Chapter 2507: The Heart of Qianmo
In the Aoyun Asteroid Belt.
On an irregular rocky asteroid three hundred miles in diameter sat a seventy-zhang-tall sacred artifact palace, with red walls and golden tiles, carved with dragons and phoenixes.
The palace was shrouded in death qi, making it difficult for ordinary cultivators to approach.
Yuan Qianmo, his hair white as snow, stood with his hands behind his back outside the sacred artifact palace, gazing at the spatial wormhole in the distant void. He seemed to be contemplating the mysteries of space, or perhaps something else.
A ghost servant who had survived nine ghost tribulations stood nearby, holding a broadsword that radiated a bone-chilling cold.
Yuan Benji arrived behind Yuan Qianmo, cupped his fists slightly, and said, "Fourth Brother, I've investigated thoroughly. The Aoyun Asteroid Belt has only three spatial wormholes. They lead to the Blood Heaven Tribe's Wing World, the starry sky near the Hundred Clans Royal City on the edge of the Hell Realm, and the Shura Star Pillar Realm. The one closest to us leads to the starry sky near the Hundred Clans Royal City. That's the most likely route Ji Fanxin would choose to pass through."
Yuan Qianmo remained silent.
Yuan Benji's lips moved, but he finally spoke, "With cultivators from dozens of major powers, including the Ten Dark Powers and the Paradise Realm, gathered here in the Aoyun Asteroid Belt, even a false god would have to retreat. Does Ji Fanxin really dare to come? I suspect she might have already turned back to Ice King Star."
Yuan Qianmo said, "That's not your concern. I heard something strange happened in the Hundred Clans Royal City. Every night, a light of origin appears in the sky, turning night into day. This has happened three times now, each lasting a quarter of an hour."
Yuan Benji said, "Indeed. Many major powers speculate that the Origin Divine Temple might emerge near the Hundred Clans Royal City. They've all sent cultivators to investigate. But I think someone is deliberately doing this to create a diversion and confuse our judgment."
"You represent the Death God Temple. Go to the Hundred Clans Royal City and thoroughly investigate this matter," Yuan Qianmo said.
"Understood."
Yuan Benji didn't press further. He rode a cloud of death qi, flew out of the rocky asteroid, and charged toward the spatial wormhole suspended in the void.
Yuanshu Zhenhuang, wearing a golden imperial robe with a long train dragging on the ground and a golden crown on her head, stood gracefully and elegantly as she emerged from the gray death qi. "The Hundred Clans Royal City has gods stationed there. It's the largest sacred city on the edge of the Hell Realm, even comparable to the divine cities of the ten clans. If the Origin Divine Temple really appears there, it will surely stir up forces from all directions."
Yuan Qianmo said, "You mean someone is deliberately trying to muddy the waters."
"It's also possible that the Origin Divine Temple could appear in the Hundred Clans Royal City. To support such a vast sacred city, that space must be extraordinary—a convergence point of the world's meridians," Yuanshu Zhenhuang said.
Yuan Qianmo's eyes deepened. "That's why I sent Benji there. Regardless, as long as we seize the supreme-grade origin divine crystal, we can naturally lock onto the location of the Origin Divine Temple."
Yuanshu Zhenhuang said, "Ji Fanxin isn't the real Ji Fanxin."
"Not necessarily," Yuan Qianmo said, shaking his head slightly.
Yuanshu Zhenhuang said, "Ji Fanxin is likely still at the Saint King realm. There's no way she could be strong enough to severely wound over a dozen Supreme Realm Great Saints from the Destiny Temple."
Yuan Qianmo said, "Any other cultivator wouldn't believe someone could have such power. They'd only think it's a god deliberately disguising themselves."
"Yes, aside from a god suppressing their cultivation, who could have such strength?" Yuanshu Zhenhuang sighed.
Yuan Qianmo said, "But why would a god disguise themselves as Ji Fanxin, a Saint King who absolutely couldn't have such power? Disguising as Wuma Jiuxing or some unknown figure would raise no suspicion, wouldn't it?"
