# Chapter 2516: When False Becomes True, True Becomes False
The devastating defeat of the Destiny Temple had made the name of the Hundred Flowers Immortal Ji Fanxin resound across all directions.
The powerful experts of the various major forces in the Hell Realm, heeding the orders of the Destiny Temple, had gathered in the Aoyun Asteroid Belt, setting up a Heaven Net Earth Trap, waiting quietly for Ji Fanxin to come and die.
Lu Baitou of the Green Deer Divine Temple was a humanoid creature, appearing to be thirty or forty years old, yet with a full head of white hair. A pair of crimson red eyes, like two pools of blood, were both deep and ferocious.
Above his head, a talisman was suspended.
The Heaven-Concealing Fate Talisman.
Only the Fate Transport Department could refine such a talisman. When activated, it could conceal all aura and heavenly fate of a Great Saint, allowing them to hide without a trace.
Standing beside Lu Baitou was Shan Qiu of the Death God Temple, also with a Heaven-Concealing Fate Talisman suspended above his head.
Both Lu Baitou and Shan Qiu were figures of great renown, having slain no fewer than ten Heavenly Court Great Saints.
It was precisely because they had fought year-round on the Merit Battlefield that they were not only powerful in cultivation but also extremely cautious. Thus, they had become two forward scouts, hiding in this location.
They had already waited for nearly half a month, yet they had not seen any trace of the Seven Star Imperial Palace or Ji Fanxin.
Lu Baitou's patience had been worn thin. He snorted lightly, "Ji Fanxin isn't stupid. Knowing that the Aoyun Asteroid Belt is gathering a large number of powerful experts who want to kill her, how could she possibly come? If I were her, I would definitely turn back to Ice King Star or go into hiding."
Shan Qiu revealed a hint of a smile in his eyes, saying, "Staying here is indeed a waste of time. But that Starfall Divine Son firmly believes that Ji Fanxin will come to die. Since he has already spoken, we naturally have no choice but to continue waiting."
Lu Baitou said, "Just a mere Ji Fanxin, why does she need such a massive deployment? In my opinion, the deaths of Wuyue Minghuang and Tianxu Sha and those other Destiny Temple powerful experts most likely have other hidden circumstances. It is said that the internal struggles within the Destiny Temple are quite intense."
"Which time during the transition between old and new hasn't the Destiny Temple been drenched in blood and storms? For the new Divine Maiden to take power, she must eliminate dissidents by force. It's only natural for Starfall Divine Son, being born from the Underworld Clan, to assist her. Anyway, the gods won't interfere in worldly struggles. As long as their methods are sufficiently formidable, the gods might even prefer it that way," Shan Qiu said.
Lu Baitou lowered his voice, saying, "It is said that Zhang Ruochen is also involved in this."
Shan Qiu let out a cold laugh, "Zhang Ruochen thinks that with the backing of Xue Jue War God and Fulu Divine Venerable, he can act with impunity in the Hell Realm. Unfortunately, he is getting too close to the cultivators of the Heavenly Court, and that is simply seeking death. Just wait and see, the Hell Realm will have no place for him."
"Continuing to guard here is completely meaningless. How about we report to our superiors and also head to the Hundred Clans Royal City? If the Origin Divine Temple truly emerges in the Hundred Clans Royal City, we can seize the benefits at the first opportunity," Lu Baitou said.
Shan Qiu was a disciple of a god from the Death God Temple and held the status of a Divine Envoy. How noble was that? Now, reduced to being a forward scout against Ji Fanxin, he had long been furious. Hearing Lu Baitou's proposal, he naturally agreed wholeheartedly.
Just as the two were about to leave, they sensed powerful fluctuations of Sacred Dao, approaching from afar.
"Such speed, reaching ten thousand times the speed of sound." Lu Baitou's expression changed.
"Could it be Ji Fanxin has arrived?"
