Chapter 2310: The Third Dark Star
"Supreme Sacred Artifact... you have more than one?"
Yu Huang was stunned, her heart filled with shock.
Zhang Ruochen said, "What's so surprising about that? Xu is dead, so his Supreme Sacred Artifact naturally falls into my hands."
"Xu is dead?"
Yu Huang was even more astonished, instinctively unable to accept this fact, thinking Zhang Ruochen must be joking with her.
What kind of figure was Xu? If he wanted to flee, even a peak Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint might not be able to kill him.
"Did Chi Di go to the Ghost Clan's home star?" Yu Huang asked solemnly.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "He felt that losing so miserably in our fight would make it impossible to explain to the Ghost Lord, so he used Flash of an Instant, trying to take me down with him. Unfortunately, he failed."
Yu Huang's expression turned strange as she scrutinized Zhang Ruochen again. "You actually managed to defeat Xu? And forced him into a mutual destruction attempt? And after he used Flash of an Instant, you still survived? You... how many of your words are actually true?"
"Every word is true. I've already broken fourteen shackles," Zhang Ruochen said.
Yu Huang was even more incredulous, shooting him a look that said, "Do you think I'm an idiot?"
She knew that just a few days ago, Zhang Ruochen had only broken his first shackle, breaking through to the Hundred Shackles Realm. Even if he had consumed a cauldron full of Divine Travel Pills, there was no way he could have broken fourteen shackles so quickly.
Even an Eon-level genius couldn't be that heaven-defying.
Zhang Ruochen took out the Purple Gold Gourd and opened it.
"Whoosh!"
A black light flew out from the gourd, manifesting into a seven-petal lotus.
The seven-petal lotus slowly rotated before the three of them, releasing dense yin-cold ghostly qi.
In an instant, the world became incredibly dim, and from within the lotus came the howling, wailing, and weeping of billions of ghostly souls, as if it contained an entire hell.
"Seven Star Ghost Lotus!"
Yu Huang's red lips parted slightly, her beautiful face displaying an extremely vivid expression as she abruptly stared at Zhang Ruochen. "Was Xu really forced to death by you? Did you really break fourteen shackles? Are you even human?"
At this moment, she finally believed it somewhat, but her heart was in utter turmoil, feeling a sense of humiliation as if Zhang Ruochen had pressed her to the ground and rubbed her face in it.
How could the gap between two outstanding Great Saints be so vast?
Suddenly, Yu Huang thought of something. "Is it related to the golden mist leaking from inside the Ghost Clan's home star?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "There is indeed a considerable opportunity inside the Ghost Clan's home star."
"I see."
Yu Huang's eyes gleamed with dazzling light, looking eager to try.
"The opportunity inside the Ghost Clan's home star comes with immense danger. If you try to seize it, you'll only end up dead," Zhang Ruochen said bluntly.
He said this so absolutely because he was afraid Yu Huang would try it out of wishful thinking.
"Hmph! Don't think you're invincible just yet. You can obtain opportunities, and so can I, the Emperor," Yu Huang said, lifting her snow-white chin, her eyelashes curling upward, full of confidence.
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said no more. "I've already used the Purple Gold Gourd to preliminarily refine the Seven Star Ghost Lotus. If you agree to my conditions, I'll hand it over to you now, and you can subdue its artifact spirit."
Yu Huang deeply understood the significance of a Great Saint wielding a Supreme Sacred Artifact. It meant a smoother path ahead and the ability to crush all opponents at the same cultivation level.
Such an opportunity was something even Supreme Realm Great Saints craved.
"On the Heaven Hunting Battlefield, our interests are aligned. Even without this Supreme Sacred Artifact, I, the Emperor, would accompany you through any tough battle. With this Supreme Sacred Artifact... well, let's just say you're quite good at winning people over. Investing so much in me... are you really trying to pursue me, the Emperor?" Yu Huang asked with a half-smile.
She had full confidence in her beauty and talent. Countless heavenly prodigies from the Hell Realm had once fallen at her feet. But as her cultivation talent became apparent, few among her peers could match her cultivation level.
Those former suitors, knowing they weren't worthy, naturally backed off.
Of course, the main reason was that Yu Huang had never focused on romantic love, treating all her pursuers with extreme coldness.
Zhang Ruochen let out a "heh" and turned away, re-entering his healing state.
"You can speak plainly with me, the Emperor. No need to beat around the bush. If you're serious, I, the Emperor, will seriously consider it," Yu Huang said.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen become as still as a rock, silent, Yu Huang lost interest and turned her gaze to the Seven Star Ghost Lotus. If she could master a Supreme Sacred Artifact, her status in the Blood Heaven Tribe would become completely different.
Moreover, this Supreme Sacred Artifact was a gift from Zhang Ruochen.
