Chapter 2465: Exchanging Paths
Transformed into the appearance of Master Xunmu, Zhang Ruochen returned to the small courtyard in the City Lord’s Mansion.
Inside his body, blood qi was still churning.
The cracks in his Qi Sea, which had been on the verge of healing, showed signs of loosening again.
Clearly, using the Blazing God Leg at full power had been too intense, causing violent tremors in his Qi Sea and worsening his injuries.
“The Qi Sea is not easily damaged, but once it is, healing it is incredibly difficult. Before reaching a sufficiently powerful realm, I absolutely must not clash head-on with a strong one like Wuma Jiuxing again. That was too foolish!”
Zhang Ruochen gained a new understanding of the peril of his current situation. He truly could not afford the slightest carelessness.
Whether it was Gūshe Jing, Bai Qinger, or those cultivators from the Destiny Temple, each and every one of them was an extremely shrewd figure.
In a game of wits with these people, one misstep could lead to total defeat.
Today, using the Blazing God Leg to stomp and kill Danghu in one move seemed brave and unstoppable, but in reality, he still could not directly confront a Great Saint of the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm head-on. It was entirely due to the surprise element of spatial power that he achieved a one-move kill.
Pushing open the door, he walked into the room. Gūshe Jing had long since left, and Xiao Hei was nowhere to be seen.
Cold, quiet.
Sitting alone in the dark room, Zhang Ruochen fell into thought.
There were seventeen major forces that knew about the emergence of the top-grade Origin Divine Crystal. Adding the Goddess Twelve Pavilions and the Destiny Temple, that made nineteen.
The Great Saint-level powerhouses from these nineteen major forces had all gathered in Divine Maiden City, turning it into the center of a storm.
Earlier, when Zhang Ruochen fought Danghu, he had clearly sensed dozens of overwhelmingly powerful saintly auras surging into the sky, as if all the gods and buddhas in the heavens had awakened. Any one of them was beyond his ability to handle at present.
He did not know if Bai Qinger had deliberately leaked the information, but not only had the Divine Maiden Tower been thrust into the spotlight, Zhang Ruochen had also become a key figure that all the major forces were searching for.
What troubled Zhang Ruochen was that he did, in fact, possess a top-grade Origin Divine Crystal.
Zhang Ruochen no longer had the leisure to think about seizing the Blood Absolute Family’s assets on Ice King Star. He only wanted to leave Divine Maiden City, this quagmire, as quickly as possible, head to the Hundred Clans Royal City, rendezvous with Ji Fanxing, and then immediately go search for the Origin Divine Temple.
He was very clear that whether it was condensing a single third-rank Sacred Intent or condensing a first-rank Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Intent, he would need the aid of an unprecedented great opportunity to have any chance of success.
Clearly, the Origin Divine Temple was the opportunity he had to seize.
Zhang Ruochen looked at the ring on his finger.
The ring was formed from a Space Chaos Worm.
Unfortunately, the Space Chaos Worm was too severely injured. Even though Zhang Ruochen continuously nourished it with his own saint qi, there was still no sign of it waking up.
“Whoosh!”
Brilliant golden light appeared in the room, and golden ripples spread across the floor.
Zangjin Baihu stepped out from the void. Its massive, five-meter-long body filled most of the room. Even though it deliberately restrained its aura, it was still overwhelmingly domineering. With each breath, heaven and earth seemed to tremble.
Zhang Ruochen did not know where Zangjin Baihu had been, only that it had always been by his side, likely hidden in a spatial layer. As for the methods of a god, especially a prehistoric god like this, Zhang Ruochen’s current realm still understood far too little.
Zangjin Baihu said, “Zhang Ruochen, it’s time to train.”
“Train? Train what?”
Zhang Ruochen looked around and noticed that all four walls of the room were covered in golden light.
Clearly, Zangjin Baihu had made preparations to prevent any aura from the room from leaking out.
Zangjin Baihu said, “You are my guide. Of course, you must help me cultivate, help me integrate into this era, and finally be fully recognized by the rules of heaven and earth.”
“How am I supposed to help you?”
Helping a god cultivate—Zhang Ruochen found the very thought absurd.
Zangjin Baihu said, “Give me half of the sacred dao rules inside your body.”
“What did you say?”
Zhang Ruochen thought he had misheard.
“Give me half of the sacred dao rules inside your body.”
“Impossible. Absolutely impossible.”
Zhang Ruochen had used the Sundial to cultivate for several hundred years, only to cultivate one hundred and fifty billion sacred dao rules.
If he gave half to Zangjin Baihu, how many years would he have to cultivate to recover?
Zangjin Baihu said very seriously, “The sacred dao rules you cultivated are fused with the Ultimate Burial Gold Qi, so I can absorb them and convert them into my own sacred dao rules. In the future, as I absorb more and more of your sacred dao rules, I will be fully recognized by this era and no longer be bound by any restrictions.”
“So, you mean you will keep stripping away my sacred dao rules in the future?” Zhang Ruochen said.
Zangjin Baihu nodded its massive head. “Correct. But it’s not stripping away; it’s you guiding my cultivation.”
