# Chapter 2296: Fortune and Blessing God Venerable
Within the ten major clan stars, each contained different opportunities.
At the same time, these ten great opportunities were also the ten major trials given by the Destiny Temple to the top talents of the recent millennium. Only by passing the trials could one obtain the opportunities.
The distribution of the ten great opportunities actually corresponded to the physiques of the ten clan cultivators.
The Ghost Clan could more easily obtain the opportunities within the Ghost Clan's own clan star.
The Undying Blood Clan could more easily obtain the opportunities within the Undying Blood Clan's own clan star.
...
...
The Ghost Lord had always been at odds with Xue Jue War God. He snorted coldly, "The opportunity within the Ghost Clan's own clan star can only be seized by Ghost Clan cultivators. Other cultivators, even if they barge in, will be wasting their effort."
"Is that so? Your Ghost Clan's cultivators are useless, allowing Zhang Ruochen and Yanhong Great Saint to barge in first. With their talent, they might not lack the chance to seize it. This is the arrangement of fate." Xue Jue War God said.
Deep down, the Ghost Lord was quite worried, afraid that Xue Jue War God's words would prove true.
If an outsider cultivator seized the opportunity that should belong to the Ghost Clan, it would be a great humiliation for every Ghost Clan cultivator.
Moreover, in the Ghost Lord's view, Xu's talent was extraordinary. He was the only Ghost Clan cultivator with a sliver of a chance to seize the opportunity. If Zhang Ruochen got there first, Xue Jue War God would surely bring this up to show off every time in the future. How could the Ghost Lord endure such anger?
The city lord of Wuchang Ghost City said, "The ten great opportunities are not so easily seized. If I remember correctly, in the last millennium's Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet, only Fengchen Sword God passed the trial and seized one of the ten great opportunities, right?"
The Ghost Lord said, "In the last ten thousand years, across ten Heaven Hunting Grand Banquets, only four young Great Saints have successfully seized opportunities. In many sessions, geniuses abounded, yet not a single one succeeded."
"The opportunity within the Ghost Clan's own clan star has gone through thirty Heaven Hunting Grand Banquets. In thirty thousand years, the Ghost Clan has produced countless brilliant cultivators, yet none have successfully seized it. Zhang Ruochen is not a Ghost Clan cultivator, so the difficulty will only be higher. Xue Jue, you place too much hope in him. Be careful—you might only be met with disappointment."
Xue Jue War God said, "You've said so much, trying every possible way to prove that Zhang Ruochen cannot seize the opportunity within the Ghost Clan's own clan star. In truth, this only reveals the anxiety and worry in your heart—you're afraid Zhang Ruochen will succeed."
Then he added, "Moreover, in thirty thousand years, the reason Ghost Clan cultivators couldn't seize the opportunity that should belong to the Ghost Clan only shows that the Ghost Clan has produced nothing but useless people for thirty thousand years, not a single one worth cultivating."
"What did you say?"
"Outrageous!"
...
"Boom, rumble."
One after another, deep and heavy divine mights erupted within the Destiny Temple.
The Ghost Clan gods were enraged, feeling that Xue Jue War God was too arrogant, humiliating the entire Ghost Clan. Just because he had survived one Eon Calamity, he acted so lawless.
The words "the Ghost Clan has produced nothing but useless people for thirty thousand years" could not be tolerated by any Ghost Clan cultivator, including the Ghost Clan's gods.
Within Xue Jue War God's Divine Realm World, countless ghostly qi divine mists surged in, vast and mighty, like billions of ghost soldiers invading, smashing through layers of the Divine Realm World.
Xue Jue War God regarded it calmly, raising his powerful right arm and grasping at the void. "Halberd, come!"
"Whoosh!"
A blood-colored war halberd appeared in his hand. A divine armor automatically condensed on Xue Jue War God's body, and his sharp divine might erupted, turning into a shocking blood radiance that annihilated all the ghostly qi divine mists that had invaded the Divine Realm World.
"Excellent. Compared to arguing, I prefer fighting. Who will fight me?" Xue Jue War God shouted, his aura boundless, as if ready to battle all directions of ghosts and gods.
"Boom, rumble."
The divine might of the Undying Blood Clan's gods also erupted, turning into a sky full of blood mist, colliding with the divine might of the Ghost Clan's gods.
The Lower Three Clans and the Middle Three Clans had deep-seated grudges. Even among gods, a disagreement could easily lead to a fight.
The essence of living beings and dead spirits was a contradiction between them that could never be resolved.
"For the dead spirits to grow stronger, more living beings must die. Those killed are not only the living beings of the Heavenly Court Myriad Realms but also the living beings of the Lower Three Clans."
This was the root of the hatred between them!
Just like the twelve million ghost souls that Xu had refined into the Immortal Chaos Ghost Emperor's body, among them were ghost souls of Undying Blood Clan and Rakshasa Clan cultivators.
