Chapter 2133: Qiangu Nüdi
White Constant Star, a massive planet composed entirely of white sand and white rocks, lay in a strange and unfamiliar starry sky far from the Kunlun Realm, adjacent to a vast and eerie Yellow Spring Star River.
The space teleportation array, which had been silent for an unknown length of time, suddenly erupted with a dazzling white light, and two figures materialized within it.
After multiple relay teleportations, Zhang Ruochen and Xiao Hei had finally arrived once again at White Constant Star.
It was daytime, and looking up, they could see the colossal light gate, as dazzling as the blazing sun.
Zhang Ruochen gazed up at the light gate. Now, countless times stronger than before, he could discern some unusual aspects of this starry sky.
Logically, given the light gate's peculiar nature, its radiance should have been visible even from the Kunlun Realm.
Yet, despite the Kunlun Realm having been a Merit Battlefield for so long, with countless deities from the Heavenly Court Myriad Realms and the Hell Realm watching it, this place remained undiscovered. This was clearly unreasonable.
The only explanation was that someone had used heaven-defying means to conceal this starry sky, making it imperceptible even to deities.
The most likely person to have done this was undoubtedly Xumi Saint Monk.
For Xumi Saint Monk to expend such great effort in setting this up, this place must conceal an earth-shattering secret, possibly related to the great war of one hundred thousand years ago.
Drawing on his previous experience, Zhang Ruochen adjusted the spatial coordinates and activated the array.
At a position nearly twenty thousand miles from the light gate, ripples spread through space.
Zhang Ruochen and Xiao Hei emerged from the center of the ripples, standing in the void and looking ahead.
Even though he had seen it once before, standing so close to the light gate again, Zhang Ruochen's heart still churned with violent waves, and he felt a suffocating sensation.
"What a colossal gate. Stars are like dust before it. Truly a divine miracle," Xiao Hei couldn't help but exclaim.
In its past life, its cultivation and power had been infinitely close to the divine realm, and its abilities were formidable, yet it could never have created such a grand spectacle.
The light gate stood silently in the void. No one knew how many eons it had existed.
Being so close, Zhang Ruochen and Xiao Hei both felt a terrifying aura emanating from the light gate, almost shattering their physical bodies and saint souls.
"Such a complex spatial structure, layers upon layers of void space. All of this is caused by the power of the Ghost Gate. Was the Ghost Gate refined by Xumi Saint Monk?" Zhang Ruochen murmured.
Xumi Saint Monk's cultivation was profound and unfathomable, and he was skilled in refining various treasures, such as the Cosmic Divine Wood Map and the Chaos Time-Space Lotus. It was not impossible that he had refined the Ghost Gate.
Moreover, the space teleportation array here was also set up by Xumi Saint Monk. Everything seemed to fit.
Xiao Hei shook its head. "Probably not. This emperor can sense that the aura emanating from the Ghost Gate is incredibly ancient, no less than that of the 'Ten Thousand Lamps Picture.' It's likely a product of the primordial era. Back then, that old bald donkey Xumi wasn't even born yet."
"Also, this emperor just used his Great Saint Eye and vaguely saw some patterns on the Ghost Gate. They feel familiar, like I've seen them somewhere before. Let me think carefully."
With that, Xiao Hei rested its cat head on its wing and began to ponder seriously.
Zhang Ruochen didn't disturb it. Instead, he opened his heavenly eye on his forehead and carefully observed the Ghost Gate, not rushing to approach it.
Even if he were to challenge the Ghost Gate, he needed to understand it thoroughly first.
The Ghost Gate was indeed covered in many patterns, complex and profound, as if containing various ultimate principles of heaven and earth.
For such a massive gate, simply carving so many patterns onto it was an enormous project, impossible for an ordinary person.
Even with Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation level, staring at these patterns made him feel dizzy and unable to comprehend them.
"This emperor remembers now! Similar patterns exist in the Nether Prison and the Sword Pavilion. Could these three artifacts have been refined by the same person?" Xiao Hei suddenly exclaimed.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred. He quickly recalled his experiences. He had entered both the Nether Prison and the Sword Pavilion, so he was familiar with them.
