Chapter 2434: The Arbiter Wants to Kill
"What formidable spiritual power. Fortunately, I mobilized the power of the Qiankun Realm, or else it would have been difficult to escape from her hands. Who exactly is she, daring to kill a Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint of the Hell Realm within the Fate Divine Domain?"
Zhang Ruochen was pursued relentlessly by Bai Qinger's spiritual power clone. Finally, he fled into a densely populated urban district, changed his appearance, and managed to get away.
That Miss Bai was clearly restrained by something.
Judging by her posture of swearing not to stop until Zhang Ruochen was dead, if this had been elsewhere, even if it meant slaughtering all the cultivators in the entire city district, she would have dug him out.
Returning to the Vast Sea Manor and opening the Seven Star Divine Palace, Zhang Ruochen immediately released Cang Baizi from the Purple Gold Gourd.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Speak. Who exactly is that Miss Bai? Why did she want to kill Xing Qian?"
Cang Baizi had lost a massive amount of his lifespan, his corpse body severely decayed. He lay on the ground, his aura weak, looking sickly and feeble.
"Not talking? Fine. Keeping you is worthless. Die now."
A ball of scorching Purifying Divine Flame surged from Zhang Ruochen's palm.
Cang Baizi's face changed drastically. "Zhang Ruochen, this is the Fate Divine Domain. If you dare kill me, the Arbiter Hall will never let you off, and the Longevity Hall will regard you as a mortal enemy."
In any faction, a Great Saint at the Thousand Questions Realm or Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm was a rare and top-tier expert.
If this were the Guanghan Realm, with Cang Baizi's cultivation, he would rank among the top ten powerhouses of the entire great world. The Moon God ranked first, and he would at least be eighth or ninth.
If Cang Baizi were killed, one could imagine how furious the Longevity Hall would be.
"You dared to kill me, so why wouldn't I dare to kill you?"
Zhang Ruochen flicked his finger, sending a wisp of Purifying Divine Flame onto Cang Baizi, burning his corpse body with a sizzling sound.
Zhang Ruochen had no intention of searching Cang Baizi's memories.
This wasn't the Heaven Hunting Battlefield. Cang Baizi's important memories were certainly protected by the power of a deity.
Moreover, Cang Baizi was no weakling. He was a Great Saint at the initial stage of the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm, with formidable spiritual power. Although he was very weak now, Zhang Ruochen dared not underestimate him.
If he was ambushed while searching the memories, the loss would outweigh the gain.
"Want to kill me? Do you even deserve it?"
Rage surged in Cang Baizi's eyes. He let out a sky-shaking roar, and dense Sacred Dao Rules burst from his body, condensing into seven Dao Palaces that pressed down towards Zhang Ruochen.
No matter how talented a genius, it was impossible to defeat a Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm Great Saint with a Hundred Shackles Realm cultivation.
In Cang Baizi's view, he had only been captured because he was ambushed. If they truly fought, even in his current weakened state, he still had a fighting chance.
As for the rumors that Zhang Ruochen had erupted with power close to a Supreme Realm Great Saint during his battle with Yan Wushen, Cang Baizi considered them completely exaggerated, baseless nonsense, and impossible.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. The Flame God Armor automatically emerged, surging divine power flowed within his body, and he kicked out.
His left leg became covered in dense Flame Divine Patterns, unleashing the full power of the Blazing God Leg.
"Boom!"
Cang Baizi's Dao Domain shattered, his seven Dao Palaces split apart, and his body flew backward, crashing heavily into the formation wall of the Seven Star Divine Palace before falling to the ground again.
"How... how can you be this strong? Your power..."
Cang Baizi stared at Zhang Ruochen, who was walking closer step by step, his eyes filled with shock.
Just that kick alone had unleashed power that would be difficult for him to block even at his peak.
Zhang Ruochen's entire body was burning, the temperature in the palace becoming extremely high, like a bronze furnace. "I'll give you one last chance. Are you going to talk or not?"
Knowing that he absolutely couldn't escape the Seven Star Divine Palace in his current state, Cang Baizi had to stabilize Zhang Ruochen first. He quickly said, "I'll talk, I'll talk."
Zhang Ruochen had calculated that Cang Baizi wasn't made of tough stuff. He had probably already had his mental will shattered by that Miss Bai's torment. Otherwise, why would he have acted like such a lackey in the Peacock Palace?
A person like this would never have a chance to become a god in this lifetime.
Zhang Ruochen said, "You'd better not talk nonsense. I don't have much patience."
