# Chapter 2867: The Hardship of Survival
The Nether Flower Pavilion Master seemed to be wary of something, her expression shifting slightly. "This matter, I beg your forgiveness, Qiancheng cannot answer the elder gentleman."
"How about this: I'll make a guess. If I guess correctly, you just don't deny it!"
Zhang Ruochen said, "The Jade Fate Pavilion—is it the place where Desolate Heaven and White Queen first met, or where they parted ways?"
The Nether Flower Pavilion Master revealed a bitter smile, feeling that the other party was too bold. How could such words be spoken so casually? Did he truly think White Queen couldn't hear their conversation?
But in the end, she did not deny it.
Zhang Ruochen showed an expression of understanding. "I have one last question. How certain is the Goddess Twelve Pavilions of refining the First Goddess City into a Divine City?"
Hearing this, the Nether Flower Pavilion Master's heart stirred, and she quickly asked, "If we had the Heavenly Venerable Gauze, the chance would be extremely high. Is the Heavenly Venerable Gauze truly in the elder gentleman's possession?"
Zhang Ruochen did not answer her question. "Extremely high? As far as I know, the entire Hell Realm has only ten Divine Cities, one for each of the ten clans. These ten Divine Cities were built through the accumulation of the ten clans' ancestors over hundreds of millions of years, consuming countless resources and continuous refinement to reach the Divine City level."
"Although the foundation of the First Goddess City was built with the participation of Star Firmament Heavenly Venerable, compared to the ten clans' accumulation since ancient times, it still falls far short."
"How easy is it to transform into a Divine City?"
The Nether Flower Pavilion Master gently shook her head. "The ten Divine Cities established by the ten clans of Hell Realm were naturally not something that could be built in just a few million years or by a single generation's Heavenly Venerable. They required the accumulation of over a hundred million years, the joint efforts of generation after generation of God Venerables and Heavenly Ones to succeed."
"Such a Divine City—even if the current Heavenly Venerable Hao Tian and Fengdu Dadi personally attacked—could not be breached."
"But in the ancient era, the definition of a Divine City was much looser. As long as two conditions were met, it could be called a Divine City."
"First, the Divine City must be located above a Divine Vein, capable of supporting at least a hundred deities in their cultivation."
"Second, the Divine City's defensive power must be able to withstand attacks from God Venerables from the outside and neutralize the battle aftershocks of Heaven-Repairing Realm deities from within."
Zhang Ruochen showed a look of sudden realization. "So the Divine City that the Goddess Twelve Pavilions wants to establish is of this level?"
"The chaotic era has arrived. Star Firmament Heaven's geographical location is special, and the Goddess Twelve Pavilions is a group of women. If we don't build a Divine City, how can we stand firm? Not to mention standing firm—any God Venerable who descends could instantly destroy Star Firmament Heaven, annihilate the realm and clan, and turn all the women of the Goddess Twelve Pavilions into slaves and playthings, with no power to resist."
The Nether Flower Pavilion Master's face was alluring yet bitter. "Fortunately, the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm have always maintained a delicate balance, allowing Star Firmament Heaven to survive until now due to its sensitive geographical location. But now, this balance is about to be broken. We have no choice but to refine a Divine City."
"Have you never considered moving Star Firmament Heaven elsewhere? For instance, leaving this star domain and completely defecting to Hell Realm." Zhang Ruochen could feel the helplessness in her heart, his mood heavy.
The Nether Flower Pavilion Master asked in return, "Has the elder gentleman ever been to the Hundred Clans Royal City?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded.
The Nether Flower Pavilion Master said, "Tell me, why didn't the various clans in the Hundred Clans Royal City completely defect to a major clan of Hell Realm and move to that clan's star domain, instead joining together to build this sacred city comparable to a Divine City?"
"Because they know that the resources in the universe are limited. No major clan would allocate cultivation resources to them; instead, they would be wary of them. Eventually, wariness turns into enslavement."
"By establishing the Hundred Clans Royal City, they can still maintain good relations with the major clans of Hell Realm, even become dependent on them. But they can retain considerable autonomy and a voice, without being completely enslaved, without becoming cannon fodder when war breaks out."
"Therefore, once Star Firmament Heaven leaves this star domain, the Goddess Twelve Pavilions will rapidly decline, then be devoured whole, skin and bones."
"And the Goddess Twelve Pavilions cannot leave Star Firmament Heaven, because the women of the pavilions are already tightly intertwined with the entire Star Firmament Heaven in a complex web of relationships."
"In fact, in the universe, a clan or a great realm that wants to survive, wants to survive standing upright, must fight desperately. The more you retreat, the faster you die. The more you want to rely on others, the more lowly and humble (beijian) you become, forced to survive on your knees. Isn't living like that more painful than death?"
Zhang Ruochen hadn't expected the Nether Flower Pavilion Master to see the situation so clearly. He looked at her with newfound respect.
The Nether Flower Pavilion Master smiled bitterly. "Does the elder gentleman find it too ironic that a woman of the Goddess Twelve Pavilions would say such things? In the eyes of outsiders, the Goddess Twelve Pavilions is no different from mortal brothels and pleasure houses—the lowest and most humble (beijian) women, yet they still dream of standing upright and struggling against fate. Truly laughable."
