Chapter 2175: The Storm Arrives
Using Space Displacement, Zhang Ruochen forcibly crossed the formation and entered the estate, appearing in the pavilion where Da Xi Wang and Hong were seated.
Da Xi Wang and Hong both possessed extremely high vigilance, sensing Zhang Ruochen's arrival in an instant.
Before they could act, they discovered that the space around them had completely solidified, rendering them utterly unable to move.
Da Xi Wang remained quite calm. After all, she had long known that Zhang Ruochen was watching from the shadows, so his appearance at this moment was not surprising.
However, she understood in her heart that since Zhang Ruochen had revealed himself, she would most likely be unable to escape and would once again become a prisoner.
"Zhang... Zhang Ruochen."
Hong's expression changed drastically, a trace of fear emerging in his eyes.
There was no help for it. With Zhang Ruochen's current fearsome reputation, who beneath the Great Saint realm could not be afraid?
Hong was no weakling, his strength reaching the third level below Great Saint, yet facing Zhang Ruochen, he did not even have a shred of power to resist, completely trapped by the Space True Domain.
But soon, Hong calmed down and said in a deep voice, "Zhang Ruochen, you have trespassed into this king's residence. What do you intend to do? The Heavenly Palace Enforcement Team is right in the Imperial City. You had better not act recklessly."
"Tell me, where is Michael now?" Zhang Ruochen asked coldly.
Hong's face immediately changed slightly. He had still harbored a sliver of hope, thinking that Zhang Ruochen had not heard his conversation with Da Xi Wang, but now it seemed he had been too naive.
The key was, wasn't this all too coincidental? Why had Zhang Ruochen targeted him at this particular moment?
Unless... Da Xi Wang was the problem!
Seeing Hong's reaction, Zhang Ruochen already had his answer without needing a verbal response.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze darkened. Too lazy to ask further, he extended a hand, releasing a spatial force that enveloped Da Xi Wang and Hong.
Then, he absorbed them into the Jungle Small World, temporarily suppressing them.
He had already employed means to conceal everything, and with the estate itself covered by a formation, no one outside could know what had happened inside.
"I hope it's not too late."
Without a moment's delay, Zhang Ruochen immediately set off, heading toward the Nine Stars Linked Pearl Mansion.
Before long, Zhang Ruochen arrived outside the Nine Stars Linked Pearl Mansion, finding it very calm, everything as usual, as if nothing had happened.
But the more this was the case, the more he felt something was wrong.
Turning his gaze, Zhang Ruochen suddenly made a discovery.
On the floor in front of the mansion gate, there were some patterns, extremely complex and intricate, almost overlapping with the floor's grain, appearing very inconspicuous.
"These are... Illusion True Talismans and Heaven-Sealing Mechanism Talismans, drawn by a Rune Dao Earth Master."
Zhang Ruochen's expression immediately changed.
The Illusion True Talisman's function was to create illusions, making the false appear real. The Heaven-Sealing Mechanism Talisman could seal heavenly mechanisms, cutting off all perception.
Since these two talismans appeared outside the Nine Stars Linked Pearl Mansion, many things were already clear.
Immediately, Zhang Ruochen acted, releasing a powerful spatial force that shattered the two talismans on the ground, then charged straight in.
With the Illusion True Talisman broken, some concealed things immediately revealed themselves.
An extremely strong bloody scent spread out. The originally majestic and imposing mansions and halls were now tattered and broken, almost reduced to ruins.
Corpses came into Zhang Ruochen's view, truly covering the ground like a field of fallen leaves. The blood had already dyed the entire Linked Pearl Mansion red, making it feel like entering a purgatory.
The Linked Pearl Mansion held a special status. When Empress Chi Yao was absent, it became the center of the imperial court.
Many great Confucian scholars and saintly Confucian scholars of the Confucian Path gathered in the Linked Pearl Mansion, handling various governmental affairs and governing the realm.
The Confucian Path had made great contributions to the long-term stability of the imperial court.
But now, those great Confucian scholars and saintly Confucian scholars had all fallen in pools of blood. Within the entire Linked Pearl Mansion, not a trace of life could be sensed.
Even with Zhang Ruochen's state of mind, seeing such a scene, he could not help but experience great turmoil, standing there in a daze.
