# Chapter 2334: Yama Clan's Homeworld Star
Zhang Ruochen certainly would not mobilize all Undying Blood Clan cultivators to deal with Que. The risk was too great. Moreover, Que cultivated the Way of Nothingness, making human wave tactics difficult to employ against him.
Only Wind Empress, Blade Prison Emperor, Great Senluo Emperor, and Yue Tinghai accompanied Zhang Ruochen.
Yu Emperor stayed behind on the homeworld star to continue arranging formations.
Seizing the Imperial Grade Sacred Intent Pill represented Zhang Ruochen's personal interests, not the interests of the entire Undying Blood Clan.
The reason Blade Prison Emperor and Yue Tinghai were willing to help Zhang Ruochen with this matter was that they had no choice. After all, both had participated in the plan to attack Blood Heaven Continent.
If Zhang Ruochen intended to retaliate against them, he would certainly send them to charge into battle during the upcoming Heaven Hunting Battle, assigning them the most dangerous tasks.
Since that was the case, it was better to agree to go with Zhang Ruochen to deal with Que and help him seize the Imperial Grade Sacred Intent Pill. With so many experts acting together, even if Que possessed heaven-defying abilities, he would likely have no choice but to admit defeat.
"Swoosh—"
Light flickered, and space trembled gently.
Through the Space Teleportation Array in Cloud City, Zhang Ruochen and the others arrived in a distant stretch of starry sky.
All around were six-colored star mists, magnificent and dazzling. They were now separated from the Undying Blood Clan's homeworld star by who knew how many millions of miles.
"The direction is correct. We're not far from Que. Wait for me a moment; I'll first set up a Space Teleportation Array."
Zhang Ruochen released his Spiritual Power, found a rocky meteorite over six hundred miles long in the nearby star region, and unleashed a hundred thousand Spiritual Power thoughts, placing pieces of purple Space Sacred Jade and a Divine Stone on the ground.
The Divine Stones from the Blood Heaven Tribe had been completely consumed by Zhang Ruochen in the Dark Star.
However, the cultivators from the other nine tribes had quite a few Divine Stones, all of which had now fallen into Zhang Ruochen's possession.
"With this teleportation array, we can advance to attack and retreat to escape, giving us the upper hand. I'll set up a concealment formation to hide this rocky meteorite."
Wind Empress's Spiritual Power was not weak, and she also had Earth Master-level skill in formation dao.
In the Heavenly Court Myriad Realms, some weak realms did not even have a single Formation Earth Master (excluding gods who studied formations), yet among the new generation of Great Saints in Hell Realm, there were several.
The intensity of competition in Hell Realm was evident.
Half an hour later, the Space Formation and Concealment Formation took shape. Zhang Ruochen and the others suppressed their auras and flew rapidly toward Que's location.
Before long, a blue planet appeared ahead.
As the distance grew closer, the planet became increasingly enormous.
"Is Que hiding on that planet?"
"That planet seems to have a lot of life on it. It's not a barren world. Wait... the life planets in the Heaven Hunting Battlefield are almost all homeworld stars."
...
Zhang Ruochen also sensed something was wrong. He stopped first and said, "A homeworld star? This is in the central zone of the Heaven Hunting Battlefield. Which clan's homeworld star could it be?"
Blade Prison Emperor's expression was somewhat strange. "The Yama Clan."
Everyone present looked at each other in dismay, fear showing in their eyes. Then they turned to Zhang Ruochen.
How could Que possibly be on the Yama Clan's homeworld star?
Now, there were only two possibilities:
First, Zhang Ruochen's perception was wrong.
Second, Que had been captured by Yama Clan cultivators and imprisoned on the homeworld star.
Blade Prison Emperor and Wind Empress had all witnessed Que's extraordinary abilities, so they were more inclined to believe the former.
"My perception is not wrong."
After Zhang Ruochen stated this with certainty, he continued, "There are two possibilities. First, Que has hidden himself on the Yama Clan's homeworld star. After all, the most dangerous place is the safest."
"Moreover, hiding here would make the Yama Clan hesitant to act rashly."
"Second, Que discovered the mark I placed on him and deliberately lured me to the Yama Clan's homeworld star. He wants to use the Yama Clan's hands to deal with me, and also use my hands to tie down the Yama Clan."
"Regardless of which situation it is, our first step must be to enter the Yama Clan's homeworld star."
Wind Empress said, "The Yama Clan's homeworld star must be heavily guarded by formations. It's the hardest place to breach in the entire Heaven Hunting Battlefield. Even if we activate a Supreme Sacred Artifact, we won't be able to force our way in."
"Even if we do force our way in, it would be a dead end. This is the Yama Clan's main stronghold," Yue Tinghai said.
"Forcing our way in certainly won't work."
Zhang Ruochen lifted the Purple Gold Gourd and said, "You all enter the gourd first. I'll figure out a way to get into the Yama Clan's homeworld star myself."
