Chapter 2890: Shared Cultivation of Life and Death
"I can protect them," Zhang Ruochen said.
Huang Tian revealed a hint of mockery and said, "With your current cultivation and condition, defeating any one of them is nearly impossible. How dare you speak of protection?"
"They are indeed all powerful in cultivation. Even Miss Bai, I am not confident I can defeat. But when facing the gods under Lord Yi Tian's command, did any of them dare to strike?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Even you, Great God, had to borrow my maternal grandfather's name before daring to slay a god, didn't you? The greatest weakness is held in the enemy's hands. No matter how strong one's cultivation, what use is it? Aren't you still constrained by others?"
"As long as you lend me divine power, I would dare to charge into the First Divine Maiden City right now and take Shang Hong's life. Great God, would you dare? Would White Queen dare? Would Divine Teacher Yu Yao dare?"
"Give me time, and I will surely become stronger than Shang Hong, stronger than Lord Yi Tian. If I want to kill them, who can threaten me?"
Zhang Ruochen glanced at the halberd tip still pointed at his chest, knowing this reason was not enough to convince Huang Tian. He continued, "To be honest, Miss Bai possesses one-tenth of the Origin Profound Meaning, and she may well become the Origin Lord God in the future."
"If this news spreads, it will still bring her deadly danger, but I have never revealed it to anyone. So why would I spread the news that she is from the God-Defying Clan? What benefit would that bring me?"
"You dare not even go to Mount Tianzun Lake. Why should I trust you?" Huang Tian said.
Zhang Ruochen knew what he was referring to, and a bitter expression appeared in his eyes. "I know I am by no means a man worthy of entrusting one's life to. I have too many dangers, too many enemies, too many forces that want me dead. Getting too close to me is by no means a good thing. I dare not accept the Heavenly Venerable Gauze, only because I fear harming Miss Bai."
Huang Tian's gaze turned icy cold.
Zhang Ruochen quickly said, "But now she has cornered me, forcing me to make a choice. So, even if I dare not accept the Heavenly Venerable Gauze, I must take it."
"There are countless outstanding men in the world who wish to marry Qing'er. You are not the only one, nor are you the ideal candidate in my mind. Since you are so reluctant, I might as well give the Heavenly Venerable Gauze to someone else," Huang Tian said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I am not reluctant! Before the Linglong Assembly, I must obtain the Heavenly Venerable Gauze, no matter the cost."
Huang Tian said, "The Heavenly Venerable Gauze is in my hands. How can you obtain it?"
"I can immediately send a message to my maternal grandfather, asking him to come personally and help me seize it. To be honest, my grandfather has long been hoping for a great-grandchild," Zhang Ruochen said.
Chi Kunlun, Chi Kunlun, and even Yan Ying'er could not be considered to carry the bloodline of the Blood Absolute Clan.
Huang Tian had not expected Zhang Ruochen to change his tune so quickly several times in a row. He snorted, "Even if Blood Jue comes, what of it? He cannot take the Heavenly Venerable Gauze from my hands."
Zhang Ruochen looked down at the sharp halberd blade and said, "Then I can only ask Miss Bai to help me seize it. Great God, don't misunderstand. I am not threatening you."
"What I mean is, handing the Heavenly Venerable Gauze over to Miss Bai and letting her decide—wouldn't that be the best way?"
These words struck Huang Tian's weak spot.
In his life, he could abandon glory, wealth, even cultivation, life, and death. But he had always been defeated by the word "love." Once, only his feelings for White Queen existed. Four thousand years ago, he thought he had cut off that love, leaving no weakness.
But Bai Qinger's birth added another bond of parental love.
According to Huang Tian's usual style, he would have already pierced Zhang Ruochen with his halberd. It was only because this scoundrel was so deeply entangled with Bai Qinger that he could not bring himself to be ruthless.
"A man born into this world should aim to conquer heaven and earth, standing proudly among the stars, as his lifelong goal. Romantic entanglements are truly the greatest shackles."
Huang Tian's expression was desolate as he withdrew his war halberd.
These words were spoken as much to Zhang Ruochen as to himself.
"I cannot agree with that. I believe that a heartless person must be loveless. How can a loveless, heartless person have great love? Wasn't the God-Defying Heavenly Venerable, along with the Twenty-Four Heavens of that era, people of great love?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Huang Tian stared at him, a strange look in his eyes. "Zhang Ruochen, do you know that many people have placed great hopes on you? Blood Jue believes you can surpass us, even surpass all Heavenly Venerables past and present, and stop the Calamity of Quantities."
Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred. "You told my maternal grandfather about my secret in Xinghuantian?"
"Blood Jue asked me to help you. As a trade-off, he can temporarily go into hiding and lend me the identity of Blood Jue War God."
Zhang Ruochen wanted to ask more, but Huang Tian raised his hand to stop him and continued, "You have learned the secret that Qing'er and the others are from the God-Defying Clan, which should have meant death. However, from our earlier conversation, I can see that you still have a pure heart, that you sympathize with and are angered by the plight of the God-Defying Clan. For now, I will consider you a like-minded person."
