Chapter 2755: The Empress and Bore
A Half-God pinnacle was a top-tier secular powerhouse in any faction.
Yan Ting's Illusory Sound Palm Technique was at the Divine Ability level.
Once the palm technique was formed, countless illusory sounds arose, affecting a cultivator's mental faculties and Sacred Soul.
"Bang!"
Zhang Ruochen stood motionless as Yan Ting's palm struck his chest. The wind force surged, lifting his robes, but the earth-shattering, surging power dissipated into nothingness.
Yan Ting only felt as if all her strength had been struck into a void.
She looked up; beneath her jujube-red hood, a pair of beautiful eyes were filled with shock.
Zhang Ruochen moved with lightning speed, seized her wrist, and twisted it back.
"Ah..."
Instantly, Yan Ting, this great Half-God pinnacle expert, was subdued by Zhang Ruochen, her arm bent back like a little girl caught stealing candy.
Yan Ting had a strong will; she twisted her waist, intending to break her arm to escape.
But Zhang Ruochen's other hand gently pressed down on her fragrant shoulder, rendering her completely unable to move.
The pain from her arm continued incessantly.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze shifted to Wen Chu, asking, "What's the situation?"
Wen Chu looked somewhat embarrassed, saying, "She is Wushen's cousin. She came to Qiyuan Sacred City and heard some rumors. Ruochen Gongzi need not take it to heart."
"What rumors could make Miss Yan so furious?"
Zhang Ruochen looked down and asked her.
Yan Ting's whole body twisted in pain, and more importantly, her current posture was extremely indecorous. Where was the dignity of a Half-God pinnacle expert?
"Let me go," she said coldly.
Zhang Ruochen looked at Wen Chu and saw an apologetic expression on his face. So, he pushed his hands forward, and Yan Ting stumbled forward.
Her hood, which had covered her face, fell off, revealing an extremely delicate and clear-featured face, her long hair scattering.
Yan Ting was furious. She drew a slender silver sword, intending to attack Zhang Ruochen again.
Wen Chu used a wisp of Divine Qi smoke to immobilize her.
Yan Ting gritted her teeth, "Granduncle!"
"Ruochen Gongzi is a friend of our Dark Abyss Yan Clan."
Wen Chu walked around Yan Ting and came before Zhang Ruochen. Without putting on the airs of a deity, he said amiably with a smile, "Please don't take offense, Ruochen Gongzi. In truth, Tingting has always admired you greatly. This time, she even volunteered to come along to receive you."
"That you, Gongzi, have agreed to enter the Dark Abyss is a great help to the Yama Clan, and all cultivators of the Yama Clan are immensely grateful."
Zhang Ruochen could roughly guess that Yan Ting's anger was mostly related to his relationship with Bore.
It seemed that Xue Tu's work efficiency was quite high.
Wen Chu transmitted a divine thought, saying, "We have secretly contacted a ferry on our side. We can cross the Santu River tonight."
"Is it safe?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Wen Chu said, "The boats at Qiyuan Ferry are generally managed jointly by the Star Palace and the Wuchang Ghost City. The ones you contacted would have certainly leaked information and would be intercepted."
"But the boat our Dark Abyss Yan Clan contacted uses the channel of a Great God from Wuchang Ghost City. It is guaranteed to be safe and reliable."
Zhang Ruochen said, "That would be best."
Seeing the two of them discussing secretly, Xiao Hei's curiosity was piqued.
After Wen Chu left with Yan Ting, Xiao Hei quickly asked, "How do you have connections with the Dark Abyss Yan Clan? What were you discussing?"
"Nothing much."
Zhang Ruochen didn't want Xiao Hei to get involved.
The Dark Abyss was extremely dangerous; even Heavenly Venerable-level figures had been buried there multiple times. Zhang Ruochen himself was mentally prepared to be buried there, so naturally, he couldn't bring other cultivators in.
Zhang Ruochen thought of something and said, "Xiao Hei, can you do me a favor?"
"What favor?"
Xiao Hei was a bit unhappy, feeling that Zhang Ruochen was hiding things from him.
"Take care of the Qiankun Realm for me."
Zhang Ruochen didn't want to bring the living beings in the Qiankun Realm into the Dark Abyss, lest they never return.
Xiao Hei's voice turned cold: "You're already making arrangements for your affairs, preparing to go into danger alone, and you still say it's nothing? Zhang Ruochen, are you going to tell me or not? If you don't, I'll go tell Bore right now. I'm sure she'll be even more interested in where you're going and what you're about to do than I am."
"Besides, are you sure, with your Saint Realm cultivation, you can shake off two True Gods like us?"
...
Outside Qiyuan Sacred City, on a riverbank piled with white bones.
The place was heavy with Yin Qi, overgrown with purple-black Corpse Fragrance Orchids.
Chi Yao stood with an extraordinary and aloof aura, dressed in plain clothes, facing the cold wind from the river, her gaze distant and profound. "Wentong Great God of the Nether Hall has already arrived at Qiyuan Sacred City. Traveling with him are five False Gods of the Nether Hall."
Bore stood on the other side of the small bone mountain, her aura merging with heaven and earth. She was visibly moved, saying, "Isn't Zhang Ruochen in great danger now?"
