# Chapter 2435: Ming Huang's Old Friend
"Huang Tian, you blocked them!"
Zhang Ruochen patted the big dog Huang Tian's head and walked into the Seven Star Imperial Palace. Seeing that Mo Yin was still refining and absorbing Cang Baizi's Sacred Source, he urged her with a word.
"Bang."
He took out the Purple Gold Gourd and poured out Xing Qian's corpse.
Although Xing Qian was not killed by him, the Judgment Hall clearly had no interest in evidence. Even if he explained, it would be useless, so he might as well destroy the evidence.
"Eh!"
Zhang Ruochen sensed something strange and couldn't help but carefully examine Xing Qian's corpse. Then, he slowly stepped back, using the Saint Qi within his body to activate the formation inscriptions and divine patterns in the palace.
The entire hall was covered with a dense web of lightning.
After retreating to a safe position, Zhang Ruochen said coldly, "Come out, are you going to keep hiding?"
A strange thing happened.
Xing Qian's stiff corpse stood upright, and a hoarse voice said, "An Eon-level genius is indeed different. With your Hundred Shackles Realm cultivation, you can still sense my aura."
"Hua!"
The Seven-Handed Old Man separated from Xing Qian's corpse, his gaze deep and profound as he looked at the surrounding lightning, displaying the demeanor of a top-tier expert who remained unruffled.
"So what Cang Baizi said was true. The person Bai Qinger was dealing with really is you."
Zhang Ruochen knew well that the Seven-Handed Old Man possessed formidable spiritual power and was a very dangerous figure, so he maintained a high level of vigilance at all times.
The Seven-Handed Old Man glanced outside the hall and said with a sinister laugh, "In the Fate Divine Domain, daring to go against the Judgment Hall, I don't know whether to call you bold or suicidal. Anyway, I won't get involved in this matter. I'll take my leave first."
"Leave? I think, Gambling God Senior, you'd better stay. Since you're here, you can just happen to testify for me. Xing Qian was killed by Bai Qinger. Don't you want to get rid of Bai Qinger?" Zhang Ruochen said.
The Seven-Handed Old Man said, "Testify? Get rid of Bai Qinger? My great genius, don't be naive. What kind of place is the Judgment Hall? Once I go in, all my secrets will be dug out. If I testify for you, they will perform a Soul Search on me. By then, can you hide the fact that you killed Cang Baizi and destroyed the evidence?"
"You can cut away that part of your memory," Zhang Ruochen said.
The Seven-Handed Old Man said, "The Destiny Temple will help me recover my memory."
Go to the Judgment Hall? Go to the Destiny Temple?
The Seven-Handed Old Man would rather die than go. If he went, the secret of the Origin Divine Temple would definitely not be kept.
Zhang Ruochen had never actually thought of having the Seven-Handed Old Man come forward to testify and accuse Bai Qinger. He had only said those words to test him and confirm his suspicions.
Zhang Ruochen said, "So, Gambling God Senior is unwilling to come forward, all for my own good?"
"I admire a junior like you very much. It's only right that I look out for you," the Seven-Handed Old Man said seriously.
Zhang Ruochen would be a fool to believe him.
At the Divine Maiden Tower, Zhang Ruochen had caused him to lose over five hundred thousand Divine Stones. He probably wanted to kill him.
The Seven-Handed Old Man looked outside again and thought to himself, at this rate, the Judgment Hall's divine judgment will soon arrive.
Once the divine judgment arrived, even with his powerful spiritual power, he wouldn't be able to escape.
The Seven-Handed Old Man waved his hand and said, "I must leave now, great genius. Quickly put away the formations and divine patterns."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and said, "Senior cannot leave."
"Why is that? If I am caught by the Judgment Hall, your crime will be impossible to clear!" the Seven-Handed Old Man said seriously, as if he were thinking of Zhang Ruochen's best interests.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I can kill you to silence you!"
