Chapter 2660: Picking a Fight
Gasps and exclamations echoed through Guihai Pavilion.
Chujian, the number one powerhouse of the Demon God Realm, had arrived!
The ten strongest figures of the Demon God Realm had all absorbed the ancestral blood of the Demon Ancestor, each possessing supreme cultivation. In any other era, any one of these ten could single-handedly represent the pinnacle of the Demon God Realm’s strength.
And Chujian was the first among them.
Tonight, Chujian and Ao Yi were to duel at Shenyue Beach, vying for the title of the strongest in the Southern Universe.
Chujian arrived first and was invited by Shang Zihong into the Li character private room on the fourth floor.
The expression on Zhang Ruochen’s face finally shifted. “The Abyss of Darkness is a notorious forbidden zone. Even gods risk falling if they enter. I’d like to know, Brother Wushen, what business took you there?”
“To an enlightened man, there’s no need for veiled words. Entering the Abyss of Darkness has to do with the former patriarch of the Yama Clan. I hope Brother Zhang can lend me a hand. Regardless of the outcome, I’ll be deeply grateful,” Yan Wushen said, his profound gaze reflected in Chi Kunlun’s eyes.
Zhang Ruochen had heard a little about the Yama Clan’s former patriarch from Luo Sha, but knew very little.
He did know, however, that the former patriarch was one of the few god-level powerhouses in the Hell Realm who had advocated for peaceful coexistence with the Heavenly Court’s myriad realms. Yet, for unknown reasons, he had fallen into the Abyss of Darkness.
If the former Yama Clan patriarch had truly been a “peace advocate,” Zhang Ruochen would be willing to go to the Abyss of Darkness, even without any reward, as long as he could contribute.
But doubts lingered in Zhang Ruochen’s mind. “The Yama Clan has countless gods standing tall. Why seek me out?”
Yan Wushen seemed to have anticipated this question. “The Abyss of Darkness is no benevolent place—it’s bizarre and perilous beyond measure. Gods entering it might not find it easier than we would. I’ll explain all its dangers in detail before we go in.”
Zhang Ruochen nodded. “Alright! Since Brother Wushen dares to come with a single soul to this meeting, why would I hesitate to venture into the Abyss of Darkness? But Brother Wushen should know that once I return to the Hell Realm, I may not be able to make my own decisions. If the elders in my family disagree, I might not be able to go.”
Zhang Ruochen didn’t want to commit fully. He knew too little about the Abyss of Darkness and had only heard rumors about the Yama Clan’s former patriarch. He planned to return to the Hell Realm, consult his mother and the War God, and then decide.
Yan Wushen naturally caught the implication in Zhang Ruochen’s words. “With Brother Zhang’s current cultivation, why would you need to heed the will of gods? If Brother Zhang fears the dangers of the Abyss of Darkness and chooses to back out, I can understand. But tonight, I’ll take it as your agreement. Come, drink this cup.”
Zhang Ruochen picked up his wine cup and drank first.
Just as Yan Wushen dared not come to the Heavenly Court in person, how could Zhang Ruochen agree to enter the Abyss of Darkness without knowing the full picture?
Yan Wushen had expected this.
But he believed that Zhang Ruochen would ultimately go with him, because Zhang Ruochen needed the Yama Clan’s help in the Hell Realm.
Zhang Ruochen intended to take his leave, but Shang Zihong was in the next room. This might be an opportunity to kill him.
However, with at least three top powerhouses from the Demon God Realm in the Li character private room, killing Shang Zihong under such circumstances was impossible for any cultivator below the god level.
Moreover, Zhang Ruochen had no idea how strong Shang Zihong was now. Acting rashly would be unwise.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen lost in thought, Yan Wushen seemed to read his mind and smiled. “Brother Zhang, some killing intent has leaked from you.”
“Has it?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Yan Wushen said, “Yes.”
Xu Sheng, Yan Shenfei, and Yan Xiaoli exchanged bewildered glances, feeling nothing of the sort. Was the gap in cultivation really that vast?
Zhang Ruochen said, “Brother Wushen should know who I want to kill, right?”
“I can roughly guess.”
Yan Wushen added, “But this isn’t a good place to make a move.”
“Isn’t a place where everyone thinks no one would strike often the best place?” Zhang Ruochen said, then turned his gaze to Xu Sheng. “Could Uncle Xu do me a favor?”
“Just say the word, Ruochen the Great Saint,” Xu Sheng replied.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Does Uncle Xu have any conflict or grudge with Shang Zihong?”
Xu Sheng was sharp-minded and understood Zhang Ruochen’s intent. “I have almost no dealings with Shang Zihong, but if I deliberately look for trouble, I can find some.”
“I’ve heard that Uncle Xu is the number one powerhouse of the Julu Divine Dynasty. Could you test Shang Zihong’s cultivation level?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Xu Sheng laughed heartily. “I and Young Master Yan are sworn brothers through life and death, and Ruochen the Great Saint and Young Master Yan are close friends. This small favor is naturally worth doing.”
Xu Sheng grabbed a silver wine flask from the table, tilted his head back, and gulped it down.
When the flask was empty, Xu Sheng’s body blazed with golden light.
“Boom!”
He reached into the void, pulling out a massive purple-gold hammer the size of a water vat. He burst through the door and roared, “Shang Zihong, you son of a bitch, get the hell out here! Today, we settle this once and for all!”
His voice thundered like a clap of thunder, silencing every cultivator in Guihai Pavilion.
“Boom, boom, boom…”
Xu Sheng’s footsteps shook the fourth floor, causing countless divine patterns and formation inscriptions to flicker into visibility.
No one knew what had happened, but it was astonishing that any cultivator in the world dared to curse Shang Zihong like this.
