Chapter 2442: Detection
As the Blood Spirit Ship entered the space wormhole, the Space Chaos Silkworm, which had been sleeping all along, suddenly opened its two small, seven-colored eyes and awakened in Zhang Ruochen's palm.
It resembled a silkworm larva, rolling around affectionately, and transmitted a mental message: "Hungry, so hungry, I want to eat, eat... eat..."
The voice was very childish, like a toddler's.
Zhang Ruochen sighed helplessly, set up a barrier formation within the cabin, and then channeled the vast, surging sacred Qi from within his body, surging forth from his palm.
The Space Chaos Silkworm greedily absorbed the sacred Qi imbued with spatial power.
Zhang Ruochen consumed about seventy percent of his sacred Qi before it was finally sated.
"You're such a glutton. With all the energy contained in that much sacred Qi, your tiny body can actually withstand it."
Zhang Ruochen gently stroked the Space Chaos Silkworm's head with his finger, smiled, and added, "Since you're entirely seven-colored, from now on I'll call you Xiao Qi."
"Ya ji, ya ji, Qi... Qi..."
The Space Chaos Silkworm seemed very excited, weaving around Zhang Ruochen's finger before finally settling on his index finger, taking the form of a seven-colored ring.
At the Divine Maiden Tower, Zhang Ruochen had downplayed the value of the Space Chaos Silkworm larva to the level of tens of thousands of divine stones. In truth, he knew very well that the Space Chaos Silkworm, having absorbed the Seven-Colored Coral Tree, had undergone a certain transformation. Once it matured into an adult, it would undoubtedly be even more formidable than a divine beast.
Moreover, most of the Seven-Colored Coral Tree absorbed by Xiao Qi was still stored within its body, to be gradually released as it grew. Its path to maturity would be faster and easier than that of other Space Chaos Silkworms.
Its value should be considered as that of a Space Chaos Silkworm larva plus a Seven-Colored Coral Tree.
It was priceless.
Zhang Ruochen took out a divine stone, held it between his hands, and quickly recovered his expended sacred Qi.
A single feeding consumed seventy percent of his sacred Qi, an expenditure greater than that of his battle with Yan Wushen that day. He would have to train diligently; otherwise, he might not be able to feed Xiao Qi in the future.
The wooden staff placed beside him was the Divine Envoy Staff once bestowed upon him by the Moon God, crafted from a branch of the Tree God of the Guanghan Realm.
This staff, within the ruins of the Dragon God Temple, had absorbed the spiritual will of the Matriarch, condensing a blurry Divine Demon Mark, constantly emitting an evil, dark aura.
The entire cabin, except for the area where Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged, was filled with black, sinister Qi, gloomy and cold.
The Matriarch's true body was the heart of a god who cultivated the Path of Darkness. Under the combined assault of three powerful beings—the Sword Emperor, the Stone Emperor, and the Dragon Fiend Emperor—and with Zhang Ruochen's use of the God-Defying Stele, it was finally defeated.
The heart of the Dark God was sealed at the bottom of the Blood Sea within the Blood Sea Demon Mirror's inner space.
The Dark God's spiritual will was suppressed inside the Divine Envoy Staff. Back then, it was refined into a Divine Demon Mark by the spiritual wills of the Moon God and the Tree God.
This time, to disguise himself as an evil spiritual power master, Zhang Ruochen had specifically used the Purifying Divine Flame to refine the Divine Envoy Staff.
However, the Dark God's spiritual will remained powerful, and he could not yet fully control the staff's evil power.
The Blood Spirit Ship shook violently once more, emitting a series of creaking sounds.
Then, the spatial compression force disappeared, and light and a cold, biting aura seeped in through the gaps in the window.
Zhang Ruochen, holding the wooden staff, pushed open the door and walked out. Standing by the Blood Spirit Wood railing, he exhaled a puff of white breath and looked down at the endless snowy land, smiling. "We've finally arrived at Ice King Star."
"Woo... Woo..."
The howling wind blew snowflakes the size of goose feathers onto Zhang Ruochen's head and shoulders.
The sky was no longer a bloody red but a pale cyan. Thunder rumbled from within the thick clouds, and lightning bolts occasionally struck down on the distant snowy peaks.
On the vast ice plain, a large number of cultivators had gathered, preparing to cross the wormhole to the Wing World of the Blood Heaven Tribe.
Some were solitary, returning from adventures on the fringes of the Hell Realm. Others were in groups, seemingly disciples of the same clan. Some led entire fleets of ships, their decks crowded with humans and savage beasts, as well as bloody skeletons.
These humans and savage beasts were all blood provisions shipped back from various worlds.
"Ao!"
The sound of hooves and wolf howls echoed across the sky and earth.
A troop of the Blood Absolute Family army, riding White Wolf Ice Beasts, patrolled the ice plain, approaching from afar.
The leader, a four-winged Nine-Step Saint King, raised his voice: "Pay the passage fee in order. Ten sacred stones per cultivator, fifty sacred stones for a ship of blood provisions. Stowaways are strictly prohibited. Violators will be severely punished."
