Chapter 2594: Encounter
On the Sword South Realm, inside an empty ancient city, Zhang Ruochen gathered together with Zhou Zao, Shentu Yun Kong, the Great Senluo Emperor, and of course, Night Travel Master's doppelganger.
One after another, they handed over a Space Linglong Ball to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen used his spiritual power to inspect them. Inside the four Space Linglong Balls, the planets were now teeming with life, numbering in the tens of billions.
In such a short time, they had managed to achieve this much, which could be considered their best effort.
Zhang Ruochen praised the three of them, then took out three Eon-level sacred medicines and rewarded them. The three were overjoyed, immediately feeling that Zhang Ruochen was exceptionally generous.
What they didn't know was that these three Eon-level sacred medicines were merely a drop in the bucket of what Zhang Ruochen possessed.
On the other side, Night Travel Master and Seven Hands Old Man surrounded the Underworld King, taking turns introducing themselves, claiming they had already pledged allegiance to the Blood Absolute Family and wished to become disciples under the Underworld King.
The Underworld King had no interest whatsoever in managing the family or recruiting talents for it.
In his view, these two old relics were nothing more than two pieces of trash that could be dealt with in a single sword strike.
Even if he were to take disciples, he wouldn't take ones this old. Their potential for growth was too low, and their future achievements and potential were almost already set in stone.
Night Travel Master and Seven Hands Old Man talked for a long time, but the Underworld King didn't respond with a single word, as if he couldn't hear them at all. What was there to listen to from the voices of two ants?
In the sky, powerful divine auras occasionally appeared, only to quickly fade into the distance.
Teams of Saint-level cultivators drove war chariots and Saint ships, rushing toward the Demon Sea region.
Zhang Ruochen gazed at the sky, his mind filled with complex emotions. This trip to the Origin Divine Temple had brought far too many unexpected events. Although he had successfully condensed a third-rank Sword Dao Sacred Intent, his mood was far from cheerful.
Perhaps it was because of Chi Yao, or perhaps because of Bai Qinger.
Even a third-rank Sword Dao Sacred Intent couldn't cut away the tangled thoughts in his heart.
Ji Fanxin's identity was too sensitive; she couldn't be seen by cultivators from the Hell Realm. Zhang Ruochen temporarily took her into the Qiankun Realm.
According to Night Travel Master and Seven Hands Old Man, A Le and Kailuo Dishi had been taken into the Sword Pavilion by Begonia Granny and had already left. If Kailuo Dishi's card was played well, it might just cause the Paradise Realm to suffer a great loss.
Of course, that depended on the Dragon Lord and the others successfully rescuing the Island Master. Only if the Dragon Lord and the Island Master held this card could they make the Paradise Realm bleed. New gods like Chi Yao and Blood Spirit Immortal, no matter how good the cards they held, couldn't shake a behemoth like the Paradise Realm.
"I wonder if the Island Master has been rescued yet?"
Zhang Ruochen couldn't forget the words his father had spoken before leaving. The Fate Divine Domain was, after all, the territory of the Destiny Temple, with numerous arrangements in place. The hidden experts there were so numerous that no one could fathom them all. Even the slightest mishap could lead to unimaginable consequences.
It was like when gods from the Hell Realm went to rescue someone from the Heavenly Court's Heavenly Palace—even if a God King or God Venerable went, they had to be prepared to die.
"The Female Emperor has been operating in the Hell Realm for many years, and my father is a god who infiltrated the Destiny Temple long ago. With an inside agent, it should be a bit easier, right?" Zhang Ruochen's heart unconsciously grew tense.
"Whoosh!"
A light talisman flew down from the clouds and landed in the Underworld King's hand.
After reading the information on the light talisman, the Underworld King's originally calm and composed expression suddenly turned sharp, his gaze shifting repeatedly.
"Snap!"
The light talisman was shattered into powder by the divine power surging from his fingers.
Seven Hands Old Man and Night Travel Master were startled and immediately shut their mouths. Their hearts raced with anxiety. This god from the Blood Absolute Family was indeed hard to get along with.
If he didn't want to take disciples, he could have just said so directly. There was no need to give such a terrifying look.
Night Travel Master felt his knees starting to give way. If it weren't for the fact that he truly couldn't figure out what he had done wrong, he might have already knelt down.
The Underworld King walked over to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen didn't know what information the Underworld King had received, but seeing him approach with such a look, he already had a guess. It seemed the rescue plan at the Destiny Temple had yielded results.
The Underworld King had always been fairly easygoing with Zhang Ruochen, not as vicious and ruthless as the cultivators of the Kunlun Realm had rumored.
But now.
As he drew closer, Zhang Ruochen felt an icy chill all over his body, as if he had fallen into an extreme cold hell.
The Underworld King stopped in front of Zhang Ruochen and said, "How much did you participate in the Kunlun Realm's rescue plan?"
The Underworld King didn't ask if he had participated; he directly asked how much he had participated in, which meant he was certain Zhang Ruochen was involved.
At this point, denying it would be meaningless.
Zhang Ruochen raised his head, meeting the Underworld King's bright red and dazzling divine eyes, and calmly said, "With my cultivation level, how much could I possibly participate in?"
"Was the Origin Divine Temple part of the Kunlun Realm's plan? Did you start laying the groundwork from the moment the five top-grade Origin Divine Crystals appeared in the Fate Divine Domain?" the Underworld King asked.
