Chapter 2690: Fanning the Flames
Over the past three days, multiple groups of cultivators had come to the Divine Valley to either pay a visit or stir up trouble.
Among the visitors were Yan Wushen, Que, Yan Huangtu, and others, including Undying Blood Clan cultivators who had participated in the Heaven Hunting Battle a thousand years ago. As for those coming to cause trouble, Luo Shengtian was naturally at the forefront.
Luo Shengtian was burning with a fierce anger, having several matters he wanted to settle with Zhang Ruochen.
Betrothed to his imperial sister, yet vanishing for a thousand years, and now that he had finally reappeared, he still hadn’t gone to see her—did he really think this fiancée was something he could just pick up for free?
Luo Shengtian had heard from Gushe Jing that Zhang Ruochen had once made harsh remarks in the Origin Divine Temple, threatening to abandon his imperial sister.
Unforgivable. Truly unforgivable.
Even more unbearable was how Shang Xia had become a cultivator of the Guanghan Realm? Had she submitted to the Moon God?
If this had nothing to do with Zhang Ruochen, Luo Shengtian would write his name backward.
But no matter who came to visit, and no matter how much Luo Shengtian kicked up a fuss, Zhang Ruochen simply refused to leave the valley. Only Xia Yu stepped forward to address everyone, saying, “My senior brother is in seclusion cultivating and has stated he will not receive any guests.”
There was a true god inside the valley—what could they do?
Helpless, they could only retreat.
With certain individuals fanning the flames, rumors spread like wildfire among the Hell Realm Great Saint cultivators on Jiwen Island.
“Zhang Ruochen is arrogant and looks down on everyone, even dismissing Que and Yan Wushen. Who does he think he is? A thousand years ago, he could still show off a bit, but now he’s not even fit to hold their shoes.”
Que and Yan Wushen were hailed as the unparalleled twin prodigies of the Hell Realm, wielding immense influence among Saint Realm cultivators. They had countless admirers and followers who regarded them as goals and idols. Hearing that they had personally visited Zhang Ruochen only to be turned away naturally sparked outrage.
After a banquet, Nan Sheng publicly declared, “Zhang Ruochen is a cultivator of the Kunlun Realm, not a comrade of the Hell Realm. There should be no place for him in the Hell Realm. Expel him from Jiwen Island, expel him from the Hell Realm!”
“Zhang Ruochen’s veins ultimately flow with human blood; he is not of our Undying Blood Clan,” said Huo Xi, the deputy commander of the Blood Emperor Divine Demon Camp, in front of many Undying Blood Clan Great Saint soldiers.
Qi Linzi, the commander of the Blood Emperor Divine Demon Camp, appeared and said, “Zhang Ruochen vanished for a thousand years, and when he reappeared, he went first to the Kunlun Realm and the Heavenly Court, not back to the Undying Blood Clan. His ability to stir up storms in the Heavenly Court isn’t due to his own great power, but because he has a backer.”
Qi Linzi spoke cryptically, without naming names.
But the cultivators of the Hell Realm all knew he was referring to Yunshen Daozhu of the Kunlun Realm.
“Zhang Ruochen must have offended the Paradise Realm and couldn’t stay in the Heavenly Court anymore, so he fled to the Hell Realm like a homeless dog.”
“Since he’s a homeless dog, he should keep a low profile, be humble, and act like a dog,” Nan Sheng said with a laugh to the cultivators of the Death God Temple.
Other cultivators spread rumors: “Zhang Ruochen is heartless and fickle. He already has a confidante in the Kunlun Realm and has never taken his fiancée, Princess Luo Sha, to heart, let alone shown any respect to the matchmaker, Divine Venerable Fulu.”
A cultivator from the Death God Temple shouted, “Princess Luo Sha should take the initiative to annul the engagement and seize the upper hand, to avoid future humiliation by Zhang Ruochen.”
