Chapter 2118: Great Saint Dao Fruit
Zhang Ruochen stood before the ancient tomb, his mind churning violently, unable to calm down. If his speculation proved true, the Zhang Clan of the past must have been incredibly prosperous and flourishing.
Unfortunately, there was a gap in the Zhang Clan's history. Many matters from before the Middle Ages were no longer known by anyone. Even the fact that the Zhang Clan had a deity called the Calamity Venerable during the Middle Ages had long been forgotten. It was only when the Moon God mentioned it that Zhang Ruochen learned of it.
"It really is exactly as described in the ancient texts about the ancestral land. Only after a Great Saint dies can they be buried in the ancestral land. For every member of the Zhang Clan, this is an unparalleled honor," Zhang Ruochen murmured.
The founder of the Zhang Clan was the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable, a legendary figure, so ancient it was terrifying. Even the Moon God had never seen him. Thus, the Zhang Clan's heritage spanned at least a million years.
With the superior cultivation environment before the Middle Ages, over a million years of accumulated generations, the number of Great Saints that could be born would undoubtedly be astonishing.
Unfortunately, only half of the ancestral genealogy remained, recording events starting from the end of the Middle Ages. From it, fewer than a hundred Great Saint ancestors could be seen.
If the first half of the ancestral genealogy could be recovered, all mysteries would undoubtedly be easily unraveled.
Having lived two lives, the Zhang Clan he belonged to was actually of the same lineage. Was this a coincidence or a deliberate arrangement?
Zhang Ruochen climbed to a higher vantage point, surveying the entire tomb forest, his gaze fixed on the deepest part.
But there, an extremely powerful force existed. Even with his Divine Mark Eye activated, he could not see through it, nor could he know where this tomb forest extended to.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to give up, his bloodline suddenly stirred. The Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture began to circulate on its own. A strange aura enveloped him, shaking his mind and spirit.
Zhang Ruochen's body trembled violently. It felt as if his soul was being drawn out of his body. In a trance, he arrived at a mysterious chaotic place, where dense chaotic energy surged.
An immensely grand and majestic tomb appeared before him. Chaotic rules and chaotic divine light flowed slowly over the tomb like water, giving it an extremely sacred feeling.
Facing this tomb, Zhang Ruochen could not help but feel the urge to prostrate himself in worship.
Above the tomb, space twisted violently, vaguely revealing twenty-seven layers of magnificent heavens. It gave a feeling that was both real and dreamlike, making it impossible to tell whether it truly existed or was merely an apparition.
And above these twenty-seven layers of heavens sat an immensely majestic figure, surrounded by numerous stars, like the center of the cosmic star river.
Zhang Ruochen tried hard to see the figure's appearance but could not. In the end, all he saw was a blur of chaos.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was deeply shaken, his mind suddenly returned to his body. The tomb, the twenty-seven layers of heavens, and the majestic figure all vanished without a trace, as if it had all been a dream.
Zhang Ruochen stood frozen in midair, unable to come back to his senses for a long time. Everything he had just seen had brought him too great an impact.
"Is there really such a tomb deep in the tomb forest? Whose is it? Why did it affect my bloodline so greatly?" Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself.
He then fully activated his heavenly eye in the center of his brow, wanting to see clearly.
But no matter how he tried, it was futile. An invisible, mysterious force blocked his probing.
Helplessly withdrawing his gaze, Zhang Ruochen suddenly made another discovery.
On top of the tomb in front of him, there was actually a strange fruit the size of a fist. Countless Great Saint rules were interwoven on it, radiating a brilliant, immortal light.
Zhang Ruochen's expression shifted slightly as something occurred to him. "Could it be... the legendary Great Saint Dao Fruit?"
Zhang Ruochen had only seen the Great Saint Fruit, a rare treasure, in ancient texts but had never actually seen one.
According to ancient texts, after a Great Saint dies and is buried in a special place, after at least ten thousand years, the Great Saint's essence and sacred dao rules condense into a fruit—this is the Great Saint Dao Fruit.
