Chapter 2585: Millennium Duel
Zangjin Baihu, as a prehistoric divine beast, finally proved itself in terms of speed.
The Earth Demon Sparrow was completely left behind.
Ji Fanxin put away the Heavenly Dao Flute, and the flute sound vanished with it.
Bai Qinger used her fingers to inscribe formation runes, instantly setting up a concealment formation that could mask their aura.
Zhang Ruochen surveyed the surroundings, but unfortunately, both his vision and spiritual power were severely obstructed, yielding nothing. He then asked, "Fairy, how long have you been inside this stone structure? Do you know how vast the space here actually is?"
Ji Fanxin released her spiritual power domain, locking onto Bai Qinger standing nearby, and gently shook her head. "The Heavenly Dao Flute brought me here, but unfortunately, after entering the stone structure, I encountered that terrifying demonic creature and had to flee all the way. If not for the protection of the Heavenly Dao Flute, you might never have seen me again."
Bai Qinger let out a light laugh, tinged with disdain.
Ji Fanxin, though gentle in nature, was not without emotions. She harbored great hostility toward this woman who had used her name to wreak havoc in the Hell Realm. "What are you laughing at, Miss Bai?"
"Everything is laughable," Bai Qinger said. "First, the pure and flawless Hundred Flowers Fairy from the Thousand Petal Realm has traveled hundreds of millions of miles to the Hell Realm for a secret rendezvous with the Eon-level great villain Zhang Ruochen. If this gets back to the Heavenly Court, the so-called Hundred Flowers Fairy will surely be disgraced and ruined. The name 'Hundred Flowers Fairy' might as well be changed to 'Withered Flower and Fallen Willow.'"
"Bai Qinger, are you trying to provoke a conflict?" Zhang Ruochen said displeasedly.
Bai Qinger glanced sideways at him. "I'm just stating a fact. Isn't she here in the Hell Realm because of you?"
Zhang Ruochen knew Bai Qinger's sharp tongue was hard to argue against. Explaining himself seemed unnecessary.
Ji Fanxin stood gracefully, her exquisite body surrounded by strands of flawless origin light. "I have never claimed to be a fairy, nor have I declared myself pure and flawless. To act according to how the world sees me would be truly false, straying further from my true heart."
Zhang Ruochen silently praised her wit. He hadn't expected the usually gentle Hundred Flowers Fairy to be so sharp-tongued, leaving Bai Qinger speechless.
Bai Qinger clapped lightly. "Well said—true heart, true self. But you're still laughable. With peak-level spiritual power and cultivation below the divine realm, and wielding a divine artifact, you were still chased so pathetically by a pseudo-god-level Earth Demon Sparrow. If that divine artifact were in my hands, would things be so different?"
Zhang Ruochen vaguely understood why Bai Qinger was suddenly targeting Ji Fanxin. Could she be eyeing the divine artifact?
Forcibly taking a divine artifact that had already bonded with its owner was extremely difficult. However, the artifact spirit of the Heavenly Dao Flute had only recently acknowledged Ji Fanxin as its master, and its loyalty might not be absolute. If Bai Qinger told the artifact spirit that she was stronger than Ji Fanxin and also an origin controller, would the spirit choose her instead?
Zhang Ruochen stepped forward. "How about you fight the fairy now and see who's stronger?"
"My injuries are severe; I can't fight for now. Once I recover—"
"Then shut up," Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qinger's gaze turned cold.
Ji Fanxin said, "You're injured, so I won't take advantage of you. My Dao and state of mind are indeed not perfect, and I cannot defeat you at your peak. But your words just now were a declaration of war against me. I now tell you very seriously: I accept this battle. The time will be a thousand years from now, and you choose the location."
Bai Qinger stared at Ji Fanxin, a gleam of intense interest in her eyes.
Zhang Ruochen had seen that gleam before—when she looked at the Soul-Eating Orchids she raised.
"Good! I didn't expect the Heavenly Court to have such a bold and spirited cultivator. I accept your millennium duel." Bai Qinger smiled enchantingly, her jade-white, delicate face radiating a charm that could steal any man's soul.
Zhang Ruochen's soul wasn't stolen, because all his attention was on Ji Fanxin.
Perhaps it was because the Hundred Flowers Fairy had already stolen it.
He had never seen Ji Fanxin so captivating. Compared to before, she had more strength in her gentleness and more heroism in her beauty.
Undoubtedly, compared to when he first met her in the Truth Heaven Domain, her state of mind and will had greatly improved.
In a thousand years, Bai Qinger would surely become a god.
Ji Fanxin might also step into the divine realm. The true realm of the Primordial Illumination Lotus was probably known only to the Mandala Flower God.
Zhang Ruochen found himself looking forward to the clash between these two peerless goddesses from the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm a thousand years later. If this battle were announced, countless cultivators would come to watch.
Bai Qinger, daughter of Desolate Heaven, possessed the bloodline of the Stone Clan. Her body seemed carved from immortal jade essence, her skin so delicate that no other woman could compare, radiating an eternal, indestructible crystalline white light.