Who was Zhang Ruochen?
The top genius of this Eon, not only a Divine Son but also the maternal grandson of the Great Clan Elder. In the future, he might even become the successor of the Blood Heaven Tribe's Great Clan Elder.
With this, who in the Blood Heaven Tribe would dare to target the Xia Clan?
A day later.
Zhang Ruochen's injuries had fully healed, his spirit and energy restored to peak condition. Divine power surged within him, and his spiritual power gave rise to two faint perceptions.
One was relatively close, perceived quite clearly.
The other was far away, allowing him only to sense a general direction.
These two perceptions were his awareness of the "Absolute Self Time Imprints" on Zuo Mu Shengjun and Que.
"It's time to go hunting."
Zhang Ruochen thought carefully, then turned his gaze to the still-unconscious Great Senluo Emperor. "Mo Yin, wake him up."
Mo Yin stopped practicing archery and flicked a wisp of Purifying Divine Flame onto the Great Senluo Emperor.
"Sizzle."
The next moment, the Great Senluo Emperor screamed, leaping up from the ground. Just as he extinguished the Purifying Divine Flame on his body, Zhang Ruochen's Ghost Head Whip coiled around him, and with a thud, he crashed back to the ground.
The Great Senluo Emperor quickly understood his situation and roared, "Zhang Ruochen, if you have the guts, release me, the Emperor, and let me fight you fairly!"
Zhang Ruochen walked over. "You're not even qualified to fight me. Tell me, were those Heavenly Slaves who ambushed me led by your Upper Three Clans?"
The Great Senluo Emperor snorted coldly and remained silent.
Zhang Ruochen continued, "So many Heavenly Slaves couldn't have gathered for no reason. They must have a centralized hiding place, right? Where is it?"
The Great Senluo Emperor still said nothing, just glared at him with a sneer.
Zhang Ruochen frowned. "Looks like the lesson wasn't enough. Mo Yin, you handle it."
A flicker of terror passed through the Great Senluo Emperor's eyes as he looked up and shouted, "Lord Myriad Realm Divine Eye, I want to... leave..."
Before he could finish saying "leave the Heaven Hunting Battlefield," a lightning-wreathed vine whip struck his face, sending his body flying.
"Crack! Crack!"
The vine whip struck again and again, keeping the Great Senluo Emperor airborne, flying east and west, his body convulsing nonstop.
Screams rose and fell from his mouth.
As Mo Yin controlled the whip, she said, "Master, I've probed the Great Senluo Emperor's memories and know where those Heavenly Slaves are gathered."
"You can probe the Great Senluo Emperor's memories?" Zhang Ruochen was quite surprised.
He knew that important cultivators from both the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm would have their memories sealed by divine power from gods, protecting certain secrets from external extraction.
For example, when Zhang Ruochen had tried to probe the Sea of Consciousness of Moluo Zhandi, he was attacked by divine power and injured himself.
Mo Yin said, "I only probed his memories and consciousness from after he entered the Heaven Hunting Battlefield."
Zhang Ruochen showed a look of understanding and smiled. "I see. That makes sense. Divine power from gods can't enter the Heaven Hunting Battlefield."
"In the Great Senluo Emperor's memories, a large group of Heavenly Slaves is gathered near the Third Dark Star. This includes the twelve Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saints we killed and that Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint," Mo Yin said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Let's go. Head to the Third Dark Star now."
Mo Yin looked at the Great Senluo Emperor. "What about him?"
"Since he's useless now, kill him," Zhang Ruochen said indifferently.
The Great Senluo Emperor heard this and panicked, but at this moment, he couldn't even convey his wish to leave the Heaven Hunting Battlefield.
As for self-destructing his Sacred Source, that was even more impossible.
Every time he tried to gather power, the lightning vine whip would scatter it.
The Great Senluo Emperor was extremely unwilling, feeling he was dying too disgracefully. As a Hundred Shackles Great Perfection Great Saint, he didn't even have a chance to take his enemy down with him.
"Wait."
Zhang Ruochen stopped Mo Yin, who was about to devour the Great Senluo Emperor. He reached out and grabbed the Great Senluo Emperor's head from a distance. Five streams of Blood Fiend Qi merged with his spiritual power, rushing out from his fingers and invading the Great Senluo Emperor's body.
Inside the Great Senluo Emperor's skull, circles of divine power surged outward, resisting Zhang Ruochen.
However, that divine power wasn't very strong, and Zhang Ruochen soon neutralized it.
After a while, Zhang Ruochen withdrew his hand, and the Great Senluo Emperor collapsed limply to the ground.
"Just as I suspected," Zhang Ruochen said with a smile.
Mo Yin asked, "Master, can I devour him now?"
