Chapter 2224: Fate Divine Domain
Zhang Ruochen had frightened Blood Butcher quite badly, leaving him uneasy and filled with fear about this trip to the No-Return Forest.
Being able to frighten a Great Saint to such an extent was difficult even for a god to achieve.
Zhang Ruochen felt only hatred for Blood Butcher, with no goodwill whatsoever.
During the battle at the Sword Grave, Senior Brother Bao Lie had nearly died at Blood Butcher's hands, and Zhang Ruochen himself had almost lost his life—a mortal enmity between them. If not for the fact that Xue Hou had taken Blood Butcher as a disciple, Zhang Ruochen would never have let him off so easily.
However, the words he had spoken earlier were merely a threat.
A Great Saint could be killed, but not humiliated.
If pushed to that point, Blood Butcher would rather die than submit.
Since becoming a Great Saint, Zhang Ruochen's mindset had undergone a significant transformation. He wanted to try the "Emperor's Art of Governing Men" that Shangguan Que had once taught him.
"So, he wants to escape."
Sensing Blood Butcher quietly jumping off the Ten-Wing Saint Ship, Zhang Ruochen curled the corners of his mouth slightly. His figure vanished from where he stood and reappeared a hundred miles away, grabbing the invisible and fleeing Blood Butcher by the scruff of his neck.
The moment Blood Butcher saw Zhang Ruochen, his Undying Great Saint body trembled. Despairingly, he said, "Senior Brother, making a talented Great Saint sell his own sacred blood and organs in the No-Return Forest is a disgrace to the entire Blood Heaven Tribe. You must think twice."
Zhang Ruochen ignored him, his expression cold and stern, exuding authority without anger. "What did I tell you? You still dare to flee, showing that you didn't take my words to heart. Mo Yin, drain half of his sacred blood."
Tendrils of the Devouring Saint Flower extended from Zhang Ruochen's back, wrapping around Blood Butcher's arms.
"I hope his Great Saint sacred blood can help you break through to the next realm," Zhang Ruochen said.
Blood Butcher wanted to resist, but Zhang Ruochen pressed a single finger down, immobilizing him completely, pinning him firmly in space.
When Zhang Ruochen had nearly died, the Devouring Saint Flower had also suffered severe damage, only recently awakening. Nourished by Zhang Ruochen's demigod blood for decades, it had finally returned to its peak state.
Now, with Blood Butcher as a new blood source, Zhang Ruochen no longer needed to expend his own demigod blood.
...
In a mysterious space bathed in blood-red light, Xue Jue War God and Xue Yao Divine Lord sat facing each other.
The two gods were playing a game of chess.
The pieces in their hands were not round black and white stones, but tiny human-shaped puppets. Some of these puppets emitted the aura of Saints, while others radiated the powerful presence of Great Saints.
Xue Jue War God said, "It seems this move of yours wasn't well-played. Be careful not to ruin him."
Xue Yao Divine Lord pondered, "Since Blood Butcher has obtained the Blood Flame War God Mark, he already has the potential to become a god. However, his state of mind is far from reaching the level of a god's heart. Letting him stay by Zhang Ruochen's side to temper his heart might not be a bad thing."
Back then, when Xue Yao Divine Lord had sent Blood Butcher to the Kunlun Realm Merit Battlefield, it was because he had high hopes for him, hoping to refine his state of mind through that experience.
"Clap."
He placed a piece down.
Xue Yao Divine Lord said, "Your turn."
"A true god's heart must be unyielding through a hundred trials. But if it gets broken, won't you feel the pain?" Xue Jue War God placed a piece down as he spoke.
"If it gets broken, it means he doesn't have the potential to become a god. What's wrong with knowing the outcome early?"
Xue Yao Divine Lord continued, "The cultivators of the Hell Realm are becoming increasingly arrogant and self-righteous. That's not a good sign."