She said, "Zhang Ruochen, though the cultivators of the Heavenly Court call you an Eon-level great villain, and the Hell Realm cultivators despise you, I've spent some time with you, and my opinion of you is not low."
"Why bring this up?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Bai Qinger said, "I just want to ask you one thing: do the promises you make count?"
"If I make them sincerely, they do," Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qinger said, "Then what about the promise you made in the name of your mother?"
Zhang Ruochen understood. "You want me to fulfill that promise now?"
Back then, for the Celestial Pivot Needle, Zhang Ruochen had sworn in the name of Xue Hou to do one thing for her.
He had not forgotten.
Bai Qinger nodded. "I want your blood."
Zhang Ruochen laughed. "Is the promise I made so insignificant? You're using it so lightly?"
In his view, losing some blood to fulfill an old oath was a very small price.
After all, that price had earned him the divine artifact, the Celestial Pivot Needle.
Bai Qinger was extremely serious. "I must break through to godhood as soon as possible. Only then can I deal with the Earth Demon Sparrow and Wuma Jiuxing, who might catch up at any moment. You don't want to die, do you?"
"I can give you Life Spring," Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qinger shook her head. "I have healing pills and Life Spring myself. But injuries from a true god won't heal in decades or centuries. Only divine substances like White Cang Blood Soil can help me recover quickly."
Ji Fanxin said, "No. Once her injuries heal and she reaches the divine realm, we'll all die at her hands."
Bai Qinger said, "I have already accepted your millennium duel. Until then, I will not lay a finger on you."
"And Zhang Ruochen?" Ji Fanxin asked.
Bai Qinger snorted proudly. "When I hadn't yet cultivated to godhood, I had many chances to kill him but didn't. Once I become a god, he'll be nothing but a speck of dust in the mundane world to me—no point in killing him."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "No, there is a point. I always fulfill my promises. You, Bai Qinger, are a proud woman. Wouldn't losing that bet leave a mark in your heart? If you don't want to marry me but want to erase that mark, the only way is to kill me."
Bai Qinger stared at Zhang Ruochen for a long time, her gaze growing colder.
Her battle with Xue Lingxian, Yuan Qianmo, and Guye Jing hadn't broken her barriers or suppressed the gods. But Wuma Jiuxing's palm strike had awakened her, making her dare not underestimate the talents of the world or arrogantly believe she could manipulate everyone.
With less arrogance, her state of mind improved, and she successfully broke through her barriers.
She didn't know if losing the bet would create a flaw in her perfect state of mind, so she had indeed considered killing Zhang Ruochen.
A long silence.
A somewhat youthful, immature voice sounded: "There's actually another way to deal with the Earth Demon Sparrow."
The voice came from the Heavenly Dao Flute.
Ji Fanxin quickly asked, "What way?"
The artifact spirit of the Heavenly Dao Flute sounded like a little girl. "Master, I brought you here to obtain the Origin Esoterica and several other divine artifacts."
Zhang Ruochen and Bai Qinger both showed expressions of shock.
Bai Qinger immediately took out a top-grade Origin Divine Crystal and began to sense it carefully.
The artifact spirit continued, "I'm no match for the Earth Demon Sparrow, but the artifact spirits of those other divine artifacts are powerful enough to deal with it."
"So many divine artifacts are here?"
Though surprised, Zhang Ruochen wasn't too shocked, since this was the Origin Divine Temple, once home to a powerful civilization.
The artifact spirit said, "Unfortunately, they are sealed by the Blood Moon and cannot leave this altar. Master, your sword Dao is strong; you might gain their recognition."
Hearing this, Ji Fanxin felt somewhat ashamed. Her sword Dao was far inferior to Zhang Ruochen's. And beside her was Bai Qinger, known as invincible below the divine realm.
Zhang Ruochen had the Divine Dragon Sun-Moon Chaos Pagoda lent to him by the Dragon Lord, which could deal with the Earth Demon Sparrow. But the pagoda could only unleash one attack. If used on the Earth Demon Sparrow, how would he deal with Wuma Jiuxing afterward?
The only option now seemed to be going to the place the Heavenly Dao Flute mentioned.
As for Bai Qinger, she hadn't denied Zhang Ruochen's earlier inference, proving she had indeed considered killing him. Under such circumstances, how could Zhang Ruochen dare to give her his blood?
He would have to ask her to choose another favor.
For example, sparing her life.
Zhang Ruochen suggested this to Bai Qinger, but she only rolled her eyes, claiming that even severely injured, she could easily take them all down with her.
In the darkness, the Earth Demon Sparrow's cries echoed faintly again.
They dared not delay and set off immediately.
...
The Origin Divine Temple storyline will soon conclude.
"Eternal Divine Emperor" has already exceeded eight million words, featuring many characters. If you're interested in any characters who have disappeared, leave a comment in this chapter's discussion. Little Fish will try to pick a few important or regrettable ones and give them closure.