Chapter 2853: Heavenly Grandson
Entering the Divine Maiden First City, the first thing that caught the eye was not the splendor and prosperity of this universe-renowned Flower City, but a group of slaves being escorted in from the Starry Sky Battlefield.
These slaves were not weak in cultivation, but their clothes were tattered, and their expressions were either dazed, resentful, or humiliated.
There were Half-Saints, Saints, Saint Kings, and Great Saints.
Women outnumbered men.
The women were all very beautiful, with top-tier appearances. Some had even held noble statuses in the past, being sect Holy Maidens or dynasty princesses.
They were all bound with Saint-Binding Chains, unable to mobilize the Saint Qi or Spiritual Power within their bodies. Their downcast and wretched appearance was no different from mortal slaves.
Not a trace of the former nobility and pride of Saint Realm cultivators remained.
Zhang Ruochen stopped, gazing at the slaves standing beneath the city wall. His eyes were turbid, devoid of any emotion.
Lu Yi said, "They were all transported from the Starry Sky Battlefield. Most are cultivators from the Ancient Civilization Faction. The Goddess Twelve Pavilions spent a great deal to acquire some. More slaves were sent to the Divine Cities of the Ten Clans."
"The women, if obedient and talented enough, might one day secure a place in the Goddess Twelve Pavilions."
"The men will have their Saint Sources shattered and be forced to do the most menial labor."
Zhang Ruochen nodded and continued walking forward.
Behind him, Yu Chenjing was not as calm as Zhang Ruochen. Looking at the female cultivators beneath the wall and the crippled male cultivators, her eyes were pained, and her body trembled slightly, as if she saw her own future.
She was usually rational and composed, but at this moment, she desperately wanted to act and rescue them all.
Shang Xia sighed, "Heavenly Maiden, you are gifted with unparalleled talent and wisdom. Please do not do anything impulsive. What you could not change on the Starry Sky Battlefield, you are even less likely to change here. In truth, being sent to the Goddess Twelve Pavilions is already their good fortune."
Yu Chenjing closed her eyes, unable to bear watching any longer. "I only feel hatred! War with the Hell Realm is bound to be brutal, ten or a hundred times more cruel than the Merit Battles of the past. If the various realms of the Heavenly Court could unite, how could they have suffered such a crushing defeat?"
"Look at those Demon Clan Great Saints behind us. Each is a top-tier expert, but do they show any indignation? Are they thinking about how to defeat the enemy or how to stop the war? No! They came to Divine Maiden First City to seek pleasure, perhaps even to vent their desires on those newly captured female cultivators. It is only because the flames of war in the Southern Universe are not yet fierce enough. The threats of death and humiliation have not yet fallen upon their heads."
Shang Xia remained silent.
Divine Maiden First City was indeed prosperous and magnificent, far surpassing the Divine Maiden City on Ice King Star that Zhang Ruochen had once visited.
More importantly, the city was teeming with experts like carp in a river. Carriages emitting the aura of Great Saints passed by at any moment.
Zhang Ruochen also detected the presence of several deities.
Though their Divine Might was concealed, in Zhang Ruochen's perception, they were like blazing suns, residing in ancient buildings covered with Divine Patterns.
They were all False Gods.
The power of the Heavenly Venerable Divine Patterns was too strong. Within Divine Maiden First City, sensing the presence of a True God was as difficult as reaching the heavens.
"Old fellow, it's you!"
A stone giant, like a small mountain, appeared before Zhang Ruochen.
"Greetings, Deity." Lu Yi immediately bowed.
It was Shi Ying Shangjun.
Shi Ying Shangjun's tone was filled with resentment and anger. "You have caused me great harm! Is the Heavenly Venerable Gauze in your hands?"
Accompanying Shi Ying Shangjun were two other Stone Clan deities, but they had transformed into normal human forms, both dignified and handsome.
"Shi Ying, you were defeated by him? I see that his aura is very weak, his life force nearly exhausted. How could he have the ability to escape from your hands?" one of the Stone Clan deities said.
From the start, he had been scrutinizing Zhang Ruochen.
Another Stone Clan deity said, "Old man, hand over the Heavenly Venerable Gauze. I am Hei Lin of the Stone Clan."
Zhang Ruochen asked indifferently, "If I don't hand it over, do you intend to seize it by force?"
The Stone Clan deity named Hei Lin said, "This is Divine Maiden First City. We must still give face to Bai Huanghou. How could we start a divine battle within the city? But you should know the power and influence behind us three deities. If you leave Divine Maiden First City, how long do you think you can survive?"
Zhang Ruochen countered, "How long do you think I can live?"
This question made the three Stone Clan deities pause.
"Since you won't make a move, this old man will take his leave."
Zhang Ruochen led the old yellow ox and walked past them.
Shi Ying Shangjun turned his head, his stone face filled with helplessness. "Threats are useless against this old fellow. He is not afraid of death. If we push him too far, he might self-destruct his Divine Heart and take us with him before he dies."
"Don't even mention us. Even some Great Gods would be wary of someone like him," one of the Stone Clan deities sighed.
Hei Lin's eyes were cold and sharp. "At least he admitted the Heavenly Venerable Gauze is on him. There will always be an opportunity."
Lu Yi was also extremely curious. Could the Heavenly Venerable Gauze really be in the hands of the senior?
She dared not ask this question.
Although this old senior was very easygoing, as a Great Saint, she had to understand her place, or she would surely incur his displeasure.
Inside the carriage, Yu Chenjing was shocked, staring intently at the white-haired old man leading the ox.
She stepped down from the carriage and came to Zhang Ruochen's side. First, she respectfully bowed. "Junior Yu Chenjing of the Thousand Star Civilization. May I ask how to address you, senior? Which eminent figure are you?"
