Chapter 2778: Encounter
Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power thoughts were countless, spread across both sides of the golden stream, all breathing and absorbing together, causing space to tremble.
The golden mist surging from Yunqing Ancient Buddha's body was Buddha marrow, continuously merging into the spiritual power thoughts, causing Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power to rapidly transform and grow, reaching the divine level.
Breaking into the seventieth rank.
The moment his spiritual power became divine, Zhang Ruochen clearly felt his saint soul undergo a change. Although it did not transform into a divine soul, it became different from before.
It felt as if it could exist eternally, never perishing.
Zhang Ruochen secretly speculated that this strange sensation was caused by the greatly increased lifespan after spiritual power became divine, allowing one to live for an eon. Next, under the nurturing of powerful spiritual power, the saint soul might be able to advance into a divine soul.
"The Nether Hall's Severing Dao Curse is completely useless... No, the rumors are wrong, everything is wrong. Zhang Ruochen was never cursed. Someone set up a scheme, a trap, it's a trap..."
General Gai Lin muttered like this, holding the Buddha Relic, fleeing at top speed.
Even though he possessed two Divine King Divine Marks and formidable combat power, when Rain Heavenly Master was killed with a single sword strike, he was terrified out of his wits and no longer dared to confront Zhang Ruochen head-on.
"Trying to leave?"
Zhang Ruochen took out the God-Defying Stele and slapped his palm against it.
The broken stele shone brightly, divine characters flickering like stars, flying out rapidly to crash into General Gai Lin.
General Gai Lin let out a long howl, holding the Buddha Relic in his left hand while the Divine King Divine Mark on his right arm emerged, turning back to strike out with a palm.
But what horrified him happened.
The Divine King Divine Mark on his arm rapidly dimmed, its power greatly reduced, erased by some invisible force.
"How can this be?"
General Gai Lin almost roared hoarsely.
"Boom!"
The God-Defying Stele collided with his palm. His divine arm broke, blood gushed out, and his body flew backward.
The Divine King Divine Mark was indeed powerful; even dimmed, it still possessed extraordinary might. General Gai Lin withstood this blow, not killed, and fled even faster.
"You can't escape, Winter Sword!"
The Time Sword Art was unleashed again.
Not giving General Gai Lin any chance to counterattack, the Abyssal Ancient Sword pierced through his back like a startling flash of light. At the same time, Zhang Ruochen's palm, densely covered with Burial Gold Rule Divine Marks, struck his head.
"Boom!"
General Gai Lin's head exploded, a large amount of his saint soul destroyed by the Burial Gold power.
The Divine Source fell into Zhang Ruochen's hands.
Zhang Ruochen swung his sword a second time, severing General Gai Lin's left arm that was tightly gripping the Buddha Relic. Only then did he step on the divine corpse that was about to counterattack.
Having lost its Divine Source and head, the divine corpse was still not dead.
Zhang Ruochen released Purifying Divine Flame from under his foot, refining its residual soul and spiritual will.
General Gai Lin's left arm fell to the ground.
The Divine King Divine Mark emerged on the skin, shining brightly, gripping the Buddha Relic as it continued flying forward.
Zhang Ruochen looked at the flying divine arm, a strange expression appearing on his face.
"Whoosh!"
The Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror flew out, suppressing the divine arm.
The Divine King Divine Mark on this left arm had not been erased by the God-Defying Stele and was still very powerful. But the Divine King Divine Mark needed divine power to activate its might.
A divine arm activating the Divine King Divine Mark naturally could not break free from the suppression of the Mountain-Hiding Demon Mirror's supreme power.
"What tenacious vitality."
Zhang Ruochen reached out his right hand, and a Taiji Yin-Yang imprint appeared in his palm. The imprint rotated, absorbing the residual soul and spiritual will from the arm continuously.
Before long, the divine arm and divine corpse calmed down, no longer struggling.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at General Gai Lin's broken divine corpse and sighed inwardly. It was a pity he could not open his inner space, otherwise he could have taken away General Gai Lin's divine corpse.
"Boom!"
He stomped the divine corpse into pieces, leaving only the skeleton, which he kicked into the golden stream.
Zhang Ruochen only picked up the left arm, took out the Buddha Relic from its fingers, and shook his head. "If you weren't so greedy and could use both hands to fight me, with the power of the Divine King Divine Mark, I might not have been able to kill you."
In the distance, Hai Shui had already woken up at some point.
Her eyes were dazed, and she was very weak.
Zhang Ruochen flew over and picked up Hai Shui in his arms. "Let's leave here first. If a True God catches up, the trouble will be huge."
...
General Gai Lin's dying roar traveled very far and was heard by the Death Clan True God Kongli Canghai.
Kongli Canghai realized something had gone wrong. He stopped his contest with Jiang Qing and decisively withdrew, chasing after the direction General Gai Lin, Rain Heavenly Master, Zhang Ruochen, and Hai Shui had gone.
Arriving at the place where General Gai Lin and Rain Heavenly Master had fallen, Kongli Canghai's face instantly turned ashen.
Both sides of the stream were stained red with divine blood, carrying the aura of General Gai Lin and Rain Heavenly Master.
"Impossible. How could Gai Lin and Rain have fallen? Who could kill them? Could it be a True God made a move?"
Thinking of this, Kongli Canghai's face changed repeatedly. He carefully observed his surroundings and quickly retreated.
Given the cultivation of General Gai Lin and Rain Heavenly Master, they couldn't even escape. The opponent's cultivation must be terrifying. If they were hiding in the shadows to ambush, even he, Kongli Canghai, a True God, would have to be extremely wary.
