# Chapter 2444: News of Lingxi
Stone Emperor, wearing the Flowing Light Merit Armor obtained from Zhang Ruochen, erupted with five thousand times the speed of sound, crossing over eight hundred miles in an instant, thrusting his Xuanhuang Saint Spear toward Fei'er Tianding's back.
Fei'er Tianding swung his lance backhand, clashing against the Xuanhuang Saint Spear.
"Boom!"
A large shower of sparks scattered from between the lance and spear.
Energy ripples spread outward in all directions.
Stone Emperor's true body was Xuanhuang Stone, unbreakable even by gods. His intelligence had been born from fusing the spiritual wills of six fallen gods, gestating in the Dragon God Hall ruins for nearly an eon.
It could be said that he was not much weaker than cosmic divine fetuses like Lan Ying.
On Stone Emperor's body, six divine pattern imprints emerged, releasing six completely different divine powers, transforming into six divine rivers dozens of miles long, surging toward Fei'er Tianding.
"Who are you? Why do you have the power of six gods gathered on you? No, it seems the spirits of six gods are also blessing you."
Fei'er Tianding's expression changed drastically. He found it hard to understand how a Great Saint with such terrifying origins could appear on Ice King Star.
One person gathering the power of six gods—how vast must his background be?
"Withdraw!"
Fei'er Tianding rapidly contracted his Dao Domain. Originally covering a thousand miles, it now shrank a thousand times.
Though the coverage area shrank, the Dao Domain's power grew even stronger.
All Sacred Dao Rules condensed into Rakshasa-shaped saint armies, like a battle formation of thousands of troops, clashing against the six divine rivers. Fei'er Tianding could not withstand the divine power of the rivers, his feet shifting backward as he retreated.
"If I, the Emperor, had not yet fully fused the spiritual wills of the six gods, that spear strike just now would have pierced through you." Stone Emperor's eyes blazed like fireballs, his inner power erupting with full force.
"Whoosh—"
A sword light descended from the sky like a pillar of light.
Fei'er Tianding sensed the deadly threat from above, bent his legs, lowered his center of gravity, and thrust his Golden Jade Cloud Wing Lance upward.
The lance tip blazed with light, colliding with the sacred sword formed by Sword Emperor's body.
"Boom rumble."
With Fei'er Tianding, Sword Emperor, and Stone Emperor at the center, a chaotic energy storm spread outward, churning up mud and stone from the ground, threatening to engulf an immensely vast area.
Zhang Ruochen certainly did not want the battle fluctuations here to be detected by the outside world. So, he struck the ground with his wooden staff.
The dark evil qi from the staff spread out, enveloping a thousand miles in radius, turning it into an extreme dark world.
At this moment, he looked very much like an evil dark archmage.
Sword Emperor was the remnant sword intent of a powerful Sword God from the Middle Ages, gathering various primal energies to condense a body in the Dragon God Hall ruins.
His sword intent could directly sever a cultivator's saint soul.
Fei'er Tianding, suppressed by the combined might of Sword Emperor and Stone Emperor, could not move. At that moment, Yu Huang, holding the Seven Star Ghost Lotus, drew upon the formation's power, transforming it into a ghostly qi pillar that struck him heavily.
"Pfft."
Fei'er Tianding's crown shattered, his saint robe torn, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, looking up to the sky.
The sacred sword formed by Sword Emperor shattered the Golden Jade Cloud Wing Lance, its shaft breaking into pieces of scrap iron that flew in all directions.
The sword blade followed through, piercing Fei'er Tianding's chest. Saint blood gushed out like a spring.
This sword not only wounded Fei'er Tianding's immortal saint body but also severely damaged his saint soul, causing the sharp light in his eyes to dim considerably.
"Whoosh!"
The sacred sword flew out, transforming back into Sword Emperor's body, landing to the side.
Stone Emperor's Xuanhuang Saint Spear followed, stabbing into Fei'er Tianding's heart, piercing through it, and pinning him to the ground.
Yu Huang quickly rushed over, drawing the formation's power to wrap Fei'er Tianding's body layer by layer, preventing him from self-destructing his saint source in a desperate last stand.
"No need for such trouble. He wouldn't dare self-destruct his saint source."
