Chapter 2132: Good and Evil, No God
Outside Thousand Water Commandery City, there stood a vast ancient mountain known as Cold Smoke Mountain. After the royal clan members of Thousand Water Commandery died, they were all buried here, making it equivalent to the Royal Mountain of Cloud Wu Commandery.
Cold Smoke Mountain was ordinary, with nothing particularly special about it. Ever since the royal bloodline of Thousand Water Commandery had been completely slaughtered, this place had become extremely desolate, with few people ever setting foot here.
The calm space suddenly rippled with faint waves, and Zhang Ruochen's figure appeared out of thin air on Cold Smoke Mountain.
From Lei Jing, he had learned some words Huang Yanchen had spoken before she disappeared. Zhang Ruochen had initially wanted to immediately go to the Ghost Gate on White Permanence Star to investigate. With his current cultivation and strength, he should no longer be barred from entering.
But in the end, he chose to first rush to Cold Smoke Mountain to pay respects to those who had died because of him in the past.
Previously, Lei Jing had always been the one doing this for him. Now that he was in the Eastern Domain, he naturally could no longer leave it to others.
Ahead of Zhang Ruochen lay a large area of relatively new graves, hundreds in number, erected only a few years ago.
Standing before these graves, Zhang Ruochen's heart could not help but stir, filled with deep guilt. Back then, the Undying Blood Clan had stopped at nothing to deal with him.
He could only regret that he had been too weak at the time, unable to protect these innocent people.
"Rustle."
With a flip of his hand, Zhang Ruochen took out a jar of fine wine, tore off the seal, and poured it before the rows of graves.
After standing there for a long time, Zhang Ruochen suddenly said, "Come out. I know you're nearby. Hiding in front of me is meaningless."
"Tap, tap."
Light footsteps sounded, stepping on fallen leaves.
A graceful figure slowly walked over from afar. Her form-fitting black dress accentuated her perfectly proportioned figure, her jade-like legs straight and slender. She exuded an indescribable special aura—noble and sacred—making one want to bow and worship her.
The stunning beauty who appeared was none other than Bore, one of the three Divine Maiden candidates of the Destiny Temple in the Hell Realm.
If cultivators from the Hell Realm saw her here, they would surely be extremely surprised. Why would the lofty Lady Bore come here? How could she dare to face the renowned Zhang Ruochen alone?
Zhang Ruochen turned his head, his gaze meeting Bore's.
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, the moment he saw Bore, his emotions still surged violently.
The reason Zhang Ruochen had rushed to Cold Smoke Mountain to pay respects was also because he thought he might encounter her and wanted to see her. He had too many doubts in his heart that needed answers.
Now, Zhang Ruochen had already let go of many things, so he did not reject meeting her.
"Should I call you Bore, or Huang Yanchen?" Zhang Ruochen quickly calmed his emotions and asked calmly.
Bore walked closer step by step and said indifferently, "Huang Yanchen is long gone. Now there is only Bore."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred. He recalled what Lei Jing had told him and became even more curious about what had happened to her.
"Are you doing well?" Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen asked this.
Bore's gaze fixed on the large graves. "Not well."
Zhang Ruochen's eyes shimmered with deep light. "Since it's not well, then come back. Let all the past matters drift away with the wind."
"Come back? Come back where? I am a Divine Maiden candidate of the Destiny Temple in the Hell Realm. How noble is my status? You want me to come back?" Bore said coldly and sharply.
Her tone carried a hint of self-mockery.
Letting out a breath, Zhang Ruochen stared deeply at her. "Did you become like this because of the Ghost Gate above White Permanence Star? What exactly do you want to do by entering the Hell Realm? Did Chi Yao make you do this?"
In truth, Zhang Ruochen had some vague guesses. Huang Yanchen had thrown herself into the Hell Realm and completely changed her appearance, which must involve a great secret.
Huang Yanchen was not the first Kunlun Realm cultivator to enter the Hell Realm. At least before her, there were Qiangu Nüdi and Xuanji Laoren.
