Chapter 2534: The Boundary of Trust
Ji Fanxin's strength exceeded Zhang Ruochen's expectations. Each sword strike was stronger than the last, with power capable of severing stars and crushing moons. Even though Zhang Ruochen had mobilized the world force of the Qiankun Realm and fully activated the power of his demigod physical body, he still fell short.
Within her body, it seemed there was an abyss filled with sacred qi, her energy inexhaustible, overwhelming like mountains overturning seas.
Yet, the techniques she displayed were extremely crude, remaining at the Saint King level, riddled with flaws.
Because of this, Zhang Ruochen could rely on his own exquisite and unparalleled sacred arts and movement techniques to find gaps for survival within her sword strikes, which flowed like a waterfall or a river.
Too strong!
Logically, Ji Fanxin could not have broken into the Great Saint Realm much earlier than him, and without a time treasure like the Sundial, how could her cultivation have advanced ahead of his?
There was only one explanation: Ji Fanxin's true cultivation had been far superior to his from the very beginning.
"It's over. Your head no longer belongs to you!"
Ji Fanxin halted in place, her body erupting with dazzling Origin Light, transforming into a massive bright moon suspended close to the ground.
Her exquisitely beautiful figure stood at the center of the moon, every contour of her form as graceful as the tracks of the Heavenly Dao. With a twist of her wrist, she unleashed her strongest sword strike, slashing horizontally.
Sword qi surged, filling the entire space, leaving Zhang Ruochen no retreat.
Zhang Ruochen felt the Heavenly and Earthly Rules in this space being pushed aside by her Sword Dao Rules. The sword light before him resembled a Ganges River within the vast cosmos, radiating a terrifying, irresistible might.
He felt like a paper figure, on the verge of being torn apart.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen gripped the hilt of the Abyssal Ancient Sword with both hands, and a sea of stars surged from within his body.
The light emitted by the star sea was no weaker than the Origin Light radiating from Ji Fanxin.
The war sword slashed straight down.
Sharp and dense sword sounds followed, weaving together into a solemn war song.
This sword strike was exquisitely supreme, precisely cleaving into the weakest point of Ji Fanxin's sword qi.
With a bang, the magnificent sword qi river, as vast as the Ganges, was severed by Zhang Ruochen's single strike.
A flicker of surprise appeared in Ji Fanxin's stunning starry eyes. Then, she burst forth with incomparable speed, charging to Zhang Ruochen's front.
The bright, slender sacred sword pressed against Zhang Ruochen's neck.
Zhang Ruochen had exhausted all his strength to break her previous strike; how could he have any remaining power to dodge this one?
He glanced down at the sword tip so close to him, showing neither tension nor panic. After this series of exchanges, Zhang Ruochen had realized that Ji Fanxin had never used her full strength. Her cultivation was so high it was unimaginable.
Continuing to fight was meaningless.
He looked at Ji Fanxin across from him, his gaze sincere and filled with emotion.
Ji Fanxin's veil fluttered gently, her celestial face appearing and disappearing. "Do you think you deserve to die?"
"I do," Zhang Ruochen said.
Ji Fanxin asked, "Why do you deserve to die?"
"The Heavenly Court and Hell have a deep-seated enmity. I was originally a cultivator of the Heavenly Court, yet I joined the Hell Realm—an unforgivable crime. On the Heaven Hunting Battlefield, I killed countless Heavenly Court cultivators, making me deserving of death beyond redemption," Zhang Ruochen said.
A hint of displeased resentment flickered in Ji Fanxin's beautiful eyes. She snorted lightly, "That is not the reason I want to kill you. If you, Zhang Ruochen, could always hold firm to your original heart, what difference does it make whether you are in the Heavenly Court or Hell?"
"My heart has never changed," Zhang Ruochen said.
Ji Fanxin said, "What were you thinking when you killed those Heavenly Slaves?"
"I wanted to live. I couldn't die," Zhang Ruochen said frankly.
"Are you afraid of death?"
"I fear death, but it depends on why I die. If the meaning of death is greater than living, I am not afraid to die."
Ji Fanxin stared intently into Zhang Ruochen's eyes and asked her final question, "Why did you frame me?"
Zhang Ruochen knew what she was referring to. "I had unavoidable reasons and had no choice but to borrow your name, Fairy. I thought, given our relationship, you wouldn't be so angry about it."
It was Bai Qinger who had used Ji Fanxin's name to wreak havoc and kill in the Hell Realm, which had nothing to do with Zhang Ruochen.
However, Bai Qinger had threatened him with the Kunlun Realm's plan to rescue Yunshen Daozhu, forcing Zhang Ruochen to keep her secret and continue attributing everything to Ji Fanxin.
Ji Fanxin said, "You're wrong. I am very angry. Tell me, who is she?"
Zhang Ruochen did not hide it and recounted the whole story of Bai Qinger from beginning to end.
Even though Zhang Ruochen trusted Ji Fanxin greatly, he deliberately concealed the Kunlun Realm's plan to rescue Yunshen Daozhu.
As a result, many things became inexplicable.
For example, since Zhang Ruochen had already escaped from Bai Qinger's hands, why did he still identify Shan Qiu of the Death God Temple and Lu Baitou of the Green Deer Divine Temple as killed by Ji Fanxin?