"In the past ten thousand years, the number of new gods born in the Hell Realm has no longer held an advantage over the various realms of the Heavenly Court. Perhaps it's because the younger generation's hearts lack setbacks and tempering. Who knows how many exceptionally talented peerless Great Saints fail to break through to godhood?"
"The environment they grew up in was too smooth."
"I believe that at this Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet, we should propose reining in the younger generation of the Hell Realm a bit and rectifying this unhealthy trend. A mindset of certain victory is necessary. But arrogance, complacency, and indulgence must never be allowed."
"It's time to grind them down."
...
After absorbing half of Blood Butcher's Great Saint sacred blood, the Devouring Saint Flower successfully passed the Dao-Melting Tribulation, forged an Undying Saint Body, and broke through to become a Great Saint.
It transformed into Mo Yin's form, her face exuding enchanting beauty, surrounded by rings of sacred qi. A powerful saintly might filled the vast space spanning ten thousand miles.
"Thank you, Master, for granting me blood, helping this servant break through to become a Great Saint." Mo Yin's voice was soft and melodious, her phoenix eyes shimmering with blood-red light.
Zhang Ruochen said, "If you want to thank someone, thank Junior Brother Blood Butcher."
Hearing the words "Junior Brother," Blood Butcher nearly burst into tears.
Was this how you treated a junior brother?
"Senior Brother, we did have enmity in the past, but now we're on the same side. Can't we turn hostility into friendship?" Blood Butcher said.
Zhang Ruochen replied, "You were born and raised in the Hell Realm, so you should understand the principle of the strong preying on the weak better than I do. Only the weak hope that the strong will turn hostility into friendship. If today, my cultivation were inferior to yours and I fell into your hands, how much of my sacred blood would you leave me?"
Hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Blood Butcher's eyes.
"That's right. I have the Blood Flame War God Mark. As long as I cultivate diligently, there's no guarantee I won't surpass Zhang Ruochen. If I can endure until the day I become stronger than him, won't he be at my mercy?"
Blood Butcher regained his strong confidence, looking at Zhang Ruochen's retreating figure with a cruel, cold smile.
For now, he had to endure humiliation and bear the burden. By the time of the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet, his cultivation would surely make a major breakthrough.
"Mo Yin, keep an eye on Junior Brother Blood Butcher. If he tries to flee again, drain the other half of his sacred blood."
Zhang Ruochen returned to the Ten-Wing Saint Ship, took out the Sundial, and entered a cultivation state.
The starry sky where the Hell Realm was located was vast and boundless. To reach the No-Return Forest, they would need to pass through multiple wormhole crossings, and the journey would take considerable time.
Currently, Zhang Ruochen's most urgent need was to increase his Sacred Dao rules.
Yan Wushen had already cultivated to the peak of the Undying Realm, and Zhang Ruochen absolutely could not fall too far behind.
Activating the Sundial, he cultivated for four years.
The number of Sacred Dao rules within Zhang Ruochen's body increased by a full hundred million, bringing the total to over five hundred million.
"It seems that raising the Sacred Dao rules to eight hundred million won't be difficult. However, comprehending the Sacred Will doesn't seem so easy."
So far, Zhang Ruochen hadn't even touched the threshold of the Sacred Will.
To break through to the late stage of the Undying Realm, he needed to satisfy two conditions: eight hundred million Sacred Dao rules and the Sacred Will. Once he cultivated the Sacred Will, Zhang Ruochen's combat power would surge forward by a huge margin.
"Since Yan Wushen has reached the peak of the Undying Realm, his Sacred Dao rules must be at least one billion. More crucially, how strong is the Sacred Will he has comprehended?"
At the same cultivation level, Zhang Ruochen could look down on any cultivator, but Yan Wushen was an exception.
After spending a large portion of the one hundred and forty Divine Stones he had purchased, only five remained. Zhang Ruochen was about to take out the Seven-Star Divine Palace to study it when noise erupted outside.
"We've arrived! Look, that's the Six-Colored Divine Mist Nebula of the No-Return Forest. It's magnificent!"