"Kill to silence? Kill who? Kill... me?"
The Seven-Handed Old Man pointed at himself, his face full of shock. Then, he burst into harsh laughter and said, "I only refrained from dealing with you because you are the grandson of Xue Jue War God. I never expected you to actually want to kill me. Do you know what level my spiritual power has reached? Kill me? Below the Divine Realm, there are very few who dare to say such words."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Senior lost quite a bit of lifespan in the Purple Gold Gourd, didn't you? Are you still in a weakened state?"
The Seven-Handed Old Man sneered and said nothing.
Zhang Ruochen continued, "This Seven Star Imperial Palace was personally forged by Xue Jue War God. The Great Saint inscriptions and divine patterns here, including the formation inscriptions, were all inscribed by the War God himself. In your current state, do you really have the confidence to escape?"
The Seven-Handed Old Man's face turned green and purple. "Great Genius Zhang, we have no grievances or enmity. Why must we fight to the death? Could it be that you know you are about to die and deliberately want to drag someone down with you... Hiss..."
The Seven-Handed Old Man sucked in a breath of cold air, feeling that he had probably guessed correctly.
Was Zhang Ruochen really this insane?
The Seven-Handed Old Man's tone softened a few degrees. "How about this: you let me leave the Seven Star Imperial Palace, and I will do everything in my power to rescue you from the Judgment Hall. What do you think? If you don't believe me, I can swear an oath to the gods."
So what if he swore an oath?
He would just do everything in his power. If he couldn't save him, it wouldn't be his fault.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I'm very curious. Why did Bai Qinger target you?"
"What else could it be? It's all for the Divine Stones. At the Divine Maiden Tower, I lost over five hundred thousand Divine Stones and couldn't pay up, so she hunted me down. Sigh! More than ninety percent of the killings in this world are because of Divine Stones," the Seven-Handed Old Man said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "The great Gambling God can't come up with over five hundred thousand Divine Stones?"
The Seven-Handed Old Man sighed repeatedly, trying to gain Zhang Ruochen's sympathy. "Outsiders only see me winning large amounts of Divine Stones, but they don't know that I also spend large amounts of Divine Stones to extend my life. The elixirs for extending life are extremely expensive. I've long since emptied my coffers."
Zhang Ruochen offered a word of comfort. "You should have come to me. I could have helped you."
"What do you mean?" the Seven-Handed Old Man asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Don't you know that I possess the new sapling of the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, and the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree can nurture the Spring of Life?"
"Really?"
The Seven-Handed Old Man's spirits lifted greatly, his eyes shining brightly.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Before answering this question, let me ask you one first."
"Ask quickly."
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "Since Senior has little lifespan left, how did you survive inside the Purple Gold Gourd? Cang Baizi lost several thousand years of lifespan in there."
The Seven-Handed Old Man immediately restrained his excited emotions, realizing that this junior had been leading him on all along.
Indeed, the more he said, the more mistakes he made.
The Seven-Handed Old Man chuckled. "How could a strong man of my level not have means to resist Time Imprints?"
"Since Senior says so, then I will also answer you. I... do not have the Spring of Life," Zhang Ruochen said.
The Seven-Handed Old Man said angrily, "Zhang Ruochen, the most important thing for you right now is to resolve the crisis with the Judgment Hall. What's the point of holding onto me?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "The Judgment Hall came after me for no reason because of the conflict between you and Bai Qinger. If I don't even know why I'm being targeted, how can I resolve the crisis?"
"What exactly do you want to know?" the Seven-Handed Old Man asked.
Zhang Ruochen's expression turned serious. "I eavesdropped on the conversation between Bai Qinger, Cang Baizi, and the others. She set up a trap at the Divine Maiden Tower using the Seven-Colored Coral Tree, all to deal with you."
"That vicious woman actually dared to scheme against me," the Seven-Handed Old Man said indignantly.
