Chapter 2208: Zhang Ruochen's Blood Wings
As his thoughts turned, Xue Chen reached out and picked up the wine jug from the table. While pouring, he said, "Since you're here at Void Heaven Tower, you absolutely must try this 'Red Dust Drunk.' This wine is limited in supply, and ordinary people rarely have the chance to taste it."
"Would you like a cup?"
As it flowed into the cup, the wine appeared bright red, like blood, emitting a rich, intoxicating aroma that seeped into the heart and mind. Just a single sniff could induce a feeling of intoxication.
Zhang Ruochen cast his gaze into the cup, a faint, almost imperceptible gleam of strangeness flashing in his eyes. With his perception, how could he not see that the "Red Dust Drunk" clearly contained the blood of living beings?
Unable to help himself, Zhang Ruochen gently shook his head.
Xue Ningxiao chuckled softly, "The wine is indeed brewed with blood, but it's not human blood. My father was born from my grandfather and a human woman, so my brother and I also carry some human bloodline within us. Therefore, we never drink human blood, nor do we come into contact with any products made from human blood."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen couldn't help but feel a bit surprised. He hadn't expected that among the wives Xue Jue War God had taken, there was actually a human.
Perhaps it was because Xue Ningxiao and Xue Chen had grown up in the Hell Realm, assimilated by the great power of that world. If he didn't examine them closely, he could barely sense the human aura within them.
"Don't be surprised. Our Blood Absolute Clan is very ancient, one of the oldest clans in the Blood Heaven Tribe and even the entire Undying Blood Clan. A long time ago, there were precedents of intermarriage with humans. The Blood Absolute Clan is far more inclusive than other blood clans."
"Even that Blood God from the Kunlun Realm has a special relationship with our Blood Absolute Clan." Xue Ningxiao lifted her cup of Red Dust Drunk, gently sipping it as if holding amber in her mouth.
Hearing these words, genuine surprise arose in Zhang Ruochen's heart.
He was the leader of the Blood God Sect, yet he had never known that the Blood God Ancestor had any connection to the Blood Absolute Clan.
"What exactly is the story with the Blood God?" Zhang Ruochen couldn't help but ask.
Xue Chen drank a cup of wine and said, "This matter involves too many things. If you really want to know, you can go ask Fourteenth Aunt. She should be the clearest about the Blood God's affairs."
In an instant, many thoughts flashed through Zhang Ruochen's mind, and he fell into contemplation.
Since Xue Chen had mentioned Xue Hou, perhaps this matter was related to her spending eight hundred years in the Endless Abyss, and might even include the secrets of the Blood Beast.
Also, there was the secret of how Qiu Yichi, Chi Linyuan, and others transformed from humans into Undying Blood Clan.
Could there be some causal connection?
"Let's not talk about this. You should first taste the wine. It's brewed with phoenix blood and tastes excellent." Xue Ningxiao lightly licked her lips, a strange light flickering in her eyes as she urged Zhang Ruochen.
"Phoenix?"
The figure of Mu Lingxi instantly appeared in Zhang Ruochen's mind, and he shook his head again.
Seeing this, Xue Chen and Xue Ningxiao said nothing more. They only felt that Zhang Ruochen was very strange. He clearly possessed the bloodline of the Undying Blood Clan, yet he seemed to have no craving for blood at all.
Unlike them, who would involuntarily become excited and find it hard to restrain themselves at the sight of blood.
This was a racial instinct, almost impossible to change.
Zhang Ruochen then said, "Why don't you two first tell me about the situation on the Kunlun Realm Merit Battlefield, especially the battle at the Central Imperial City. How did it develop later? Was there a result?"
Xue Chen thought for a moment, then said, "When you fought your way out of Qinghong Pavilion, the Heavenly Court seized the favorable opportunity and launched a large-scale offensive, causing considerable losses to the Hell Realm army. After that, Fourteenth Aunt must have performed a soul-summoning ritual for you, which caused the space rift to collapse. This had a huge impact on the Hell Realm, preventing them from continuously sending Saint Realm cultivators to the Kunlun Realm."
"Because a divine war broke out, the Heavenly Court strengthened its patrols over the Kunlun Realm, making it very difficult to reopen the space rift. On the other hand, the Pangu Realm, the Demon God Realm, and the Ten Thousand Ruins Realm further joined in, causing the Heavenly Court to increase its combat investment."