"I see three World Trees. The one in the middle is the Fate World Tree, right?"
...
Filled with curiosity about the No-Return Forest, the most core region of the Hell Realm, Zhang Ruochen put away the Seven-Star Divine Palace and walked out.
A large number of Saint-level cultivators from the Blood Heaven Tribe had gathered on the deck of the Saint Ship.
Zhang Ruochen looked into the distance and saw a six-colored forest stretching across the boundless starry sky.
The forest wasn't real but was formed by stardust and mist, spanning about one-tenth of a light-year in width, with a longitudinal length exceeding a trillion miles—impossible even for a Great Saint to cross.
Numerous life-bearing planets floated within the six-colored forest, appearing as small as marbles from afar.
The most striking features were the three World Trees within the six-colored forest.
They weren't actual trees but rock structures similar to the "Shura Star Pillar Realm," shaped like three broad-leaved ancient trees.
Each leaf of the three World Trees was a world. Each world was a kingdom, home to countless cultivators.
Some of these kingdoms had evolved into divine kingdoms.
At the tops of the three World Trees, massive leaves had been built into three divine cities, respectively named: Fate Divine Domain, Fengdu, and Yama Outer Heaven.
The direction the Ten-Wing Saint Ship was heading was toward the top of the middle Fate World Tree—the Fate Divine Domain.
The Saint Ship flew along a special star path, influenced by divine power, continuously making spatial jumps. Each jump covered billions of miles.
As they approached the Fate World Tree, Zhang Ruochen felt an increasingly immense pressure. The rules of heaven and earth became more active, and the ten golden wings hidden within his body seemed to want to burst out from his back uncontrollably.
After the fleet descended into the Fate Divine Domain, under the leadership of Qingsheng Great Saint, everyone settled into an independent city district.
"The area we're in now is called the Hanye City Domain. It was built by the Destiny Temple and the Yama Clan a hundred thousand years ago to host the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet. It's divided into hundreds of city districts. The district we, the Blood Heaven Tribe, have entered is called the Bingsi District."
"All cultivators from the Ten Clans of Hell participating in the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet will enter the Hanye City Domain."
"Everyone must remember that private fights are forbidden within the city domain. Gods are stationed here, and Great Saint enforcers patrol. Those who engage in private fights will face severe punishment."
"If you have personal grievances to settle, you can go to the Martial Combat District."
"If you want to purchase cultivation items, you can go to the River Market District. There, along both banks of the Sacred River, various major forces have set up sacred shops. Large auctions are held every day. As long as you have enough sacred stones, you can buy anything you desire."
"Additionally, there are the Discourse Dao District and the Sword Domain District..."
"The Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet is still some time away. Everyone can take the opportunity to walk around and broaden their horizons."
Qingsheng Great Saint said a lot, but Zhang Ruochen's mind had already drifted elsewhere.
"The legendary Destiny Temple should be in the Fate Divine Domain. Is the power of fate truly so terrifying, determining everything in the world?" Zhang Ruochen closed his eyes, and involuntarily, the image of Huang Yanchen appeared in his mind.
She turned, transforming into Bore's face.
Coming here, it was hard not to think of her.
Zhang Ruochen's residence was arranged in the central area of the Bingsi District, named the Hanhai Manor. As soon as he stepped into the manor, a large group of figures knelt before him: "Greetings, Ruochen Great Saint."
Besides the eighteen Six-Calamity Ghost Kings mentioned by Qingsheng Great Saint, there were also eight Saint King-level blood clan guards, along with hundreds of maids, stewards, and servants.
They were only staying for a month or two, yet such a grand display had been arranged.
"Rise."
After a pause, Zhang Ruochen pointed to Mo Yin standing beside him and said, "For the time being, if anything comes up, report directly to Mo Yin Great Saint. She will handle everything for me. Oh, and send someone to find Blood Butcher and bring him to me."
By a lakeside in the Hanhai Manor, Zhang Ruochen activated the Sundial and began cultivating again.