Zhang Ruochen walked over and added, "A Thousand Questions Realm peak Great Saint should have had a strong spiritual will, yet he couldn't withstand the fear of nightmares or the greed for beautiful dreams. He has long become cowardly, humble, and afraid of death. He is a failure whose saint soul has been corroded."
Fei'er Tianding was both furious and terrified, roaring, "Who exactly are you people?"
The other party actually knew about nightmares and beautiful dreams, which filled him with fear.
Yu Huang snorted lightly, "Didn't you sense that powerful spatial fluctuation just now?"
"Spatial fluctuation... You're Zhang Ruochen?"
Fei'er Tianding's eyes widened, his face turning deathly pale.
Zhang Ruochen transformed back to his original appearance, crouched down, and said in a low voice, "Tell me, has Bai Qinger come to Ice King Star?"
"Hmph! Do you really think my spiritual will is so fragile? You won't get anything from me."
Fei'er Tianding's expression turned almost manic, laughing loudly as he channeled the evil sha qi within him toward his saint source.
Zhang Ruochen struck his forehead with a finger, shattering his intention to self-destruct his saint source, and said, "You actually thought you could self-destruct your saint source in front of me."
Yu Huang said, "Let's just seize his memories directly."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head gently, "The Fei'er family is an ancient clan that can rival the Blood Absolute family. As a Thousand Questions Realm Great Saint of the clan, his memories must be protected by divine power. Although we are on Ice King Star, making it hard for gods to descend directly, when my power comes into contact with divine power, the Fei'er family's gods will surely recognize my identity."
"Then what do we do?" Yu Huang asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Don't worry. How could a Great Saint whose spiritual will has already been shattered keep any secrets?"
Zhang Ruochen threw Fei'er Tianding into the Qiankun Realm, letting Zhou Zhen and Shentu Yun Kong interrogate him.
Zhang Ruochen had Yu Huang clean up the traces on the battlefield, then fell into thought.
Fei'er Tianding's willingness to self-destruct his saint source to keep a secret truly surprised Zhang Ruochen. However, it also showed Bai Qinger's fearsomeness from another angle. Fei'er Tianding must have known that betraying Bai Qinger would bring a fate worse than death, which was why he made such a choice.
"Capturing Yu Huang as soon as I arrived on Ice King Star was clearly to deal with me. Bai Qinger couldn't possibly not know the consequences of opposing me, yet she still chose to act. Then there's only one possibility—she has already guessed that Seven Hand Old Man is with me. Her goal is the top-grade Origin Divine Crystal."
Zhang Ruochen understood more deeply that absolutely no one must know the secret of his arrival on Ice King Star, and even more so, the Nixuan Clan and Bai Qinger must not know that he came to Ice King Star to find Mu Lingxi.
The interrogation of Fei'er Tianding soon yielded results.
However, it was not Zhou Zhen and Shentu Yun Kong who acted, but Seven Hand Old Man.
"Bai Qinger has come to Ice King Star, and she seems to have guessed that your dispatch of Xia Yu to Ice King Star had another purpose. This woman is frighteningly shrewd. Whether in spiritual power or sacred path cultivation, she has reached the pinnacle. From now on, you must be careful at every step." Seven Hand Old Man's voice reached Zhang Ruochen's ears.
That old fellow was certainly not concerned about Zhang Ruochen's safety.
Rather, because he was now wanted by the Destiny Temple and hunted by Bai Qinger, he had to hide in the Qiankun Realm. If Zhang Ruochen fell into Bai Qinger's hands, he would be finished too.
Seven Hand Old Man transmitted again, "Bai Qinger has likely guessed that you would come to Ice King Star, which is why she brought a group of experts and came here personally."
"Your evaluation of Bai Qinger seems quite high?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Seven Hand Old Man snorted lightly, "I, the old man, have roamed through various gambling games and never lost, yet I fell into her hands. Could that be a coincidence?"
"Moreover, my spiritual power has reached the sixty-ninth level, just a hair's breadth away from becoming a god through spiritual power. Yet, when I used spiritual power attacks against her, I couldn't do anything to her. Think about it—how strong must her spiritual power be?"