"The plan to besiege the Imperial City can no longer proceed for now. In the future, the Kunlun Realm Merit Battlefield will likely become a protracted war, probably not ending within a hundred years. That's why Xiao Xiao and I have returned to the Hell Realm at this time."
Speaking of these matters, Xue Chen couldn't help but sigh. He had originally wanted to go to the Kunlun Realm to make achievements and seek opportunities, but everything had turned out far different from his expectations.
The reason for such a major change in the Kunlun Realm Merit Battlefield lay with Zhang Ruochen.
Not to mention anything else, if Zhang Ruochen hadn't turned the tide at Qinghong Pavilion, the Peach Tree would most likely have been cut down, and the Kunlun Realm would have had no way to resist. It might have taken only ten years for the Hell Realm to end the Merit War.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen felt much more at ease. His efforts had not been in vain. The longer this war dragged on, the more advantageous it would be for the Kunlun Realm.
Perhaps, at some point, a huge turning point would appear.
However, for now, he couldn't get involved in the Kunlun Realm Merit Battlefield.
His immediate priority was to gain control over his physical strength, improve his cultivation and power, and then go to participate in the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet to rescue Chi Kunlun from Yan Wushen.
Besides that, he had long wanted to see what kind of place the Destiny Temple really was.
Could it truly decide the fate of everyone?
Zhang Ruochen didn't believe it.
Because Xue Chen and Xue Ningxiao both had human blood in them and weren't so repulsed towards him as an outsider, Zhang Ruochen's resistance towards them also lessened.
The three of them continued chatting for a while about the Kunlun Realm Merit Battlefield and matters in the Hell Realm.
Xue Chen was not only exceptionally talented but also had a very steady personality, with unique insights into every matter. In terms of talent, ability, and knowledge, he could stand out even in the Heavenly Court.
At first, Xue Ningxiao was somewhat wary and afraid of Zhang Ruochen, her impression of him still stuck on the time when he had slaughtered everyone in the Kunlun Realm. Back then, Zhang Ruochen was like a god of death, with countless famous Hell Realm experts falling to his sword.
But before long, she revealed her true nature, no longer showing any restraint.
Xue Ningxiao was naturally lively and cheerful. She looked like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, with a youthful face but an exceptionally enchanting demeanor. She often smiled, laughing like a little enchantress.
After asking what he wanted to know, Zhang Ruochen said, "Is there a place in Tianlin Ancient City where I can buy Divine Stones?"
"Of course there is. After all, Tianlin Ancient City is one of the oldest and largest cities in the Blood Heaven Tribe World, not comparable to ordinary small cities. Cousin Ruochen, do you need Divine Stones?" Xue Ningxiao blinked her beautiful eyes, full of curiosity.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I do need some."
"Actually, if you need Divine Stones, you can exchange them directly within the clan, and it's cheaper than outside. Moreover, with your status, you could easily get them as a gift just by asking." Xue Ningxiao looked somewhat puzzled.
With the foundation of the Blood Absolute Clan, they naturally wouldn't lack stored Divine Stones.
Seeming to see through Zhang Ruochen's thoughts, Xue Chen stopped Xue Ningxiao from continuing and said, "If you want to buy Divine Stones, you can go to the Ancient Saint Pavilion. It's the largest saint shop in the worlds of the Ten Blood Tribes, with branches everywhere."
"Behind the Ancient Saint Pavilion, there are gods, and even the shadow of the Undying Divine Temple. As long as you have enough Saint Stones, you can buy anything."
Without wasting much time, Zhang Ruochen, Xue Chen, and Xue Ningxiao left Void Heaven Tower and headed straight for the Ancient Saint Pavilion.
The Ancient Saint Pavilion was located in the most prosperous area of Tianlin Ancient City, occupying a large piece of land with rows of pavilions and towers, extremely luxurious.
When they entered the Ancient Saint Pavilion, it caused quite a stir. A maidservant immediately went to the back hall to report.
Soon, a doppelganger of an Indestructible Realm Great Saint came forward to greet them, his face full of smiles, appearing extremely enthusiastic. "The Divine Son's visit to the Ancient Saint Pavilion truly brings great honor to our establishment."
He then led Zhang Ruochen and the other two into a private room and had them served with saint fruits, heavenly springs, and blood wine, treating them with the highest standards.
The news that Xue Hou and Underworld King had returned as gods and caused a stir in the Sea of Time had already spread throughout the Hell Realm. Zhang Ruochen's identity as a Divine Son was also known to all parties.
