Chapter 2815: The Unattainable Realm of Human Perfection
Zhang Ruochen fell into deep thought. Tianmu’s words were too shocking, yet they also resolved many doubts in his mind, requiring time to slowly digest.
After a long while, he said, “Senior, do you also believe that there truly are Immortals in this world?”
Tianmu looked up at the sky and said, “I do not. You are still too young, not yet understanding what life and death truly mean. When you have lived longer, you will realize that the most common law of this world is birth and death—no one can escape it.”
“But, I believe in the Great Venerable! Since he is investigating, there must be a reason.”
Clearly.
Her disbelief came from reason.
Her belief came from emotion.
Suddenly, silence fell.
Only the wind in the distant desert continued to howl.
Xiao Hei, Chi Yao, Yan Wushen, and Gu Shejing, who had turned to dust, grew back to their original forms. Their expressions became extremely serious, realizing that even after stepping into the Divine Realm, there were still forces in this world they must revere.
Tianmu’s power was like an insurmountable peak, inspiring awe in them.
Zhang Ruochen asked again, “Senior, how much do you know about the *Wisdom King Scripture*?”
The *Wisdom King Scripture* was the *Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture*, also known as the *Thirty-Three Heavens*.
Zhang Ruochen had discussed this with Jie Zunzhe, who suspected that the *Wisdom King Scripture* might not only have nine heavens—that the technique might be incomplete, which could be one reason why members of the Zhang Clan could not become gods.
But Jie Zunzhe lived in an era countless tens of thousands of years after the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable, separated by countless generations. Everything could only be guessed.
And guesses were mostly inaccurate.
Having finally encountered a senior who had intersected with the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable and was even considered his half-disciple, Zhang Ruochen was about to undergo the Divine Tribulation. How could he let this opportunity slip? Naturally, he had to ask clearly.
“What do you want to ask?” Tianmu said.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Does the *Wisdom King Scripture* truly only have nine heavens? To construct a tenth heaven and break through to godhood, must one truly rely on their own enlightenment? Is there no path left—must one forge their own way?”
Among the cultivators of the *Wisdom King Scripture*, aside from the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable, no one had ever constructed a tenth heaven. All had stopped at the ninth.
Jie Zunzhe could construct more heavens, but not through his own cultivation—he had directly inherited the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable’s power from that era.
Thus, Zhang Ruochen was curious: was the Zhang Clan’s inability to become gods solely due to the “Severing Dao Curse”?
Could an incomplete technique also be a reason?
Tianmu shook her head, saying, “I know very little about the *Wisdom King Scripture* and cannot answer that question. However, I do know that the Great Venerable’s cultivation was indeed incomplete—a regret he could never make up for in his lifetime.”
“Where was the incompleteness?” Zhang Ruochen quickly asked.
Tianmu said, “The Great Venerable cultivated a total of twenty-seven heavens, making him invincible among the heavens and unparalleled in the world. After that, he spent several eons trying but could never construct a twenty-eighth heaven. He once believed this was the limit—that the sky had an end.”
“But later, after an unprecedented breakthrough in his spiritual power, he performed deductions and discovered that the highest level of the technique he cultivated could reach thirty-three heavens. Twenty-seven was merely his personal limit.”
“He once lamented that the realm of human perfection was unattainable.”
“He spent much time studying why he could only cultivate twenty-seven heavens and whether something had gone wrong. Ultimately, he concluded that his foundation was insufficient.”
“Insufficient foundation?” Yan Wushen said.
Even Yan Wushen, whose divine foundation was nearly unmatched in the world, questioned this.
Xiao Hei also doubted, saying, “The Immovable Bright King Great Venerable once dazzled an era. He must have achieved perfection in every realm. How could his foundation be insufficient? If even he had an insufficient foundation, then we have no foundation at all!”
“What you say is not wrong,” Tianmu said.
Did she have to be so direct?
Xiao Hei was a bit angry but dared not show it, so he could only sulk.
Tianmu said, “Constructing heavens is like building a tall building. A thousand-foot tower rises from the ground—the more foundational, the more important. To make the tower reach its utmost height, every step must be flawless. Otherwise, a slight deviation leads to a thousand-mile error.”
“I do not know what the Great Venerable meant by insufficient foundation, but I think he must have understood the reason and found a way to compensate. If he had lived longer, he would certainly have personally trained a disciple with a sufficient foundation, one who could cultivate to thirty-three heavens.”
Gu Shejing said, “Twenty-seven heavens were already invincible in the world. How strong would thirty-three heavens be?”
“With Zhang Ruochen’s foundation, he might have a chance to surpass the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable in the future,” Yan Wushen said.
“Right, forget thirty-three heavens—twenty-eight would be enough! Then this Emperor could walk sideways through the Heavenly Court and Hell,” Xiao Hei laughed.
Tianmu said, “That is precisely why he must cultivate the Absolute Physical Dao Transformation! Zhang Ruochen, your ability to cultivate a First-Rank Sacred Intent must be related to Xumi, right?”
“I think Xumi had such expectations for you, which is why he wanted you to achieve the utmost and perfection in every realm. It is very likely that the Great Venerable had already passed down the method of compensation to Xumi.”
“Your becoming his heir is no accident. He entrusted this era to you.”
In Zhang Ruochen’s mind, scenes flashed of Xumi Saint Monk guarding Kunlun to his death, leading him to the Primordial Beginning and his body dissipating... He said, “That is precisely why I must become a god. There are too many people I cannot let down.”
