Chapter 2222: Cosmic Divine Fetus
"Lan Ying pays respects to the God King and Heavenly God."
"Hong Futu pays respects to the God King and Heavenly God."
The two bowed simultaneously, harboring deep reverence for the two colossal deities above them, who had shaken the Hell Realm for hundreds of thousands of years.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God's divine eyes swept over Lan Ying and Hong Futu, a hint of disappointment flashing through them. He said, "These two are the strongest representatives of the Green Deer Divine Temple in the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet?"
"What, do you think they cannot kill Zhang Ruochen?" asked the Green Deer God King.
Xiu Chen Heavenly God said, "According to what this god knows, at the Divine Ascension Banquet, Zhang Ruochen consecutively defeated three top-tier Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saints from the Blood Heaven Tribe. Although his cultivation is weak, his combat power has likely reached the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm."
The Green Deer God King smiled and said, "For a heavenly prodigy who can stand shoulder to shoulder with Yan Wushen, it is not strange to contend with a Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection expert while in the Immortal Realm. But, do other Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saints necessarily only possess Hundred Shackles Realm level combat power?"
"What do you mean?" asked Xiu Chen Heavenly God.
The Green Deer God King said, "Take a closer look."
Xiu Chen Heavenly God's gaze fell once more on Lan Ying and Hong Futu, a look of surprise appearing on his face as he let out a soft exclamation: "Divine Beast Blood Zheng, Slaughter Spirit."
"Correct. Hong Futu is a pure-blooded Blood Zheng Divine Beast, gifted with extraordinary talent and immense strength. Even in the Immortal Realm, he once severely wounded a Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saint. His combat power is practically inexhaustible," said the Green Deer God King.
Pure-blooded divine beasts were almost always passed down through a single lineage per generation. Even in the Demon God Realm, one of the four ruling worlds of the Heavenly Court, they were quite rare. Once they matured and passed the Divine Beast Tribulation, they would at least possess combat power at the level of a False God.
A pure-blooded divine beast that ascended to the Shura Star Pillar Realm was even rarer, perhaps not even one encountered in ten thousand years.
Then, the Green Deer God King continued, "Lan Ying is even more extraordinary. He is not just a Slaughter Spirit, but a Cosmic Divine Fetus."
"Three hundred years ago, this god was passing through the ruins of a battlefield of the gods in the cosmos and discovered a chaotic divine cloud. That divine cloud was condensed from divine power and slaughter qi, shaped like a fetal egg, radiating nine lights and eighteen colors. Each light was divided into bright and dark shades. It had been gestating for at least three eons."
"Perhaps it was the arrangement of fate. At that moment, the fetal egg split open, and an infant walked out, still radiating nine lights and eighteen colors. He opened his mouth and inhaled, greedily devouring all the slaughter qi from the entire battlefield ruins of the gods, instantly reaching the Saint Realm."
"At that time, this god accepted him as a disciple and named him Saint Infant. Who would have thought the little fellow was exceptionally greedy? While being held in this god's arms, he actually tried to absorb this god's divine power. So later, I renamed him Lan Ying (Greedy Infant)."
Xiu Chen Heavenly God stared intently at Lan Ying, muttering to himself, "A Cosmic Divine Fetus actually exists in this world. Although he is only at the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm, his body contains a vast amount of divine power. His Slaughter Divine Fetus Body should not be weaker than Zhang Ruochen's Demigod Body."
As this thought crossed his mind, another idea arose in Xiu Chen Heavenly God's heart: "Perhaps the Slaughter Divine Fetus Body is more suitable for this god."
The Green Deer God King said, "Xiu Chen, do you think the two of them can kill Zhang Ruochen?"
"Their strength is already sufficient. However, to ensure absolute certainty, this god will give them another boost."
Xiu Chen Heavenly God took out a black pill the size of a dragon's eye, flicked it to Hong Futu, and said, "Swallow this. This god will help you elevate your cultivation to the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm."
Hong Futu caught the black pill in his hand, clearly sensing the immense battle intent and battle qi contained within. Delighted, he quickly swallowed it.
"Whoosh."
From Xiu Chen Heavenly God's divine eyes, two beams of divine light flew out and converged on Hong Futu's body.
Countless time light spots enveloped Hong Futu, causing the flow of time there to become extremely slow.
If he cultivated inside for ten years, only one day would pass outside.
Such an extraordinary time manipulation technique, even when performed with Xiu Chen Heavenly God's cultivation, consumed a considerable amount of divine power. Moreover, it could only be maintained within a very small spatial range, unlike the Sundial, which had the power to encompass a land of millions of miles.
Lan Ying walked over to Hong Futu's side and entered the time light spots to cultivate the *Shura Sword Art*.
The Green Deer God King glanced at Xiu Chen Heavenly God and said, "Actually, you didn't need to expend divine power like this. You should know that in the Hell Realm, there are countless forces that want Zhang Ruochen dead."
"The Underworld Clan, Ghost Clan, Bone Clan, Rakshasa Clan, including the Undying Blood Clan—who knows how many forces have a blood feud with him? Will they not make a move at the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet? I even suspect whether Zhang Ruochen can even arrive alive at the banquet is an open question."