"Enough! A grand banquet like this—are you trying to turn it into a battlefield of gods? This is the Destiny Temple. Shouldn't you all give me some face?"
A divine statue, whose height was immeasurable, manifested in the void. It radiated dazzling fortune divine light, and behind it, the Gate of Destiny manifested, as huge as a star, three million miles tall.
The divine shadows of the gods, standing beneath the divine statue and the Gate of Destiny, appeared incredibly tiny, like mortals standing before gods.
"We pay respects to Fortune and Blessing God Venerable."
The Ghost Clan and Undying Blood Clan gods ceased their conflict, returning to their Divine Realm Worlds and sitting down quietly.
The divine statue spoke again, "The Hell Realm has suppressed the Heavenly Court Myriad Realms for a hundred thousand years—this is the result of the joint efforts of all of you present. Do you want to destroy all of this with your own hands?"
"I know that there are grudges and conflicts between the clans, but why must you personally take action?"
"You are all existences that shake the universe, the strongest born from billions of cultivators. You should learn to control your power. If there are truly grudges, let the younger generation of the clans resolve them. This can also temper them."
"Even gods cannot escape death; they will eventually return to silence. The future of the Hell Realm lies with the younger generation. Their strength represents the strength of your respective clans."
The gods remained silent. Before Fortune and Blessing God Venerable, no one dared to act recklessly.
The divine statue looked toward Xue Jue War God's direction and spoke, "Xue Jue, has Zhang Ruochen truly cultivated a Second-Rank Sacred Intent?"
Hearing Fortune and Blessing God Venerable take the initiative to inquire about a young Great Saint, the eyes of the gods showed unusual expressions.
After all, Fortune and Blessing God Venerable's position was too high. For him to know someone's name and take the initiative to ask about them was a supreme honor for any Great Saint.
Fortune and Blessing God Venerable's attitude could, to some extent, determine Zhang Ruochen's future status in the Hell Realm.
Xue Jue War God restrained his battle intent, stood up, clasped his hands, and said, "Thank you, God Venerable, for your concern. Zhang Ruochen has indeed cultivated a Second-Rank Sacred Intent, but it still has some flaws. For now, it can only be considered quasi-Second-Rank."
In truth, even when facing a God Venerable-level figure, Xue Jue War God was never so humble.
But Fortune and Blessing God Venerable was different. He had once guided Xue Jue War God in his cultivation, making him half a master to Xue Jue War God. For this reason, the unruly War God showed such respect to Fortune and Blessing God Venerable.
The divine statue spoke, "It seems that your Blood Absolute Family is about to usher in its most glorious era. The opportunity within the Ghost Clan's own clan star is not small; it originates from the Divine Ancient Nest. If Zhang Ruochen can seize it, his future achievements may surpass yours."
Hearing the words "Divine Ancient Nest," the gods were shaken once again.
The ten great opportunities were each different, and even the gods of the ten clans did not know their specifics. But from Fortune and Blessing God Venerable's words, they realized that the opportunity within the Ghost Clan's own clan star was even more precious than they had imagined.
The divine statue spoke again, "The Heaven Hunting Battle is a trial for Zhang Ruochen. If he can pass it, I will bestow upon him a fortune, ensuring that he can cultivate peacefully in the Hell Realm in the future."
This was an extraordinary signal, representing the will of a God Venerable.
Zhang Ruochen had killed many Divine Sons and Divine Maidens, forming enmities with many gods. With the strength of Xue Jue War God and Xue Hou, they could certainly ensure his safety, but they could not stop the gods' actions to kill him.
But Fortune and Blessing God Venerable could.
Of course, the prerequisite was that Zhang Ruochen could pass the trial—not just a trial of talent and strength.
...
Inside the Purple Gold Gourd, Zhang Ruochen used the power of the Destruction Golden Sun, along with the Divine Wood Heart and Purifying Divine Flame, to finally refine all the Amo Curse that had invaded his body.
When he recovered to his peak state and walked out of the gourd, he found the gourd floating on a boundless golden sea.
Even with his cultivation and the power of the Supreme Sacred Artifact, he could not resist the assimilation power of the golden mist on the water's surface.
"Damn it, I've lost my direction. How can I get to shore and return to the ground?"
In just a few breaths, Zhang Ruochen, standing on the gourd, turned golden.
His body stiffened like iron. Zhang Ruochen used his spiritual power to move himself, fleeing back into the gourd and landing on the blazing surface of the Destruction Golden Sun.
This time, his skin, hair, flesh, and even some of his bones had turned to gold. It took a long time for Zhang Ruochen to recover, using Purifying Divine Flame and the life essence of the Divine Wood Heart to restore his flesh and blood body.
"How terrifying. I'm finished, trapped in this golden sea with no way out."
Zhang Ruochen frowned deeply. Suddenly, he sensed something and showed a surprised expression, muttering to himself, "How did my spiritual power suddenly increase so much?"
When he broke the first shackle and reached the Hundred Shackles Realm, Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power had increased significantly, reaching the mid-stage of the sixty-second rank.