Jiang Qing and the Black Lion Divine Beast arrived a step later.
"General Gai Lin and Rain Heavenly Master died just like that? Rain Heavenly Master was a spiritual power deity." The Black Lion Divine Beast said.
Jiang Qing said, "If Chan Nu, the Great One, made a move, killing General Gai Lin and Rain Heavenly Master would hardly be difficult."
...
Hai Shui lay in Zhang Ruochen's arms, leaning lightly on his shoulder, her eyes as calm as a still lake, as if deep in thought.
Zhang Ruochen carried her, moving ten zhang with each step, continuing along the golden stream.
"Rustle!"
The golden streams were intricate and numerous, leading in all directions.
After thinking for a long time, Hai Shui said, "Legend says that the Nether Hall used the Severing Dao Curse to curse Senior Brother Ruochen. Why then could Senior Brother achieve spiritual power divinity? And without a divine tribulation."
Not to mention her, Zhang Ruochen himself was also puzzled at this moment.
Logically, if he had been struck by the Severing Dao Curse, he should not be able to become a god.
Martial path becoming a god!
Spiritual power deity!
False god!
None of them should be possible.
But why, after suffering a powerful spiritual power attack, did his spiritual power instantly break through to the seventieth rank?
Without any hindrance.
The breakthrough came naturally.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Perhaps the Severing Dao Curse is just a rumor. Some people with ulterior motives deliberately spread this news to disrupt my state of mind. Or even to use a borrowed knife to kill."
Hai Shui shook her head. "Impossible!"
"Why impossible?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
After a long pause, Hai Shui said, "Legend has it that your name disappeared from the Divine Reserve Scroll. The curse cannot be false."
Zhang Ruochen also did not believe the curse was false.
Because Blood Absolute War God had personally confirmed this matter.
But some words could only be kept in his heart, not spoken to any cultivator.
Zhang Ruochen had some guesses in his mind. Back then, using Xumi Temple as a boat, he had gone to the Primordial Beginning. His body had been shattered into particles, and it took endless time to reform.
And the curse of Yinyue Tian back then cursed the descendants of the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable.
Clearly, the stronger the bloodline, the stronger the curse.
Zhang Ruochen's body, reformed on the River of Time, had merged human bloodline and Undying Blood Clan bloodline into one, and had incorporated Chaos Qi and the Heart of Truth, completely reborn.
In other words, Zhang Ruochen was no longer even considered a descendant of anyone; he was an "original person" born from chaos.
How could Yinyue Tian's curse affect him?
Even if the bloodline of the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable was strong and Zhang Ruochen could not completely break away from it, the power of the curse should have very limited impact on him.
Perhaps this was why he could achieve spiritual power divinity.
All of this was just Zhang Ruochen's speculation. Because he felt that since Xumi Saint Monk had chosen him, how could he not help him resolve the curse? Going to the Primordial Beginning to cultivate the First-rank Sacred Intent was the process of resolving the curse.
Speculation was, after all, speculation.
His name had indeed disappeared from the Divine Reserve Scroll, which was a very terrifying thing, meaning that fate had destined him not to become a god. If it was not caused by the curse, then it was a figure with extraordinary spiritual power who had gambled with fate and deliberately created this illusion.
All kinds of possibilities existed. Such a life-and-death matter, Zhang Ruochen dared not take lightly.
If he guessed wrong, it would mean death.
Zhang Ruochen said to Hai Shui, "There is another possibility. Perhaps the Abyss of Darkness or the Ancient Desolate Ruins City isolated the curse, just as they isolated the connection between heaven and earth, preventing the divine tribulation from descending. It's possible that once I leave the Abyss of Darkness, the divine tribulation will immediately descend and kill me."
"The Ancient Desolate Ruins City is indeed extraordinary. Perhaps... this possibility exists." Hai Shui muttered to herself like this.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Since you heard about the Severing Dao Curse, you should know that this curse was cast by Yinyue Tian in the past to curse the descendants of the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable. Why, at the stone temple, did you deliberately ask me if I knew the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable? And why did you deliberately mock me with words?"
Behind them, there was no sign of pursuit.
So, saying this, Zhang Ruochen stopped and set Hai Shui down on the ground.
Hai Shui's peerlessly beautiful jade face, which had been completely expressionless, finally showed ripples. She pressed her hands together and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Senior Brother Ruochen. Actually, Hai Shui has long known that you are a descendant of the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable. But I truly felt unfair for Yinyue Tian and vented my resentment on you, which is why I said those words. Hai Shui's Buddha heart is not pure, her six senses are not clean, and she is not a true Buddhist."
Seeing her so frank, and remembering how she had risked her life earlier to use the Self-Sacrifice Art, Zhang Ruochen was truly moved.
The doubts that had risen in his heart subsided again.
Hai Shui was severely injured. If she had not been holding the Buddha Relic at the time, she might have died under Rain Heavenly Master's spiritual power attack. Now, her delicate body trembled slightly, her expression bitter, her words full of guilt, like an orchid in the rain, pitiful and endearing.
Zhang Ruochen's heart softened in the end. He said gently, "Give me your hand."
Hai Shui's big eyes were misty with tears, and she looked somewhat puzzled, but she extended her hand.
Zhang Ruochen held the Buddha Relic in one hand and took her hand with the other, drawing out the power of the Buddha Relic and channeling it into her body to help heal her wounds.
Just then, a voice came from above. "Hmph! The reputation of the Sword God Ruochen's romantic nature is truly well-deserved."
Not far away, about twenty zhang above the golden stream, there was a cliff.
Bore stood on the cliff, holding a staff, looking down at the two holding hands and healing. A hint of cold mockery was in her eyes.