Chapter 2153: The Fish Lover
Inside the hall, Zhang Ruochen pondered for a moment, then asked curiously, "Why are the other three ruling worlds getting involved this time?"
The Kunlun Realm, as part of the Western Universe, was being invaded by the Hell Realm. The Paradise Realm should naturally be leading the battlefield. The ruling worlds of the other three cosmic regions had no reason or right to interfere.
Although cultivators from Pangu Realm, Demon God Realm, and Ten Thousand Ruins Realm had entered the Kunlun Realm at this stage, their numbers were limited by the Heavenly Court's restrictions, and none had dispatched their top-tier experts yet.
For instance, the Ten Thousand Ruins Realm had only sent a few hundred people, led by Xuan Yuan Lie Kong, a second-tier powerhouse below the Great Saint level, far from enough to influence the larger war situation.
"The three ruling worlds have long been dissatisfied with the Paradise Realm's actions in the Kunlun Realm. They don't want the Paradise Realm to continue dominating the Kunlun battlefield, but they've never found a suitable opportunity."
"You should know very well that the Paradise Realm doesn't want to see the Kunlun Realm rise again. With the Paradise Realm leading the battlefield, the Heavenly Court side is almost certain to lose. In that case, all worlds will suffer heavy casualties, and the impact will be enormous." The Moon God said with a somewhat serious tone.
Zhang Ruochen nodded inwardly. The Paradise Realm had done so many dishonorable things that they naturally feared retribution if the Kunlun Realm rose again. Hence, they were even more eager than the Hell Realm to destroy the Kunlun Realm.
To this end, the Paradise Realm had already set its sights on the Peach Tree, wanting to destroy this new World Spiritual Root and completely cut off any hope of the Kunlun Realm's recovery.
Furthermore, Zhang Ruochen suspected that the Hell Realm's ability to easily gather thirty million Saint-level troops to besiege the Central Imperial City might even involve the Paradise Realm's machinations.
With the Paradise Realm completely controlling the Kunlun battlefield, how could there be any hope of victory?
If not for this, he wouldn't have risked universal condemnation to establish the Kunlun Realm's world rules, effectively offending cultivators from all the myriad worlds at once.
The Moon God gave Zhang Ruochen a meaningful look and continued, "This time, when you set the world rules, trying to suppress all realms, you caused too much of a stir. Even the Heavenly Palace was shaken. The three ruling worlds seized the opportunity to intervene, wanting to jointly lead the Kunlun battlefield and reverse the overall war situation."
"For so many years, in the struggle against the Hell Realm, the Heavenly Court has been at a disadvantage. If another Eternal Undying Great World is destroyed, it will severely damage the morale of the Heavenly Court side."
"Of course, based on my speculation, the intervention of the three ruling worlds is likely also being pushed from behind by the gods of the Kunlun Realm."
In fact, there was another point the Moon God didn't mention: the formidable strength Zhang Ruochen had displayed had drawn serious attention from all sides.
Although he was only a small Saint King, in the Kunlun Realm, he was already invincible. If he were truly pushed to the brink, no one knew how many people on the Heavenly Court side would die.
Therefore, no matter what, all parties would not want the situation to escalate further and spiral out of control.
"I'm afraid the three ruling worlds also want to gain greater benefits from the Kunlun Realm." Zhang Ruochen squinted his eyes.
The Moon God said, "Many things are driven by interests. No one is a fool. But regardless, having the three ruling worlds to check the Paradise Realm can only benefit the Kunlun Realm."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen nodded noncommittally, deeply agreeing. With the three ruling worlds joining in, no matter what the Paradise Realm wanted to do, they would have to be cautious and not act too blatantly.
As long as enough time could be bought, the Kunlun Realm might not be without the possibility of rising again.
Therefore, this battle at the Central Imperial City was crucial. If they lost, it would be a massive blow to the entire Kunlun battlefield.
"Soon, the armies of the three ruling worlds will enter the Kunlun Realm. Although this storm has subsided, you'd better keep a low profile and try not to cause any more major trouble." The Moon God cautioned.
With these words, the Moon God's figure dissipated.
Undoubtedly, the Moon God must have contributed significantly to this matter.
After all, Zhang Ruochen was now a cultivator of the Guanghan Realm. Any trouble he caused would implicate the Guanghan Realm.