Zhang Ruochen continued, "But even though she lost over five hundred thousand Divine Stones, she still claimed she hadn't lost. Moreover, she said that as long as she kept an eye on you, she could win it back."
"I have reason to suspect that you must be hiding a secret worth far more than five hundred thousand Divine Stones."
"If Senior reveals that secret, I will let you leave right now. Otherwise, when the Divine Domain's Enforcement Judgment arrives, Senior won't be able to leave even if you want to."
The Seven-Handed Old Man said nothing, staring coldly at Zhang Ruochen. His powerful spiritual power was released, ready to force his way out.
Zhang Ruochen was not afraid at all. "If I'm not mistaken, Senior has cultivated the Way of Origin, haven't you? Below the Divine Realm, apart from Time cultivators, only the Origin Divine Eye can clearly see Time Imprints. Only by seeing them clearly can one avoid them."
"Senior must have used the power of Origin at the Divine Maiden Tower to detect the life fluctuations inside the Seven-Colored Coral Tree, right?"
"The power of Origin alone is not enough to make Bai Qinger go to such lengths to deal with you. Without enormous benefits, no one would willingly provoke a strong enemy like you."
"If Senior doesn't tell me, it doesn't matter. When I am taken to the Judgment Hall, I can use this to trade with the Divine Domain's Enforcement Judgment. Compared to killing me, I believe that Enforcement Judgment will be more interested in the secret on your body."
The Seven-Handed Old Man deflated, withdrawing his spiritual power. "You win. I'll tell you, alright?"
...
The Destiny Temple was the center of power for the Ten Clans, with countless believers in fate.
It was these believers who pushed the Destiny Temple to its supreme ruling position, making it the overlord of the Hell Realm.
Among the Three Halls and Twelve Palaces of the Destiny Temple, the Death Divine Palace, the Calamity Divine Palace, the Wrath Divine Palace, the Terror Divine Palace, the Judgment Hall, and the Heavenly Mandate Hall were all primarily responsible for killing and warfare.
However, their targets differed.
The Death Divine Palace, Calamity Divine Palace, Wrath Divine Palace, and Terror Divine Palace mainly dealt with external enemies, killing beings from the various realms of the Heavenly Court, the ancient civilizations, and the undiscovered worlds, secret realms, and planets in the universe.
The Judgment Hall dealt with internal affairs, sanctioning and judging cultivators from the major forces of the Hell Realm who did not abide by the bottom-line rules, maintaining the delicate balance among the Ten Clans, and demonstrating the Destiny Temple's control over the Hell Realm.
The Heavenly Mandate Hall was more about defense, guarding the Destiny Temple and the Fate Divine Domain, and upholding the Destiny Temple's supreme status. In the recent Eon, the Heavenly Mandate Hall had grown considerably, gradually beginning to intervene in external affairs, encroaching on the power of the Judgment Hall and the various Divine Palaces.
At the Heavenly Mandate Hall's headquarters.
One of the Ten Fate Emperors, Wuyue Ming Huang, had originally been in seclusion cultivating a peerless divine ability, but he chose to emerge early to meet an old friend.
It was worth mentioning that "Sacred Arts" were techniques cultivated by Saint Realm cultivators.
"Divine Abilities" were techniques cultivated by gods.
Wuyue Ming Huang was not a god, yet he could cultivate divine abilities, which clearly showed that his cultivation had reached an astonishing level.
Wuyue Ming Huang's old friend was a black-robed man, sitting across from him.
Three-Dog Lingzun stood outside the hall, hearing the continuous laughter and cheerful voices coming from inside. He was extremely curious. Why was the usually stern Ming Huang laughing so happily?
Who was that black-robed man?
Wuyue Ming Huang raised a bronze triangular cup and said, "Brother Qitian, after a hundred years of cultivation in the Relic Realm, you must have gained a lot, right? How long ago did you emerge?"
"I emerged recently."
