Chapter 2169: Heart of Truth
After spending three days, Zhang Ruochen completely healed his injuries. Through the successive tempering, both his physical body and saint soul had become even stronger. His spiritual power had also been further condensed, with every aspect elevated to a new peak.
Zhang Ruochen could clearly sense the changes in his body. It felt as if an inexhaustible amount of power surged within him, as if even a primordial divine mountain before him could be shattered with a single punch.
"Yan Wushen, I look forward to a peak battle with you." A powerful battle intent surged from Zhang Ruochen's body.
A duel between two Great Perfection Saint Kings was something rarely seen throughout history, after all.
Such peerless geniuses were always the absolute protagonists of an era, and it was difficult for them to be born in the same age.
Calming his thoughts, Zhang Ruochen stood up, his figure flickering as he climbed toward the mountaintop. At this moment, he was more concerned about the reward from the Truth Divine Temple.
Regardless, he had already fulfilled two extremely harsh conditions and was qualified to obtain that reward, which even gods envied.
It didn't take long for Zhang Ruochen to reach the mountaintop.
At the same time, the smoothly flowing Heavenly River suddenly stirred. Its flow speed increased slightly, and massive waves began to roll.
"Splash."
Weak water surged, forming a giant water pillar that condensed into a towering figure clad in armor, radiating an abyss-like, vast divine might.
The giant cast its gaze toward the direction of the Truth Heaven Domain and murmured, "Is it because of that little one who caused the Heavenly River's anomaly before? To actually climb the Truth Mountain... interesting."
With that, the Weak Water Giant took a step, leaving the Heavenly River, crossing the vast domain, and heading toward the Truth Heaven Domain.
On the shore of the Truth Sea, Empress Chi Yao and the Black Heart Demon Lord both suddenly showed strange expressions in their eyes.
"What a Zhang Ruochen, actually able to reach the summit of Truth Mountain," the Black Heart Demon Lord said coldly.
Although the Truth Mountain was shrouded in golden mist, as gods, it wasn't difficult for them to sense Zhang Ruochen's location.
The Black Heart Demon Lord was clearly very dissatisfied with this outcome.
"Could that brat really obtain the Truth Divine Temple's reward?" The Black Heart Demon Lord frowned slightly.
Given the enmity between the Black Demon Realm and Zhang Ruochen, the Black Heart Demon Lord absolutely did not want to see Zhang Ruochen gain too many benefits.
Empress Chi Yao remained very calm, her gaze lightly fixed on the Truth Mountain. No one knew what she was thinking.
"Shua."
Beams of divine light tore through the air, transforming into towering divine figures.
"Greetings, Master."
The Hundred Flowers Fairy greeted a divine figure enveloped in a rain of petals, bowing respectfully.
The one the Hundred Flowers Fairy called master was naturally the Mandala Flower God of the Thousand Stamen Realm, an extremely powerful ancient god.
Seeing her master arrive, the Hundred Flowers Fairy was quite surprised, as her master rarely concerned herself with such matters.
The Mandala Flower God was amidst a sea of flowers, her true form invisible to all. As soon as she arrived, a strange floral fragrance spread through the heavens and earth, refreshing the mind.
"The Truth Divine Temple's divine decree was issued over an eon ago, and now someone has finally met the conditions to become the number one under the Great Saints of the Heavenly Court Realm. Zhang Ruochen is indeed very capable," the Mandala Flower God praised without reservation.
Although Zhang Ruochen was still weak now, anyone could see his infinite potential. As long as he continued to grow, he had a great chance of becoming a titan who would shake the myriad realms of the heavens.
Just then, a cold divine moon appeared in the sky, illuminating the entire Truth Heaven Domain, visible to all.
"The Moon God has arrived."
The gathered gods all turned their heads.
No one was surprised by the Moon God's arrival. After all, with such a major event occurring, it would be strange if the Moon God didn't come.
Under everyone's gaze, a peerless figure walked step by step from the distant horizon, each step crossing billions of miles.
In the blink of an eye, the Moon God arrived at the Truth Sea. Her unmatched divine beauty was breathtaking, enough to make even gods take a few extra glances.
