Chapter 2503: From Afar a Dog, Up Close Zhang Ruochen
Blood Lingxian walked into the hall, holding the stone sword with both hands, and thrust it into the ground. "All conditions can be discussed, but I must take the Celestial Pivot Needle with me."
Although everyone in the hall appeared calm, the atmosphere suddenly became tense. With Blood Lingxian and Bai Qinger at the forefront, two opposing poles of momentum formed.
Bai Qinger stared at Zhang Ruochen. "Can he make decisions for you?"
Zhang Ruochen shrugged and smiled. "He's an elder of the sect, assertive by nature, and with age comes a bad temper. After sleeping for a hundred thousand years, it's only natural that his hostility is a bit heavy. But since this old senior has spoken, if I don't support him, wouldn't that be a slap in his face?"
Blood Lingxian looked very young.
However, Zhang Ruochen was the current sect leader of the Blood God Sect, and Blood Lingxian was the Blood God's senior disciple, as well as the sect's first Divine Son, naturally qualifying as an elder of the sect.
Judging by Blood Lingxian's attitude, Zhang Ruochen confirmed his suspicions. He and Granny Haitang had come to the Hell Realm to seize the Celestial Pivot Needle, likely indeed related to rescuing Yunshen Daozhu. Otherwise, Blood Lingxian wouldn't have shown such a firm will to obtain the needle.
The ownership of the Celestial Pivot Needle would become the most difficult part of this negotiation.
Fei Zhong felt a sense of unease and quietly retreated to a corner.
...
Bai Qinger weighed the pros and cons in her mind. "Handing over the Celestial Pivot Needle to you is possible, but it is, after all, a divine artifact. What will you exchange for it? I've heard that the Kunlun Realm has ten divine artifacts. Bring me any one of them, and we'll trade."
Granny Haitang said, "How could the divine artifacts of the Kunlun Realm be allowed to flow to the outside world? Besides, the ten great divine artifacts are not something we can control. You'll have to propose another condition."
"Divine artifacts are priceless; they can only be exchanged for divine artifacts. This is the greatest concession I can make. If we can't reach an agreement, then let's fight. To be honest, you lot are no match for me."
Bai Qinger had never been weak-willed.
Moreover, she didn't mind solving problems through combat—it was the most effective and direct method. Whoever had the bigger fist called the shots.
Blood Lingxian had long grown tired of talking and was the most direct. The stone sword in his hand had already been swung.
This strike was as fast as lightning, piercing through space and time.
"Whoosh!"
The sword struck empty air.
Bai Qinger appeared behind Blood Lingxian, at the position of the palace gate.
Due to the speed, even Fei Zhong, with his cultivation, couldn't see what had just happened. He only knew that Blood Lingxian seemed to have swung his sword, but how Bai Qinger had evaded it was completely unclear.
Fei Zhong was shocked beyond measure. Was he, a Supreme Realm Great Saint, truly worthy of the title "Supreme"?
But then he thought about it; among Supreme Realm Great Saints, he was already considered a strong one.
Blood Lingxian, of course, knew Bai Qinger was standing behind him. His gaze was calm. "You are the strongest cultivator of the Light Flow Path I have ever seen, including those from the Middle Ages, below the divine realm."
"Is that so? That sword strike of yours had some skill to it. The Kunlun Realm truly lives up to its reputation as an eternal, undying great world, and as the fuse for the war between the Heavenly Court and Hell at the end of the Middle Ages. Even though it's dead, it refuses to die completely." Bai Qinger said.
Zhang Ruochen's expression darkened, because before this, Bai Qinger had never revealed her mastery of the Light Flow Path.
If she had used the Light Flow Path back then, even if Zhang Ruochen had been thirty miles away, escaping from her grasp would have been extremely difficult.
Thinking carefully, it was perfectly normal that Bai Qinger hadn't used the Light Flow Path at the time. First, with her cultivation and realm, killing Zhang Ruochen didn't require her full effort. Second, with Zangjin Baihu present, even if she had caught up to Zhang Ruochen, could she have actually killed him?
Since she knew Zhang Ruochen had ulterior motives for staying by her side, and she couldn't kill him anyway, there was no need to reveal her trump card.
This was a woman Zhang Ruochen could never fully understand.
Blood Lingxian said, "Who exactly are you?"
For Blood Lingxian to ask this question showed that Bai Qinger's importance in his eyes had reached an extraordinary level.
"Bai Qinger, daughter of Bai Huanghou, the ruler of the Goddess Twelve Pavilions," Zhang Ruochen said.
"The Goddess Twelve Pavilions couldn't have nurtured such a proud daughter of heaven. She must have a deeper background."
