Chapter 2656: The Game
At the detached residence where the Kunlun Realm cultivators were staying.
Although the Red Dust Absolute World Pavilion had only given the Kunlun Realm twenty Red Dust Invitations, many Great Saints from the Kunlun Realm had come to the Red Dust Archipelago. Even if they were not participating in the assembly, they still wanted to see the world and observe the bearing of the powerful figures under heaven.
Sword Emperor, Stone Emperor, Grand Minister of Works, Second Minister of Works, Wen Emperor, Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden, Yan Liren, Sui Han, Xue Wuye… and many other powerful figures gathered together to discuss the challenge matters for tonight.
They had set their sights on the Blade God Realm.
The list of Great Saints from the Blade God Realm who had arrived at the Red Dust Archipelago circulated among them, as they sought out their own opponents.
Sword Emperor said, “The number one powerhouse of the Blade God Realm, Yu Ze, I will handle him myself.”
“Yu Ze is ranked thirteenth on the Red Dust Absolute World List, just one step away from the peak of the Half-God level. No one knows if he has already broken through to that level. Sword Emperor, you are the pillar supporting the mortal world of the Kunlun Realm. You cannot afford any mishap. Challenging Yu Ze is still too risky,” Sui Han said.
Stone Emperor said, “In that case, I will make the move. Even if I cannot defeat Yu Ze, with my defensive capabilities, I am somewhat confident I can retreat safely.”
They all knew that tonight was not about winning or losing, but about tying up as many Great Saints from the Heavenly Realm Faction as possible.
If they could contribute as much as possible, things would be a bit easier over at the Green Pear Garden.
“Boom!”
A loud explosion came from the main gate of the residence.
The Great Saint inscriptions throughout the garden trembled.
Inside the hall, the Great Saints of the Kunlun Realm were all shaken. Lidi Heshang and Gai Tianjiao abruptly stood up, transforming into two beams of holy light and charging outward.
“Bang!”
“Bang!”
Two figures flew backward from outside, crashing heavily into the hall. They were none other than Lidi Heshang and Gai Tianjiao, who had just rushed out.
Both were injured, with traces of blood at the corners of their mouths.
Heavy footsteps came from outside, causing ripples to spread across the ground and the entire building to shake. A man in a black robe with a hood walked in from outside and stood at the entrance.
Dark energy flowed around him, exuding a sharp, murderous aura.
Everyone present felt immense pressure, as if they had suddenly fallen into water and could not breathe.
“Whoosh!”
Sword Emperor was very decisive. His body transformed into a white seven-foot giant sword, shooting like a streak of light straight toward the black-robed cultivator at the entrance.
This was the most correct choice!
Because the other party had ill intentions—first forcing his way in, then injuring people. Clearly, he was an enemy, not a friend.
At this moment, he had to act decisively.
Otherwise, if the other party was a suicide soldier sent by a hostile force, or a Great Saint puppet, and detonated his sacred source in the hall, the Kunlun Realm would suffer heavy losses.
Such painful lessons had occurred in history.
Sword Emperor’s cultivation was undeniably strong. He was listed in the Red Dust Volume of the Red Dust Absolute World List and was already a top-tier expert in the mortal world of the entire universe.
This sword strike carried a piercing sound of breaking wind, as if it would tear space apart.
The black-robed cultivator stood still, however, until the seven-foot giant sword flew before him. Then, with unimaginable speed, he extended a hand and flicked his finger.
Thick dark power surged from his fingertip and collided with the sword tip.
“Bang!”
The seven-foot giant sword flew back, transforming back into Sword Emperor’s form. He fell back into his chair, shattering the chair made of exotic metal into pieces.
Such a powerful figure shocked everyone present, and many speculated that this might be a character from the Absolute World Volume.
Such a person would naturally not detonate his sacred source.
Wen Emperor clasped his hands in salute, his gaze cold and deep, and said, “May I ask who you are, and why you have broken into Hailin Detached Residence and injured people?”
