Chapter 2541: The Excited Qingsheng Great Saint
In the sacred land of the Earth Demon Clan, within the courtyard filled with blood-apricot sacred trees.
The Second Minister of Works was intently transmitting Buddhist teachings, expounding on the scriptures. The five true monks—True Anger, True Form, True Killing, True Delusion, and True Greed—sat below, listening earnestly.
How could they dare not listen attentively?
Had they not seen the Grand Minister of Works holding a Zen staff, pacing behind them like an angry-eyed Vajra? If anyone’s focus wavered, a strike from the staff would come down!
They were not afraid of being beaten, but rather of being humiliated, and even more of being mocked by the Earth Demon Clan cultivators who occasionally came to watch.
Endure!
They must endure!
Endure for a moment, and the wind and waves would calm.
“Bang!”
Suddenly, the wooden door was forcefully pushed open, and a handsome figure rushed into the courtyard. It was Zhang Ruochen, his robes slightly disheveled.
All seven monks, big and small, turned to look at him with curiosity.
Zhang Ruochen’s expression was first somewhat flustered, then, as if realizing something, it turned into sudden understanding, and finally sank into deep embarrassment.
He looked up at the sky, his expression inscrutable, then let out a laugh and muttered to himself, “So that’s how it is. So that’s how it is.”
The Grand Minister of Works was about to ask what had happened.
From the room, a woman’s soft, utterly seductive voice came: “Why is the master so flustered? It’s just entering the flower. Though I am the Devouring Saint Flower, I would never eat you.”
Mo Yin’s figure, curvaceous and exquisite to the extreme, swayed like a willow in the wind as she stepped out of the door. Her jade-like fingers fastened the buttons at her high chest, and her delicate face bore a moving blush, with a shy smile.
It was as if a spring breeze had blown into the courtyard.
Though Que Shenzi and Tian Shu Zi were not lustful men, they were still captivated by Mo Yin’s beauty, figure, and enchanting charm, their minds wandering with fantasies.
Such unparalleled beauty and a temperament that could seduce anyone to death were rare even in the entire Hell Realm.
They glared at Zhang Ruochen with extreme jealousy, cursing inwardly: “Beast! Scum! How can someone like Zhang Ruochen be so close to the Buddhist sect? A hypocrite in appearance, a lecherous and shameless monk in truth.”
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
The Grand Minister of Works struck Que Shenzi and Tian Shu Zi on the head with his staff twice, roaring with a voice that shook the ears: “Focus your minds! Subdue your own demonic heart-monkey, and do not let your thoughts run wild. All worldly beauty is but pink skeletons, fleeting as passing clouds.”
Zhang Ruochen’s mind was in turmoil. He now understood why, when he had first proposed entering Ji Fanxin’s flower to cultivate, she had refused.
Embarrassment!
An indescribable embarrassment.
Zhang Ruochen wanted to go immediately to Ghost Wood Studio to explain himself to her, but then he recalled her final words before he left: “If you can cultivate the Heavenly Sword Soul at the Hundred Shackles Realm, then come find me. It won’t be too late.”
This showed that Ji Fanxin had not completely refused to help him; there was still room for negotiation.
Yes, cultivating the Heavenly Sword Soul was the urgent priority.
If he could not even cultivate the Heavenly Sword Soul, how could he speak of condensing a third-rank Sword Dao Sacred Intent?
Time was pressing. He had to race against Bai Qinger breaking through the blockade of the Aoyun Asteroid Belt and the arrival of the Heavenly Realm gods at Hundred Clans Royal City. He must give his all to improve his Sword Dao attainment and condense the Heavenly Sword Soul.
In the following days, Zhang Ruochen activated the Sundial. While cultivating the Sword Dao, he also used the Primordial Divine Dragon Fire given by the Dragon Lord to refine his spiritual power and the sacred qi within his body.
The Sundial covered the entire courtyard, making Que Shenzi and Tian Shu Zi truly taste the feeling of days passing like years. Their Buddhist attainments grew higher and higher, despite their extreme reluctance.
After all, a Great Saint’s learning ability was just that strong.
Three days passed.
In the courtyard, three years had gone by.
The acting patriarch of the Blood Absolute Family, Qingsheng Great Saint, arrived at the Earth Demon Clan’s sacred land and was received with great ceremony.
