Chapter 2202: Xue Jue War God
In the starry sky, flowing light and brilliant colors filled the air, divine clouds spread across the heavens, and everywhere was saturated with overwhelming divine might.
If not for the protection of Xue Hou, Blood Butcher and the others would have long since knelt down.
Even Zhang Ruochen, a Great Saint with a spiritual will far surpassing ordinary people, found it difficult to breathe under the pressure of those divine auras, forcing him to endure by sheer willpower.
"Whoosh."
The starry sky trembled, and a bright, pure moon appeared out of nowhere, radiating a cold, clear light, draping the entire starry sky in a layer of silver gauze, breathtakingly beautiful.
Beneath the moon, a graceful and ethereal figure stepped slowly across the starry sky, approaching.
From a distance, that graceful figure exuded an incomparably refined and otherworldly temperament, untouched by mortal dust, ethereal and agile, as if transcending the mundane world.
She possessed a peerlessly beautiful face, with icy skin and jade bones, flawless perfection, enough to make even true gods involuntarily feel admiration.
Zhang Ruochen was all too familiar with this goddess; she was none other than the most beautiful female deity of the Heavenly Court, the Moon God.
Zhang Ruochen understood in his heart that the reason the Moon God had arrived so quickly was most likely because she had sensed his aura.
The news of his fall before the spatial rift had probably already spread across all the heavens and myriad realms. Now, with his aura suddenly reappearing, it would be strange if the Moon God didn't care.
This time, the Heavenly Court Realm had sent a total of four true gods, led by the Moon God, all exuding extremely powerful divine might.
On the Hell Realm side, four true gods had also arrived, two each from the Undying Blood Clan and the Rakshasa Clan.
Seeing the Heavenly Court gods descend, including a powerful ancient god like the Moon God, Yan God's confidence immediately swelled. He radiated vast divine might and said with great bravado, "Everyone, the Hell Realm wants to trigger a divine war. A god from the Heavenly Court side has already fallen. Unfortunately, I arrived too late to save him."
His words were spoken with a high-sounding righteousness, completely shirking responsibility for the fallen god of the Heavenly Court Realm, while not mentioning a word about his own earlier defeat.
Yan God's goal was clear: to incite the four true gods, including the Moon God, to go to war against the Hell Realm gods.
Seeing Yan God putting on airs, the Underworld King couldn't help but laugh: "Yan God? The Yan God of the Merit Divine Temple, right? Come, come, come, take a sword strike from me and let me test your depth."
Although he had just broken through to godhood, he was not at all afraid to fight Yan God.
Though furious, Yan God did not act rashly.
A new god who could condense twenty-eight Divine Throne Planets was not to be underestimated by anyone. Moreover, the Underworld King was suspected of having obtained a divine artifact from the Kunlun Realm, making his strength difficult to gauge.
With a heavy snort, Yan God said, "Even if you become a god, you should still have reverence. The protruding stake is the first to rot."
The Underworld King didn't bother with him. He held the Stellar Divine Sword in both hands and slashed out a strike.
"Rip."
The surface of the Stellar Divine Sword shimmered with billions of divine patterns, interweaving together to form an extremely sharp sword light, capable of cutting through anything.
"Is that... the Stellar Divine Sword?"
Yan God's pupils contracted sharply as he felt a great threat.
Legend had it that the Stellar Divine Sword had long been destroyed, but its fearsome reputation was still well known among the gods of all realms. In the past, when the Sword Ancestor wielded it, who knew how many gods it had slain.
Without any hesitation, Yan God summoned a Five-Colored Merit Divine Stele and struck out with all his might.
The Five-Colored Merit Divine Stele expanded rapidly, instantly reaching ten thousand zhang in height, radiating an incomparably dazzling five-colored divine light, illuminating the entire starry sky in a riot of colors.
"Boom."
The sword light struck the Five-Colored Merit Divine Stele, sending it flying.
The Five-Colored Merit Divine Stele dimmed, losing its luster, and a significant amount of its stored merit power was consumed.
Yan God, now wary, withdrew the Five-Colored Merit Divine Stele and immediately retreated to the side of the Heavenly Court gods.
"Having just become a god, he already has such terrifying attack power. How infuriating," Yan God thought to himself.
After all, he was a god of the Merit Divine Temple, having been a god for tens of thousands of years. He never imagined he would be suppressed by two new gods. Of course, the main reason was that his injuries from the battle at Moon God Mountain had not yet healed, greatly reducing his combat power.
