Chapter 2723: The Curse of the Zhang Clan
The cultivators of Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm were all shocked, finding it hard to believe.
The Earth Mother had emerged from seclusion because of a Saint-level junior?
One must know that in the past ten thousand years, the Earth Mother had only appeared twice, and the last time she came out of seclusion was because of the Origin Divine Temple.
The Earth Mother's divine might had long been restrained, yet her aura was still so powerful that it suppressed all the Great Saints present, making it impossible for them to breathe.
No one dared to look directly at her, and no one dared to sit down.
The Earth Mother walked up to Zhang Ruochen and said, "A descendant of the Kunlun Realm Zhang Clan?"
"Yes!"
Zhang Ruochen tried his best to remain calm.
But the Earth Mother's question still set his mind racing with thoughts.
Could it be that she had some old connection with the Zhang Clan?
The Earth Mother asked again, "Are you cultivating the 'Thirty-Three Heavens'?"
Knowing that hiding it was pointless, Zhang Ruochen admitted it once more.
"Not bad. You have cultivated an innate Five Elements Chaos Body in the acquired state, merging the bloodlines of the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable and Blood Absolute Ancestor into one. Moreover, there is a mysterious truth power flowing in your blood, forming a unique bloodline. Such a powerful bloodline will likely produce descendants who are Truth Controllers. It seems that crossing the tenth layer of the Truth Sea brought you no small fortune," the Earth Mother said.
The Heart of Truth had already merged into Zhang Ruochen's physical body, so his bloodline naturally had an extraordinary connection with the Way of Truth.
The Earth Mother continued, "Mastering truth is infinitely beneficial for cultivation. How about this: I'll play matchmaker and marry a proud daughter of Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm to you as your wife. Are you willing?"
Zhang Ruochen looked up, finding it hard to believe.
This master of Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm had changed the subject too abruptly. Why was she suddenly arranging a marriage?
Guyun Yunliu and Heavenly Sound Divine Mother exchanged glances but did not speak.
Decisions made by the Earth Mother could not be changed, even by them.
Mu Lingxi, Luo Sha, and Guyun Jing were all shaken inside, but they still kept their heads down, not daring to speak. In front of the Earth Mother, they had no right to speak without permission.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to refuse, he heard Heavenly Sound Divine Mother's telepathic message: "Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm is the most dangerous place in the Rakshasa Clan, not the Blood Heaven Tribe. Think carefully before speaking in front of the Earth Mother."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's back was drenched in cold sweat.
Would defying the Earth Mother's will in front of so many cultivators be any different from defying the Fortune and Blessing God Venerable's marriage arrangement back then?
The Earth Mother cultivated the demonic path, and she was capable of anything.
Of course, Zhang Ruochen was no longer what he used to be. Even if he refused the Earth Mother, he should be able to keep his life. But was it really necessary to offend the master of Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm?
Mu Lingxi was still in Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm!
The Earth Mother's gaze turned a bit colder, but a smile appeared on her wrinkled face. She said, "Is it difficult? Do you think the women of Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm are not worthy of you? Or do you think my status is not as great as the Fortune and Blessing God Venerable's, and I have no right to arrange a marriage for you?"
"No!"
Zhang Ruochen quickly bowed and said, "For the Earth Mother to come out of seclusion and personally arrange a marriage for me, this junior is honored. Marrying a woman from Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm is something I could only wish for. I already have someone in mind!"
The Earth Mother said, "Oh? Who is it? Is she at this banquet?"
"Yes."
Zhang Ruochen pointed at Mu Lingxi.
Mu Lingxi felt a secret joy inside, but soon it turned into worry.
Zhang Ruochen's approach was undoubtedly opportunistic, not what the Earth Mother had in mind. If he was not careful, he might anger her.
When a mortal is angry, blood splatters five steps.
When a demon god is angry, corpses lie for a thousand miles.
The divine hall was silent.
Eerily quiet.
Many Great Saints' legs were trembling, almost collapsing to the ground.
How terrifying!
How many guts did Zhang Ruochen have to dare to toy with the Earth Mother?
Did he really think the most dangerous place in the Rakshasa Clan was just an empty name?
Heavenly Sound Divine Mother laughed and said, "Ruochen, even if you take another wife, Luo Sha and Lingxi won't blame you. There's no need to be so cautious, worried about hurting their feelings. In this world, which man who stands tall between heaven and earth doesn't have many wives and concubines? Only then can his descendants flourish."
"An opportunity like the Earth Mother arranging a marriage for you—once missed, when will it come again?"
The atmosphere eased a bit.
Zhang Ruochen knew full well that Heavenly Sound Divine Mother was helping him. If he still didn't know what was good for him, the consequences would be unpredictable.
"Even if I am invincible in the mortal world, before the gods, I have no choice," Zhang Ruochen sighed inwardly.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to speak, the Earth Mother spoke first: "You don't have to decide now. Take your time to think it over. Otherwise, if word gets out, people will think I am forcing you, and that the women of Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm can't find husbands."
Zhang Ruochen smiled bitterly and said, "That's not it..."
"Come with me. There are some things I want to say to you alone."
Without caring whether Zhang Ruochen agreed or not, the Earth Mother took him and disappeared from the divine hall.
Mu Lingxi and Luo Sha were both nervous and worried.
Luo Sha looked at Heavenly Sound Divine Mother with pleading eyes and said, "Mother!"
Heavenly Sound Divine Mother knew what she was worried about and telepathically said, "Don't worry. With the Earth Mother's status, she won't harm Zhang Ruochen. If she wanted to kill him, she wouldn't have arranged a marriage for him."
"But why did the Earth Mother take him away? Did Zhang Ruochen anger her just now?" Luo Sha was still anxious.