After the banquet, Zhang Ruochen and Qingsheng Great Saint gathered alone for a secret discussion.
Zhang Ruochen was quite direct. He took out a top-grade Origin Divine Crystal and, under Qingsheng Great Saint’s shocked gaze, said, “The Origin Divine Temple is about to emerge!”
Qingsheng Great Saint’s hair stood on end, and he could hardly suppress his excitement. “I also heard about the Origin Light appearing in the Yaksha Clan’s sacred land. I thought it was the Heavenly Court playing tricks to stir conflict between Hundred Clans Royal City and the Hell Realm. I never expected it to be true.”
“I must return to the family immediately and inform Old Six. It would be best to notify the Undying Divine Temple as well.”
Zhang Ruochen grabbed his wrist, a puzzled expression on his face. “Wait. Such a big matter—why notify the Undying Divine Temple?”
Qingsheng Great Saint was momentarily stunned and then asked in return, “The Yaksha Clan is powerful, and Hundred Clans Royal City is now a gathering of forces. If we don’t join forces with the Undying Divine Temple, can the Blood Absolute Family handle the Origin Divine Temple alone? We can’t cooperate with the Yama Clan, can we? The Undying Divine Temple will have objections if they find out later.”
In the end, when facing major events, one’s own clan’s power was the most aligned.
The Undying Divine Temple was not only the power center of the Undying Blood Clan but also represented the interests of all Undying Blood Clan forces.
Zhang Ruochen said, “If the Undying Divine Temple finds out, even if we seize the Origin Divine Temple, how much profit can the Blood Absolute Family share?”
“The division of profits will naturally be discussed by the gods,” Qingsheng Great Saint said.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. “What I mean is, even if we need allies, we should only unite the major forces within the Blood Heaven Tribe. After all, the entire Blood Heaven Tribe now follows the lead of our Blood Absolute Family.”
Qingsheng Great Saint still felt this matter was too significant and Zhang Ruochen’s idea too naive.
Zhang Ruochen continued, “Think about it. If it were the Qitian Tribe or the Qingtian Tribe, would they inform the Undying Divine Temple if they learned of the Origin Divine Temple?”
Qingsheng Great Saint was somewhat swayed by Zhang Ruochen’s words and asked cautiously, “How many forces currently know that the Origin Divine Temple is about to emerge?”
“About twenty.”
Zhang Ruochen added, “But only three forces possess top-grade Origin Divine Crystals. As for those who know the exact location of the Origin Divine Temple, for now, it should be only our Blood Absolute Family.”
“Bang!”
Qingsheng Great Saint was so excited that he smashed the table with one palm, his face flushed with joy. “Why didn’t you say so earlier? Let’s do it! We must do it! I think we don’t even need to ally with the forces of the Blood Heaven Tribe. Since only we know the exact location, let Old Six lead the team and go in first to scoop up the good stuff. Ruochen, you’ve rendered a great service to the Blood Absolute Family this time!”
So you’re also a greedy one at heart!
Zhang Ruochen coughed dryly twice and said seriously, “As far as I know, the gods of the Heavenly Court are closely monitoring the gods of the Hell Realm. Can Uncle Ming Wang easily get away?”
“Don’t worry. Old Six is a man who likes to take risks. If something lacks challenge, he might not even want to do it. If he learns that the Origin Divine Temple is emerging, he will find a way to slip away. You have to believe he has that much skill,” Qingsheng Great Saint said.
Zhang Ruochen then told Qingsheng Great Saint the exact location of the Origin Divine Temple.
Qingsheng Great Saint could not wait. That very night, he left Hundred Clans Royal City and returned to the Blood Absolute Family, his heart, which had been calm for years, once again boiling with excitement.
Zhang Ruochen certainly had no intention of letting the Heavenly Realm share a piece of the Origin Divine Temple’s wealth and treasures.
By informing Ming Wang in advance, Ming Wang could sneak in and loot a wave, bringing the benefits back to the Blood Absolute Family. Then, even if Zhang Ruochen did not enter the Origin Divine Temple himself, he could still get a share of the spoils.
At the very least, Ming Wang would have to carve out a path into the Origin Divine Temple, right?