"If I talk, will you spare my life?" Cang Baizi asked.
"That depends on how valuable what you say is."
Cang Baizi lowered his head, pondered for a moment, then raised it again. "Miss Bai's identity is actually not much of a secret. Many cultivators in the Hell Realm know it. She is the daughter of the White Queen, the current ruler of the Goddess Twelve Pavilions. Her name is Bai Qinger."
"An extraordinary identity indeed. No wonder she acts so recklessly and without restraint." Zhang Ruochen snorted lightly.
Cang Baizi said, "There are rumors that Miss Bai's father might be the great god Huang Tian. Of course, this rumor has never been confirmed, and the possibility of it being false is quite high. Many cultivators believe that the Goddess Twelve Pavilions is just trying to use Huang Tian's name to intimidate all sides."
The guardian spirit beast lying outside the Seven Star Divine Palace's gate, which looked like a cross between a lion and a dog, suddenly raised its massive head, its bell-like eyes looking around, searching for who was talking about it.
"Daughter of Huang Tian?"
Zhang Ruochen's eyes narrowed, his gaze sharpening. "Why did she want to kill Xing Qian?"
"What Miss Bai was really after was Seven Hands Old Man. Xing Qian was probably just killed in passing," Cang Baizi said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Why did she want to deal with Seven Hands Old Man?"
"This..." Cang Baizi hesitated.
"Sizzle!"
Purifying Divine Flame ignited again in Zhang Ruochen's palm.
Cang Baizi shrank his neck and quickly said, "I don't know the specific reason. I think it might be because Seven Hands Old Man won too many Divine Stones at the gambling city run by the Goddess Twelve Pavilions. That's why Miss Bai made a move against him."
Zhang Ruochen sneered coldly, "Do you think I'm that easy to fool? If it were just about Divine Stones, why would that Miss Bai take the risk of killing Xing Qian? After I took you away, she came after me, clearly wanting to silence me. This matter is definitely not simple."
"Maybe Xing Qian was just killed by mistake."
Seeing Zhang Ruochen still staring at him with a hostile expression, Cang Baizi said tremblingly, "Chasing after you was probably because you discovered the secret of her killing Xing Qian. She had to eliminate you."
Zhang Ruochen said, "But before she chased me, I didn't even know who killed Xing Qian."
Cang Baizi was almost driven mad by Zhang Ruochen's interrogation. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Great Saint Ruochen, I really don't know what's going on. Spare my life, and I'll help you seize the Jiannan Realm. What do you think?"
Zhang Ruochen frowned, lost in thought.
Bai Qinger's move against Seven Hands Old Man must have a major scheme behind it.
However, Cang Baizi was just a subordinate she controlled through dreams. It was unlikely he had access to the core secrets.
Cang Baizi added, "Great Saint Ruochen, I know you are a dragon among men, destined to achieve the supreme divine path. But passing the Jiannan Realm hurdle won't be easy. You need someone to lend you a hand."
Zhang Ruochen glanced at him. "Using someone like you is too risky."
Cang Baizi's heart sank, sensing something was wrong. He hurriedly said, "Great Saint Ruochen..."
"Sizzle, sizzle."
Zhang Ruochen pressed his palm onto Cang Baizi's head. Purifying Divine Flame continuously surged from his palm, enveloping his corpse body, burning it like an old corpse, emitting a foul stench.
Cang Baizi wanted to self-destruct his Sacred Source and take Zhang Ruochen down with him.
Unfortunately, his spiritual power was no match for Zhang Ruochen's, and his thoughts were completely suppressed.
Before long, Cang Baizi was burned to ashes, leaving only a Sacred Source on the ground.
"Hurry up and absorb and refine this Sacred Source."
Zhang Ruochen tossed the Sacred Source to Mo Yin, who was in the process of fusing with her Dharma Body.
A Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm Great Saint's Sacred Source was a rare find. Mo Yin accepted it joyfully.
Killing Cang Baizi was meant to serve as a warning to those Hell Realm cultivators who planned to deal with Zhang Ruochen. However, he couldn't leave any traces, at least not enough for the Arbiter Hall to catch him.
In the Hell Realm, it was indeed a place of the strong preying on the weak, where slaughter ran rampant.
But killing a cultivator with a powerful background still required some subtlety. It couldn't be done too blatantly.
...
Yao Qing was a Heavenly Arbiter Army Lord of the Arbiter Hall. His cultivation had reached the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm a thousand years ago.