After putting Wind Empress, Blade Prison Emperor, Yue Tinghai, and Great Senluo Emperor into the gourd, Zhang Ruochen thought carefully for a moment, then used Space Distortion and vanished from where he stood.
...
In the Yama Clan, not every cultivator was qualified to bear the surname "Yan."
In fact, Yan was the number one noble surname in the Yama Clan, representing the highest bloodline and the most powerful inheritance.
Wu was the nineteenth-ranked surname in the Yama Clan.
Wu Wuji had cultivated for over eight hundred years and reached the Great Saint Immortal Realm. He was considered a heavenly prodigy and a rising star among the Wu surname.
Wu Wuji stepped on a Divine Rainbow, flying rapidly through the cosmic void. This time, he had gone out to hunt Heavenly Slaves and earned fifty thousand points. Hearing that the interior of the homeworld star contained supreme opportunities, he immediately returned.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, while flying at high speed, he crashed into an invisible wall. His body was in severe pain, his vision blurred, and he nearly fainted from the impact.
"Not good, an ambush."
This thought had just flashed through Wu Wuji's mind when the back of his head was struck with a punch. His vision went black, and he completely lost consciousness.
Zhang Ruochen stepped out from space, carefully examined Wu Wuji, then pressed his palm onto Wu Wuji's head, mobilizing his Spiritual Power to invade inside.
Zhang Ruochen did not forcibly erase the divine power protecting Wu Wuji's consciousness. He merely peeked into his memories after entering the Heaven Hunting Battlefield.
"From now on, I am Wu Wuji, a Great Saint at the peak of the Immortal Realm."
Zhang Ruochen changed into Wu Wuji's robes, took Wu Wuji's large scissors-like Monarch Sacred Artifact in hand, and used Purifying Divine Flame to refine its artifact spirit.
Then, he transformed.
He became Wu Wuji's likeness—a burly figure with broad shoulders and a wide back, eyes like copper bells. The large scissors in his hand resembled a scorpion's pincers.
After tossing Wu Wuji into the Purple Gold Gourd, Zhang Ruochen flew toward the Yama Clan's homeworld star.
"Halt, who goes there?"
A thousand miles from the homeworld star, two Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saints passed through a layer of light curtain and emerged, blocking his way.
They were a man and a woman, both very young.
Zhang Ruochen carefully examined them and was secretly startled. Although they were not at the Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection, they had both broken ninety-two shackles.
The Yama Clan truly had no shortage of experts.
Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands and said in a deep, heavy voice, "Wu Wuji greets the two Great Saints."
The male Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saint was named Xue Kai. His tone was quite calm. "So it's you. Why are you back at the homeworld star so soon? How many Heavenly Slaves did you hunt?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "I heard there are great opportunities inside the homeworld star, so I wanted to try my luck. That's why I came back early."
The female Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saint was named Xue Ling. She let out a light snort, tinged with mockery.
Even she and Xue Kai did not dare to easily enter the interior of the homeworld star. Yet this mere Immortal Realm Great Saint wanted to go and challenge it—utterly lacking self-awareness.
Xue Kai said, "These are special times. Any cultivator who wants to enter or leave the homeworld star must undergo verification through the Transformation Mirror."
"What happened? Why has returning to the homeworld star become so troublesome?" Zhang Ruochen glanced at the ancient mirror in Xue Kai's hand and asked.
Xue Ling said coldly, with a bad tone, "If it's not your place to ask, then don't ask."
Four days ago, Que had followed behind a Yama Clan cultivator returning to the homeworld star and sneaked in.
For this, Xue Ling and Xue Kai had been severely scolded by Yan Huangtu. Now, hundreds of millions of clansmen on the entire homeworld star were in danger, and the two of them could not escape blame. Naturally, their mood was far from good.
Zhang Ruochen did not continue asking. He calmly accepted the illumination of the Transformation Mirror.
With Zhang Ruochen's current Spiritual Power intensity, plus the subtlety of the "Formless and Featureless Thirty-Six Transformations," such a mere Transformation Mirror naturally could not reveal his true form.
"No problem."
Xue Kai put away the Transformation Mirror and opened a corner of the homeworld star's defensive grand formation.
Zhang Ruochen flew to the gap in the formation, paused slightly to memorize the spatial coordinates, then passed through the clouds and flew toward the ground.
The Yama Clan's homeworld star had water covering over eighty percent of its surface. Islands were scattered like stars across the chessboard, each island full of vitality, with lush green trees and flocks of seabirds.
Blue sky, white clouds, clear water, white sand.
The environment here was completely different from other places in Hell Realm, making Zhang Ruochen feel as if he had returned to Kunlun Realm.
Flying in the direction he sensed, Zhang Ruochen arrived at a stretch of land and descended outside a massive city.
This city was the largest on the planet, with forty million Yama Clan clansmen living within its walls.