He hadn't paid much attention before, but now that Xiao Hei mentioned it, it seemed that both the Nether Prison and the Sword Pavilion indeed contained intricate, naturally formed patterns.
Zhang Ruochen stared at the Ghost Gate. "The Ghost Gate has eighteen layers, the Nether Prison also has eighteen layers, and legend says the Sword Pavilion has eighteen layers as well. Is there really some connection between the three?"
The Ghost Gate before him was only one, but the mysterious gatekeeper from before had said that the Ghost Gate had a total of eighteen layers. Only by passing through all of them could one finally enter the Hell Realm.
Both the Nether Prison and the Sword Pavilion were extremely mysterious. No one could clearly explain their origins.
Legend had it that even deities could be suppressed within the Nether Prison.
After all, a powerful figure like the Underworld King, who was infinitely close to the divine realm, was only imprisoned in the seventeenth prison realm.
The Sword Pavilion, on the other hand, housed the "Wordless Sword Manual" and was the supreme sacred ground for sword cultivators.
Besides having the same number of layers, the Nether Prison and the Sword Pavilion shared another similarity: they were both spatial treasures containing their own worlds. Furthermore, the Sword Pavilion contained the power of time; the higher the layer, the greater the time flow ratio compared to the outside world.
"To perfectly combine the power of time and space and refine them into a mysterious and unfathomable treasure, only a Time and Space Controller could achieve that," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
From ancient times to the present, including Zhang Ruochen, only three Time and Space Controllers had been born in the Kunlun Realm.
According to Xiao Hei, Xumi Saint Monk was not skilled in artifact refining. Therefore, the person who refined the Sword Pavilion was most likely the mysterious first Time and Space Controller.
Even as the Heir of Time and Space, Zhang Ruochen knew nothing about the first Time and Space Controller, as that existence's era was too distant, leaving only scattered legends in later ages.
All Zhang Ruochen knew was that the first Time and Space Controller was called the Time and Space Human Ancestor, one of the most ancient great powers of the Kunlun Realm.
After pondering for a long time, Zhang Ruochen performed a Great Space Teleportation, taking Xiao Hei and rapidly approaching the Ghost Gate.
In no time, Zhang Ruochen and Xiao Hei were less than a thousand miles from the Ghost Gate.
Facing the Ghost Gate at such a close distance, the impact on their minds was even stronger.
"Oh? There's a palace here too. Zhang Ruochen, does that mysterious gatekeeper you mentioned live inside?"
Suddenly, Xiao Hei noticed a tiny palace at the lower right corner of the Ghost Gate.
Of course, "tiny" was relative. The palace was actually extremely grand, thousands of feet high, like a primordial divine beast coiled in the void.
Zhang Ruochen also turned his gaze to the palace. Last time, when he tried to force his way through the Ghost Gate, a hand thousands of miles long had reached out from the palace and slapped him back to White Constant Star.
Thinking back, with such terrifying power, the other party's cultivation must be frighteningly high.
"Young man, you're here again."
Just as he was thinking, a wave of spiritual power emanated from the palace.
Recognizing this familiar spiritual wave, Zhang Ruochen smiled faintly. "After so many years, I didn't expect you, senior, to still remember me, a junior."
Back then, he was still very weak, not even having reached the Saint realm. Yet the other party remembered him, which was quite surprising.
"This old man has lived a long time, but my memory is good. Young man, to have cultivated to the peak of the Saint King realm in such a short time is quite impressive. Have you come here to challenge the Ghost Gate?" The spiritual wave came again.
Before Zhang Ruochen could answer, Xiao Hei asked first, "Who are you, a divine being? Why are you guarding this place?"
"This old man is just a forgotten person. Even if I told you, it would be meaningless. Do you wish to challenge the Ghost Gate?" The hermit who called himself the gatekeeper asked again.
Zhang Ruochen's mind raced. "With my current cultivation and strength, am I qualified to know some secrets about the Ghost Gate? Please, senior, enlighten me."
Last time, Zhang Ruochen had asked many questions, but this hermit gatekeeper had refused to answer, saying his cultivation was too weak.
Although he already had some guesses, he still wanted to hear the specific answers from the hermit's mouth.
