Chapter 2249: The Unseen Pavilion
After a long period of deep contemplation, a bitter smile appeared on Zhang Ruochen's face. He said, "Since my birth, every single thing I've done has left me no room for choice."
"Could I choose not to participate in the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet? No."
"The Blood Absolute War God has staked the entire Blood Heaven Tribe on me. If I retreat, he loses everything."
"Yan Wushen had Chi Kunlun personally write a challenge letter, inviting me to the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet. If I cower from battle, I am unworthy of being a father."
"And as for myself, I have enemies everywhere in the Heavenly Court and Hell. If I lose my value, in an instant, I will die and my body will perish. For other cultivators, participating in the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet is about competing for benefits. For me, it is to prove my worth, to fight for a path to survival—the only path."
"The gods intend to use me as a blade to sharpen this generation of cultivators in the Hell Realm. The Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet is a test of my loyalty and ability. If I cannot prove these two things, I lose my value."
"Her Majesty the Empress and the Blood Absolute War God might be able to protect my life, but for the rest of my life, I would be forced to cower under their wings, unable to take a single step outside the Blood Absolute Family. Someone like me could never become a god in a lifetime. Humiliation, resentment, weakness, decadence—what a pathetic life. Millions of years later, only a pile of dry bones beneath thick yellow soil will remain to prove that I once lived in this world."
"Empress, do you think I can choose not to go to the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet? Do you think I can afford to be soft-hearted at the banquet? It's impossible. I have no other choice. Fate has not given me the right to choose."
"Either I move forward resolutely and kill my way out of the darkness. Or I cowardly give up, hide under the protection of others, trembling in fear for a lifetime, accomplishing nothing. Of course, I could also end it all and die today."
"I don't want to hide, and I don't want to run away. So I choose the former."
"If the gods want me to be a blade, then I will strive to prove myself and become a sharp blade. But who I kill must be decided by me. I must go to the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet, even if I die going. In the future, when this blade of mine is sharp enough, even the gods will fall under my sword."
The phrase "blade of the gods" was hinted to him in a veiled way by Luo Sha during their conversation.
Zhang Ruochen had already seen through it very clearly.
Huaying Qingchan stared intently at Zhang Ruochen. In his eyes, she saw an unprecedented firmness, as if nothing could shake his will.
Then, Zhang Ruochen continued, "I have a question that puzzles me. If we rescue that Formation Grand Supreme, can it really change the situation of the Kunlun Realm?"
Huaying Qingchan said, "If he is still alive, it is inevitable. My grandfather has very deep feelings for the Kunlun Realm, filled with the most sincere love. Even if it costs him his life, he will protect everything there."
"With his abilities, if he returns to the Kunlun Realm, unless the Hell Realm launches an all-out war, they cannot do anything to him. But once the Hell Realm launches an all-out war, the Heavenly Court will certainly act as well. A war no less fierce than the Divine War at the end of the Middle Ages will break out."
"Do you think the Hell Realm would launch an all-out war for the Kunlun Realm as it is now?"
Zhang Ruochen gently shook his head. "No."
The current Kunlun Realm could not withstand an all-out war.
But the Hell Realm could not afford it either. No one wanted another Divine War to break out, causing half the gods to fall.
One hundred thousand years ago, the Hell Realm destroyed the Kunlun Realm half out of necessity and half to eliminate a threat.
One hundred thousand years later, even if the Formation Grand Supreme Yunshen Daozhu returned to the Kunlun Realm, he would not pose a threat to the Hell Realm. There was no need to launch an all-out war.
It was like how the Hell Realm could easily destroy the Black Demon Realm, the Heavenly Beginning Civilization, or the Great Demon Ten Directions Realm. Why hadn't they been destroyed?
It wasn't that they couldn't be destroyed, but that there was no value in destroying them, or the cost of doing so was too great. Of course, the main reason was that they had the Heavenly Court backing them.
Huaying Qingchan said, "If the Hell Realm launches an all-out war, the Heavenly Court will definitely get involved. If they don't launch an all-out war, they can't do anything to my grandfather. Imagine, a Formation Grand Supreme hiding in the starry sky where the Kunlun Realm is located. No matter how many Great Saints the Hell sends to the Merit Battlefield, they will die. If gods approach that starry sky, they might also die silently."
"The Hell Realm will be caught in a dilemma," Zhang Ruochen said.
Once a Formation Grand Supreme returned to the Kunlun Realm, the difficulty for the Hell Realm to destroy it would increase a hundredfold, even a thousandfold. Even if they could destroy the Kunlun Realm, the cost would far outweigh the gains.