Zhang Ruochen gave a stiff smile. “So, the so-called guide is just someone to be exploited? How long will this exploitation last? If you keep taking half of my sacred dao rules every time, when will I ever cultivate enough to become a god?”
Zangjin Baihu said, “When the number of rules inside our bodies becomes equal, then we will be equal.”
“What? I have to wait until the number of rules inside our bodies reaches the same level?”
Zhang Ruochen could not stay calm. He felt he had been tricked by Fulu Divine Venerable. If he had known that being a so-called guide meant this kind of hard, thankless work, he would never have agreed to it in the first place.
No wonder, when he had asked how to help Zangjin Baihu cultivate back then, Fulu Divine Venerable had been evasive.
The more Zhang Ruochen thought about it, the more he felt cheated. “Can I quit being the guide?”
“No.”
Then Zangjin Baihu added another sentence: “I know all your secrets.”
Threatened again.
Being threatened by a god, even if Zhang Ruochen was dissatisfied, it was hard to express.
What could he do?
Was he supposed to fight Zangjin Baihu to the death?
Zhang Ruochen said, “I can help you cultivate, but is there another way? My total number of rules is only one hundred and fifty billion. If I give you half, that’s only seventy-five billion. Does that even mean anything to you?”
A peak Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm cultivator like Yunhuan Tiexue Wang had cultivated over a trillion sacred dao rules.
For a god, rules were transformed into rule divine patterns, and the number would only be greater, imprinted into every cell of their body.
Zangjin Baihu said, “Of course it means something. The more sacred dao rules I absorb, the more I am recognized by the rules of heaven and earth, and the more power I can exert.”
“Without your seventy-five billion rules, and without triggering heavenly punishment, the power I can unleash is probably only enough to contend with an ordinary Supreme Realm Great Saint.”
“But after absorbing them, the power I can exert can increase several times over.”
Zhang Ruochen’s heart stirred. “Can you defeat Wuma Jiuxing?”
Zangjin Baihu said, “That blade dao cultivator you mentioned is extraordinary. Even in the Divine Ancient Nest, no one of the same realm could surpass him. I spent thirty thousand years on the Ghost Clan’s home planet and saw countless geniuses from the Hell Realm. Those with the potential to reach his level before becoming a god are few and far between. And that’s just potential—whether they can actually achieve it depends on whether they can cultivate the Thousand Questions Realm, the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm, and the Supreme Realm to their utmost limits.”
To have a god give such a high evaluation showed that Wuma Jiuxing’s achievements were indeed astonishing and world-shaking.
Zhang Ruochen said, “So, even after fusing with my seventy-five billion sacred dao rules, you still can’t defeat him?”
“If I wanted to kill him, I could do it with a single casual strike. But after delivering that strike, I would be attacked by the rules of heaven and earth, and even if I didn’t die, I would be severely injured,” Zangjin Baihu said.
In the end, it still could not defeat Wuma Jiuxing within the scope recognized by the rules of heaven and earth.
Zhang Ruochen said, “The situation in Divine Maiden City is complicated now, with dangers everywhere. You want half of my sacred dao rules, and I can give them to you, but can we wait until this extraordinary period is over?”
“On the contrary, this is precisely why you should give me your sacred dao rules. In fact, I already said earlier that taking half of your sacred dao rules is not about exploiting you, because you can also gain tremendous benefits,” Zangjin Baihu said.
Zhang Ruochen said, “What benefits?”
“Once I have fused with half of your sacred dao rules, you will naturally understand. Rest assured, we are now bound together—if one prospers, we both prosper; if one suffers, we both suffer. You are the guide I have waited thirty thousand years for. I do not want to wait another thirty thousand years to find the next guide,” Zangjin Baihu said.
Losing seventy-five billion sacred dao rules was indeed a huge loss.
However, with the Sundial in hand, he could cultivate them back in a few months at most.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Then you have to agree to one condition. In the future, when I encounter a powerful enemy, you must help me. You cannot stand by and do nothing.”
“That is impossible. At most, when you truly cannot handle a life-threatening danger, I can help you escape,” Zangjin Baihu said in a heavy tone. “If you think you have a powerful expert by your side who can act for you at any time, then you will inevitably overestimate yourself and provoke enemies you cannot defeat at your current cultivation level. That is a suicidal behavior.”
“If I keep helping you, it will not be conducive to your cultivation.”
“True powerhouses grow through constant tempering and challenging the impossible. Cultivators who are always sheltered are like sheep raised in a pen. No matter how fat they get, they will eventually be eaten by a lean wolf.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “I’m not asking you to help me at any time. Just one time, is that acceptable?”
“Fine. I agree to help you once,” Zangjin Baihu said.
After finally negotiating this, Zhang Ruochen felt that Xiao Hei was still the better one—he didn’t need to waste so many words.
Zangjin Baihu walked up to Zhang Ruochen and opened its mouth to inhale.
“Whoosh!”
Streams of rule light patterns flowed out of Zhang Ruochen’s body and into Zangjin Baihu’s mouth. His cultivation level rapidly declined, and the rules in his Qi Sea grew fewer and fewer. The once-swollen Heavenly River immediately shrank by a full circle.
