Chapter 2300: Divine Ancient Nest
"What exactly is the opportunity inside the Ghost Clan's home star, and why has Zhang Ruochen's cultivation suddenly increased so dramatically?" A six-horned deity manifested a divine shadow and asked this question.
The gods could not deduce what had happened inside the Ghost Clan's home star, but they could clearly sense that Zhang Ruochen was no longer the same as before, his strength growing too quickly.
Luo Yan, the ruler of the Rakshasa Clan's first divine kingdom, the Tianluo Divine Kingdom, manifested a divine shadow and asked curiously, "Zhang Ruochen has condensed a second-rank Sacred Intent, and it is formed by the fusion of five paths of Sacred Intent, making him unmatched in the world. Could it be that he has already obtained the opportunity of the Divine Ancient Nest?"
The group of Ghost Clan deities all fell into silence, and one by one, their divine realm worlds became deathly still.
The Ghost Lord's gaze was cold and dark, his anger blazing to the heavens.
The stone statue of the Fulu Divine Venerable spoke, "He has not yet obtained the opportunity, but he has passed the trial and gained the qualification to obtain it."
Even with the wisdom of the gods, this statement was somewhat difficult to understand.
Having passed the trial, yet still unable to obtain the opportunity?
The Blood Absolute War God was in an excellent mood and asked, "Divine Venerable, what exactly is the opportunity of the Divine Ancient Nest? Zhang Ruochen has already fused five Sacred Paths and cultivated a second-rank Sacred Intent, yet he still cannot obtain it."
The stone statue of the Fulu Divine Venerable said, "This story must begin thirty thousand years ago. At that time, Fengdu Dadi awakened two divine beasts that had slumbered for endless ages in the Divine Ancient Nest: Zangjin Baihu and the Swastika Azure Dragon. They were both prehistoric divine seeds."
"Fengdu Dadi intended to suppress them and take them as mounts, but he was blocked by a powerful will deep within the Divine Ancient Nest. That will told Fengdu Dadi, 'The tiger is the king of all beasts; the dragon is the sovereign of all spirits. When the tiger roars and the dragon chants, heaven and earth are overturned. If you take them as mounts and suppress them as slaves and servants, you will surely suffer backlash in the future.'"
Hearing this, the gods of the Hell Realm all gave awkward smiles.
What a joke—was there someone in the world who dared to threaten Fengdu Dadi, the number one powerhouse of the Ghost Clan? Even if the Lord of the Heavenly Palace said such words, Fengdu Dadi might not take them to heart.
"The Great Emperor would certainly not fear this dragon and tiger," a Ghost Clan deity said disdainfully.
The stone statue of the Fulu Divine Venerable was silent for a moment before saying, "In fact, in the end, Fengdu Dadi did not take Zangjin Baihu and the Swastika Azure Dragon as mounts. I do not know what agreement he reached with that will deep within the Divine Ancient Nest."
"The result was that Fengdu Dadi brought the two beasts back to the Hell Realm and handed them over to me, asking me to find suitable young talents at the Heaven Hunting Grand Banquet to serve as guides for the two beasts, helping them integrate into this era. The opportunity inside the Ghost Clan's home star is Zangjin Baihu."
After hearing this, the gods were stunned, feeling extremely shocked.
With Fengdu Dadi's supreme power, he still had to compromise with a will deep within the Divine Ancient Nest?
Of course, the vast majority of gods did not think Fengdu Dadi would fear anything. They felt that, as the Fulu Divine Venerable said, Fengdu Dadi had reached some unknown agreement with that will deep within the Divine Ancient Nest.
What shocked the gods even more was why they needed to arrange for two young talents to serve as guides for the two divine beasts?
Wouldn't it be better for Fengdu Dadi and the Fulu Divine Venerable to guide them personally?
Moreover, with the cultivation and wisdom of divine beasts, was it really that difficult to integrate into this era? Why did they need guides?
