Chapter 2154: Wushen and Ruochen
Inside the pavilion.
Zhang Ruochen and Yin Yuanchen fell into silence, the atmosphere growing somewhat oppressive.
After a long while, Yin Yuanchen let out a soft breath and said, "Let's not talk about such heavy topics. How about we discuss Young Master Yaotian instead?"
A look of surprise appeared in Zhang Ruochen's eyes, followed by a wry smile. "Brother Yin, how much do you know about Young Master Yaotian?"
"Perhaps Brother Zhang could first tell me—what kind of feelings do you truly have for the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden? Don't look at me like that; anyone with eyes can see there's something unusual between you two. Young Master Yaotian's high-profile pursuit of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden is also common knowledge throughout the city." A smile appeared on Yin Yuanchen's handsome face.
"Friends."
"Really just friends?"
"Close friends."
"Just close friends?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "A soulmate. Is that enough?"
"Gold is easy to come by, but a soulmate is hard to find. A female soulmate is even rarer. Brother Zhang, do not lose your soulmate and hurt the fair lady." Yin Yuanchen said meaningfully.
Zhang Ruochen's eyes sharpened. "I don't know much about Young Master Yaotian. From what Brother Yin says, is there something wrong with this man?"
"Nine Radiance Divine Lord was wise and mighty, unparalleled in the world. During the Medieval period, he was a true god praised by myriad realms, and countless beings were captivated by him. However, his descendants may not be as upright and honorable." Yin Yuanchen said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "What do you mean?"
Yin Yuanchen was in no hurry to explain. "Let me ask Brother Zhang another question. If Young Master Yaotian truly admires the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, wants to pursue her, to become her Dao partner, and is even willing to do his utmost to persuade the gods of Tianquan Great World to help the Kunlun Realm—would you bless them?"
This question stumped Zhang Ruochen.
Young Master Yaotian's appearance, talent, and background were all top-notch. If he also had a sincere heart, he would be fully worthy of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden.
But would Zhang Ruochen truly feel no pain or reluctance?
"Zhang Ruochen, Zhang Ruochen, how can you be so greedy? You already have Lingxi, and you cannot betray Luo Ji, yet you refuse to let go of Nalan Danqing? If a soulmate marries another, and it is a good destination, you should actually bless them." Zhang Ruochen thought of Lingxi, and a deep sense of guilt welled up inside him, as if he had done something wrong.
Or rather, he had done too many wrong things.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen silent, Yin Yuanchen laughed loudly. "Zhang Ruochen, who shakes the myriad realms and all heavens, is actually made so pained and conflicted by a single sentence from me. This is so satisfying, haha!"
"That was just a hypothetical. How could Brother Zhang take it so seriously? If you truly cannot let go in your heart, why must you fulfill others instead of yourself? Your indecisiveness might cause you a lifetime of pain and leave your soulmate heartbroken forever."
Zhang Ruochen set aside his low mood, clasped his hands behind his back, and looked up at the sky, sighing. "The affairs of the nation and the world are never separate from matters of the heart. You say the topic of that battle a hundred thousand years ago is heavy, but matters of the heart are no less heavy."
"Your hypothetical is actually invalid. The Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden is not one person, but nine."
"My soulmate is only one of those nine."
"What Young Master Yaotian wants is all nine."
"Perhaps every man's nature is as fickle as Xue Wuye's, but it is never about pure possession. Enough talk—let's talk about Young Master Yaotian. What kind of person is he really?"
Yin Yuanchen said, "As far as I know, Young Master Yaotian's mission was to bring the Nine Radiance Divine Tear back to Tianquan Great World at all costs. However, after arriving in the Kunlun Realm and meeting the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, he changed his mind."
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "If I were him, I would change my mind too. Whether it's the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden or their leader, Nalan Danqing, both are extremely charming."
Yin Yuanchen said, "But his ultimate goal is still the Nine Radiance Divine Tear."
Zhang Ruochen had discussed this matter with the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden before and knew more. Young Master Yaotian's methods of pursuit were not so clever; instead, he used the help of Tianquan Great World to exchange for the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, or rather, it was a form of coercion and possession.
That was why he had said earlier that Yin Yuanchen's hypothetical was invalid.
If methods like Young Master Yaotian's could be considered true feelings, then there would be no such thing as emotions in the world.
Of course, Young Master Yaotian's methods were also effective because he had accurately gauged the importance of the Kunlun Realm in the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden's heart. If the Kunlun Realm were truly on the brink of destruction, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden would have no other choice but to choose him.
