Chapter 2650: The Mortal World Is Full of Troubles

Chapter 2650: The Mortal World Is Full of Troubles

Zhang Ruochen sent a message to A Le, because he knew that A Le had some connection with Tao Hua and wanted to use him to confirm certain matters.

However, after sending the message, he received no response.

This made Zhang Ruochen uneasy, because there were only two reasons for such a situation.

First, A Le was not in the Heavenly Court.

Second, his Message Light Talisman had been intercepted.

Once a Message Light Talisman reached the speed of light, ordinary gods generally could not intercept it. And powerful gods would not have the leisure to do such a boring thing.

But it was still a flaw, and Zhang Ruochen dared not send another message.

After all, the Heavenly Court was filled with numerous gods and countless forbidden zones. The chance of a Message Light Talisman falling into a forbidden zone during its flight was not small.

Zhang Ruochen hurried toward Green Pear Garden, intending to take the cultivators of the Book Realm to the villa of the Heavenly Dragon Realm. He did not want any more innocent casualties because of this battle between himself and the Heavenly Realm Faction.

A blackwood carriage slowly approached from behind.

Pulling it was a gray donkey.

Driving it was a Daoist robe boy, who looked seven or eight years old, his body radiant with holy light, and a red mole on his forehead as if it had grown there from birth, emitting heat like flames.

The blackwood carriage stopped in front of Zhang Ruochen, and a familiar voice came from inside: "Would Mr. Shu be willing to come in and talk?"

Hearing this voice, Zhang Ruochen did not hesitate and stepped inside.

As he entered the carriage door, Zhang Ruochen sensed divine patterns floating in the space.

Crossing the divine patterns was like entering another time and space.

Zhen Yuan sat inside the carriage, with a low blackwood table in front of him. On the table lay a piece of white paper, flat and smooth. On the paper were two lines of characters, which were the Killing Intent Poster written by Zhang Ruochen and Shu Yong together.

"Unexpectedly, yesterday's words became a prophecy. Now this battle poster has truly become a swan song," he sighed.

Zhang Ruochen sat down and said, "Things are hard to predict. No one can foresee when misfortune might strike on the path to becoming a god. You came specifically to see me—may I ask why?"

Zhen Yuan's expression turned serious, and he said, "Gongyang Mu of the Confucian Realm is dead!"

Zhang Ruochen feigned surprise and said, "How has the Red Dust Archipelago suddenly become so dangerous? In broad daylight, someone dares to kill a demigod?"

"It was Ya Shen, the false god of the Book Realm, who made the move," Zhen Yuan said.

This time, Zhang Ruochen was genuinely shocked. "Why did Ya Shen kill Gongyang Mu?"

"I'm not sure. It should be because he suspected Gongyang Mu of killing Shu Yong, seeking revenge," Zhen Yuan said, staring intently into Zhang Ruochen's eyes.

Zhang Ruochen said, "Could there be some misunderstanding? How could a god meddle in mortal affairs?"

"There is absolutely no misunderstanding, because Ya Shen used his unique divine script to kill Gongyang Mu. Four divine scripts in total: 'The murderer deserves death,'" Zhen Yuan said.

Zhang Ruochen was certain that Gongyang Mu had been killed by his curse just half an hour ago. How could it have become Ya Shen's doing?

Twisting black and white, distorting right and wrong—was it so blatant?

Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen looked up at Zhen Yuan, realizing that Zhen Yuan likely did not believe Ya Shen had killed Gongyang Mu either. That was why he had come to find him immediately.

Zhen Yuan continued, "Ya Shen's approach was too extreme. And for a god to meddle in mortal affairs is a major taboo. The cultivators of the Confucian Realm have sought out the envoy of the Heavenly Palace and also the Red Dust Peerless Tower. They have declared that if Ya Shen does not come forward to confess his crime, by midnight tonight, they will level Green Pear Garden, kill all the cultivators of the Book Realm, and avenge Gongyang Mu."

Zhang Ruochen sneered coldly.