His mother was a god, his uncle was a god, and his maternal grandfather was the renowned Xue Jue War God who shook the universe.
Moreover, Zhang Ruochen himself was a Great Saint.
With such a background and such cultivation, who would dare to be negligent?
Whoever came into contact with Zhang Ruochen had to be cautious and respectful.
There was no help for it. His current status was far more noble than when he was the Moon God's Divine Envoy.
No one had expected that he, who had once fought life-and-death battles with the Hell Realm, would suddenly transform into the offspring of a god in the Hell Realm.
Even though many people hated Zhang Ruochen to the bone, they were now helpless.
If they wanted to move against him, they first had to consider whether they could withstand the wrath of three gods. Xiu Chen was a precedent.
In the Hell Realm, how many figures were more powerful than Xiu Chen?
The Indestructible Realm Great Saint who welcomed Zhang Ruochen was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his early forties. His cultivation was very profound, his blood energy vigorous, and he was in the prime of his life.
"I am Qi Yong, the master of this Ancient Saint Pavilion in Tianlin Ancient City. May I ask what the Divine Son needs?" the middle-aged man said with a smile, being extremely polite.
Zhang Ruochen didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point. "Divine Stones."
"How many does the Divine Son need?" Qi Yong asked.
In truth, Qi Yong was very puzzled. The Blood Absolute Clan should have plenty of Divine Stones, so why did Zhang Ruochen come to the Ancient Saint Pavilion to buy them?
Of course, this was not the time to ask such a question.
Zhang Ruochen thought for a moment and said, "One hundred."
To fully control his demigod body, he would need a considerable amount of time. Additionally, he needed to improve his cultivation and power, so naturally, he wanted to prepare more Divine Stones.
The more Divine Stones, the better.
A strange glint flashed in Qi Yong's eyes. The number Zhang Ruochen had stated was truly unexpected.
Divine Stones were not ordinary items; they were extremely expensive. A Saint King cultivator might not be able to exchange for even one with all their possessions.
Xue Chen and Xue Ningxiao also showed surprise. They hadn't expected Zhang Ruochen to want to buy so many Divine Stones. Even a Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint might not have such a bold move.
"The Divine Son should know the price of Divine Stones. One Divine Stone is worth one billion Saint Stones. If the Divine Son needs one hundred Divine Stones, that would be one hundred billion Saint Stones," Qi Yong said.
The value of Divine Stones was the same in both the Hell Realm and the Heavenly Court, with a fixed price.
The last time Zhang Ruochen bought Divine Stones from the Thousand Stamen Realm, it was arranged by the Hundred Flowers Fairy, and due to personal connections, the price was reduced by one hundred million Saint Stones.
In fact, the Undying Blood Clan didn't need Saint Stones for cultivation; they mainly relied on blood to enhance their strength.
However, the blood obtained through killing was only a very small part.
Most of the blood for the Undying Blood Clan came from the Undying Blood Springs and the Eternal Blood Trees, both of which could provide large amounts of blood.
But the blood produced by the Undying Blood Springs and the Eternal Blood Trees was pure blood, containing very little energy, and couldn't meet cultivation needs.
Therefore, Saint Stones needed to be added to the Undying Blood Springs to cultivate the Eternal Blood Trees. Only then could the blood produced by both have the same effect as the blood in a cultivator's body.
For this reason, Saint Stones could also circulate in the world of the Undying Blood Clan.
With a flip of his hand, Zhang Ruochen took out a storage ring and handed it to Qi Yong. "Calculate how many Saint Stones the treasures inside are worth."
Qi Yong quickly reached out and took it, examining it with his spiritual power.
Upon inspection, the expression in his eyes changed slightly.
The storage ring contained a large number of treasures, including saint artifacts, talismans, pills, and more, with many rare items.
These treasures were all obtained by Zhang Ruochen on the Kunlun Realm Merit Battlefield. The quantity was enormous and extremely diverse, with all kinds of things. He had no use for them.
The Sword Grave Battle, the Immortal Machine Mountain Battle, the True Dragon Island Battle, the Blood God Sect Battle, the Purple Micro Palace Campaign, and so on—every major battle had brought Zhang Ruochen immense gains.
Especially the Purple Micro Palace battle, where he had killed nearly a thousand top experts from the Heavenly Realm Faction, including many leaders. The harvest was astonishing.
What he was taking out now was only a part, mostly ordinary items. He naturally wouldn't casually sell the truly good things.