Legend has it that eating a Great Saint Dao Fruit allows one to obtain that Great Saint's inheritance and some of their sacred dao rules, greatly increasing the chance of cultivating to the Great Saint realm.
"That's right, this is a Great Saint Dao Fruit." A voice suddenly rang out.
Zhang Ruochen was slightly startled. Unbeknownst to him, the mysterious old man had already arrived beside him without him noticing.
If the other party intended him harm, he would undoubtedly be in great danger.
Zhang Ruochen closed the heavenly eye in his brow and glanced at the old man. "I didn't expect you could come in too."
"This is the Zhang Clan's ancestral land. I am a member of the Zhang Clan, so of course I can come in," the old man said with a matter-of-fact tone and a rather smug expression, as if being a member of the Zhang Clan was something extraordinary.
If Zhang Ruochen were not a Zhang Clan descendant, he might have been tempted to hit him.
After a pause, the old man continued, "Zhang Ruochen, do you believe what I said now? The Zhang Clan in the Central Domain also came from here. Their roots are here."
Zhang Ruochen had to admit that what the old man said was true, as he had already seen with his own eyes the tombs of the Great Saint ancestors recorded in the ancestral genealogy.
The names of the Great Saints buried in several adjacent tombs could all be found in the genealogy.
"Why did the Central Domain Zhang Clan lose contact with the ancestral land? And why didn't our Zhang Clan royal family in Yunwu Commandery know about the ancestral land's existence?" Zhang Ruochen asked seriously.
Although he now believed this was the legendary ancestral land of the Zhang Clan, he still had many questions that needed answers.
The old man clasped his hands behind his back and spoke in a rather heavy tone. "The great calamity at the end of the Middle Ages did not spare the Zhang Clan either. That battle was too brutal. Almost all of the Zhang Clan's strong ones died, and our vitality was severely damaged. Everything about the ancestral land became a legend."
"According to Zhang Clan rules, only after a Great Saint dies can they be buried in the ancestral land. To know the location of the ancestral land, one must also be a top-tier Saint King, so as to better protect the ancestral land's secrets."
"The Zhang Clan royal family of Yunwu Commandery should belong to the lineage guarding the ancestral land. Perhaps due to dwindling numbers, the inheritance was broken somewhere along the way. But at least they remembered the importance of this place and never left."
In fact, the ancestors of the Yunwu Commandery royal family were responsible for guarding the tombs.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred. He had already roughly guessed that these matters were related to the great calamity at the end of the Middle Ages. According to the Moon God, the Zhang Clan's Calamity Venerable had fallen in that battle and should logically be buried in this ancestral land.
The Central Domain Zhang Clan lineage was relatively fortunate. Although they had endured many hardships, they had managed to rise again in the Near Ages, establishing the Holy Bright Central Empire. Including Zhang Ruochen's father, the Ming Emperor, a total of ten Great Saint realm strong ones had emerged.
Unfortunately, a mishap eight hundred years ago had nearly destroyed the Holy Bright foundation, and the Zhang Clan had almost faced extinction.
"The Zhang Clan cannot continue to remain silent. We must restore our former glory. Zhang Ruochen, as a descendant of the Zhang Clan, you must shoulder this heavy responsibility," the old man suddenly said with a serious expression.
Zhang Ruochen was slightly stunned, then shook his head. "Of course I want the Zhang Clan to rise again, but that is easier said than done."
"Why is it not easy? Zhang Ruochen, your bloodline is powerful. The descendants you produce will surely be outstanding individuals. Combined with the Great Saint Dao Fruits, it would not be difficult to give birth to a group of Great Saints," the old man said with wide eyes.
"Zhang Ruochen, as one of the few male members of the Zhang Clan, why are you so thick-headed? The nearly hundred female saints around you are all beautiful and have decent cultivation. If you unite with them, the descendants you produce will have strong bloodlines and good looks."
"And that girl transformed from the Divine Illumination Lotus I saw last time—if you produce descendants with her, they will not only be good-looking but also have heaven-defying talent. They might even be stronger than you."