The two immediately hid themselves cautiously, taking out Message Light Talismans, ready to send the news at any moment.
...
"Hua!"
Zhang Ruochen activated the Flowing Light Merit Armor to fly, covering ten thousand li with every passing moment, like a meteor streaking across the dark and empty universe.
Gong Nanfeng was held in his palm, his body only the size of a bean.
Ten days had passed since parting with Blood Lingsi and Haitang Popo. Zhang Ruochen had been traveling at full speed and had finally entered the star region where the Aoyun Asteroid Belt was located.
Slowing down, Zhang Ruochen stopped and said to Gong Nanfeng in his palm, "Very calm. Bai Qinger should not have arrived here yet. Otherwise, once battle erupts, this space would already be filled with chaotic Sacred Dao aura."
"Do you think she might have already died at the hands of the false god?" Gong Nanfeng's tone was quite cold.
Zhang Ruochen had told Gong Nanfeng that a false god from the Death God Temple had come to seize the Celestial Pivot Needle and the top-grade Origin Divine Crystal, triggering a great battle with Bai Qinger, and that he had taken advantage of the chaos to escape.
Gong Nanfeng could deduce all things in the world. Deceiving him was not an easy task.
However, the Dragon Lord had concealed everything about Haitang Popo and Blood Lingsi. Even with his powerful deduction abilities, he could only deduce that Mo Yunduan had been to that area.
Therefore, he firmly believed Zhang Ruochen's words.
"Who in this world can defy heaven and slay a god? Although Bai Qinger is powerful, to be ambushed by a god..."
At this point, Zhang Ruochen gently shook his head.
"For a god to intervene in mortal affairs in their true form is to trample upon the rules of the Destiny Temple. Mo Yunduan must be punished," Gong Nanfeng said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Bai Qinger is too powerful and has been slaughtering wantonly in the Hell Realm. It is not unreasonable for a god to take action."
"That is one matter, this is another. Since the rules have been established, no one can break them."
Gong Nanfeng spoke with firm determination, then continued, "Brother Ruochen, have you considered that the Death God Temple's goal might not be to kill Bai Qinger at all, but rather to seize the top-grade Origin Divine Crystal and privately claim the Origin Divine Temple?"
"It is even possible that they wanted to kill both you and me, to seize the various treasures and the Celestial Pivot Needle from you. They simply underestimated the strength of you and Bai Qinger."
Zhang Ruochen said, "That's impossible, right?"
"Why impossible?"
Gong Nanfeng said with great certainty, "Starfall and the others have already set up a killing formation in the Aoyun Asteroid Belt. No matter how strong Bai Qinger is, going there would be a dead end. Under such circumstances, why would a god of the Death God Temple disregard the rules set by the Destiny Temple and strike ahead of everyone else?"
"If a god has already taken action, and the Death God Temple has taken such a huge risk, how could it be merely to avenge the Destiny Temple and kill a Bai Qinger? Besides, the gods of the Destiny Temple haven't even acted, so why is the Death God Temple's god so aggressive?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded, saying, "Your analysis does make some sense. At that time, Mo Yunduan indeed came with fierce momentum and had a strong hostility toward me. Fortunately, Bai Qinger was strong enough, and I found an opportunity to escape. Even gods are disregarding their dignity to act. My situation is becoming more and more dangerous."
"There is something even more serious. My perception of the Celestial Pivot Needle has disappeared! It seems that either Bai Qinger or Mo Yunduan has refined the artifact spirit of the Celestial Pivot Needle. The divine artifact is lost, and I am a sinner of the Destiny Temple." Gong Nanfeng was melancholy and self-blaming.
Zhang Ruochen comforted him, saying, "At least we know that the divine artifact must be on one of the two of them. There is still a chance to retrieve it."
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen sensed something and executed a Spatial Displacement, vanishing from his original position.
"Boom!"
A shuttle-shaped Monarch Sacred Artifact flew past where he had just been standing, tearing through space with a series of explosive sounds.