"In truth, the women of the Goddess Twelve Pavilions all have tragic backgrounds. The vast majority became slaves after their great worlds or planets were destroyed, when they were still very weak. Our fates were never ours to choose."
"Some of us were meant to become blood food for the Undying Blood Clan and Rakshasa Clan. Some were meant to be refined into Corpse Clan or Bone Clan, or have their souls devoured by Ghost Clan. Some were meant to be bound by chains and turned into playthings on the beds of the powerful."
"It was the City Lord who bought us and brought us to the First Goddess City, giving us a place to live. This place isn't good, but at least we can live, we can cultivate. Some of us can even choose for ourselves—the cultivator we wish to marry in the future, or not marry anyone at all."
"The Goddess Twelve Pavilions is not a good place for women. But for us, it is the best place."
"When you've been cast into the abyss, you don't dare to hope for green mountains and clear waters on the surface. Being able to see a ray of sunlight in the abyss is already a blessing."
Zhang Ruochen was silent for a long time before asking, "What about you? You're from the Underworld Clan. Why did you join the Goddess Twelve Pavilions?"
The Nether Flower Pavilion Master looked up at the sky, her eyes filled with memories of a past too painful to revisit. Her voice was deep and somber. "Struggles and tragedies have never only occurred on the battlefield between the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm. You must understand—the Underworld Clan is vast, and within it, the weak are prey to the strong."
The pavilion masters of the Goddess Twelve Pavilions all had beautiful names that spread across the world. Countless cultivators desired a taste of their favor—some pursued them fiercely, some regarded them as inviolable goddesses, some saw them as famous flowers to be conquered and possessed.
But who knew that behind their glamorous facades lay bitterness, sorrow, lack of autonomy, and a longing to stand upright and survive?
Of course, among them, there were certainly many who had truly fallen.
"I must become stronger. I must break through to become a High-rank God, sacrificing everything if necessary. Only with greater cultivation can I have more say and protect more women who share the same tragic fate." The Nether Flower Pavilion Master said.
Zhang Ruochen looked at the Nether Flower Pavilion Master's enchanting jade-like face and figure, yet found them utterly unappealing. What moved him was the persistence in her eyes and her thirst for power.
"I can help you—if I'm still alive." Zhang Ruochen said.
The Nether Flower Pavilion Master quickly bowed. "Thank you, elder gentleman! In truth, I know that my talent and potential are far inferior to those Eon-level representatives. Breaking through to High-rank God through music is my last chance. And even this chance is extremely slim, but no matter how slim, I must fight for it."
"With such a firm resolve, it already shows that becoming a god was no accident. As for the High-rank God realm—how difficult can it be? In my view, any deity can reach it. What you need to strive for is the Great God level, the Tai Zhen Realm." Zhang Ruochen said.
Any deity could reach it?
This elder gentleman truly didn't cultivate martial arts and didn't understand how difficult it was to break through in the divine realm. Every level was a major hurdle.
Most deities could never reach the High-rank God realm.
As for the Great God realm, she had never even thought about it.
Because only deities who had survived their first Eon Calamity and been tempered by it had the chance to assault (chongji) the Great God realm in the next eon.
Before surviving the Eon Calamity, those who could become Great Gods were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
The Nether Flower Pavilion Master only hoped to reach the High-rank God realm; she hadn't even expected to survive her first Eon Calamity. Because only the strongest among High-rank Gods could survive it.
When the Nether Flower Pavilion Master left, the sky on the horizon was already showing the pale white of dawn.
In the early morning, frost and mist shrouded everything.
Zhang Ruochen had just stood up when a voice came from outside: "Greetings, Second Young Master Yan."
Then her footsteps faded away.
Zhang Ruochen saw Yan Yu's figure. He moved between various musical instruments, walking over with a warm smile. "The elder gentleman's musical skill is profound. The melody you played was truly heavenly. I, the junior, listened outside for a while without realizing it, my heart filled with longing to meet you, the elder. But I didn't dare to interrupt midway, so I waited until the elder's teaching session ended before daring to come and pay my respects."
Yan Yu had already crossed the Divine Tribulation and entered the divine realm.
Even more astonishingly, he was already a Mid-rank God.
In just a few decades, this was clearly impossible. He must have used a profound time formation.
Zhang Ruochen had a favorable impression of Yan Yu. "Second Young Master is too polite. There's no need to address me as a junior. Since we are both deities, let us treat each other as equals."
Yan Yu hadn't expected the other party to be so easygoing. He smiled. "To befriend you, sir, is truly my good fortune."
Zhang Ruochen knew that Yan Yu couldn't have come solely for music. "Second Young Master also resides at Weiming Mountain Villa?"
"Divine Master Yuyao has a deep friendship with the Yama Clan. Since I've come to Star Firmament Heaven, it's only natural to visit." Yan Yu said.
Zhang Ruochen quickly asked, "Are there other deities from the Yama Clan staying at Weiming Mountain Villa?"
Yan Yu couldn't guess why the other party suddenly asked such a question. He smiled. "The Yama Clan isn't very interested in the Linglong Assembly. Only I, having just broken through to the Mid-rank God realm, have the desire to compete with the new gods of this eon, so I came to Star Firmament Heaven to join the excitement. No other deities came. Sir, do you perhaps know a deity from our Yama Clan?"
Yan Yu was an exceptionally intelligent person. From the subtle expression Zhang Ruochen had inadvertently revealed, he sensed something.