"It's not quite dangerous yet. Wentong Great God has gone to the Corpse Sea Forbidden Zone, intending to rescue Wujiang."
Chi Yao added, "Moreover, he came secretly, clearly wanting to hide his actions and kill Zhang Ruochen without a sound, so he won't make a move openly."
Bore said, "Wentong Great God has cultivated for hundreds of thousands of years and has survived two Eon Calamities. Even all of us combined are no match for him."
"Rest assured, I have a way to deal with him." Chi Yao's gaze was sharp and calm.
Bore breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Chi Yao said, "I came to see you about another matter."
"What matter?"
Chi Yao was silent for a moment, then said, "Back in the Kunlun Realm, in order to overcome my Love Tribulation, I once borrowed your Sacred Soul, transformed into your appearance, and spent a long time with Zhang Ruochen to mend my flawed state of mind."
"But because of this, your relationship with Zhang Ruochen broke down, and you cut ties. I have felt guilty about this in my heart."
A self-mocking look appeared in Bore's eyes. She smiled bitterly, "It was my own choice. I don't blame anyone."
"I want to borrow it again," Chi Yao said.
Bore could no longer remain calm. Her heart surged violently. She looked towards the small bone mountain but couldn't see Chi Yao's figure.
She had finally reconciled with Zhang Ruochen and had a chance to be together again.
For this chance, she was willing to give up everything she now had: the glory of a Goddess, her Divine Realm cultivation, countless wealth, to live in obscurity with Zhang Ruochen as a poor couple.
When Zhang Ruochen's lifespan was exhausted, she would not live on alone.
But why?
Why did the Empress have to come and destroy all this again?
This time, she didn't want to just go along with it. "I don't want to deceive him anymore."
"Do you think I want to deceive him?"
Chi Yao let out a faint sigh, saying, "Do you know why Zhang Ruochen came to the Life and Death Boundary Star?"
Bore pondered for a moment, then gently shook her head.
"He is going to the Dark Abyss," Chi Yao said.
Bore asked, "Why? The Dark Abyss is so dangerous... Is he going there to find a way to break the curse?"
Chi Yao nodded, saying, "Before leaving, I went to see Tai Shang. Tai Shang said that the only way for Zhang Ruochen to break the curse is to go to the Dark Abyss. This is an extremely perilous path; one misstep and he will face Divine Form Annihilation."
Bore was not intimidated; instead, a hint of joy appeared on her delicate face. "I'll go with him."
"He cultivates the 'Thirty-Three Heavens.' Breaking the curse alone is not enough to break through to the Divine Realm. You can't help him; only I can," Chi Yao said.
Bore asked, "Why?"
"No reason."
"Why is it that you clearly want to help him, but you insist on using my appearance instead of your own identity? Why is it that you clearly love him deeply, but you insist on putting on a face of deep hatred? As if you don't care about him at all."
Bore continued, "If you truly didn't care, how could you need him to complete your own state of mind?"
"Empress, Master, at this point, why won't you tell me the truth?"
Chi Yao felt a suffocating sensation. She closed her eyes and said in a trembling voice, "If we were enemies... if I were cold enough towards him... I think, when that day comes, when I die, he won't feel too much pain."
"If one day, there is no more Chi Yao, I hope there will still be a woman in this world who can love him well. You are the one I found to love him!"
"So, the woman who helps him break the curse and break through to become a god must be you, not Chi Yao."
Bore found it difficult to understand Chi Yao's words.
Because she knew that Zhang Ruochen had extremely deep feelings for Chi Yao, feelings that no other woman could match. Zhang Ruochen was by no means a ruthless and heartless man; it would be very difficult for him to kill Chi Yao.
Bore said, "When you were young, your feelings were so deep. Why can't you sit down and properly explain the events of that year? I believe he can understand you, and even forgive you. Zhang Ruochen has always been soft-hearted, and the one he loves most in his heart has always been you. No one can replace you."
"If you can put aside the dignity of an Empress, lean into his arms like an ordinary woman, tell him your helplessness, pour out the bitterness of these years, as long as you two still love each other, no matter how great the conflict, you can face it together. How could it have turned into mortal enemies?"
A trace of tenderness appeared in Chi Yao's eyes, and the scene Bore described surged into her mind.
But it was only for a moment; all of this disappeared.
She shook her head, saying, "You wouldn't understand! What the Kunlun Realm and the entire universe need is Zhang Ruochen, a Zhang Ruochen who can surpass the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable. And what Chi Yao can do is to help him build a layer of steps, to help him cross that most difficult step."
"Yanchen, in the future, you will surely understand why I did this."
"And now, I need your help, and Zhang Ruochen needs it too. This time, I deceive him not for myself, but only to help him break through to become a god."
Bore wavered, saying, "Can you really help him break the curse?"
"The curse of the Nether Hall, even Tai Shang couldn't break it. All I can say is, I will do my best." Chi Yao sighed.
"Even if there is only a glimmer of hope, it is still good."
Bore felt bitter in her heart, thinking to herself, in the end, I was still hoping for too much. I shouldn't have coveted unrealistic dreams.
By the Santu River, the figures of Bore and Chi Yao overlapped.
Then, she walked into Qiyuan Sacred City.