Chapter 2597: The Choice
Outside the Kunlun Realm, there were many ruins realms and planets scattered about.
A hundred thousand years ago, the living beings on these ruins realms and planets were all attached to the Kunlun Realm. They were also the hubs of the Kunlun Realm's protective formation and the war fortresses in the battles against the Hell Realm.
Unfortunately, after the Kunlun Realm was sealed by the divine power of Xumi Saint Monk, entering and exiting became extremely difficult, and these ruins realms and planets turned into desolate wastelands or chaotic territories.
It was only a thousand years ago, when Xumi Saint Monk's divine power weakened significantly, that entering and leaving the Kunlun Realm became much easier.
Thus, five hundred years ago, after the establishment of the First Central Empire, Empress Chi Yao opened up the Chaotic Myriad Realms Mountain outside the realm and led the cultivators of the Kunlun Realm in a unification war against the various ruins realms and planets.
First, it was to temper the new generation of cultivators in the Kunlun Realm.
Second, it was to eradicate the remnants of the Hell Realm that had lingered on these ruins realms and planets for a hundred thousand years.
The third point was the most important: to clear the surroundings of the Kunlun Realm and prepare for the reactivation of the realm-protecting grand formation and the medieval divine patterns. After all, the foundations of many formations were located on these ruins realms and planets.
At this moment, Dragon Lord and Zhang Ruochen had flown down to the Chaotic Myriad Realms Mountain.
The Chaotic Myriad Realms Mountain was a mountain range suspended in cosmic space, stretching over a thousand miles.
Arriving here, looking at the rubble, broken walls, and shattered pillars scattered everywhere, Zhang Ruochen couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
Back then, when he first went to the ruins realm battlefield and came to the Chaotic Myriad Realms Mountain, how lively it had been. Rows of military camps, lines of war chariots, martial artists from all domains—some righteous, some evil, some laymen, some monks.
The Black Market First Class Hall, the Martial Market Bank, the Imperial Court... young talents from all paths gathered, full of vigor, youthful passion, and confidence and hope for the future.
At that time, everyone was young, all filled with fighting spirit.
But now, the 874-meter-tall stone statue of Empress Chi Yao that once stood here had collapsed, turned into rubble, filling half the square.
The white stone tablet representing the "Heavenly Ranking" had also broken into two pieces.
Standing before the broken tablet, Zhang Ruochen looked at the names on it, his emotions quite complex.
Once upon a time, his name had also been on it.
Back then, the artifact spirit of the "Heavenly Ranking" was a strong figure he had to look up to, but now it had long since perished along with the stone tablet.
Zhang Ruochen turned and walked in another direction, arriving at the edge of a massive ruin, looking at the battle platform at its center. Many figures of cultivators surfaced before his eyes.
There was Huang Yanchen from that time, Mu Lingxi who was still Duanmu Xingling, the eternally pure and flawless Luo Shuihan, Di Yi from the Black Market First Class Hall, Murong Yue who was still the Orange Moon Star Envoy, and Huang Shenyi, the number one on the "Heavenly Ranking," whom he had personally killed on that battle platform...
There, it seemed, there were so many people, so lively, as if it had all happened just yesterday.
But alas, the figures before him had all dispersed, leaving only a scene of decay.
Some had died completely, others were no longer what they once were.
Perhaps he truly was a nostalgic person.
Qiangu Nüdi's voice sounded behind Zhang Ruochen: "What are you thinking about?"
Zhang Ruochen didn't turn around, but he snapped out of his myriad thoughts and said, "Nüdi, where do you think the time that has passed goes? Can things never return to how they once were?"
As he spoke, Zhang Ruochen had already turned around, gazing at Qiangu Nüdi across from him.
This was the first time he truly saw her real face clearly, no longer as illusory as before. She was even more breathtakingly beautiful than he had imagined, yet his heart remained calm and undisturbed.
"You hold the Time Esoterica. Tell me, can you go back to the past? Back to the age when you didn't have to make choices?" Zhang Ruochen said.
