Chapter 2725: I, the Mortal Realm Myth Zhang Ruochen
Over the next few days, accompanied by Mu Lingxi, Zhang Ruochen toured various famous historical sites and scenic spots across the Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm.
Those divine mountains and demon lairs inhabited by deities were a must-visit.
Not only did he visit them, but he did so with great fanfare.
If there was no way to be conspicuous, Zhang Ruochen would actively stir up trouble.
For instance:
He would seize a cultivator from some divine mountain and forcefully demand whether they knew who he was. If the other party answered no, they would inevitably receive a severe beating.
As he struck them, he would shout, "You don't even know me, the mortal realm myth Zhang Ruochen? Courting death!"
Or another example:
He would forcibly barge into a certain demon lair. When the lair's disciples rose to resist, Zhang Ruochen would knock them all down.
As he fought, he would yell, "You dare block the path of me, the mortal realm myth Zhang Ruochen? Courting death!"
Every time this happened, the matter would escalate, even alarming the deities.
We demonic cultivators, why should we fear battle?
An outsider dares to throw his weight around in the Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm.
Even if you, Zhang Ruochen, are truly undefeated in the mortal world and a myth of the era, can you intimidate all the cultivators of the Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm? There were countless demonic cultivators with courage and pride.
Thus, Guye Jing became the firefighting team captain, constantly rushing to various divine mountains and demon lairs to mediate the conflicts. Or, she would rescue Zhang Ruochen from the hands of deities.
Once freed from a deity's grasp, Zhang Ruochen would inevitably utter harsh words, saying, "I am the mortal realm myth Zhang Ruochen, who swept through the Ten Realms Battle. The Earthly Grandmother regards me as a distinguished guest of the Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm and wishes to marry Tian Ge Mu to me. Yet you dare to attack me? You're dead! When I become a god, you're all dead!"
Guye Jing stood nearby, unable to deny Zhang Ruochen's words, but she found his demeanor utterly detestable, her heart seething with anger.
The deities of the Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm only assumed Guye Jing had tacitly agreed to all this, and they began to take Zhang Ruochen seriously. Some false gods even hosted grand demonic banquets, actively resolving conflicts with Zhang Ruochen, claiming that enmity born from battle could be resolved without prior acquaintance.
Some false gods even sought to become sworn brothers with Zhang Ruochen.
This farce continued, with Zhang Ruochen causing a huge scene every time.
Gradually, all the cultivators of the Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm came to know that a formidable figure had arrived in their realm, calling himself the mortal realm myth, someone favored by the Earthly Grandmother, and the future husband of Tian Ge Mu.
In short, he was an arrogant, overbearing, self-righteous individual who made others gnash their teeth in hatred, yet no one dared to oppose him.
Since they couldn't defeat him and couldn't afford to offend him, they could only avoid him.
Even the deities, after verifying the matter with Yunliu Divine Temple, took the initiative to seal off their mountains and lairs.
Guye Jing stood before Guye Yunliu, her face full of resentment and anger. "Mother Goddess, please beg the Ancestor for me. I absolutely refuse to marry Zhang Ruochen. This man, just because he won the Ten Realms Battle, has become insufferably arrogant. With such a mindset, no matter how solid his foundation in the Saint realm, he can never cultivate to the level of a God Venerable."
Guye Yunliu remained very calm. "I've already asked. Zhang Ruochen did not agree to the marriage alliance."
"What? How is that possible?" Guye Jing said.
Guye Yunliu said, "He tricked you. Moreover, he used you."
"The reason he went around causing trouble, putting on an act of lawlessness and arrogance, was to provoke the cultivators and deities of the Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm into opposing him, so they would petition the Ancestor to cancel this marriage."
"Despicable!"
After learning the truth, Guye Jing was both angry and furious.
She had always prided herself on being exceptionally intelligent, never taking the world's heroes seriously, yet here, in the Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm, on her own turf, she had been used like a pawn by Zhang Ruochen and fooled like a fool.
This was unbearable.
"Will the Ancestor cancel the arranged marriage?" Guye Jing suppressed her anger and asked.
Guye Yunliu said, "The Ancestor is an existence of such stature; once spoken, words cannot be changed. Zhang Ruochen's little tricks are far too immature in her eyes."
"Jing'er, actually..."
Hearing the word "actually," Guye Jing could already guess what was coming. She finally calmed down and said, "Mother Goddess need not say more. Since it is the Ancestor's will, if Zhang Ruochen truly chooses me as the marriage partner, then even if I am unwilling, I will accept it."
Guye Yunliu nodded. "That's good. Don't take emotions too seriously, and don't get entangled. Cultivation is the most important thing."
"I want to break through to the God realm." Guye Jing said.
Guye Yunliu was not surprised by this decision. After all, a thousand years ago, she should have attempted the God tribulation.
However, at that time, she obtained the "Heavenly Demon Greed Wolf Diagram," which allowed her to elevate her cultivation to the next level and deepen her accumulation.
"Your mind can calm down quickly, which shows your inner strength is already formidable. Very well, in ten days, it will be the full moon night that occurs once every three years. The demonic qi of the entire Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm will reach its peak. The Ancestor and I will accompany you to the Abyss Deep Sea. With the Demon Ancestor's secret legacy there, your chances of successfully crossing the God tribulation will greatly increase."
Guye Jing's treatment was naturally incomparable to that of Blood Fate Prison.
She was a representative figure of the Eon level, with immense future potential, embodying the hope of the Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm.
Blood Fate Prison, whose probability of becoming a god was extremely low, had his greatest value in dominating the mortal world. Attempting the God tribulation was merely a gamble on a ten to twenty percent chance.