The Heavenly Realm Faction's use of Ya Shen's divine script to forge Gongyang Mu's corpse meant that Ya Shen had likely already fallen or been suppressed.

This move was undoubtedly Shang Zihong's doing again.

On the surface, it was aimed at the Book Realm, but in reality, it was meant to lure out the true murderer of Gongyang Mu. Because the timing of Gongyang Mu's death was too suspicious, making it hard not to connect it to Shu Yong's death.

Zhen Yuan had come to him immediately, clearly suspecting that he had killed Gongyang Mu.

If Zhen Yuan could suspect him, Shang Zihong could as well.

Zhang Ruochen said, "To declare murder in the Red Dust Archipelago—the Confucian Realm has quite the nerve. Doesn't the Red Dust Peerless Tower intervene?"

"Ya Shen killing Gongyang Mu was personally confirmed by the Divine General of Strange Cases, so it has been classified as a personal grudge. No one can stop a personal grudge, just as no one can stop a grieving son from avenging his father. Who can blame them when it was indeed a god of the Book Realm who made the mistake this time? All the Red Dust Peerless Tower can do is mediate," Zhen Yuan said.

Zhang Ruochen said, "What about the Heavenly Dragon Realm? The Book Realm is attached to the Heavenly Dragon Realm. Surely they won't abandon them?"

"Tonight, the strongest of the Demon God Realm, Zhu Jian, will challenge Ao Yi at Divine Moon Beach, and Ao Yi has accepted. Without Ao Yi, the other cultivators of the Heavenly Dragon Realm may not be able to protect those of the Book Realm," Zhen Yuan said.

Zhang Ruochen frowned. "Why is the Demon God Realm wading into this muddy water?"

"It's not exactly deliberate interference. Zhu Jian and Ao Yi had already agreed to fight yesterday, aiming for the position of the number one in the Southern Universe. Tonight's battle is crucial. Whoever wins will directly obtain a spot in the Ten Realms Battle," Zhen Yuan said.

Zhang Ruochen smiled. "The Red Dust Assembly hasn't even started yet, and they're already so eager to fight?"

Zhen Yuan said meaningfully, "From the moment we set foot on the Red Dust Archipelago, the Red Dust Assembly has already begun."

Zhen Yuan pointed upward. "That Tower Lord stands in the Red Dust Peerless Tower, looking down over the entire Red Dust Archipelago, probably holding the Red Dust Brush and checking off names one by one. As for the day of the Red Dust Assembly, it's just everyone sitting together and drinking a few cups of wine. The winners drink celebratory wine, and the losers drink wine of resentment."

What Zhen Yuan knew was certainly far more than Zhang Ruochen.

Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen's heart skipped a beat. He had been underestimating the Tower Lord of the Red Dust Peerless Tower all along.

This person was no ordinary god. Since he could compose the "Red Dust Peerless List," what in the world could escape his knowledge?

The curse that killed Gongyang Mu just now, though done secretly, could it escape his notice?

Soon, Zhang Ruochen's mind calmed down again. His grandmaster had told him to act boldly without restraint, which surely meant he had accounted for the Tower Lord of the Red Dust Peerless Tower.

With his grandmaster backing him, Zhang Ruochen's confidence returned.

"What are you thinking about?" Zhen Yuan asked.

Zhang Ruochen said, "I'm thinking, since the Tower Lord of the Red Dust Peerless Tower knows everything under heaven, why didn't he stop Tao Hua from assassinating Shu Yong? Didn't he know it would cause turmoil in the Red Dust Archipelago?"

"This turmoil is a cataclysm for the Book Realm. For you, it might be the loss of a good friend, stirring anger. For me, it's just a somewhat regrettable minor matter. How much weight do you think it carries for the Tower Lord of the Red Dust Peerless Tower? Perhaps even if I were killed by Tao Hua, it would be like a gentle breeze passing by, left to its own course."

Zhen Yuan's tone was somewhat helpless, but his eyes were sharp and resolute. "In this world, one's fate must ultimately be fought for by oneself."

"This person will surely achieve great things in the future."