An aged voice sounded, also filled with nostalgia and reminiscence: "At least you still have a choice now. Back in our time, we didn't have a second option."
Yunshen Daozhu stood on a cliff of the Chaotic Myriad Realms Mountain, gazing into the distant starry sky at the Kunlun Realm. His posture was not as upright or spirited as it had been on the Wuding Divine Sea; instead, he appeared quite weathered, quite elderly, occasionally letting out a light cough.
Zhang Ruochen could naturally guess the identity of that old man—the most legendary strong figure of the Kunlun Realm, a person of equal fame to Ten Calamities Wen Tianjun, Xumi Saint Monk, and Dragon Lord.
The one for whom Nüdi, Ming Emperor, Xuanji Sword Saint, and others had given everything to rescue in order to save the Kunlun Realm.
But he was just such an unremarkable old man, frail and aged, with long gray hair, not a trace of the aura of a peerless strong figure.
Zhang Ruochen had thought that when he met Tai Shang, he would be emotionally stirred, tears streaming down his face, but when he actually saw him, his mind was unprecedentedly calm.
He looked around, didn't see Ming Emperor, gathered his thoughts, walked over, and bowed deeply: "Greetings, Tai Shang."
"You must be Zhang Ling's child, right?"
"Yes."
Yunshen Daozhu turned around, his deep, profound eyes falling on Zhang Ruochen. He nodded slightly and said, "Actually, your father can be considered my disciple. You can call me Grandmaster. Cough, cough."
Zhang Ruochen didn't know why his father would be Yunshen Daozhu's disciple; he guessed it must have happened in the Destiny Temple. One was cultivating there, the other was imprisoned there—it wasn't too strange for them to have contact.
"Grandmaster, where is my father?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Yunshen Daozhu's gaze dimmed considerably.
Qiangu Nüdi remained silent.
Zhang Ruochen's emotions finally began to stir, and he asked again, "Grandmaster, where is my father?"
Dragon Lord walked over and said, "The rescue plan was more difficult than we imagined. Your father couldn't escape the Destiny Temple. Even I couldn't bring him out alive."
As he said this, Dragon Lord unfastened his robe, revealing his chest.
Inside the robe, his entire chest was covered in blood, with shattered internal organs. At the edges, cracks ran deep, and only by relying on powerful divine power could he keep his divine body from breaking apart.
Yunshen Daozhu said, "Your father hopes you can return to the Kunlun Realm."
Zhang Ruochen felt an unbearable pain in his heart, but he didn't blame Dragon Lord or Yunshen Daozhu. Rescuing someone from the Destiny Temple was no child's play—even God Kings and God Venerables who went there would most likely fall.
Ming Emperor had probably long ago visited the place where Yunshen Daozhu was imprisoned, and might have even guarded it once. He must have been well aware of the cost of a successful rescue, which was why he had gone to the Hundred Clans Royal City to see him one last time.
This was a choice Ming Emperor had made long ago.
Who could be blamed?
But his heart truly ached; he couldn't suppress his emotions. Zhang Ruochen asked with difficulty, "Has Father already fallen?"
"No. But a god of the Kunlun Realm trapped in the Destiny Temple is a fate worse than death. I have tasted this bitterness for a hundred thousand years... cough, cough..." Yunshen Daozhu said.
Qiangu Nüdi stepped forward to support the trembling Yunshen Daozhu.
Zhang Ruochen used his Sword Dao Sacred Intent to cut away the low emotions in his heart, his gaze sharpening. "In that case, I won't return to the Kunlun Realm."
"You want to go back to the Hell Realm to save your father?" Qiangu Nüdi asked.
Zhang Ruochen said nothing.
Qiangu Nüdi said, "You must understand, the Destiny Temple will surely uncover Zhang Ling's identity and know that you are his son. If you return to the Hell Realm, your situation will be extremely perilous."