Throughout, Chi Yao stood to the side, silent.
Only Tianmu noticed her, glancing at her but saying nothing more. “Alright, I have told you what you need to know. It is time to leave. The Abyss of Darkness is no place to linger. Although the Ancient Desolate Ruins City is a pure land, once I fall asleep again, it will become a den of demons and dangers.”
Gu Shejing said, “Do I have to leave too?”
“Of course.”
“But?”
Gu Shejing looked at the seventy-two Demon God Stone Pillars.
She had only just begun to comprehend them, gaining very little. Without ten thousand years, or even a hundred thousand, she could not grasp the mysteries of the three demonic sources.
“That is simple!”
Tianmu raised her hand, spreading her five fingers. The entire space collapsed and contracted. The seventy-two Demon God Stone Pillars and the entire black desert were instantly drawn into her palm.
Xiao Hei nudged Zhang Ruochen with his elbow, his eyes seeming to say, “See? That is true spatial power—unrestrained and unbound, usable anywhere.”
Zhang Ruochen shot back a look: “With such a vast difference in cultivation, can you compare?”
Xiao Hei’s eyes were astonished, as if saying, “Good heavens! Is Tianmu going to give the seventy-two Demon God Stone Pillars directly to Gu Shejing? These are treasures of the world, no less than the thirty-six Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions.”
Tianmu pressed her palm against Gu Shejing’s fair forehead, driving the seventy-two Demon God Stone Pillars and the entire black desert into her body.
A powerful, dazzling light burst from the center of Tianmu’s palm, distorting space, affecting time, altering light and shadow. In the distance, the Wu Hall collapsed, and the Heavenly Gate turned to dust...
The world transformed accordingly.
When Zhang Ruochen regained his vision, he found himself surrounded by divine corpses and massive rocks. A wide river of divine blood flowed with a “splashing” sound. Where was the Heavenly Gate? Where was the Wu Hall?
Yan Wushen, Xiao Hei, Chi Yao, and Gu Shejing were all nearby, also dazed, unsure of what had happened.
“Could Tianmu have used spatial power to send us to some part of the Ancient Desolate Ruins City?” Xiao Hei speculated.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, saying, “There was no spatial leap.”
“What do you know about space? How could you understand Tianmu’s methods?” Xiao Hei said bluntly.
Gu Shejing said, “It was a projection.”
“What do you mean?” Chi Yao asked.
Gu Shejing said, “The seventy-two Demon God Stone Pillars that the Ancestor drove into my body were only illusions. From this, everything we saw earlier was just a projection, like a mirage.”
“The Heavenly Gate was a projection, the Wu Hall was a projection, the seventy-two Demon God Stone Pillars, and even Tianmu and the Udumbara Flower, were all projections.”
“However, even projections possess great power.”
“Otherwise, how could we have so easily entered the Heavenly Gate, so easily escaped the Wu Hall’s power? How could you have so easily crossed the black desert to reach the seventy-two Demon God Stone Pillars?”
“I think everything we experienced and saw earlier does exist somewhere in the Ancient Desolate Ruins City. But it is not reachable at our current cultivation level. The real Wu Hall and seventy-two Demon God Stone Pillars are probably a hundred or a thousand times more dangerous than their projections.”
“Is Tianmu’s true body also a hundred or a thousand times more terrifying than what we saw?” Xiao Hei was skeptical, unwilling to believe. He thought Gu Shejing had obtained a treasure and was pretending it was only a projection, making up this story.
Gu Shejing said, “How many years have we cultivated? How many years has Tianmu cultivated? Do you think you can understand power at her level?”
“Besides, Tianmu is the guardian of the Ancient Desolate Ruins City, and the Abyss of Darkness is extremely dangerous. Do you think Tianmu would easily reveal her true location? It was already generous of her to descend a projection to meet us!”
“Let’s go quickly. Leave the Abyss of Darkness, leave the Ancient Desolate Ruins City.”
The group set off, all lost in thought.
Yan Wushen walked at the front, constantly pondering where the Ancestor had gone. If he had left the Abyss of Darkness, why hadn’t he returned to the Yama Clan?
Xiao Hei walked alongside Yan Wushen, noticing his preoccupation, and said, “The Yama Ancestor is a figure of such stature—who in this world can do anything to him? Based on this Emperor’s guess, the Ancestor must have returned to Hell and discovered that the war between the Heavenly Court and Hell had fully erupted. Unable to turn the tide alone, he hid in the shadows, searching for the Nine Cauldrons while tracking the hidden hand behind the war. Does this Emperor’s guess make sense?”
“It can’t be that simple. Since the enemy lured the Ancestor to the Abyss of Darkness, they must have made careful preparations. There will definitely be a backup plan to ensure the Old Clan Leader never returns,” Yan Wushen said.
Xiao Hei snorted, “You unfilial descendant! Why do you have so little faith in the Old Clan Leader? What storms and intrigues hasn’t he weathered? How could he be so easily outmaneuvered?”
“Only a close relative, someone he trusted most, could deceive him into entering the Abyss of Darkness,” Yan Wushen said, his eyes cold, his hands clenched into fists.
...
Zhang Ruochen and Chi Yao walked at the rear.
“How are your injuries?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Since entering Hell, Chi Yao had encountered powerful enemies repeatedly, each time suffering more severe wounds.
She gently shook her head, saying, “The vitality of gods is strong. This injury is nothing.”
Seeing that Chi Yao had no intention of confronting him, Zhang Ruochen pretended to be casual and asked, “That divine sword—where did you get it?”