Chapter 2421: Fusion of Sacred Art and Sacred Will
Zhang Ruochen was too lazy to bother with the truth or falsehood in Blood Butcher's words, saying, "As it happens, I have a task I need you to handle for me. You should have time, right?"
"Doing things for Senior Brother is my duty without hesitation."
Blood Butcher patted his chest, but the next moment, his eyes rolled, and he lowered his voice to ask, "Is it dangerous? I'm only at the Undying Realm now. If it's too dangerous, I'm afraid I can't handle it!"
"It's not dangerous. Just help me look into something."
Blood Butcher breathed a sigh of relief. "What is it?"
"I want to know everything about the Jiannan Realm," Zhang Ruochen said.
A puzzled look appeared in Blood Butcher's eyes. "Jiannan Realm? Among the Myriad Realms of the Heavenly Court, is there such a great world?"
"No, Jiannan Realm is not a subordinate mortal realm of the Heavenly Court. It's a great world that has never birthed a god. It should now be under the control of some force in the Hell Realm," Zhang Ruochen said.
Blood Butcher's worries vanished, and he laughed. "I was wondering why I hadn't heard of it. Turns out it's a weak realm without gods. The Hell Realm has countless such great worlds under its banner. A small matter. I'll go investigate right away."
Just as he was about to leave, he stopped and gave a forced smile. "Senior Brother, look at me. I'm doing things for you, but am I supposed to go barefoot? Barefoot is fine, but I can't exactly go naked, can I?"
"If you like being naked, then go naked."
Zhang Ruochen walked straight through an invisible barrier of light, stepping into the formation of the Hanhai Manor, and his figure disappeared.
Blood Butcher clenched his fists, furious but dared not speak. Finally, he stomped his foot and headed toward the Star Sea World. It seemed he'd have to withdraw some of the Divine Stones he'd just deposited.
Zhang Ruochen emerged from the formation again, watching the direction Blood Butcher had left, and said to the Great Senluo Emperor beside him, "Little Senluo, follow him quietly and keep a close watch."
"Don't worry. If he tries any tricks, I'll break his legs."
The Great Senluo Emperor used a concealment sacred art, his figure vanishing as he silently followed.
Zhang Ruochen had promised those Heavenly Slaves to protect the Jiannan Realm for ten thousand years.
Although they had all died on the Heaven Hunting Battlefield, since he had made the vow, Zhang Ruochen took it to heart and would surely fulfill it.
Zhang Ruochen activated the Sundial again but didn't rush to cultivate. Instead, he pulled out a blood-red pearl and, from its inner space, retrieved the skeletal body of Yanhong Great Saint.
Yanhong Great Saint's body was a set of divine bones. Legend said she had awakened deep within the Santu River region, been killed three times by a Supreme Realm Great Saint, yet resurrected three times, earning her the title of undying body.
Her divine bone body stood one thousand eight hundred miles tall.
Zhang Ruochen had used Space Chains to restrain her, so now she appeared about the height of a normal human.
He laid her flat on the ground. Except for her head, her entire body was pink. The bones seemed forged from pink jade, crystalline and translucent, emitting a faint divine light.
Inside the bones, faint traces of Undying Divine Patterns could be seen, mysterious and profound, containing an unfathomable Dao rhythm.
Zhang Ruochen's finger touched the bone of her left hand, and an electric shock-like sensation shot through him. The divine light radiating from the bones repelled any cultivator who tried to touch her.
"Interesting. No wonder she's a pink skeleton even a Supreme Realm Great Saint couldn't kill. Truly undying even in death."
Zhang Ruochen could sense that her divine bones were slowly absorbing the death energy from the surroundings.
The pink skeleton's skull had been attacked by Zhang Ruochen with three drops of Dark Space-Time Substance, turning it pitch black. The Undying Divine Patterns within the divine bones had also become very dim.
Zhang Ruochen closed his eyes, channeling his spiritual power to his fingertip.
With one finger, he pressed against the pink skeleton's forehead.
His spiritual power condensed into a bolt of lightning, surging from his fingertip into the interior of her skull.
Inside the skull was an unexplorable, eerie region, gray and hazy. The moment Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power rushed into that area, it was met with a powerful counterattack.
"Boom!"
At the point where Zhang Ruochen's fingertip touched the pink skeleton's forehead, a divine light wave erupted with immense force, pushing Zhang Ruochen back four steps.
"Such terrifying energy. It seems the Dark Space-Time Substance didn't kill the pink skeleton."
Zhang Ruochen dared not probe further recklessly. He lightly tapped his chin with his finger, deep in thought.
Was the pink skeleton a Bone Clan cultivator who had gained sentience, or was she an undead god?
If the latter...
Keeping her by his side would be an uncontrollable disaster.
For the next six months, Zhang Ruochen studied the Undying Divine Patterns on the pink skeleton's body and tried sketching them on spirit paper, but all attempts ended in failure.
Those Undying Divine Patterns were too complex and profound. At best, he managed to draw only half before the pattern collapsed into wisps of red smoke.
