Chapter 2324: Placing a Piece
Fang Mofeng, Mo Cuo, and Yan Hanyu arrived together.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen, Fang Mofeng clasped his hands in salute and said, "Thank you, Ruochen Great Saint, for killing the traitor of the Meteor Star Divine Temple."
"The moment he was captured by the Destiny Temple and became a Heavenly Slave, he was already dead. So you don't need to thank me. If you have something to say, say it directly. I'm in a hurry," Zhang Ruochen said.
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen was a straightforward person, Fang Mofeng stopped beating around the bush and said, "The Meteor Star Armor is a precious artifact of the Meteor Star Divine Temple. It will play a significant role for me in this Heaven Hunting Battle. I want to buy it back."
"Since you used the word 'buy,' it seems you understand that once a treasure falls into my hands, it won't be taken back easily."
Zhang Ruochen nodded and said, "What price are you offering?"
"Ten thousand Divine Stones," Fang Mofeng said.
Zhang Ruochen nodded lightly and said, "That's comparable to the price of a five-yuan Monarch Sacred Artifact. It seems you do have some sincerity. But can you actually come up with that many Divine Stones?"
"I am still young, less than a thousand years old. In the future, I can cultivate to the Thousand Questions Realm, the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm, and the Supreme Realm. Ten thousand Divine Stones can be repaid eventually." Fang Mofeng's face was full of confidence.
Zhang Ruochen said, "If you die on the Heaven Hunting Battlefield, who am I supposed to collect the debt from?"
Fang Mofeng was stunned, not knowing how to answer.
He could take responsibility for his words, but he couldn't take responsibility for his own life.
"I'll pay it back for my senior brother," Mo Cuo said.
"And me," Yan Hanyu added.
Zhang Ruochen's eagle-like gaze swept over them, and his voice rose a few notches. "The last person who owed me a debt and tried to default was a disciple of my mother. He had half his Sacred Blood drained by the Devouring Saint Flower, sold off all his fiefs to repay the debt, and still owes me to this day. If you follow his example, I'll deal with you ten times more ruthlessly."
"Rest assured, Ruochen Great Saint. As long as I, Fang Mofeng, don't die within a hundred years, I will repay all the Divine Stones," Fang Mofeng said.
"You'd better not die, or you'll harm your junior brothers and sisters."
Zhang Ruochen opened the lid of the Purple Gold Gourd. A mass of purple light flew out from inside, transforming into a purple meteor over two thousand meters long, hovering in front of Fang Mofeng.
A look of joy appeared in Fang Mofeng's eyes. He immediately activated a secret technique, striking various points on the purple meteor.
"Rustle."
The purple meteor transformed into a suit of armor, which he put on.
"Thank you, Ruochen Great Saint."
Fang Mofeng caressed the recovered armor, overjoyed, and once again clasped his hands in salute to Zhang Ruochen.
A glimmer of Truth Light appeared in Zhang Ruochen's pupils as he looked at him and said, "You've already broken ninety-nine shackles, haven't you?"
"Yes," Fang Mofeng said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "If you're willing to owe me a favor, I can help you break through to the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm during the Heaven Hunting Battle."
Fang Mofeng was stunned, thinking he had misheard.
Zhang Ruochen suddenly changed his mind, waved his hand, and said, "Forget it. You may go."
Fang Mofeng didn't leave.
If someone else had made such a boast, Fang Mofeng would certainly not believe it. But the one who said it was Zhang Ruochen—a man who, not long after breaking through to the Great Saint Realm, had grown strong enough to suppress Zuo Mu Shengjun. There must be a great secret hidden within him. Perhaps he could truly accomplish what even gods could not.
Fang Mofeng said, "Can Ruochen Great Saint really help me break through to the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm?"
"It just occurred to me that it's not very meaningful. Even if you break the hundredth shackle, you'll still need a long time to break all the various minor shackles within your body to reach the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm. Since that's the case, I don't want to waste my time," Zhang Ruochen said.
Fang Mofeng said, "No, even if I only break the hundredth shackle, my strength will increase dramatically. I can become the strongest below the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm."
The Heaven Hunting Battle was of great importance to any faction, involving vast divisions of interests. As the number one expert of the Meteor Star Divine Temple, Fang Mofeng played a crucial role. The stronger he was, the more beneficial it was for the Meteor Star Divine Temple.
Afraid that Zhang Ruochen would change his mind, Fang Mofeng quickly added, "Ruochen Great Saint has saved my life. I already owe you a tremendous favor."
Zhang Ruochen looked at him deeply and said, "The favor I want is one you must repay even if it means going through fire and water, even if it means certain death."
Fang Mofeng was clearly a decisive man. He pointed to the sky and said, "I, Fang Mofeng, swear by the name of the Meteor Star Divine Temple's Hall Master that if Ruochen Great Saint ever needs me in the future, even if it means going through fire and water, even if it means certain death, I will do everything in my power to help him and repay this favor."
Zhang Ruochen's opinion of Fang Mofeng rose slightly. At the same time, he understood more clearly that the Hell Realm was indeed a place where strength reigned supreme. Other things were not so important.
"Alright, I'll help you find the hundredth shackle. You should have consumed a Dao-Evolution Saint Fruit. With its power, as long as you're not too incompetent, breaking the hundredth shackle within a month shouldn't be difficult," Zhang Ruochen said.
...
All the gods in the Destiny Temple had seen Zhang Ruochen defeat Wujiang and suppress Zuo Mu Shengjun—clean and decisive, already bearing the heroic bearing of a young overlord.
