Chapter 2753: The Goddess Aborts a Child
Wen Chu was a cultivator from the Dark Abyss Yan Clan who had crossed the Divine Tribulation in the past millennium, the only one to do so.
After becoming a god, he restored his middle-aged appearance, looking noticeably younger. As he walked the streets of Qiyuan Saint City, a smoking pipe in his hand never left his grip.
Yan Ting was Yan Wushen's cousin, having reached the peak of the Half-Saint realm, making her the strongest below the divine realm within the Dark Abyss Yan Clan, second only to Yan Wushen.
She appeared to be just over twenty years old, dressed in a blue phoenix-feather robe with a maroon hooded cloak over it.
Due to years of cultivating the Path of Darkness, Yan Ting exuded an intense cold aura. Although the cultivators on the street could see her curvaceous figure, none dared approach to lift her hood and glimpse her true face.
Wen Chu and Yan Ting had come to the Life and Death Realm Star to secretly rendezvous with Zhang Ruochen.
Suddenly, Wen Chu stopped, his weathered and deep eyes fixed on a thousand-zhang-tall sacred tree beside the street.
The sacred tree resembled an ancient pine.
At its thickest point, the trunk had a diameter of over a thousand meters.
The sacred tree had been hollowed out, and within it, a wine pavilion had been built, rising layer by layer. It was a famous spot in Qiyuan Saint City called "One Tree Cloud Smoke Wine Residence," capable of easily accommodating tens of thousands of cultivators.
Yan Ting asked, "Uncle, why did you suddenly stop?"
"Let's go in and take a look."
Wen Chu took a puff from his pipe and strode inside.
Immediately, the laughter of demons and monsters, the melodies of strings and pipes, the chatter of heaven and earth, and the sounds of joy and anger flooded in—the place was extremely lively.
Wen Chu glanced at Xue Butcher, who was seated at the head of the table, then led Yan Ting to a corner spot.
Yan Ting recognized Xue Butcher and said, "Isn't that..."
Wen Chu nodded at her and transmitted his voice, saying, "The situation on the Life and Death Realm Star is now as unpredictable as clouds and wind. In this One Tree Cloud Smoke Wine Gathering, there are many powerful cultivators. Some gods may be hiding among them. We should keep a low profile."
Yan Ting's gaze fell on Xue Butcher, and she was quite interested in this top-tier figure of the mortal world.
Of course, she was even more curious about Zhang Ruochen, known as the Mortal World Myth. What kind of person could defeat three Eon-level geniuses with a single sword strike?
In her heart, her cousin Yan Wushen was already a myth.
Xue Butcher had to both spread rumors and disseminate information, which was a real headache.
But he, Xue Butcher, was incredibly wise!
So he decided to spread the information openly, while also creating an alibi that he had nothing to do with the rumors.
Leveraging his identity as a disciple of the Death God Venerable, he easily invited four Divine Sons, three Divine Daughters, and five transcendent Supreme Realm Great Saints from the Life and Death Realm Star to gather at the One Tree Cloud Smoke Wine Residence.
Over a dozen cultivators flattered Xue Butcher, toasting and complimenting him endlessly.
Before long, Xue Butcher was already tipsy.
Zi Ling Divine Daughter was the daughter of Yu Shen. She wasn't particularly beautiful, only of average looks, but a hint of a smile appeared in her eyes as she thought to herself, "Even if you, Xue Butcher, have supreme cultivation, after drinking Three Soul Brew, you'll still get drunk."
Before Xue Butcher was completely drunk, Zi Ling Divine Daughter quickly asked, "Blood Butcher Divine Son, you are the junior brother of the Mortal World Myth Zhang Ruochen and have a close relationship with him. Do you know what the relationship between Zhang Ruochen and Bore Divine Daughter really is? Why would she go against the Nether Hall for his sake?"
"Yes, Blood Butcher Divine Son, tell us quickly!"
"Zhang Ruochen is the Mortal World Myth, and Bore Divine Daughter is already a True God. How can we discuss such taboo matters? Blood Butcher, don't speak of it," a Supreme Realm Great Saint deliberately said.
