Chapter 2582: I, Zhang Ruochen, Have Long Become a God
The cultivators of the Death God Temple were all utterly bewildered.
What was happening?
How could Wuma Jiuxing be a deity? How could Qianmo be stomped to death by him in a single step?
Illusion!
It had to be an illusion!
Who had created this illusion?
They could not accept the reality before their eyes. Qianmo, ranked first in the A-Class of the Divine Reserve Scroll, capable of becoming a god with a single thought, possessing such unparalleled talent—how could he have fallen?
Zhang Ruochen had many grievances with Yuan Qianmo, yet seeing him, like an ordinary mortal, stomped to death by Wuma Jiuxing and kicked into the blood lake, he felt no joy in his heart, only a sense of desolation.
Yuan Qianmo, ranked first in the A-Class of the Divine Reserve Scroll, blessed with great fortune, backed by a powerful force, could still die on the very cusp of becoming a god.
Which other cultivator could claim with certainty that they would become a god?
No matter how high one's talent, how astonishing their brilliance, in the eyes of a deity, they were as insignificant as an ant, crushed with a flick of a finger. Like a speck of dust, utterly negligible.
Zhang Ruochen finally began to understand why the Heavenly Court and Hell strictly forbade deities from interfering in the mortal world. If they became too deeply involved, causing sufficiently severe consequences, they would even face judgment and execution.
Once a deity intervened in the mortal world, even a top-tier powerhouse like Yuan Qianmo could be killed in an instant. Who could possibly escape?
By then, I fear the Saint realm cultivators of the Heavenly Court's myriad realms and the ten clans of Hell would be slaughtered by the deities. No cultivator would be able to become a god, and ultimately, they would decline into ruin.
"Boom."
The divine might erupting from Wuma Jiuxing, along with countless rule divine patterns, tore apart the formation camel and the defensive formation set up by Duan Lingfeng.
At the top of the altar, all cultivators were crushed by the power of the deity, unable to move.
Countless rule divine patterns, like chains, coiled around them.
If they had faced a false god, they might have had a chance to fight back by joining forces. But Wuma Jiuxing was a true god, and a powerful one at that, surpassing a false god by an immeasurable margin.
In such a confined space, they didn't even have a chance to flee.
The cultivators of the Death God Temple finally snapped out of it, facing reality. Their faces turned ashen, their hearts filled with sorrow and despair, leaving only bitter smiles.
At least the Great Saint realm cultivators could withstand Wuma Jiuxing's divine might and remain standing.
But Huan Zhen, a Half-Saint, was crushed to the ground.
Huan Zhen's expression was one of extreme pain, his body convulsing and struggling.
Everyone assumed it was because he couldn't bear the divine might, so they didn't think much of it.
After a moment, Huan Zhen calmed down, his gaze turning cold and sharp. He thought to himself, "I didn't expect this trip to the Origin Divine Temple to be so perilous. Fortunately, I planted a Death God Soul Seed in Huan Zhen's body in advance, which saved my life."
Yuan Qianmo's ability to become first in the A-Class of the Divine Reserve Scroll and be hailed as the cultivator most likely to step into the divine realm wasn't just due to his high cultivation. In fact, he had long cultivated divine thoughts.
The so-called "Death God Soul Seed" was a secret technique of the Death God Temple, using divine thoughts to condense a soul seed and plant it into a host body.
Yuan Qianmo had planted the "Death God Soul Seed" in Huan Zhen's body, originally intending to refine him into his shadow and substitute once Huan Zhen's cultivation was higher.
Now, he had no choice but to use the Death God Soul Seed to take over Huan Zhen's body prematurely.
Huan Zhen's gaze turned to Wuma Jiuxing in the distance, but the divine light erupting from him nearly blinded him. His desire for revenge dimmed.
Now, he was merely a Half-Saint. Even after taking over Huan Zhen's body, he would likely still die here today.
...
Bai Qinger had intended to play along with Wuma Jiuxing, temporarily placating him while seeking an opportunity to escape.
Unfortunately, Wuma Jiuxing was not someone easily fooled. He directly demanded half of her Saint Soul. Once her Saint Soul was under Wuma Jiuxing's control, Bai Qinger would not only fail to become a king or venerable in the divine realm but would likely be reduced to a servant.
Just as she was preparing to fight to the death, Wuma Jiuxing's gaze suddenly locked onto Xue Lingxian.
In the space atop the altar, the laws of heaven and earth converged toward Xue Lingxian.
At the same time, streaks of divine radiance surged from within Xue Lingxian's body.
"You also want to break through and become a god?"
Wuma Jiuxing's form blurred, turning into a long streak of afterimages as he charged toward Xue Lingxian, striking out with a palm blade.
Bai Qinger knew that her only chance to escape was right before her.
From within her body, a brilliant light of origin surged, breaking through the suppression of Wuma Jiuxing's rule divine patterns. She turned into a white shadow, rushing toward the stone building.
She was well aware that no matter how fast she fled, she couldn't outrun a deity.
Her only chance was to escape into the stone building, heal her injuries as quickly as possible, and break through to become a god.
Bai Qinger flashed past the cultivators of the Death God Temple and Granny Haitang, leaping into the pitch-black circular window.
"Oh no, Master has been captured by the Hundred Flowers Immortal!" Night Travel Master exclaimed.
Granny Haitang glanced sideways and realized that Zhang Ruochen had disappeared from beside her.
"Boom."
Granny Haitang spat out a mouthful of blood, using the blood to form a spiritual power blood domain beneath her feet, breaking free from the rule divine patterns that Wuma Jiuxing had pressed onto her.
She had just risen into the air, intending to chase after the window.
"Crack, crack."