Zhang Ruochen said, "If I win first place among the ten clans at the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet and obtain thirty ten-thousandths of the Fate Esoterica and the Fate Heavenly Decree, and then hand them over to you, how am I supposed to explain this to the Fate Divine Temple and the Blood Absolute War God?"
"You don't need to hand them over to me. Just let me study them for a period of time, and I can forge a new Fate Heavenly Decree. The Fate Esoterica is used to assist in forging the decree. Other than that, it has no great value to me," Huaying Qingchan said.
Zhang Ruochen nodded slightly. "What benefits do I gain from this transaction?"
From the very beginning, Huaying Qingchan had directly and clearly told Zhang Ruochen that her primary reason for rescuing Yunshen Daozhu was for herself, and only secondarily for the Kunlun Realm.
Since that was the case, this was a private transaction.
Both Huaying Qingchan and Zhang Ruochen had some element of doing it for the Kunlun Realm in their hearts. But they placed themselves and the people close to them first.
The Kunlun Realm was important, but it could only be second.
When poor, one cultivates oneself; when successful, one benefits the world.
If Huaying Qingchan had initially told Zhang Ruochen that she was doing it to save the Kunlun Realm, Zhang Ruochen would still have helped her. But later, when he discovered her words and actions didn't match, it would only have left him deeply disappointed.
Huaying Qingchan did not do that. She only told Zhang Ruochen her truest thoughts. This made Zhang Ruochen deeply admire her and be captivated by her personal charisma.
He was willing to make this transaction with her.
Huaying Qingchan said, "The reason I have thirty percent of the Time Esoterica is because I went to the place where Xumi Saint Monk passed into nirvana and inherited part of it. If you help me with this, I will help you find that place of nirvana. Additionally, I can give you an Unseen Token."
"Unseen Token?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Huaying Qingchan said, "Have you heard of the Unseen Pavilion?"
Zhang Ruochen gently shook his head.
"Your time in the Hell Realm is still short. It's normal that you don't know about the Unseen Pavilion."
Huaying Qingchan continued, "The Unseen Pavilion is an organization I established in the Hell Realm to rescue my grandfather. After one hundred thousand years of development, this organization has infiltrated all ten clans of Hell and the Fate Divine Temple. And I am the Pavilion Master of the Unseen Pavilion, one of the top few names on the list of gods the Fate Divine Temple wants to eliminate."
"I have only given out two Unseen Tokens before. Each one was given because I owed a huge debt of gratitude. Including this one for you, it will be the third."
"Present the Unseen Token to me, and I will agree to do one thing for you to repay the debt of gratitude."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Anything? What if I ask you to help me kill a god?"
"As long as it is within my ability, of course."
Without a doubt, Huaying Qingchan did not like owing debts of gratitude. So this transaction was clearly more favorable to Zhang Ruochen.
Of course, Zhang Ruochen was also taking a risk. If the gods of the Hell Realm discovered that he had dealings with the Pavilion Master of the Unseen Pavilion, the consequences would be severe.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I really want to know, over these one hundred thousand years, how many cultivators from the Kunlun Realm have joined the Unseen Pavilion and become part of the rescue plan? Does my father count?"
Huaying Qingchan remained silent, not saying a word.
But Zhang Ruochen understood everything. His eyes sharpened. "Where is he?"
"If he wants to see you, you will naturally meet," Huaying Qingchan said.
Zhang Ruochen's emotions fluctuated violently. The yang energy within him was difficult to suppress, and his pupils turned blood-red.
Huaying Qingchan stood quietly to the side. "You need to learn to control your emotions. I was once as angry as you, as full of hostility toward this world. But after one hundred thousand years, you will eventually see through everything. The things that can stir my emotions have become few and far between."
Zhang Ruochen's pupils returned to black, with a hint of gloom. "Empress, have you ever loved?"
Huaying Qingchan did not answer him, nor did she know how to.
Zhang Ruochen seemed to be talking to himself. "I once had a beloved father, a beloved woman, and brothers of deep affection. I loved everything in this world. But a force is trying to forcibly erase the love in my heart, making me lose all of this, wanting me to hate this world. But hatred is a very painful thing, like standing in a dark abyss, unable to see the light."
Huaying Qingchan could feel the pain in Zhang Ruochen's heart. "I will relay your words to him exactly as you said them."
"Thank you," Zhang Ruochen said.
After a long time, they returned to the main topic of the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet.
Huaying Qingchan said, "You have many enemies, and they are very powerful. Winning first place in the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet is an extremely difficult task. The Unseen Pavilion can help you eliminate the most powerful among them. For example, Lan Ying of the Green Deer Divine Temple, and Wujiang of the Darkness Divine Temple."