Zhang Ruochen didn't want to deceive the Underworld King. He shook his head and said, "The appearance of the Origin Divine Temple was merely a coincidence. Uncle, you must believe me—I have never done anything to harm the Blood Absolute Family. I truly hope the Blood Absolute Family can gain the greatest benefits from this great opportunity."
The Underworld King nodded, somewhat believing what Zhang Ruochen said.
If it weren't for the Blood Absolute Family, Zhang Ruochen wouldn't have needed to tell him the exact location of the Origin Divine Temple in advance. If it weren't for the Blood Absolute Family, why would Zhang Ruochen have gone to such lengths to recruit Night Travel Master and Seven Hands Old Man?
If it weren't for the Blood Absolute Family, Zhang Ruochen would certainly have returned to the Kunlun Realm with Chi Yao and Blood Spirit Immortal. Why would he have chosen to stay?
He had even given up the Six Divine Swords and stayed behind—that was the best proof.
The pressure bearing down on Zhang Ruochen gradually dissipated, and the Underworld King fell into thought.
Zhang Ruochen's honesty with him pleased him. If Zhang Ruochen had continued to hide things at this point, he would have turned and left, refusing to get involved any further.
"Since you've called me 'uncle' and helped me gain such a great opportunity from the Origin Divine Temple, if I don't save you this time, it would be hard to justify."
"While the gods of the Hell Realm are still dealing with the Paradise Realm faction's gods, chasing after the fleeing Yunshen Daozhu, and dividing up the remaining benefits from the Origin Divine Temple, leave the Sword South Realm with me immediately."
"Otherwise, once everything settles down, they will inevitably turn their attention to you. You've been too deeply involved in this Origin Divine Temple affair, and some things were done too openly. The forces that want to kill you won't miss this chance."
Zhang Ruochen felt the concern in the Underworld King's words and asked, "What about the Sword South Realm?"
The Underworld King had obtained the Sword Ancestor's Sword Gall, which meant he was also entangled in this karma. He couldn't easily give up on the Sword South Realm.
He pondered for a moment, then said, "If you travel with me, we'll draw too much attention, which doesn't seem ideal. How about this: I'll stay behind and take over the Sword South Realm. You immediately return to the Hell Realm and hide in the Undying Divine Temple for a while. Wait until the old man comes back—he should be enough to protect you."
"Right now, only the Undying Divine Temple can protect you. With the War God's Belt on you, the temple won't turn you away."
"If the Destiny Temple comes to the Undying Divine Temple, just deny everything outright. Never admit to any involvement. It's best to shift all the blame onto Bai Qinger. She's already the most suspicious in this matter anyway."
"Remember this clearly: your only goal from start to finish was to secure benefits for the Blood Absolute Family. No matter who asks, that's how you must answer."
Zhang Ruochen was quite worried and said, "But uncle, staying alone in the Sword South Realm is also very dangerous."
"What danger could there be? I am a god, a god from the Blood Heaven Tribe's Great Chieftain family. My bloodline is pure, my talent extraordinary, and my potential limitless. Who would dare touch me? The entire Undying Blood Clan would refuse to accept it. Besides, do you really think of your uncle as just a new god? Killing me is no easy feat." The Underworld King spoke with disdain, his tone light.
"Alright, it seems I should be more worried about myself. Farewell!"
Zhang Ruochen transformed into a burly, ugly Rakshasa clan warrior, then glanced at Seven Hands Old Man and Night Travel Master. "Both of them have the potential to become gods. If you have the time, uncle, you can guide them a bit."
"Two pieces of trash. Let me see you off."
The Underworld King pressed a palm against Zhang Ruochen's back and pushed forward. Zhang Ruochen felt his vision go dark, his body spinning uncontrollably as if caught in a vortex.
By the time his vision returned and he steadied himself, he found that he had crossed hundreds of millions of miles and exited the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain.
Looking back at the pitch-black void behind him, Zhang Ruochen was inwardly astonished.
The methods of a true god were truly formidable. With just a casual display, they surpassed even him, a master of time and space. The gap between the Saint Realm and the God Realm was indeed an insurmountable chasm.
Zhang Ruochen didn't linger and flew toward the Yecha Clan's ancestral realm.
Only by using the space wormholes and space formations of the Yecha Clan's ancestral realm could he reach the Undying Divine Temple as quickly as possible.
However, Zhang Ruochen hadn't flown far before he collided with a faint light barrier. His body passed through it without any obstruction.
"Not good."
Zhang Ruochen sensed that something was terribly wrong. He immediately took out the Divine Dragon Sun-Moon Chaos Tower and hid it in his sleeve.
As he passed through that nearly invisible light barrier, he distinctly felt a faint divine power, indicating that he had entered some kind of domain set up by a god.
Zhang Ruochen steadied himself and observed his surroundings. The stars in the sky had vanished, and the entire space was shrouded in darkness.
"I am Ruoji General, under the command of the Rakshasa Clan's Divine Prince. Which divine being has set up this domain here?" Zhang Ruochen said.
A cold laugh echoed through the space. "A petty trick. Boy, show your true form! This god has been waiting here specifically for you."
A river formed from countless Time Imprint light points flew in from afar, coalescing into a blurry divine shadow. It pressed toward Zhang Ruochen with overwhelming divine might.
"Xiu Chen."
Zhang Ruochen's eyes narrowed sharply.
"Zhang Ruochen, you won't escape today!"