Chapter 2521: The Storm Begins to Stir
Eighteen Six-Calamity Ghost Kings carried the Seven-Star Divine Palace, swaggering along the grand streets of the Hundred Clans Royal City, with ghostly aura flooding the heavens and momentum soaring into the clouds. Wherever they passed, countless cultivators gathered to watch.
"Zhang Ruochen has entered the city!"
An ostentatious entry.
Message Light Talismans shot out like a meteor shower one after another.
After the Heaven Hunting Battle, Zhang Ruochen had become a figure renowned throughout the world. Born in the Hell Realm, one might not know who the twelve Divine Venerables of the Destiny Temple were, but absolutely no one would be unaware of Zhang Ruochen's background.
This was no exaggeration!
In terms of fame and recognition among the common cultivators, who could compare to Zhang Ruochen, who had slaughtered his way across the Heaven Hunting Battlefield?
He had kept a low profile on Ice King Star because he knew it was a chaotic place. If he died there, even the Blood Absolute Family would find it no easy task to investigate who was responsible.
He came to the Hundred Clans Royal City with such fanfare because, before arriving, he had learned that three deities were stationed in the city.
These three deities came from the Yaksha Clan, the Demon Wolf Clan, and the Fire Ghost Clan.
Compared to the Ten Great Clans, these were small clans, but among the one hundred and thirty-seven small clans that made up the Hundred Clans Royal City, they were the three most powerful factions.
Zhang Ruochen's identity was very special. He was the grandson of the Blood Absolute War God, the son-in-law of Emperor Luo Yan, and had the backing of Divine Venerable Fulushou. If a deity killed him in the Hundred Clans Royal City, one could imagine how troublesome that would be.
After the Blood Absolute War God returned from the Jade Desolate Realm, it would be strange if he didn't turn the Hundred Clans Royal City upside down.
Therefore, knowing that Xiu Chen Heavenly God intended to kill him, Zhang Ruochen deliberately entered the Hundred Clans Royal City with great fanfare, letting all cultivators know he was in the city. In this way, if Xiu Chen Heavenly God tried to kill him, the deities in the Hundred Clans Royal City would surely do their utmost to protect him.
Conversely, if Zhang Ruochen sneaked into the city and was killed, the deities in the Hundred Clans Royal City could turn a blind eye and pretend they knew nothing.
Zhang Ruochen was leveraging the situation, using the power of the three deities to protect himself.
Helpless, who could blame them? They were small clans, and Young Master Ruochen had a formidable background, including an unreasonable grandfather. They couldn't afford to offend him, so they had to treat him like a revered deity.
Wherever Zhang Ruochen went, chaos followed, always stirring up blood and storms. Even cultivators on the fringes of the Hell Realm knew this.
With Zhang Ruochen's arrival, the various clans in the Hundred Clans Royal City were all plagued with headaches.
In truth, they had already started getting headaches when the Origin Light appeared in the Hundred Clans Royal City. However, Zhang Ruochen's arrival made their headaches even worse.
A woman of peerless beauty, followed by a group of veiled female saints, graceful and elegant, marched in perfect unison to the front of the Seven-Star Divine Palace.
The leading woman, whether in appearance or figure, could be called unparalleled in the world. She also possessed an extraordinary, transcendent immortal aura.
She bowed slightly toward the Seven-Star Divine Palace, her voice extremely melodious: "Xue Lai of the Immortal Source Clan, by order of the Clan Emperor, invites Young Master Ruochen to be a guest at the Immortal Source Sacred Land."
There was no response from the Seven-Star Divine Palace.
The eighteen Six-Calamity Ghost Kings, as if they couldn't see them, continued walking straight ahead.
Forced to do so, they quickly stepped aside to both sides.
The veiled female saints all showed disgust in their eyes, feeling that this Great Saint Ruochen was too arrogant and aloof, treating their Immortal Source Clan as if they were nothing. Moreover, such behavior was also an insult to Princess Xue Lai.
A heroic man in a black robe descended from the sky, appearing in front of the Seven-Star Divine Palace. His body emitted one hundred and eight beams of evil light, and his bearing was extraordinary. He declared loudly: "Yaksha Clan, disciple of Yu Ling God, Han Ailian, by order of my master, invites Young Master Ruochen to a banquet at the Yaksha Sacred Land."
The Seven-Star Divine Palace once again ignored him and continued forward.
On the long street, waves of clamor arose.
"Lord Lian is a prominent figure in the Hundred Clans Royal City, one of the Seven Yaksha Lords. Zhang Ruochen doesn't even acknowledge him? Is he that arrogant?"
"This Eon-level genius really knows how to put on airs. Does he want a clan leader or a deity to personally invite him?"
"He is indeed somewhat arrogant. He's only at the Hundred Shackles Realm."