Zhang Ruochen waved his hand. "On the Heaven Hunting Battlefield, it's better not to casually kill Great Saints from the Hell Realm."
"But he wanted to kill you," Mo Yin said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Not anymore."
"What do you mean?" Mo Yin asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I broke the protective divine power in his Sea of Consciousness and erased all his memories unrelated to cultivation. From now on, he'll be my helper."
Mo Yin looked disappointed and sighed.
Yu Huang descended from the sky, holding the Seven Star Ghost Lotus in her hand. "The Great Senluo Emperor is the son of the Red Soul Lord. With the Red Soul Lord's supreme cultivation, how did you break his protective divine power?"
"No matter how strong the Red Soul Lord is, his divine power can't enter the Heaven Hunting Battlefield. The little protective divine power he left in the Great Senluo Emperor's body couldn't stop me," Zhang Ruochen said.
A god couldn't leave a large amount of divine power directly inside a cultivator's body.
Back when Zhang Ruochen probed Moluo Zhandi's memories and was injured by divine power, it was because the god behind Moluo Zhandi sensed what Zhang Ruochen was doing. The god's power crossed space, entered Moluo Zhandi's body, and erupted in that instant.
Just like the Divine Envoy Staff that the Moon God gave Zhang Ruochen. If Zhang Ruochen suffered a Great Saint-level attack, he could borrow the Moon God's power through the staff.
The staff itself didn't contain much divine power.
After waking up, the Great Senluo Emperor followed Zhang Ruochen, Mo Yin, and Yu Huang as they flew toward the Third Dark Star.
The closer they got to the Third Dark Star, the clearer Zhang Ruochen's perception of the "Absolute Self Time Imprint" became. He knew he had come to the right place.
"Little Senluo, you and Mo Yin will clear out the Heavenly Slaves in the outer area. Don't let a single one escape."
"Mo Yin, besides clearing out the Heavenly Slaves, you have another task. If that Thousand Questions Realm Heavenly Slave tries to flee, you must stop him at all costs and hold him until we catch up."
After assigning tasks to Mo Yin and the Great Senluo Emperor, Zhang Ruochen and Yu Huang each spread their fleshy wings, turning into streams of gold and silver light as they flew toward the dark star.
Different stars manifest different states after death.
A dark star is one such state.
Affected by the dark star, the surrounding million miles of starry sky were pitch black. Moreover, the cultivators' spiritual power and vision were heavily influenced by the dark star's power, greatly reduced.
For the Heavenly Slaves, this was the best hiding place.
As soon as they entered the area covered by the dark star's power, Zhang Ruochen and Yu Huang felt a massive gravitational pull acting on them, dragging them down.
The closer they got to the dark star, the stronger the pull became.
"Are you sure that Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint is hiding on the dark star's surface?" Yu Huang was well aware of how terrifying a dark star could be, and she was cautious.
Cultivators below the Great Saint level, once they landed on a dark star, would become like mortals, unable to fly and trapped there.
Cultivators below the Saint King level would be crushed to death instantly by the terrifying gravity, turning into dust.
"Just follow me. This Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint is very powerful. If we can kill him, the Blood Heaven Tribe's points will surely exceed ten million, securing the top spot among the Ten Great Tribes," Zhang Ruochen said.
"Top spot among the Ten Great Tribes? You've got me looking forward to that now."
Before, when Zhang Ruochen told Yu Huang they would compete for the top spot among the Ten Great Tribes, she had been skeptical. But now, less than ten days into the Heaven Hunting Battlefield, the Blood Heaven Tribe's points had already reached over six million, placing them first among the Ten Great Tribes.
The second-place Qitian Tribe only had over a million points.
After a while, Zhang Ruochen and Yu Huang landed on the surface of the Third Dark Star. This planet was only a few thousand miles in diameter, the size of an ordinary planet.
But the gravity it emitted was astonishing. Even with their cultivation, they felt heavily suppressed, struggling even to fly off the ground.
"The material on this planet is quite special. Its density is a hundred thousand times that of ordinary iron, and it contains dark matter. It can be refined into materials for crafting Monarch Sacred Artifacts and Supreme Sacred Artifacts."
Zhang Ruochen crouched down, picked up a palm-sized rock, and weighed it in his hand. It was actually over a million pounds heavy.
Only a Great Saint could walk normally on such a planet.
"Oh! This planet seems to have altered the flow of time. Could it also contain special materials for crafting time-related treasures?" Zhang Ruochen showed a delighted expression.
...
A separate note: After a star dies, it can evolve in many directions, such as white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes. But there's no such thing as a "dark star" in fiction. It's a fantasy novel, so... well, anyway, the dark star's prototype is based on a white dwarf. White dwarfs have extremely high density, over a hundred thousand times that of iron.