In the library of the Seven Star Imperial Palace, Zhang Ruochen found records related to "Undying Divine Patterns."
So-called Undying Divine Patterns could only be cultivated by top-tier gods. The more Undying Divine Patterns one developed, the better one could resist the Eon Calamity, increasing the chance of surviving another eon.
The difficulty of killing true gods was also partly due to Undying Divine Patterns.
"Forget it. I'll study Undying Divine Patterns once my spiritual power reaches the sixty-sixth rank."
The sixty-sixth rank of spiritual power was another major watershed for spiritual power Great Saints. Once achieved, a cultivator could contend with a Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint using only spiritual power.
Moreover, the cultivator's vitality would greatly increase, allowing spiritual power to merge into every part of the body.
Even if the physical body was destroyed, the spiritual power could remain undying.
Among the Thousand Questions Realm Heavenly Slaves, Qi Die was a sixty-sixth-rank spiritual power Great Saint. With her powerful spiritual power, she could hide her true strength and deceive the false gods of the Destiny Temple.
Not wanting to involve gods in every matter, Zhang Ruochen didn't seek out Xue Hou or Xue Jue War God. Instead, he sent the pink skeleton into the Qiankun Realm.
In the Qiankun Realm, death energy was scarce.
There, it would take the pink skeleton hundreds or thousands of years to absorb enough death energy to awaken. Even if she did awaken, as long as she wasn't a true god, Zhang Ruochen could suppress her again.
Zhang Ruochen tried to communicate with the Sword Dao Essence imprint left by Qiangu Nüdi on the trunk of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, but this time, her divine thought didn't appear.
"Feng Hou just died. The entire Fate Divine Domain is on high alert. All Wujian Pavilion cultivators have gone into hiding. The Nüdi has likely left too. It seems I'll have to go far from the Fate Divine Domain to contact her again."
Zhang Ruochen withdrew from the Qiankun Realm. Blood Butcher and the Great Senluo Emperor still hadn't returned.
So, he took out the bronze coffin containing the divine corpse again, thinking, "In the Heaven Hunting Battle and my fight with Yan Wushen, I've almost exposed all my trump cards. If someone wants to kill me, they'll have analyzed me thoroughly, prepared adequately, and have counters for all my techniques. I need to develop one or two powerful methods no one knows about."
In the Hell Realm, Zhang Ruochen felt a strong sense of crisis.
Thus, he decided to spare no expense in cultivating the Devourer Insects.
Placing the bronze coffin within the Sundial's range, Zhang Ruochen didn't immediately fly inside. Instead, he tried using his spiritual power to communicate with the Sundial.
The communication failed.
Unable to do otherwise, Zhang Ruochen flew into the bronze coffin himself. The Time Imprints condensed by the Sundial followed him into the coffin's vast inner space.
Landing on the surface of the divine corpse, Zhang Ruochen first carefully observed the sleeping Devourer Insects.
Then, he found an area free of divine poison liquid and began to cultivate.
Xue Jue War God had pointed out his weaknesses, and Zhang Ruochen knew which aspects he needed to improve. For now, besides breaking his shackles, there were at least two things to do.
First, cultivate the Way of Truth, striving to trigger a tenfold attack power in a shorter time during battle.
Second, fuse the Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Will with the Thousand Questions Realm Sacred Art.
The second task was the top priority.
Although the Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Will was powerful, Zhang Ruochen had yet to integrate it into a sacred art for flexible use and execution. He could only use the Sacred Will alone to launch attacks.
To cultivate a perfected Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Will, he clearly needed to first integrate it into a sacred art and deepen his understanding through battle after battle.
"The Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm is the Thousand Questions Realm sacred art I've mastered most thoroughly. I'll start by fusing the Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Will with it."
Zhang Ruochen spread his arms and slowly released the Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Will, condensing it into a massive Taiji imprint.
...
Time passed quickly.
In the bronze coffin, Zhang Ruochen cultivated for one year and three months.
Every day, he only practiced the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm and manipulated the Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Will, repeating the process tens of thousands of times. His proficiency with both improved significantly.
Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saints needed a lot of time to gather power for a Thousand Questions Realm high-rank sacred art.
Through this year-plus of cultivation, Zhang Ruochen's time to execute the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm had at least halved. But when he tried to fuse it with the Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Will, he always failed.
"One more try. If it still doesn't work, I won't waste any more time. I'll settle for fusing the Sacred Will with a Hundred Shackles Realm high-rank sacred art. That should be much easier."
"Whoosh!"
With a thought, Zhang Ruochen summoned the Taiji imprint formed by the Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Will, suspending it before him.
Then, he spread his stance, and an overwhelming masculine energy set his entire body ablaze.
On his left arm, the shadows of ten Azure Dragons coiled.
On his right arm, the shadows of ten Zangjin Baihu roared.
As his palm power grew stronger, it pulled the Taiji imprint before him, distorting and sinking it, constantly surging toward his two palms.
"Hold on, almost there, just a little more..."
Zhang Ruochen's palms had already burned gold, as if about to melt. His palm power had peaked, but he still hadn't struck.
