Chapter 2714: Great Slaughter War God Emperor
Among the cultivators of the Heavenly Court's various realms, the Death God Palace was the most terrifying hall among the twelve divine palaces of the Destiny Temple.
The mere mention of it caused faces to change.
A thousand years ago, the chaos in the Origin Divine Temple caused the Death God Palace to suffer heavy losses, with its subordinate Ten Nether Executioners nearly wiped out. However, this did not damage the foundation of the Death God Palace.
The Ten Nether Executioners were all undead beings.
They were merely tools of slaughter refined for killing!
The Death God Venerable obtained a large amount of resources from the Origin Divine Temple, greatly increasing the Death God Palace's power in the mortal world, surpassing even a thousand years ago.
It was already showing signs of becoming the number one divine palace!
The most outstanding genius of the Death God Palace's new generation, She Huang, had cultivated for over five hundred years and had already reached the Great Perfection of the Hundred Shackles Realm.
He was born from the Corpse Clan, an ancient corpse from the Primordial Underworld Strata that gave birth to soul light and nurtured new life. It was said that remnants of a Heavenly Venerable-level expert's imprint remained in his corpse, making his combat power, comprehension, and physique all outstanding.
He was the most competitive candidate for the next millennium's new Divine Son of the Destiny Temple.
At this moment, the giant bone divine ship carrying the cultivators of the Death God Palace flew above the Wuding Divine Sea. On the sea surface, it cast a black shadow larger than a mountain, terrifying the aquatic creatures below.
Blood Butcher sat majestically at the highest position of the giant bone divine ship, his cape fluttering like a war banner. He held a bronze vessel filled with divine blood, drinking it in sips, seemingly preoccupied with heavy thoughts.
The Death Black Robe High Priest, demigods, and Supreme Realm Great Saints all had to stand below him, with no one daring to sit.
As for She Huang, he was merely a Hundred Shackles Realm Great Saint. Not to mention that he had not yet become the Divine Son; even if he did, how could the Great Slaughter War God Emperor take him seriously?
Therefore, he could only stand behind the Supreme Realm Great Saints, his status far inferior.
A Supreme Realm Great Saint, with a fawning expression, poured divine blood from a cauldron to refill Blood Butcher's cup.
The Death Black Robe High Priest asked curiously, "War God Emperor, why did our Death God Palace leave early and not travel with the Divine Maiden and the others?"
Blood Butcher glared at him and said, "Does our Death God Palace need to follow the Destiny Divine Maiden's orders?"
"What the War God Emperor says is true."
"Well said! The Death God Palace is the foremost of the twelve divine palaces. We all follow the War God Emperor's commands. The Divine Maiden will soon step down!"
The Death Black Robe High Priest had not expected the Great Slaughter War God Emperor to be so angered. His old face changed, and he quickly lowered his head to apologize.
She Huang stepped forward and said, "The Ten Realms Battle has already ended. Next, the battlefield of the Shura Star Pillar Realm and the Ancient Civilization Faction is where our Death God Palace can truly shine. What's the point of staying in the Wuding Divine Sea? It's better to go to the battlefield first and seize the advantage."
Blood Butcher's expression softened slightly, and he smiled, "See? Nephew She truly understands my intentions. I will do my utmost to help him ascend to the position of new Divine Son."
She Huang's expression remained unchanged, but he quickly bowed and said, "Thank you, Uncle Master."
"Whoosh—"
A message light talisman broke through the air, catching up to the giant bone divine ship.
Blood Butcher caught the talisman and glanced at it. His stern and cold face twitched slightly.
She Huang, being exceptionally intelligent and adept at reading expressions, said, "Uncle Master, has something major happened?"
Blood Butcher's face darkened. He crushed the talisman and ordered, "Accelerate the Red Armor Giant Bone Divine Ship to its maximum speed and head for the Shura Star Pillar Realm."