Fortunately, the Moon God was powerful and extremely assertive; otherwise, Zhang Ruochen wouldn't be enjoying such freedom.
A faint smile appeared in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. He was quite satisfied with this outcome.
The arrival of the three ruling worlds' armies at this time could exactly relieve the urgent crisis at the Central Imperial City and greatly increase the chances of victory in this battle.
Just one day later, the three ruling worlds dispatched a powerful Saint-level army, personally led by the top experts below the Great Saint level from each realm.
As soon as they entered the Central Imperial City, it caused a sensation.
The leader of the Demon God Realm, the Heavenly Peng Prince, was extremely high-profile. As soon as he stepped out of the Space Teleportation Array, he went straight out of the city to challenge the Hell Realm's experts.
A top expert from the Death Clan stepped forward to accept the challenge. The two fought for nearly two thousand rounds, ending with the Heavenly Peng Prince's victory.
For the Heavenly Court side, this was an extremely rare victory, greatly boosting morale. Everywhere in the city, people were shouting "Heavenly Peng Prince."
The Heavenly Peng Prince was an extraordinary genius of the Golden-Winged Great Peng Clan, with top-tier bloodline, bone structure, and talent. He single-handedly suppressed all the monstrous geniuses of the various clans in the Demon God Realm, leaving them breathless.
Following closely, the Ten Thousand Battles Sacred Lord of the Ten Thousand Ruins Realm also left the city and fought a battle with an expert from the Stone Clan. The fight lasted three thousand rounds, leveling a mountain range north of the city, leaving it barren.
Although the Ten Thousand Battles Sacred Lord did not win this battle, he did not lose either, drawing cheers from the crowd.
After all, in recent times, when Heavenly Court experts clashed with Hell Realm experts, they had more losses than wins. Draws were rare.
Unfortunately, the leader of the Pangu Realm was too low-key and did not make a move, disappointing many cultivators from various realms.
On the other side, after suppressing the six Heavenly Court Enforcers for three days, Zhang Ruochen lifted the restraints and let them go.
After all, they held the status of Heavenly Court Enforcers, and since the Heavenly Court had chosen to side with the Kunlun Realm this time, Zhang Ruochen naturally had to make a concession.
If he kept suppressing the Enforcers, he would inevitably be attacked by the Paradise Realm faction, which would be detrimental to the current situation.
Zhang Ruochen did not stay long in the Ziwei Imperial Palace. After all, it was Empress Chi Yao's domain. If not for Xue Wuye's matter, he might never have set foot there.
After entrusting the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden to keep an eye out for news about Yan Wushen, Zhang Ruochen went to the mansion where Yin Yuanchen was staying in the imperial city. It was a modest courtyard, very quiet and elegant, adjacent to a crystal-clear spiritual lake.
Zhang Ruochen was quite interested in Yin Yuanchen.
As the grandson of the Ten Calamities Heavenly Lord's daughter, he should know many secrets from a hundred thousand years ago, right?
When Zhang Ruochen saw him, he was alone by the spiritual lake, feeding fish with snow-white flower petals. Each handful of petals he scattered was like throwing a flurry of snowflakes.
The fish in the lake leaped up joyfully, scrambling to eat the petals.
Hearing Zhang Ruochen's footsteps behind him, Yin Yuanchen smiled and said, "See? They are my friends. We grew up together. I only tell them my worries. I brought them with me to the Kunlun Realm."
"I went to the Sacred Yuan Lake in the Demon God Realm to get the sacred lake water."
"I went to the Thousand Stamen Realm to buy a hundred thousand petals because I know they love to eat them."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Only a lonely person would make friends with fish."
"Yes, loneliness can indeed be painful sometimes. But unfortunately, with my identity, loneliness is inevitable." Yin Yuanchen murmured.
Logically, with both his grandfather and grandmother being gods, his status in the Paradise Realm should have been extremely noble and prominent.
However, because he carried the bloodline of the Ten Calamities Heavenly Lord, he was destined to never truly integrate into the Paradise Realm, facing isolation everywhere.
Feeling Yin Yuanchen's loneliness, Zhang Ruochen's heart was slightly touched. Many times, he too felt very lonely, finding it hard to find someone to talk to freely.
Yin Yuanchen turned around, revealing a smile, and said, "I heard you have a special relationship with the Hundred Flowers Fairy. Next time I go to the Thousand Stamen Realm to buy petals, could you ask her to give me a discount? Their things in the Thousand Stamen Realm are really not cheap."