“Zhang Ruochen is unworthy of Her Highness the Princess.”
“Her Highness the Princess is peerless in beauty and talent, a stunning beauty. How could she lack a consort? If Her Highness the Princess says the word, I, Konglin Jue’er, will be the first to challenge Zhang Ruochen and cripple his hands and feet.”
Suitors of Princess Luo Sha emerged one after another, including powerful demigods, noble divine sons, and heirs of certain divine dynasties.
With such an important event as the Ten Realms Battle, the Rakshasa Clan naturally sent a divine realm overlord.
The one who came was Emperor Luo Yan.
Inside the divine hall.
Emperor Luo Yan sat high in the uppermost position, his divine body merged with space. At first glance, he appeared to be of normal human size, but upon closer inspection, he seemed millions of miles tall, level with heaven and earth, exuding an extraordinary majesty and dominance.
“Sha’er, just give me a word. If you feel wronged, your father will go right now to trample that Blood Queen’s valley, drag out Zhang Ruochen, and hand him over to you for disposal.”
Luo Shengtian stood to the side, seething with anger, his fists clenched. “I’ll eat his flesh and drink his blood.”
Luo Sha was tall and slender, even more beautiful than a thousand years ago, with an added layer of mystery and haziness—a unique aura that came only after one’s cultivation had grown extremely powerful.
She shot Luo Shengtian a disdainful glance and said, “I know exactly why you want to eat his flesh and drink his blood.”
Luo Shengtian’s heart wavered with guilt, but his gaze remained fierce.
Luo Sha then turned to Emperor Luo Yan, adopting a slightly coquettish tone as she pleaded, “Father, you’re a divine emperor—can’t you stop listening to all those rumors and gossip outside? I know how to handle my own affairs.”
Emperor Luo Yan let out a heavy snort. “Your father’s will is not something those Saint Realm cultivators can sway. But since Zhang Ruochen is alive and has come to Jiwen Island, he should have come to see you immediately. Foolish daughter, you love that brat deeply, but he may not hold you in his heart.”
“I think he really is in seclusion cultivating,” Luo Sha said.
Emperor Luo Yan’s anger flared even more. “Is cultivation that important? He’s a Saint Realm cultivator—will he die if he cultivates one hour less? No matter how much he cultivates, he’ll still be just that. Can he surpass Yan Wushen?”
Over the past thousand years, Que and Yan Wushen had risen one after another. Not only did Xue Jue War God often sigh in lament, but Emperor Luo Yan felt the same.
Especially Yan Wushen—he was too astonishing, defying heaven itself by cultivating a First-Rank Sacred Intent, creating history and legend, and causing no small stir even in the divine realm world.
Then he looked at his own son…
Sometimes Emperor Luo Yan wondered if he hadn’t been strict enough with him from childhood, which was why he couldn’t match Yan Wushen or Que.
If Zhang Ruochen hadn’t disappeared, with his record of defeating Yan Wushen back then, having such a son-in-law would have given Emperor Luo Yan some bragging rights among other divine venerables and divine kings in the divine realm world.
Zhang Ruochen’s return alive still stirred a small glimmer of hope in Emperor Luo Yan.
But after arriving at Jiwen Island, Zhang Ruochen hadn’t come to pay respects to him, his father-in-law, nor had he come to see his daughter. This was truly outrageous.
Adding to that, Emperor Luo Yan thought that even if Zhang Ruochen had once defeated Yan Wushen, Yan Wushen had now cultivated a First-Rank Sacred Intent, something unprecedented.
What capital did Zhang Ruochen have to compare with Yan Wushen?
This era was indeed one of brilliant talents, every one like a dragon, but with Yan Wushen around, other talents were destined to be overshadowed, mere foils.
Stepping out of the divine hall, Luo Sha’s radiant, sparkling eyes glared at Luo Shengtian. “Who’s causing the most trouble right now?”
“What?” Luo Shengtian pretended not to understand.