He couldn't strike yet.
"Press down."
Zhang Ruochen made a bold decision. He released his Space True Domain, using space power to forcibly compress the Taiji imprint toward his palms.
Unexpectedly, it worked.
When the Taiji imprint fully merged with his palms, Zhang Ruochen felt as if his hands no longer belonged to him, heavy as mountains. He could no longer control the palm power.
"Boom!"
His right palm struck forward, unleashing a heaven-shaking tiger roar.
The terrifying palm power fluctuation surged out of the bronze coffin, turning into a golden pillar that shot straight into the sky.
The bronze coffin rang like a struck bell, producing a deafening sound that sent everyone cultivating under the Sundial flying.
Blood Butcher had just entered the Hanhai Manor and hadn't even shouted "Senior Brother" when the shockwave from the bronze coffin blasted him backward, slamming him heavily into the formation's light wall.
Blood trickled from his ears.
...
Inside the bronze coffin's inner space.
Zhang Ruochen stood on the surface of the divine corpse, looking at his two bloody palms.
The power of that palm strike had been too great—too great to control—so it had injured him.
But Zhang Ruochen threw his head back and laughed heartily, in excellent spirits.
No matter what, the Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Will had finally successfully fused with the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm. Although it wasn't always successful, although the execution was slow, and although it hurt him, it was a good start.
As long as he practiced diligently, there would come a day when he mastered it completely.
Then, wherever his mind went, his palm would follow.
"To cultivate a perfected Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Will, perhaps space power will play a huge role."
"Space... Yin-Yang... Five Elements..."
"Yin-Yang... Space... Five Elements..."
Zhang Ruochen stood still, repeating these words, trying to find the key to cultivating a first-rank Sacred Will.
Everything has both Yin and Yang aspects.
Everything is part of space.
Everything is composed of the Five Elements.
After thinking for a long time, unable to figure it out, Zhang Ruochen shook his head.
A first-rank Sacred Will—how could it be understood overnight?
Outside the bronze coffin, Zhang Ruochen sensed Blood Butcher's aura. He paused his cultivation, flew up, and returned to the Hanhai Manor. The wounds on his palms had already healed on their own.
Zhang Ruochen looked at Lian Xi and asked, "How many Divine Stones are consumed per day?"
"Fifteen," Lian Xi said.
Zhang Ruochen frowned deeply, muttering to himself, "Fifteen times the normal amount. Indeed, the larger the space, the greater the consumption. I wonder if the cultivators entering the bronze coffin have higher cultivation levels, or if more cultivators affect the Divine Stone consumption."
Cultivating for a year cost fifteen Divine Stones.
Cultivating for a thousand years would cost fifteen thousand Divine Stones.
An ordinary Great Saint could never afford that.
Blood Butcher cautiously approached Zhang Ruochen from behind. "Senior Brother, I've found the information on the Jiannan Realm."
Zhang Ruochen turned around seriously. "What's the general situation? Which force controls the Jiannan Realm now?"
Blood Butcher said, "It's a bit complicated! Originally, the Destiny Temple's Heavenly Fate Department calculated its position in the universe, and one of the twelve Divine Palaces, the Death Divine Palace, went to conquer it, making it a private territory of the Death Divine Palace."
"But not long ago, several forces joined together, paid a high price, and bought the Jiannan Realm from the Death Black Robe High Priest."
Zhang Ruochen snorted coldly. "Not long ago? How long?"
"Right after the Heaven Hunting Battle," Blood Butcher said.
Zhang Ruochen nodded thoughtfully. "The Jiannan Realm has no powerful inheritance, no sacred mountain or treasure land. Only one cultivator, through his own groping and exploration, reached the Great Saint realm. It's a barren great world of very low value. Yet someone was willing to spend a fortune to buy it. Which forces made the move?"
"The Earth Fiend Ghost City of the Ghost Clan took the lead, with the Bone Sea of the Bone Clan and the Longevity Hall of the Corpse Clan also contributing a large number of Divine Stones," Blood Butcher said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Sure enough, it's the Earth Fiend Ghost City. They really are targeting me. But very few cultivators know about my transaction with the Jiannan Realm cultivators. Who leaked it?"
The master of the Earth Fiend Ghost City was none other than Ghost Lord.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen thought of someone, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes. "Is Blade Prison Emperor still in the Fate Divine Domain?"
"Him? He left long ago. I heard he went to the Undying Divine Temple to break through to the Thousand Questions Realm," Blood Butcher said.
"Dare to betray me. Do you think hiding in the Undying Divine Temple or breaking through to the Thousand Questions Realm will save your life?"
Zhang Ruochen's killing intent surged.
Regarding the Jiannan Realm matter, after much thought, the only person Zhang Ruochen could think of who might have leaked it was Blade Prison Emperor.
Zhou Zhen walked in from outside, handing Zhang Ruochen an invitation. "Young Master, a ghost cultivator just delivered this invitation, inviting you to the Divine Maiden Tower tonight for a meeting."