No cultivator dared to cause trouble here. Suspended within the clouds above the ice plain was a magnificent sacred hall, within which a Great Saint of the Blood Absolute Family was stationed.
Anyone who caused trouble would die.
According to the information provided by Qingsheng Great Saint, Zhang Ruochen knew that the Great Saint stationed at the White Lian Ice Plain Wormhole was originally a son of Nishuanshi, Xue Tianyi.
He was the seventh son of Xue Jue War God, making him the younger brother of the Underworld King and the older brother of Xue Hou.
Xue Tianyi was not only exceptionally talented but also deeply inherited Xue Jue War God's true teachings. Three thousand years ago, he had defeated Xue Qingsheng, who was at the Supreme Realm, and made it onto the Heavenly Palace's *Red Dust Peerless List* and the Destiny Temple's *Divine Reserve Scroll*. He was renowned not only in the Blood Heaven Tribe but throughout the entire Undying Blood Clan.
Unfortunately, no matter how powerful, without becoming a god, one could never control one's own destiny.
After the Underworld King and Xue Hou returned, Xue Tianyi was dispatched by the Underworld King to the Merit Battlefield.
No one could defy the will of a god.
Even if he was Xue Jue War God's son.
The Great Saint currently stationed at the White Lian Ice Plain Wormhole was Xue Qing, a Thousand Questions Realm cultivator.
Qingsheng Great Saint had added a note in the information: "Xue Qing alone cannot guard a wormhole. Nishuanshi will surely have summoned top experts from the Shura Divine Temple to protect the shadows. Be careful, very careful."
"According to the information my uncle gave me, Nishuanshi has been operating on Ice King Star for over ten thousand years, with a plethora of experts under his command. Some are Blood Absolute Family disciples, some are invited from the Shura Divine Temple, and some are guest elders hired from minor clans on the fringes of the Hell Realm. There are at least six Great Saints above the Thousand Questions Realm. And the Blood Absolute Family isn't even a first-rate power on Ice King Star. This shows that this planet is indeed a den of wolves and tigers, with a concentration of Saint Realm experts no less than a powerful realm of the Heavenly Court."
Zhang Ruochen liked such dark places teeming with experts. They were perfect for honing his sacred arts and for mastering the power of his demigod body more quickly.
The cabin door next to him opened, and a Rakshasa Clan Great Saint with ten bone wings on his back walked out. The illusionary technique he used to conceal his identity was as good as nonexistent under Zhang Ruochen's Eye of Truth.
"Why is it him?"
Zhang Ruochen was startled and quickly averted his gaze.
A Sacred Dao Emperor of the Rakshasa Clan's Phil Clan, Phil Tianding.
Zhang Ruochen had seen him at the Divine Maiden Tower.
At that time, Phil Tianding, along with Huanxu Blood Emperor and Cang Baizi, had gone to the Peacock Palace to pay respects to Bai Qinger.
"Could the owner of that cabin not be the City Lord of Jifeng Sacred City? Or perhaps both the City Lord of Jifeng Sacred City and Phil Tianding are in the cabin. Both are top-tier Great Saints; their simultaneous appearance is already unusual. Moreover, they deliberately concealed their identities, hiding in an ordinary Blood Spirit Ship. They must have a major scheme. Could it be targeting me?"
"No, they couldn't possibly know I've come to Ice King Star."
Zhang Ruochen felt a vague unease, finding Phil Tianding's presence here highly abnormal.
"Could it be for the top-grade Origin Divine Crystal and the Seven-Handed Old Man? No, they shouldn't know that the top-grade Origin Divine Crystal and the Seven-Handed Old Man are both with me."
Zhang Ruochen calmed his mind, revealing no flaws, and pretended to be gazing into the distance.
"Thump, thump."
Ji Wenwu quickly walked over to Phil Tianding, knelt on one knee, and presented a Message Light Talisman, saying, "Lord Phil, the whereabouts of that person have been found."
Phil Tianding picked up the Message Light Talisman, read it quickly, and a cruel smile appeared on his face. "Excellent."
Suddenly, his smile vanished, and his gaze fell on Zhang Ruochen not far away. Using his sixty-second-level spiritual power, he thought himself undetectable as he probed Zhang Ruochen.
Finding only a fifty-eighth-level spiritual power Saint King, nothing to fear, he withdrew his spiritual power.
Phil Tianding said in a deep voice, "Now that we're on Ice King Star, keep everything simple. Don't casually reveal my identity in front of outsiders."
"Yes, this junior understands."
Ji Wenwu knelt on the ground, cold sweat pouring down his face.
Phil Tianding ignored him, walked into the cabin holding the Message Light Talisman, and then his aura vanished.
Zhang Ruochen understood that the other party had likely set up a powerful formation barrier within the cabin.
"Whose whereabouts are they investigating?"
Zhang Ruochen frowned, burning with curiosity, yet he dared not act rashly. Who knew how many experts were still hidden in that cabin?
Barging in would be walking into a trap.
Phil Tianding was only in the cabin for a moment before quickly walking out, spreading his ten bone wings, soaring into the sky, and disappearing into the thick clouds. From start to finish, he used a concealment sacred art, so Ji Wenwu, still kneeling at the cabin door, had no idea he had secretly left.
