Chapter 2611: Return
"Already a grandfather?"
Zhang Ruochen was lost in thought for a moment before saying, "Let's go. Take me to Yan Liren."
Daring to address the sect leader by his given name directly.
Sun Jueduan was even more alarmed. He immediately lowered his head, not daring to meet Zhang Ruochen's gaze, and cautiously led the way. Along the path, he mentally reviewed every major figure from the Kunlun Realm, yet found no one who matched the man before him.
Eighteen hundred years ago, Yan Liren was known as the Tenth Emperor and served as the head of the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion's Heavenly Justice Hall in the Holy Bright Central Empire. By duty, he was bound to obey successive Bright Emperors.
Given Zhang Ruochen's current level of cultivation, if he wished to claim the title of emperor in the Kunlun Realm and rebuild the Holy Bright Central Empire, who could stop him?
Calling Yan Liren by name was truly nothing significant.
Standing at a different height brought a different bearing.
Of course, Zhang Ruochen held respect for Yan Liren. After all, even the Bright Emperor had treated Yan Liren as a brother, never as a subordinate. For this reason, Zhang Ruochen did not wish to delve into issues of status or strength. He would simply treat him with an ordinary heart.
"Woo—woo—!"
At the summit of Infant Lord Peak, the cold wind howled fiercely.
Zhang Ruochen stopped, gazing into the distance at the Blood God Altar built from piled bones among the mountains.
The Blood God Altar rose nine levels high. Over the generations, the remains of Blood God Sect disciples, including past sect leaders, had become part of the altar. For this reason, the altar was the most sacred place in the sect.
Above the altar, blood-colored clouds churned, lightning flashed, and thunder roared.
Even from a great distance, a faint divine might could be felt. Countless rule divine patterns flowed through the space, releasing blood-colored divine qi outward.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "How long has Blood Lingxian been in seclusion?"
Sun Jueduan's face turned pale, his legs gave way, and he fell to his knees in terror.
Daring to address his grandfather by name had made him cautious. Daring to address the sect leader by name had shaken him to the core.
Calling a god by their given name was taboo—an act of disrespect toward the divine.
It could invite divine punishment, bringing about a catastrophic calamity.
Zhang Ruochen, however, was unconcerned. Back then, Blood Lingxian had not hesitated to consume his quasi-emperor-grade sacred pills. Now that he had become a god, what was wrong with calling him by name?
Yan Liren had already walked out of the Returning Origin Divine Palace and stood behind Zhang Ruochen, also gazing at the distant Blood God Altar. "After Blood God achieved godhood, he has been in seclusion, cultivating within the altar for a thousand years."
"That long?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Yan Liren had recognized Zhang Ruochen but remained calm. "Any cultivator who steps into the divine realm needs a long time to stabilize their cultivation. They must transform their qi sea into a divine sea, convert sacred dao rules into rule divine patterns, and cultivate their own divine realm world. The first thousand years after becoming a god are the fastest period of improvement for a new god."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Are you also preparing to strike the divine realm?"
Yan Liren shook his head. "Far from it. I need at least another thousand years of sedimentation before I have a twenty to thirty percent chance. Your Highness, let's talk inside the divine palace."
Entering the Returning Origin Divine Palace, Yan Liren and Zhang Ruochen exchanged words.
Yan Liren asked about Zhang Ruochen's whereabouts over the past thousand years, while Zhang Ruochen inquired about the current state of the Dragon-Protecting Pavilion and the changes in the world's situation.
Zhang Ruochen learned that after Tai Shang's return, the Kunlun Realm had gradually flourished, with the sacred path thriving.
Not only had the five domains of the human race produced countless geniuses and saints, but the barbarian beast clans in the wild secret realm had also achieved unification under the Dragon Lord's influence.
In terms of the number of strong cultivators, the wild secret realm surpassed the human race.
The Kunlun Realm no longer had only a handful of Great Saints as it did a thousand years ago. Various transcendent powers, such as the Martial Market Bank, the Black Market, the Three Paths, and the Seven Sects, each had more than one Great Saint stationed there.