...
After Zhang Ruochen entered the city, for five consecutive days, cultivators from various forces came to invite or pay respects, but there was not a single response from the Seven-Star Divine Palace. All ended in embarrassment.
Those with good composure merely smiled helplessly.
Those with bad tempers directly cursed and even had the urge to overturn the Seven-Star Divine Palace.
The eighteen Six-Calamity Ghost Kings, as if devoid of emotion or thought, followed Zhang Ruochen's instructions and walked forward mechanically, ignoring those cultivators who came to invite or pay respects.
If the master didn't speak, how could they dare to open their mouths?
In five days, they traveled a thousand li, crossing nearly half of the Hundred Clans Royal City.
Arrogant!
Arrogant to the extreme!
This was the unanimous assessment of Zhang Ruochen by the cultivators in the Hundred Clans Royal City.
Yuan Bensi and a group of Great Saints from the Death God Temple stood atop a seven-story sacred pavilion, watching the eighteen Six-Calamity Ghost Kings swaggering down the middle of the street, sneers forming on their faces.
"What do you think Zhang Ruochen is up to? Walking through the Hundred Clans Royal City for five days, offending every major force... this style, heh, is quite similar to the Blood Absolute War God."
Yuan Bensi was the younger brother of Yuan Qianmo—the same one who, on Ice King Star at the Divine Maiden Tower, was almost burned to ashes by Xiao Hei's Undying Divine Fire, a Ten-Thousand Deaths One Life Realm Great Saint.
He had also participated in this year's Heaven Hunting Battle. Yuan Fei, the top expert of the Death Clan, had already broken through to the Thousand Questions Realm.
His mind was quite steady, and he said: "Is Zhang Ruochen really inside the Seven-Star Divine Palace? Could this be a feint, with his true body having long gone to search for the Origin Divine Temple?"
Hearing this, the Great Saints of the Death God Temple were all visibly shaken.
Five days ago, Yuan Bensi had received a message from Yuan Qianmo, instructing him to keep a close watch on Zhang Ruochen and monitor his every move.
Clearly, Yuan Qianmo didn't believe Zhang Ruochen at all and still thought the Supreme Origin Divine Crystal was likely on him. Not just Yuan Qianmo, but other major forces had also sent people to follow Zhang Ruochen to the Hundred Clans Royal City.
Why didn't Yuan Qianmo come himself?
Helpless. All Supreme Realm Great Saints had responded to the Destiny Temple's summons and gathered at the Aoyun Asteroid Belt and Ice King Star to deal with an unprecedented great enemy from the Heavenly Court, Ji Fanxin.
The Supreme Realm Great Saints from the various clans in the Hundred Clans Royal City had all been conscripted.
An Eon-level genius at the Supreme Realm had to be eliminated, or else they would become a great calamity for the Hell Realm in the future.
Yuan Bensi flatly rejected Yuan Fei's speculation: "Impossible! From the moment Zhang Ruochen passed through the Space Wormhole, more than one wave of cultivators has been monitoring him. No matter how capable he is, he couldn't have slipped away."
"He is the heir of Xumi Saint Monk and may have mastered the Space Essence, allowing him to escape unnoticed," Yuan Fei reminded.
Yuan Bensi's expression shifted slightly but quickly calmed down. He sneered: "In that case, send the White Death God to make a move directly and test him."
"Alright, I'll handle it."
Among the group of Great Saints from the Death God Temple, a man with a thumb-sized red mole on his forehead stepped forward. His pupils were gray-silver, and his aura was quite eerie.
The Death God Palace of the Destiny Temple could cultivate "Ten Netherworld Executioners" who feared not death.
The Death God Temple naturally also specialized in cultivating experts born solely for slaughter. Some of these experts were cultivated from living beings, stripped of all emotions and desires from birth, knowing only cultivation and killing, ignorant of feelings and fear.
Others were cultivated from the dead, using the corpses and sacred souls of top-tier experts, or even directly using the bodies and divine souls of deities for refinement.
This man with the large red mole on his forehead had a significant background. Even Yuan Bensi, relying on his brother Yuan Qianmo, felt a sense of wariness when seeing him.
Yuan Bensi smiled: "Lord Que Shenzi making a move won't just be to test the reality of the Seven-Star Divine Palace, will it?"
The red-moled man named Que Shenzi said in a deep voice: "Zhang Ruochen killed Shan Qiu yet still roams free, causing the Death God Temple to lose so much face. How can we let him off easily? Rest assured, this time I will dispatch White Death Gods selected from living beings, ensuring no one suspects the Death God Temple."
"Even if they suspect the Death God Temple, so what? Are we afraid of the Blood Absolute Family?" a Great Saint from the Death God Temple said indignantly.