Those great Confucian scholars and saintly Confucian scholars mostly had their eyes wide open, their pupils nearly splitting, filled with anger, grief, resentment, and other emotions.
Zhang Ruochen stepped into the ruined Linked Pearl Mansion, looking at the corpses everywhere, his gaze turning extremely cold.
He had ultimately arrived too late. The Linked Pearl Mansion had become a hell, with resentment soaring to the heavens.
Of course, even if he had come directly to the Linked Pearl Mansion as soon as he returned to the Kunlun Realm, it would still have been too late. What was destined to happen could not be stopped by anyone.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen extended a hand and pinched a strand of gray-black gas.
"Hmm? The aura of the Hell Realm. Could it be that the ones who bloodily washed the Linked Pearl Mansion were not from the Paradise Realm, but experts from the Hell Realm?" Zhang Ruochen's eyes showed a trace of surprise.
Because from Hong, he had heard of the Paradise Realm's plan, so he intuitively thought that all of this was the work of the Paradise Realm.
But now, he had captured the aura of the Hell Realm, emanating from the wounds of those great Confucian scholars and saintly Confucian scholars. Moreover, the ruined Linked Pearl Mansion was also filled with the lingering aura of the Hell Realm.
Thus, Zhang Ruochen released his spiritual power, carefully examining every corner of the Linked Pearl Mansion.
With his current spiritual power intensity, any clue, no matter how small, could not escape his perception.
The next moment, Zhang Ruochen moved and appeared at the Ninth Mansion of the Linked Pearl Mansion.
This mansion was the core of the Linked Pearl Mansion, where the Heaven and Earth Chessboard used to monitor the realm was placed.
Unfortunately, the mansion was already empty, and the Heaven and Earth Chessboard was nowhere to be found.
There were fewer corpses in this mansion, only about twenty, but their identities were very unusual. They were all figures at the level of ancestral masters within the Confucian Path, each highly respected and admired by countless Confucian scholars.
Zhang Ruochen was not very familiar with the strong figures of the Confucian Path, but he recognized the Zither Sect Master and the Chess Sect Master, who were Confucian ancestral masters of equal fame to Painting Saint Chu Siyuan.
Now, these two sect masters had also fallen in pools of blood, their life aura long gone.
They had died miserably, each with a bloody hole in their forehead, white brain matter mixed with blood flowing out.
Confucian Path cultivators mostly only cultivated spiritual power and righteous qi, their physical bodies being very fragile, far inferior to martial arts cultivators.
Zhang Ruochen walked up to the Zither Sect Master and looked at the ground in front of him.
There, written in blood, were two characters—"Paradise." The character "dise" was unfinished, missing the last stroke, clearly because the Zither Sect Master had no strength left to write.
These two characters already explained everything.
Zhang Ruochen's eyes flickered with cold light. "The Paradise Realm is indeed meticulous in its work. They bloodily washed the Linked Pearl Mansion but made it appear as if the Hell Realm had done it."
Such a skillful technique showed that the Paradise Realm often engaged in such activities.
If not for the Zither Sect Master leaving a clue before his death, even Zhang Ruochen might have been deceived.
"Wang Shiqi is not among them. He must have been captured. Through him, the Paradise Realm faction might have already locked onto the spatial coordinates of the Peach Tree. I must stop them," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Besides Wang Shiqi, there was another person who should know the location of the Peach Tree—Shengshu Cainü.
To prevent the Paradise Realm faction's conspiracy from succeeding, he had to find Shengshu Cainü and rush to the place where the Peach Tree grew as quickly as possible.
The Paradise Realm faction had bloodily washed the Linked Pearl Mansion some time ago. They might have already learned much information about the Peach Tree from Wang Shiqi's mouth.
This move of cutting off the foundation, if the Paradise Realm succeeded, the Kunlun Realm would never have a chance to recover.
Without time to think too much, Zhang Ruochen flashed out of the Linked Pearl Mansion and headed straight for the Purple Micro Palace.
"How dare the Paradise Realm be so bold? Attacking the Peach Tree without restraint. No, if they found the spatial coordinates, they might not act themselves. Could the Hell Realm also be involved?" The more he thought, the heavier his heart became, and Zhang Ruochen quickened his pace.
Recalling the Hell Realm aura he had sensed in the Linked Pearl Mansion earlier, he could not rule out the possibility that the Paradise Realm had colluded with the Hell Realm.