The imperial court of the First Central Empire and the wild secret realm had produced even more Great Saints.
Zhang Ruochen sighed. "A thousand years counts as one generation for a Great Saint."
For mortals, ten years is one generation.
For Great Saints, a thousand years is one generation.
Yan Liren's eyes shone brightly, full of spirit. "Under the leadership of Tai Shang and the Dragon Lord, the Kunlun Realm will surely prosper day by day, eventually ranking among the top powerful realms in the Heavenly Court Myriad Realms."
Today, every cultivator in the Kunlun Realm, like Yan Liren, was filled with hope and anticipation for the future, even if the realm's ranking on the Myriad Realms Merit List was still not high enough.
"Your Highness, now that you have returned, have you considered rebuilding the Holy Bright Central Empire?"
Yan Liren suddenly asked this, then continued, "The Bright Sect you established now wields influence in the Eastern Domain almost comparable to the Liangyi Sect. With a single command from you, changing the sect into an empire would be a matter of moments."
"Zhang Ling risked his life to save Tai Shang and is now trapped in the Destiny Temple. Every cultivator in the Kunlun Realm knows this. If you rebuild the Holy Bright Empire, at least Tai Shang would not oppose it."
Zhang Ruochen's eyes grew deep. "Is my father still alive?"
Yan Liren let out a long sigh. "Even if he is alive, what good does it do? The suffering he endures might be worse than death. It's a pity that the Destiny Temple is too powerful. Even Tai Shang cannot rescue him."
"Whether Zhang Ling is still alive is unknown to anyone."
"The Destiny Temple usually executes gods on the God-Beheading Platform. At least, from what I've heard, the platform has not yet beheaded him."
Zhang Ruochen nodded slightly, then took out four stone tablets of the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription from his space ring.
"This time, I have returned to the sect to return these four Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions to the Blood God Sect. The sect's heritage must not be incomplete because of me," Zhang Ruochen said.
These four Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions originally belonged to the Blood God Sect.
However, during the Kunlun Realm merit war, Zhang Ruochen had kept them on his person to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Hell Realm or other major worlds.
Now that Zhang Ruochen was no longer the sect leader, it was only right to return them.
Placing the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions in the Blood God Sect would allow them to realize their greater value, ensuring that the Heavenly Demon's peerless techniques continued to be passed down in the Kunlun Realm.
Yan Liren fully understood the value of these four Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions. His eyes fixed on Zhang Ruochen, filled with emotion, and he bowed deeply. Zhang Ling's son was indeed like him—righteous and noble, not a selfish person.
Sun Jueduan, standing by and serving, was already shocked beyond words.
From what he had seen and heard, he had guessed the identity of the man before him.
So this was the legendary sect leader his grandfather often spoke of—the one who, at the moment of the Blood God Sect's crisis, had turned the tide and swept away the powerful cultivators from various realms who sought to trample the sect.
He was the one who had struck such fear into the cultivators of the Heavenly Realm Faction that they trembled at the mere mention of his name.
He was the one who had single-handedly charged into the Hell Realm's army, leaving mountains of corpses beneath his sword.
His grandfather called him the greatest sect leader in the Blood God Sect's history.
His grandfather also claimed to be the closest brother of that greatest sect leader within the sect.
Of course, Sun Jueduan had not believed much of his grandfather's words. After all, human strength had its limits. How could one person resist the Hell Realm's army? And the Heavenly Realm, as the ruler of the Western Universe, how could it be so afraid of a cultivator from the Kunlun Realm?
Sun Jueduan had heard that, under the Heavenly Realm's suppression in recent years, the Kunlun Realm's position in the Heavenly Court had been very difficult. Even Sect Leader Yan had been severely injured and had lost their sacred domain territory in the Heavenly Court.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to leave, a vast and melodious zither sound came from beyond the heavens.
As the zither sounded, the sacred qi of heaven and earth gathered rapidly, forming a scene of "flying flowers filling the sky" in the air.