The black-robed man, Qitian, drank a cup and continued, "After reaching the Divine Realm, every step forward is extremely difficult. Even if I go into seclusion for a hundred years, or even a thousand years, the progress won't be too great."
Wuyue Ming Huang shook his head. "For others, I would believe that. But you are Qitian. You ascended to the Hell Realm less than a thousand years ago and became a god. You are someone who can compete with Fengchen Sword God and Yuqiu Divine Son. In the last millennium, you were among the most outstanding in the Hell Realm."
"It's a pity that Yuqiu failed his Divine Tribulation, and the world has lost an opponent. Come, drink another cup."
Qitian finished his drink, put down the cup, and asked, "When will you undergo your Divine Tribulation?"
"I dare not take risks like you, and I certainly don't want to follow in Yuqiu Divine Son's footsteps. I need to accumulate more. Besides, the Heavenly Mandate Hall is in a critical period of development and expansion. If I break through and become a god, wouldn't the Judgment Hall be celebrating?" Wuyue Ming Huang said with a meaningful smile.
He and Qitian were sworn brothers, so they spoke without any reservations.
Qitian lowered his voice and said, "I heard that the Judgment Hall is planning another major operation."
Wuyue Ming Huang's smile faded. "The operation against Zhang Ruochen?"
"Even Zhuo Yunong has personally gone there," Qitian said.
Wuyue Ming Huang said, "The Fate River flowing backward, flooding the temple. Such an anomaly has never happened before. I've long heard that there are several judges within the Judgment Hall who want to get rid of Zhang Ruochen. Now that they finally have an opportunity, how could they let it go?"
"But I didn't expect that someone as clever as Zhuo Yunong would personally take action. This so-called Eon-level genius, Zhang Ruochen, has a slim chance of becoming a god. At least for now, he is insignificant. But if they kill him, will Xue Jue War God behind him let it go?"
"Zhuo Yunong's move this time is something I can't quite understand."
Qitian nodded. "Yes. Why would he act personally? Even if the Judgment Hall wanted to act, sending a military commander would be enough. If Xue Jue War God came to cause trouble, they could just push that commander out as a scapegoat. Acting personally doesn't seem like his style."
Wuyue Ming Huang's eyes moved. "Could there be some hidden circumstances we don't know about?"
Qitian sat up straight and smiled.
Wuyue Ming Huang said, "Brother Qitian, you must know the inside story. Tell me quickly."
Qitian transmitted his voice. "I heard that top-grade Origin Divine Crystals appeared at the Divine Maiden Tower. This matter is very likely related to that."
"Top-grade Origin Divine Crystals?"
Wuyue Ming Huang was as if struck by lightning. He stood up abruptly, his pupils turning into two blazing divine suns. "Has the Origin Divine Temple emerged?"
"Very likely."
Qitian continued, "If it weren't for the Origin Divine Temple, I can't think of any other reason that would make Zhuo Yunong so desperate."
"The secret of the Origin Divine Temple cannot be leaked. Of course, he had to go personally," Wuyue Ming Huang said coldly.
Qitian said, "Originally, the Fate Divine Domain should have been managed by the Heavenly Mandate Hall, but the Judgment Hall has usurped most of the power. If the Judgment Hall finds the Origin Divine Temple, the Heavenly Mandate Hall will never be able to compete with them again. Perhaps one day, the Destiny Temple will only have two halls left."
Wuyue Ming Huang let out a snort like a thunderclap. "Brother Qitian, rest assured. The foundation laid by our predecessors will not be lost in our generation."
Three-Dog Lingzun walked in and said, "Reporting to Ming Huang, the Luo Princess of the Tianluo Divine Kingdom has sent a sacred envoy requesting an audience."
"Not seeing them."
Wuyue Ming Huang waved his hand, but then thought of something and quickly changed his mind. "Let him in."
A moment later, a Rakshasa Clan Great Saint entered, holding a purple gold box in his hands. He smiled and said, "Lord Ming Huang, the Princess has ordered me, an old minister, to present you with a gift for your perusal."