For example, the saint artifacts were kept by Zhang Ruochen to be refined by the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
Using his powerful spiritual power, Qi Yong didn't take long to calculate the value of all the treasures.
"These treasures are worth a total of one hundred and thirty-four billion Saint Stones," Qi Yong said.
Zhang Ruochen took out another space ring and said, "The treasures inside should be worth about six billion Saint Stones. Exchange all of them for Divine Stones."
"Please wait a moment, Divine Son. I will go fetch the Divine Stones," Qi Yong said.
Although he was the master of this Ancient Saint Pavilion, he wouldn't carry a large number of Divine Stones on him. He needed to go to the treasure vault to get them.
Before long, Qi Yong returned and handed a space ring to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen scanned it with his spiritual power, confirmed that there were one hundred and forty Divine Stones inside, and immediately put them away. Having obtained what he wanted, he left directly and returned to the Blood Absolute Clan.
For the next period of time, he would devote all his energy to cultivation, striving to gain control over his demigod body as quickly as possible and reach his peak state.
Whether it was Yan Wushen's invitation or the divine will issued by Xue Jue War God, both made Zhang Ruochen feel that the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet was no simple matter.
He would need sufficiently powerful strength to handle it calmly.
Xue Ningxiao was still very curious and asked, "Why is he doing this?"
Xue Chen knew what she was talking about and smiled. "How could Zhang Ruochen be an ordinary person? He has his own thoughts in everything he does. In the Blood Absolute Clan, with his status, he could indeed easily obtain Divine Stones. But the prerequisite is that he is willing."
"Why isn't he willing?" Xue Ningxiao asked.
Xue Chen stared in the direction Zhang Ruochen had left and said, "A sense of belonging. He hasn't developed a sense of belonging to the Blood Absolute Clan yet. I think this is also why the War God has him lead the team to participate in the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet."
...
After returning to the Blood Absolute Clan and making the necessary arrangements, Zhang Ruochen immediately began his seclusion and cultivation.
After embedding the Divine Stones, the Sundial began to operate, releasing the power of time, covering an area of one hundred and twenty zhang in radius.
Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged beneath the Sundial, took out a small amount of Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring from the Water Star Gourd, and swallowed it directly.
The Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring, obtained from True Dragon Island, had all kinds of incredible uses, especially in nourishing the physical body and the saint soul, allowing him to gain control over his own power more quickly.
The awakeners in the Yin-Yang Sea had used the Sun-Moon Divine Dragon Spring to restore their strength to its peak in a short time.
But what they used was only the most ordinary sacred spring. What Zhang Ruochen was now swallowing was the essence of the sacred spring.
Zhang Ruochen had collected over two thousand drops of sacred spring essence on True Dragon Island back then, which he hadn't used yet. Now was the perfect time to put them to use.
"Boom, rumble."
Vast blood energy surged within Zhang Ruochen's body, emitting a loud sound like a great river flowing.
At a certain moment, a powerful surge of blood energy rushed out from Zhang Ruochen's back.
"It hurts... what's happening... this power... this..."
Zhang Ruochen's back felt as if it were on fire, the pain so intense that his body seemed about to melt.
The pain was so severe that even with his cultivation and willpower, he could barely endure it.
Gradually, streaks of golden light began to appear on Zhang Ruochen's back, as if something was about to break out of his body.
"Rip."
This pain lasted for about two days. Eight golden fleshy wings grew out from Zhang Ruochen's back, covered in dense, mysterious patterns.
Zhang Ruochen supported himself on the ground with his hands, gasping for breath, his forehead covered in sweat.
Fleshy wings were an important characteristic of the Undying Blood Clan, almost always present from birth.
Logically, Zhang Ruochen should have grown them long ago. But after he was born, the Ming Emperor had sealed the Undying Blood Clan bloodline within him, making him no different from an ordinary person.
Later, although Xue Hou had nurtured this physical body to be extremely powerful, because there was no saint soul to take charge, the fleshy wings had never grown out.
It was only now, as Zhang Ruochen began to gain control over the power of his demigod body and fully activated the bloodline of the Undying Blood Clan, that the fleshy wings finally grew out.
"Golden fleshy wings?"
Taking out a bronze ancient mirror and looking at the fleshy wings on his back, Zhang Ruochen stood there stunned, unable to accept it for a long time. He felt as if the heavens and earth were collapsing.
What was meant to come had finally come.
"Am I human? Or an Undying Blood Clan?"