"Zhang Ruochen has crossed ten layers of the sea and climbed the Truth Mountain. From now on, the Guanghan Realm will have one daily spot to cultivate in the Truth Heaven Domain. Congratulations, Moon God."
"Congratulations, Moon God."
A group of gods stepped forward to offer their congratulations to the Moon God.
"Zhang Ruochen originally belonged to the Kunlun Realm but was forced to leave and join the Guanghan Realm. What a pity. Otherwise, the Kunlun Realm would now have a large number of spots to cultivate in the Truth Heaven Domain," the Black Heart Demon Lord said, shaking his head.
His words were clearly directed at Empress Chi Yao.
However, Empress Chi Yao showed no reaction, as if she hadn't heard a thing, her gaze still calm and unruffled.
"Boom."
The void shook violently, and a majestic blood-colored divine temple appeared in the Truth Heaven Domain.
At the same time, the Weak Water Giant from the Heavenly River also appeared out of thin air.
"The one guarding the Heavenly River and Jia Tianxia have also come. The Truth Heaven Domain hasn't been this lively in a long time."
Many gods showed strange expressions in their eyes.
The god guarding the Heavenly River had a special status and immense strength, wielding great influence in the Heavenly Palace, with few daring to provoke him.
Jia Tianxia was the hall master of the Blood War Divine Temple, a powerful ancient god from the same era as the Moon God, also highly formidable.
"Moon God, you really care about Zhang Ruochen, protecting him at every turn. Now you've even come to the Truth Heaven Domain in person," a vast, ancient voice came from the blood-colored divine temple.
The Moon God said indifferently, "My affairs are none of your concern."
Then, the Moon God's gaze swept around, and she declared loudly, "From now on, Zhang Ruochen will be the fourth giant of the Guanghan Realm, beneath me, on par with Wu Zu, Jiemie Dadi, and Jiuling Dasheng. Anyone who dares to touch him will be my enemy."
Hearing this, many gods showed surprise. Anyone could tell that the Moon God was making her stance clear, determined to protect Zhang Ruochen at all costs.
Making a Saint King the fourth giant of the Guanghan Realm was something ordinary people wouldn't even dare to imagine, yet the Moon God had decided it just like that.
For a moment, those gods hostile to Zhang Ruochen, such as the Black Heart Demon Lord, couldn't help but frown. With the Moon God's domineering declaration, it would undoubtedly become more difficult to move against Zhang Ruochen in the future.
"No matter how strong the Moon God is, she is only one person. If Zhang Ruochen doesn't obtain the Truth Divine Temple's reward, so be it. But if he succeeds, even the Moon God may not be able to protect him," the Black Heart Demon Lord thought to himself.
A reward that could make gods jealous—no matter how domineering the Moon God was, she couldn't intimidate everyone.
At this moment, so many gods had gathered at the Truth Sea precisely to see if Zhang Ruochen could succeed.
Undoubtedly, very few gods genuinely hoped for Zhang Ruochen's success.
Zhang Ruochen stood on the mountaintop, completely unaware of what was happening outside.
The mountaintop was very flat, forming an eight-trigram-shaped plaza. At the edge of the plaza stood a house built of black stone, appearing very crude but covered in natural Dao patterns.
As soon as he reached the mountaintop, the tall figure came into Zhang Ruochen's view.
Only now did he finally see the tall figure's appearance clearly, and he showed a strange, bewildered expression.
The reason was that this god of the Truth Divine Temple was extremely similar to Qingsi Xue in both form and features, even in temperament, as if they were cast from the same mold.
If this god had no connection to Qingsi Xue, no one would believe it.
"Surprised? Qingsi Xue is my daughter," the tall figure said with a smile.
Zhang Ruochen snapped back to reality and quickly stepped forward to bow respectfully. "Greetings, senior. May I ask how to address you?"
"I am the hall master of the Truth Divine Temple," the tall figure said.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's heart shook. He hadn't expected this god's background to be so astonishing.
As the hall master of the Truth Divine Temple, he was undoubtedly supremely powerful, renowned across the myriad realms of the heavens, holding an extremely transcendent status.