Yuan Bensi laughed: "That's the spirit! Doesn't Zhang Ruochen like to be flashy? We'll let him enter the city with great fanfare, but then throw him out like a dead dog. However, note that the Seven-Star Divine Palace is a sacred palace refined by the Blood Absolute War God, close to being a divine hall. Even an ordinary Supreme Realm Great Saint can't break it. Once we act, we must be fully prepared with methods to break the Seven-Star Divine Palace's defenses."
Yuan Bensi knew very well that his elder brother was a refined man who cherished his reputation. Because of the Yan Zhexian incident, although he hated Zhang Ruochen to the bone, he couldn't bring himself to make a move personally.
Yuan Bensi, on the other hand, had long wanted to teach Zhang Ruochen a harsh lesson in front of all the cultivators, but he had never had a proper excuse.
Regarding Shan Qiu's death, Zhang Ruochen had pinned all the blame on Ji Fanxin. However, those who believed did so, and those who didn't simply refused to believe.
This could be used as a pretext. They could test whether Zhang Ruochen was in the Seven-Star Divine Palace, take the opportunity to teach him a lesson, search for the Supreme Origin Divine Crystal on him, and preferably seize his several Supreme Sacred Artifacts.
As long as they didn't kill Zhang Ruochen, even if the deities behind him learned of this, they wouldn't stand up for him. They would only think he had lost face.
Moreover, if they found the Supreme Origin Divine Crystal on Zhang Ruochen... heh heh, even if Zhang Ruochen had a hundred mouths, he wouldn't be able to explain himself. The Destiny Temple would be the first to not let him off.
...
Yan Huangtu and Yan Zhexian, somewhat bewildered, returned to Ice King Star only to hear that Origin Light had appeared in the Hundred Clans Royal City, so they came here.
Additionally, one of the small clans in the Hundred Clans Royal City, the Night Demon Clan, was affiliated with the Yama Clan.
Thus, after arriving at the Hundred Clans Royal City, they were hosted by the two most top-tier figures under the Night Demon Clan's Clan Emperor: the siblings Xuan Zehai and Xuan Qingying.
Xuan Zehai was a first-rate peerless expert in the Hundred Clans Royal City and even on the fringes of the Hell Realm. Although he hadn't yet broken through to the Supreme Realm, he had already cultivated four trillion Sacred Dao Rules. Once he condensed his Supreme Dharma Body, he would become a strong Supreme Realm Great Saint and a hegemon in the mortal world.
A peak Ten-Thousand Deaths One Life Realm cultivator like Yunheng Iron Blood King, who had cultivated over one trillion Sacred Dao Rules, would lose miserably after just a few moves against him. As for other peak Ten-Thousand Deaths One Life Realm cultivators with less than one trillion Sacred Dao Rules, he could suppress them with a raise of his hand.
Of course, he was still far behind someone like Wuyue Minghuang, who had cultivated twelve trillion Sacred Dao Rules and condensed a Supreme Dharma Body.
But who was Wuyue Minghuang?
One of the top five existences in the Destiny Temple. How many could there be in an era?
When such a great figure appeared, even the ancestral emperors of small clans had to bow their heads.
Xuan Qingying was slightly inferior to her brother, having cultivated three trillion Sacred Dao Rules. She also had a rather alluring reputation, being one of the Ten Beauties on the fringes of the Hell Realm, known as "Qing Meiren." Her fame was actually greater than her brother's.
Xuan Zehai recounted the investigation results of the three Origin Light appearances to Yan Zhexian and Yan Huangtu, then sighed: "When the Origin Light appeared for the third time, I always thought it was someone with ill intentions trying to divert trouble to the Hundred Clans Royal City. But as you can see, strange events have been happening frequently lately. Even during the day, there are phenomena like stars shining brightly and constellations shifting. This is not something human power can achieve!"
Then, using voice transmission, he informed the two Yans: "It is said that even the deities of the three great clans couldn't figure out the cause of these phenomena. That's why they issued divine decrees, ordering all clans to activate all Divine Marks and Great Saint Inscription Runes in the city."
"Stars shining brightly, constellations shifting."
Yan Zhexian murmured, her pure and beautiful immortal face looking out the window at the vast, boundless sky.
The phenomena had still not disappeared.
Could the Origin Divine Temple really be about to emerge here?
Yan Huangtu said: "The major events on Ice King Star, combined with the three appearances of Origin Light in the Hundred Clans Royal City, the Heavenly Court side must have noticed. Are there any experts from the Heavenly Court on the 'Red Dust Peerless List' in the Hundred Clans Royal City?"
