark Son, in both cultivation and cunning, was an unprecedented formidable enemy. It would be hard to find a second one like him across the myriad heavens.
"Rip."
The Dark Son's body was swallowed by the collapsing space, turning into fragments.
"Could it be that we were overthinking it? Has the Dark Son been killed?" the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden said, though her heart remained uneasy, feeling that things weren't over.
Just then, an astonishing scene unfolded.
From the shattered space region, a tiny black light point flew out rapidly. It spun wildly, growing larger until it became a black hole.
From the black hole, a slender figure walked out, like an emperor descending to the mortal world, surveying all around.
It was none other than the Dark Son.
But this time, the Dark Son was full of flesh and blood, young and handsome, radiating strong vitality without any sign of weakness.
Seeing this, the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden's pretty face lost its color. "This is... the Dark Divine Fetus Method, a secret technique of the Darkness Temple."
"Oh? You actually know the Dark Divine Fetus Method. The Thousand Star Civilization truly has a deep understanding of my Hell Realm," the Dark Son said with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Zhang Ruochen was somewhat puzzled. He knew very little about the secrets of the Darkness Temple.
The Thousand Star Celestial Maiden explained, "The Dark Divine Fetus Method is a forbidden art of the Darkness Temple. Few are taught it, and it's extremely difficult to cultivate. But if successful, the benefits are immense—it allows one to undergo a complete transformation and achieve a top-tier physique."
"Moreover, as long as one can nurture a divine fetus once and shed the old body, their lifespan doubles, essentially giving them a chance to start over."
Zhang Ruochen was shocked. "There's such a secret art in the world? If one can continuously nurture divine fetuses, doesn't that mean immortality?"
"Theoretically, yes. But even nurturing a single divine fetus is extremely difficult and fraught with deadly danger. It requires extraordinary talent and many opportunities. In history, the most accomplished person underwent five transformations, eventually cultivating an invincible divine body and becoming a titan of the Darkness Temple," the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden shook her head.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's eyes grew serious. The Nine Great Divine Temples, existing for endless ages, indeed possessed extraordinary foundations. The rare secret arts they collected would tempt even deities.
The Dark Son waved his hand, and the black sacred bell appeared in his palm. "This divine power monster has collected quite a haul—over a hundred million treasures, each a rare gem. The Dragon God Palace truly lives up to its reputation as one of the three great divine temples of the Kunlun Realm. It hasn't disappointed me."
"With these, the gains from this trip to True Dragon Island have far exceeded expectations. They're enough to greatly enhance the strength of the entire Hell Realm. In the future, I'll use these treasures to cultivate Hell Realm cultivators and completely trample the Kunlun Realm. Of course, I should thank the two of you the most."
Clearly, the Dark Son had long discovered the many treasures within the mysterious vortex. He had deliberately disguised himself, luring them into cooperation to escape the monster's body and obtain these treasures.
Zhang Ruochen and the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden had also been using the Dark Son.
But they hadn't expected him to have mastered the Dark Divine Fetus Method, allowing him to survive.
Hearing the Dark Son's words, the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden was furious.
"Those treasures don't belong to you. You won't take a single one."
Zhang Ruochen continuously infused his sacred Qi into the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror.
The mirror's surface rippled like water, absorbing all the dark force that came crashing in.
At the same time, a sea of demon Qi surged from the mirror, condensing into towering ancient demon mountains that pressed down toward the Dark Son.
A murderous aura appeared on the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden's brow. "Dark Son, let me see just how strong you are with your new body."
Her forehead glowed, and a red ring flew out, releasing vast origin divine power. It vibrated at an extremely high frequency, destabilizing the surrounding space to the point of collapse.
This was a divine relic left by a deity who cultivated the path of origin. Only with her greatly improved mastery of the path of origin could the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden activate it.
"Zhang Ruochen's growth is too fast. He's only just reached the Threshold Dao realm, yet he's already cultivated the way of time and the way of space to such a profound level. If he continues to grow, he will surely become a great enemy in my life," the Dark Son frowned.
He didn't bother to block their attacks. Instead, he rushed out of the monster's body through the gash, seizing every moment. In the process, supreme power and origin force struck him, causing severe injuries.
The Dark Son turned around, looking at Zhang Ruochen and the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden, who were rushing toward the gash. He laughed, "My two friends, no need to see me off. Once I break through to the Great Saint realm, I'll definitely kill this monster and avenge you."
The Dark Son clasped his hands together, and tens of millions of black patterns emerged, weaving into an increasingly massive black millstone that he hurled at Zhang Ruochen and the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden.
"Boom."
The black millstone charged into the gash, colliding with the power unleashed by Zhang Ruochen and the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden, blocking their advance.
In that brief instant, the gash closed again, trapping them inside the monster's body.
The next moment, the divine power vortex inside the monster reformed, restoring its spirit. It let out a roar that shook tens of thousands of miles around True Dragon Island.
After spitting out a mouthful of blood, the Dark Son fled at top speed.
Although he had paid a heavy price, eliminating two great enemies like Zhang Ruochen and the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden while seizing a sea of treasures that would make even deities drool was a huge profit.
The divine power monster was incredibly powerful. Now that it was enraged, it would be strange if Zhang Ruochen and the Thousand Star Celestial Maiden, trapped inside it, weren't refined to death.
(End of chapter)