He only took orders from one of the Arbiter Hall's Ten Arbiters, the "Divine Domain Law Arbiter."
The Divine Domain Law Arbiter, in turn, took direct orders from the Arbiter Venerable. He was responsible for maintaining order throughout the entire Fate Divine Domain. He could sanction the High Priests of the Twelve Divine Palaces from above and kill any cultivator who violated the rules of the Destiny Temple from below.
It could be said that the Divine Domain Law Arbiter was a being feared by cultivators of all races.
Even Divine Sons and Divine Daughters would choose to retreat when they saw him.
Yao Qing's face was ashen. He led a team of several dozen enforcers, clad in armor and holding Sacred Swords, surrounding the Vast Sea Manor.
Two Earth Arbiter Army Lords, whose cultivation had reached the peak of the Thousand Questions Realm, Army Lord Qi Xin and Army Lord Zhen, stood to his left and right respectively.
"What's going on? So many strong men from the Arbiter Hall have surrounded the Vast Sea Manor."
"Heavenly Arbiter Army Lord Yao Qing has arrived in person. Something major must have happened."
"Earth Arbiter Army Lords can arrest Divine Sons and Divine Daughters. Heavenly Arbiter Army Lords can even arrest the wives and concubines of gods. If they resist arrest, they can be executed on the spot."
"Zhang Ruochen has been too arrogant and reckless in the Fate Divine Domain. He's finally reaping what he sowed."
...
Except for a few cultivators who stayed to watch, most retreated far away. The killing intent radiating from the Arbiter Hall cultivators made them uncomfortable.
Hong opened the gate of the Vast Sea Manor and walked out.
He took a closer look and was startled by the Sacred Dao aura of the enforcers outside.
However, thinking of Zhang Ruochen's noble status in the Hell Realm, Hong's fear subsided somewhat.
He said, "What is the meaning of surrounding the Vast Sea Manor, everyone?"
Army Lord Qi Xin shouted coldly, "Open the formation. By order of the Arbiter Lord, we are arresting Zhang Ruochen."
Hong was secretly alarmed. As the grandson of the War God Xue Jue and a heavenly proud son personally betrothed by a God Venerable, the Arbiter Hall dared to arrest him just like that?
Just as Hong hesitated for a moment, Yao Qing's face showed a hint of impatience. He pressed his palm out. With a boom, the formation inscriptions blocking the way shattered one after another, and the ground where the Vast Sea Manor stood shook incessantly.
The formation laid by the formation earth master was broken in an instant.
As a Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm Great Saint, Yao Qing was more than ten times stronger than Cang Baizi.
Yao Qing walked through the gate of the Vast Sea Manor with his hands behind his back. "As a Great Saint servant from the Heavenly Court, you see three Arbiter Lords arriving and do not kneel. A capital offense!"
Hong's face was filled with terror as he was dragged away by two Great Saint enforcers.
"Thud."
His head was severed by a Sacred Sword.
The Arbiter's Sword could extinguish all life force. Even if you were a Great Saint, it could kill you with one strike.
Hong, once a top-tier genius of the Heavenly Realm Faction, now lay as a headless corpse on the crimson steps, his Sacred Blood gushing out like a fountain.
The watching cultivators were all in an uproar, retreating further.
The blood of a Great Saint finally woke them up, making them realize that this time, the Arbiter Hall was serious. They would not be deterred by Zhang Ruochen's special status.
Zhou Zhen, Shen Tu Yunkong, and Lian Xi were alarmed and rushed out of the manor, just in time to see Hong being killed.
Their hearts felt as if struck by a heavy hammer. They quickly knelt on one knee on either side of the gate.
Only now did they clearly understand how fragile their lives were in the Hell Realm. An Arbiter Army Lord could decide their life or death with a single word.
Yao Qing stood straight as a spear, walking into the Vast Sea Manor and arriving below the Seven Star Divine Palace. Zhang Ruochen was already standing at the palace gate, looking down at him.
Yao Qing's face was expressionless. "Zhang Ruochen, if you're smart, don't resist. Come with me to the Arbiter Hall."
Zhang Ruochen opened his palm, revealing the Fate Heavenly Token. "Given my status, even if the Arbiter Hall wants to take me, you should at least give me a reason, right?"
Yao Qing and all the enforcers bowed in unison to Zhang Ruochen.
They were not bowing to Zhang Ruochen, but to the Fate Heavenly Token.