"Going all the way to the Thousand Stamen Realm to buy expensive petals to feed fish—only you would do such a thing. I envy these fish, having such a good master, without any worries." Zhang Ruochen said.
Sometimes, he thought, being a fish might be better than being a human.
Yin Yuanchen scattered a few more handfuls of petals and said, "Brother Zhang, you've been so busy lately. How do you have time to come see me?"
"What? You're not welcome?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Yin Yuanchen said, "Welcome, of course, I'm welcome. I have some Spider Lily tea bought from the Thousand Stamen Realm. Would Brother Zhang like to try it?"
"Sure." Zhang Ruochen replied.
Immediately, Yin Yuanchen led Zhang Ruochen to a pavilion by the lake and began to brew tea.
Yin Yuanchen was a very refined person, his words and actions exuding a gentle and elegant temperament. It was hard to imagine that a top expert at the Saint King level would most enjoy brewing tea and feeding fish.
Tea and the Dao are connected. While drinking tea, Zhang Ruochen and Yin Yuanchen naturally began to discuss the Dao.
As top experts at the first level below the Great Saint, Zhang Ruochen and Yin Yuanchen had much to exchange.
For example, Yin Yuanchen also cultivated the Sword Dao, and Zhang Ruochen could give him much guidance.
On the other hand, although Zhang Ruochen was powerful, he rarely listened to experts lecture on the Dao. Many things he had to figure out on his own, inevitably leading to some confusion, which Yin Yuanchen could help clarify.
After all, Yin Yuanchen came from an extraordinary background, with both grandparents being gods. His understanding of the Saint Dao was, in some aspects, deeper than Zhang Ruochen's.
For Zhang Ruochen, discussing the Dao with Yin Yuanchen was a good way to relax his tense nerves. If he was lucky, he might even find an opportunity to perfect his cultivation of the Way of Space and the Way of Time.
On the lake surface, Zhang Ruochen's Sword Soul danced, wielding a long sword condensed from Saint Qi, casually practicing various sword techniques, from simple to complex, then simplifying the complex, vividly expressing his insights into the Sword Dao.
"Brother Zhang's talent in the Sword Dao truly impresses me. To reach the perfect realm through self-exploration is no less than that legendary Sword God of the Kunlun Realm's medieval era." Yin Yuanchen exclaimed.
Zhang Ruochen said, "My meager Sword Dao cultivation is nothing. Compared to the Sword God, I am still far behind."
What is a Sword God? It's not just any god who cultivates the Sword Dao who can be called a Sword God, just as not every Saint-level sword cultivator can be called a Sword Saint. Certain conditions must be met.
To become a Sword Saint, a prerequisite is to cultivate Sword Seven to perfection or meet equivalent requirements.
To become a Sword God, one must master the Profound Meaning of the Sword Dao, which is unimaginably difficult.
That's why there are very few experts in the world who can be titled Sword God.
"Brother Zhang, don't belittle yourself. Speaking of which, that legendary Sword God of the Kunlun Realm's medieval era has some connection with you. He came from the Liangyi Sect and was known as the Bright Heart Sword God. He cultivated the 'Wordless Sword Manual' and achieved astonishing accomplishments in the Sword Dao."
"The Sword God Realm is known as the holy land of the Sword Dao, but in that era, all the geniuses they trained were suppressed by the Bright Heart Sword God. At the same level, Brother Zhang's achievements are no less than the Bright Heart Sword God's, and perhaps even surpass his." Yin Yuanchen said with great admiration.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred. He had once transformed into Lin Yue and entered the Liangyi Sect to cultivate, making him a disciple of the Liangyi Sect. In that sense, he did indeed have some connection with the Bright Heart Sword God.
Speaking of which, the Burial Moon Sword God had once given him a drop of divine blood, said to belong to a god who cultivated the Sword Dao in the medieval era. Could it be this Bright Heart Sword God?
It must be said that the Liangyi Sect's foundation was extremely strong. Besides the three founding masters, many famous and great figures had emerged in its history, allowing it to remain prosperous and become the foremost sect in the Eastern Domain.
With experts like the Bright Heart Sword God, who dominated without equal, it was likely that the Liangyi Sect had collected insights and experiences from after Sword Ten.
