Chapter 2496: Bloody Wind and Rain
After casting the remnants of Black Corpse Sha into the void space, Bai Qinger, transformed into Ji Fanxin, led Zhang Ruochen, Fei Zhong, and Gong Nanfeng, piloting the Seven-Star Divine Palace, flew ostentatiously toward the Aoyun Asteroid Belt.
The appearance of the Seven-Star Divine Palace signified Zhang Ruochen's presence, attracting a continuous stream of powerful cultivators.
Of course, this was not Zhang Ruochen's wish; everything was Bai Qinger fishing.
With astonishing boldness, she transformed into the rod holder, using Zhang Ruochen as bait to fish for the world's strong.
...
Soon, a fish took the bait.
"Zhang Ruochen, you were clearly struck by the Heavenly Dao Arrow, so why didn't you die? Since you're alive, hand over the top-grade Origin Divine Crystal and our clan's supreme sacred artifact, the Ten-Thousand-Curse Heavenly Bead," said a Yama clan Great Saint with three black horns on his head, standing in the void. His Dao domain unfolded, revealing an endless expanse of mountains, with the power of death rippling outward for a hundred thousand miles.
From afar, it looked like an underworld realm suspended in the universe, locking down space and preventing Zhang Ruochen from escaping.
He was called Qilan Minghuang, hailing from one of the seventeen major forces aware of the top-grade Origin Divine Crystal's emergence—the Yama clan's "Empty Realm City." His cultivation had reached the Supreme Realm, making him an old monster who had trained for over ten thousand years.
Behind Qilan Minghuang stood seven more Great Saints from Empty Realm City, each radiating overwhelming might, all with cultivations above the Thousand Questions Realm.
Clearly, for the top-grade Origin Divine Crystal, Empty Realm City had dispatched all its elite.
Zhang Ruochen stood at the gate of the Seven-Star Divine Palace, stroking Huang Tian's long fur, a deep helplessness in his eyes. He wanted to urge them to leave quickly.
Unfortunately, Bai Qinger was not one for idle chatter and had already made her move.
It was still that technique, Red Dust Flying Snow.
In an instant, in the dark universe, snow flew for a hundred thousand miles, whitening the countless Yama mountains within Qilan Minghuang's Dao domain. Aside from Qilan Minghuang himself, the other seven top-tier Great Saints from Empty Realm City were all frozen solid.
"Who exactly are you, daring to oppose Empty Realm City?"
Qilan Minghuang's heart was filled with terror. How could he have expected that Zhang Ruochen had such a peerless expert by his side, capable of penetrating his Dao domain and silently freezing seven Great Saint-level experts to death?
Among those seven Great Saints, the strongest had reached the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm, yet all had lost their life force, with no fluctuations of the Saintly Path.
What terrified Qilan Minghuang even more was that the Saintly Path rules he had released were showing signs of freezing, making them difficult to control and preventing him from acting freely.
"Flee!"
Qilan Minghuang burst into extreme speed, fleeing into the distance.
"Pfft!"
Fei Zhong leaped out from the void and cleaved off his head with a single axe blow.
Although Qilan Minghuang was not as strong as Fei Zhong, he should not have been unable to block even one axe strike. The main reason was that he had been suppressed by "Red Dust Flying Snow," causing his combat power to plummet drastically.
"Sizzle!"
His corpse and head were quickly wrapped in ice and snow.
Bai Qinger pointed a finger from afar, and the space within dozens of miles collapsed, swallowing all eight top-tier Great Saints from Empty Realm City.
As the space closed, Zhang Ruochen saw all the bodies frozen in the ice and snow dissolve into nothingness, leaving not a single trace.
Over the next half month, the Seven-Star Divine Palace flew at a leisurely pace.
Along the way, they encountered seven or eight more waves of cultivators, including a Life Emperor from the Destiny Temple, leaders of the Ten Dark Powers, and top-tier Great Saints from major clans of the Ten Clans of Hell.
Without exception, anyone who came to block their path was killed.
Zhang Ruochen witnessed dozens of world-shaking Great Saints have their immortal sacred bodies shattered, turning into blood mist.
Zuling Life Emperor, one of the Ten Life Emperors of the Heavenly Mandate Department, was refined into ashes by divine flames.
Beinan Patriarch, the abbot of the Great Sorrow Great Suffering Temple, one of the Ten Dark Powers, sat in meditation and discussed the Dao with Bai Qinger. In the end, his inner demon erupted, and he killed himself with a single palm strike.
...
Many times, Bai Qinger didn't even make a move; it was Fei Zhong who acted.
As for Zhang Ruochen and Gong Nanfeng, they could only stand by and watch.
Although no living witnesses were left along the way, many Supreme Realm Great Saints, before dying, had sent out message light talismans, spreading the news.
It was easy to imagine that with so many top-tier Great Saints disappearing without a trace, it would surely cause a massive uproar.
The Seven-Star Divine Palace was fully revealed, majestic and magnificent, constantly emitting a sacred radiance that could be faintly seen from ten thousand miles away.