"As long as you unite with more such powerful women and produce a large batch of good-looking, highly talented descendants, why worry about the Zhang Clan not rising again?"
"I took the trouble to refine some medicinal powder to help you, but you completely refused to appreciate it. Are you even a man? Do you want to anger me to death?"
The old man kept scolding Zhang Ruochen, looking at him with a sense of disappointment.
Zhang Ruochen found it both amusing and exasperating. "Your cultivation is higher than mine, and your bloodline is certainly stronger. You are more suited for this task than I am."
Hearing this, the old man's beard bristled with anger. "If I could do it, would I need you?"
It was clear that the old man was truly angered by Zhang Ruochen, to the point where he wished he could give him a good beating.
"What do you mean?"
Zhang Ruochen looked at the old man's lower body with a strange expression, finding it hard to believe that such a powerful strong one could actually be... impotent.
"Where are you looking? What are you thinking?"
The old man roared in exasperation, then extended his right hand. A grayish-white mist appeared in his palm.
He waved his hand lightly, and wherever the grayish-white mist passed, plants instantly withered. A thick deathly aura spread for dozens of miles.
"Why do you have such a dense death evil qi on you?" Zhang Ruochen quickly released sacred qi to resist the erosion of the death evil qi.
The old man sighed deeply. "Back in the day, I fought a fierce battle in the starry sky with several tough characters from the Death Clan of the Hell Realm for three months. We shattered stars and dimmed the sun and moon. But in the end, I was struck by their death thought power and nearly fell. Fortunately, I was lucky and survived. But even after spending a hundred thousand years, I couldn't completely dissolve that death evil qi."
Zhang Ruochen immediately understood. It was because of the death evil qi wreaking havoc in his body that the old man could not produce offspring.
Great! Otherwise, this old fellow, driven by the mission to revive the Zhang Clan, might have used his unknown medicinal powder to resort to despicable means and grandly defile the mountain, which would have been a headache for Zhang Ruochen.
Ignoring the old man, Zhang Ruochen turned his gaze to the rows of tombs. He noticed that many tombs had Great Saint Dao Fruits on them, but not every one did.
Presumably, it was not that these tombs had not produced Great Saint Dao Fruits, but that they had already been picked.
Since the effects of the Great Saint Dao Fruit were known, the Zhang Clan ancestors of the past would surely have utilized them.
Perhaps many of these Great Saints had themselves eaten Great Saint Dao Fruits.
With a movement of his body, Zhang Ruochen slowly approached the tomb, intending to pick the Great Saint Dao Fruit on top.
Despite great resistance, he successfully reached the front, the Great Saint Dao Fruit within arm's reach.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to pick it, the old man stopped him. "Don't casually pick the Great Saint Dao Fruit."
"Why?" Zhang Ruochen asked curiously.
The old man said, "After picking the Great Saint Dao Fruit, it must be eaten immediately, and preferably in front of the Great Saint's tomb. Only then can the essence of the Great Saint Dao Fruit be fully absorbed and refined, giving hope of cultivating to the Great Saint realm."
"The tombs and tombstones you see are all excellent places for enlightenment and cultivation. Cultivate here for a while first, then eat the Great Saint Dao Fruit for the best effect."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen immediately abandoned the idea of picking it. The Great Saint Dao Fruit was so precious; naturally, it could not be wasted.
He now fully understood the significance of the ancestral land to the Zhang Clan. As long as the ancestral land existed, no matter what calamity the Zhang Clan faced, there would always be a day of resurgence.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this test that most of the Great Saint Dao Fruits had been preserved.
If all the Great Saint Dao Fruits could be utilized, how many Great Saints could the Zhang Clan produce? It was simply unimaginable.
"Zhang Ruochen, did you understand what I said? Your most important task right now is to carry on the family line and produce as many descendants as you can."
"Once, a Zhang Clan ancestor married a full three thousand wives, each beautiful and elegant. Divine maidens, holy maidens, celestial maidens from ancient civilizations, proud daughters of the Dragon Clan, the Nine Li Clan, the Phoenix Clan—those that fly in the sky, walk on the ground, swim in the water—all captured in one net. He produced over ten thousand descendants. That is the example you should follow." The old man said this, staring at Zhang Ruochen with a contemptuous expression, as if he were talking about himself.