Yuanshu Zhenhuang nodded slightly, acknowledging the logic of Yuan Qianmo's analysis.
"It's been confirmed. Ji Fanxin isn't in the Kunlun Realm, nor in the Qianrui Realm or the Heavenly Court," Yuan Qianmo said.
Yuanshu Zhenhuang said, "How could Ji Fanxin suddenly become so powerful?"
Yuan Qianmo said, "I think it's not sudden. She was always this powerful. How many eon calamities has a being that has survived since the Primordial Era endured?"
Yuanshu Zhenhuang shook her head gently.
Yuan Qianmo said, "The Primordial Era is so distant it's hard to calculate, but at least a hundred eons have passed. She has survived a hundred eon calamities. It's not that the eon calamities couldn't kill her, but that heaven and earth didn't want to kill her—they favored her. Do you really believe she only cultivated her physical body in the last few hundred years under the guidance of the Mandala Flower God?"
Yuanshu Zhenhuang shook her head again. "Even if she only cultivated her physical body in recent centuries, the time she gained sentience is far longer. A hundred thousand years, a million years, ten million years—all are possible."
Yuan Qianmo said, "Plant-type beings, whether in the Saint realm world or the God realm world, are very weak. They're often picked as medicinal herbs and used as alchemy materials. Even if they cultivate to godhood, to other powerful gods, they're just a divine medicine."
"For a plant-type being to become a formidable warrior, they must immerse themselves in the mortal world, temper their heart, hone their will, cultivate combat techniques, and refine their spirit. Ji Fanxin's master is the Mandala Flower God. If she can single-handedly support a realm for plant-type beings, protecting them from bullying by other cultivators, wouldn't she understand this principle?"
Yuanshu Zhenhuang said, "So you suspect Ji Fanxin's cultivation has long reached the Great Saint Supreme Realm, but the Mandala Flower God sealed her cultivation, letting her undergo tribulations step by step in the mortal world to temper her heart, will, combat techniques, and spirit?"
"I heard that when the Stone Ancestor was young, he cultivated to the Great Saint Supreme Realm but didn't enter the Divine Reserve List, and was deemed unable to become a god. The Stone Ancestor didn't believe in fate, so he made a decision contrary to his beliefs—cultivating his physical body like the stone clan cultivators of the Stone Realm."
"Every time he cultivated a physical body, he underwent tribulations in the mortal world, starting from weakness and cultivating back to the Supreme Realm. Once there, he first killed his loved ones, then severed his own body."
"After nine cycles of cultivation and nine self-severances, he finally tempered his heart and will to a level stronger than a god's, defying heaven to become a god."
Yuan Qianmo said, "I suspect her cultivation isn't just the Great Saint Supreme Realm. She might have already walked far on the divine path."
"How is that possible?" Yuanshu Zhenhuang said.
Yuan Qianmo said, "Don't forget, she's a being favored by heaven and earth. The barriers of the divine path might be easily broken through for her."
"Of course, even if a plant-type being has a high realm, it doesn't mean their combat power is strong. Just like the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree of the Kunlun Realm back then—how long its lifespan was, yet it was still cut down by the Desolate Heaven Great God."
"A sage with a lofty mind, understanding the laws of all things, natural principles, and astronomy and geography, can easily be killed by a martial artist with a single slash of a blade. That's normal. Unless that sage also cultivates martial arts, becoming a martial arts grandmaster, invincible under heaven."
Yuanshu Zhenhuang pondered, "If Ji Fanxin really has reached the divine realm, wouldn't Mo Shen be in great danger going there?"
Mo Shen referred to Mo Yunduan.
After Xingluo contacted Yuan Qianmo, they devised a strategy to set up a killing formation in the Aoyun Asteroid Belt, waiting at ease.
Knowing the value of Zhang Ruochen and the supreme-grade origin divine crystal, Yuan Qianmo secretly invited Mo Yunduan to intercept them in advance.
Yuan Qianmo took out a booklet and handed it to Yuanshu Zhenhuang.
