Chapter 2633: Guanghan in the Rain
Fu Gu's method of concealing his aura was extremely sophisticated, and his speed was astonishingly fast. Under certain specific circumstances, he might indeed have had a chance to escape from a false god.
Unfortunately, he had encountered Zhang Ruochen.
No matter how brilliant the concealment technique, it became utterly useless.
Over short distances, Zhang Ruochen's speed, unleashed through his manipulation of space, surpassed even that of a false god. This was because he possessed the Space Essence, while the false god did not.
In a long-distance chase, the false god would certainly be superior, after all, Zhang Ruochen was merely a Great Saint with limited Saint Qi within him, unable to sustain such speed for long.
Before long, Zhang Ruochen, carrying Fu Gu, whose soul had already scattered, flew down from midair and landed beside Mo Yang's corpse.
Fu Gu had been struck seven times by Zhang Ruochen's Soul Sword, his soul annihilated, leading to his death.
Wan Canglan and Xian Feizi, two stunningly beautiful Mystic Maidens, stood not far away, having waited for some time.
One of them always wore a phoenix flame battle armor, her jade-like legs long, her chest and hips full and rounded, faint fiery light patterns flowing around her body. Her crimson hair was loose, her eyes like lightning, and her red lips vivid.
The other was shrouded in a misty white aura, exuding a mysterious air, her figure graceful and captivating, like a fairy spirit.
Yet, their gazes were fixed in astonishment on the man before them, clearly having guessed his identity. It was just too hard for them to believe—he, who had vanished for a thousand years, had actually reappeared!
"I should have guessed it long ago. Who else could win Dan Qing's heart and be close to Ling Feiyu, if not you, the great villain who appears once in an eon?"
Wan Canglan's face showed disdain, but a hint of joyful smile flickered in her phoenix-shaped eyes. She didn't truly regard him as a great villain.
Back then, on the Immortal Mechanism Mountain, Zhang Ruochen had saved her life.
When the Merit Battlefield of the Kunlun Realm opened, cultivators from all realms plundered the resources of the Kunlun Realm, treating its cultivators as slaves. It was Zhang Ruochen who issued a sacred decree, suppressing cultivators from countless realms with his might—what a captivating demeanor that was.
When the Heavenly Realm Faction attacked the Kunlun Realm and stormed the Ziwei Palace of the First Central Empire, Zhang Ruochen arrived just in time to rescue them, displaying great divine power and saving all the palace cultivators, including the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden.
Battle after battle, including Zhang Ruochen's deeds, had long earned the appreciation, recognition, and even admiration of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maidens.
Later, although Zhang Ruochen went to the Hell Realm, many cultivators knew the reasons behind it.
Especially the image of Zhang Ruochen charging alone into the Hell Realm's army to save Chi Kongle—it was incredibly stirring, tragic, and moving, deeply etched into the hearts of those who knew, like Wan Canglan.
"I thought you had already guessed my identity, which is why you were following me," Zhang Ruochen said.
He held no ill will toward the Wan family.
The cultivators of this clan had considerable backbone.
"Who would have guessed it was you, you deadbeat? It's been a thousand years. I, this Martial Saint, thought you had died a thousand years ago!"
Wan Canglan, heroic and spirited, flung her battle sword into the ground with a flick of her hand, strode over to Zhang Ruochen, spread her arms, and hugged him. "Welcome back!"
Her chest was too prominent, and she was wearing armor, pressing painfully against Zhang Ruochen's chest.
"Men and women have their differences; this isn't quite appropriate..."
Zhang Ruochen's words got stuck because a lip print had appeared on his face.
She had hugged him and kissed him. He felt as if Wan Canglan had taken advantage of him. Was it necessary to be so excited? Was this woman not being reserved enough? Were their relationships really that close?
To be honest, Wan Canglan's kiss had truly caught Zhang Ruochen off guard.
He hadn't been prepared for it.
Wan Canglan turned and walked away, saying, "Back during the upheaval at Ziwei Palace, all of us were forced by the cultivators of the Heavenly Realm Faction to hide in the Primordial Beginning Divine Temple, waiting in despair for death. At that time, I secretly swore that if someone could suddenly descend from the sky, save my sisters, and teach those arrogant invaders a lesson, I would give him my most precious thing. Now, I'm fulfilling that vow."
Zhang Ruochen rubbed the spot she had kissed and said, "So, your most precious thing is just this kiss?"
"My first kiss—isn't that precious enough? I kept it for you for a thousand years. If you want to go further, that's also possible. Back then, we Nine Heavens Mysterious Maidens privately discussed that if we truly needed a man in this life, who could earn the unanimous approval of all nine of us? After much discussion, we found that you were the only one qualified," Wan Canglan said.
Beside her, Xian Feizi's face had already flushed red with embarrassment. She discreetly tugged at Wan Canglan, signaling her to shut up. How could this Martial Saint sister say such things so openly?
How could those private, boudoir jokes be taken seriously?
Even Zhang Ruochen felt embarrassed and awkward. Wasn't she being too direct? Did she think they were all close enough to have no reservations?
He couldn't respond—completely at a loss for words.
Wan Canglan was very serious, waving her slender arm and speaking cheerfully, "Of course, we have to wait until we've all stepped into the Divine Realm. Otherwise, if the Empress finds out, there might be big trouble."
Zhang Ruochen dared not let her continue. He quickly released his spiritual power, erasing the memories of her and Xian Feizi, then swept up the corpses of Mo Yang and Fu Gu, crossing the void and disappearing.
On the desert, only the two Mystic Maidens remained, looking bewildered, having completely forgotten what had just happened.