If Zhang Ruochen followed that path, wouldn’t it save him a lot of trouble? He might not even need to use Kailuo Dishi to break the formations.
Now, it all depended on whether Ming Wang was capable enough. After all, he was only a new god. Zhang Ruochen still had some doubts about his abilities.
“What am I even thinking? I’m just a Hundred Shackles Great Saint. How can I doubt the abilities of a god?”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, stopped overthinking, and continued to comprehend the Sword Dao.
Zhang Ruochen’s sacred dao rules and Sword Dao attainment steadily improved, but every attempt to condense the Heavenly Sword Soul ended in failure.
Gradually, Zhang Ruochen identified the problems.
First, condensing the Heavenly Sword Soul required a very high number of Sword Dao rules from the cultivator.
The more Sword Dao rules one cultivated, the easier it was to condense the Heavenly Sword Soul.
But Zhang Ruochen was only at the Hundred Shackles Great Perfection realm. After cultivating two hundred million Sword Dao rules within his body, he had clearly hit a bottleneck. Increasing them further was extremely difficult.
Second, condensing the Heavenly Sword Soul required a very strong sacred soul from the cultivator.
When Xue Hou gave birth to Zhang Ruochen, she was not a god. So, although Zhang Ruochen was a divine son, his soul power was not particularly strong. He could not compare to cultivators like Luo Shengtian, Que Shenzi, or Luo Sha, whose souls had been nurtured by gods since they were fetuses.
Why was Lan Ying the only cultivator in this eon to have cultivated the Heavenly Sword Soul at the Thousand Questions Realm?
Aside from his profound Sword Dao attainment, the more important reason was his powerful soul.
He was a cosmic divine fetus, a soul-body conceived from the divine power and killing aura of the Battlefield of the Gods. He had been gestating for three eons, nearly four hundred thousand years.
His soul was likely a divine soul, merely sealed at the level of a sacred soul and not fully released. It was even stronger than Luo Shengtian, Que Shenzi, and Luo Sha.
Such a level of soul power was unattainable for ordinary cultivators, and even for divine sons and daughters.
Even with such powerful soul power, Lan Ying had only cultivated the Heavenly Sword Soul after breaking through to the peak of the Thousand Questions Realm. The last time Zhang Ruochen fought him, he sensed that Lan Ying’s Sword Dao rules exceeded one billion.
Zhang Ruochen’s soul power was inferior to his, and his Sword Dao rules were only a mere two hundred million. Condensing the Heavenly Sword Soul was harder than reaching the heavens.
“No matter how hard, I have to give it a try.”
Zhang Ruochen decided to attack from both sides.
First, since it was difficult to increase the number of Sword Dao rules, he could only improve their quality.
Just like when he cultivated the Earth Sword Soul, Zhang Ruochen had swallowed a large amount of Merit Sword-Washing Marrow, refining the Sword Dao rules within his body to the extreme, and succeeded in one go.
Treasures like Merit Sword-Washing Marrow could likely be found in Hundred Clans Royal City.
Second, strengthen the sacred soul.
There were many ways to strengthen the sacred soul, such as absorbing other cultivators’ sacred souls or refining Divine Star Souls.
Guye Jing still owed him a soul power debt, which he would obviously have to collect when the opportunity arose.
But compared to absorbing other cultivators’ sacred souls, refining Divine Star Souls improved the sacred soul faster. Last time, Zhang Ruochen had refined a small amount of Divine Star Soul left by Xue Jue War God in the Seven Star Imperial Palace, which had significantly boosted his sacred soul.
Divine Star Soul…
Zhang Ruochen let out a long sigh. “Mother once killed a false god. I wonder if the Divine Star Soul is still there. If I could refine the complete Divine Star Soul of a false god… Ah, forget it. Mother has gone to the Jade Desolate Realm. I’ll have to find a way in Hundred Clans Royal City!”
…
Regarding the character “shang” in “Huangtu’s Sorrow,” it actually carries the meaning of sadness and grief, not just death. This was already addressed in a previous chapter’s comment section.
Another issue is Zhang Ruochen being stuck at the Hundred Shackles Realm. Think about it—Yan Wushen was also stuck at the peak of Saint King for a long time to achieve Great Perfection. To do something unprecedented and unmatched, constant settling and polishing are necessary.
Also, there will be another chapter tonight.