Just like when the Paradise Realm schemed against the Kunlun Realm, but the one who ultimately struck to sever the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree was Huang Tian of the Stone Clan from the Hell Realm.
However, such a heinous act, if exposed, would have extremely severe consequences. Hence, the Paradise Realm had been desperately covering up old matters, wanting to erase all traces from one hundred thousand years ago.
"Is it time to use the 'Awakener' card?" Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself.
It did not take long for Zhang Ruochen to approach the Purple Micro Palace.
The Purple Micro Palace was located in the central area of the Imperial City, gathering thousands of spiritual veins of the Kunlun Realm. It was a place of exquisite beauty, stretching five hundred miles, vast and majestic.
From the ground upward, layers stacked upon each other, rising high into the clouds, like a celestial palace in the nine heavens. It was protected by numerous divine patterns, and ordinary cultivators could only stand on the ground, gazing from afar, unable to approach.
The most conspicuous was the divine statue of Empress Chi Yao, three thousand zhang tall, constantly radiating seven-colored divine light, lifelike. No matter where one was in the Imperial City, it could be clearly seen.
Before the Kunlun Realm was breached by the Hell Realm, many people came to the Imperial City every day to worship the divine statue.
Kong Lanyou had once destroyed the statue, but the imperial court quickly recreated one, even more majestic, containing a divine power of Empress Chi Yao, guarding the Purple Micro Palace.
Throughout the entire Central Imperial City, the Purple Micro Palace was considered the safest place, protected by divine patterns and guarded by the Blood-Dropping Sword. Even a Great Saint would find it difficult to force their way in.
Compared to the bustling prosperity of other parts of the Imperial City, the area around the Purple Micro Palace was quite quiet. Cultivators from various realms did not come to occupy the surrounding residences, out of respect for Empress Chi Yao.
On a street not far from the Purple Micro Palace, a figure suddenly appeared, blocking Zhang Ruochen's path.
"Zhang Ruochen."
Recognizing the figure, Zhang Ruochen was slightly surprised. "A Le, why are you here?"
Meeting A Le here was truly unexpected, especially since he felt that A Le seemed to be waiting for him specifically.
A Le said, "Yesterday, I killed an important figure from the Paradise Realm faction. Before dying, he wanted to use a piece of information to trade for his life, letting me know a secret. In the Imperial City, there are too few cultivators I can trust, and I didn't know who to tell."
"Fortunately, I heard you had crossed the tenth sea of the Truth Ocean, so I guessed you would return to the Kunlun Realm today. So, I waited for you there this morning. You arrived half an hour later than I expected."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "What secret?"
"The Paradise Realm is searching for the spatial coordinates of the Peach Tree, intending to strike against Grand Preceptor Wang Shiqi and Shengshu Cainü."
"I already know about this, and that's why I came to the Purple Micro Palace. The Paradise Realm has already bloodily washed the Linked Pearl Mansion, captured Wang Shiqi, and taken the Heaven and Earth Chessboard. The imperial court can no longer track anyone's whereabouts," Zhang Ruochen said.
With the Heaven and Earth Chessboard, most experts from both the Heavenly Court Realm and the Hell Realm would be under surveillance, allowing timely responses to any unusual movements.
Now, without the Heaven and Earth Chessboard, it would be difficult to know the movements of those experts, and the situation would undoubtedly become even more chaotic.
A Le pondered briefly, a cold killing intent flashing in his eyes. "Since Wang Shiqi has been captured, the Peach Tree will be in imminent danger. Only by knowing the location of the Peach Tree can we stop them."
"This matter requires asking the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden," Zhang Ruochen said.
Immediately, Zhang Ruochen and A Le moved together, appearing in front of the Purple Micro Palace's gate in the blink of an eye.
The Purple Micro Palace was as usual, divine patterns appearing and disappearing, and the divine statue of Empress Chi Yao was also radiating divine light, making the Purple Micro Palace appear sacred and majestic.
"Greetings, Lord Eastern Domain King."
The guards at the gate all bowed to Zhang Ruochen.
Now that Zhang Ruochen's fame shook the myriad realms, cultivators of the Kunlun Realm all recognized his identity as the Eastern Domain King, regarding him as an invincible war god. The vast majority respected him from the bottom of their hearts.