"Who is it? Come out."
Zhang Ruochen revealed himself a dozen miles away, tossing Gong Nanfeng away with his left hand while gently pushing forward with the five fingers of his right hand toward one direction.
In front of his palm, space automatically cracked open, forming dozens of fissures.
"Hua! Hua! Hua..."
Dozens of Space Rifts flew out like blades.
Moreover, the fissures grew larger and larger.
"The Space Rifts are flying so fast!"
"How did he discover us?"
Lu Baitou and Shan Qiu exchanged glances, then rushed out in two different directions, dodging the Space Rifts.
With their cultivation, ordinary Space Rifts were naturally manageable. However, the Space Rifts Zhang Ruochen had unleashed were infused with Time Imprints, greatly increasing their speed and power, capable of cutting through all things in the world.
Gong Nanfeng had already returned to normal human size and shouted, "Lu Baitou, Shan Qiu, what do you two think you're doing?"
Since their identities had been recognized, there was naturally no need to continue hiding.
Putting away the Heaven-Concealing Fate Talisman, Lu Baitou and Shan Qiu revealed themselves a few dozen miles away, standing in two different positions.
Lu Baitou retrieved the shuttle-shaped Monarch Sacred Artifact and slightly cupped his hands, saying, "So it's Minister of Works."
Shan Qiu's eyes were cold and sinister, saying, "Does Minister of Works know that Zhang Ruochen has betrayed the Hell Realm and deserves to die?"
"Betrayed the Hell Realm?" Gong Nanfeng said.
Shan Qiu said, "That's right. This brat, together with the Heavenly Court's Hundred Flowers Immortal Ji Fanxin, has committed heinous slaughter. Even the Destiny Temple has suffered greatly at their hands, with heavy losses. Wuyue Minghuang has already fallen!"
"How could Wuyue Minghuang not be a match for Ji Fanxin? Most likely, Zhang Ruochen struck him from behind when he was completely off guard," Lu Baitou said.
The various major forces had received very little information from Starfall and the others. They only knew that several Supreme Realm Great Saints of the Destiny Temple had fallen, including Wuyue Minghuang, and that the enemy was very powerful.
The cultivators of the Destiny Temple had not mentioned anything else.
After all, the Destiny Temple also had to save face. So many experts going together, yet being utterly defeated by a single woman—if word got out, it would only invite countless mockery.
Better to wait until Ji Fanxin appeared and let them personally witness her power.
Then they naturally wouldn't be able to laugh.
For this reason, the various major forces could only guess and speculate about what might have happened and how powerful the enemy was. They knew nothing of the specific events.
Gong Nanfeng said, "Misunderstanding, a huge misunderstanding. I swear by my status as Minister of Works that Zhang Ruochen has absolutely not betrayed the Hell Realm. Moreover, the one who caused the slaughter in the Hell Realm is not Ji Fanxin, but Bai Qinger."
"Bai Qinger?"
Lu Baitou and Shan Qiu were both stunned.
Gong Nanfeng said, "Bai Qinger of the Goddess Twelve Pavilions. Ji Fanxin was transformed by her."
"Transformed?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Baitou and Shan Qiu's expressions immediately became somewhat strange. They quickly activated their Dao Domains for defense and slowly retreated backward.
Having fought year-round on the Merit Battlefield, they had developed suspicious and cautious personalities.
Gong Nanfeng's words had reminded them.
They suspected that this Gong Nanfeng before them was very likely Ji Fanxin in disguise.
That's right!
It must be so.
Ji Fanxin, not daring to forcefully break through, had transformed into Gong Nanfeng's appearance, fabricated a story, and with Zhang Ruochen's cooperation, might actually be able to slip past them.
Gong Nanfeng sensed the wariness, caution, and fear in their eyes, as if they were about to flee at any moment. His heart panicked, and he said, "What do you mean by this? You don't believe me?"