But just now, in an instant, his spiritual power had surged again, almost reaching the late stage of the sixty-second rank.
After careful investigation, Zhang Ruochen found that the reason for the rapid increase in spiritual power was that after his body was goldenized and then refined with Purifying Divine Flame and the Destruction Golden Sun, some strange power had merged into his spiritual power thoughts, greatly increasing their strength.
Of course, there was another bigger reason.
Using Purifying Divine Flame and the Destruction Golden Sun to refine the goldenized body actually caused great damage to Zhang Ruochen's body. The reason he could fully recover was that the Divine Wood Heart continuously supplied life essence.
In other words, this process could accelerate the refinement and absorption of the Divine Wood Heart.
Naturally, his spiritual power could increase rapidly.
Then, Zhang Ruochen discovered another even more wonderful thing. The second shackle on his right arm had become much looser during the process of goldenization and flesh restoration.
This was an unexpected joy.
"With the help of the Divine Wandering Pill's medicinal energy, I should be able to break the second shackle."
Since it was difficult to escape this place for now, Zhang Ruochen decided to cultivate inside the Purple Gold Gourd.
"Boom!"
After seven attempts, Zhang Ruochen successfully broke the second shackle on his right arm. Immediately, his demigod body released even greater divine power.
Zhang Ruochen stood atop the golden, radiant Destruction Golden Sun, raising his arms that shimmered with divine light. A smile appeared on his face. "The process of goldenization and flesh restoration is so mysterious. Just this one transformation was more effective than a thousand impacts on the shackles."
"Moreover, during the transformation, some mysterious metallic power seems to have merged into my flesh, spiritual power, and sacred soul."
Zhang Ruochen's expression shifted, and he flew out of the gourd again.
Standing on the gourd, Zhang Ruochen searched for the direction back to the ground while actively accepting the erosion of the golden mist.
His skin lost sensation, his flesh lost sensation, his bones completely lost sensation...
This time, Zhang Ruochen took quite a risk. He waited until only his Qi Sea had not been goldenized before using his spiritual power to move his body and fly back into the gourd.
In this way, his entire physical body had been goldenized.
It took even longer than the previous time for Zhang Ruochen to restore his flesh and blood body.
The process of transformation from goldenization to flesh restoration was actually very painful, as if every inch of flesh tissue was melted by fire and then recondensed.
If not for Zhang Ruochen's strong will, he would not have dared to try a second time.
It was entirely an act of self-torture.
Although the process was agonizing, the gains were enormous.
After this transformation from goldenization to flesh restoration, Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power officially reached the late stage of the sixty-second rank. At the same time, he successfully broke the third shackle on his right leg.
"Continue."
The pleasure brought by the increase in cultivation and strength made Zhang Ruochen forget the pain of the physical transformation process, and he began to enjoy it instead.
Third transformation.
Fourth transformation: Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power reached the peak of the sixty-second rank, breaking the fourth shackle.
Fifth transformation.
...
Seventh transformation: Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power reached the sixty-third rank, breaking the fifth shackle.
...
Tenth transformation: Spiritual power reached the mid-stage of the sixty-third rank, breaking the sixth shackle.
...
The transformation process continued.
Zhang Ruochen was completely immersed in it, thinking to himself, "Danger and opportunity truly coexist. The golden mist can kill Great Saints, turning them into golden statues. Yet it can also rapidly increase cultivation. Even using the Sundial to cultivate wouldn't be this fast."
What Zhang Ruochen did not know was that among Great Saints below the Thousand Questions Realm, those who could repeatedly transform their bodies like him were virtually nonexistent.
First, he possessed the Immortal Five Elements Chaos Saint Body, which had a strong receptivity to the metallic power of the Five Elements.
The Five Elements themselves were a process of mutual circulation and transformation.
Metal generates water, water generates wood, wood generates fire, fire generates earth, earth generates metal.
In addition, his demigod body was nurtured by the divine blood of the Blood Phoenix, combined with the Undying Blood Clan bloodline, making his vitality far stronger than that of other Great Saints. Even if his body was constantly destroyed, it could still recover.
Moreover, he had the life treasure, the Divine Wood Heart, within him.
It was precisely these various innate and acquired advantages that allowed Zhang Ruochen to continuously transform his body between goldenization and flesh restoration.
If it were the Pink Skeleton, who possessed a divine bone body, after being goldenized, even if she recovered, her divine bones would suffer some damage. Multiple transformations would not bring benefits but would instead harm her foundation.
She did not have the ability for Five Elements transformation. Using strength against strength would only cause harm.
Moreover, metallic power could not be transformed into water, wood, fire, or earth attributes to merge with the body. Naturally, she could not absorb the benefits contained in the golden mist.
...
Today is also a single chapter of 4000 words.
Wishing all readers a happy Dragon Boat Festival in advance, and also wishing all senior high school students taking the college entrance exam good luck and excellent results.
If nothing comes up tomorrow, there should be two chapters.