Zhang Ruochen did not speak, walking on his own.
Shang Xia had also alighted and followed beside them.
Yu Chenjing quickly added, "The Heavenly Venerable Gauze is of great importance. The Thousand Star Civilization is willing to exchange it at any cost. Senior, you may name your terms."
"The Heavenly Venerable Gauze is not on me," Zhang Ruochen said.
Yu Chenjing said, "Senior, your cultivation is profound. Even the three Stone Clan deities are beneath your notice. Why deceive a junior?"
"Earlier, I did not deny that the Heavenly Venerable Gauze was on me because I did not want to waste words with them. Even if I said it was not on me, they would not believe it and would still pester me," Zhang Ruochen said.
Yu Chenjing was half-convinced.
After all, the three Stone Clan deities had approached Zhang Ruochen demanding the Heavenly Venerable Gauze. They must have had some certainty to do so.
Lu Yi asked, "Senior, what business do you have in Divine Maiden First City?"
"I want to see Bai Qinger," Zhang Ruochen said.
The three women beside him were all stunned.
A thousand years ago, Bai Qinger had emerged, single-handedly stirring a bloody storm in the mortal world and causing the Origin Divine Temple to appear in the world.
For a thousand years, legends about her had proliferated.
Some said she was stunningly beautiful, with immortal-like skin and divine bones, surpassing even her mother, Bai Huanghou.
Some said she was one of the five Eon-level geniuses of this eon, able to rival Que of the Destiny Temple and Yin Yuanche of the Paradise Realm.
The "Ten-Thousand-Year Evaluation" of Starry Sky Cliff listed her in the third chapter, calling her the most elegant and unparalleled woman born in this eon.
Of course, the real reason Bai Qinger's name shook the world, making no one dare to underestimate her, was not her beauty or talent, but her master, the Starry Sea Angler.
Yama Luo Tai Shangjun, Void Great Calamity Palace.
Starry Sea Angler, Tiannan Life-Death Ruins.
These four individuals—the other three were titans of the Hell Realm, with disciples and descendants all being top-tier experts, representing the Yama Clan, the Destiny Temple, and the Death Clan, respectively.
Only the Starry Sea Angler had always been mysterious, seemingly detached from the major powers. Even during the great war 100,000 years ago, he had only acted two or three times against deities of the Heavenly Court side, driven by personal grudges.
He seemed uninterested in the war between the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm and had not actively chosen to side with the Hell Realm.
He was a supreme being that both the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm wanted to win over.
Thus, he was listed among the Twenty Heavens of the Heavenly Court and also among the Twenty Heavens of the Hell Realm.
He alone enjoyed such treatment.
Yet, the Starry Sea Angler had never appeared to state his position.
The Starry Sea Angler's known disciples were only two: one was the Lord of Starry Sky Cliff, and the other was Bai Qinger. It was easy to imagine how sought-after Bai Qinger was now.
Seeing their expressions, Zhang Ruochen did not think much of it. "This old man has some connection with Bai Shaozhu. I believe meeting her should not be difficult. Is Bai Shaozhu in Divine Maiden First City?"
Yu Chenjing looked at Zhang Ruochen's back, feeling displeased. The Heavenly Venerable Gauze was indeed in his hands. This old fellow, with his life force nearly exhausted and half-dead, was still trying to get close to Bai Qinger.
Lu Yi said, "Under normal circumstances, with your cultivation, senior, meeting the young master would not be difficult. But with the Linglong Assembly approaching, too many deities are seeking an audience with her. Unless... unless the Heavenly Venerable Gauze is truly in your hands. Then the young master would surely see you."
Zhang Ruochen had never been interested in the Linglong Assembly or the Heavenly Venerable Gauze, so he had never asked about them.
Now, he finally inquired, "What is the use of the Heavenly Venerable Gauze? Why are so many cultivators vying for it?"
Before Lu Yi could answer, a firm voice rang out: "The Heavenly Venerable Gauze is the skin of the Xinghuan Heavenly Venerable. With it, the Goddess Twelve Pavilions can fully awaken the Heavenly Venerable Divine Patterns inscribed by the Xinghuan Heavenly Venerable, refining Divine Maiden First City into a Divine City. The resulting protective power can envelop the entire Xinghuantian."
"Now that the universe is in chaos and war is raging everywhere, for the Goddess Twelve Pavilions to protect themselves, is there anything more important than the Heavenly Venerable Gauze?"
"I am Shang Hong. Is the Heavenly Venerable Gauze truly in your hands, senior?"
Hearing the name Shang Hong, Yu Chenjing, Shang Xia, and Lu Yi all changed expression and immediately bowed.
Shang Hong was walking over with a large group of cultivators, including several deities.
Even these deities surrounded Shang Hong like stars around the moon, while other Great Saints who shook the mortal world were like mere underlings.
One of the deities spoke with a harsh tone, "The Heavenly Grandson is asking you a question. Answer quickly."
"Heavenly Grandson? Which Heavenly Grandson? I don't know him."
Zhang Ruochen guessed the other party's identity but deliberately said this.
"Old fellow, you are truly blind! This is the grandson of Shang Tian of the Paradise Realm and the legitimate son of Yi Tianjun." That Paradise Realm deity cupped his hands in a respectful bow, full of reverence for Shang Tian and Yi Tianjun.
Shang Tian was clearly the former Shang Zu.
Zhang Ruochen pretended to suddenly understand. "Oh! So Shang Zu has sealed the heavens. Congratulations! The Heavenly Venerable Gauze is indeed on this old man, but such a precious item—how could I casually give it to you?"
Shang Hong caught the implication. He knew that the deterrent power of a Heavenly Venerable had already made the other party yield, and now he was just bargaining.
So, he smiled and said, "Senior, name whatever you want."