Another slaughter ended. This time, the blockers were a faction from the Yama clan. Since they had no Supreme Realm Great Saint, Fei Zhong handled it.
All the corpses were cast into the void space.
Fei Zhong, carrying his blood-drenched battle axe, turned into a bolt of lightning and landed on the steps of the Seven-Star Divine Palace. Seeing Zhang Ruochen and Gong Nanfeng, he hesitated for a moment before walking over.
"Master Ruochen."
Fei Zhong had already cut out his tongue and could only communicate with Zhang Ruochen through spiritual power.
Although his spiritual power had been completely drained by Bai Qinger, given his cultivation level, in just half a month, his spiritual power had gone from nothing to the forty-fifth rank.
Toward Zhang Ruochen, Fei Zhong harbored deep resentment.
However, Fei Zhong could not retaliate because Zhang Ruochen was highly valued by Bai Qinger, while he was merely her slave.
Zhang Ruochen said, "What advice does Lord Fei have?"
Fei Zhong hid all his hatred and said with a smile, "Fei has a question he's been pondering and wanted to ask for your guidance."
"Speak freely," Zhang Ruochen said.
Fei Zhong glanced toward the Seven-Star Divine Palace and said, "After killing those Great Saints, why didn't Miss Bai take their war weapons and treasures? I've been racking my brain over this. Some of those items were close to the level of supreme sacred artifacts."
"Go ask her yourself. Why ask me?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Fei Zhong shook his head and said, "I wouldn't dare ask Miss Bai about her affairs. But Master Ruochen is exceptionally intelligent; surely you can guess Miss Bai's thoughts."
Gong Nanfeng leaned in and said, "I'm puzzled about this too. Normally, other cultivators don't dare take spoils of war because they're afraid the aura on the items might be traced by the deceased's elders, leading to pursuit and revenge. But Bai Qinger's goal is to lure out various factions for slaughter, so she has no such worries or concerns."
"Can't you calculate it?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Gong Nanfeng looked embarrassed and said, "It's hard to calculate people's hearts, especially a woman like her. It's completely impossible to figure out what she's thinking. But Brother Ruochen, you always seem to have pleasant conversations with her. Surely you understand the reason?"
"She looks down on them," Zhang Ruochen said.
"Looks down on them?"
Fei Zhong said, "How is that possible? The total value of all those treasures would make even a deity's heart race. Besides, since the people are already dead, the treasures are just there for the taking. If you can take them, why not?"
"Multiple supreme sacred artifacts have been placed before her, and she didn't take them either," Zhang Ruochen said.
Fei Zhong was left speechless.
In truth, Zhang Ruochen didn't fully understand Bai Qinger. He only grasped one principle.
Top-tier cultivators all have their own Dao.
Extreme geniuses also practice extreme restraint.
Just like Que, who never relied on external weapons. Even when using a sword, he formed it from his own Saintly Path rules. Even if a supreme sacred artifact were placed before him, he could take it or leave it.
Similarly, if Zhang Ruochen chose to drink blood, his cultivation would undoubtedly advance faster, and his half-divine body would become stronger.
But he had always restrained himself, never daring to try drinking blood for the first time.
Just as Que dared not try using a supreme sacred artifact—once he tasted the sweetness, his steadfast Dao heart would collapse instantly, severely limiting his future achievements.
Zhang Ruochen didn't understand Bai Qinger, so he could only guess that she, too, had her own Dao and her own form of restraint.
Because if she had no restraint at all, with her crazy mentality and way of doing things, she would have died long ago and wouldn't have survived until now.
Fei Zhong said, "If Miss Bai looks down on them, would she mind if I went to take them?"
"Next time you kill someone, try taking their treasures and see what happens," Zhang Ruochen said.
After saying this, Zhang Ruochen walked toward the Seven-Star Divine Palace.
A glint flashed in Fei Zhong's eyes, tinged with joy. But after glancing at Zhang Ruochen's back, he quickly shook his head, feeling that Zhang Ruochen was setting a trap for him.
Miss Bai was unpredictable in her moods; it was better to be cautious and not do anything against her wishes.
Bai Qinger, transformed into Ji Fanxin, sat cross-legged in the center of the hall, her long skirt spread out like flower petals. Not only her appearance but also her aura was extremely close to that of the Hundred Flowers Fairy—ethereal and pure.
Ten zhang away from her, Zhang Ruochen stopped.
Over the past half month, he felt that Bai Qinger's cultivation had made tremendous progress.
It wasn't that he could see through Bai Qinger, but a strange feeling—a sense of threat.
A greater threat than before.
What surprised Zhang Ruochen even more was that this woman was actually deriving the Yin-Yang Five Elements Sacred Intent. Above her head, the Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram grew increasingly clear, with yin and yang rotating in cycles.
One must know that Zhang Ruochen had only used his Sacred Intent once in front of her, yet she could analyze it to such an extent through her own comprehension—truly astonishing.