But whether it was Qiangu Nüdi or Xuanji Laoren, once they entered the Underworld of the Hell Realm, they never returned. No one knew what they were doing.
"I cannot answer any of these questions, nor do I have any reason to answer them."
After a pause, Bore added, "Instead of worrying so much about my affairs, why not worry about your own first. How about I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead."
Zhang Ruochen stared intently into Bore's eyes, trying to see through her, trying to know what she was truly thinking deep down.
"As far as I know, Yan Wushen has captured Chi Kunlun. You should know who Chi Kunlun is, right? I'm very curious—how can you remain unmoved?" Bore asked.
Zhang Ruochen's expression changed slightly. "How could Chi Kunlun possibly be in Yan Wushen's hands?"
He remembered very clearly that he had seen Chi Kunlun in a special place on the second gradient of the Endless Abyss. That was Xue Hou's territory. No matter how strong Yan Wushen was, he could never go there and take Chi Kunlun away.
"Asking me is useless. You'll have to ask Yan Wushen," Bore said.
Zhang Ruochen pondered deeply, and his heart sank slightly.
"Will she deceive me again?"
A thought flashed through Zhang Ruochen's mind—perhaps this was a trap set by Bore and Yan Wushen, along with a group of Hell Realm experts.
Using the lie that Chi Kunlun had been captured to lure him in.
"Should I trust Xue Hou, or should I trust her? Can I still trust her? Sigh. I said I had completely let go, but I still can't."
Zhang Ruochen let out a long sigh. A strange emotion arose in his heart, and he made an irrational decision. Even if this was a trap, he chose to believe her one more time.
If he was deceived again, then let the feelings between them come to a complete end.
From then on, if they met, they would be enemies.
If what Bore said was true, it would at least show that she had not truly defected to the Hell Realm, and there was a major hidden reason.
Zhang Ruochen had not actually come into contact with Chi Kunlun on the second gradient of the Endless Abyss, so Bore's words might not be false.
But Zhang Ruochen did not understand why Xue Hou would create a fake Chi Kunlun to deceive him. Was it just to lure him to the Endless Abyss?
Undoubtedly, Yan Wushen must know that Chi Kunlun was the son of Zhang Ruochen and Empress Chi Yao. So this news was indeed not good—in fact, it was very bad.
Bore could see that Zhang Ruochen did not fully believe her words, but she did not mind. This was the price one had to pay after deceiving someone.
Deceive once, and trust is lost forever.
Her heart was sad and bitter, but she did not show it on her face. She said calmly, "Yan Wushen has taken a liking to Chi Kunlun's True God Body and his identity as a Space Controller. He is determined to take him as his disciple."
"Yan Wushen is moody and unpredictable. How can Chi Kunlun be safe by his side?" Zhang Ruochen's brow furrowed deeply.
If he had known earlier that Chi Kunlun was in Yan Wushen's hands, he would never have let Yan Wushen leave so easily during their battle at Luo River.
Bore said, "How much do you really know about Yan Wushen?"
Zhang Ruochen sensed that Bore seemed to have some secret she wanted to tell him, so he asked, "I have only fought him once. I don't know much about him."
"The Yan Wushen you fought is not the real Yan Wushen—only a part of him," Bore said with a grave expression.
Zhang Ruochen found it hard to understand. "What do you mean?"
"Yan Wushen actually has two selves, or rather, one Yan Wushen has split into two—one good and one evil. The one you defeated before is the evil Yan Wushen. The one who took Chi Kunlun away is the good Yan Wushen."
Hearing this, even with Zhang Ruochen's current calm state of mind, a huge wave stirred within him.
If he had not resolved to trust her one more time, he might have thought she was making up a story.
"How can there be two Yan Wushens?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Bore pondered for a moment. "Every living being has good and evil sides. Even Bodhisattvas and Buddhas in the Buddhist sect are no exception. That is why there is the saying, 'One thought becomes Buddha, one thought becomes demon.' There is no absolute good or evil in the world—it only depends on which side dominates."