“It’s Uncle Xu of the Julu Divine Dynasty,” some cultivators whispered, recognizing him.
“Uncle Xu is a man of refined character. For him to be this furious and cursing, what on earth happened?”
“Just wait and watch the show.”
…
“Get out of my way!” Xu Sheng bellowed.
Four Great Saints from Paradise Realm guarding the Li character private room tried to block him, but were sent flying by a single swing of his hammer. Their saintly bodies turned to mush—alive or dead, no one knew.
The purple-gold hammer’s power was extraordinary; even the wind it stirred was too much for ordinary Great Saints to withstand.
The door to the Li character private room was pushed open.
Shang Zihong, with his long silver-white hair tied in a vermilion crown, exuded an ethereal, otherworldly aura. He glanced at the four Paradise Realm Great Saints who had fallen to the first floor, his calm, well-like eyes showing a hint of coldness.
He said, “Uncle, though your status is noble, attacking without cause is far too tyrannical, don’t you think?”
“Attacking without cause? Hmph, you, the young master of the Merit Divine Temple, have done something shameful yet feel no guilt. Let me ask you—on the Western Jia Realm merit battlefield five hundred years ago, was my son, Xu Cailin, killed by the Merit Divine Temple? You were in Western Jia Realm at the time. Dare you say you had nothing to do with it?” Xu Sheng’s eyes were fierce, his face twisted with rage.
Shang Zihong frowned. “Who remembers something from five hundred years ago? Besides, countless cultivators die on merit battlefields every year. They volunteered to go to war. What does that have to do with the Merit Divine Temple?”
“But I’ve heard he died unjustly—not at the hands of Hell Realm cultivators, but because you killed him.”
Without another word, Xu Sheng unleashed his Dao Domain, pulling Shang Zihong inside.
By the time Zhang Ruochen, Yan Shenfei, and Yan Xiaoli stepped out of the Qian character private room, Xu Sheng was already battling Shang Zihong within the Dao Domain.
A Dao Domain was a domain space forcibly created by a Thousand-Questions Realm Great Saint, using their own sacred dao rules to alter the surrounding heaven and earth rules. It was vastly different from a Saint King’s Dao Domain.
Most Great Saints couldn’t see the battle within Xu Sheng’s Dao Domain; only those with sufficient cultivation could.
Xu Sheng was indeed a top-tier figure. His Dao Domain was composed of eighteen trillion sacred dao rules, ranking him five hundred and seventy-fourth on the *Red Dust Peerless List*.
For context, Wuyue, the first Fate Emperor of the Destiny Temple’s Fate Department, had only cultivated just over twenty trillion sacred dao rules.
Although, for Supreme Realm Great Saints, having more sacred dao rules didn’t necessarily mean greater strength, the number of rules was still a symbol of power and a measure of a Supreme Realm Great Saint’s foundation.
Emperor Wuyue had used twelve trillion sacred dao rules to form his Supreme Dharma Body, granting him unparalleled combat power. He even had a faint, slim chance of reaching thirty trillion sacred dao rules, putting him on par with Eon-level representatives.
That was why Emperor Wuyue, when using forbidden arts and risking mutual destruction, could unleash combat power rivaling Eon-level genius Bai Qinger. Though fleeting, it was still extraordinary.
Xu Sheng fell short of Emperor Wuyue, but with eighteen trillion sacred dao rules as his foundation, he was still a formidable powerhouse.
Yet, under his fierce assault, Shang Zihong moved swiftly within the Dao Domain, dodging with ease.
The purple-gold hammer’s strikes were powerful, but they couldn’t touch Shang Zihong.
The difference between them was clear.
“Shang Zihong has cultivated at least twenty-five trillion sacred dao rules, possibly even close to thirty trillion.” Since Shang Zihong hadn’t released his own Dao Domain or used his full movement technique, Zhang Ruochen could only guess.
Even among peak Half-God cultivators, there were vast gaps.
A peak Half-God with twenty trillion sacred dao rules was worlds apart from one with twenty-nine trillion in combat power.
Breaking into the god realm with twenty trillion sacred dao rules versus twenty-nine trillion would also result in different numbers of Divine Throne Stars.
Of course, the further one went, the harder it was to increase by even one trillion rules, with difficulty multiplying.
In his time, Zhuo Yunong, the number one powerhouse of the Destiny Temple’s Judgment Department, had exceeded twenty-five trillion sacred dao rules.
“Aren’t you going to advise your uncle? If he doesn’t stop, he might suffer a great loss soon.”
A sweet, enchanting voice sounded beside Zhang Ruochen.
The voice was like a spring stream or a summer breeze, bringing immense pleasure, yet carrying a seductive charm that could pierce a cultivator’s heart. A simple sentence felt like a command.
Yes, a command.
Zhang Ruochen caught a captivating fragrance and said calmly, “Uncle has been grieving the loss of his son for five hundred years. How could we talk him out of it?”
Standing behind Zhang Ruochen and the others were the Nine-Tailed Heart Fox and the Ancient Bronze Lion.
Yan Shenfei and Yan Xiaoli were both affected by the Nine-Tailed Heart Fox’s voice, their eyes glazing over as they nearly urged Xu Sheng to stop. But Zhang Ruochen used his spiritual power to suppress their impulses.
The Nine-Tailed Heart Fox, a formidable expert, hadn’t expected an old man from the Julu Divine Dynasty to effortlessly counter her charm technique.
Unwilling to give up, she stepped beside Zhang Ruochen, her beautiful eyes shimmering as she looked at him. “Old sir, has your spiritual power reached the peak of the sixty-ninth rank? I’ve never heard of such a high-level figure in the Julu Divine Dynasty before.”