The sound of stone grinding echoed.
The divine patterns and strange symbols around the circular window rotated from left to right, and massive stones filled in from the inside out, sealing the window.
The stone building became completely sealed, not even a crack remaining.
"This Hundred Flowers Immortal is too hateful! She activated the divine patterns and sealed the window, otherwise we could have hidden inside too." Night Travel Master gnashed his teeth in fury.
Wuma Jiuxing's palm blade descended, splitting the divine light enveloping Xue Lingxian.
It seemed Xue Lingxian was about to follow in Yuan Qianmo's footsteps.
"Whoosh!"
A sword light, swift as lightning, slashed horizontally from above Xue Lingxian's head, striking Wuma Jiuxing's chest.
Divine qi formed a light shield on Wuma Jiuxing's chest.
With a thunderous roar, he was sent flying backward, landing by the blood lake.
The sudden turn of events left Wuma Jiuxing's eyes filled with shock and uncertainty. The Saint realm cultivators atop the altar were even more puzzled. How could Wuma Jiuxing, a deity, be knocked back by a single sword strike?
The space beside Xue Lingxian trembled slightly.
A handsome young figure stepped out from the space, holding a broad black sword, resting the blade on his shoulder. He tilted his chin, looking down at Wuma Jiuxing with a contemptuous gaze, and provocatively said, "I, Zhang Ruochen, will fight you."
Wuma Jiuxing's eyes blazed with divine light as he stared intently at the man who looked exactly like Zhang Ruochen. Apart from his strange movements and tone, he could see no flaws.
"You are Zhang Ruochen?" he asked.
The young man, identical to Zhang Ruochen, spoke with arrogance, "As real as it gets."
Wuma Jiuxing shook his head, "That's impossible. Zhang Ruochen cannot have divine realm cultivation. Who exactly are you, sir?"
Wuma Jiuxing was cautious. He couldn't see through the other's transformation technique, which meant he was undoubtedly a formidable divine realm powerhouse.
The young man said, "You, Wuma Jiuxing, could quietly break into the divine realm, so why can't I, Zhang Ruochen, have been hiding my cultivation all along? Let me tell you the truth: I am the heir of Saint Monk Xumi. I have cultivated in the River of Time. I had already reached the divine realm before entering the Hell Realm."
"The Zhang Ruochen you've always seen is merely a flesh-and-blood clone of mine. I sent that clone into the Hell Realm only to rescue my son and daughter. That's all! Haha!"
The young man placed one hand on his hip, adopting a posture he thought was domineering, and let out a long laugh. Then he added, "You know Saint Monk Xumi, don't you? His methods are beyond the comprehension of a new god like you. The Way of Time is unpredictable; an instant could be a hundred years, and a hundred years could be an instant."
Wuma Jiuxing didn't know much about Zhang Ruochen. Hearing this speech, he looked half-convinced.
Night Travel Master's eyes were filled with shock. He couldn't help but blurt out a curse, then fell into deep fear.
"So Zhang Ruochen's true body is a deity! No wonder he was so unafraid of me. If I had actually harbored evil intentions on this journey, I would have long been turned into a Sacred Source!"
"Why didn't you say earlier that you were a deity? I, Night Travel, would have sincerely knelt and called you master, or even sworn father!"
"Saint Monk Xumi truly lives up to being the Future Buddha, a top-tier supreme being. Even in death, he is still so formidable, silently training his heir to the divine realm."
Countless thoughts raced through Night Travel Master's mind. He knelt toward Zhang Ruochen in the distance, tears streaming down his face, as if he had long known about Zhang Ruochen's true form. He kowtowed and roared, "Master, your disciple has finally seen your true body!"
This statement left the cultivators present, who didn't believe Zhang Ruochen had a true body, feeling uncertain.
Could it be that Zhang Ruochen had indeed become a god long ago?
Night Travel Master clearly knew about this, and the tears in his eyes, along with his sincere gaze, didn't seem fake at all.
The cultivators of the Death God Temple, especially Yuan Benji, trembled in fear, thinking, "Today, I am doomed."
Having opposed a deity at every turn, how could there be any way out?
Only Granny Haitang guessed the true identity of this "Zhang Ruochen." It was undoubtedly Empress Chi Yao. But how had Zhang Ruochen's Abyssal Ancient Sword ended up in her hands?
For a deity, silently taking a war weapon from a Saint realm cultivator shouldn't be difficult.
Gu Shejing stared at Zhang Ruochen, her gaze falling on the war sword in his hand. She recognized it as Zhang Ruochen's Abyssal Ancient Sword. Even she was somewhat convinced.
Gu Shejing suppressed her injuries, stood up from the ground, and rushed toward Zhang Ruochen, throwing herself into his arms. Her voice was sweet and gentle, pitifully pleading, "Ruochen, save me."
"Get away! Stay far from me!"
Zhang Ruochen was ruthless and rough, showing no tenderness. He slapped Gu Shejing away, pointing at her and angrily scolding, "Shameless! Do you think I, Zhang Ruochen, can be seduced by beauty? Let me make this clear today: to me, any woman is no different from pus, blood, and bones. I can kill them with a wave of my hand."
A red mark appeared on Gu Shejing's beautiful face. Blood dripped from her mouth as she stared at Zhang Ruochen with a gaze full of resentment.
Then, turning into a streak of light, she rushed down the stone altar, leaving in shame and fury.
Zhang Ruochen called after her, his voice cold, "Stay away from me from now on. Otherwise, I'll hit you every time I see you. Go back and tell that Rakshasa Princess to stop dreaming. I, Zhang Ruochen, will never marry her. Tell her to give up. I am a man she will never obtain."
...
There will be another chapter tonight.