In the Blood Absolute War God's divine realm world, the Blood Absolute War God, the Underworld King, the Blood Queen, the Blood Yao Divine Lord, and several other Blood Heaven Tribe deities gathered.
They were all congratulating the Blood Absolute War God and the Blood Queen, for whether it was Zhang Ruochen cultivating a second-rank Sacred Intent or becoming the guide of Zangjin Baihu, both were extraordinary joyous events.
The Blood Absolute War God waved his hand and said, "The Divine Venerable has already said that Zhang Ruochen has only passed the trial and has not yet become the guide. In my view, since Zangjin Baihu is a prehistoric divine seed, it should not easily choose its guide. It must have set conditions for Zhang Ruochen."
The Blood Queen asked, "What kind of place is the Divine Ancient Nest, that even Fengdu Dadi has to be wary of it?"
The Blood Absolute War God's expression turned serious and he said, "You have all cultivated to become gods. In theory, there is no place in the entire universe you cannot go. But there are some forbidden lands where even gods cannot trespass recklessly."
The gods all showed expressions of listening intently, for some secrets were difficult even for gods to know, and only titans like the Blood Absolute War God could access them.
"In the universe, there are five major prehistoric civilization relics. Gods who have not survived the Eon Calamity must not venture into them. The Divine Ancient Nest is one of them, preserved from prehistoric times and an extraordinarily dangerous place."
Prehistoric civilization refers to civilizations that existed before the birth of the Heavenly Court's various realms and the ten clans of Hell. No historical records document them, and only traces can be found in some prehistoric civilization relics.
Some gods had conducted surveys and explorations in prehistoric civilization relics, generally believing that before fifty thousand eons, the universe experienced a great destruction.
All prehistoric life was completely annihilated.
Therefore, traces left before fifty thousand eons are all called prehistoric relics.
The so-called "Eternal Undying Great World" is not a prehistoric civilization but refers to a great world that has survived ten thousand eons without being destroyed. Such great worlds are already extremely rare.
The so-called "Ancient Civilizations," such as the Thousand Star Civilization, the Heavenly Beginning Civilization, and so on, are also not prehistoric civilizations. They refer to worlds that were once Eternal Undying Great Worlds but later encountered great calamities similar to the Kunlun Realm, leading to the destruction of the world. Some people survived and had to move to cosmic secret realms to hide.
Therefore, ancient civilizations vary in strength.
The key lies in how much inheritance the ancient civilization preserved, whether it suffered severe damage, and whether any supreme beings survived.
Thus, prehistoric relics that survived the great destruction are exceptionally rare, each being an extremely special place where gods cannot trespass recklessly.
At this moment, the Ghost Lord's voice rang out in the Destiny Temple: "Since Zangjin Baihu was brought back to the Hell Realm by Fengdu Dadi, its guide must be chosen from the Ghost Clan."
The Blood Absolute War God sneered, "In the thirty thousand years since the Ghost Clan's existence, not a single Great Saint has been born who can pass the trial. Does the Ghost Lord want Zangjin Baihu to wait another thirty thousand years? Or three eons?"
"You..."
The Ghost Lord wanted to say that Xu had a chance to do it.
But seeing Xu suppressed under Zhang Ruochen's foot, he really couldn't bring himself to say it.
The Green Deer Divine King said, "Anyone can be the guide of Zangjin Baihu, but Zhang Ruochen absolutely cannot. This child has deep connections with the Kunlun Realm, the Guanghan Realm, and even some gods of the Heavenly Court. His purpose in entering the Hell Realm is impure, and he will likely rebel in the future."
"In my opinion, we should let Lan Ying, Yan Huangtu, Luo Shengtian, Wu Jiang, and others try. Great opportunities must be firmly controlled by cultivators of the Hell Realm and cannot be taken by a cultivator from the Heavenly Court."
"Lan Ying is a cosmic divine fetus; his chance of passing Zangjin Baihu's trial should be very high."
