Chapter 2322: Returning to the Surface
"Why bother guessing? Let's just go and see."
Before the words faded, Zhang Ruochen transformed into a beam of golden light and charged into the massive black mist vortex.
With the twenty-nine drops of dark time-space matter removed, the danger of the black mist vortex had significantly decreased. Moments later, Zhang Ruochen passed through the dense layers of black lightning and spatial rift storms, arriving before the small bronze tripod.
The bronze tripod appeared small from a distance, but in reality, its body was taller than Zhang Ruochen, exuding an ancient and unadorned aura.
It had six legs, each entwined with carvings of strange beasts—creatures Zhang Ruochen had never seen before.
The tripod's body was oblate, adorned with openwork patterns.
From within the openwork patterns, pitch-black light and gas emanated. As the gas flowed, it manifested into strange lines, resembling both inscriptions and ancient characters.
Zhang Ruochen did not dare to be careless. He wrapped his palm in Purifying Divine Flame and slowly reached forward.
"Rustle."
The black gas-like lines formed a barrier, blocking Zhang Ruochen's hand.
Moreover, a dark force that corroded flesh and blood came into contact with the Purifying Divine Flame in his palm, producing a sizzling sound.
Zhang Ruochen quickly withdrew his hand, his expression turning cautious. He thought to himself, "Even the gaseous lines that have leaked out can block me and corrode the Purifying Divine Flame. What exactly is this tripod? And what is inside it?"
Bore did not attempt to breach the black vortex. Instead, she used Fate Rules to calculate by pinching her fingers.
On her five snow-white jade-like fingers, Fate Rules interwove and crisscrossed, as if turning her hand into a world of heaven and earth.
One of the powers of the Path of Fate was to peer into heavenly secrets, calculating the past, future, life, death, fortune, and misfortune.
Bore opened her eyes, a flicker of surprise in her gaze. "It's the Six Directions Heavenly Venerable Tripod. Strange, why is it here?"
"What is the origin of this tripod?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Bore replied, "The Six Directions Heavenly Venerable Tripod is a treasure from the Lan Chen Sea on the Shiji Divine Star."
The Shiji Divine Star was one of the ten ninth-level planets of the Stone Clan. Legend had it that it was formed from the divine body of a renowned powerhouse from the Stone Clan's history after their fall.
Even an eighth-level life planet was incredibly vast—over a hundred billion times larger than an ordinary life-bearing planet, capable of housing at least ten trillion beings. Such planets were extremely rare in the entire universe.
Ninth-level life planets were even rarer, each one comparable to a major world.
Lan Chen Sea was one of the few major powers on the Shiji Divine Star, equivalent to the Blood Absolute Family's status in the Blood Heaven Tribe or the Ancestral Dragon Mountain's status in the Kunlun Realm.
After careful thought, Bore said, "The appearance of the Six Directions Heavenly Venerable Tripod here is most likely related to Blue Marrow True Lord. He was once a dominant figure in Lan Chen Sea."
"The Six Directions Heavenly Venerable Tripod is definitely more than just a Monarch Sacred Artifact. With Blue Marrow True Lord's cultivation level, could he have mastered a treasure of this grade?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Bore countered, "You were only a Saint King cultivator once, yet you possessed several Supreme Sacred Artifacts. How do you explain that?"
"Perhaps Blue Marrow True Lord entered the interior of the Dark Star precisely because of the Six Directions Heavenly Venerable Tripod. After all, only here could he evade the calculations and perception of deities."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head slightly and stopped asking questions. His gaze returned to the Six Directions Heavenly Venerable Tripod as he reached out both hands.
As he mobilized the Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Intent, a Yin-Yang Five Elements Seal condensed between his hands, slowly rotating as he pressed it toward the black gaseous lines outside the tripod.
The dark force tried to devour the Yin-Yang Five Elements Seal, but instead, it was drawn into the seal technique, transformed into Yin-Yang force and Five Elements Qi.