Ghost Lord and the others had all fallen silent.
They were gods, capable of calculating gains and losses. They had unanimously believed that Zhang Ruochen would lose to Wujiang, perhaps even lose his life. But this result exceeded their expectations.
With Wujiang's defeat and Zuo Mu's death, Zhang Ruochen had officially risen to the rank of a king-level figure on the Heaven Hunting Battlefield. It would be difficult for anyone to restrain him.
At first, all the gods thought Que was the greatest variable on the Heaven Hunting Battlefield, but no one expected Zhang Ruochen to rise so suddenly, surrounded by experts, with a tendency to dominate the battlefield.
"It seems there really are cultivators beyond the rules in this world. Even gods find it hard to see through them."
"Que, Lan Ying, Yan Huangtu, Yan Wushen, and Zhang Ruochen—none of them fit the rules of the Heaven Hunting Battle. Could it be that the God Venerable knew long ago that they were prodigies capable of breaking the rules?" a god asked Fu Lu God Venerable.
Fu Lu God Venerable said, "Rules always exist, but everyone has different rules. Every Heaven Hunting Battle is a glimpse into the future of the Hell Realm. Although Wujiang lost to Zhang Ruochen, he is not yet out of the game. It depends on whether he can regroup and learn from his defeat. Everyone has infinite possibilities."
Inside Luo Yan's Divine Realm World.
A smile curled at the corner of Xue Jue War God's mouth. "You lost."
Luo Yan's eyes still held a trace of doubt. After a long silence, he let out a long breath and said, "I dare to assert that if Zhang Ruochen doesn't die, his future achievements will not be inferior to yours."
"With such a good son-in-law, what are you still hesitating about?" Xue Jue War God said.
Luo Yan flicked his sleeve and said coldly, "A bet is a bet. I don't oppose this marriage. But I still need to ask Luo Sha's opinion. She has to agree. Xue Jue, have you bet everything on Zhang Ruochen?"
Xue Jue War God smiled without answering and left the Divine Realm World.
As the master of a divine kingdom, Xue Jue War God's attitude greatly displeased Luo Yan.
"Why are you so annoyed? Senior brother has always been like this," Tian Yin comforted him.
Luo Yan's tone softened a bit. "I'm not angry at him. I'm just thinking about Luo Sha... Sigh, Luo Sha hates arranged marriages the most. Last time, because of the Moluo family's proposal, she was so angry she ran off alone to the Merit Battlefield. How dangerous was that? She and Zhang Ruochen have quite a grudge. If she finds out I agreed to the marriage, I'm afraid she'll do something extreme again."
Tian Yin's beautiful, ethereal face showed an elegant and moving smile. "You don't understand the feelings between young men and women at all. That brat from the Moluo family—how could he be worthy of my Luo Sha? But Zhang Ruochen is one of the few outstanding talents of this Eon. If Luo Sha didn't think highly of him, with her intelligence and the vast power of the Tian Luo Divine Kingdom, Zhang Ruochen would have died at her hands long ago. How could he have survived until now?"
"Let's not go far. Back when they were competing for the Sacred Intent Pill, if Luo Sha hadn't stepped in to cause chaos, Zhang Ruochen would likely have died at Wujiang's hands."
Luo Yan snorted. "I just hope that brat remembers all this. If he dares to bully Luo Sha again, I'll be the first to make sure he pays."
...
Using the subtlety of the Way of Truth, Zhang Ruochen helped Fang Mofeng find his hundredth shackle. Then, together with Mo Yin and the Yu Huang, he immediately set off, flying toward the planet where the Space Teleportation Array was set up.
On the way.
Mo Yin said, "What use is a Great Saint who has only broken ninety-nine shackles? Why did the master spend so much time on him? And you even returned the Meteor Star Armor to him, only getting two empty promises in return. I think this is a losing deal."
"I agree with Zhang Ruochen's approach. We can't just make enemies; we also need allies," the Yu Huang said.
Mo Yin said, "If you want allies, you can befriend more powerful figures, like Luo Sheng Tian. The Meteor Star Divine Temple ranks only eighteenth among the twenty-four divine temples of the Shura Clan. Too weak!"
Zhang Ruochen, who had been silent until now, spoke. "Even if I got the Meteor Star Armor, it would be useless. Only by using the secret techniques of the Meteor Star Divine Temple can it be activated and fulfill its purpose."
"As for Fang Mofeng and the Meteor Star Divine Temple, whether you call them weak depends on who you compare them to. Compared to you, Fang Mofeng's current cultivation is indeed lacking. But in the eyes of cultivators below the Great Saint Realm, he is the young leader of a divine temple, an emperor among the Saint realm."
"The Meteor Star Divine Temple's ranking may not be high, but being listed among the twenty-four divine temples means that even at its weakest, it is comparable to a major force like one of the top hundred powerful realms in the Western Universe of the Heavenly Court. It cannot be underestimated."
"Moreover, the Meteor Star Divine Temple is located at the edge of the Hell Realm, very close to the Heavenly Beginning Civilization. It is a necessary path on the way to the Kunlun Realm and the Heavenly Court. Placing a piece there will be of great use in the future."
Hearing this, the Yu Huang's expression changed as she looked at Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen happened to look back at her and said, "Don't look at me like that. I can't return to the Heavenly Court or the Kunlun Realm anymore. Don't forget, you still owe me a favor."