Watching Phil Tianding leave, Zhang Ruochen felt a deeper sense of worry.
He wanted to immediately pursue Phil Tianding, capture him regardless of his goal, but he also wanted to break into the cabin to see who was hiding inside.
Phil Tianding had taken the Message Light Talisman and first entered the cabin, presumably to report and seek instructions from someone, before setting off. This indicated that the person in the cabin was even more formidable than Phil Tianding.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen's gaze fell on Ji Wenwu, who had just stood up, and an idea struck him.
Zhang Ruochen stroked his long beard with dry fingers, walked over, and said, "Ji Wenwu of the Jifeng Sacred City Lord's Mansion?"
Ji Wenwu didn't have a good impression of this "Master Xunmu" and snorted, "What advice do you have for me?"
"Nothing much. I just remembered you helped me pay the passage fee earlier, so I came to thank you. I am Xunmu, a spiritual power cultivator from Nanling."
Zhang Ruochen's wrinkled face broke into a smile.
Though it was a smile, his appearance made it look particularly sinister.
"So you still remember that."
Ji Wenwu thought to himself, "A trivial favor, no need to dwell on it."
"Old as I am, I'm not one to be stingy. I don't have any sacred stones on me, so take this treasure as repayment for your kindness."
Zhang Ruochen took out a piece of jade and handed it to Ji Wenwu.
Ji Wenwu hesitated for a moment, then reached out to take it. The moment their hands touched, Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power surged into his body, straight into his sea of consciousness.
An instant later, Zhang Ruochen withdrew his spiritual power, his heart churning with shock.
Forcing himself to stay calm, he glanced at the cabin door, careful not to reveal any flaw.
Ji Wenwu's spiritual power was far inferior to Zhang Ruochen's, so he naturally didn't know that his sea of consciousness had been probed. He only felt a slight numbness in his hand.
"Ice King Star has arrived. We'll meet again. Farewell."
Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands in a salute, then flew off the Blood Spirit Ship, landing on the snow-covered plain. He flew low to the ground, heading west.
Ji Wenwu examined the jade in his hand, probing it with both blood fiend Qi and spiritual power, but found nothing unusual.
There were only two possibilities.
First, that old man named Xunmu was indeed extremely stingy, fobbing him off with a worthless piece of jade.
Second, Master Xunmu's jade was so rare that Ji Wenwu's cultivation level couldn't penetrate it.
"A spiritual power master that powerful shouldn't give away an ordinary piece of jade as a thank-you gift, right?" Ji Wenwu shook his head and temporarily put the jade away.
That jade was, of course, not ordinary.
Inside the jade, Zhang Ruochen had sealed a thought of his spiritual power.
As long as the jade remained on Ji Wenwu, Zhang Ruochen could track him and, through him, find Bai Qinger.
This thread could not be broken.
Only by keeping Bai Qinger in the open and himself in the shadows could he contend with her. Otherwise, the gap in their cultivation levels was too vast, and Zhang Ruochen wouldn't stand a chance.
Of course, if another cultivator discovered the secret within the jade, Zhang Ruochen could simply will the thought to be destroyed, leaving no trace.
In Ji Wenwu's sea of consciousness, Zhang Ruochen hadn't seen Bai Qinger, but he had seen Phil Tianding, Huanxu Blood Emperor, and Huan Tie Blood King.
With these three Great Saint powerhouses gathered, how could Bai Qinger not be there?
However, Bai Qinger's spiritual power was too strong. Even if Ji Wenwu had seen her, he wouldn't have remembered her.
Zhang Ruochen secretly rejoiced that he hadn't barged into the cabin. Surrounded by so many experts, he would likely have died there. Even with the world power of the Qiankun Realm and the help of Zangjin Baihu, he wouldn't have survived.
Zangjin Baihu was powerful, but it wasn't recognized by the world's rules. If it used too much power, it would be killed by those rules before it could kill its enemies.
Ice King Star was not like the Fate Divine Domain.
In the Fate Divine Domain, those who wanted to kill Zhang Ruochen had to fear retaliation from the Blood Absolute Family's gods and were wary of alarming the Fate Divine Domain, so they were somewhat restrained.
Here, even if they killed Zhang Ruochen, they had a hundred ways to destroy the evidence, making it impossible even for gods to investigate.
Of course, that was a desperate situation only if he was surrounded.
If he wasn't surrounded, with Zangjin Baihu's speed and Zhang Ruochen's space-time power, even if Bai Qinger was stronger and brought twice as many experts, Zhang Ruochen was confident he could escape.
Being surrounded or not was the difference between life and death for any Great Saint.
"Why would Bai Qinger appear on Ice King Star? Just to capture the Yu Emperor? No, capturing the Yu Emperor would only require Phil Tianding; there's no need to bring so many experts."
Zhang Ruochen had no time to think further. After flying about two thousand miles, he immediately changed direction, unleashing his full speed to pursue Phil Tianding.
At the same time, he inscribed a Message Light Talisman and sent it to the Yu Emperor.
"Bai Qinger, you want to go after my people? I'll make you lose a general first."
...