Chapter 2468: Nine Heavens Ten Earths Slay Gods and Demons

Chapter 2468: Nine Heavens Ten Earths Slay Gods and Demons

Xiao Hei spread his two claws and said, "No idea! I, the Emperor, just went to see Hanxue, and as I was leaving, I ran into the Ice King Star Divine Maiden Tower's owner, Ye Manman."

Zhang Ruochen covered his forehead and let out a long sigh. "A figure at the level of a Tower Master personally visited the disciple of the Wujian Pavilion's master. Didn't you think to go back and check what was going on?"

Xiao Hei was stunned for a moment, then said, "Yeah! You've hit the nail on the head... Hmm, how about I go find Hanxue now and ask? No, I can't get out anymore! What are we going to do?"

Zhang Ruochen calmed down and said, "You're saying Hanxue came to Divine Maiden City?"

"Of course. The Wujian Pavilion's most important mission is to rescue the old Island Master. Ice King Star is the most crucial route for retreat after the rescue, so it's definitely a key place for deployment and operations."

"One could say that on Ice King Star, aside from the Ice Imperial Palace, the Wujian Pavilion is absolutely a top-tier major force. They've even planted people within the Goddess Twelve Pavilions."

"So, what's happening in Divine Maiden City can't escape the Wujian Pavilion's ears."

"Having heard you were in trouble, how could Hanxue not come?" Xiao Hei said, as if it were only natural.

Zhang Ruochen said, "I have a bold guess. The various actions of the Goddess Twelve Pavilions might not be targeting me, but rather aiming for the Celestial Pivot Needle!"

Hearing this, Xiao Hei drew in a sharp breath of cold air. "Does the Goddess Twelve Pavilions have that much nerve?"

Zhang Ruochen said, "Other cultivators of the Goddess Twelve Pavilions might not have that kind of nerve, but Bai Qinger does. What do you think of her cultivation level?"

"It's pretty high, but compared to a figure like Wuma Jiuxing, who overshadows his era, she's still a step behind," Xiao Hei said, unusually serious.

Zhang Ruochen said, "But I feel that every move and stance of Wuma Jiuxing's can still be traced, whereas Bai Qinger gives me a sense of unfathomable depth."

Xiao Hei was taken aback. "You're not saying you think Bai Qinger is stronger than Wuma Jiuxing, are you?"

"It's just a feeling. My cultivation isn't high enough to see through the depths of experts at their level. And there's another thing that puts me on guard: Seven-Hand Old Man managed to escape from a false god's pursuit, but Bai Qinger almost killed him," Zhang Ruochen said.

Xiao Hei patted Zhang Ruochen's shoulder with a claw. "You've suffered too many losses at the hands of women, so you're being overly cautious."

Zhang Ruochen dared not dismiss the opponent as lightly as Xiao Hei did; he had already suffered enough losses at Bai Qinger's hands. "Although Bai Qinger was born into the Goddess Twelve Pavilions, her courage and boldness, aside from gods, are unmatched in my lifetime."

"In the Fate Divine Domain, she dared to set up a gambling game targeting Seven-Hand Old Man's strongest aspect and almost won."

"The five pieces of top-grade Origin Divine Crystals, guarded jointly by seventeen major powers, were most likely stolen by her as well."

"She even used the Adjudication Division to deal with me."

"Fei'er Tianding, Huanxu Blood Emperor, Cang Baizi, Yunhuan Iron Blood King—behind each of them is a super major power, yet she dared to enslave these top-tier Great Saints."

"Thinking about it in detail sends chills down the spine. It's as if she's been playing all the major forces of the Hell Realm like puppets. The key point is that these major forces still underestimate her and haven't taken her seriously as a figure—that's the most terrifying part."

Xiao Hei's sharp bird beak opened and closed a couple of times. "Now that you mention it, this woman is indeed extremely bold. There really isn't anything she wouldn't dare to do. But why would she want to seize the Celestial Pivot Needle? This is a divine artifact. Once lost, the Destiny Temple will surely be furious. Although gods cannot interfere in mortal affairs, the strength of the Destiny Temple below the divine level is still formidable, unmatched by any single force."

Zhang Ruochen said, "As far as I know, the Destiny Temple has used the guidance of the Celestial Pivot Needle to purge dark forces many times. The Ten Dark Powers have all suffered greatly because of it. In history, some dark forces that were once listed among the top ten were even completely wiped out."

