Chapter 2841: Two Demon Clan Gods
Kong Lanyou's eyes showed tension, realizing something terrible was happening.
Chi Yao stared deeply at Zhang Ruochen, smiling mockingly, shaking her head with a soft sigh: "So this is why you made me swear that oath? Chen Ge, do you think I will listen to you?"
"I know that oath cannot bind you, and you tampered with it, playing word games."
Zhang Ruochen said: "But this is the inner space of the *Sixth Patriarch's Zen Illustration*, a world that belongs to me. Do you think I have been holding back, not coming to this Bodhi tree and lying in the Spring of Life, just to heal my injuries? I have been using my spiritual power to explore this world, calculating whether I can suppress you here."
He paused, then said: "If you do not abide by the oath, I will have to take forceful measures."
As he spoke these words, Zhang Ruochen cut his wrist again, spilling blood onto the golden Buddhist soil.
Instantly, more Sanskrit characters emerged in this heaven and earth, appearing around Chi Yao, trapping her within.
Zhang Ruochen's martial cultivation was indeed already crippled, but when he crossed the Divine Tribulation, his spiritual power had broken through to the seventy-second rank. With such powerful spiritual strength, and within the *Sixth Patriarch's Zen Illustration*, he was confident he could restrain Chi Yao.
Chi Yao ignored the Sanskrit characters around her, her mocking expression deepening, saying: "In the Abyss of Darkness, you taught me a lesson—no matter the reason, being hurt by the one you love most is the most painful. Forcing your own will onto me, isn't that also hurting me? Have you already forgotten the lesson you yourself taught?"
"I haven't forgotten! But what I am doing now, isn't it what we agreed upon one thousand eight hundred years ago? Back then, we already knew that only one person could cultivate the complete *Bright King Scripture*, and the other had to sacrifice, had to complete it." Zhang Ruochen said.
Zhang Ruochen was willing to sacrifice himself to complete her—how could Chi Yao not be moved?
Nothing could better prove that he held an unparalleled place in her heart. For any man to make such a sacrifice for a woman was a true expression of emotion, the most sincere declaration of love in the world.
She should be happy.
But she could not be happy.
This was what she had expected, but not what she wanted.
Tears glistened in Chi Yao's eyes, and she said: "I cultivated the Void Scroll; only I can complete you, not you. One thousand eight hundred years ago, I won, you lost. You must live well; you have no other choice."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, saying: "Actually, the Saint Monk never said that only the Void Scroll could complete the Real Scroll. That was our own understanding—we thought only the Void could complete the Real, but in truth, the Real can also complete the Void."
"Now that my Divine Source and Qi Sea are shattered, my path forward is cut off. So of course, I should complete you."
Chi Yao shook her head violently, tears falling from her eyes, clinging to her jade-like face.
She mobilized the divine qi within her body, emitting a seven-colored divine light, but the Sanskrit characters floating in space fell onto her like talismanic seals, suppressing her so she could not move.
This was the power of the Sixth Patriarch and Xumi Saint Monk, not something a mid-rank god like her could resist.
A pale and sickly smile appeared on Zhang Ruochen's face, and he said: "Yao Yao, why are you so emotional? It's just passing on power, not a farewell of life and death. Did the Saint Monk ever say that after passing on the power, the other person would definitely die?"
Chi Yao calmed down a little, saying: "The Saint Monk said that once we cultivated the *Thirty-Three Heavens*, it would mean separation. Isn't the meaning clear enough?"
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, saying: "You haven't grasped the Saint Monk's true meaning. The Saint Monk meant that the one who cultivates the *Thirty-Three Heavens* might become a powerhouse like the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable, with a long lifespan. The other, having lost their cultivation from passing on the power, would naturally not live long. That is the true meaning of separation!"
"But I am a spiritual power god! And my spiritual power talent is very high. Even if I pass on the power to you, I can still survive the Eon Calamity. I might even become an existence like Tai Shang, with a lifespan not much shorter than yours. The Saint Monk ultimately miscalculated; he underestimated me."
Chi Yao showed a doubtful expression, saying: "Is that really so?"
"That is my guess! But don't you think it is the truth?"
Zhang Ruochen continued: "In fact, even if I pass on the power to you, I still have a chance to continue cultivating martial arts. Just like Xue Lingxian, even after falling in realm multiple times, he could still cultivate back to the God Realm. I can find a way too."
Chi Yao said: "Xue Lingxian cultivates a special technique, the Undying Blood Silkworm, and his martial foundation was not destroyed, so naturally he could rebuild. But your Qi Sea was erased by Qing Ancestor; you cannot even generate a new Qi Sea. How can you rebuild your martial cultivation?"
"Is that so? I didn't know that!"
How could Zhang Ruochen not know?
The world only knows Xue Lingxian, but among the countless cultivators of the Undying Blood Silkworm, only three have attained the Dao. The rest, when killed, truly die. Once their cultivation is crippled, they can never reach the Great Saint Realm, let alone the God Realm.
Out of how many individuals did only one Xue Lingxian emerge?