Zhang Ruochen thought to himself, his gaze involuntarily falling on the Killing Intent Poster on the table, unsure if Zhen Yuan had discerned anything from the characters.

"This morning, after you left Green Pear Garden, you disappeared for half an hour. Gongyang Mu died during that time."

Before Zhang Ruochen stepped out of the blackwood carriage, Zhen Yuan said this.

He did not state it outright, but the implication was clear.

Zhang Ruochen quickened his pace toward Green Pear Garden. The information he had learned from Zhen Yuan made him realize that Shang Zihong had made another move. And this move was even more ruthless than the last.

On the surface, it targeted the Book Realm, but in reality, it targeted him.

Currently, Zhang Ruochen's advantage was that no one knew his identity. But at the same time, this was also his weakness, because he could not reveal his identity.

Without revealing his identity, it was hard not to be constrained.

Shang Zihong's advantage, on the other hand, was that he could mobilize the entire power and resources of the Heavenly Realm Faction to overwhelm his opponent with sheer momentum.

What was even more deadly was that a top-tier assassin was hidden in the shadows. Whether that assassin was Tao Hua or not, it was extremely dangerous. One misstep, and he might die in the Red Dust Archipelago.

Zhang Ruochen's mind raced, and he thought of another matter. Shang Zihong would certainly not believe that a strongman from the Underworld Clan had cursed Gongyang Mu to death. After all, no matter how much the Tower Lord of the Red Dust Peerless Tower allowed them to fight, he would never tolerate cultivators from the Hell Realm stirring up trouble in the Red Dust Archipelago.

Therefore, Shang Zihong must have identified him as the murderer.

Was Shang Zihong using such a pressing tactic because he was already suspicious? Trying to force him to reveal his true form?

Zhang Ruochen sensed that four auras had been following him all the way, all very powerful, at the Supreme Realm. He thought to himself, "I can't go to the villa of the Heavenly Beginning Civilization for now, and I'd better keep my distance from the cultivators of the Kunlun Realm. Shang Zihong seems even more formidable than a thousand years ago. I can't underestimate him."

When he reached Green Pear Garden, still outside, Zhang Ruochen's expression changed. He sensed that the auras of the Book Realm cultivators inside had all disappeared!

He looked left and right. The cultivators from other major realms seemed to know that a great change was about to occur in Green Pear Garden, so they had all left. It was eerily quiet, carrying a hint of killing intent.

Zhang Ruochen walked in slowly.

"Shua!"

A strong sense of crisis, accompanied by an almost invisible sword light, came straight at him.

The sword's speed seemed so fast that even light could not catch up, arriving in an instant.

At the same time, strands of dark power spread like a fine net throughout Green Pear Garden, converging on a single point. That point was the tip of the sword.

Zhang Ruochen shifted his step and turned sideways.

The invisible sword struck empty air but followed like a clinging ghost, sweeping to the right.

In an instant, Sword Dao Rules turned into a black tide, surging forward mightily. The originally nimble and exquisite sword strike suddenly became fierce and overwhelming.

Zhang Ruochen took a step back, dodging again.

At the same time, he pointed a finger, precisely hitting the sword tip.

"Bang!"

A thunderous explosion rang out, and ripples burst from his fingertip, pushing forward layer by layer like a trumpet, forcing the invisible sword hidden in space to reveal itself.

The assassin holding the sword was dressed entirely in black, with a specially made black gauze mask.

On the mask were embroidered the characters "Sun" and "Moon."

Her hair cascaded like a waterfall, her figure tall and graceful, and her eyes under the black gauze were exceptionally bright, yet carried a hint of surprise.

The other party's cultivation far exceeded her expectations.

Seeing those eyes, Zhang Ruochen felt a slight stir in his heart and was about to speak.

But the assassin swung her sword in a circle, sending dense dark sword qi flying forward. At the same time, a black hole about a zhang in diameter appeared behind her, and she stepped back, vanishing into it.

"How could it be her? Why did she try to assassinate me?"

Zhang Ruochen did not pursue, because he sensed other auras in Green Pear Garden, but deep doubt arose in his heart.