"Xue Jue War God is ambitious and scheming, always wanting to elevate the Blood Heaven Tribe's ranking and status within the Undying Blood Clan. He has made many plans and arrangements."
"However, making Zhang Ruochen the leader of the Blood Heaven Tribe will be his most wrong decision. His thousand years of preparation will be destroyed in one fell swoop, and it might even cause all the talents of the Blood Heaven Tribe from this millennium to wither away. He will have to continue planning for the next thousand years."
...
...
Inside the Heaven and Earth Divine Furnace, after two years of refinement, the Mercury Star Gourd, the Annihilating Golden Sun, and the Cosmic Void Cold Ice Stone had fused together, forming a dazzling Purple Gold Gourd.
Zhang Ruochen retrieved it from the furnace, and a scorching annihilating force rushed toward him, causing the Flame God Armor on his body to burst into flames.
He used his spiritual power to carefully sense it.
"Good! The inscriptions of the Annihilating Golden Sun have merged with the Mercury Star. Inside the gourd, the Annihilating Golden Sun and the Cosmic Void Cold Ice Stone have formed a yin-yang vortex, one cold and one hot, circulating endlessly."
The internal world environment of the Mercury Star Gourd had met Zhang Ruochen's expectations before refining. It would be of great assistance in cultivating the Fist Path and Palm Path.
However, it could no longer be called the Mercury Star Gourd.
It needed a new name.
What should it be called?
Zhang Ruochen thought of many imposing and domineering names, such as "Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Refining Gourd," "Space-Time Chaos Treasure Gourd," "Annihilating Void Cosmic Gourd."
But he rejected them all, feeling that these names were very similar to the "Slaughter Heaven Destroy Earth Emperor" that Xiao Hei had given himself, carrying a sense of cringey foolishness.
What if, in the future, he became famous in the Hell Realm with this gourd? He might be called by Hell Realm cultivators the "Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Refining Emperor," "Space-Time Chaos Lord," "Annihilating Void Blood Emperor."
Domineering enough, but...
It didn't match his style.
"Forget it, why think so much? Just call it the Purple Gold Gourd. Simple is good."
Zhang Ruochen cooled the Purple Gold Gourd, held it in his hand, and flew toward Qingsheng Great Saint, calling out from a distance, "Great Saint, my gourd has been refined. Help me test its power."
Qingsheng Great Saint was extremely curious about the gourd in Zhang Ruochen's hand, which had merged the Mercury Star Gourd, the Annihilating Golden Sun, and the Cosmic Void Cold Ice Stone. But having learned from past experience, how could he easily agree to test it?
"The cultivators from the Blood Heaven Tribe participating in the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet have all arrived at the Blood Absolute Family. Stop testing and set off immediately," Qingsheng Great Saint urged.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Testing won't take much time. Great Saint, don't be afraid. This time, you don't need to enter the gourd. Just stand there."
Qingsheng Great Saint was somewhat sensitive to the word "afraid." Hearing it, he showed a displeased expression and said, "Afraid? This saint has cultivated to the Supreme Realm. Beneath the gods, I fear nothing."
"Good, Great Saint, stand firm!"
Without waiting for Qingsheng Great Saint's consent, Zhang Ruochen mobilized his sacred qi and continuously infused it into the Purple Gold Gourd. The spatial formation at the gourd's mouth appeared again, covering an area of hundreds of miles.
Unlike last time, this time the Annihilating Golden Sun and the Cosmic Void Cold Ice Stone inside the gourd spun rapidly, forming a purple-gold yin-yang vortex that combined with the spatial formation, unleashing a suction force far greater than before.
"Boom."
Qingsheng Great Saint, who had been unconcerned, was caught off guard by the combined force of spatial collapse and the yin-yang vortex's pull. Without bracing himself, he stumbled forward a small step, looking slightly disheveled.
However, he had only been standing casually without activating any power. Otherwise, no matter how strong the Purple Gold Gourd was, Qingsheng Great Saint could have remained completely still.
Zhang Ruochen quickly asked, "How is it?"
Qingsheng Great Saint's expression was rather grim, but he stared at the Purple Gold Gourd with a serious look and said, "In terms of suction power alone, it's more than double what it was before. An ordinary Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint, if too close, would definitely be sucked in."
At this moment, Qingsheng Great Saint finally understood a bit why Xue Jue War God had taken such a huge risk by making Zhang Ruochen the leader.
With just this treasure gourd, Zhang Ruochen was already enough to shine at the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet.
Zhang Ruochen frowned and said, "It seems the suction power is still somewhat insufficient. But I have a way to improve it. May I ask, Great Saint, does the Blood Absolute Family have any star cores?"
A star core was the inner core of a star, a material necessary for forging heavy artifacts.
For example, the Annihilating Golden Sun was refined from the core essence of a star.
If the Annihilating Golden Sun were a complete star, its gravitational pull alone would be enough to suck in all beings beneath the gods, leaving them unable to resist.