A path made of sacred qi petals stretched from the endlessly distant clouds all the way to the Blood God Sect's mountain gate.
Yan Liren smiled. "Your Highness, an old friend has arrived. Would you like to meet them before you leave?"
"I have no connection with him."
Zhang Ruochen had already sensed the visitor's aura and knew who it was.
Yan Liren said, "But, Your Highness, aren't you curious why he has come to the Blood God Sect?"
"I truly cannot guess the reason. Logically, a thousand years ago, he was the Zither Sect's leader and the most representative rising star of the Confucian Path. Yet he has nothing to do with the Blood God Sect," Zhang Ruochen said.
Yan Liren said, "This Zither Sect leader is no ordinary figure. He was once chosen by Tai Shang, personally taught for a time, and even sent to the Heavenly Palace for training."
"Tai... Tai Shang indeed has deep feelings for the Kunlun Realm, eager to see it grow strong again, and is working hard to cultivate talent. Otherwise, a Great Saint would not have the privilege of his personal instruction," Zhang Ruochen said.
Yan Liren said, "He should have been in the Heavenly Palace, yet he has returned to the Kunlun Realm and come to the Blood God Sect. It seems something major has happened in the Heavenly Court."
"In that case, I will stay a little longer, but do not reveal my identity," Zhang Ruochen said.
...
Before long, the Zither Sect leader, Sui Han, walked in through the main gate of the divine palace.
Accompanying him were two zither apprentices and several elders of the Blood God Sect.
Sui Han was one of the nine realm sons selected by Shengshu Cainü a thousand years ago. He had been taken as a disciple by Empress Chi Yao and nurtured with countless precious resources.
He had lived up to expectations. Over the past thousand years, he had gradually shown extraordinary talent, and now he had stepped into the Great Saint realm, becoming a banner for the Kunlun Realm in the Heavenly Court.
Sui Han wore a green Confucian robe. Compared to a thousand years ago, he had aged slightly, with two wisps of mustache at the corners of his mouth. Yet he still looked young, exuding a carefree and refined temperament.
Yan Liren, seated in the sect leader's position, rose to greet him, exchanging pleasantries.
Zhang Ruochen and Kong Lanyou sat in the first and second seats on the right.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze fell on a Blood God Sect elder. This elder was wrapped in a blood-colored robe, her figure exquisitely graceful, with wisps of demonic qi swirling around her.
As if sensing someone staring at her, she revealed her face from under the hood and looked toward Zhang Ruochen.
However, Zhang Ruochen had blurred his form with spiritual power, so she could only see a vague silhouette.
Zhang Ruochen stared at her strikingly beautiful yet icy-cold face, recalling past events, especially her pitiful expression.
When he had disguised himself as Gu Linfeng, he had often teased this Master Ji Shui, taking plenty of liberties with her hands. Thinking back now, it had indeed been childish.
Ji Shui's face was still beautiful, her waist slender enough to be grasped, and the curve of her chest was even more impressive than before. She appeared to be in her early thirties, carrying a unique mature charm.
Clearly, her Saint King realm cultivation was not enough to keep her looking like a twenty-year-old after a thousand years.
Ji Shui stared at Zhang Ruochen, a hint of confusion in her eyes. Then, the hood covered her face completely, and her attention shifted to Sui Han and Sect Leader Yan, who were conversing.
From the time Zhang Ruochen had known her, she had always been like this—forever hiding herself in that blood robe, isolated from the world.
Sui Han naturally noticed Zhang Ruochen and Kong Lanyou seated on either side. A sense of strangeness arose in his heart. After all, given his current cultivation and status, there were not many cultivators who could remain seated like a mountain without rising to greet him.
After glancing at Zhang Ruochen, Sui Han's strangeness turned into shock.
He discovered that, despite his powerful spiritual power, he could not make out the other's face, let alone discern their cultivation or identity.
The other person was like a mass of qi, a sea, devouring all the spiritual power he released.
Could the Kunlun Realm have such a formidable figure?
Sui Han asked Yan Liren, "These two Great Saint sages—how should I address them?"