That battle had wounded him too severely; without a hundred years, he could not fully recover.
"So this is the level of a god from the Merit Divine Temple."
The Underworld King cast a contemptuous glance at Yan God, put away the Stellar Divine Sword, and did not strike again.
From the moment she arrived, the Moon God's gaze had been fixed on Zhang Ruochen.
She could naturally see the changes in Zhang Ruochen.
Coupled with the fact that Chi Yao had once recounted Zhang Ruochen's relationship with the Undying Blood Clan at Moon God Mountain, seeing him now standing beside Xue Hou, the Moon God had a general idea of the situation.
"Moon God, Zhang Ruochen is your divine envoy. Now that he is colluding with the Undying Blood Clan, what do you have to say?" Yan God said.
The Moon God ignored Yan God and said, "Have you thought it through? It's not too late to regret now."
Even though she knew the reason Zhang Ruochen had sided with the Hell Realm, the Moon God still hoped to win him back.
"Thank you, Moon God Empress, for your care over the years. I have made up my mind. No matter what the outcome, I will not regret it," Zhang Ruochen said calmly, his gaze firm.
Before heading to the Hell Realm, meeting the Moon God was a good thing. It allowed him to clarify everything. He didn't want to implicate anyone in his affairs.
The Moon God shook her head slightly. "Once you walk this path, everyone in the Heavenly Court Realm will see you as an enemy. There will be no place for you in the Heavenly Court Realm. Is it worth it?"
Zhang Ruochen was silent for a long moment before saying, "It's worth it."
He had already considered all the consequences and was prepared to bear them.
The Moon God looked deeply at Zhang Ruochen, knowing she could no longer change his mind. She closed her bright divine eyes and transmitted a clear, beautiful voice that echoed across the starry sky: "From this day forward..."
She paused before continuing, "Zhang Ruochen is no longer my divine envoy, and he has no further connection with the Guanghan Realm."
The Moon God's voice carried a deep sense of helplessness. After all, a rare genius like Zhang Ruochen, unseen in ten thousand years, was someone she was reluctant to lose.
But since Zhang Ruochen had chosen this path himself, she could not stop him.
This meant that from now on, Zhang Ruochen could no longer borrow the Moon God's divine power. No matter what trouble he encountered, the Moon God would no longer be his backing.
Zhang Ruochen's heart trembled slightly. From now on, he had truly placed himself on the opposite side of the Heavenly Court Realm.
Once on the battlefield, former friends might have to face each other with swords.
This was not the outcome he desired.
But no matter what, he would not regret the decision he had made.
"Why should someone from my Blood Absolute family be anyone else's divine envoy?"
At that moment, an extremely domineering voice suddenly rang out.
A vast, boundless sea of blood appeared, sweeping in all directions, as if it would drown the entire starry sky. The divine might it emitted pressed down heavily on all the gods present, making them feel extremely oppressed.
Only the Moon God remained calm and composed.
"Rustle."
A massive whirlpool formed in the sea of blood, and an extremely tall figure stepped out from it.
With each step the tall figure took, the starry sky trembled, and billions of heavenly and earthly rules were trampled under his feet.
Emerging from the blood sea whirlpool was a heroic and extraordinary man with blood-red hair. He stood seven feet tall, with handsome features, yet exuded an irresistible majesty.
The blood-haired man had sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, his gaze sharp as lightning, a high nose bridge, and breath like a dragon. He wore a blood-red battle armor that seemed to drip with fresh blood, his blood-fiend aura overwhelming. Behind him appeared the terrifying scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, with gods lying prostrate at his feet.
"Xue Jue War God."
Except for the Moon God, the eyes of all the Heavenly Court gods narrowed slightly.
Xue Jue War God and Desolate Heaven were known as the peerless prodigies of the Hell Realm in the last eon. Though their cultivation time was not particularly long, they had long since ascended to the ranks of titans, and few dared not to fear them.
Now, with Xue Jue War God appearing, the Heavenly Court gods felt immense pressure.
If not for the Moon God's presence, they might have already chosen to retreat.
Xue Hou turned her gaze to Xue Jue War God, her expression somewhat complicated.
In her eyes, Xue Jue War God seemed both familiar and strange.
A thousand years ago, when Xue Hou was only fourteen years old, she was sent to the Kunlun Realm to fight for the Undying Blood Clan.
During that time, Xue Jue War God had entered a state of a hundred years of closed-door meditation, so from Xue Hou's birth until she left the Blood Absolute family, she had never seen him.