After the bow, Yao Qing straightened up again. "The Arbiter Hall has received information that you killed Xing Qian of the Shura Divine Temple and captured Cang Baizi of the Longevity Hall. Do you admit to these two matters?"
Zhang Ruochen only knew that the Divine Maiden Tower had a close relationship with the Death High Priest, but he didn't expect they could also mobilize the power of the Arbiter Hall.
Admitting it was, of course, impossible.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Both of these matters are completely false. Someone is trying to frame me. Xing Qian and I have no grievances. Why would I kill him? As for Cang Baizi of the Longevity Hall, isn't he at the Divine Maiden Tower? I certainly didn't capture him."
Yao Qing said, "If it wasn't you, then come with me to the Arbiter Hall. Once the matter is investigated, we will surely give you justice."
Army Lord Qi Xin and Army Lord Zhen, holding Divine Chains, stepped onto the stairs of the Seven Star Divine Palace and walked towards Zhang Ruochen.
"Boom!"
A powerful white light burst forth from the stairs, blasting the two Earth Arbiter Army Lords backward. They landed unsteadily, stumbling back repeatedly, looking disheveled.
The Seven Star Divine Palace was once the palace of the War God Xue Jue. With Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation, working together with the guardian spirit beast Huang Tian to activate it, its defensive power was enough to block a Supreme Realm Great Saint.
How could two Earth Arbiter Army Lords possibly break in?
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "Forgive me, both Army Lords. It's not that I'm unwilling to go to the Arbiter Hall. But if every time a cultivator has an incident, the Arbiter Hall wants to arrest me for interrogation, wouldn't I have to spend my entire life in the Arbiter Hall's iron prison? So, I suggest you find enough evidence before coming to arrest me."
He had just returned to the Vast Sea Manor, and the Arbiter Hall's enforcers had arrived. Wasn't that too fast?
It was certain that Bai Qinger was deliberately using the Arbiter Hall's hand to deal with him.
Zhang Ruochen had already heard that when he successfully fused the sixth type of Sacred Will, an omen of "the fate stream flowing backward, flooding the divine palace" had appeared. Although the War God had forcefully explained it away in the name of Fengdu Dadi, given the Arbiter Hall's principle of "rather kill the wrong one than let them go," how could they miss this chance to eliminate Zhang Ruochen?
Killing Zhang Ruochen was to protect the Destiny Temple.
On this matter, Bai Qinger and the Arbiter Hall's interests and goals were aligned.
If Zhang Ruochen surrendered without a fight, he would probably be executed before he even reached the Arbiter Hall. By then, even if the War God and his mother wanted to save him, it would be too late.
For now, the only option was to hold fast in the Seven Star Divine Palace and stall for as much time as possible.
Yao Qing's face darkened to the extreme. In the Fate Divine Domain, no cultivator had ever dared to speak to an Arbiter Hall Army Lord in such a tone. This was a complete disregard for the Arbiter Hall.
"Zhang Ruochen resists arrest. Kill without mercy."
Yao Qing's voice seemed to be squeezed through his teeth.
At his command, the Arbiter Hall enforcers attacked simultaneously, launching an assault on the Seven Star Divine Palace.
Yao Qing naturally recognized the Seven Star Divine Palace. He knew that with their current force, it would be very difficult to breach it.
The reason he still attacked was to force Zhang Ruochen to fight back.
Once Zhang Ruochen fought back, regardless of whether he was guilty or not, the Arbiter Hall could kill him.
"Zhang Ruochen resists arrest. Requesting the Arbiter Lord's personal presence." Yao Qing inscribed a Message Light Talisman and sent it out.
To break the Seven Star Divine Palace and kill Zhang Ruochen, the Arbiter Lord would have to act personally.
...
After the five top-grade Origin Divine Stones were stolen, the cultivators gathered at the Divine Maiden Tower immediately rushed to the Vast Sea Manor. However, the manor was already surrounded and sealed off by the Arbiter Hall. No cultivator could get close.
Standing on a pavilion, Bai Qinger muttered to herself, "In the end, I was still a step too late."
She could ask the Death High Priest and the Arbiter Hall to act because both sides had the same goal: to kill Zhang Ruochen.
But now, wanting to stop the Arbiter Hall from arresting Zhang Ruochen was absolutely impossible.
Blood Butcher saw Hong's corpse on the steps. His scalp went numb, and his legs went weak. "The Arbiter Hall... came too fast..."
"Indeed, a bit too fast."