Luo Sha shook her head. “You don’t have to say it; I can roughly guess. A little deduction will give me the answer. Go tell those cultivators from the Death God Temple, the Green Deer Divine Temple, and the Earth Fiend Ghost City that Zhang Ruochen is the fiancé of me, Princess Luo Sha. If anyone dares to spout another nonsense word, I will grind their bones to dust and scatter their ashes. That includes Nan Sheng, Lan Ying, and Yuan. If they dare to offend me, they will pay a heavy price. What are you standing there for? Go quickly!”
“I’m your elder brother, and this is how you talk to me?” Luo Shengtian was speechless.
Ever since his cultivation had been surpassed by Luo Sha, he felt like he had gone from being the elder brother to the younger one.
Luo Sha said, “Exactly. Because you are my elder brother and the divine prince of the Tianluo Divine Kingdom, your words carry enough weight to make them think twice. If we let this continue, Zhang Ruochen might get angry and leave the Hell Realm. What will I do then?”
Luo Shengtian’s face darkened, and he sneered, “Let him leave. My imperial sister is beautiful, talented, and brilliant—how could she fail to find a satisfactory consort? Forget Zhang Ruochen. With your qualities and family background, if you put out the word, many young gods would come knocking to propose.”
“What good are other cultivators, no matter how strong? Even if gods come to the Tianluo Divine Kingdom to propose, what does it matter? I just like him,” Luo Sha said, her gaze deep and devoid of laughter.
Seeing her so serious, Luo Shengtian gritted his teeth in frustration but was helpless. He stomped his foot heavily and strode away, saying, “If Zhang Ruochen dares to betray you, I will lead a hundred thousand sacred troops and chop him into pieces.”
…
Zhang Ruochen had indeed activated the Sundial and entered seclusion to cultivate.
Three days might seem short, but he had to race against time to break through the barrier of two epochs.
Under the Sundial, he had cultivated for three years. The number of sacred dao rules within his body was getting closer to the twenty-five trillion, nine hundred twenty billion mark, but he still hadn’t crossed it.
Xia Yu came to the edge of the Sundial’s coverage area and said, “Today is the day of the decisive battle between Que and Yin Yuanchen. Their victory will determine the ownership of the Sansheng Realm.”
Zhang Ruochen stood up.
The sound of a sword’s cry rang out.
A sword shadow flew into his hand—it was the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
Zhang Ruochen stroked the blade of the Abyssal Ancient Sword with his finger and asked, “Is the Sansheng Realm so important that it draws two epoch-level geniuses to fight over it?”
Logically, as the weaker side, if the Heavenly Court wanted to win as many major worlds as possible, it should avoid a direct confrontation between Yin Yuanchen and Que.
After all, Yin Yuanchen, when matched against other epoch-level representatives of the Hell Realm, was almost certain to win.
Xia Yu said, “The Sansheng Realm is itself a remarkable major world, rich in resources and dense with mineral deposits. It also possesses ancient legacies, having been little affected by the Merit Battlefield. The world within is well-preserved, with countless cultivators still training there.”
“More importantly, the Sansheng Realm is close to the Heavenly Beginning Civilization, located in a key star domain with significant strategic value. Naturally, the Heavenly Court wants to secure it.”
Zhang Ruochen asked, “The Ten Realms Battle decides the ownership of ten major worlds, with the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm each putting up five. But after the battle ends, what if one side reneges?”
“The Ten Realms Battle holds extraordinary significance for both the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm. It’s no longer just a struggle between twenty Saint Realm cultivators. The Lord of the Heavenly Palace and the twelve divine venerables of the Destiny Temple have all signed the war treaty. If anyone reneges, who among Hao Tian and the twelve divine venerables could bear the shame?” Xia Yu said.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Good. Let’s go.”
Xia Yu felt that Zhang Ruochen seemed off, as if he wasn’t just going to watch the battle.