"Tell us quickly! What is the origin of the Ghost Gate? Who created it? This emperor never even heard of it during the Middle Ages," Xiao Hei urged impatiently.
It considered itself knowledgeable, aware of many secrets, but it knew nothing about the Ghost Gate.
The hermit was silent for a moment, then said, "The peace of the Kunlun Realm has been broken again. Many secrets will eventually be known. Telling you is not a problem."
"Do you see the star river behind the Ghost Gate? That is the Hell Realm, a powerful civilization whose goal is destruction. One hundred thousand years ago, the Kunlun Realm nearly perished at the hands of the Hell Realm."
"Back then, the deities of the Hell Realm used their supreme divine powers to drive the entire starry sky, crushing it towards the starry sky where the Kunlun Realm was located. If a great power hadn't sacrificed a supreme divine artifact at the critical moment, transforming it into the Ghost Gate to block the void, the Kunlun Realm and many other great worlds might have long been devoured."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen felt a suffocating sensation, his heart filled with immense shock. The collision of starry skies was an incredibly unimaginable concept.
And who was that great power who blocked the void? Wen Tianjun of the Ten Calamities? Yunshen Daozhu? Dragon Lord Jiwang? Or someone else?
"Which of the ten divine artifacts is the Ghost Gate? Who was that great power?" Zhang Ruochen quickly asked.
Although he wasn't very familiar with the ten divine artifacts, he knew that none of them seemed to be a gate-shaped artifact.
At the same time, he was very curious about the great power who blocked the void. That person's strength must have been earth-shattering, with a resounding reputation.
Unfortunately, everything about one hundred thousand years ago had been erased by an invisible force. Even most of the deities of the Kunlun Realm were unknown to later generations.
After waiting for a long time, no more words came from the palace.
Since the other party was unwilling to answer, Zhang Ruochen naturally didn't press further, to avoid displeasing them.
After a moment's thought, Zhang Ruochen extended his index finger and gently tapped the void. Immediately, a phantom of Huang Yanchen condensed before his fingertip. "Senior, has she been here?"
"Yes. She entered the Ghost Gate and never came out," the mysterious hermit said.
Zhang Ruochen's heart trembled slightly. It seemed his guess was correct. All of Huang Yanchen's changes were indeed caused by the Ghost Gate.
But he vaguely felt that things were not that simple. Huang Yanchen couldn't have joined the Hell Realm for no reason. And with her strength back then, how could she have passed through the eighteen layers of the Ghost Gate?
After all, the mysterious hermit had once said that one needed at least the Saint King realm to be qualified to challenge the Ghost Gate.
"Having asked so many questions, do you wish to challenge the Ghost Gate?" the mysterious hermit asked.
Zhang Ruochen snapped back to reality, his gaze falling on the palace. Strange lights flickered in his eyes. What was the origin of this gatekeeper? Why was he guarding the Ghost Gate? Were his words all true?
Thinking this, Zhang Ruochen said, "Actually, compared to the Ghost Gate, I, this junior, am more interested in you, senior. I wish to face you and seek some guidance."
With that, Zhang Ruochen made a bold move. He activated his movement technique, turning into a streak of light, and shot towards the magnificent palace at the lower right corner of the Ghost Gate.
"Boom."
When he was still five hundred miles from the palace, Zhang Ruochen was blocked by an invisible barrier and had to stop.
"Young man, this is not a place you should come to. If you don't wish to challenge the Ghost Gate, then leave," the gatekeeper said indifferently.
Xiao Hei also flashed over and sneered, "Stop being so mysterious. This emperor wants to see who you really are."
"Whoosh."
Seventy-two formation flags flew out, instantly constructing a mysterious ninth-rank formation.
The ninth-rank formation activated, condensing into a sacred sword tens of thousands of feet long, radiating billions of sharp sword energies, and slashing towards the palace like lightning.
"Crack."
A terrifying force emanated from the palace, directly shattering the sacred sword and annihilating all the sword energy in an instant.
Even the ninth-rank formation disintegrated in the blink of an eye. Some of the formation flags developed cracks, and Xiao Hei itself was knocked backward.
But Xiao Hei didn't care about that. Its eyes were fixed on the palace, filled with shock, as if it had discovered something earth-shattering.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Ruochen asked, puzzled.