The Great Saints of the Death God Palace all buzzed with discussion, speculating that a large-scale war between the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm had erupted. Otherwise, a powerhouse like the Great Slaughter War God Emperor would not be so tense and cautious.
The Red Armor Giant Bone Divine Ship sped along, passing through wormholes and borrowing space teleportation arrays. Finally, it crossed the Wuding Divine Sea and saw the coastline formed by a pile of planets in the distance.
Wherever the Red Armor Giant Bone Divine Ship passed, defensive formations automatically opened, and armies retreated, showcasing the Death God Palace's formidable deterrent power in the Hell Realm.
Just as Blood Butcher breathed a sigh of relief—
From one of the planets on the coastline, a blood light shot out, condensing into Xia Yu's figure. She blocked the path of the Red Armor Giant Bone Divine Ship and said coldly, "Great Slaughter War God Emperor, an old acquaintance from the Undying Blood Clan invites you for a talk."
Blood Butcher almost cursed out loud. How had he still been intercepted?
He had already sensed Zhang Ruochen's aura.
He wanted to slip away, but it seemed he couldn't.
Blood Butcher steeled himself and followed Xia Yu, flying down to a reddish-yellow rocky planet.
This planet was now mostly wrapped in the vines of the Sacred Flower of Gluttony.
The Sacred Flower of Gluttony was rooted in the Five-Colored Merit Stele, absorbing and devouring it.
Zhang Ruochen stood with his hands behind his back, his figure straight as a sword. He sighed, "Shang Zihong was also a powerhouse of his generation, combining the strengths of both the Shangqiu and Merit Divine Hall families. But now, he can only serve as nourishment for the Sacred Flower of Gluttony. Truly lamentable. All the great figures of the age turn to dust."
"Blood Butcher, you are also an Eon-level representative. How does your cultivation and combat power compare to Shang Zihong's?"
Zhang Ruochen turned around and stared at Blood Butcher.
Blood Butcher's heart trembled violently, but he forced himself to stay calm and said, "What's the point of comparing with a dead man?"
Then, he quickly clasped his hands and bowed, speaking earnestly, "Senior Brother, you've finally returned. Over the years, I thought you had truly met with misfortune. My heart ached terribly."
Zhang Ruochen carefully examined Blood Butcher. He was dressed very plainly, with not a single valuable item on him.
No!
This body of his was the most valuable thing.
"Did you receive the message talisman Xia Yu sent you?" Zhang Ruochen asked casually.
Blood Butcher was taken aback. "Message talisman? What message talisman?"
He looked at Xia Yu and said, "Junior Sister, when did you send me a message? Why am I completely unaware? Could the talisman have fallen into the Wuding Divine Sea?"
Xia Yu's eyes were cold and deep. "Don't call me Junior Sister. The War God Emperor is a disciple of the Death God Venerable. How could I dare to claim such a connection?"
"What kind of talk is that? A teacher for a day is a father for life. Xue Hou is my master, and always will be. Am I, Blood Butcher, the kind of person who forgets favors?"
Blood Butcher quickly turned back to Zhang Ruochen and said, "Senior Brother, you have to believe me. It was because the military situation at the Shura Star Pillar Realm was urgent that I had to rush there immediately. As for the message talisman, I truly did not receive it."
"All the cultivators in the world think the Great Slaughter War God Emperor is glorious, but they don't know that being in this position comes with too many helpless constraints."
Zhang Ruochen nodded and said, "Your cultivation is not weak now. You can be considered a top-tier expert in the mortal world."
"Top ten in the mortal world, no problem," Blood Butcher said with a hint of pride.
Zhang Ruochen continued, "And your status is also very high. The Death God Palace should be under your control, right?"
"Naturally, there can be no second voice in the Death God Palace," Blood Butcher said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "With your current cultivation and status, returning a Supreme Sacred Artifact shouldn't be difficult, should it?"
Blood Butcher's heart pounded wildly. He knew he couldn't escape.
"Debts must be repaid; it's only right," Xia Yu said.