Zhang Ruochen finally understood why Xiang Chunan and Qingsi Xue could cultivate the Way of Truth without coming to the Truth Heaven Domain and still achieve such high proficiency.
Now, Zhang Ruochen became very curious about Xiang Chunan's master, who was also Qingsi Xue's husband.
To be able to marry the hall master of the Truth Divine Temple, this person must also be very extraordinary.
"The divine decree of the Truth Divine Temple was issued by me. After waiting for a long time, I finally found you. Although you are not a divine disciple trained by the Truth Divine Temple, since you have completed the trial, the reward will naturally be given to you."
"Originally, every Saint King or Great Saint who climbed the Truth Mountain could directly become a Truth Envoy, but that is no longer possible," the Truth Hall Master said calmly.
Zhang Ruochen looked puzzled and asked, "Why is that?"
Although he hadn't yet figured out what a Truth Envoy was, it was clearly not ordinary, otherwise even the Moon God wouldn't value it so highly.
"Do you know why crossing the Truth Sea grants Truth Esoterica?" the Truth Hall Master asked in return.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "I don't know."
He had indeed pondered this question before. Esoterica was mysterious and profound, scattered across heaven and earth, and only extremely powerful gods could find a very small portion.
But Truth Esoterica was an exception. As long as one was talented enough, even a Saint could obtain it by crossing the Truth Sea, completely breaking the norm.
"It is the Truth Mountain beneath our feet that gathers all the masterless Truth Esoterica from heaven and earth, and through the trial of the Truth Sea, bestows it upon cultivators of the Way of Truth."
"The Destiny Divine Temple, which opposes the Truth Divine Temple, has a similar method. Some exceptionally talented cultivators of the Way of Fate have the chance to obtain Fate Esoterica. Once they reach one percent, they can become Fate Envoys," the Truth Hall Master explained.
Zhang Ruochen wasn't too surprised. The Destiny Divine Temple had always been opposed to the Truth Divine Temple, with their methods countering each other. Since there was Truth Esoterica, how could there not be Fate Esoterica?
When forming a Truth Realm Form of the same level, whether one possessed Truth Esoterica made a significant difference.
Zhang Ruochen estimated that the ten divine disciples trained by the Truth Divine Temple should all possess a considerable amount of Truth Esoterica, given their excellence, with the worst having crossed at least eight layers of the Truth Sea.
"Bore and that Xue Chen Tianjun must have obtained Fate Esoterica," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Bore was a candidate for the divine maiden of the Destiny Divine Temple, and Xue Chen Tianjun could surpass Nie Xiangzi by half a step. If neither of them possessed Fate Esoterica, who would?
Pausing, the Truth Hall Master continued, "Over the long years, all the masterless Truth Esoterica gathered by the Truth Mountain has been bestowed. The ten ten-thousandths you obtained after crossing the tenth layer were the last remaining."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen suddenly understood. No wonder he hadn't obtained even one ten-thousandth of Truth Esoterica after crossing the seventh, eighth, and ninth layers—it was all gone.
This was not good news for him. He hadn't received the reward he deserved, and now he couldn't directly become a Truth Envoy. He didn't know what to say.
"Senior, I'm very curious. What exactly is a Truth Envoy?" Zhang Ruochen asked seriously.
The Truth Hall Master said, "It's too early to explain too much to you now. Simply put, a Truth Envoy is a cultivator who can use the Way of Truth freely, possessing immense power. A Great Saint can rival a god."
"At the same time, becoming a Truth Envoy grants the protection of the Truth Divine Temple, a significant voice within it, and the opportunity to become its hall master."
"Since the establishment of the Heavenly Court Realm, fourteen Great Saints have become Truth Envoys by climbing the Truth Mountain. They are all candidates for the next hall master of the Truth Divine Temple."
A strange light flashed in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. "Shouldn't there be thirteen Great Saints who climbed the Truth Mountain?"
He was sure he hadn't misheard. The Truth Hall Master had indeed said fourteen, which clearly contradicted the information circulating outside. Was there some hidden secret?