Yin Yuanchen said, "If Brother Zhang investigates Young Master Yaotian, you will find that he has never set foot on a Merit Battlefield. Even after coming to the Kunlun Realm, he has not actively killed any cultivators from the Hell Realm."
"In the eyes of cultivators of his noble status, the danger from the Hell Realm will never reach him. Even if he does not act, there are those weak realms reduced to Merit Battlefields that will fight to the death against the Hell Realm."
At this point, Yin Yuanchen said indignantly, "There are too many such people in the various realms of the Heavenly Court who live in comfort, short-sighted, indulging in pleasure. What would those heroes who died on the Merit Battlefields to defend the Heavenly Court think?"
"At the root of it all, there is a major problem with the Heavenly Court's system. Why should the weak realms deserve to die? If it is survival of the fittest, why was the Heavenly Palace established? What are the gods thinking?"
"If someone like Young Master Yaotian really tricks the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden into marrying him, takes back the Nine Radiance Divine Tear, and becomes a great hero of Tianquan Great World—Zhang Ruochen, I would be the first to despise you. Your inaction fuels the arrogance of people like him."
This scolding left Zhang Ruochen very helpless.
"I got too excited. Sorry. But Brother Zhang, you can issue a sacred decree to ensure fair treatment for the cultivators of the Kunlun Realm and stand against the myriad realms' strong. Why can't you face your own heart and be a passionate swordsman who acts for his soulmate?"
"If you won't go, let me go. I still quite admire the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, these nine extraordinary women. You would bless me, right? Haha."
Yin Yuanchen laughed, then walked to the edge of the pavilion and scattered a handful of petals into the spirit lake.
Immediately, many fish leaped out of the lake, eagerly competing for the food.
Zhang Ruochen did not take Yin Yuanchen's words seriously. He fell into silence. Emotions were always the thing he was most afraid to face, yet had to face.
However, if the day Yin Yuanchen described ever came, he might truly cast everything aside and act in a blaze of passion for his soulmate.
"What's happening?"
Suddenly, Yin Yuanchen's expression changed.
Zhang Ruochen snapped back to reality and looked up at the sky. He saw that the originally clear blue sky had now turned blood-red.
To be precise, a large number of blood-colored stars hung in the sky, casting the heavens in a bloody hue.
Zhang Ruochen could sense that the surrounding space had been sealed off, turning into a small starry sky world. Yin Yuanchen's mansion was like a tiny floating island in the starry sky, extremely small, and it was no longer possible to contact the outside world.
"Whoosh——"
Zhang Ruochen pointed his finger, and a sword qi flew out, but it only created ripples in the sky.
"What a powerful space treasure. Even a Great Saint would find it hard to break out easily."
Falling into such a dangerous environment without any perception was not a good thing.
Turning his gaze, Zhang Ruochen looked toward the lakeshore, and his eyes narrowed.
Two figures walked slowly from the lakeshore.
One was tall and imposing, the other handsome and delicate. Zhang Ruochen was familiar with both.
"Yan Wushen." Yin Yuanchen's heart sank.
Without a doubt, all the changes here were related to Yan Wushen.
He had never expected Yan Wushen to appear in the Central Imperial City and to arrive at his place so silently.
The Central Imperial City was heavily guarded, making it hard to imagine how Yan Wushen had infiltrated it.
Moreover, the Central Imperial City was filled with powerful experts. Why would Yan Wushen take such a risk to infiltrate?
Immediately, Yin Yuanchen acted, gathering all the fish in the lake, afraid that something might happen to these friends of his.
"Is Yan Wushen here alone? What does he want to do? How can I break the space seal here?" Yin Yuanchen thought to himself.
No matter how he looked at it, this situation was not simple. He had to find a way out as soon as possible.
The only thing Yin Yuanchen was grateful for was that Zhang Ruochen was by his side. Together, they should be able to defend themselves.
Zhang Ruochen locked his gaze on Yan Wushen. He could sense that the Yan Wushen before him was very different from the one he had encountered at Luo River. Their auras were completely opposite. This should be the good body that Bore had mentioned.
Comparatively, the aura of Yan Wushen's good body was much stronger than that of his evil body.
It made sense. Yan Wushen had only temporarily split himself in two for cultivation purposes, and he would merge again in the future. The good body naturally needed to take the dominant position; otherwise, problems could arise during the merger.
At the same time, Zhang Ruochen vaguely sensed the presence of Yan Wushen's evil body.
With both the good body and evil body present, it was clear that Yan Wushen had come with ill intentions.
Then, Zhang Ruochen turned his gaze to the person beside Yan Wushen. It was none other than Chi Kunlun, who had been missing for a long time.