The purple gold box flew into Wuyue Ming Huang's hands.
Opening the box, a dazzling purple light surged out, accompanied by a deafening lion's roar, as if a divine lion were sealed inside.
Even with Wuyue Ming Huang's cultivation, seeing the elixir inside the box, his expression changed. He quickly closed the box again. Taking a deep breath to calm his excited emotions, he said, "Did your Princess have any message for me?"
The Rakshasa Clan Great Saint shook his head and smiled. "The Princess said that as long as Lord Ming Huang likes it, that's enough."
"Go back and tell your Princess that I like this gift very much. Thank her for her generous offering," Wuyue Ming Huang said.
After the Rakshasa Clan Great Saint left, Wuyue Ming Huang patted the box with his palm, unable to suppress a smile. "This Luo Princess is indeed a clever woman. She knows very well that in the Fate Divine Domain, only the Destiny Temple dares to challenge the Destiny Temple. To deal with the Judgment Hall, only the Heavenly Mandate Hall can act."
"An Imperial Grade Sacred Elixir is indeed precious, but are you so easily bought off?" Qitian said.
Wuyue Ming Huang shook his head. "Since I've already decided to get involved in this matter, why not do her a favor? That Princess knows how to choose gifts. This Imperial Grade Sacred Elixir can help me survive the Divine Tribulation. There's no way I can refuse it!"
"Three-Dog!"
Three-Dog Lingzun said, "Your subordinate is here."
"Send the order. All Sacred Guards in the Hanye City Domain are to immediately go to the Hanhai Manor to arrest Zhang Ruochen. I will arrive shortly."
After giving the order, Wuyue Ming Huang thought of something and said coldly, "Three-Dog, it's best if you don't spread what you've seen and heard today."
Three-Dog Lingzun was afraid of being silenced and quickly swore, "Your subordinate swears by the Venerable's name that if I reveal even half a word, may I suffer divine form annihilation and die a miserable death."
...
Zhang Ruochen held a top-grade Origin Divine Crystal before his eyes, examining it closely. "You mean to say that Bai Qinger targeted you just for this top-grade Origin Divine Crystal?"
"A top-grade Origin Divine Crystal is of such great importance. I've taken it out. Could I still be lying?" the Seven-Handed Old Man said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Is there really only this one?"
"You're so young, why are you so suspicious? This is a top-grade Origin Divine Crystal. Do you think it's as common as cabbage? It was because of this that I nearly lost my life. Giving it to you is also a good thing. Having something like this on you will only bring deadly trouble," the Seven-Handed Old Man said, acting as if he had seen through it all.
Zhang Ruochen said, "But there were five top-grade Origin Divine Crystals at the Divine Maiden Tower. Why did Bai Qinger go to such lengths to seize yours?"
"Those five were already reserved by the major powers. How could the Goddess Twelve Pavilions have the right to keep them?"
The Seven-Handed Old Man said in a pleading tone, "Great genius, can you let me go now?"
Zhang Ruochen raised a finger. "One last question. Where did you get this top-grade Origin Divine Crystal?"
The Seven-Handed Old Man stared into Zhang Ruochen's eyes with a sincere gaze. "I won it from the gambling city at the Divine Maiden Tower, of course. Quickly put away the divine patterns and formation inscriptions. If we delay any longer, we will both fall into the hands of the Divine Domain's Enforcement Judgment."
"It's too late. He's already here!"
Zhang Ruochen's gaze turned to the sky outside the hall.
A thick layer of black clouds rolled in from afar, carrying a powerful Saintly might that seemed capable of crushing this world, imposing and awe-inspiring.
Among the Saint Realm cultivators Zhang Ruochen had seen, the three giants of the Guanghan Realm—Wu Zu, Jiemo Dadi, and Jiuling Dasheng—paled in comparison to this aura. Only the aura of Ming Wang before his breakthrough could match its edge.