"Perhaps the Goddess Twelve Pavilions alone wouldn't dare to target the Celestial Pivot Needle."

"But what if the Ten Dark Powers join forces?"

Xiao Hei muttered, "The Celestial Pivot Needle is indeed a great threat to the various dark forces, keeping them in constant fear. Now that all the gods have gone to the Jade Desolate Realm, it's the time when the Destiny Temple's influence is weakest. They might actually make a move."

Zhang Ruochen smiled. "In Bai Qinger's eyes, I'm still far from being qualified as her opponent. The reason she's targeting me is solely because of the top-grade Origin Divine Crystals."

"Since Little Bai has her focus on the Celestial Pivot Needle, doesn't that mean we can escape with ease?" Xiao Hei laughed.

"Even if Bai Qinger makes a move, she'll definitely wait until after she's captured me. If I were her..."

Zhang Ruochen closed his eyes, carefully pondering Bai Qinger's thoughts, then suddenly opened them wide. "If I were her, I would definitely use a strategy to kill two birds with one stone. Capture me while also stealing the Celestial Pivot Needle, and pin it all on the Paradise Realm."

"Why the Paradise Realm?" Xiao Hei asked curiously.

Zhang Ruochen said, "Isn't the Goddess Twelve Pavilions' excuse for sealing off Divine Maiden City to capture cultivators from the Paradise Realm? If I'm not mistaken, Bai Qinger has already calculated that the Destiny Temple would activate the Celestial Pivot Needle. And if my guess is right, the Paradise Realm cultivators who want to kill me have probably already contacted Bai Qinger and might even have arrived on Ice King Star."

Xiao Hei paced back and forth in the room. After a long while, he said, "If your speculation is correct, then this Little Bai is indeed a ruthless player, playing a very big game. How can you possibly contend with someone like that? There's no other way. I can't hide any longer. I, the Emperor, am coming clean!"

"What are you talking about?" Zhang Ruochen said.

Xiao Hei pointed a claw at Zhang Ruochen. "Steady yourself. I, the Emperor, am coming clean! Actually, I, the Emperor, am also a World Hand."

Zhang Ruochen remained unfazed.

"Give me some reaction, will you? A World Hand is called a Half-Heavenly Master. The only difference from a Heavenly Master is that their spiritual power is half a rank lower. Their formation mastery is in no way inferior to a Heavenly Master's. They fear no enemy below the divine level." Xiao Hei looked at Zhang Ruochen with an expectant expression.

Shouldn't this be the moment for admiration and awe?

Zhang Ruochen thought for a long time, then said, "You've said so much, but I still don't understand what the difference is between a World Hand and a Heavenly Master."

Xiao Hei really wanted to flap a wing and send Zhang Ruochen flying. Speaking at a rapid pace, he said, "There's actually no difference in formation mastery between a World Hand and a Heavenly Master. The difference lies in the word 'Heavenly' in Heavenly Master."

"A Heavenly Master's spiritual power must at least reach the level of sixty-nine and a half. Because, upon reaching that realm, when setting up formations, they can detach from physical objects and directly use the rules of heaven and earth to set up the formation. The formation can then draw on the power of heaven and earth, converting it into formation power, with an endless supply of energy."

"Of course, if a Heavenly Master's spiritual power reaches the seventieth rank, they become even stronger, invincible below true gods. As for false gods, even they have to retreat when facing a Heavenly Master with seventieth-rank spiritual power."

Zhang Ruochen said, "According to you, the gap between a World Hand and a Heavenly Master is not small!"

"Talking about formations with someone who doesn't understand them is really exhausting. A Heavenly Master's method of setting up formations can detach from a carrier and directly convert the rules of heaven and earth into formation inscriptions. But the formations they set up are equally powerful. Any formation a Heavenly Master can set up, a World Hand can set up too."

Zhang Ruochen nodded as if he understood. "What does spiritual power at sixty-nine and a half mean? The middle stage of the sixty-ninth rank?"

"The middle stage of the sixty-ninth rank and the peak of the sixty-ninth rank both belong to the sixty-ninth rank. Sixty-nine and a half is above the peak of the sixty-ninth rank. It's a realm where one can glimpse the divine realm and the mysteries of heaven and earth. It's the most difficult step toward becoming a god through spiritual power."

Xiao Hei said with considerable pride, "I, the Emperor, was trapped by that old bald monk Xumi in the Cosmic Divine Wood Map for a hundred thousand years. My spirit has long since transformed. Now that my cultivation is recovering, my spiritual power will surely advance by leaps and bounds. I believe it won't be long before I reach sixty-nine and a half. By then, please call me the Slaughter Heaven Exterminate Earth Imperial Heavenly Master."