The Great Saints of the Kunlun Realm all released their Dao domains.
The atmosphere in the hall was murderous.
The black-robed cultivator pulled back his hood, revealing a handsome face—a straight nose bridge, delicate brows and eyes, long hair flowing behind him, exuding an indescribable cool charm.
This face bore some resemblance to Empress Chi Yao.
Shengshu Cainü was somewhat puzzled, yet also found it hard to believe, and said, “Kunlun?”
Most of the cultivators present had lived for over a thousand years and recognized Chi Kunlun’s identity. They all showed expressions of surprise.
The black-robed cultivator looked at Sword Emperor, Stone Emperor, Grand Minister of Works, and Second Minister of Works, and said, “I want to know where Zhang Ruochen is. I came here at his invitation.”
Many Great Saints present did not know that Zhang Ruochen was still alive, let alone that Shu Qianchi was Zhang Ruochen. Hearing Chi Kunlun’s words, they were all shocked. This included Wan Canglan and Xian Feizi, whose memories had been erased by Zhang Ruochen.
“Zhang Ruochen? What’s going on?”
“Wasn’t Zhang Ruochen supposed to have died a thousand years ago?”
“He came to the Heavenly Court at Zhang Ruochen’s invitation? Does that mean Zhang Ruochen is still alive and here on the Red Dust Archipelago?”
Except for a few who knew the truth, the other Great Saints of the Kunlun Realm were in an uproar, as if they had heard a shocking secret.
…
The Red Dust Absolute World Pavilion hovered above the Red Dust Archipelago, like an immortal palace of jade—sacred jade paving the ground, red walls and glazed tiles, with spirit mountains and waterfalls, sacred beasts flying through the clouds, and young male and female disciples in Confucian robes, holding scrolls and walking quickly.
They continuously presented the scrolls before the Pavilion Master of the Red Dust Absolute World Pavilion.
The Pavilion Master, named Zhuang Tai’a, sat beneath a divine, radiant purple cherry tree, writing something with a brush.
Two Divine Generals stood below on the left and right, reporting in detail the impending earth-shattering upheaval on the Red Dust Archipelago to the Pavilion Master. This matter involved the Heavenly Realm Faction, the Truth Divine Temple, the Pangu Realm, and the Heavenly Dragon Realm, and was beyond their authority to decide.
The Red Dust Absolute World Pavilion had a total of ten False Gods. Those standing here were the Mysterious Case Divine General and the Tianbin Divine General.
Whether in the Heavenly Court Myriad Realms or the Hell Realm, the number of False Gods exceeded that of True Gods. After all, from ancient times to the present, countless divine sources had been preserved. Even if some had been destroyed, and even if becoming a False God was not easy, in reality, False Gods were still the mainstream in the divine realm.
True Gods were extremely rare.
But any powerful True God would cultivate one or several False Gods to help them find cultivation resources, guard their territories, and handle matters that the True God found inconvenient to deal with personally, or to do things that were suicidal, such as interfering in the mortal world.
After all, True Gods could not do everything themselves.
Zhuang Tai’a finally stopped writing and said, “I already know all of this.”
“Should the Red Dust Absolute World Pavilion step in to mediate?” the Mysterious Case Divine General asked.
Zhuang Tai’a stood up, looking down at the sea area faintly visible beneath the clouds, and at the islands on the sea, and said, “This is a chessboard. To move the pieces on the board, one must have sufficient cultivation to be qualified.”
“Does even the Pavilion Master not have the qualification to move the pieces?” the Tianbin Divine General asked, visibly shaken.
Zhuang Tai’a did not answer his question and said, “The ones playing the game on this chessboard are all terrifyingly powerful beings. They want to change the structure that has remained unchanged in the Heavenly Court for a hundred thousand years. The game on the Red Dust Archipelago is just one corner of the board.”
The Mysterious Case Divine General dared not ask further, because what the Pavilion Master had said was already taboo.