For Guye Jing's God tribulation, the entire Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm would mobilize, seeking the best pills and divine materials to assist her. Even the Earthly Grandmother would surely accompany her.
Once she broke into the God realm, she would be a powerhouse among gods, standing shoulder to shoulder with figures like Blood Queen, Underworld King, and Fengchen Sword God.
What Guye Yunliu didn't know was that what Guye Jing truly wanted was to give Zhang Ruochen a thorough beating once she reached the God realm. That was the real reason she wanted to break through soon.
The news of Guye Jing's breakthrough on the full moon night quickly spread throughout Yunliu Divine Temple.
Upon hearing the news, Zhang Ruochen took the initiative to seek out Guye Jing.
"Isn't this the mortal realm myth, Ruochen Great Saint? It's always cultivators coming to pay respects to you. Why are you coming to see me today? I, a mere Tian Ge Mu, can hardly bear such an honor." Guye Jing said.
Her words were full of thorns.
But she did not show her hatred or anger.
Now that she was no match for Zhang Ruochen, even if she was furious, striking out would only bring humiliation.
Better to wait until she stepped into the God realm and then settle the score with interest.
Zhang Ruochen asked solemnly, "Breaking through is no small matter; life and death hang by a thread. How confident are you?"
Guye Jing naturally didn't believe Zhang Ruochen genuinely cared about her breakthrough. She said coldly, "No need for the mortal realm myth's concern. I am ranked Grade A on the 'God Reserve Scroll.'"
"Didn't Xingluo, who also reached Grade A, die in the God tribulation?"
Guye Jing felt Zhang Ruochen was cursing her and was about to flare up.
But Zhang Ruochen continued, "I once promised to lend you the 'Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription' for contemplation. If it would help you with the God tribulation, would you like to give it a try?"
Guye Jing was stunned. She never expected Zhang Ruochen to come for this reason.
Thinking back, she had just misunderstood him.
Could he really be so kind?
Given Zhang Ruochen's recent behavior—utterly arrogant, insufferably conceited, and thoroughly detestable—his sudden return to normalcy and concern for her naturally aroused her suspicion.
Guye Jing said, "There isn't much time left until the full moon night. Even if I contemplate for a few days, it probably won't make much difference."
"That's fine. I can activate the Sundial to help you." Zhang Ruochen said.
Guye Jing's eyes fixed on Zhang Ruochen, confirming that this person before her was real, before she slowly nodded. "Thank you."
"What's there to thank? I'm just lending it to you for viewing, not giving it to you. How much you comprehend depends on your own insight." Zhang Ruochen said with a smile.
Strangely, just this small gesture changed Guye Jing's impression of Zhang Ruochen somewhat.
Previously, she only remembered his detestable aspects.
Like using her to deal with Bai Qinger.
Or slapping her in the Origin Divine Temple. Even if it wasn't the real Zhang Ruochen who slapped her, she instinctively blamed him for it.
When you hate someone, everything about them is hateful.
But just now, some different images suddenly surfaced in her mind. There was the scene of Zhang Ruochen breaking into her Qi Sea, using his own soul power to help heal her injuries.
There was the image of Zhang Ruochen, relying on a single sword aura from Underworld King, standing against Wuma Jiuxing's heroic figure.
Even the memory of their secret meeting by the lakeside at night in the Divine Maiden Tower of the Fate Divine Domain now felt different.
"What are you still thinking about? Let's go?" Zhang Ruochen, who had walked some distance away, called back.
Guye Jing cleared those annoying thoughts from her mind, snorted softly, and followed him.
No matter what, the first thing she would do upon stepping into the God realm was to deal with Zhang Ruochen. She couldn't let his current ingratiating behavior throw her off balance.
Zhang Ruochen led Guye Jing into the Seven Star Imperial Palace before taking out the "Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription" pieces and activating the Sundial.
The formations and divine patterns of the Seven Star Imperial Palace had all been activated.
Even deities could only break through the formations and divine patterns by force to probe what was happening inside.
In one of the palaces, Zhang Ruochen said to Mu Lingxi, "Once Guye Jing steps into the God realm, she will definitely make a move against me."
"Why? Gods cannot interfere in the mortal world." Mu Lingxi was quite puzzled.
After all, she hadn't seen any deep-seated hatred between Zhang Ruochen and Guye Jing.
Moreover, if Zhang Ruochen knew she would attack him after breaking through, why would he actively lend her the "Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription" for contemplation?
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "Gods cannot interfere in the mortal world—that refers to gods from other clans. Now, the entire Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm knows that I am to marry Guye Jing. If Guye Jing attacks me, as long as she doesn't kill me or cripple my cultivation, even my maternal grandfather would have no grounds to intervene."
"As for why, it's hard to explain. In short, the day after the full moon night, you must leave the Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm with me."
In truth, Zhang Ruochen's actions over the past few days were not what Guye Yunliu had guessed.
Rather, he knew that with his current cultivation, no matter how he tried to hide, his movements could hardly escape the notice of deities. If he wanted to rush to see Chi Xingtian on the full moon night, he would likely be struck down by some deity who didn't know his identity halfway there.
Sneaking around was too dangerous and certainly not advisable.
But going openly to see Chi Xingtian was even worse.
Now, however, the deities of the Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm all knew who Zhang Ruochen was, and they knew he was a guest of the Earthly Grandmother and the fiancé of Tian Ge Mu.
Thus, when Zhang Ruochen traveled on the full moon night, even if deities detected him, they would only assume he was off to stir up trouble elsewhere.