Far away from the Golden Tree Sacred Domain, Zhang Ruochen flew out of the desert and landed on the ground.
He rubbed his face again and suddenly realized that his insight was still insufficient, and his vigilance had flaws. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been "ambushed" by Wan Canglan.
"Wait! I erased her memory, but what if she recognizes me again next time? Wouldn't I get kissed again?"
Zhang Ruochen silently reminded himself to be more cautious next time.
He searched through Fu Gu and Mo Yang's belongings and found many good things.
Mo Yang's skin had been repeatedly refined, turning black and emitting a metallic luster. It was covered with intricate illusionary inscriptions. Once activated, it could manifest a boundless black ocean illusion.
This illusion was indeed formidable. If Zhang Ruochen hadn't possessed the Heart of Truth, dealing with Mo Yang wouldn't have been so easy.
His skin was a top-tier treasure in itself.
Fu Gu's Light-Chasing Divine Needles, three thousand in total, as fine as ox hair, seemed to be forged from Radiant Divine Materials. They were a set of lethal weapons. Once they touched the body, even the supreme dharma body of a Supreme Realm Great Saint would partially disintegrate.
As for the undying sacred bodies of Great Saints below the Supreme Realm, they were naturally even more defenseless.
If used skillfully, this set of lethal weapons could threaten the divine body of a false god.
The most precious treasures on Mo Yang and Fu Gu were these two items.
Of course, there were other treasures, each a fine piece for an ordinary Great Saint. Zhang Ruochen planned to sell them to exchange for Divine Stones.
Recently, he had been quite poor.
...
A thousand years ago, the Guanghan Realm had moved from the Shatuo Heaven Domain to the Ziluo Heaven Domain.
Although the Ziluo Heaven Domain was also a lower-tier border domain, its Saint Qi was much richer than that of the Shatuo Heaven Domain, providing a better cultivation environment.
The three-hundred-mile-long Moon God Mountain, like a crescent moon radiating divine light, bright and pure, floated above the Ziluo Heaven Domain.
Zhang Ruochen concealed his aura, following a female saint attendant of the Moon God Mountain into the mountain, then skillfully made his way toward the Guanghan Divine Palace.
Within the Moon God Mountain, divine mist was vast, spirit springs flowed, and jade trees bloomed, like a pure, unstained land in a samsara world.
Outside the Guanghan Divine Palace, divine patterns were densely packed, and formations were numerous.
Yet Zhang Ruochen moved unimpeded, ascending the jade steps and pushing open the palace gates.
"Boom!"
At that moment, a blinding flash of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a thunderclap.
Zhang Ruochen stepped inside and saw the Moon God, dressed in pure white robes, standing at the other end of the palace, her back to him, gazing out the window at the sky.
The Moon God was pure and ethereal, her skin like divine jade, her aura mysterious and otherworldly, untouched by mortal dust.
Having recently survived her fourth Eon Calamity, the profound, unfathomable beauty of her presence had become even more breathtaking, leaving one breathless at the sight.
Outside the window, the sky was heavy with dark clouds, lightning flickering, heralding a storm.
Her clear, melodious voice echoed through the divine palace, as if speaking to herself, "The Heavenly Court is the heart of all realms, always calm and sunny. Without forced intervention by gods, such harsh weather rarely occurs."
"Changes in the natural phenomena of the Heavenly Court often foretell major upheavals in the entire universe. A storm is coming."
Then, the Moon God turned, looking down from her height at the figure in white standing at the center of the divine palace.
"Whoosh!"
A faint, ethereal soul shadow flew out from the Moon God.
In an instant, the shadow reached Zhang Ruochen and struck out with a palm.
Unfazed, Zhang Ruochen unleashed Yin-Yang imprints, Five Elements light, and Chaos Qi from within his body. He drew a circle with his hands, then joined them in a seal, clashing palm-to-palm with the Moon God's afterimage.
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen was sent flying out of the Guanghan Divine Palace, landing on the jade square outside. He dropped to one knee, pressing his palm against the ground.
Another flash of lightning.
A torrential rain began to fall.
The Moon God stepped out of the palace, standing under the eaves, separated by the curtain of rain. "After disappearing for a thousand years, is this all the progress you've made? With such cultivation, you dare to storm the Guanghan Divine Palace?"
Zhang Ruochen stood up, shaking his aching arms, and said, "It wasn't that I wanted to storm the Guanghan Divine Palace; it was the Moon God who deliberately let me in. Otherwise, with my cultivation, how could I have reached this place?"
"You have quite the nerve, daring to return to the Heavenly Court and appear before me. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
"If the Moon God wanted to kill me, I would have died from that palm strike just now."
The Moon God turned and walked back into the Guanghan Divine Palace, saying, "Come in."
Zhang Ruochen re-entered the Guanghan Divine Palace.
The Moon God said, "Someone erased all traces of your fate. For a thousand years, even the gods of the Hell Realm and I believed you had died in the Origin Divine Temple."
"Wouldn't the Moon God be very happy? If I died, you wouldn't have to repay the enormous debt you owe, nor would you be tarnished by the infamy of being associated with me, the eon-level great villain," Zhang Ruochen said.
The Moon God fixed a cold gaze on him and said flatly, "In truth, I never intended to repay your debt, so I'm not particularly happy. But seeing you return does put me in a rather foul mood, much like the current weather—heavy clouds, perhaps hiding the fury of thunder."
Zhang Ruochen was speechless. This was the first time he had encountered a god who, because she wanted to default on a debt, instead claimed, "Seeing the creditor makes me feel gloomy and angry."
Shouldn't that be the creditor's feeling?
And, as a dignified ancient god, how could she say, "I never intended to repay the debt," with such natural ease?