"In Buddhism, there is a saying: 'Drop the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot.' The meaning is that the good side has overcome the evil side."
"In an extremely ancient era, a Saintly Buddha in the Buddhist sect created a special cultivation method—infinitely amplifying one's own good and evil. By day, they were a god; by night, a demon. They dug deepest into human nature, constantly shifting between good and evil, hoping to cultivate an eternal and indestructible Buddha nature."
"This cultivation method was too dangerous. Even a Saintly Monk with profound Buddhist teachings could fall forever into the demonic path. Thus, it became a forbidden practice of the Buddhist sect, long unknown to the world."
Zhang Ruochen listened quietly, his heart inevitably stirring. He had never heard of such a bizarre cultivation method in the world.
It was said that falling into the demonic path was easy, but becoming a Buddha again was extremely difficult. No matter how strong one's will, it might not be enough to hold on.
"Did Yan Wushen cultivate this ancient forbidden practice of the Buddhist sect?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Bore shook her head slightly. "Not only that. Yan Wushen went a step further. He completely separated his good and evil into two independent individuals—one good, one evil—like yin and yang divided."
"But human nature is never pure. Even if Yan Wushen splits off his evil body, his good body is by no means a saint. It is like Taiji—yin within yang, yang within yin."
"In this state, both the good and evil bodies can act without restraint. Yan Wushen can comprehend many things that ordinary people cannot. When the two merge, he will reach a true peak, surpassing those figures in myths."
Just the good body or the evil body alone could already be invincible below the Great Saint realm. If good and evil merged, how powerful would Yan Wushen become?
Even though Zhang Ruochen's cultivation and strength had greatly improved, hearing this news still made him feel considerable pressure.
Clearly, to truly defeat Yan Wushen, he would have to become even stronger.
In fact, Zhang Ruochen admired Yan Wushen in his heart for daring to embark on such a dangerous path of cultivation. Ordinary people would not even dare to think about it.
"Now, both Yan Wushen's good body and evil body are in the Kunlun Realm. This has never happened before. Perhaps he will take the most critical step here in the Kunlun Realm—re-merging into a single whole," Bore added.
The matter of Yan Wushen was known to very few people in the entire Hell Realm. Bore only knew this secret because she had gained the favor of a Destiny Temple titan.
While Bore and Zhang Ruochen were speaking, the artifact spirit of the Hundred Dragon Bright Emperor Armor was hiding behind a rock not far away. Its concealment skills were extraordinary, completely evading Zhang Ruochen's perception.
The Golden Dragon wanted to eavesdrop on Bore and Zhang Ruochen's conversation, but unfortunately, Bore had used some technique that made it unable to hear anything.
Frustrated, the Golden Dragon could only eat large mouthfuls of dried Saint King realm beast meat.
After leaving the Yin Burial Mountain Range, the Golden Dragon had hunted a large number of Saint King realm beasts, greatly increasing its food reserves.
The only thing it was dissatisfied with was that it could not find any Great Saint realm beasts in the Kunlun Realm, so it had to make do with Saint King realm beasts.
"No mistake. This kid is indeed a descendant of the Zhang Clan, and his bloodline is so powerful. It seems the Zhang Clan's situation is not too bad." The Golden Dragon stared intently at Zhang Ruochen, nodding repeatedly.
After a pause, the Golden Dragon curled its lips. "If this kid could be like Jie Zunzhe and marry a few thousand wives, why worry about the Zhang Clan not flourishing? I really miss those days!"
As the artifact spirit of the Zhang Clan's inherited Supreme Sacred Artifact, the Golden Dragon was naturally very familiar with the Zhang Clan's bloodline.
The Golden Dragon wanted to get closer and have a good talk with Zhang Ruochen, but remembering what Bore had said to it, it had to suppress that thought.
Moreover, no matter how strong Zhang Ruochen was, if he was not a Great Saint, he was not qualified to inherit the Hundred Dragon Bright Emperor Armor.