"What a formidable Sacred Intent! It can even convert dark force. Doesn't that mean all forces in the world can be converted? A second-rank Sacred Intent is this powerful—no matter the cost, I must cultivate it." Bore took a deep breath, a sharp and determined light flashing in her eyes.
Zhang Ruochen reached the Six Directions Heavenly Venerable Tripod and slapped the lid with his palm.
"Bang!"
The lid shifted, revealing a finger-wide gap.
From the gap surged an ink-blue light, accompanied by intense energy fluctuations. The light struck Zhang Ruochen like a divine sword, sending him flying backward.
The Yin-Yang Five Elements Seal blocked the ink-blue light, and Zhang Ruochen emerged unscathed.
"A fragrance—the scent of medicinal pills. Could it be... that Blue Marrow True Lord was using the power of dark time-space matter to refine pills here?" Zhang Ruochen's expression turned puzzled.
Soon, he dismissed this speculation.
Because Zhang Ruochen realized the fragrance carried the aura of the Blue Marrow Star.
"It's not Blue Marrow True Lord refining pills—someone has refined him! No wonder, no wonder the interior of that Blue Marrow Star had no Sacred Source, and even the Sacred Soul and second-form humanoid body were dismembered."
At this thought, Zhang Ruochen felt a chill run through him, numbing him from head to toe.
Could there be another living being inside the Dark Star, one even more powerful than Blue Marrow True Lord?
Zhang Ruochen looked around at the pitch-black, boundless surroundings, forcing himself to stay calm.
The best course of action now was to leave the Six Directions Heavenly Venerable Tripod untouched and quietly slip away.
Yet, the thought of such a treasure being right before him—if he didn't take it, wouldn't it be a waste? Zhang Ruochen's inner self waged a fierce battle.
Bore stood outside the black vortex, waiting silently.
"Swoosh—"
Zhang Ruochen stored the Six Directions Heavenly Venerable Tripod into the Purple Gold Gourd, then, riding his ten golden wings, shot out of the vortex and rapidly approached Bore.
"What's inside the tripod? I think I caught a whiff of pill fragrance," Bore asked.
"Don't ask too many questions. We need to leave this place immediately."
Without explaining further, Zhang Ruochen fully activated the Supreme Inscription Rune of the Purple Gold Gourd, using its supreme power to resist the Dark Star's pulling force as he flew upward.
The world inside the Dark Star was not truly boundless; it was an illusion created by spatial expansion.
Having spent ten years here, Zhang Ruochen had analyzed the spatial structure of the Dark Star's interior to about eighty or ninety percent. No matter how vast the space, it could no longer trap him.
...
Ten years had passed inside the Dark Star, but outside, only a brief moment had elapsed.
"Why did Bore jump down as well? Could she be trying to kill Zhang Ruochen while he's severely injured?"
Wujiang flew to the edge of the dark pit. His battered body had re-coalesced, at least showing no obvious external injuries on the surface.
The interior of the Dark Star was extremely dangerous.
He hesitated, wondering whether to pursue.
"Forget it. I'll wait until my injuries are fully healed before going in to find Bore."
Wujiang's spiritual power extended toward the direction where the Yu Huang, Shi Shenghua, and Zuo Mu Shengjun were fighting. A cold smile appeared on his face as he muttered to himself, "I can deal with them first. The Seven-Star Ghost Lotus is powerful—I must seize it. Huh? A purple-gold light is coming from below the pit..."
"Swoosh—"
A purple-gold gourd shot out of the ground, soaring into the sky.
Wujiang's eyesight was sharp, and he clearly saw Zhang Ruochen and Bore standing on the gourd. Countless questions arose in his mind.
How had they jumped down and immediately flown back up?
What about the Great Sen Luo Emperor?
Why was Bore on the Purple Gold Gourd?
The Purple Gold Gourd stopped at an altitude of ten thousand meters.