Although the gods did not know exactly what level Zangjin Baihu and the Swastika Azure Dragon were at, the fact that they could make Fengdu Dadi compromise meant they must have extraordinary qualities.
Moreover, mastering them meant mastering a bridge to communicate with the Divine Ancient Nest.
Any force that could gain the support of the Divine Ancient Nest would greatly increase its influence in the Hell Realm.
A Nether Clan deity immediately supported the Green Deer Divine King, saying, "Zhang Ruochen's purpose in storming the Ghost Clan's home star was to save a Heavenly Slave from the Guanghan Realm. This shows that he is still entangled with the Guanghan Realm and may rebel at any time. If he gains the support of the Divine Ancient Nest, the consequences would be unimaginable."
"Letting Wu Jiang become Zangjin Baihu's guide would not carry such risks. Moreover, Wu Jiang's cultivated Sacred Intent is only one step away from reaching second-rank."
"Since Zhang Ruochen could fuse a second-rank Sacred Intent with the power of Zangjin Baihu, Wu Jiang can certainly do the same."
"Divine Venerable, I believe the secret of the Ghost Clan's home star should be revealed to Wu Jiang and others, allowing them to compete fairly. Zhang Ruochen was just lucky to seize the initiative; it does not mean he is Zangjin Baihu's only choice."
The Blood Absolute War God roared, "You are truly insane! For the sake of Zangjin Baihu and the Divine Ancient Nest, you are pinning all kinds of baseless crimes on a junior like Zhang Ruochen."
The Ghost Lord said harshly, "Blood Absolute, you cannot change the fact that Zhang Ruochen went to the Ghost Clan's home star to save a Heavenly Slave from the Guanghan Realm, killing countless Ghost Clan souls and injuring many Ghost Clan Great Saints. Is this not an act of rebellion against the Hell Realm?"
"That statement is somewhat incorrect, isn't it? Zhang Ruochen was invited by Xu to the Ghost Clan's home star for a life-or-death battle, then besieged by multiple Hundred-Shackles Great Perfection Great Saints from the Ghost Clan and Bone Clan. He was only passively counterattacking, desperately trying to survive. When did he rebel against the Hell Realm?"
Then, the Underworld King added with a smile, "Unfortunately, the Ghost Clan is too weak. They gathered so many experts, yet their home star was still destroyed, and even the opportunity was taken away. Who is to blame? Poor weaklings."
The Ghost Lord's gaze turned cold, and he sneered, "Your quibbling is useless. Go ahead and revel now. No matter how high Zhang Ruochen's talent is, if his heart is inclined toward Heavenly Slaves and rebels against the Hell Realm, in the end, the Myriad Realm Divine Eye will surely not let him leave the Heaven Hunting Battlefield alive. At that time, let's see if you can still laugh."
The Blood Absolute War God, the Underworld King, and the Blood Queen all fell silent.
They had full confidence in Zhang Ruochen's strength and talent. But they had no grasp at all of his actions and thoughts.
Having grown up in the human world, would he truly wholeheartedly pledge allegiance to the Hell Realm?
...
"Release him."
Meeting Zhang Ruochen's sharp, sword-like gaze, Ming, standing on the Ghost City's city wall, felt a piercing pain all over his body, as if struck by tangible swords.
"How is this possible? How could this happen? Zhang Ruochen actually defeated Seventh Brother?" Ming was deeply frustrated and pained, his former confidence and pride seemingly trampled by Zhang Ruochen.
There was no other choice but to exchange with Zhang Ruochen.
Xu was the number one powerhouse of the Ghost Clan. Since even he had been defeated, who could stop Zhang Ruochen?
Now, the only hope was to calm Zhang Ruochen's anger as quickly as possible.
"We cannot hand Manjian Dage over to him."
The Pink Skeleton stopped Ming, a pink bone hand gripping Manjian Dage's shoulder, and stared down at Zhang Ruochen below the city, saying, "Zhang Ruochen, I know you and Manjian Dage share a deep bond, and you will not watch him die. If you want him to live, you must first do something for me."