As Granny Haitang spoke these words, she had already unfolded her spiritual power domain. Countless crabapple blossoms coalesced, forming an endless sea of flowers that filled the Seven Star Imperial Palace and a vast expanse of space outside.
The fragrance of flowers was intoxicating, yet it concealed deadly intent.
Within this sea of flowers, any cultivator would be subject to Granny Haitang's control.
Unfolding the spiritual power domain was meant to suppress Bai Qinger's Light Flow Path.
Bai Qinger glanced at Granny Haitang with slight surprise, her form completely unaffected as she strolled leisurely through the sea of flowers. "I've discovered something very interesting. Before me now are three cultivators from the Kunlun Realm, yet you come from three different eras. The age difference between you must be at least a hundred thousand years, right?"
"How strange is this? Could it be that the great figures of the former Kunlun Realm knew of the great calamity in the Middle Ages and thus hid away the most top-tier talents from each era, awakening them in this age? Oh! I remember now. Xumi Saint Monk was a master of time and space, also known as the Future Buddha. How could he not have seen the future?"
It was no wonder Bai Qinger had such suspicions.
After all, in the current world, there were very few cultivators who could survive a single strike from Bai Qinger. Even fewer could attract her attention.
Yet these three cultivators from the Kunlun Realm had all reached a level she had to take seriously. Could a decaying, nearly destroyed great world possess such power?
Impossible.
Even among the four ruling great worlds of the current Heavenly Court, picking any one of them, it would be difficult to assemble such a luxurious lineup.
But if this great world had once been the most powerful in the universe, and had preserved the best talents from every era, it would make sense.
Xumi Saint Monk, known as the Future Buddha, could not have been unaware of the Kunlun Realm's great calamity. Even if the calamity was only a possibility, he would certainly have made some arrangements in advance, leaving seeds for the Kunlun Realm's future rise.
People like Blood Lingxian were those seeds for the Kunlun Realm's resurgence.
Zhang Ruochen knew that the Kunlun Realm had many cultivators who had fallen into various forms of slumber to resist the passage of time and Eon Calamities, but he hadn't expected Bai Qinger to be so perceptive, able to see the big picture from small details.
Indeed, to become an Eon-level genius, one's intellect and martial skills must be top-notch.
Bai Qinger seemed not to notice the looks from Zhang Ruochen, Granny Haitang, and Blood Lingxian, continuing to think aloud. "As far as I know, the gods of the Kunlun Realm did not all fall in the divine war at the end of the Middle Ages."
"Princess Shenba, daughter of Shijie Wentianjun, married the true god Xuanyi of the Paradise Realm."
"Yunshen Daozhu, known as the Grandmaster of Formations, is imprisoned in the Destiny Temple."
"There are rumors that the Ice King once released a great figure from the Kunlun Realm, and that figure is likely still alive."
"Fangcun Master, the senior disciple of Xumi Saint Monk, was pursued by the Green Deer God King a hundred thousand years ago and fled into the Sea Stone Star Dock. He may not have fallen."
"Chi Xingtian, the Green Li King of the Jiuli Divine Temple, is said to have been beheaded but did not die. His head was refined into the Xingtian Cauldron by the Nether Hall, while his body transformed into a mindless, thoughtless giant demon, later subdued by the master of the Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm and made into a demon god general guarding the realm."
"It is said that the master of the Wujian Pavilion was also a peerless figure from the Kunlun Realm."
...
"If these gods who once shook the universe could all return to the Kunlun Realm, it would instantly become a powerful realm. Under their protection, the talents left behind from various eras could surely break through to godhood. By then, even if the Kunlun Realm's strength didn't reach the top ten of the Heavenly Court's myriad realms, entering the top hundred or top fifty would be easy."
Bai Qinger laughed. "Compared to the gods, our schemes and layouts are too small! Even if the Kunlun Realm was once utterly destroyed, it is still a starved camel larger than a horse, possessing an unimaginable foundation."
"Let me think carefully. What is your purpose in seizing the Celestial Pivot Needle? Is it to find the Origin Divine Temple and pave the way for the Kunlun Realm's rise? Or to find the Xingtian Cauldron and awaken Chi Xingtian's memories? Or... I know, I know your goal now. It must be for that person. Only if he escapes can he, like a stabilizing sea anchor, support the entire Kunlun Realm. By then, even the gods of the Hell Realm will be thrown into panic."
Blood Lingxian's hand rested on the stone sword, and murderous aura surged from his body.
In the hall, sword intent condensed into a tangible form, transforming into thousands of sword shadows.
"Today, she must die," he said.
Zhang Ruochen naturally understood that there was an irreconcilable conflict between them and Bai Qinger.
Bai Qinger would not willingly give up a divine artifact, while they had to seize the Celestial Pivot Needle.