After a long silence, Bore said, "You can leave. I want to stay here alone for a while."
Zhang Ruochen gazed at her for a moment. There was still much he wanted to say, but the words reached his lips and were swallowed back.
Gathering his scattered thoughts, Zhang Ruochen said softly, "I hope we never meet on the battlefield."
Now that they stood on opposing sides, if they met on the battlefield, they could only be enemies.
Leaving these words, Zhang Ruochen performed a Space Displacement and vanished without a trace.
Bore was momentarily stunned, a faint smile appearing in her eyes.
But soon, her gaze dimmed again. She sighed and shook her head.
"Shua."
The Golden Dragon appeared beside Bore and asked, "Who was that kid? Did you get the Hundred Dragon Bright Emperor Armor from him?"
However, Bore ignored it, only quietly gazing at the hundreds of graves before her. Though they were now from two different worlds, how could past events be easily cut off?
...
In a remote small city in the Central Domain, Yan Wushen and Chi Kunlun sat in a tavern, leisurely drinking fine wine, paying little attention to what was happening outside.
Ever since the Four Heavenly Kings of the Heavenly Palace had retreated last time, Yan Wushen had rarely been able to enjoy such leisure, no longer having to flee everywhere.
Suddenly, a strange light flashed in Yan Wushen's eyes. He waved his hand, putting Chi Kunlun into a space treasure, then performed a Space Displacement and left the tavern.
The next moment, Yan Wushen appeared on a small hill outside the city.
Opposite him stood another person with the exact same appearance and features, but the aura he emitted was completely different.
It was the good body and evil body of Yan Wushen meeting.
"The name Yan Wushen is no longer a symbol of invincibility," the evil body of Yan Wushen said, his expression deep and sharp.
The good body of Yan Wushen asked calmly, "Someone defeated you?"
"Not long ago, I fought Zhang Ruochen. Both of us were severely injured," the evil body of Yan Wushen said.
Others could not see through Zhang Ruochen's true state, but the evil body of Yan Wushen possessed the Origin Divine Eye and could naturally tell that Zhang Ruochen had also been seriously injured at the time, gaining no real advantage.
The good body of Yan Wushen revealed a faint smile. "Zhang Ruochen? This Heir of Time and Space has finally grown up. I look forward to fighting him. I hope he won't disappoint me. A life without opponents is truly too lonely."
In comparison, the good body of Yan Wushen was actually stronger. He was the main body and possessed extraordinary treasures.
The fact that Zhang Ruochen could fight his evil body to a draw was undoubtedly enough to qualify him to personally make a move.
Zhang Ruochen knew nothing of these matters.
With a heavy heart, he returned to the Royal Mountain. He resolved to go to the Ghost Gate to verify some things and resolve the doubts in his heart.
The special Space Teleportation Array connecting to White Permanence Star had already been retrieved from Ao Xinyan. As long as he was willing, he could set off at any time.
Zhang Ruochen had originally planned to go alone, but as soon as Xiao Hei heard about it, he immediately demanded to go along.
Speaking of it, it was he, Huang Yanchen, and Xiao Hei who had first arrived at White Permanence Star. Only the three of them knew the secrets there.
Of course, Chi Yao had to be added as well.
Faced with such a mysterious Ghost Gate, anyone would be curious and want to investigate.
"Don't worry. This Emperor has already fortified the Royal Mountain like an iron fortress. With that elusive old fellow around, no one dares to cause trouble on the Royal Mountain," Xiao Hei said confidently.
Even so, Zhang Ruochen decided to leave Mo Yin behind, because he always felt that the old fellow who claimed to be the Zhang Clan's ancestor was unreliable.
After everything was prepared, Zhang Ruochen took out the special Space Teleportation Array and set it up in the valley where the World Gate Key was located.
"Ghost Gate, let me see what mystery you hold," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
"Hua—"
The Space Teleportation Array activated. A flash of white light enveloped Zhang Ruochen and Xiao Hei, and they vanished in an instant.
(End of this chapter)