Like Chi Kongle, Chi Kunlun had also grown up, looking more and more like Zhang Ruochen, with less of the childishness of the past.
Chi Kunlun was also looking at Zhang Ruochen, his expression extremely complex.
In the past, he had hated Zhang Ruochen, seeing him as the murderer of his parents, and had been determined to kill him for revenge.
But Yan Wushen had told him that Zhang Ruochen was his biological father and Empress Chi Yao his biological mother. He no longer knew whom to believe.
Seeing Chi Kunlun's complicated expression, Zhang Ruochen instantly understood that he had probably learned the truth.
But given Chi Kunlun's personality, getting him to accept all this would not be easy.
"Zhang Ruochen, you don't seem surprised to see me." Yan Wushen said.
Zhang Ruochen composed himself. "Why should I be surprised? I have been waiting for you all along."
"Interesting. Zhang Ruochen, I truly admire you. A mere Saint King dares to offend both the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm. Anyone else would have died countless times by now, yet you are still alive and well, stirring up the winds and clouds of the Merit Battlefield time and again." Yan Wushen said meaningfully.
Pausing, Yan Wushen continued, "As a Saint King, you established realm rules. Throughout history, it would be hard to find a second person. Someone like you is wasted in the Heavenly Court. You should join the Hell Realm. As long as you are strong enough, you can get everything you want, without the constraints you face now."
Clearly, Yan Wushen had taken a liking to Zhang Ruochen's talent. Although they were on opposing sides, he greatly appreciated Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen said calmly, "You, Yan Wushen, have roamed many Merit Battlefields, killing countless cultivators from the Heavenly Court, and you are still alive and well, aren't you?"
"Well said. Zhang Ruochen, your growth rate has far exceeded my expectations, and it pleases me greatly. Do you know how lonely it is to have no opponents?" Yan Wushen said, a hint of excitement in his tone.
Yan Wushen had roamed the Merit Battlefields for centuries. Below the Great Saint realm, he had long been without rivals. Even the four Heavenly Kings of the Heavenly Palace could only suppress him to some extent.
He had always been longing for a powerful opponent to emerge, allowing him to reach a higher peak.
Zhang Ruochen stood up, his gaze fixed on Yan Wushen. "The strong are always lonely, but I enjoy this loneliness."
Yin Yuanchen listened with some confusion. Zhang Ruochen and Yan Wushen had already fought at Luo River, and the whole world knew about it. Yet now it felt as if they had never crossed paths.
"You waited for me, I suppose, for Chi Kunlun's sake. I am truly curious—how did you and Empress Chi Yao, who are such enemies, come to have children like Chi Kunlun and Chi Kongle?" Yan Wushen said.
Then, Yan Wushen looked at Chi Kunlun. "Little one, didn't you want to see Zhang Ruochen? Now your wish has come true. If you have any questions, you can ask him directly."
Chi Kunlun asked in a low voice, "Is what he said true?"
At this point, Zhang Ruochen could no longer bear to deceive Chi Kunlun. He nodded. "Yes."
Hearing this definite answer, Chi Kunlun's eyes reddened, and his body trembled involuntarily, his emotions extremely agitated.
"Why? Why did all of you deceive me?" Chi Kunlun growled.
Zhang Ruochen's heart trembled violently. He fully understood Chi Kunlun's feelings.
Just like when Chi Yao had told him that Xue Hou was his biological mother, he too had been unable to accept it. How could he accept such a huge change when he had already determined someone as an enemy in his heart?
All he could say was that Chi Yao was too cruel, fabricating such lies to deceive two innocent children.
"Yan Wushen, release Chi Kunlun. If you want to fight, I will fight with you. With your status, why bother a child?" Zhang Ruochen said in a low voice.
Yan Wushen smiled faintly. "I have never troubled him. On the contrary, I saved him from Shang Zihong's hands and intended to take him as my disciple. But this little one is too stubborn and has never agreed."
"However, I can give you a chance. If you can defeat me, I will return Chi Kunlun to you. How about that?"
Yan Wushen appeared extremely confident. Even though his evil body had suffered a loss at Zhang Ruochen's hands, and Zhang Ruochen had clearly grown stronger since then, he still did not care.
...
Last night, I wrote "The Legend of the Heavenly Emperor" until past four in the morning. I originally planned to sleep for three hours and then get up to write "The Ancient God Emperor." So, I mentioned earlier that I would update "The Ancient God Emperor" at noon.
But I forgot to set the alarm and slept until noon. That was awkward!
I really shouldn't say in advance when I'll update anymore. There are too many unpredictable situations. Sweat.