Heavenly Sound Divine Mother said, "Maybe she was a bit angry, but it's not enough to take him away alone and target him specifically. It must be about something else. Luo Sha, where has your usual intelligence gone?"
Guyun Jing was also very worried at this moment.
The Earth Mother had actually arranged a marriage for Zhang Ruochen and even seemed to let him choose. What if he chose her? What should she do?
Could she resist?
Had Zhang Ruochen's importance already reached a level where the Earth Mother had to take him seriously?
...
Zhang Ruochen followed the Earth Mother, walking across an endless black plain.
The clouds in the sky had turned dark red.
A blood-red moon hung between two layers of clouds, nearly full but not quite.
The Earth Mother, walking ahead, said in a hoarse voice, "Legend has it that the moon of Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm was formed from the left eye of the Demon Ancestor. But no matter how high a cultivator's cultivation is, they cannot get close to the moon."
"Even with the Earth Mother's cultivation, you can't fly to the moon?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The Earth Mother shook her head.
"Is the moon in the starry sky?"
"No, it's only in Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm."
Zhang Ruochen looked up again and said, "This blood moon is either shrouded by top-tier spatial techniques or formed by top-tier illusions."
"Perhaps it really is the Demon Ancestor's left eye. Unless one reaches the Demon Ancestor's realm, they can never touch it," the Earth Mother said.
Zhang Ruochen sincerely sighed, "Just how high was the Demon Ancestor's cultivation? Truly worthy of eternal reverence and awe from later cultivators."
"Of course."
The Earth Mother suddenly stopped, her aged eyes narrowing slightly, and said, "The last person in heaven and earth to reach such a realm was your Zhang Clan's ancestor."
"The Immovable Bright King Great Venerable?" Zhang Ruochen said.
The Earth Mother nodded and said, "In every era, there are Twenty-Four Heavens and a Heavenly Venerable. But not every Heavenly Venerable could be as powerful as the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable. After him, there were two more Heavenly Venerables, but their influence was far inferior to his."
"The ridiculous thing is that a figure as powerful as the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable should have had a family that flourished for dozens of eons. But the truth is, after his fall, his family fell apart, and none of his descendants could reach the divine realm."
"Zhang Ruochen, as a descendant of the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable, you will not reach the divine realm."
Zhang Ruochen's heart shook violently. He didn't understand why the Earth Mother would suddenly say such a thing.
Wait!
If the Earth Mother was certain he couldn't reach the divine realm, why would she marry a woman from Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm to him? And why would she take him out alone?
Zhang Ruochen said, "Senior, please speak plainly."
"Have you heard the name Kong Yinxue?" the Earth Mother asked.
Zhang Ruochen frowned, then shook his head.
"What about Yinxue Heaven?" the Earth Mother asked again.
Zhang Ruochen still shook his head and said, "If she was titled as a Heaven, could she be one of the Twenty-Four Heavens from three hundred thousand years ago?"
"No. She was a figure who even interacted with the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable, a Heaven from that era. It's normal that you haven't heard of her. After all, even the current master of the Nether Hall is just her disciple," the Earth Mother said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Why does the Earth Mother suddenly bring her up?"
"Because... it's because of her that you won't reach the divine realm," the Earth Mother said.
Zhang Ruochen was even more puzzled and said, "Please, senior, be more clear."
The Earth Mother said, "Ten eons ago, after the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable fell, Yinxue Heaven used the Severing Dao Curse to curse your Zhang Clan. This made it so that none of the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable's descendants could ever reach the divine realm."
"Boom!"
Zhang Ruochen's mind roared.
Although Calamity Venerable had once speculated that the Zhang Clan might have been cursed, there was no evidence to prove it, so Zhang Ruochen could only dismiss it as nonsense.
But with the Earth Mother's status, she wouldn't fabricate a lie to deceive a Saint-level cultivator.
Zhang Ruochen quickly asked, "Why did Yinxue Heaven curse the Zhang Clan?"
"Legend says it was because of love turning to hate," the Earth Mother said.
Zhang Ruochen quickly shook his head and said, "No! If Yinxue Heaven hated the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable, why would she only use the Severing Dao Curse instead of a curse to cut off his bloodline entirely?"
"Right after the Great Venerable fell, his descendants, disciples, and friends were still numerous and powerful. Although Yinxue Heaven was formidable, launching a more taboo curse would cost her a greater price. To curse all of the Great Venerable's descendants, she would probably have to pay with her life."
The Earth Mother continued, "By using the Severing Dao Curse, the Great Venerable's friends wouldn't notice anything wrong in the short term. By the time someone realized something was off, it would be too late. By then, almost all of the Zhang Clan's gods would have died of old age."
"A Heavenly Venerable's family that cannot produce gods is destined to decline and perish."
"Of course, this is just my speculation. Perhaps Yinxue Heaven simply enjoyed watching the Zhang Clan slowly decline, being devoured, plundered, and the Great Venerable's descendants oppressed and enslaved. That would make her happier."
Zhang Ruochen was silent for a long time before saying, "But my father reached the divine realm."
"That's because Yinxue Heaven fell several eons ago, and the curse's power weakened. With the help of that Tai Shang from Kunlun Realm, it wasn't difficult for your father to break into the divine realm," the Earth Mother said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Since the curse's power has weakened, why can't I reach the divine realm?"
"Because you are too sharp and exposed all your cards in Wuding Divine Sea. The Nether Hall will definitely restart the curse to prevent you from becoming a god," the Earth Mother said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Such a secret is unknown even to the Zhang Clan's own cultivators. How does the Earth Mother know so clearly? I think Yinxue Heaven would never tell anyone about such a secret."