Xiao Hei said excitedly, "He used Divine Fall Force! Only by cultivating the 'Divine Fall Scripture' can one cultivate this power!"
The "Divine Fall Scripture" was one of the six strange books of the Kunlun Realm, an unspoken secret of the Fallen God Island. Normally, only the Fallen God Clan could cultivate it.
In the Middle Ages, the Fallen God Clan was extremely powerful, boasting Yunshen Daozhu, one of the strongest in the Kunlun Realm, and Qiangu Nüdi also came from the Fallen God Clan.
Yunshen Daozhu was incredibly powerful, on par with legendary figures like Wen Tianjun of the Ten Calamities, Xumi Saint Monk, and Dragon Lord Jiwang. He possessed powerful esoterica and the strength to slay deities.
Unfortunately, after the Middle Ages, the Fallen God Clan retreated to Fallen God Island and vanished, with many people having long forgotten their existence.
Only Xiao Hei was very familiar with the Fallen God Clan. It could even find Fallen God Island in the vast seas and had taken Hanxue there to receive the inheritance of the "Divine Fall Scripture."
"Who exactly are you? How did you obtain the inheritance of the 'Divine Fall Scripture'? What is your relationship with the Fallen God Clan?" Xiao Hei asked urgently.
It now wanted to rush into the palace even more than Zhang Ruochen to find out the identity of the mysterious hermit. The involvement of the Fallen God Clan made it take this very seriously.
"Could it be that the one who left the Ghost Gate was Yunshen Daozhu?" Zhang Ruochen speculated inwardly.
The mysterious hermit said, "Who this old man is doesn't matter. Stop causing trouble here and leave quickly."
Clearly, the gatekeeper was already displeased with Zhang Ruochen and Xiao Hei's intrusion.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to say something, he suddenly sensed something and turned his head to look at the distant horizon.
"What is that? A person?"
A blurry figure came into Zhang Ruochen's view.
She carried a sword on her back, walked through the void, and strolled along. It seemed slow, but she covered ten thousand miles with each step, crossing a world with each step, as if walking from the edge of the universe to the other end.
This figure moved along a straight line, as if walking while comprehending the Dao, seeking the truth and mysteries of heaven and earth.
A massive star appeared before her, blocking her path. But before she even got close, the star was pierced by an invisible force and shattered into pieces, not causing the slightest deviation in her forward direction.
Zhang Ruochen's mind trembled. He vaguely sensed that what pierced the star was... a sword energy. But when he carefully perceived it, it seemed there was no sword energy at all, as if it were all an illusion.
In the Saint King realm, Zhang Ruochen had cultivated the Sword Dao to Great Perfection, believing he had a profound understanding of the Sword Dao.
But now, he felt as if he didn't understand the sword at all, far from touching the essence of the Sword Dao.
Only one thing Zhang Ruochen could be sure of: that person must have cultivated the "Wordless Sword Manual," but had already reached a realm he couldn't comprehend.
In the blink of an eye, that figure crossed the boundless void and actually entered the palace where the mysterious hermit resided.
"Roar!"
At that moment, Xiao Hei suddenly howled, becoming extremely excited, and rushed towards the palace without any regard for anything.
Strangely, the obstruction was now gone.
"Empress, is that you? I am Tuntian! Don't you remember me?" Xiao Hei shouted loudly.
Zhang Ruochen immediately chased after it, a strange expression on his face. "Xiao Hei, your real name is actually Tuntian? Hehe... Wait, Empress? Are you saying she is Qiangu Nüdi?"
Zhang Ruochen suddenly realized.
"Although I didn't see her face clearly, I would never mistake the Empress's aura. She must be the Empress. I knew she was still alive," Xiao Hei said, its emotions growing even more intense.
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly. Could that person just now be the legendary Qiangu Nüdi? He was undoubtedly skeptical.
Qiangu Nüdi had disappeared for one hundred thousand years and had entered the depths of the Underworld. Even if she were still alive, why would she appear here?
Judging a person's identity solely by their aura was clearly inaccurate.
Furthermore, given Xiao Hei's relationship with Qiangu Nüdi, if that person really was Qiangu Nüdi, there was no reason for her to completely ignore Xiao Hei.