Blood Butcher walked over and entered the range covered by the Sundial. His heart immediately twisted in pain. He thought, "Zhang Ruochen has a time treasure like the Sundial. In this life, will I ever have a chance to surpass him?"
Zhang Ruochen stopped cultivating, stood up, and walked into the pavilion. He poured two cups of sacred spring water, picked one up, and handed it to Blood Butcher.
Blood Butcher was stunned, his eyes filled with confusion. In a daze, he took the sacred spring and slowly drank it. After drinking, he found that several hundred Sacred Dao rules had automatically increased within his body.
"This... this sacred spring..."
Blood Butcher felt he completely couldn't see through Zhang Ruochen, unsure of what he was trying to do.
Before coming to the Hanhai Manor, he had already prepared to flee again, fearing that Zhang Ruochen would immediately take him to sell blood and organs. For a Great Saint, that was even harder to accept than death.
But after arriving, he had been given a cup of precious sacred spring to drink.
The psychological gap made him feel a sense of flattered surprise.
Zhang Ruochen picked up the other cup of sacred spring and slowly drank it. "If your five planet fiefdoms were put up for auction, roughly how many Divine Stones could they sell for?"
Blood Butcher had long known that the fiefdoms wouldn't be kept, so he wasn't too pained. "About a hundred Divine Stones, I think."
"So little?" Zhang Ruochen frowned.
Blood Butcher was speechless inside.
Was this still little?
A hundred Divine Stones was equivalent to a hundred billion sacred stones.
If not for obtaining the Blood Flame War God Mark and breaking through to the Great Saint realm, receiving a fourth-level life-bearing planet as a reward from his clan, he wouldn't have had so much wealth.
"Alright. List the fiefdoms at the auction house. Sell them within the next two days, if possible, and convert everything into Divine Stones."
Seeing Blood Butcher standing there motionless, Zhang Ruochen waved his hand. "Why aren't you going to handle it?"
Blood Butcher still couldn't believe Zhang Ruochen would let him off so easily. He asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother, do you have any other instructions?"
Zhang Ruochen's gaze fixed on him. "Work for me with peace of mind. If you do well enough, I might consider giving you more time to repay the massive debt you owe me."
"Alright, I'll go handle it immediately. I'll make sure everything is done properly."
Blood Butcher was overjoyed, as if the sword hanging over his head had been temporarily moved aside. He left cheerfully.
Zhang Ruochen held the jade cup, gazing at Blood Butcher's retreating figure. He thought to himself, "My first attempt at taming a Great Saint seems to have had some effect. But I'm still far from making him sincerely submit and obey my every command."
Suddenly, a cold voice sounded from the pavilion behind him: "I've never seen a Great Saint so excited about being forced to auction off his own fiefdom. Zhang Ruochen, your methods are quite clever."
The tone was filled with heavy sarcasm.
Zhang Ruochen turned around and saw Yu Huang's figure, beautiful as a celestial maiden, already seated inside.
Without any courtesy, she picked up the jade pot, tilted her fair chin back, and poured the sacred spring from the pot into her rosy lips. Such a bold action, performed by her, was filled with boundless elegance.
A thought stirred in Zhang Ruochen's mind. Perhaps he could try a higher difficulty.
If he could even subdue Yu Huang completely, who in the future would be beyond his control?
"I thought our relationship would be as incompatible as fire and water, with no possibility of reconciliation. I never expected you, Yu Huang, to take the initiative to visit. As it happens, I also have something very important to discuss with you."
Zhang Ruochen's demeanor was calm, not mentioning the fact that Yu Huang had freely drunk the sacred spring without permission.
Yu Huang raised her wrist, placing the jade pot back on the table. Her sharp phoenix eyes glared at Lin Ke, and she snorted lightly. "I'm not here to mend our relationship. Someone sent an invitation meant for you, and it ended up in my hands."
With that, an invitation flew out from her sleeve.