Xuan Zehai showed a helpless expression: "The Hundred Clans Royal City stretches for thousands of li, with various clans gathering, a mix of fish and dragons. It's too easy for cultivators from the Heavenly Court side to sneak into the city. Of course, we can investigate and find them, but we can't detect experts of the caliber on the 'Red Dust Peerless List.'"
Sitting nearby, Xuan Qingying's clear, water-like eyes flickered with a strange light.
Yan Huangtu noticed immediately and smiled: "It seems Qing Meiren knows something?"
Xuan Qingying quickly said: "There is someone in the Hundred Clans Royal City who arrived very early on."
"Who?" Yan Huangtu asked.
"One of the three major assassin organizations on the Heavenly Court side, the number one assassin emperor of the Heaven Kill Organization, Peach Blossom," Xuan Qingying said.
Xuan Zehai slapped the table, his eyes filled with awe: "Right, how could I have forgotten her? She is indeed an expert on the 'Red Dust Peerless List,' and a super expert at that."
Outside, there was a commotion.
Their gazes all turned to the window. Where their eyes landed, dense ghostly fog spread, and within the fog, eighteen Six-Calamity Ghost Kings carried the Seven-Star Divine Palace from afar.
The style, the posture, was like a Clan Emperor on parade.
Xuan Zehai and Xuan Qingying had long known that Zhang Ruochen had arrived in the Hundred Clans Royal City. However, since even Lord Ailian of the Yaksha Clan had been humiliated by Zhang Ruochen, they had enough self-awareness not to go pay respects or issue invitations.
But seeing the Seven-Star Divine Palace pass below, the two couldn't help but look at Yan Zhexian.
Who didn't know that before the Heaven Hunting Battle, Yuan Qianmo and Yan Zhexian were a perfect match?
One was the top of the "Divine Reserve Scroll" Grade A, pure and refined, handsome and unparalleled, destined to become a deity, the ideal spouse in every woman's heart.
The other was the most beautiful pearl of the Yama Clan, combining talent and cultivation aptitude, deeply loved by Tai Shang, with a terrifying background.
Yet, on the Heaven Hunting Battlefield, Yan Zhexian became pregnant with Zhang Ruochen's child?
Who was Zhang Ruochen?
A notorious playboy, the dustiest of scum among scoundrels. From the Kunlun Realm to the Heavenly Court to the Hell Realm, he had been entangled with countless women, loving one after another. When others, like Fairy Lianxi, didn't love him, he would seize them and force them to love him.
The stories about Zhang Ruochen and the several fairies on the "Nine Immortal Beauties Painting," the legends about him and a certain female deity of the Kunlun Realm, his strong support for Feng Hou in ascending to the position of Divine Maiden, gifting a Supreme Sacred Artifact to Xia Yu, his engagement to Princess Luo Sha...
These countless romantic tales, because he became the number one in the Heaven Hunting Battle, had spread widely throughout the Hell Realm, spawning countless versions.
Among them, how he became the Divine Envoy of the pure and icy Moon God was rated as one of the greatest mysteries of this Eon. Countless cultivators, even deities, in both the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm wanted to unravel this puzzle.
Moon God? Zhang Ruochen?
One in the heavens, one on earth.
One was the most beautiful and pure goddess, the other was a filthy and vile scoundrel.
Cultivators everywhere racked their brains but couldn't understand how the so sacred and pure Moon God could have a Divine Envoy like Zhang Ruochen.
What Xuan Zehai and Xuan Qingying couldn't understand was how Yan Zhexian could abandon a perfect match like Yuan Qianmo and choose Zhang Ruochen?
If Yan Zhexian hadn't done so willingly, given the Yama Clan's dominance and their deep affection for her, if Zhang Ruochen dared to bully her, he would have been killed long ago.
What puzzled Xuan Zehai and Xuan Qingying even more was that Yan Zhexian, looking at the Seven-Star Divine Palace outside the window, had a fair face clearly filled with disgust and contempt.
"This scoundrel is so unrestrained. He's only reached the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm, yet he's already so arrogant he doesn't know his own name. Just wait, some cultivator will surely be unable to resist making a move. Then we'll see how he loses face," Yan Zhexian snorted.
Yan Zhexian and Yan Huangtu had both had their memories erased and didn't remember that Zhang Ruochen had once saved them.
Although Xuan Zehai was confused and couldn't figure out the relationship between Yan Zhexian and Zhang Ruochen, he still said: "It is said that Zhang Ruochen recently fought a battle with Lan Ying, ending in a draw. For his current realm, that's already quite monstrous."
Yan Huangtu said: "Lan Ying and Que have both come to the Hundred Clans Royal City. They will surely make a move. This will be a continuation of the Heaven Hunting Battlefield, and I am quite looking forward to it. However, I am even more looking forward to the reactions of the Death God Temple and the Heavenly Court cultivators. Can Zhang Ruochen really handle it?"