"The thirteen you know of belong to the Heavenly Court Realm, but there was one from the Hell Realm," the Truth Hall Master said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "How could a Hell Realm cultivator become a Truth Envoy?"
He knew the Hell Realm had powerful disguise techniques that allowed them to infiltrate the Heavenly Court Realm, but a Truth Envoy was no small matter. The Truth Divine Temple would surely conduct extremely thorough screenings. How could a Hell Realm cultivator slip through?
In his view, any Hell Realm cultivator who dared to covet Truth Esoterica was simply seeking death.
But he hadn't expected that a Hell Realm cultivator had actually succeeded, even becoming a Truth Envoy and taking away one percent of the Truth Esoterica.
"Even I didn't expect it. That Huang Tian's courage and methods were indeed remarkable. He deceived everyone in the Truth Divine Temple, including me. He was so outstanding that after becoming a Truth Envoy, he broke through to godhood in just a few hundred years and became far more powerful than ordinary gods."
"It wasn't until he infiltrated the Kunlun Realm and cut down the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree that he revealed his identity as a Stone Clan cultivator from the Hell Realm," the Truth Hall Master said with a sigh, his eyes full of complexity.
Given Huang Tian's displayed talent, many titans of the Truth Divine Temple, including herself, believed he had the potential to become the next hall master. But they never expected him to be an infiltrator from the Hell Realm in the Heavenly Court Realm.
This matter was undoubtedly a huge stain on the Truth Divine Temple, which was why it had been erased.
Hearing the name "Huang Tian," a terrifying killing intent flashed in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. This person could be said to be the chief culprit behind the Kunlun Realm's decline.
If Huang Tian hadn't cut down the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, how could the Kunlun Realm have entered a hundred-thousand-year godless era?
Zhang Ruochen hadn't expected that it was the Truth Divine Temple that had enabled Huang Tian, allowing him to gain the terrifying power to cut down the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree not long after becoming a god.
According to the Truth Hall Master, a Great Saint who became a Truth Envoy could rival a god. How powerful would a god-level Truth Envoy be?
If he ever had the chance, Zhang Ruochen would personally kill Huang Tian, making him pay for his past deeds and reclaim that one percent of Truth Esoterica.
Adjusting his thoughts, Zhang Ruochen looked at the Truth Hall Master and said, "Senior, since I can no longer become a Truth Envoy, what reward can I obtain?"
The Truth Esoterica was exhausted. Even if he was unwilling, there was nothing he could do. Could he argue with the hall master of the Truth Divine Temple?
For now, he could only see if there was another reward as compensation.
"Back then, I specially issued the divine decree to prepare a separate reward for those who passed the trial below the Great Saint level. However, whether you can obtain it depends on your own ability. Are you ready?" the Truth Hall Master said with a slightly serious expression.
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "I'm ready."
A strong sense of anticipation arose in his heart. He wondered what this most special reward would be.
The Truth Hall Master waved his hand, releasing a powerful divine force that infused into the Truth Mountain.
Instantly, countless intricate patterns appeared on the plaza, each containing the ultimate principles of heaven and earth.
These patterns intertwined to form a vast and mysterious eight-trigram diagram, reflected in the sky above.
Fortunately, this space was completely isolated from the outside world; otherwise, such a commotion would surely alarm all cultivators in the Truth Heaven Domain.
"Hum."
A brilliant divine light flew out from the eight-trigram diagram.
An invisible, strange fluctuation spread, causing the entire Truth Mountain to tremble slightly.
"What's happening?"
Zhang Ruochen's expression changed as he felt the Truth Esoterica within him about to fly out.
He had worked so hard to obtain forty-nine ten-thousandths of Truth Esoterica. If it were taken away now, he would be devastated.
Immediately, Zhang Ruochen integrated all the Truth Esoterica into his Truth Realm Form, finally stabilizing it.
Turning his gaze, Zhang Ruochen looked at the ball of divine light. If nothing unexpected happened, this should be the reward that even gods envied.
Gradually, the divine light dimmed, revealing the strange object within.