Yuanshu Zhenhuang opened it and saw detailed records about Ji Fanxin.
Yuan Qianmo said, "Ji Fanxin appeared on Ice King Star without alerting the Ice Emperor. This shows her cultivation is sealed below the divine realm. That's point one."
"Second, based on Ji Fanxin's past battle records, it's clear her heart, combat techniques, and spirit are still at the Saint King level. At most, they're now at the Great Saint level. If Mo Shen seizes the right moment and strikes unexpectedly, he can surely severely wound her. Once severely wounded, escape becomes impossible."
Yuanshu Zhenhuang doubted the accuracy of the records. "But Xingluo lost to her."
"Without guessing, Xingluo was careless and underestimated her. If it were me, not knowing Ji Fanxin's true strength, I might make the same mistake on first encounter," Yuan Qianmo said, having made various analyses and firmly believing in his judgment.
Yuanshu Zhenhuang thought for a moment. She couldn't imagine how a cultivator below the divine realm could defeat a god, especially when the god was hiding in ambush.
This was foolproof...
No, it was absolutely impossible to fail.
Yuanshu Zhenhuang said, "I still think this is quite risky. Don't forget, Ji Fanxin has Zhang Ruochen by her side."
"Zhang Ruochen's cultivation is too low. If not for the protection of Zangjin Baihu, he might have been killed by Ji Fanxin long ago," Yuan Qianmo said with a dismissive smile, his eyes turning cold. "Zangjin Baihu can't exert much power. It can't stop Mo Shen."
Yuanshu Zhenhuang said, "Why are you so certain?"
Yuan Qianmo said, "Have you considered why Ji Fanxin made Zhang Ruochen pilot the Seven-Star Imperial Palace to attract Hell Realm cultivators to intercept him, then launched a massacre?"
Yuanshu Zhenhuang said, "She wants to force Zhang Ruochen to the opposite side of the Hell Realm. With no other choice, he'll have to obediently return to the Heavenly Court with her."
Yuan Qianmo nodded. "Zhang Ruochen is ostracized in the Heavenly Court, even deeply at odds with the Paradise Realm. After the Heaven Hunting Battle, he became a public enemy of the entire Heavenly Court. What would he return for? To be judged?"
"He doesn't want to return to the Heavenly Court, but he can't resist Ji Fanxin. Doesn't that prove Zangjin Baihu's power is no match for Ji Fanxin?"
Yuanshu Zhenhuang had to admit Yuan Qianmo's analysis made sense.
From the details, he glimpsed the truth.
Yuan Qianmo sighed lightly. "Unfortunately, although Zangjin Baihu can't exert much power, it's still a prehistoric powerhouse. Mo Shen will surely be wary of it. Otherwise, this would be a good chance to eliminate Zhang Ruochen. Yuanshu, your seventh brother's blood debt probably can't be avenged this time."
Yuanshu Zhenhuang said, "Father God has already ordered me to let go of hatred and not to oppose Zhang Ruochen."
"If you suppress hatred in your heart, how can your thoughts flow freely?" Yuan Qianmo said.
Yuanshu Zhenhuang's beautiful eyes fixed on Yuan Qianmo's. "So, you're determined to kill Zhang Ruochen, aren't you?"
"To kill Zhang Ruochen, Zangjin Baihu must be dealt with first. To deal with Zangjin Baihu, it must be forced to unleash power beyond what heaven and earth rules allow, letting heavenly punishment kill it."
Yuan Qianmo hesitated, then decided not to reveal the secrets hidden in his heart to Yuanshu Zhenhuang. "Let's wait for good news from Mo Shen. Perhaps the Death God Temple won't just get the supreme-grade origin divine crystal, but also a Primordial Era Illumination Divine Lotus."
"It seems Mo Shen has brought heavy artifacts. He won't let Ji Fanxin escape," Yuanshu Zhenhuang said.
Yuan Qianmo just smiled, his smile full of confidence and anticipation.
...
There will be another chapter before dawn.