Just like when Zhang Ruochen went to the "Singularity" of the Primordial Beginning to cultivate the First-Rank Sacred Intent, his flesh and soul turned into particles. It was not a certainty that he could recondense his body; it was a one-in-a-trillion chance, achieved only when all conditions of time, place, and people were favorable.
But Zhang Ruochen could not say these things.
Because he had to convince Chi Yao, so he added: "Although Qing Ancestor is strong, Grandmaster might have a way to help me restore my Qi Sea. Besides, there are countless wondrous techniques in the world; a Qi Sea might not be necessary to cultivate martial arts. To put it a hundred thousand steps back, with you cultivating the *Thirty-Three Heavens*, why must I still cultivate martial arts?"
"Are you sure there is no danger to your life?" Chi Yao said.
Zhang Ruochen said: "I have refined the White Pale Blood Soil, cultivated to Absolute Flesh Dao Transformation, and am a spiritual power god. How strong is my life force? A mere power transfer, how could it be dangerous?"
"Alright! In that case, I will cultivate the *Thirty-Three Heavens*. One of us will cultivate martial arts, the other spiritual power, and together we will fight for a future."
Chi Yao naturally did not believe Zhang Ruochen so easily, saying: "First, return to the Kunlun Realm."
"Why?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Chi Yao said: "Your Divine Source has shattered, and the Tenfold Heavenly Domain has collapsed. Only after recondensing your Divine Source and reshaping the Heavenly Domain can you pass on the power. We must ask Tai Shang for help. Besides, for such a major event as passing on power, how can we not have powerful protectors by our side?"
Chi Yao was using a delaying tactic, first stabilizing Zhang Ruochen and tricking him back to the Kunlun Realm. Once she could consult Tai Shang and confirm that the power transfer would not endanger Zhang Ruochen's life, she could decide then.
They had agreed to trust each other and not deceive.
But who in the world could actually do that?
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was heavy, looking at the golden vortex above the Bright Mirror Platform, saying: "There's no need to trouble Tai Shang. I can reshape the Tenfold Heavenly Domain myself. Have you forgotten? I am a spiritual power god!"
Zhang Ruochen leaped up and landed on the Bright Mirror Platform.
In an instant, his heart was calm as a still lake, myriad distracting thoughts not disturbing his mind.
He released his powerful spiritual power, wrapping around the golden vortex, pulling it downward, gathering it between his hands.
From the Tongtian River, strands of soul mist were directly absorbed into his body. The shattered and broken Tenfold Heavenly Domain, under the control of his powerful spiritual power, slowly reshaped itself.
No one understood better than him how this Tenfold Heavenly Domain was constructed; only he could perfectly reshape it.
Chi Yao did not expect Zhang Ruochen to actually be rebuilding his cultivation, saying: "No! We must return to the Kunlun Realm first. If we pass on the power here, and the commotion is too great, it will surely alert the gods of the nearby star domain."
"No! This is a scroll world, a corner of the Sixth Patriarch's Buddha World. Who could sense it here... Hmm?"
Zhang Ruochen frowned, asking: "What star domain are we in now?"
Chi Yao did not know why Zhang Ruochen suddenly asked such a question, saying: "Zangjin Baihu and I crossed most of the Hell Realm, chasing into the Santu River, to get here. The Santu River is full of ancient secrets, not only spanning the Hell Realm but also having many space paths connecting the entire universe. It's hard to say which star domain we are in now."
"What happened?" she asked.
Zhang Ruochen said: "The formations you set up outside are under attack, by divine-level power. Let's go out and see!"
...
This Saint Ruins was located on a barren rocky planet.
At this moment, two figures stood outside the ruins.
One had surging blood qi within, a pair of wings on his back, and though humanoid, he had an eagle's head.
The other was a divine Hou with a human face.
Both were at the God Realm, and not ordinary true gods; their bodies were dense with rule divine patterns.
The one who had just attacked the ruins was the eagle-headed god, using a spherical supreme sacred artifact.
"A strong formation! It seems that Old Thief Heaven's information is not false. There was indeed divine power fluctuations in this star domain, and it's very possible that Zhang Ruochen escaped here." The eagle-headed god retracted the spherical supreme sacred artifact, saying so.
The human-faced divine Hou said: "Old Thief Heaven's information only said that divine power fluctuations appeared here, not that it was definitely Zhang Ruochen. What if there is a great god inside, just passing through this star domain? Wouldn't we be in big trouble? How many cultivators have been tricked by Old Thief Heaven?"
"It can't be that bad, right?"
The eagle-headed god's eyes showed fear and regret.
The human-faced divine Hou complained: "I told you, we should first disguise ourselves as passersby, go pay a visit, and confirm the identity of the god inside the formation before acting. But you still acted impulsively!"
Inside the formation.
In the ruined stone hall, the scroll of the *Sixth Patriarch's Zen Illustration* manifested.
Zhang Ruochen, Chi Yao, and Zangjin Baihu walked out of the stone hall, looking at the two demon clan gods outside.
"How did two demon clan gods appear? Did they come from a space path of the Santu River, directly crossing a distant star domain, leaving the Hell Realm and arriving in the Southern Universe?" Zhang Ruochen said.
The Southern Universe of the Heavenly Court was precisely the star domain where various demon clans gathered.