Xue Jue War God was the pillar of the Blood Absolute family. For the prosperity of the family, he had constantly worked to improve his strength.
His achievements today relied not only on talent but also on countless hardships and efforts.
Xue Jue War God held supreme influence within the Blood Absolute family. He was like a spirit, a faith.
From the time Xue Hou could remember, she had heard her mother speak of Xue Jue War God's various deeds. She had repeatedly looked at his portraits, and through constant exposure, she had developed a sense of admiration for him from a young age.
To her, Xue Jue War God's image was almost etched into her heart.
But Xue Hou had always wondered if what she remembered was merely that painting, not Xue Jue War God, nor that father.
Xue Hou's gaze was fixed on Xue Jue War God, looking at his eyes, nose, mouth, arms... slowly overlapping with the image in her mind.
The father who had only ever existed in her imagination was now, finally, alive before her eyes.
Still so familiar, still so strange.
Xue Hou sighed inwardly, "Does Xue Jue War God remember, or even know, that he has a daughter like me?"
In the blink of an eye, Xue Jue War God arrived before them. His first glance was not at the Moon God, nor at the Underworld King, but at Xue Hou.
His eyes were deep and bright. A trace of guilt flickered in his pupils, fleeting, before turning into a plain greeting: "Little Fourteen? Your name is Qing Yin, right? It should be. I named you. Have you been well in the Kunlun Realm all these years?"
"Not well," Xue Hou said.
Xue Jue War God fell silent, staring at her for a long moment, then said, "Forget it. It's good that you're back."
Whether it was an illusion or not, the gods present noticed that the legendary, fearsome Xue Jue War God didn't seem so terrifying. At least, before Xue Hou, he revealed a hesitant, gentle, and reserved side.
Xue Qing Yin was Xue Hou's original name, but few knew it. It had been too long since anyone had called her that.
In fact, Xue Jue War God had originally believed Xue Hou was dead, as everything in the Endless Abyss was beyond the perception of even gods.
Unexpectedly, after eight hundred years, Xue Hou had not only emerged alive from the Endless Abyss but had also broken through to godhood, causing ripples in his eternally calm divine heart.
They were ripples of joy and surprise.
Xue Jue War God's gaze fell upon Zhang Ruochen, who stood beside Xue Hou.
Since the Kunlun Realm became a Merit Battlefield, Zhang Ruochen had carved out a fearsome reputation, spreading across myriad realms. Xue Jue War God had naturally heard of him.
But he never imagined that this peerless genius, who could stand alongside Yan Wushen, would be a descendant of his Blood Absolute family.
Although Zhang Ruochen was not a pure Undying Blood Clan member, being born of Xue Hou and a human cultivator,
Regardless, since he was Xue Hou's child, he had to be a member of the Blood Absolute family.
The two Undying Blood Clan gods who had just arrived looked at each other in surprise. With two new gods added at once, the already flourishing Blood Absolute family would undoubtedly become even more prosperous.
Not to mention Xue Hou, even the potential shown by the Underworld King alone put pressure on the two Undying Blood Clan gods.
Upon becoming a god, he could wield the power of twenty-eight stars, which was extremely rare among all the gods of the Undying Blood Clan.
It seemed the pattern of the Undying Blood Clan's ten major tribes was about to change.
The Underworld King withdrew all the rules and divine power he had released.
Then, his ninety-thousand-mile divine body rapidly shrank.
In the blink of an eye, he had returned to his usual form.
After becoming a god, the Underworld King's temperament became even more ethereal and transcendent. He had no trace of evil aura; instead, he appeared extremely sacred, like an immortal descending to the mortal world.
Faced with such an Underworld King, Blood Butcher and Qi Sheng and the others couldn't help but feel a sense of inferiority.
Zhang Ruochen hesitated for a moment, then coughed twice before saying, "Moon God Empress, since I am no longer your divine envoy and no longer a member of the Guanghan Realm, shouldn't you return the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron, the divine medicine you owe me, and the one million sacred sources to me?"
The Moon God raised an eyebrow, glanced sideways with her phoenix eyes, waved her sleeve, and looked as if she was about to leave. She said lightly, "The Heavenly Court and Hell are irreconcilable. Those things are now spoils of war I've taken from you. There's no reason to return them. Want them? Come and take them?"
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen was stunned.
He never imagined that a lofty god like the Moon God would also renege on her word.
Not only the promised divine medicine, but even the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron and the one million sacred sources she had taken from him, she was unwilling to return.