"Fei'er Tianding, Cang Baizi, and the like—each is a fierce character among Great Saints—yet all have become her subordinates. Don't you find that chilling to think about?"
"You came to Ice King Star with extreme caution, yet she still saw through you. If not for your good luck in coincidentally being on the same Blood Spirit Ship as her, Xia Yu would have fallen into her hands by now. Can you bear such consequences? Kid, facing that demoness Bai Qinger, you'd better not be careless, or you'll die without knowing how."
As soon as Seven Hand Old Man finished speaking, Zhang Ruochen sensed something and immediately transmitted to Yu Huang, Sword Emperor, and Stone Emperor, "Let's go. Leave here immediately."
Not long after Zhang Ruochen and the others left, a black streak of light flew down from the clouds, condensing on the ground into a tall, thin black-robed cultivator.
The black robe dissipated, revealing a cold, perfect face with skin as white as jade immortal jade, and eyes as calm as a lake—as beautiful as a young girl's, yet as deep as a god's eyes.
Those were Origin Divine Eyes.
Inch by inch, she searched for traces on the ground.
"Shush shush."
The sound of wind breaking continued.
Yun Heng Iron Blood King, Huan Xu Blood Emperor, Ji Feng Saint City's City Lord, and others flew over one after another, landing on this broken earth.
"There are traces of Fei'er Tianding's aura. Where did he go?" Yun Heng Iron Blood King asked.
Huan Xu Blood Emperor immediately released his spiritual power to probe further regions.
Bai Qinger said, "No need to look. Fei'er Tianding has fallen into the enemy's hands."
"The enemy? Xia Yu? Xia Yu is only at the Hundred Shackles Realm Great Perfection. How could she be a match for Fei'er Tianding?" Huan Xu Blood Emperor said.
Bai Qinger said, "The traces here have been cleaned up, clearly the enemy deliberately trying to cover something. Unfortunately, the more they cover up, the more it proves my guess is correct."
"You mean, Zhang Ruochen has really come to Ice King Star?" Ji Feng Saint City's City Lord was slightly surprised.
Bai Qinger said, "Who else could help Xia Yu deal with Fei'er Tianding while not wanting anyone to know they've come to Ice King Star, besides Zhang Ruochen? Xue Qingsheng? Xue Qingsheng has no interest in staying by the side of a junior like Xia Yu."
"Since Xia Yu has escaped, finding her again will be as difficult as reaching the heavens. What should we do next?" Huan Xu Blood Emperor asked.
Bai Qinger said, "Yue Lin Blood Emperor, go to the Nixuan Clan's side and tell her the secret that Zhang Ruochen has come to Ice King Star."
"But we still can't confirm that the cultivator who attacked Fei'er Tianding is Zhang Ruochen." Ji Feng Saint City's City Lord said with some difficulty.
Bai Qinger said, "Isn't that better? We can use the Nixuan Clan's power within the Blood Absolute family to help us find out whether Zhang Ruochen is still in the family in seclusion cultivation."
"Very well, subordinate understands."
After Yue Lin Blood Emperor, the City Lord of Ji Feng Saint City, departed, Bai Qinger picked up a handful of blood-stained soil from the ground, closed her eyes, and released her powerful spiritual power.
The blood in the soil belonged to Fei'er Tianding.
After a moment, Bai Qinger opened her eyes and said, "No results from the probe. Then Fei'er Tianding is already dead. Yun Heng Iron Blood King, send this blood-stained soil back to the Fei'er family and tell them that the Nixuan Clan killed Fei'er Tianding on Ice King Star."
Yun Heng Iron Blood King took out a box, put the soil from Bai Qinger's hand into it, and asked curiously, "Why not directly tell the Fei'er family that Zhang Ruochen killed Fei'er Tianding and use a borrowed knife to kill?"
Bai Qinger said, "Without absolute evidence, would the Fei'er family dare to kill Zhang Ruochen? Don't forget the influence of that Great Emperor from the Tianluo Divine Kingdom. As an ancient clan within the Tianluo Divine Kingdom, the Fei'er family cannot help but be wary."
She added, "We do want to deal with Zhang Ruochen, but the one who kills Zhang Ruochen can be the Adjudication Department, or it can be the Nixuan Clan, but it absolutely cannot be us."