Zhang Ruochen was not unfamiliar with these guards, having spent some time in the Purple Micro Palace before.
His gaze swept over these guards, and a strange light flickered in his eyes.
The people were still the same.
But in the depths of their eyes, Zhang Ruochen detected something unnatural.
In the past, he might not have noticed it, but now, having refined the Heart of Truth and seen through truth, his insight surpassed even many Great Saints, allowing him to see a hint.
These guards gave him the feeling of being a group of marionettes, lacking vitality. He did not know the reason.
Just as he was thinking, a figure walked out from within the gate, approaching them.
It was none other than Yin Yuanchen.
"Brother Zhang, crossing the tenth sea of the Truth Ocean and ascending Truth Mountain, receiving the reward from the Truth Divine Temple—truly a cause for celebration," Yin Yuanchen said with a smile.
Zhang Ruochen's mind was still pondering, but his gaze fell on Yin Yuanchen. "Brother Yin, your news travels fast."
"This matter has already spread throughout the myriad realms. How could I not know? Now that Brother Zhang has returned, we must definitely have a few drinks to celebrate," Yin Yuanchen said.
Turning his gaze, Yin Yuanchen looked at A Le and asked, "And this is?"
"His name is A Le, a friend of mine," Zhang Ruochen said.
Yin Yuanchen examined him for a moment. "A friend of Brother Zhang's must be extraordinary. I am Yin Yuanchen."
A Le remained expressionless and did not speak, only nodding slightly in response.
As they spoke, the three had already entered the Purple Micro Palace, feeling as if they had stepped into another world. The heaven and earth sacred qi became exceptionally dense, almost turning into liquid.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Where is the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden? I have something very important to discuss with her."
"I was just about to tell you about this. Not long ago, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden left the Purple Micro Palace. Before leaving, she left a letter for me to give to you. So, I have been waiting for you in the Purple Micro Palace. Now, I can finally complete the task," Yin Yuanchen said with a smile.
As he spoke, Yin Yuanchen took out a letter and handed it to Zhang Ruochen.
From the moment he saw Yin Yuanchen, Zhang Ruochen's mood had been very low. Until now, he stared deeply at the envelope, his pupils filled with dense Truth Rules.
After a long while, Zhang Ruochen sighed, his eyes full of disappointment. "Yuanchen, I had thought that you and I were the same kind of people, that we could be friends."
He had always held a good impression of Yin Yuanchen, feeling that they were very similar—both rejected, doing many things that others did not understand.
And through a period of getting along, Zhang Ruochen had truly regarded Yin Yuanchen as a friend, the first time he had accepted someone from the Paradise Realm.
But reality was often cruel, heartbreaking.
Just as Zhang Ruochen said this, Yin Yuanchen's gentle and smiling eyes turned sharp, full of edge. With lightning speed, he struck, pressing the envelope toward Zhang Ruochen, decisive and without any hesitation.
"Swish."
Yin Yuanchen's speed was as fast as lightning.
"Hiss."
In the process, the envelope burned, turning to ashes.
From the ashes, a talisman emerged.
At such a close distance, combined with Yin Yuanchen's terrifying speed, no one could avoid it.
The envelope had been crafted by a Supreme Realm Great Saint, and should not have had any flaws. But Yin Yuanchen had not anticipated that Zhang Ruochen possessed the Heart of Truth, and this layer of deception could not escape his eyes.
In Yin Yuanchen's expectation, as long as Zhang Ruochen reached out to take the envelope, the talisman hidden within could suppress him. No matter how strong your cultivation, at that moment, you would only kneel, becoming a powerless prisoner, suffering the unbearable curse of the talisman seal, with your sacred dao rules melting away one by one, becoming a cripple whose sacred path was severed.
Since it was exposed early, Yin Yuanchen had to change his strategy and strike first.
"Zhang Ruochen, this talisman—you must take it whether you want to or not."
...
A lot of groundwork has been laid. The final arc of the Kunlun Realm begins, and many loose ends will be tied up. Because many characters are involved, the conflicts are intense, layer upon layer, set within set, making it very difficult to write. So, I hope everyone can give Xiaoyu a little more time, take it slow, and let me write this major climax well.
What's frustrating is that recently, "The Legend of the Heavenly Emperor" is also at a critical plot point, and writing it is also a headache.