Yunshen Daozhu spoke again, "Ruochen, you can trust your Grandmaster. As long as your father is still alive, I will find a way to rescue him. But for now, we need to wait and endure."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "If Grandmaster and Dragon Lord were to act, capturing gods from the Hell Realm, could we exchange them with the Destiny Temple for my father?"
Qiangu Nüdi shook her head, "Absolutely impossible. The Destiny Temple must command the Hell Realm, so it will never compromise with any party in the Heavenly Court Myriad Realms. It was impossible a hundred thousand years ago, and now, with the Hell Realm so dominant, it's even more impossible."
"If we captured gods from the Hell Realm, there would be only one consequence: the Destiny Temple would declare war on the Kunlun Realm again and completely destroy it."
Zhang Ruochen asked again, "How much of Grandmaster's spiritual power was worn away during his hundred thousand years trapped in the Destiny Temple? How many years will it take for his injuries to heal? If his injuries fully recover, could he break into the Destiny Temple and rescue my father?"
Yunshen Daozhu slowly closed his eyes, "Ruochen, every question you ask is hard for me to answer. A hundred thousand years ago, the Kunlun Realm was at its peak, yet it was still destroyed by the Hell Realm led by the Destiny Temple. To break into the Destiny Temple again to rescue someone, even if Xumi were alive and Biluo were reborn, combining our strength would still be extremely difficult."
"I promised your father I would take good care of you. But if you insist on returning to the Hell Realm, even if I stop you today, you will go tomorrow. If I force you to come back, you will only resent me. Ruochen, tell me, what should I do?"
If the Destiny Temple could be broken into at will, with people coming and going freely, the Hell Realm would have ceased to exist long ago.
This time, Dragon Lord and the others managed to rescue Yunshen Daozhu only because countless factors aligned to make it successful.
Such an opportunity had only come once in a hundred thousand years.
To be precise, this opportunity wasn't something they waited for; it was the result of a hundred thousand years of countless cultivators' efforts and sacrifices.
Qiangu Nüdi said, "Zhang Ruochen, you need to think carefully. If you come back with us now, you can clear your name of everything from the past. Grandfather will tell the cultivators of the Heavenly Court Myriad Realms that you and your father were the greatest contributors to the rescue, that your joining the Hell Realm was a matter of enduring humiliation for a greater cause. You could even become the emperor of the mortal world in the Kunlun Realm. But if you miss this chance, returning later and being accepted by everyone will be extremely difficult."
Zhang Ruochen bowed in turn to Yunshen Daozhu, Dragon Lord, and Qiangu Nüdi, saying, "The three of you are peerless gods, yet you have gathered here for Zhang Ruochen, a mere Great Saint. I can feel your kindness in my heart."
"But my mother is in the Hell Realm, and I cannot be this hero."
"My father is still trapped in the Destiny Temple, and I cannot be this hero."
"My son and my daughter are in the Hell Realm, and I cannot be this hero."
"I have to go back. I long ago stopped caring how the world sees me—whether as a great traitor or a defector. Born in the lifeless Hell Realm, yet I yearn for life. Walking in darkness, I have always had my heart set on the light. One day, I will surely carve out a path of my own. No matter how perilous that path may be, I will walk it without hesitation."
Zhang Ruochen spoke these words calmly and profoundly.
Even with the insight of Dragon Lord and Qiangu Nüdi, their gazes toward Zhang Ruochen showed admiration, and they could no longer persuade him.
Yunshen Daozhu was silent for a long time, then said, "Xumi didn't misjudge you. You are indeed worthy of being his heir. You are so calm and rational, I won't stop you. Let me take you to Xumi's place of nirvana and help you condense a First-rank Sacred Intent. Only if you are outstanding enough will your chances of surviving in the Hell Realm be greater. In the end, one's own path must be chosen by oneself to walk it with greater resolve."
With Yunshen Daozhu's level of spiritual power, he could naturally see through all the mysteries of Zhang Ruochen's cultivation at a glance.
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