"No need."
Zhang Ruochen had fully recovered. "Doing so would be too deliberate. The gods of the Hell Realm would definitely guess that I am cooperating with the Unseen Pavilion. I will win the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet with my own strength."
"Good. You have courage and confidence. Since that's the case, I respect your decision. Before I leave, I will give you one more gift."
With that, Huaying Qingchan's body dissipated and then re-formed into a sword.
"Whoosh—"
The sword flew out, struck the trunk of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, and turned into a sword-shaped mark of esoterica.
Zhang Ruochen stood alone at the edge of the cliff formed by the divine corpse, standing there for a long time.
"Fengchen Sword God's sword intent has been left here. Other gods might not be able to perceive what happened here. But Fengchen Sword God himself might be able to. Why would Qiangu Nüdi dare to meet me here? Could it be that Fengchen Sword God is also a member of the Unseen Pavilion?"
He didn't know how long he had been thinking when Bore flew up from below the cliff.
"I have achieved my purpose in coming to see you. It's time for me to leave," she said.
Zhang Ruochen stared into her lively yet cold eyes. "Is there nothing else you want to say to me? Here, the gods of the Hell Realm cannot perceive us."
"Is there anything left to say between us? We have long since stopped walking the same path. Going our separate ways is best for everyone," Bore said, avoiding Zhang Ruochen's gaze, her voice devoid of emotion.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I have been to the Gate of Ghosts and to the Pool of Fate."
Bore's delicate body trembled slightly. She could no longer maintain her composure. A look of sorrow and tenderness appeared in her eyes. "Whose fate did you see in the pool?"
Zhang Ruochen did not speak. In his mind, a graceful and majestic figure flashed by.
"Indeed, it was not me. Since it is not me, there is even less to say between us. From now on, take care of each other. Ruochen Great Saint, farewell."
Bore turned around, not wanting Zhang Ruochen to see the expression on her face. She turned into a beam of light, pierced through the clouds formed by the soul mist of the divine corpse, flew out of the bronze coffin, and quickly left the Hanhai Manor.
As she left, her heart still ached fiercely.
The Pool of Fate revealed the final fate of the person one cared about most.
If the person Zhang Ruochen cared about most was her, he would have said so. Since he didn't, there was no need to ask.
Her mind kept repeating the question: If Zhang Ruochen had just said that the person he saw in the Pool of Fate was her, would she have thrown herself into his arms without hesitation, crying her heart out, telling him about the pain and sorrow of these past years?
If Zhang Ruochen could also hold her, forgive her past helplessness, gently stroke her hair and face, how happy that would be.
Unfortunately, it didn't happen.
"Pool of Fate, Pool of Fate, why do you reflect people's hearts so clearly?"
When she walked out of the Hanhai Manor, Bore's emotions were completely restrained. She became cold and noble again, showing no sign of anything unusual.
Yuanfei Great Saint, Yuanmo Divine Son, and Dasenluo Emperor stepped forward.
Yuanmo Divine Son asked, "Is the Shenyou Dan really in Zhang Ruochen's hands?"
"Yes," Bore said.
Yuanfei Great Saint asked, "Is he willing to sell it?"
Bore gently shook her head. "No."
Dasenluo Emperor snorted coldly. "I said long ago that Zhang Ruochen would never sell it. Why waste time on him? I have good news. Wujiang has found the Xianling Transformation Fruit. It can also help break the shackles, with about one-fifth the medicinal power of the Shenyou Dan."
...
Zhang Ruochen flew out of the bronze coffin, his mood extremely complicated. He saw something different in Bore's eyes.
The look of disappointment and despair in her eyes when she left stirred something in Zhang Ruochen's heart. In the past, he would have chased after her, pulled her back, and held her tightly.
But this time, he seemed hard-hearted, standing still and unmoved.
"Has that past relationship really ended?"
"Pool of Fate, why do you show people the future scenes of fate?"
"What kind of person am I? Passionate or heartless?"
Zhang Ruochen felt lost. The yang energy within him was subtly stirring, making it hard for him to keep his thoughts clear and calm. A demonic power appeared in his eyes. He pointed at Lianxi, who was cultivating under the sundial, and said in a commanding tone, "Come with me."
With his hands behind his back, he walked into the Seven-Star Imperial Palace. In his mind, he still saw Bore's eyes as she left. He even had the illusion that Lianxi, following behind him, looked like Bore.
He knew the inner demon was acting up again, but this time, he didn't want to control it.
Leading Lianxi, he walked into the rear palace.