Yun Heng Iron Blood King showed a look of sudden understanding and said, "You mean to add fuel to the fire between Zhang Ruochen and the Nixuan Clan, making them fight. If Zhang Ruochen dies on Ice King Star in the future, everyone will naturally think the Nixuan Clan killed him, without suspecting us. And this handful of blood-stained soil must be delivered by a cultivator from the Blood Absolute family. We need to let the Nixuan Clan know that Zhang Ruochen deliberately tried to frame her. Since he made the first move, how can she sit idly by?"
As he said this, Yun Heng Iron Blood King had already transformed into Zhang Ruochen's appearance.
Strands of black gauze gathered back, covering Bai Qinger's graceful and exquisite body. She said in a clear, gentle voice, "Go handle it. The rest of you, come with me to the Divine Maiden Tower on Ice King Star. To find Zhang Ruochen, there might be another breakthrough."
After setting Zhang Ruochen as her target, Bai Qinger had reviewed detailed information about him.
One point caught her attention.
In the Kunlun Realm, Zhang Ruochen had a powerful owl sacred beast by his side, calling itself the Emperor of Slaughtering Heaven and Destroying Earth.
Coincidentally, such an owl sacred beast had also appeared on Ice King Star, also calling itself the Emperor of Slaughtering Heaven and Destroying Earth. She had already sent cultivators from the Divine Maiden Tower to investigate.
...
Fei'er Tianding was indeed dead. His saint source was absorbed by Mo Yin, and his Great Saint blood was refined by Yu Huang, then served like wine in a cup for tasting.
His saint soul was fed to the eighteen Six Calamity Ghost Kings that carried Zhang Ruochen's Seven Star Divine Palace.
The Hell Realm was such a cruel and bloody place.
Yu Huang had refined seventeen types of blood medicine into the Great Saint blood in her cup. It was not at all bloody, instead emitting a fragrant aroma that was fatally tempting to the Undying Blood Clan.
She said, "The human woman you asked me to investigate—there are some leads. Some cultivators have seen traces of her on a sacred mountain under the Wujian Pavilion."
"Wujian Pavilion!"
Zhang Ruochen showed a thoughtful expression and asked, "How many cultivators know that you're investigating her?"
"Don't worry. Every cultivator I send out, I attach a spiritual power thought to them. The news won't leak," Yu Huang said.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Where is that sacred mountain?"
"Western First Domain, Wutong Sacred Mountain. Let me warn you—Wujian Pavilion's power on Ice King Star is even greater than the Blood Absolute family's. You'd better not rashly charge into Wutong Sacred Mountain. You must think thrice before acting," Yu Huang said solemnly.
Zhang Ruochen nodded and said, "You've done well with the matters on Ice King Star. Now, you can go back."
Yu Huang's beautiful face stiffened.
Zhang Ruochen added, "Recently, I've provoked a formidable figure. Her methods are vicious and she stops at nothing. If you stay too close to me, you'll definitely be targeted. I suggest you go to the Undying Divine Temple to cultivate in seclusion for a while—both to avoid disaster and to break through to the Thousand Questions Realm as soon as possible."
"When the birds are gone, the bow is hidden."
Yu Huang threw the cup in her hand to the ground, shattering it.
"If you want to drive me away, just say so directly. Why find so many excuses? Zhang Ruochen, do you really think I, the Emperor, am willing to work for you? Do you know how many rumors and gossip are circulating about me behind my back? Do I not care about face? Don't the people of my Xia clan care about face? Forget it. I'll go to the Undying Divine Temple. Staying here will only cause trouble and make your little lover from the Kunlun Realm misunderstand."
Yu Huang did not look back, spread her ten silver wings, and flew away in a huff.
"Ah, women always overthink things."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, then looked at Mo Yin, saying, "Go to the Hundred Clans Royal City. If Ji Fanxin arrives, send me the news as soon as possible."
Mo Yin stood up, stretched lazily, outlining her alluring curves—her chest and hips full and striking, her waist slender—and teased, "Xia Yu was right. We're too beautiful. Staying by your side will cause misunderstandings. Master, your servant won't cause you trouble, hehe."
After Mo Yin left, Zhang Ruochen set out alone, heading toward Wutong Sacred Mountain.