Although the Kunlun Realm had four major Sword Dao inheritances, the strongest was undoubtedly the Sword Pavilion. The "Wordless Sword Manual" was a supreme Sword Dao secret manual coveted by all the myriad worlds.
"Brother Yin, how much do you know about the events of a hundred thousand years ago?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Yin Yuanchen pondered for a moment and said, "Those events from a hundred thousand years ago are taboo. Few dare to mention them. I've only heard some things from my grandmother."
"That divine battle was extremely brutal. Half of the gods on the Heavenly Court side fell, including many invincible overlords like Xumi Saint Monk and Nine Radiance Divine Lord. Even after so many years, they haven't fully recovered their strength. This is an important reason why the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm rarely engage in large-scale divine battles anymore."
"In that battle, the Kunlun Realm suffered heavy losses, with almost all its experts falling. But in my opinion, so many extraordinary figures from the Kunlun Realm shouldn't have all perished. Perhaps there are survivors, just unknown where they are."
Pausing, Yin Yuanchen continued, "Take the Ten Calamities Heavenly Lord, for example. He was invincible. The ten clan leaders of the Hell Realm joined forces to surround him, but he still broke through and escaped wounded. Later, he killed dozens of gods from the Hell Realm, shaking the stars in the sky."
"Unfortunately, in the end, the Ten Calamities Heavenly Lord was still defeated, his divine body shattered, his divine blood staining the starry sky, and even his Divine Throne Planet dimmed. No one knows what terrifying enemy the Ten Calamities Heavenly Lord encountered."
"But my grandmother told me that after that divine battle, she sensed the Ten Calamities Heavenly Lord's aura in the Phantom Extinction Star Sea, though it was very faint and quickly disappeared. However, my grandmother firmly believes that the Ten Calamities Heavenly Lord is still alive, but may have already left this starry universe."
The Phantom Extinction Star Sea is located at the edge of the universe, a very strange and dangerous starry region where even gods can fall if they enter.
There has always been a legend that crossing the Phantom Extinction Star Sea can leave this starry universe and go to the outer realms.
A flicker of light passed through Zhang Ruochen's eyes. Besides Xumi Saint Monk, the name he had heard most often was the Ten Calamities Heavenly Lord, the former number one expert of the Kunlun Realm, revered by all realms, who lived for ten eons and left countless legendary stories.
Looking across the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm, how many gods could survive ten Eon Calamities?
In fact, surviving two or three Eon Calamities was already extremely rare, marking them as top-tier experts among gods, almost all of whom had mastered Profound Meaning.
The Eon Calamities that gods face are extremely terrifying. Without mastering Profound Meaning, the vast majority cannot survive even one.
Therefore, most gods in the myriad worlds are actually new gods who have not yet experienced an Eon Calamity. Examples include the Yan God of the Merit Divine Temple, the Black Heart Demon Lord of the Black Demon Realm, and the Two-Armor Blood Ancestor of the Blood War Divine Temple.
Why was the Black Heart Demon Lord so eager to collect the "Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription"? It was to use it to comprehend a Profound Meaning of the Demon Dao, preparing for his first Eon Calamity.
"I've always been curious: who cut down the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, severing the path to godhood for all cultivators in the Kunlun Realm?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Yin Yuanchen's expression immediately became serious. "The one who cut down the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree was a fearsome fierce person. Even mentioning his name can be sensed by him. It's best not to talk about it."
"It's fine. I just want to know. I naturally won't offend such an existence." Zhang Ruochen said.
Yin Yuanchen hesitated for a moment, then said, "This matter is very secretive. According to my grandmother's speculation, that fearsome fierce person should be a giant of the Stone Clan, Desolate Heaven."
"Desolate Heaven is extremely terrifying. Single-handedly, he created a vast world in a chaotic region of the Hell Realm, with inexhaustible divine power. He also mastered powerful Profound Meaning and has killed countless gods from the Heavenly Court."
Yin Yuanchen was extremely wary of this fearsome fierce person of the Stone Clan and was unwilling to mention him too much, to avoid being sensed by Desolate Heaven.
"Desolate Heaven."
Zhang Ruochen murmured, firmly remembering this name.
He cut down the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, cutting off the hope of all living beings in the Kunlun Realm.
Any cultivator of the Kunlun Realm, if they possessed enough strength, would want to personally kill him to avenge this irreconcilable hatred.