Bai Qinger retracted the Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram into her body and opened her eyes, saying, "Your Sacred Intent is very strong, surpassing the vast majority of second-rank Sacred Intents in history. It's very helpful to me."
"I didn't intend to help you," Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qinger said, "Are you aiming for the path of a first-rank Sacred Intent?"
Zhang Ruochen remained silent.
"Throughout history, many brilliant figures have tried to condense a first-rank Sacred Intent, but none have succeeded without exception. On the contrary, many ended up dead," Bai Qinger said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "A woman as arrogant as you, yet you haven't walked the path of condensing a first-rank Sacred Intent. I find that quite surprising."
"Because I know restraint—restraining unrealistic desires," Bai Qinger said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "You dared to snatch the Celestial Pivot Needle, and you call that knowing how to restrain desire?"
"Snatching the Celestial Pivot Needle wasn't an unrealistic thing. Besides, taking it was to protect the Goddess Twelve Pavilions. Otherwise, the Hundred Flowers Fairy's true identity would have been discovered by the Destiny Temple by now. Without the Celestial Pivot Needle, they've become a bunch of blind men, and I'll hold the greatest initiative," Bai Qinger said.
Zhang Ruochen pondered for a moment and said, "Why are you so obsessed with surpassing the Blood Absolute War God and Huang Tian of the same era? Since you have the top-grade Origin Divine Crystal, why not quietly find the Origin Divine Temple alone and claim it for yourself?"
"With all this fanfare now, you've surely stirred up a massive commotion. By the time you reach the Origin Divine Temple, countless cultivators will be following you, possibly even deities. Can you really obtain the treasures inside the Origin Divine Temple? Perhaps it will all be for nothing."
Bai Qinger stared at Zhang Ruochen for a long moment, then gently shook her head, saying, "I thought we were the same kind of people, but I didn't expect your mindset to be so far behind. Even compared to Que of the Destiny Temple, you still fall short."
"Have you met Que?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qinger said, "On Ice King Star, I've already seen him once. A peerless genius, a dragon among men. It's very likely that in the future, he will surpass you and become the leading figure of your generation. And you, because of your mindset, will fail and die on the path to forging a first-rank Sacred Intent."
"Who can say for sure about the future?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qinger said, "I know you're unconvinced, so let me tell you where you fall short. The Origin Divine Temple is indeed a place I very much want to go, but compared to obtaining the treasures inside, I care more about the experience of this journey to the Origin Divine Temple."
"Treasures can be taken at any time and can be lost at any time. Only unforgettable experiences can never be taken away and forever belong to oneself."
"Of course, I'm not completely indifferent. At the very least, the Origin Esoterica that might exist in the Origin Divine Temple is something I must obtain."
"As for why I must surpass the Blood Absolute War God and Huang Tian? Actually, you're wrong. I only want to surpass Huang Tian, just as you want to surpass Chi Yao, defeat her, trample all her glory and dignity underfoot, and make her pay the price for what she's done."
Zhang Ruochen gritted his teeth and said, "You've investigated me thoroughly."
"You should be happy to be valued so highly by me," Bai Qinger said.
Bai Qinger stood up, walked out of the Seven-Star Divine Palace, and stood on the layers of white jade steps, gazing into the cosmic sea of stars. She raised her voice and said, "Starfall Divine Son has been following us the whole way. You've summoned all the Destiny Temple's strongmen, haven't you? Why haven't you shown yourself yet?"
In the distance, stars trembled, and space violently shook.
The universe grew brighter and brighter. A brilliant sea of stars appeared before the Seven-Star Divine Palace, with starry mist swirling and a starry river hanging in the void, evolving into various wondrous stellar changes.
Starfall stood at the center of the sea of stars, wearing a ghostly mask and holding an extremely fierce blade. He said with a smile, "I was just waiting to see if anyone could force you to reveal your true form. Unfortunately, they all died, which disappointed me greatly."
Bai Qinger said, "It seems the Divine Son doesn't believe in my, Ji Fanxin's, strength. The wonders of the Ancient Illumination Lotus are not something mortals like you can see through."
A flicker of doubt flashed in Starfall's eyes, and he said, "Believe it or not, you've already stirred up a bloody storm in the Hell Realm. Today, killing you will naturally reveal the truth."
Bai Qinger said, "Just you?"
"Of course not," Starfall said.
"Whoosh!"
A meteor streaked across the starry sky, landing to Starfall's right, condensing into the figure of Wuyue Life Emperor, holding the Heavenly Mandate Halberd, his aura domineering and powerful.
Tianxu Sha, the leader of the Ten Undead, flew over from a starry river, holding a shuttle-shaped war weapon, and landed to the left of Wuyue Life Emperor. An ancient and vast continent appeared beneath his feet, rising and falling in the sea of stars.
At the same time, ten Gates of Destiny manifested in ten directions around the Seven-Star Divine Palace. Within each Gate of Destiny stood a Supreme Realm Great Saint.
"Is this enough to kill you now?" Starfall asked coldly.
Bai Qinger said calmly, "Not enough."