Bore voluntarily leaped off the gourd, flying into the distance with a cold expression. "Zhang Ruochen, I will repay today's humiliation sooner or later."
Zhang Ruochen's brows furrowed slightly, but he immediately understood why she had said such a puzzling thing.
Ignoring her, a strong sense of foreboding surged in his heart. He used his spiritual power to send a message to the Yu Huang and Shi Shenghua: "Forget about Zuo Mu Shengjun. Leave now."
The Yu Huang and Shi Shenghua transformed into two beautiful streaks of light, landing before Zhang Ruochen.
"Master, your injuries have healed. Why not take this opportunity to kill Zuo Mu Shengjun?" Shi Shenghua asked.
The Yu Huang, however, glanced in the direction Bore had flown and sneered, "Zhang Ruochen, no matter how high your talent or how strong your power, women will always be your greatest weakness. One day, you will die because of a woman."
Hearing Bore's earlier words, the Yu Huang naturally assumed Zhang Ruochen had spared her because he was captivated by her beauty.
She recalled Zhang Ruochen's past misdeeds and was furious, believing he had ruined a great opportunity. If Bore had been killed just now, the Wind Queen could have secured her position as the Divine Maiden, bringing endless benefits to the Undying Blood Clan.
"Bore is just one person. Letting her live won't cause much trouble. Don't meddle in my affairs."
As he spoke, Zhang Ruochen's eyes fixed on the Yu Huang.
It was a calm gaze, but it was filled with a warning.
Meeting Zhang Ruochen's eyes, the Yu Huang felt as if she had been pricked by needles. The words on the tip of her tongue were swallowed back.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen inspired a hint of awe in her, and she dared not take the risk.
"A single glance can make me feel immense pressure. This guy's cultivation must have made a huge breakthrough." The Yu Huang felt frustrated, realizing it would be difficult to maintain her royal bearing in front of Zhang Ruochen from now on.
At the same time, she was curious about how powerful Zhang Ruochen had become.
Wujiang, burning with rage, flew into the air to confront Zhang Ruochen. "Zhang Ruochen, what did you do to Princess Bore?"
Zhang Ruochen had always found Wujiang irritating, and since he was in a hurry to leave, he replied coldly, "What business is it of yours what happened between Princess Bore and me?"
"I think you're asking for death."
Wujiang's killing intent surged as he produced the Ten-Thousand Curse Heavenly Bead, chanting incantations.
The Ten-Thousand Curse Heavenly Bead resembled a talisman covered in various curses. By reciting the incantations, one could activate the curses on it.
With the bead's amplification, the curse power became even stronger.
In an instant, the bead emitted ten thousand feet of evil light, releasing a dense swarm of curses: Blood Devouring Curse, Nether Light Curse, Heart Severing Curse, Infinite Curse, Oblivion Curse...
Dozens of curses flew simultaneously toward Zhang Ruochen, the Yu Huang, and Shi Shenghua.
Shi Shenghua, being Zhang Ruochen's parasitic plant, knew his injuries had healed, but Wujiang did not.
Shi Shenghua and the Yu Huang prepared to act, but Zhang Ruochen stopped them. "Fall back. I'll handle this."
"Rustle—"
Zhang Ruochen's hands rotated and traced, his ten fingers continuously emitting white divine flames. The flames wove together into a massive millstone, growing larger and larger, with dense fiery characters appearing on its surface.
This was the Thousand Questions-level high-rank Sacred Art he had cultivated inside the Dark Star: Blood Mill Embers.
This technique, which Zhang Ruochen had seen in the Seven-Star Imperial Palace, had been cultivated to the tenth layer by the Xue Jue War God before becoming a deity. Zhang Ruochen had only succeeded in cultivating the seventh layer.
The next moment, Zhang Ruochen also activated the Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Intent, merging it with the massive divine flame millstone. The towering flames illuminated the darkness for a thousand miles, releasing scorching energy.