The Tianbin Divine General, however, did not realize this. Though shocked, he asked again, “Changing a structure that has remained unchanged for a hundred thousand years is no easy feat. The structure was set by the gods. In the end, the cultivators on the Red Dust Archipelago are only Saint-level cultivators. How much of a role can they play?”
Zhuang Tai’a said, “Under the rule that gods cannot interfere in the mortal world, these Great Saints on the Red Dust Archipelago hold the power of discourse over the entire starry sky. In terms of influence over the mortal world, even gods cannot compare to them. Or rather, gods must rely on them to exert influence over the mortal world.”
“The divine realm decides everything, but the divine realm is too small. The mortal world is the universe. The divine realm has its limitations.”
“I understand!” the Tianbin Divine General said, then added, “But with the war between the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm imminent, isn’t the conflict on the Red Dust Archipelago a bit too much?”
Zhuang Tai’a said, “The purpose of holding the Red Dust Assembly is precisely to make them fight. If they don’t fight, how can there be strong warriors? I have always believed that a strong warrior who rises by killing ten thousand people is far more important than those ten thousand who died. But I would prefer that they kill cultivators from the Hell Realm. Rest assured, this is not a life-or-death struggle. It won’t escalate too much. The only variable…”
He only spoke half of his sentence and then fell silent. He instructed the Tianbin Divine General, “You no longer need to manage the Red Dust Sea Market. Go to the Ten Thousand Scrolls Pavilion to read and cultivate your mind, and strive for a breakthrough in spiritual power.”
The Tianbin Divine General was stunned, showing a confused expression.
…
The living areas of the various worlds under the Heavenly Realm Faction were quite concentrated, located on the same island.
In the Lantern Tower, Shang Zihong had already received the fifth challenge letter. The letter was sent by Yao Guang, the number one powerhouse of the Truth Divine Temple. The words were sincere, yet each word was like a blade, forcing him to accept the challenge.
Yao Guang was a figure listed in the Absolute World Volume and also ranked in the A-class of the Destiny Temple’s Divine Reserve Volume. He was a truly extraordinary figure among the Heavenly Court Myriad Realms. Xiang Chunan and Qing Sixue were mere juniors compared to him.
Mijiale had also received four challenge letters. He laughed and said, “Just a Heavenly Dragon Realm and a Truth Divine Temple dare to challenge the Heavenly Realm Faction? Don’t they know how much power a dominant world holds?”
“They want to share the pressure for the Green Pear Garden,” Lian Xi said, standing in an open space. Her beautiful figure radiated a faint holy light, but her gaze was sharp and cold.
Mijiale said coldly, “If those cultivators in the Green Pear Garden really dare to kill first, then no matter if they are dragon nobles or the young hall master of the Truth Divine Temple, they will pay a heavy price. Those who kill must pay with their lives.”
A shadow stood by the window and said, “If you underestimate Shu Qianchi, you will be the ones paying a heavy price.”
In the Lantern Tower, everyone present was a top-tier powerhouse below the divine level, yet no one had noticed when the shadow had appeared. Naturally, they were all shocked and turned their gazes toward it.
Shang Zihong was very calm and said, “How strong is he?”
“His depth has not yet been revealed. He is extremely mysterious. But one thing is certain: he is not a Confucian cultivator, because his true strength lies in the Sword Dao,” the shadow said.
The shadow was only an outline—a very handsome outline, with long hair flowing, arousing an endless desire to see his true face.
Zhou Yu held a challenge letter, his expression grave, and walked in quickly. “Something terrible has happened…”
Mijiale saw his panicked expression and said disdainfully, “As a Great Saint, you should remain calm in the face of events. What could be so terrible as to cause such panic?”
“The Pangu Realm has joined in. This is a challenge letter sent by Donghua Dijun,” Zhou Yu said, handing the letter to Mijiale, indicating that it was addressed to him.
…
I originally planned to update earlier today, but I was pulled by a friend to do something foolish. It took over four hours to cycle around the Third Ring Road of Chengdu. I’m too exhausted, so I can only manage one chapter today.