Chapter 2501: Bai Qinger's Background
To Zhang Ruochen's surprise, Bai Qinger did not choose to go into stealth. Instead, she continued to let him control the Seven Star Divine Palace, flying toward the Aoyun Asteroid Belt.
Very high-profile!
Zhang Ruochen couldn't help but grow suspicious. Was she really injured?
Zhang Ruochen sat at the entrance of the Divine Palace, beside Desolate Heaven, holding a flask of sacred spring water, gazing into the brilliant sea of stars. Inwardly, however, he used his spiritual power to communicate with Zangjin Baihu.
"You told me to create my own sacred art and divine ability, so why did you teach me the Eight Methods of Origin? What is the Eight Methods of Origin? It seems profound and powerful. Can you demonstrate it a few more times?"
Zangjin Baihu's voice sounded: "I thought it over carefully. After all, the Zangjin Rule Divine Mark comes from prehistory and is completely different from the paths you once cultivated. It has an essence you cannot understand. Therefore, teaching you the Eight Methods of Origin is to give you some understanding of prehistoric divine abilities and to help you better grasp how to use the Zangjin Rule Divine Mark."
"Supposedly, the Eight Methods of Origin was extremely famous in prehistory, known as the origin of all divine abilities. It is both unfathomably profound and yet simple enough for mortals to cultivate, allowing quick entry, followed by countless variations."
"Every cultivator who practices the Eight Methods of Origin ends up with something different."
"Of course, the Eight Methods of Origin is easy to learn but hard to master. Most cultivators can only get started, unable to truly unleash sacred art or divine ability-level power. So practicing the Eight Methods of Origin won't interfere with your thoughts; instead, it might give you inspiration for creating techniques."
Zhang Ruochen closed his eyes and recalled for a moment. Suddenly, he stood up and, on the steps, began to practice the first method of the Eight Methods of Origin.
Taiqing Cloud-Pushing Hand!
He practiced it ten times in a row, but Zhang Ruochen felt nothing. He completely lacked the profound sensation he had when Zangjin Baihu had used his body to demonstrate, as if the entire universe were under his control.
His Cloud-Pushing Hand was merely a hollow form, unable to even activate the Zangjin Rule Divine Mark in his Qi Sea.
"Truly easy to learn but hard to master."
Zhang Ruochen again sought guidance from Zangjin Baihu, hoping it would demonstrate once more.
Unfortunately, Zangjin Baihu only responded with eight words: "Practice makes perfect; comprehend slowly on your own."
"Only ten practices, and you call it easy to learn but hard to master."
Zangjin Baihu muttered inwardly, feeling Zhang Ruochen lacked patience.
After all, even it had practiced the Eight Methods of Origin tens of millions of times before gaining a preliminary understanding of its mysteries. It had practiced hundreds of millions of times before achieving mastery and unleashing divine ability-level power.
Even now, it continued to practice, seeking deeper mysteries.
But Zangjin Baihu did not know that Zhang Ruochen had always mastered various sacred arts quickly, entering the hall of mastery soon after starting.
Now, having reached the Great Saint realm, with vastly increased experience and insight, and his spiritual power reaching the sixty-sixth level, he believed that any technique in the world could be learned through meditation, and its mysteries understood after a few practices.
Such a result naturally created a psychological gap.
...
Bai Qinger in the Seven Star Divine Palace shared a similar mindset.
Her spiritual power far surpassed Zhang Ruochen's, and she had successfully cultivated divine abilities. Thus, she was even more confident, believing she could learn any technique at a glance and grasp twenty to thirty percent after a single practice.
Yet, after practicing the Taiqing Cloud-Pushing Hand ten times in the Seven Star Divine Palace, she found no entry point, falling into deep self-doubt.
She had personally witnessed the power of the Taiqing Cloud-Pushing Hand.
Zangjin Baihu, using Zhang Ruochen's body, had executed this move, breaking her "Ten Suns Sharing the Sky" and forcing her back.
Such a divine ability naturally warranted careful study.
...
Zhang Ruochen practiced the Taiqing Cloud-Pushing Hand hundreds of times, sometimes pausing to ponder.
Occasionally, he would create a doppelganger to practice in a different way. Or, he would channel the sacred Qi within his body, exploring different methods of energy circulation.