"Que really knows how to pick a spot. Hiding here, even if the Yama Clan's Great Saints discover him, they probably wouldn't dare to easily start a battle with him. This way, he can focus on comprehending the Dao and refining the Imperial Grade Sacred Intent Pill."
Que cultivated the Way of Nothingness. Once he hid in a densely populated area, Yan Huangtu probably could not find him quickly.
After entering the city, Zhang Ruochen did not deliberately use his Spiritual Power to investigate, but he still sensed multiple powerful Sacred Dao auras.
Among them, the strongest aura came from a seventeen-story tower at the city center.
Zhang Ruochen carefully observed the city's terrain structure and studied the formation inscriptions within the city, muttering to himself, "That should be the formation hub of the entire city. Several powerful formation masters are gathered there. It seems Yan Huangtu also guessed that Que would hide in this city. They're all shrewd characters, not easy to deal with."
Que's position became even clearer.
Standing at a bustling crossroads, Zhang Ruochen looked up. His gaze could penetrate layers of buildings and formation barriers, seeing a blood beast-drawn ancient carriage traveling along a riverside road. The driver was a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy.
The river was twelve zhang wide, with green stone-paved paths on both sides.
The blood beast looked somewhat like an ox and somewhat like a giant wolf, its body covered in blood-red fur. The carriage was made of red wood, with a string of wind chimes hanging from it. As it moved, it made a "ding-ding-dang-dang" sound, very pleasant to hear.
The moment Zhang Ruochen crossed dozens of streets and saw the blood beast carriage, Que, who was sitting cross-legged inside, suddenly opened his eyes and muttered to himself, "Discovered?"
"Stop."
The boy driving the carriage pulled the reins tightly, and the blood beast came to a halt.
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen's figure had already silently appeared on the opposite bank of the river. He stood with his hands behind his back, blending perfectly with the surrounding environment.
The boy sitting on the carriage looked back and asked, "Sir, why did you stop?"
"Because the person I've been waiting for has arrived." A deep voice came from inside the carriage.
The boy's lively eyes looked around, searching for the person his master was referring to.
Zhang Ruochen spoke, "Do you know who I am?"
"In this world, only one person can find me, because he left an absolute self Time Imprint on my body." Que's voice was both ethereal and solid, drifting unpredictably.
Zhang Ruochen said, "So you discovered it. It seems you are indeed stronger than I imagined."
"If I couldn't even discover that, how could I be the strongest of this era? I have also studied the Way of Time." Que said.
Zhang Ruochen was not surprised. Just as he was a Space-Time Controller, he still cultivated and studied the Way of Truth, the Way of Darkness, and the Path of Fate.
He studied the Way of Darkness and the Path of Fate not because he truly wanted to cultivate them to a profound level, but because he was wary of them.
The more one feared a power, the more one had to understand it and study it.
Only by knowing oneself and knowing the enemy could one remain calm and composed when facing them.
Que studied the Way of Time for probably the same reason—it meant the power of time made him feel danger, and he had to understand it.
"You cannot be the strongest of this era, because I exist." Zhang Ruochen said.
Que said, "You are indeed remarkable. When I saw you last time, you were not yet qualified to fight me. But this time we meet, you have become much stronger—in fact, strong enough to surprise me. However, you came too early. You have only broken thirty shackles, far from being my match."
"I think the timing is just right. I can't very well wait until you've refined the Imperial Grade Sacred Intent Pill before coming, can I?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Que said, "How can you be sure I haven't already refined the Imperial Grade Sacred Intent Pill?"
"Because you are still comprehending the Dao right now, which means you are not yet prepared to swallow the Imperial Grade Sacred Intent Pill and condense your Sacred Intent." Zhang Ruochen said.
Que said, "Then can you tell which Dao I am comprehending?"
Zhang Ruochen looked at both sides of the great river and said, "Water. These past few days, you have been sitting in the carriage, traveling along this river. Wheel tracks have been left on the stone slabs."
"Moreover, compared to when I first saw you, you have lost a bit of sharpness and gained more of water's softness and patience."
"After our first meeting, I discussed you with the Blood Heaven Tribe cultivators, and our assessment of you was: competitive and narrow-minded. But after cultivating the Way of Water, you have slowly been compensating for the weaknesses in your personality."
"Water benefits all things without contending. It always flows downward and does not resist taking shape. It is the foremost path for cultivating the mind."
"I speculate that you are cultivating the Way of Water not only to compensate for the weaknesses in your state of mind but also to compensate for the flaws in your Sacred Intent. If your Sacred Intent still has flaws, it means the Sacred Intent you have cultivated must be extremely advanced, likely reaching the second rank."
Inside the carriage, Que was silent for a long time.
The boy driving the carriage scratched his head in confusion and asked, "Sir, are there many wheel tracks on the ground? I can't see them."
"Some traces, you cannot see, just as you still cannot see the rules between heaven and earth. But the rules are there, and the traces are there too." Que sighed softly.