Moreover, Bai Qinger seemed to have seen through some of the Kunlun Realm's secrets, making it even more impossible to spare her life. In this world, there was no right or wrong, only different stances.
Zhang Ruochen had long been prepared to advance and retreat together with Blood Lingxian and Granny Haitang. In one hand, he held the Black Gold War Heaven Pillar, and in the other, the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror. Dense burial gold rule divine patterns appeared on his body, and a sacred tiger shadow formed behind him.
Blood Lingxian said, "A worthy opponent is hard to find. I want a fair fight with her."
"Will the outcome of our battle decide the ownership of the Celestial Pivot Needle?" Bai Qinger asked.
Zhang Ruochen, afraid that Blood Lingxian would agree, quickly said, "Senior Blood, what fairness is there in this world? When Miss Bai took the Celestial Pivot Needle from me with her Supreme Realm cultivation, she never thought about fairness. So, you cannot represent our will."
"The Kunlun Realm must have the Celestial Pivot Needle," Granny Haitang also stated her stance.
Blood Lingxian was somewhat displeased with Zhang Ruochen repeatedly calling him "old senior," but with a battle imminent, he didn't make an issue of it. "I only represent myself."
"That's fine," Bai Qinger said.
She turned and flew out of the hall, pointing a finger and slashing through the void.
"Whoosh—"
A space rift dozens of feet long appeared, unleashing a violent suction force.
"This place is not far from the Aoyun Asteroid Belt. Let's fight in the void space."
She flew in first.
Blood Lingxian turned into a silver streak and followed closely.
In the hall, only Zhang Ruochen, Fei Zhong, and Granny Haitang remained.
Fei Zhong, seeing both Zhang Ruochen and Granny Haitang staring at him, tensed up and immediately knelt on one knee. "From now on, I am a cultivator of the Kunlun Realm."
After experiencing Bai Qinger's dream, Fei Zhong's spiritual will had been shattered, and he would never become a god in this life.
Granny Haitang snorted softly, and dense crabapple blossoms flew over, wrapping Fei Zhong entirely.
"You... you... ah..."
"Boom!"
With Fei Zhong's screams, the blossoms exploded.
Blood mist scattered from within the petals.
Fei Zhong was reduced to ashes.
This was a spiritual power attack launched by Granny Haitang. Within her spiritual power domain, even a strongman like Fei Zhong had no power to resist.
"Ruochen, the Empress must have told you about rescuing Tai Shang. The Celestial Pivot Needle is a treasure we must use. Only with it can we find Tai Shang's exact prison location," Granny Haitang said.
Zhang Ruochen looked outside the palace gate, worried about the battle between Blood Lingxian and Bai Qinger. "I understand."
"Don't blame your father entirely for what happened to Shenming back then. Even if your mother told you some things, don't believe it all. She doesn't know the full truth either. Born in this era, everyone has their hardships and is forced to act against their will," Granny Haitang said.
A strange look appeared in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. "Grandmother, do you know what happened back then?"
"First, seize the Celestial Pivot Needle. You've grown up now and can stand on your own. I will tell you everything I know," Granny Haitang said meaningfully.
Granny Haitang thought that Zhang Ruochen had joined the Hell Realm under the influence of Xue Hou. To win back Zhang Ruochen's heart and bring him back to the Kunlun Realm, she planned to tell him the truth.
Just as Zhang Ruochen and Granny Haitang stepped out of the Seven Star Imperial Palace, a patch of fire clouds flew over from the horizon.
In the fire clouds flew a giant owl. From afar, it let out a long cry: "Who exactly are you, cultivator? Where is Zhang Ruochen's corpse?"
Zhang Ruochen was stunned. Was Xiao Hei blind?
Couldn't it recognize him?
Flying closer, Xiao Hei slowed down and let out a soft exclamation: "Eh! From afar a dog, up close Zhang Ruochen."
Zhang Ruochen's forehead was covered with black lines.
Wasn't this too much of an insult?
Not far away, Huang Tian, who had been lying down, stood up and distanced himself from Zhang Ruochen, not wanting to block Xiao Hei's view.
Xiao Hei did not retract the undying divine fire on its body upon seeing Zhang Ruochen's figure; instead, its hostility grew stronger. It summoned the Heaven and Earth Slaying Gods and Demons Grand Formation, with various war artifacts flying around it.
"Don't think that by transforming into Zhang Ruochen's form, you can fool this emperor's eyes. Hand over Zhang Ruochen's corpse!"
Zhang Ruochen didn't want to argue with it. Eager to enter the void space, he released space rules and used spatial means to tear open a space gate.
"You want to prove you're Zhang Ruochen by using your cultivation of the Way of Space? Haha, I've never seen anything so ridiculous. Do you take this emperor for a fool?" Xiao Hei sneered.