Inside the Seven Star Divine Palace, Bai Qinger seemed equally fixated on the Taiqing Cloud-Pushing Hand, practicing repeatedly.
Gong Nanfeng walked out of the Seven Star Divine Palace's main gate, not disturbing Zhang Ruochen, who was practicing the Cloud-Pushing Hand. He stopped beside Desolate Heaven and waited until Zhang Ruochen withdrew his hands again before smilingly approaching.
"Brother Ruochen, I misunderstood you. After much thought, I feel I must apologize."
Zhang Ruochen had no fondness for Gong Nanfeng, who seemed either feigning ignorance or genuinely dim-witted. He said coldly, "There is no misunderstanding between us."
"No, there is a misunderstanding."
Gong Nanfeng's expression turned serious. He bowed deeply to Zhang Ruochen, but when he looked up, he only saw Zhang Ruochen's back. He quickly chased after him, saying, "Brother Ruochen is truly a remarkable figure valued by Xumi Saint Monk, Moon God, Xue Jue War God, and Fulushou God Venerable. Not only are you open-minded, but you are also noble and magnanimous, repaying evil with good. It's rare to see a cultivator like you in the Hell Realm."
"What is your purpose in praising me like this?"
Zhang Ruochen stepped forward, entering the palace gate.
The Seven Star Divine Palace was divided into seven separate courtyards, with vast internal space.
Gong Nanfeng said, "I'm not praising you; I'm stating facts. Originally, I thought you held a grudge against the Destiny Temple over the Adjudication Department matter, which is why you stood by and refused to deal with Bai Qinger, watching Tianxucha and Wuyue Minghuang die."
"But I was wrong! I've already figured out why Brother Ruochen didn't act from the start."
Zhang Ruochen ignored him.
He continued, "Because you knew very well that even if you acted, you couldn't do anything to Bai Qinger. An Eon-level genius who has reached the Supreme Realm is practically invincible below the divine realm, especially since she is also a Formation Heavenly Master."
"You watched coldly, waiting for the right moment to strike, right?"
"Fortunately, you were extremely wise and didn't act initially, or you would likely have been trapped in the Ten Thousand Sound Heaven-Spinning Grand Formation. If that had happened, Xingluo and the others would surely have died."
"Staying by Bai Qinger's side was an excellent strategy. Not only could you secretly observe her trump cards and find her weaknesses and flaws, but you could also subtly restrain her, preventing her from doing as she pleased. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!"
Zhang Ruochen stopped walking and said, "She can hear you. Is it really a good idea to expose my intentions like this?"
Gong Nanfeng's face changed. His eyes darted around, looking in all directions. He calmed down and said in a low voice, "I didn't think it through, but it doesn't matter. She's smart enough to guess your intentions. You don't really want to marry her, do you?"
"Have you been won over by her and come to test me?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Gong Nanfeng quickly shook his head, saying, "No, absolutely not. I swear by the Venerable's name. Brother Ruochen, you must believe me. However, she is refining the artifact spirit inside the Celestial Pivot Needle. If she succeeds, she will be able to use this divine artifact, and even I won't be able to stop her. With a divine artifact in hand, she will be like a tiger with wings."
Zhang Ruochen's expression shifted slightly. He sighed inwardly. This was not good news.
Gong Nanfeng was the physical body formed from over ninety percent of the Celestial Pivot Needle's artifact spirit. Logically, any cultivator trying to control the Celestial Pivot Needle would be subject to his will.
As long as Gong Nanfeng was unwilling, Bai Qinger could not control the Celestial Pivot Needle.
But once Bai Qinger refined the Celestial Pivot Needle, Gong Nanfeng's control over the artifact spirit inside would be greatly reduced.
"For a cultivator below the divine realm to refine a divine artifact, how difficult is that?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Gong Nanfeng said, "If she has mastered the Origin Esoterica, it might not be impossible. Of course, refining a divine artifact is not something that can be done overnight. I came to find Brother Ruochen for another matter."
Zhang Ruochen had no interest in Gong Nanfeng's affairs. He walked toward the Star Character Palace and stopped before a row of bookshelves.
The entire shelf was filled with scrolls related to "Origin."
Most were legends and unofficial histories of Origin Controllers, Origin basics, Origin Path observation diagrams... Truly profound materials were scarce.
Gong Nanfeng said, "These days, I have carefully observed every battle Bai Qinger has fought and done my best to deduce, uncovering many of her secrets. After all, she can't hide them during battle."
"Oh?"
Zhang Ruochen pulled down a book and was reading it. Hearing this, he showed interest.
Gong Nanfeng said, "Her physique is the same as yours—both are Five Elements Chaos Bodies. The difference is that you cultivated yours later, while she was born with it."
"I see."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "What else have you observed? Can you deduce how much Origin Esoterica she has mastered? Or how many sacred dao rules she has cultivated?"
Gong Nanfeng scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed, and said, "She definitely has some Origin Esoterica, but it's hard to deduce exactly how much. As for the sacred dao rules she has cultivated, I have some idea—definitely over thirty trillion."
Zhang Ruochen felt Gong Nanfeng was stating the obvious. When Wuyue Minghuang self-detonated his sacred source, the sacred dao rules released from his body had already reached twenty trillion.
Bai Qinger naturally surpassed Wuyue Minghuang by a large margin.
It was precisely because her sacred dao rule count was more than ten times that of an ordinary Supreme Realm Great Saint that she could slaughter ordinary Supreme Realm Great Saints like dogs. Without at least ten trillion sacred dao rules, one didn't even qualify to fight her.
Among Supreme Realm Great Saints, those with ten trillion sacred dao rules could be called "Demi-Gods."
Those with over twenty trillion sacred dao rules could be called "Peak Demi-Gods."
Demi-God and Peak Demi-God were merely terms for strength; they were still at the "Great Saint Supreme Realm" level. If someone hadn't cultivated ten trillion sacred dao rules but could still defeat a Demi-God, that cultivator could also be called a Demi-God.
In fact, Bai Qinger, Wuma Jiuxing, Xue Lingxian, and others were also Peak Demi-Gods, just stronger than Wuyue Minghuang.
It was worth noting that when Wuyue Minghuang condensed his Supreme Dharma Body at the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm, he had cultivated twelve trillion sacred dao rules. So, upon breaking through to the Supreme Realm, he could already be called a Demi-God.
After reaching the Supreme Realm, he naturally made tremendous progress, leading to his current achievements.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Bai Qinger should rank very high on the Divine Reserve Scroll, right? Didn't the Destiny Temple notice her before?"
Gong Nanfeng shook his head, saying, "No. On the Divine Reserve Scroll, she ranks outside the top hundred in the B Grade, not particularly outstanding."
"How can that be? In my opinion, with her cultivation level, she could break through to godhood with just a thought." Zhang Ruochen said.
"I have repeatedly thought about and deduced this problem. There are only two reasons."
As the artifact spirit of the Celestial Pivot Needle, Gong Nanfeng was almost omniscient about all things in the world. He said, "The first reason is likely that she has a heart knot. This heart knot has troubled her, and it may have even turned into a demon, making her afraid to easily undergo the Divine Tribulation."
Zhang Ruochen's eyes lit up. "What heart knot does she have?"
Could Bai Qinger's weakness lie here?
"Let's sit down and talk."
Gong Nanfeng took down an ancient book made of divine wood paper, "Origin Light," placed it on the ground as a cushion, sat down, leaned against the bookshelf, and said, "This has to start with Bai Qinger's background. This woman is actually quite pitiful."
"Wait a moment."
Zhang Ruochen took out the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror, activated its Supreme Inscription Rune, forming a spherical light shield covering the two of them.
"Continue. Is Bai Qinger's father really Desolate Heaven?"
Gong Nanfeng said, "Most likely, but Desolate Heaven Great God has never admitted to this matter. In fact, he hasn't visited the Goddess Twelve Pavilions for many years."
"How do you know he hasn't gone?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Gong Nanfeng's expression turned serious. Confirming that they were covered by a Supreme Sacred Artifact and no one could eavesdrop, he said, "To be honest, the Venerable of the Heavenly Fate Department has never trusted Desolate Heaven Great God. Whenever Desolate Heaven Great God leaves the Hell Realm, they activate the Celestial Pivot Needle to deduce his whereabouts. Brother Ruochen is one of us, so I'm telling you this secret."
Zhang Ruochen's expression was strange. He smiled and said, "You seem to know all the secrets of the Hell Realm."
Gong Nanfeng beamed with joy, smiled smugly, and continued, "Think about it. A little girl, abandoned by her father from childhood, is already a cruel thing. Moreover, she has a mother with a terrible reputation. You can imagine how much ridicule she must have endured growing up."
"The ruler of the Goddess Twelve Pavilions, White Empress? What do you mean by a terrible reputation?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Gong Nanfeng said, "It is said that this White Empress is as beautiful as a celestial maiden, comparable to the Moon God. But the Moon God is pure and chaste, with many admirers among the gods of the Hell Realm. White Empress, on the other hand, is very depraved, having had affairs with many gods."
Hearing such a big piece of gossip, Zhang Ruochen couldn't help but laugh. He shook his head and said, "No wonder Desolate Heaven never went to the Goddess Twelve Pavilions again. It's even uncertain whether Bai Qinger is his daughter. But does White Empress really have such charm?"
"Legend says no man can refuse White Empress, including male gods." Gong Nanfeng said.
Zhang Ruochen fell into thought, recalling his own resentment toward Xue Hou.
If what Gong Nanfeng said was true, he could somewhat understand why Bai Qinger was so determined to surpass Desolate Heaven and even looked down on him.
Compared to Desolate Heaven and White Empress, Xue Hou was already a thousand or ten thousand times better.
One gave birth but didn't raise; the other was unworthy of being a mother.
Zhang Ruochen said, "What is the second reason you mentioned?"
Gong Nanfeng said, "Bai Qinger managed to pass the Thousand Questions Realm and break through the Ten Thousand Deaths One Life Realm, showing her strong will. The heart knot might not be able to defeat her. That leaves only another possibility: a being with extremely powerful spiritual power has completely concealed her heavenly secrets. Even the Divine Reserve Scroll cannot perceive the real her."
"The Divine Reserve Scroll is one of the six volumes of the Destiny Heavenly Book, representing the supreme law of the entire Destiny Temple. Who can contend with destiny?" Zhang Ruochen asked curiously.
Gong Nanfeng said meaningfully, "A being with spiritual power exceeding the ninetieth level."
Zhang Ruochen was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but draw a cold breath. He shook his head and said, "That's impossible."
When spiritual power reaches the seventieth level, one can be considered a god of spiritual power.
Reaching the eightieth level is already a titan among gods.
The ninetieth level?
Did such a level of spiritual power expert truly exist in the universe?
Gong Nanfeng said, "I'm not speaking without basis. Given that Desolate Heaven and White Empress have abandoned her, Bai Qinger's current achievements would be absolutely impossible without a transcendent-level figure guiding her behind the scenes."
"Just like you, Brother Ruochen. You inherited the legacy of Xumi Saint Monk, the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree, and the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable, obtained the inheritance of many Kunlun Realm great figures, and received support and guidance from the Truth Temple, Moon God, Xue Jue War God, Zangjin Baihu... and other great figures, leading to your current achievements."
"The deceased Yan Wushen also had top-tier opportunities and inheritances. Que was meticulously cultivated by the Destiny Temple."
"I don't believe she reached her current height through her own efforts alone."
"Now that you mention it, there is some logic." Zhang Ruochen looked at Gong Nanfeng with a strange expression and said, "Didn't you claim it was hard to deduce me? How do you know me so well?"
Gong Nanfeng, afraid of being misunderstood again, quickly said, "Information! The Origin Divine Temple has thoroughly investigated all information about you."
"Get out." Zhang Ruochen said.
"Brother Ruochen, why do you change your face so quickly?"
"No matter how much you know about my information, you must never reveal it to anyone."
"Understood. Since I, Gong Nanfeng, have recognized you as a brother, I naturally won't do anything to betray you. In the future, if you want to take revenge on Empress Chi Yao, or settle scores with the Moon God, or snatch the Heavenly Maiden of the Thousand Star Civilization or the Heavenly Beginning Civilization as your wife, count me in. I still have some connections in the Destiny Temple; mobilizing a sacred army to help you won't be a problem."
"You know too much!"
"I can't help it. I'm the artifact spirit of the Celestial Pivot Needle."
"Get out."
...
(The limit on the number of sacred dao rules is set based on the number of cells in the human body. The human body has roughly 40 trillion to 60 trillion cells, with each cell bearing one sacred dao rule as the limit.)