Zhang Ruochen needed a star core to fuse it into the Annihilating Golden Sun, enhancing its gravitational pull.
If he could raise it to the level of a complete star, who beneath the gods would dare not fear his Purple Gold Gourd?
Qingsheng Great Saint guessed what Zhang Ruochen wanted to do and sneered inwardly. *This guy is richer than this saint, the acting family head, and still wants to take advantage of the family.*
So he waved his hand and said, "The Blood Absolute Family doesn't have any. If you want a star core, go buy one yourself at the Boundless Forest."
Zhang Ruochen stared into Qingsheng Great Saint's eyes, thoughtful, and said, "I won't take the family's things for free. I can exchange them for treasures."
Qingsheng Great Saint's heart stirred slightly, but as a dignified Supreme Realm Great Saint, he couldn't go back on his words. He said angrily, "What do you mean? Do you think this saint is deliberately deceiving you? The Blood Absolute Family really doesn't have any star cores."
The Blood Absolute Family was a vast clan—how could it not even have a star core?
Zhang Ruochen was about to take out some treasures to try to persuade Qingsheng Great Saint to change his mind.
But before he could, Qingsheng Great Saint waved his sleeve, and Zhang Ruochen felt the world spin as he was thrown out of the space where the Heaven and Earth Divine Furnace was located.
"If you had said earlier that you could exchange treasures, this saint would have gone to the cosmos to refine some star cores himself. What's the big deal?"
Qingsheng Great Saint thought to himself, then let out a sigh of regret.
As the family head and a Supreme Realm Great Saint, his words must be as solid as a nine-cauldron weight. How could he change them on a whim?
After being expelled, Zhang Ruochen first went to the Blood Absolute Family's secret ground, the Ancestor Pool. Unfortunately, he still couldn't see Chi Kongle, who was recuperating inside. He had to set aside his emotions and prepare to embark on the journey to the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet.
A blood-red crystal sacred ship, five hundred zhang long, hovered above the mountain range where the Blood Absolute Family was located. On each side of the ship were five huge crystal wings, like ten patches of blood clouds.
The Saint King cultivators representing the Blood Heaven Tribe at the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet had almost all boarded this sacred ship.
Around the Ten-Wing Sacred Ship were over a hundred sacred ships of various sizes, some with six wings, some with eight, all emitting the might of Great Saints.
Among them were many Blood Clan cultivators going to the Boundless Forest to watch the excitement.
Such a grand event, once every thousand years, was bound to be lively. Even if they didn't participate in the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet, they had a chance to make a name for themselves in the Hell Realm. No one wanted to miss it.
Seeing such a magnificent fleet and such formidable strength, Zhang Ruochen's heart was deeply shaken.
Among the over a hundred Great Saint sacred ships, Zhang Ruochen also saw some cultivators riding mounts.
Yu Huang stood proudly on the head of the Azure Luan Beast Emperor, peerlessly beautiful, her cold gaze fixed on Zhang Ruochen as she said, "Leader, we've been waiting for you for half a day. When will we finally set off?"
"Set off now."
Zhang Ruochen used Spatial Displacement to board the Ten-Wing Sacred Ship.
In the Blood Heaven Tribe, the number of Great Saints qualified to use a Ten-Wing Sacred Ship was scarce, and most belonged to Qingsheng Great Saint. With too many enemies in the Hell Realm, staying on Qingsheng Great Saint's sacred ship was the safest.
Led by the Ten-Wing Sacred Ship, the Blood Heaven Tribe's Great Saint fleet shot out rapidly, heading toward the space wormhole near Tianlin Ancient City, passing directly through the wormhole gate to the distant Boundless Forest.
Although only a hundred cultivators were participating in the banquet, Zhang Ruochen sensed the presence of tens of thousands of Saint Realm cultivators just on the Ten-Wing Sacred Ship. Almost every attending cultivator brought a group of relatives, maids, and servants, as if competing in family background and status.
Zhang Ruochen overheard three attending Saint King cultivators discussing nearby.
"That Five-Realm King is truly a divine grandson. The armor he wears is a Monarch Sacred Artifact, and the four maids by his side are all at the Saint Realm, each young and beautiful."
"Blood Saint Liu Ji is really going all out for the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet. He spent a fortune to buy ten Supreme Saint slaves. Being carried in a sedan chair by ten Supreme Saints will surely be impressive at the banquet."
...
The more Zhang Ruochen listened, the more amused he became. He muttered to himself, "Even Hell Realm cultivators have a sense of competition. A single banquet, and they're competing and comparing everywhere."
"Haha! Zhang Ruochen, you don't know this, but the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet is precisely a grand event where cultivators from all clans compete for fame, profit, and battle."
"Every divine temple, every tribe, every clan, every divine kingdom wants to show their most magnificent and glorious side."
"What modesty, restraint, low profile... ha, better not do that. The more you do that, the more everyone thinks your entire tribe is weak, that your divine temple has lost its fighting spirit, that your entire clan has declined." Yi Xuan Great Saint walked over and said.