Zi Ling Divine Daughter said, "Blood Butcher Divine Son is only one step away from becoming a god. Why would he fear such things?"
Xue Butcher deliberately pretended to be drunk, slamming his hand on the table with a bang, and glared, saying, "What is there to fear? I'll tell you, but don you dare spread it around."
"Divine Son, speak quickly. I have already released my Dao Domain, ensuring no one can hear your words," a Supreme Realm Great Saint said.
Yan Ting curled her lips, showing a disdainful expression.
A Supreme Realm Great Saint's Dao Domain? She had her own secret techniques to penetrate it and eavesdrop.
Xue Butcher pressed his hands on the table, lowering his body, and said, "Actually, my senior brother and Bore Divine Daughter had already secretly pledged themselves to each other long ago, and even..."
"Even what?" Zi Ling Divine Daughter asked.
Xue Butcher said, "Even the rice had already been cooked, hehe!"
The Divine Sons, Divine Daughters, and Supreme Realm Great Saints around the table looked at each other, clearly shocked.
Zi Ling Divine Daughter was overjoyed. Obtaining this news was undoubtedly a great achievement.
She looked at Xue Butcher with a hint of contempt in her eyes.
So-called Eon-level representative figures were nothing special. Just a few cups of Three Soul Brew had made him reveal the huge secret of Zhang Ruochen and Bore.
Xue Butcher, perhaps genuinely a bit drunk, continued to embellish, "You didn't expect my senior brother to be so formidable, did you? The so-called cold and icy Divine Daughter, in front of him, is as gentle as a little lamb."
"Even after she broke through to become a True God, when she sees my senior brother, she still throws herself into his arms and calls herself Ruo Ruo."
"A thousand years ago, on the day of Bore Divine Daughter and Yan Wushen's engagement, why did my senior brother have to fight a life-and-death battle with Yan Wushen? It was because Bore Divine Daughter was already pregnant, and my senior brother was forced to take this drastic measure."
"What? A thousand years ago, Bore Divine Daughter was pregnant with Zhang Ruochen's child?" a Divine Daughter exclaimed in shock.
Xue Butcher showed displeasure and said, "What's so surprising about that? Yan Luo Clan's bright pearl, Yan Zhexian, only spent a short time with my senior brother, and her belly grew big too."
"Empress Chi Yao of the Kunlun Realm, who had a deep enmity with my senior brother, still obediently gave him a son and a daughter."
"Why are you all so shocked?"
"The Romantic Sword God is not just for show. My senior brother's heroic bearing, his cultivation, his charm—what can I say?"
Zi Ling Divine Daughter frowned and questioned, "That doesn't add up! If Bore Divine Daughter was pregnant with Zhang Ruochen's child a thousand years ago, where did the child go?"
"The child..."
Xue Butcher paused for a moment, then let out a long sigh, "Who would have thought, who would have thought, that the Wind Empress, who was supposed to become the Divine Daughter, was suddenly assassinated? To take over the position of Divine Daughter, Bore had no choice but to abort the child."
Everyone gasped.
Xue Butcher continued, "Of course, the main reason was that my senior brother got engaged to Princess Luo Sha, which caused Bore Divine Daughter to suffer too much stimulation. In her despair, she made this extreme decision. Alas! Poor little junior nephew, who never got to be born, perished in the womb."
"Because of this incident, my senior brother and Bore Divine Daughter had quite a few disagreements. But in the end, their feelings for each other ran deep; they had shared hardships and tribulations. When they met again a thousand years later, old flames reignited. A thousand-year-old dry firewood meeting a thousand-year-old blazing fire—I can't even begin to describe it to you."
A Supreme Realm Great Saint said, "I heard that when Zhang Ruochen returned after a thousand years, the first person he met was Bore Divine Daughter. At that time, the Divine Prince of the Tianluo Divine Kingdom came to pay his respects but was refused entry."
"Of course he would be refused entry!"