Xue Jue War God looked at the Moon God, his eyes flickering like two stars. "Moon God, Zhang Ruochen is my grandson. His treasures are also the treasures of the Blood Absolute family. You won't take them away so easily."
As he spoke, Xue Jue War God released an extremely terrifying aura, locking onto the Moon God with a fearsome killing intent. His divine power shook the space until it trembled.
Feeling Xue Jue War God's killing intent, even Yan God and the other Heavenly Court gods couldn't help but feel a tremor in their hearts.
A man's reputation is like a tree's shadow. Xue Jue War God's might shook the heavens, and even gods feared him.
"What I want to take, no one can keep. If Zhang Ruochen hadn't made his own choice, I would have taken him too," the Moon God said.
She knew Xue Jue War God was powerful, but she didn't care at all. Her immortal divine body radiated a cold divine light, reflecting a bright moon in the dim starry sky.
Then, the Moon God took out the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron, held it in her hand, and activated it with divine power.
Seeing the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron, Yan God's pupils contracted sharply. Last time, he had been suppressed by this cauldron and nearly refined alive.
"Xue Jue, are you looking for death? Why don't I fight you instead?"
At that moment, a furious roar sounded.
In the distant starry sky, at the periphery of the Heavenly Court Realm, a mighty Heavenly River surged endlessly.
Bian Zhuang War God's towering figure stood atop the Heavenly River, facing Xue Jue War God from afar. Though separated by an immeasurable distance, to him and Xue Jue War God, it seemed like they were right next to each other.
Though his true body did not move, the Heavenly Peng Bell flew through the air, suspending itself in the starry sky where the Moon God and Xue Jue War God were, emitting ear-splitting chimes.
Guarding the Heavenly River was Bian Zhuang War God's duty, and he could not leave his post lightly.
But Bian Zhuang War God had been watching the Moon God's movements, unwilling to let anyone threaten her.
"What a meddlesome fellow," the Moon God murmured softly.
Xue Jue War God said, "Bian Zhuang, don't be too arrogant. Even among the nine war gods of the Heavenly Palace, some have fallen. Perhaps you'll be next."
"What's wrong with me being arrogant? Not satisfied? Come and fight me," Bian Zhuang War God said, lifting his head.
As he spoke, Bian Zhuang War God released a powerful battle intent. The Heavenly River surged, and vast divine power was transmitted across the distance.
The Heavenly Peng Bell vibrated, expanding rapidly until it was the size of a world, radiating an incomparably dazzling golden light.
The terrifying divine might emanating from the Heavenly Peng Bell sealed the entire starry sky.
Xue Jue War God summoned a blood-colored war halberd, his cape fluttering behind him. His battle intent rose step by step, causing the stars in this region of space to tremble.
Even though his opponent was the foremost of the Heavenly Palace's nine war gods, Xue Jue War God was unafraid to fight him. In fact, he looked forward to it. If he could defeat the foremost of the nine war gods, it would be a massive blow to the entire Heavenly Court.
Xue Hou shielded Zhang Ruochen and the others behind her, taking out the Blood Sea Demon Mirror, also preparing to strike.
The gods of both the Heavenly Court and Hell Realms were on alert, a divine war imminent.
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly, then turned to Xue Hou and said, "Forget it, Mother. What belongs to me, I will personally retrieve in the future. We have more important matters and cannot delay here."
Hearing this, Xue Hou immediately understood his meaning. At this moment, nothing was more important than saving Chi Kongle.
They had to rush to the Shura Star Pillar Realm as quickly as possible to stop Xiu Chen Heavenly God from seizing Chi Kongle's body.
"Uncle, it's time to go. Don't forget what you promised me," Zhang Ruochen said.
The Underworld King put away the Stellar Divine Sword. "Very well. That matter is more urgent."
He would naturally not go back on his word.
Immediately, Xue Hou took Zhang Ruochen with her, transforming into a streak of blood light, traveling through the starry sky at an unimaginable speed, with the Underworld King following closely behind.
"Hmm?"
Sensing the movements of Xue Hou and the Underworld King, the gods of the Hell Realm were all surprised.
Xue Jue War God's eyes showed a contemplative expression. He used his divine thoughts to calculate, and soon, he had an answer in his heart, causing his brows to furrow tightly.
...
At the moment of the reunion between Xue Hou and Zhang Ruochen, the Lantern Festival red envelope event is here! Search and follow
:。: