Chapter 2257: Twelve Flowers Blooming
"There will be plenty of opportunities to fight during the Hunting Grand Banquet, no need to rush today."
Yan Wushen extended his hand in a guiding gesture, making a motion of invitation.
Inside the hall stood twenty-four bronze pillars, each carved with countless spatial inscriptions and nine million beast patterns. Though they appeared only three arm spans thick, their true diameter and height could support the heavens and earth of twenty-four worlds.
Zhang Ruochen sat opposite Yan Wushen, his back straight as a ramrod. "Since we're not settling things today, did you invite me just for a drink?"
"That's right, just for a drink."
Yan Wushen revealed a faint smile, his gaze naturally dropping to the wine pot on the red copper table.
The wine pot was a yellowish-brown clay jar, and the cups were made of the same material.
They were no different from pottery fired by mortals—rough, somewhat irregular.
They looked crude, but Zhang Ruochen could see something extraordinary about them. Both the pot and the cups carried an ancient charm, their shapes and lines perfectly aligned with the rules of heaven and earth.
No matter where they were placed, they blended seamlessly with everything around them.
Zhang Ruochen said, "This set of wine vessels has been passed down for at least ten eon calamities, perhaps even longer."
"How can you tell?" Yan Wushen asked.
Zhang Ruochen replied, "Everything in the world leaves behind special traces of time once it reaches a certain age. On their surfaces, the marks of time are deep and old. I've seen many ancient artifacts, but only one or two bear time traces comparable to these."
"Ancient wine deserves only ancient vessels to hold it."
Yan Wushen remained seated without moving. Under the control of his spiritual power, the clay wine pot slowly rose and filled the cup before Zhang Ruochen to the brim.
The wine was ordinary, showing nothing unusual.
"This wine, you may have heard of it—it's called Twelve Flowers Blooming. It was gifted to my ancestor by a deity from the Kunlun Realm three eons ago. Knowing that Brother Ruochen has deep feelings for the Kunlun Realm and must be homesick after coming to the Hell Realm, I specially entered the Yama Divine Hall to retrieve one jar."
"Splash."
Yan Wushen poured himself a cup as he spoke.
In the distant past, before the establishment of the Heavenly Court and Hell Realms, although the various worlds had deep conflicts with the Ten Clans of Hell, they were not irreconcilable. Some cultivators still maintained friendships.
"Twelve Flowers Blooming."
Zhang Ruochen murmured the name, then suddenly recalled something, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "So this is the second strongest liquor in Kunlun Realm history, mentioned by the Wine Madman."
Legend had it that Twelve Flowers Blooming was brewed by Biluozi, with only twelve jars in total.
In the Kunlun Realm, it had long become a lost treasure, not a single drop to be found.
"If this is truly Twelve Flowers Blooming, why is it so ordinary? Could the potency have faded after three eons of storage?"
Zhang Ruochen knew that he had once drunk Dragon Flame Wine, ranked eighth among strong liquors.
The intensity of Dragon Flame Wine was such that only saints could withstand it. A half-saint who mistakenly drank it would spontaneously combust and die.
Zhang Ruochen extended two fingers to touch the cup.
"Hiss."
An astonishing burning sensation transmitted through the cup.
In an instant, Zhang Ruochen's two fingers ignited, turning crimson red. Had his physical body not been so powerful, that single touch would have reduced his entire arm to ashes.
Yan Wushen said, "Twelve Flowers Blooming—twelve divine flame flowers bloom when the wine enters the belly. It's said that only the divine bodies of gods can withstand this wine. Saint realm cultivators, even great saints, would be burned through from the inside out by the twelve divine flame flowers, their souls scattering."
"Brother Ruochen possesses a half-divine body, naturally incomparable to the undying sacred bodies of ordinary great saints. Do you dare to drink this cup of Twelve Flowers Blooming?"
Zhang Ruochen's fingers had already recovered.
After that test, Zhang Ruochen understood that Yan Wushen's words were not exaggerated at all. Twelve Flowers Blooming was indeed beyond what a great saint's undying sacred body could endure.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze fixed on the cup before Yan Wushen. "Since Brother Wushen is so generous, how could I refuse? I'll drink first."
Raising the cup, Zhang Ruochen's entire right hand burst into flames.
He downed the wine in one gulp.
The scorching, burning energy flowed down his throat, entered his belly, and permeated his entire body. Within him, divine flame flowers suddenly bloomed, located in his five viscera, six bowels, and qi sea.
The blood in Zhang Ruochen's body boiled, flames burning from inside to outside.
Rich aromas of wine and flowers spread outward with the flames, filling the entire hall with the phantom images of twelve brilliant, gorgeous flowers—a breathtaking sight.
The pain eroded his entire body, a torment like purgatory.
After a moment, though still in pain, Zhang Ruochen felt an indescribable comfort. The over ten thousand spiritual power thoughts within him seemed to have been tempered hundreds of times.
"Boom."
His spiritual power broke through its limits, reaching the sixty-second rank.
"Excellent wine! Brother Wushen, your turn." Zhang Ruochen made a gesture of invitation.
By now, Zhang Ruochen understood clearly that Yan Wushen's invitation to drink was a pretext; the real purpose was to probe his current cultivation depth.
With his half-divine body, Zhang Ruochen could barely withstand one cup of Twelve Flowers Blooming.
Without a half-divine body, would Yan Wushen dare to drink?
"It seems Brother Ruochen is indeed the right person to drink Twelve Flowers Blooming with."
Yan Wushen raised the clay cup, tilted his head back, and downed it in one gulp.
"Hiss."
His body also ignited, the phantom images of twelve divine flowers blooming around him, vivid and lifelike, with winding vines connecting the twelve flowers together.
That Yan Wushen could withstand a cup of Twelve Flowers Blooming meant his physical body was no simple matter—no weaker than Zhang Ruochen's half-divine body. The key was that Zhang Ruochen couldn't see through the secret behind it.
The current Yan Wushen gave him a sense of unfathomable depth.
Yan Wushen's face was flushed, and he laughed heartily. "Actually, this is my first time drinking Twelve Flowers Blooming too. Truly excellent wine. Do you know its greatest benefit isn't increasing spiritual power?"
"What would that be, Brother Wushen?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Yan Wushen said, "Brother Ruochen's cultivation has reached the peak of the Undying Realm, hasn't it? Just one step away from the Hundred Shackles Realm."
"That's right." Zhang Ruochen admitted frankly.
Yan Wushen said, "Yet no matter what, you can't break the first shackle and enter the Hundred Shackles Realm."
A glint of wisdom flashed in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. "It seems Brother Wushen has encountered the same problem as me."
As Zhang Ruochen had guessed, it wasn't that Yan Wushen had seen through him, but that both faced the same difficulty.
Yan Wushen nodded. "You possess a half-divine body. In the Undying Realm, your combat power far surpasses great saints of the same realm, enough to defeat even peak Hundred Shackles Realm experts."
"But even a half-divine body has a hundred shackles binding it. Moreover, these hundred shackles are far stronger than those of other great saints, with greater restrictions."
"Thus, the half-divine body becomes an obstacle and a trouble. Breaking each shackle is harder for you than for other great saints. They are shackles binding a half-god, beyond what your current realm can break."
Zhang Ruochen said, "But once I break these hundred shackles and reach Hundred Shackles Great Perfection, the half-divine body will no longer be restrained. With a half-divine physical body, even if I can't be invincible below the divine realm, I can enter the top tier."
Yan Wushen said, "Drinking Twelve Flowers Blooming makes breaking shackles a bit easier. Tell me, isn't that a great benefit?"
"So that's it. It seems I should thank Brother Wushen for today's hospitality. In the future, I'll definitely return the favor."
Then Zhang Ruochen added, "Now that we've drunk, it's time to discuss business. Where is Kunlun?"
Yan Wushen's eyes locked onto Zhang Ruochen. "You want to take him away?"
"Of course." Zhang Ruochen said.
Yan Wushen said, "I've already accepted him as my disciple. He won't suffer any grievances in the Yama Clan. Rest assured, I am different from Xiu Chen Heavenly God."
"But he doesn't belong to the Yama Clan." Zhang Ruochen said.
Yan Wushen paused for a long moment before speaking in a meaningful tone. "Do you think bringing him back to your side is truly a good thing? The gods of the Hell Realm all know that you were forced to enter the Hell Realm for Chi Kongle and Chi Kunlun."
"Chi Kongle has already been rescued. If Chi Kunlun returns to your side, what meaning would your stay in the Hell Realm have? What leverage would there be to restrain you here?"
"Should an eon-level genius like you, who might defect at any moment, be killed in the cradle or be cultivated as a priority?"
"If I were a god of the Hell Realm, I would definitely support killing you now to eliminate future trouble."
Zhang Ruochen remained silent, pondering all this in his mind.
What seemed like an invitation was actually a contest at every turn—spiritual power, physical constitution, psychology.
From the moment Zhang Ruochen stepped into the hall, he had fallen into a disadvantage.
The initiative was always in Yan Wushen's hands.
There was no helping it. Both the Hell Realm and this hall were Yan Wushen's home ground. Moreover, Yan Wushen held the winning card of "Chi Kunlun."
From the start, this contest was unfair.
Yan Wushen said, "Chi Kunlun is safer with me than anywhere else in the Hell Realm. Staying in the Yama Clan, he can enjoy cultivation resources that you cannot provide, that the Blood Absolute Family cannot provide, and even Empress Chi Yao of the Kunlun Realm cannot provide. I know you don't lack divine stones, but many cultivation resources cannot be bought with divine stones."
Zhang Ruochen looked up and pointed vaguely upward. "Three feet above the head, there are gods. Aren't you afraid the gods of the Hell Realm will hear what you just said?"
"In this Non-God Hall, all heavenly secrets are severed. The gods will know nothing." Yan Wushen said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "In that case, I'll take my leave."
"Wait."
Yan Wushen tapped the table lightly, stopping him, and pointed at the clay wine pot. "We've only had one cup. Why rush to leave? If we're drinking, we should drink to our heart's content."
Zhang Ruochen was not one to admit defeat. He sat back down. "Very well. Since Brother Wushen wants to drink to our heart's content, I'll accompany you today, not missing a single drop."
This drinking was a life-or-death contest.
Twelve Flowers Blooming—each flower could kill.
Yan Wushen laughed heartily, refilling both their cups. "Earlier I said the various banquets and activities before the Hunting Grand Banquet were too boring and meaningless. Yet I still invited you, breaking the Yama Clan's precedent. Do you know why?"
"I'm all ears." Zhang Ruochen said.
Yan Wushen's expression turned serious. "Because my intuition tells me that you, Zhang Ruochen, are the only threat to the Yama Clan in this Hunting Grand Banquet. I'll be honest—I set up this banquet to probe your depths. But until now, I still haven't been able to see through you completely."
"Brother Wushen is joking, isn't he? The Yama Clan dominates the Hell Realm and always ranks first in the Hunting Grand Banquet. How could I, Zhang Ruochen, be a threat to the Yama Clan? The Underworld Clan, Death Clan, Shura Clan, and Ghost Clan—they are the formidable opponents your Yama Clan should watch out for." Zhang Ruochen said calmly, showing no emotion.
At the same time, he raised the clay cup and took a sip.
Neither he nor Yan Wushen could down an entire cup of Twelve Flowers Blooming at once. It was a matter of who could last longer.