"Home flowers aren't as fragrant as wild ones. One's own fiancée isn't as fragrant as someone else's fiancée, haha!"
...
As Wen Chu had said, the One Tree Cloud Smoke Wine Residence gathered many powerful cultivators, including gods.
These strong ones also pricked up their ears to listen.
One by one, they were stunned.
After all, Zhang Ruochen and Bore were both prominent figures in the current world.
If these words had come from another cultivator, no one would have believed them, let alone listened. But coming from the drunken mouth of Xue Butcher, they believed it without a doubt.
Not long ago, Xue Butcher had helped Zhang Ruochen collect ten realms.
How close was their relationship? How deep was their brotherly bond?
If Xue Butcher were even slightly sober, he wouldn't have revealed such a secret detrimental to Zhang Ruochen.
Yan Ting's cold aura erupted, and she trembled with anger, saying, "I never expected Bore Divine Daughter to be such a frivolous woman, and Zhang Ruochen is even worse than a beast. My cousin still regards him as a close friend. Poor cousin, he's probably still kept in the dark."
Wen Chu enveloped Yan Ting in his divine aura and said, "We can't blame them entirely. After all, Zhang Ruochen and Bore were together first. We can only say that the Divine Venerable of Fortune had good intentions but paired the wrong couple."
"No matter what, if this matter gets out, won't my cousin be ridiculed by all the cultivators under heaven?" Yan Ting's goodwill toward Zhang Ruochen and Bore had completely vanished.
She added, "And this Xue Butcher is a complete failure. How can he casually speak such impactful words?"
At another table sat two cultivators.
They were Gong Nanfeng and Xu Rulai from the Heavenly Fate Division of the Destiny Temple.
Gong Nanfeng was the artifact spirit of the Celestial Pivot Needle, known for knowing everything in the world. A Supreme Realm Great Saint's Dao Domain naturally couldn't block his perception.
"Unbelievable, absolutely astonishing. How could Chen be so formidable, even conquering a thousand-year ice mountain like Bore Divine Daughter?" Gong Nanfeng was extremely shocked.
A thousand years ago, he naturally hadn't sensed whether Bore Divine Daughter was pregnant.
That would have been disrespectful to the Divine Daughter.
Xu Rulai sighed, "Trouble! If Bore Divine Daughter and Zhang Ruochen have rekindled their old flame, with her standing in the middle, what should I do?"
Gong Nanfeng said, "You're too stubborn. Even if Chen's name appears on the 'God-Defying Scroll,' so what? Fengdu Dadi's name is at the top of the 'God-Defying Scroll'!"
Xu Rulai said, "Any cultivator who appears on the 'God-Defying Scroll' must die. The Heavenly Fate Division can't kill Fengdu Dadi, so they have to compromise. But I have the strength to kill Zhang Ruochen, yet I pretend not to see anything. What qualifications do I have to be a god of the Heavenly Fate Division?"
Xu Rulai had broken through to godhood several hundred years ago.
Gong Nanfeng said, "But his name also appears on the 'Heavenly Dao Scroll.' What do you make of that? I think you're just bored."
A look of confusion appeared in Xu Rulai's eyes.
Those who entered the "God-Defying Scroll" were considered to be acting against heaven, against the Dao, and against fate, harboring a strong hostility toward fate. They were cultivators the Destiny Temple had to eliminate.
Those who entered the "Heavenly Dao Scroll" were considered to be following the Heavenly Dao and fate, close to fate and guardians of fate. They needed to be nurtured.
To be on both the "God-Defying Scroll" and the "Heavenly Dao Scroll"—since ancient times, only Zhang Ruochen had achieved this.
Driven by strong curiosity and boundless doubt, Xu Rulai had come to the Life and Death Realm Star.
He still hadn't decided whether to kill Zhang Ruochen.
Gong Nanfeng lowered his voice and said, "Look, Bore Divine Daughter and Chen are already together. Chen must be close to fate. Besides, he's been removed from the 'Divine Reserve Scroll' and poses no threat. Why not let him off?"