Hearing this, a strange look appeared in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. He immediately thought of the Annihilation Emperor of the Guanghan Realm. He had not expected that in the area of reproduction, the Zhang Clan had an ancestor who surpassed the Annihilation Emperor.
However, the Annihilation Emperor was still in his prime and would likely produce many more descendants in the future, possibly surpassing that Zhang Clan ancestor.
Looking at the old man's eyes, which seemed about to spit fire, Zhang Ruochen said, "The Zhang Clan of Yunwu Commandery indeed has very few people left. But the Central Domain Zhang Clan still has many members. They can come here to cultivate. Even if they are not qualified to swallow the Great Saint Dao Fruit, relying on this environment and the blessing of the Zhang Clan ancestors' fortune, their cultivation speed will certainly increase greatly. They might even gain some unexpected benefits."
All the Zhang Clan members still in the Kunlun Realm had basically been taken into Zhang Ruochen's Qiankun Realm. The number was not small, but most had very thin bloodlines, making it hard to find true geniuses.
"I cannot leave the mountain. Go quickly and gather them all. Even if the quality is lacking, it is better than having nothing," the old man immediately urged.
But then, the old man added, "No matter what, you cannot shirk your responsibility. Go quickly and knock down a few hundred beautiful female saints to help our Zhang Clan spread its branches and leaves."
Hearing this, several black lines immediately appeared on Zhang Ruochen's forehead. He really could not stand this old man.
"Shua."
Immediately, Zhang Ruochen flashed and withdrew from this sacred tomb forest.
At this time, the Azure Heaven Saint Dragon had already subdued the Coiling Dragon Vine and had begun to refine it.
Zhang Ruochen did not disturb it and went straight back to that hidden valley. He gathered all the Zhang Clan members led by the Mingjiang King, totaling over a thousand people.
After briefly explaining the situation, Zhang Ruochen led the group of Zhang Clan members toward the tomb forest deep in the mountain.
Of course, he only said it was a cultivation treasure land and did not mention the Zhang Clan's ancestral land.
In his opinion, it was better not to tell ordinary Zhang Clan members about the ancestral land.
After arriving outside the tomb forest, Zhang Ruochen let these Zhang Clan members try to break through the nine-colored divine light barrier on their own.
Although the barrier was strong enough that even a Great Saint could not force their way through, it would not block those with the Zhang Clan bloodline.
"Ruochen, are these the tombs of Great Saints? How can there be hundreds of them?" The Mingjiang King's eyes were full of shock.
He himself had entered the royal clan's tomb forest and was no stranger to the tombs of Great Saints.
However, his cultivation was inferior to Zhang Ruochen's, so the number of tombs he could see was naturally much less.
And the other Zhang Clan members could see even fewer. The strange power in the tomb forest affected their vision and perception.
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "Indeed, they are the tombs of Great Saints. But they are different from the Great Saint tombs in the royal clan's tomb forest. Sitting in front of the tombs to comprehend the sacred dao can yield twice the result with half the effort."
Upon receiving the confirmation, the Mingjiang King was even more shocked. Hundreds of Great Saints buried in the same place—this was an unimaginable thing.
After the shock, the Mingjiang King stepped forward and, like Zhang Ruochen, easily entered the tomb forest.
Seeing this, the other Zhang Clan members also began to move.
But their speed was much slower, mainly affected by the strength of their bloodlines and their cultivation levels.
Among these people, only one of the Mingjiang King's sons had reached the Saint King realm. The rest, not even many had reached the Saint realm, so they naturally faced great resistance.
Of the thousand-plus people who came, only less than three hundred managed to enter the tomb forest. Most were blocked outside.
After a moment's thought, Zhang Ruochen understood the key. It must be that these people's bloodlines were too thin and no longer recognized by the ancestral land.
Zhang Ruochen had no solution for this and could only send them back.