Zhang Ruochen's eyes narrowed, his gaze like a blade, and he said, "Did you not see that Xu is under my foot? Killing him would be as easy as slaughtering a pig or dog."
The Pink Skeleton chuckled, "Do you really think you can act recklessly on the Heaven Hunting Battlefield without restraint? Xu is the most outstanding Great Saint born in the Ghost Clan this millennium, with a high probability of becoming a god. For the sake of a Heavenly Slave, killing a future god of the Hell Realm—even if the gods can tolerate you, the Myriad Realm Divine Eye will kill you."
"You want to kill me, but I cannot kill you?" Zhang Ruochen sneered.
The Pink Skeleton nodded, "That's right. You and those pitiful Heavenly Slaves are no different; you are all our prey."
"If you truly want to save Manjian Dage, go capture those Great Saints from the Upper Three Clans outside the Ghost Clan's home star, bring them before me, and exchange them."
"This is your only chance."
Zhang Ruochen looked up toward the sky beyond, faintly sensing the auras of Bore, the Great Senluo Emperor, and others.
"I originally intended to spare Xu's life, but you have successfully angered me," Zhang Ruochen said.
Hearing this, the Pink Skeleton was secretly alarmed, a terrifying thought forming in his mind. He was about to speak to stop it...
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen activated ten million divine patterns in his left leg and stomped down heavily, crushing Xu's ghost body into fragments, turning it into a mass of pitch-black ghost cloud.
The heaven and earth shook violently, and all cultivators were stunned by Zhang Ruochen's action.
He... he actually dared to kill Xu?
Xu possessed the Immortal Chaos Ghost Emperor Body, so naturally, he was not so easy to kill. Billions of ghost mists flowed rapidly, converging toward the center to reform his ghost body.
"Zhang Ruochen, if you dare to kill me, the Hell Realm will have no place for you. Even the Blood Absolute War God cannot protect you... you... ah..."
Zhang Ruochen used space power to grab Xu again, condensed a Purifying Divine Flame great hand seal, and blasted his ghost body apart once more.
Xu was clearly not truly immortal. Each time his ghost body was destroyed, his body weakened significantly, and the speed of reforming his ghost body slowed.
"Shi Shenghua, devour him. Use his ghost energy to hasten the ripening of the Dao Fruit."
Countless Shi Shenghua vines burst from Zhang Ruochen's back, spreading into the ghost mist and frantically absorbing Xu's power.
The Ghost Clan Great Saints in the Ghost City were all horrified. Zhang Ruochen was truly audacious, capable of anything.
"Zhang Ruochen, do you know what you are doing? Do you believe I will kill Manjian Dage right now?" the Pink Skeleton said.
"If you dare to kill him, once I enter the Ghost City, I will dismantle every bone on your body and feed them to Desolate Heaven."
Zhang Ruochen left Shi Shenghua behind, activated his ten golden wings, soared into the air, manifested a thousand-mile-tall Immovable Bright King Saint-Phase shadow, and stomped heavily down toward the Ghost City below.
"Boom!"
The Ghost City's formation inscriptions formed a bowl-shaped light barrier, blocking this attack.
However, many formation inscriptions snapped, countless buildings in the Ghost City collapsed, and all the souls wailed in terror. Even Great Saint-level powerhouses were trembling with fear.
Once Zhang Ruochen broke through their defenses, the consequences would be unimaginable.
...
Yesterday, I was busy all day and didn't get home until 11 PM. I planned to take a short nap before writing, but when I opened my eyes, it was already 11 AM today. There was really no way around it.
This chapter is 4000 words, counting as yesterday's.
I have nothing to do today, so I can write another 4000-word chapter.
:.:
[IMPORTANT: Replace every Chinese term above with its English translation or pinyin transliteration. Output the full corrected text.]