After Zangjin Baihu absorbed seventy-five billion sacred dao rules, the golden light on its body grew even brighter. It closed its tiger eyes, seemingly circulating its technique to fuse and absorb them.
Zhang Ruochen’s heart was a mix of emotions. He had no choice but to take out the Sundial and the Divine Dragon Enlightenment Chamber to comprehend sacred dao rules, wanting only to recover his cultivation as quickly as possible.
Seventy-five billion sacred dao rules were actually quite a lot, exceeding the number of rules of many Great Saints at the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm.
Half an hour later.
The golden light on Zangjin Baihu’s body retracted, and a hint of joy appeared in its eyes. “The rejection of the rules of heaven and earth toward me has indeed lessened. And this is just from absorbing seventy-five billion rules. If I absorb a trillion, ten trillion, I wonder what kind of change will occur?”
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen felt even more disheartened, as if he had boarded a pirate ship.
Zangjin Baihu said, “Zhang Ruochen, now it’s your turn.”
“My turn for what?” Zhang Ruochen asked, puzzled.
Zangjin Baihu said, “Didn’t I just say that you can also gain tremendous benefits? I absorbed your seventy-five billion sacred dao rules and assimilated them with seventy-five billion rule divine patterns inside my body. These seventy-five billion rule divine patterns are rules that your body can accept. Now, take back as many as you can.”
Zhang Ruochen’s mood shifted from sorrow to joy. “Take back as many as I can?”
“The key is whether you can withstand it.”
The one billion flame divine patterns from the Blazing God Leg—Zhang Ruochen had only been able to barely withstand them after reaching his current realm and fully apply them in battle.
Clearly, although divine patterns were good, controlling them was extremely difficult.
Enduring divine patterns was no easy task either.
“If you had said earlier that we were exchanging rules, there wouldn’t have been so much trouble!”
Zhang Ruochen smiled, clasped his hands together, and the Divine Martial Mark on his brow emerged.
Zangjin Baihu opened its mouth and spat out a stream of golden rule divine patterns.
Each rule divine pattern was shaped like a divine tiger, containing the Ultimate Burial Gold Qi and the aura of Zhang Ruochen’s sacred dao rules.
These rule divine patterns were different from the Blazing God’s flame divine patterns. They were very close to Zhang Ruochen, as if they were cultivated by him, making them relatively easy to absorb and control.
One by one, the rules were continuously drawn into Zhang Ruochen’s Divine Martial Mark, entering his Qi Sea, and merging into the Heavenly River.
Zangjin Baihu’s rule divine patterns were completely different from the rules of heaven and earth in this era. Moreover, they had no categories like space, time, or sword dao—only one type of rule.
This rule was similar to the rules of the Five Elements Metal Path, yet there were some differences.
The rules carried an aura of death, darkness, and gloom.
Zangjin Baihu said, “The path I cultivate is the Burial Gold Path. I only cultivate Burial Gold rules. What you obtain are only Burial Gold rule divine patterns.”
In less than a quarter of an hour, Zhang Ruochen had already absorbed one billion rule divine patterns into his Qi Sea.
Zangjin Baihu’s Burial Gold rule divine patterns were even more powerful than the Blazing God’s flame divine patterns, yet after absorbing one billion, Zhang Ruochen still did not feel any difficulty.
These rule divine patterns seemed as if they were naturally his.
Zangjin Baihu was probing Zhang Ruochen’s condition, inwardly astonished. “One of my rule divine patterns contains more energy than a hundred of his rules combined, yet he can easily absorb one billion. It must be the rule river in his Qi Sea that plays a key role. However, he will probably reach his limit after absorbing at most two billion rule divine patterns.”
After absorbing five billion rule divine patterns in a row, Zhang Ruochen’s absorption speed finally slowed down.
The Heavenly River in his Qi Sea had turned golden and showed signs of instability.
This was because the energy of the rule divine patterns far exceeded the energy contained in the sacred dao rules, breaking the balance.
“Rule divine patterns are an incredible treasure. By absorbing them, I am essentially achieving divine entry into the Burial Gold Path at the Great Saint realm, which is similar to Wuma Jiuxing’s divine entry into the blade dao path. Since I can absorb them, I should absorb as many as possible.”
After absorbing six hundred and seventy million rule divine patterns, Zhang Ruochen finally stopped. He turned into a rigid golden figure, sitting cross-legged on the ground, completely motionless.
“This is the consequence of greed. Let’s see how long it takes you to dissolve your physical body.”
Zangjin Baihu snorted lightly. It raised its claw and manifested the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, gently striking out.
A powerful and domineering claw imprint appeared in the space.
Having absorbed Zhang Ruochen’s sacred dao rules, it naturally became proficient in the various sacred paths Zhang Ruochen had cultivated.
With its cultivation level and spiritual power intensity, the sacred arts Zhang Ruochen had cultivated could be instantly comprehended and demonstrated in the most perfect way.
“That’s a brilliant attack technique. Unfortunately, the name Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm is too ugly. From now on, I’ll call it Dragon-Tiger Prajna Palm. Or maybe Divine Tiger Prajna Palm sounds better.”