It was a transparent, diamond-shaped crystal, only the size of a fist, with one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred facets. Each facet had exquisite patterns, naturally formed and in harmony with the Dao.
"Senior, what is this?"
Zhang Ruochen asked curiously.
He was well-traveled and knowledgeable, but he had no impression of this object. He had never even heard of it, let alone seen it.
The Truth Hall Master gazed at the diamond-shaped crystal and said seriously, "This is the Heart of Truth. It can attract and contain Truth Esoterica. If you can refine it, you can use it to perceive the Truth Esoterica within others and even forcibly seize it."
"More importantly, possessing the Heart of Truth allows you to infinitely master Truth Esoterica, even all of it. Others, including the thirteen Truth Envoys, can at most master one-tenth of Truth Esoterica—that is their limit."
"Additionally, with the Heart of Truth, the efficiency of comprehending Truth Rules can be doubled. Moreover, others who cultivate beside you can also comprehend Truth Rules, with an effect no less than cultivating in the Truth Divine Temple."
"In short, the Heart of Truth has many uses. Once you refine it, you will naturally understand."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen immediately understood the function of this object.
Truth Esoterica was something everyone wanted to fight over, but no one knew who held it.
If he could clearly perceive it, that would undoubtedly be a great advantage.
And that astonishing cultivation effect—whoever refined the Heart of Truth would be like a mobile Truth Divine Temple.
It could not only help himself but also allow those around him, even an entire realm's cultivators, to rapidly grow stronger.
Such a precious treasure was indeed enough to make gods jealous.
If it were exposed, it would surely provoke a scramble among many gods.
"Senior, how do I refine the Heart of Truth?" Zhang Ruochen asked again.
The Truth Hall Master said, "Bind it with Sacred Dao Rules and contain it with your Truth Realm Form."
"I see," Zhang Ruochen nodded.
He finally understood why the Truth Hall Master had asked him to first form his Truth Realm Form and cultivate to the Great Perfection of the Saint King Realm. These two points were the foundational conditions for refining the Heart of Truth.
The Truth Hall Master said seriously, "I need to warn you that refining the Heart of Truth carries great risk. If you're not careful, you might explode and die. Even though you've formed your Truth Realm Form and reached the Great Perfection of the Saint King Realm, the success rate is still less than thirty percent. Whether you choose to refine it is up to you."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's heart sank. He hadn't expected refining the Heart of Truth to be so dangerous.
After a moment of thought, Zhang Ruochen let out a light breath and stepped forward.
The opportunity was right in front of him. No matter how difficult, he had to try.
When he was still ten zhang away from the Heart of Truth, Zhang Ruochen stopped and stared at it intently.
After a while, Zhang Ruochen activated his technique, releasing all one hundred million Truth Rules he had cultivated, forming a river of rules that coiled around the Heart of Truth.
"Bang."
Before it could even get close, the Heart of Truth released a strange force, shattering Zhang Ruochen's river of rules.
"Don't rush. You need to slowly attune with the Heart of Truth and eliminate its resistance. If you try to force it, even ordinary gods can't do anything to the Heart of Truth," the Truth Hall Master advised.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen adjusted his mindset, re-forming the river of rules around the Heart of Truth, slowly approaching it.
At the same time, he released his spiritual power without reservation, penetrating into the Heart of Truth, trying to comprehend some of its mysteries.
However, the mysteries contained in the Heart of Truth were too profound. Even with Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power, he found it overwhelming and very difficult to understand.
Each pattern on it was like a sacred Dao scripture, capable of generating infinite true meanings, requiring even Great Saints to slowly comprehend.
Although Zhang Ruochen stood at the peak of the Saint King Realm, his cultivation of the Sacred Dao was still far off.
Thus, Zhang Ruochen completely relaxed, focusing all his mind on comprehending the Heart of Truth.
His cultivation had advanced too quickly, inevitably leaving some hidden dangers. This was a good opportunity to solidify his foundation and better master all the Sacred Dao Rules he had cultivated.
...
A six-thousand-word chapter, could be split into two. I won't say anything else; I'll take this chance to ask for votes.