"After all this talk, can you actually fight against Duan Lingfeng?" Zhang Ruochen said.

Xiao Hei immediately walked up to Zhang Ruochen, glancing sideways at the space ring on Zhang Ruochen's finger. "Duan Lingfeng is an old-school World Hand. He's definitely refined multiple powerful formations on his person, ready to use at any time."

"For me to deal with him, I first need to refine an unparalleled killing formation. I already have an idea. Once this formation is complete, not only Duan Lingfeng, but even breaking out of Divine Maiden City will be a piece of cake."

"Isn't Little Bai pressing us step by step? When the time comes, we'll just walk right out and confront the leaders of the nineteen major forces head-on. Once this formation is unleashed, it will surely frighten them into behaving properly, not daring to make a move."

Zhang Ruochen didn't hold out much hope. Even discounting Xiao Hei's boasts by seventy percent was probably too generous.

But Xiao Hei's formation mastery was indeed not to be underestimated.

So he asked, "What formation do you want to refine? How many materials do you need?"

"A sub-divine formation-level Three Enclosures Twenty-Eight Mansions Grand Formation, also known as Dragon Horse Presenting River Chart. Of course, I, the Emperor, have also given this formation a more impressive name: the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Slay Gods and Demons Grand Formation."

Xiao Hei's expression was very serious. "The materials needed aren't too many: three Supreme Sacred Artifacts, twenty-eight Monarch Sacred Artifacts—preferably those above the Monarch Sacred Artifact level. In addition, a hundred thousand divine stones."

"It's best to refine them into a set, so a divine corpse is also needed. Only a divine corpse can bear a sub-divine formation. The Black Tortoise Swallowing Heaven Grand Formation that Duan Lingfeng refined uses a divine-level black tortoise shell as its carrier."

Xiao Hei, completely ignoring Zhang Ruochen's expression, continued, "You see, Duan Lingfeng is only a World Hand. He can't directly convert the rules of heaven and earth into formation inscriptions, nor can he easily borrow a large amount of heavenly and earthly power. He has to mobilize a large number of spiritual power saint masters to jointly activate the formation."

"But my Nine Heavens Ten Earths Slay Gods and Demons Grand Formation can use the artifact spirits of three Supreme Sacred Artifacts and twenty-eight Monarch Sacred Artifacts to assist in activation. We just need to first place a large number of divine stones into the internal spaces of the sacred artifacts."

"Of course, these are just the main materials. There are still several thousand auxiliary materials. You collected so many treasures in the Dragon God Temple ruins, so you can definitely meet the requirements. I won't list them all for you. Just give me the space ring, and I'll find them myself... Ahem, what's with that look?"

Only then did Xiao Hei notice that Zhang Ruochen's expression was somewhat off.

"I'm doing this to help you, not to covet your treasures! Think about it—once the formation is complete, slaying gods and demons across the nine heavens and ten earths, who would still dare to oppose us? We could walk sideways through the Heavenly Court and Hell realms."

Zhang Ruochen said, "I do have a few idle Supreme Sacred Artifacts on me, and quite a few Monarch Sacred Artifacts. If the Three Enclosures Twenty-Eight Mansions Grand Formation can truly be refined, investing them would be worth it."

"Then what are you worried about?" Xiao Hei demanded.

Zhang Ruochen really wanted to kick him. What am I worried about? Can't you see? How many reliable things have you ever accomplished?

If the formation refinement fails, the loss would be enough to make even a god weep.

...

Many readers are asking why there's an extra chapter.

It's entirely because, over the past few days, I've made a firm decision to calm down and focus on writing. This drive might fade in a couple of days, and I might go back to one chapter a day, so don't get your hopes up too much.

Also, some readers have pointed out that during the Kunlun Realm arc, the character Lu Baiming appeared. There might have been some errors at the time. When writing, I mistakenly wrote the rank of the formation earth master "Sea Land King" as "Heavenly Master."

The book is already very long, and it's easy to make mistakes if I'm not careful. But as long as readers point them out, I will correct them.

The power level of a formation heavenly master in the book is at least that of a Supreme Realm Great Saint as a baseline, and they can even crush false gods, but they cannot defeat true gods unless the true god is too weak. Therefore, a Saint King cannot reach the level of a heavenly master—that's a certainty.