Blood Butcher forced a pained expression. "Senior Brother, don't look at me like that. Sure, I've made some small achievements in cultivation, but advancing so quickly in a thousand years was all thanks to resources. I've exhausted all my wealth. Right now, I'm hoping to make a fortune from the war in the Ancient Civilization Faction to repay your debt."
"Is that so?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "You must have some divine stones on you, right? Those three, though not as skilled as you, each gave me three hundred and sixty thousand divine stones. No matter how poor you are, you should be richer than them."
Blood Butcher looked at Qi Linzi and the other two, his heart screaming, This is unfair!
As the number one expert of the Undying Blood Clan, why had he never received such generous tributes of divine stones in the past?
Three hundred and sixty thousand divine stones—how many planetary territories could that buy?
Blood Butcher naturally knew why Qi Linzi and the others had given Zhang Ruochen divine stones. A new door seemed to open in his mind. So earning divine stones could be this simple.
Zhang Ruochen pointed to the Red Armor Giant Bone Divine Ship above and said, "If you really don't have divine stones, go borrow some from the cultivators of the Death God Palace. With your face as the Great Slaughter War God Emperor, you should be able to borrow quite a bit."
"Right! With my status, if I borrow from them, how would they dare refuse? And if I don't repay, how would they dare ask?" Blood Butcher felt another epiphany, seeing yet another path to wealth.
But now was absolutely not the time to borrow.
Even if he borrowed, the stones wouldn't end up in his hands.
Blood Butcher's mind raced. "Senior Brother, with my status, how could I lower myself to borrow divine stones from them? As a disciple of the Death God Venerable, don't I have any pride?"
"You've even brought out the Death God Venerable's name. Are you clearly showing that you don't take me seriously and don't want to repay the debt?"
Zhang Ruochen's eyes turned cold. The Red Child Sword he was refining surged with blood mist covering a thousand miles. "If I cut off your hands and feet now, would the God Venerable stand up for you?"
Qi Linzi and the other two were greatly alarmed.
Zhang Ruochen was too unpredictable. Just moments ago, he and Blood Butcher were acting like close senior and junior brothers, and now he was threatening to sever his limbs. So brutal!
How could Blood Butcher dare to respond?
The banner of his master, the Death God Venerable, was indeed useful, making even false gods and new gods treat him with courtesy.
But who was Zhang Ruochen?
Invincible in the mortal world, a living myth.
As long as he didn't kill him, how could the Death God Venerable, given his status, personally deal with a Saint-level cultivator?
And Zhang Ruochen had plenty of ways to make him wish he were dead.
Moreover, the Great Slaughter War God Emperor's reputation was thunderous in both the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm. Zhang Ruochen could destroy that reputation in an instant.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Hand over the giant stone altar you obtained from the Origin Divine Temple. It's a decent treasure."
"No way! I… I only have that one powerful war treasure. If I lose it, how can I withstand the Supreme Sacred Artifacts of other Eon-level representatives?"
"Senior Brother, just give me some more time. Once the war starts, I'm sure I can earn plenty of divine stones. With luck, I might even seize a Supreme Sacred Artifact."
"Senior Brother, you already have so many Supreme Sacred Artifacts, plus hundreds of thousands of divine stones and ten great worlds. You're richer than many gods. Why torment your junior brother?"
The more Blood Butcher spoke, the more bitter he felt, acutely aware of the vast wealth gap.
He even felt that Zhang Ruochen had lost all humanity, was heartless to the rich, and bullied the weak.
Zhang Ruochen seemed to suddenly think of something. He put away the Red Child Sword and transmitted a message to Blood Butcher, "There are so many people here, and the cultivators of the Death God Palace are watching from above. I'll give you face. The debt you owe can be repaid slowly in the future."
"Thank you, Senior Brother! You are truly my real senior brother!"
Blood Butcher, as if granted a great pardon, quickly bowed to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen extended both hands to support him and said in a low voice, "I've given you face. Now, I have an important matter that requires your help. You can't refuse, can you?"