Another example:
Since Zhang Ruochen had already arrived at the Hundred Clans Royal City, why didn't he publicly reveal Bai Qinger's true identity? Why did he let Ji Fanxin continue to suffer unjust accusations? Why did he allow Bai Qinger to keep using her name to offend the entire Hell Realm?
Ji Fanxin said softly, "Has Divine Son Ruochen fallen in love with that Miss Bai, wanting to cover up everything for her, even at the cost of wronging me, your so-called close friend?"
"No, there are other circumstances."
Zhang Ruochen felt helpless. He had thought Ji Fanxin was different from other women, someone who understood reason, but it turned out all women were the same. If he didn't explain clearly, she wouldn't let it go. Moreover, she always jumped to the worst conclusions.
The sword tip moved a fraction closer to Zhang Ruochen's neck.
Ji Fanxin said, "When every man can no longer argue, they use 'other circumstances' as an excuse. Your invitation for me to come to the Hundred Clans Royal City to catch up was a lie. Your real intention was to help her use me, wasn't it?"
"Wrong, terribly wrong. I summoned you, Fairy, for a serious matter—a major matter." Zhang Ruochen reached out, trying to move the sword pressed against his neck.
But before his fingers even touched the blade, the sword tip had already pierced the skin of his neck.
A chilling cold froze Zhang Ruochen's neck stiff.
Ji Fanxin said in a nearly cold tone, "Whatever major matter you have, don't tell me. I no longer trust you."
"Fairy has not known me, Zhang Ruochen, for just a day. Why would you suddenly lose trust in me?"
Ji Fanxin said, "People change. After you went to the Hell Realm, who knows if you are still the same Zhang Ruochen as before? Unless you can take me to see that Miss Bai, and I confront her face to face. If what you say is true, I will naturally believe you."
"She is an extremely dangerous woman, unpredictable in her moods. You'd better not meet her," Zhang Ruochen advised.
Given Bai Qinger's ambition, she would surely be extremely interested in the Ancient Illumination Lotus for the sake of cultivating the Way of Origin. For Ji Fanxin to deliver herself to her would be like a lamb walking into a tiger's den.
Ji Fanxin said, "Since you have told me all about her dangers, if I still dare to meet her, it naturally means I have the confidence to escape. Besides, if I don't see her, how can I prove that what you say is true and not a lie to deceive me?"
"Alright, when the time is right, I will definitely take you to see her."
Zhang Ruochen agreed, then added, "Fairy has no intention of killing me at all, which clearly means you trust me in your heart. Does it serve any purpose to keep the sword pressed here?"
A hint of coldness appeared in Ji Fanxin's eyes, as if she wanted to forcibly summon a bit of killing intent, but she failed. Helplessly, she withdrew the sacred sword.
"I didn't make up my mind to kill you, not because I trust you, but because I want to trust you."
"Trust" and "want to trust" are clearly different.
"Want to trust" means that rationally, there is no trust at all, but emotionally, one forces oneself to trust.
Zhang Ruochen understood very well that his relationship with Ji Fanxin was like this. When it seemed very close, it was actually very distant. When it seemed very distant, it was close enough to trust each other.
But this trust had its limits and could not reach the point of unreservedness.
Between the two of them stood a mountain.
The name of this mountain was—the Mountain of Love.
Crossing this mountain, genuine feelings would arise in each other's hearts, allowing for unreserved mutual trust. Their relationship could be elevated, and from then on, they would never forget each other and could give everything for the other.
Without crossing this mountain, they would forever remain just friends, forever keeping a distance.
Zhang Ruochen and Ji Fanxin were both cultivators who knew restraint and would not easily climb that mountain.
Because they understood that there is no such thing as "friendship" between a man and a woman. Once they crossed it, although their relationship could deepen, it could also become a shackle on the path of cultivation.
After a long time, Ji Fanxin was the first to break the silence. "That sword technique you used earlier was exquisitely supreme. What is its name?"
"Biluo Zhaoge."
Zhang Ruochen also had a question. "How has your cultivation reached such a level?"
Ji Fanxin did not answer him immediately. She just gave him a deep look, then turned and walked up the steps toward the ancient tower's door, her back indescribably beautiful and elegant.
She did not guard against Zhang Ruochen attacking her from behind, clearly trusting him.
Zhang Ruochen followed closely.
"How much do you know about the Illumination Lotus?" she suddenly asked.
Zhang Ruochen spoke frankly, "The Illumination Lotus is born from the void of the universe, rootless and leafless. It is the power of the Origin of Heaven and Earth condensed into a single point, forming a lotus seed that blooms into a lotus flower."
"Now, I will take you to my birthplace."
Ji Fanxin arrived outside the ancient tower's door and paused briefly.
Zhang Ruochen walked to her side, gazing at the patterns on the stone door, which were interwoven with Space Inscriptions. Some of these Space Inscriptions were so profound that even he found them difficult to comprehend.
"Whoosh—"
Ji Fanxin pushed open the ancient tower's door. In an instant, surging Origin Qi gushed out from within, and a powerful, dazzling light forced Zhang Ruochen to squint.
What lay beyond the door was a shimmering ocean, above which stretched a beautiful starry sky.
The scene on the other side of the door was incredibly beautiful and deeply shook the soul.
...
I'll write another chapter and update it in the early morning hours.
One note: On the official website, you can see the word count of each chapter. There is no practice of splitting one chapter into two. For the sake of six thousand fellow readers, no matter how busy I am, I will try my best to work hard.