Gu She Jing's eyes looked towards the Vast Sea Manor, which was constantly emitting booming sounds of battle. Her gaze was deep, and no one knew what she was thinking.
Blood Butcher said, "My senior brother must have been framed."
"Since you know that, why don't you hurry and report to the Blood Queen? Do you think you can save him on your own?" Gu She Jing said.
Blood Butcher hesitated for a moment, then quickly left.
As the Blood Queen's disciple, he naturally had a way to contact her quickly.
Blood Butcher chose to save Zhang Ruochen because, in the Divine Maiden Tower, Zhang Ruochen knew he had leaked information but still saved him from Gu She Jing's hands.
Besides, tricking him out of the Supreme Sacred Artifact back then was indeed his fault.
Blood Butcher had already seen clearly that his senior brother was a man of deep emotions, not as cold as he appeared on the surface. Being so strict with him was probably just to temper his character.
Moreover, having an Eon-level genius as a senior brother, he, Blood Butcher, would surely rise in status from now on.
Luo Shengtian walked over to Gu She Jing's side, his expression grave. "It's useless. Gods cannot interfere in mortal affairs. Going to the Blood Queen won't help either. Back then, the direct son of the Qitian Tribe's Great Chieftain, Qi Longfei, fought a Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint in the Fate Divine Domain, causing heavy casualties in a city district, with hundreds of thousands of cultivators perishing."
"The Arbiter Hall arrested Qi Longfei, and the Qitian Tribe's Great Chieftain immediately went to plead for mercy. After all, he was her only son, and she probably wouldn't have another. She had always doted on him, spoiling him rotten."
"But the Arbiter Venerable stopped the Qitian Tribe's Great Chieftain outside the Arbiter Hall. At that time, the Arbiter Venerable said a sentence: 'Without rules, how can one command the world? If pleading from a god could grant forgiveness, what need would there be for the Arbiter Hall?' Then, the Venerable personally executed Qi Longfei."
Gu She Jing said, "Zhang Ruochen is smart. As long as he hasn't entered the Arbiter Hall, there's still room for recovery. If the Blood Queen can arrive in time and take him back to the Blood Absolute Family, would the Arbiter Hall dare to storm the Blood Absolute Family?"
Luo Shengtian said, "If that's the case, Zhang Ruochen would probably have to hide in the Blood Absolute Family for the rest of his life, never able to take a single step outside."
"Isn't your Tianluo Divine Kingdom going to lend a hand?" Gu She Jing said.
Luo Shengtian said, "I've already sent all my cultivators to find Cang Baizi and Xing Qian. As for what happened at the Divine Maiden Tower, we all understand that Zhang Ruochen isn't that formidable. To steal the top-grade Origin Divine Stones right under the noses of so many of our experts, and then kill Tan Fei through seventeen layers of seals, that must be a truly terrifying figure, someone who can command the wind and rain below the divine realm."
"What if Zhang Ruochen really did kill Xing Qian and capture Cang Baizi?" Gu She Jing said.
Luo Shengtian was silent for a long time. "The Arbiter Hall has long wanted to kill Zhang Ruochen. In the Fate Divine Domain, the Destiny Temple ultimately has the final say. We can't help much. Unfortunately, the War God Xue Jue isn't in the Fate Divine Domain. Otherwise, with his domineering personality, the Arbiter Hall would have to show some restraint."
...
Blood Butcher knelt in the Blood Queen's Divine Realm World, quickly recounting the entire sequence of events from beginning to end.
"Master, you must save senior brother. If he's taken into the Arbiter Hall... the consequences would be unimaginable..."
The Blood Queen's divine shadow was thousands of feet tall, standing like a mountain before Blood Butcher. "Gods cannot interfere in mortal affairs. Besides, the Arbiter Hall acts with justice. They won't wrong your senior brother. So, you need not worry."
"I heard the Arbiter Hall has long wanted to put senior brother to death," Blood Butcher quickly said.
The Blood Queen said, "Even if they want to kill Chen'er, the Arbiter Hall must produce evidence. I believe in Chen'er's abilities. Even if he really killed someone, he would have erased all traces. If there's nothing else, you may withdraw. Your master still needs to continue cultivating."
Blood Butcher never expected his master to have such an attitude.
At his senior brother's critical moment of life and death, she actually trusted the Arbiter Hall? And she still had the mood to cultivate?
Was this the same master who had fought the Heavenly God Xiu Chen to save his senior brother's daughter?
Was his master afraid of the Arbiter Hall?
Abnormal. Too abnormal.
What was going on?
...
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