"But to make me agree to marry Qing'er to you, that is far from enough. You are not yet worthy of her."
If Huang Tian himself had not been cornered by Bai Qinger with no way out, he would not have chosen Zhang Ruochen. In fact, he felt no man in the world was worthy of her.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "What do you mean by 'help you,' Great God? Killing Caiyi Shen?"
"What is a mere Caiyi Shen?"
Huang Tian cast a cold glance at Zhang Ruochen, thrust the Blood Jue War Halberd back into the ground, and spread his hands left and right. "Watch closely!"
In an instant, the scene before Zhang Ruochen changed drastically. The hibiscus trees, tombstones, temple... all the sights vanished.
The world split in two. One half was pitch-black, boundless nothingness and deathly stillness; the other half was lush with green trees and red flowers, full of vitality.
Huang Tian stood between the two worlds of life and death. His body turned to stone, showing black and white colors, his expression ferocious and terrifying.
Zhang Ruochen could clearly sense that in the dark, void-like death world, the rules of the Death Dao were countless, intertwined. Any life that entered would die instantly.
The other world, however, was filled with rules of the Life Dao. Even the water flowing in the great river was the Spring of Life.
"Such rich life energy! How is this possible? It is even purer than the life energy formed by the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree," Zhang Ruochen said.
Huang Tian's voice echoed through heaven and earth. "Why is it impossible? I am the Life Lord God. All the Profound Meaning I possess was granted by the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree back then. Although the amount of Death Dao Profound Meaning I have has not yet reached the Lord God level, it is not far off."
"In the entire universe, there is probably no other god who simultaneously cultivates both the Life Dao and the Death Dao and has reached my level of achievement."
"Given your current state, no one but me can help you. That is why Blood Jue had to compromise with me this time."
"Boom!"
The world of death and the world of life collapsed, turning into billions of life rules and death rules, forming two rivers—one black, one white—that surged into Huang Tian's left and right eyes.
Zhang Ruochen's vision returned, and he was still standing in the temple.
Life Lord God?
Simultaneously cultivating the Life Dao and the Death Dao?
Zhang Ruochen was not particularly surprised by any of this.
After all, after Huang Tian gained sentience in the Western Buddha Realm, his master, Ancient Buddha Yuanxu, sent him to the subordinate mortal realm of the Heavenly Court, the Stone Realm, to cultivate and comprehend the true essence of the Life Dao.
As a member of the Stone Clan, to cultivate a flesh-and-blood body, one must have a deep understanding of the Life Dao.
Later, he betrayed the Heavenly Court and took the Stone Ancestor as his master.
The Stone Clan of the Hell Realm revered the Death Dao. It was only natural for Huang Tian to follow the Stone Ancestor and cultivate the Death Dao.
Since ancient times, only the Stone Clan had precedents of successfully cultivating both the Life Dao and the Death Dao simultaneously. About forty eons ago, the Lord of All Gods of the Hell Realm's Stone Clan, "Withering Glory God Lord," was such an existence.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Why did the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree pass the Life Profound Meaning to you?"
Huang Tian seemed to have long expected this question. "Because it had no other choice, and because the young me back then was a complete fool."
"Suddenly, I want to hear your story," Zhang Ruochen said.
Huang Tian said, "If you want to know, I'll tell you on the way."
"On the way? Where are we going?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The blood clouds in the sky had partially dispersed, revealing sunlight.
Huang Tian looked up at the blazing sun in the sky, staring for a long time, his gaze growing more resolute. "I have finally borrowed Blood Jue's identity. How can I not kill to my heart's content?"
In Zhang Ruochen's view, the successive falls of Mo Tong, Wu Ma Jiuxing, Four-Armor Blood Ancestor, and Caiyi Shen were already shocking enough to draw the attention of the entire Heavenly Court and Hell Realm to Xinghuantian.
He thought they should lie low next.
But he had not expected Huang Tian to still want to strike.
Zhang Ruochen said, "You want to kill Shang Hong?"
"Shang Hong is your love rival and a top figure of this eon. Only by dealing with him can you be worthy of marrying Qing'er and legitimately ascend to the pinnacle of this eon. So-called eon-level geniuses must defeat all cultivators of an eon to transform into eon-level powerhouses."
Huang Tian's expression was solemn, yet filled with killing intent. "I have my own opponent."
"Who?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Huang Tian's aura grew stronger and stronger. "Shang Tian's fourth son, the Seizing Heaven Divine Emperor. This man, among Shang Tian's sons, is second only to Lord Yi Tian. He is the master of the Great Shang Divine Dynasty of Paradise Realm. His cultivation reached the final realm of a Great God, the Grand Void realm, a hundred thousand years ago. The day we have waited four thousand years to fight him to the death has finally come."
"By the way, you may not know this. The reason White Queen is called White Queen is that she was the queen of the Seizing Heaven Divine Emperor."
Zhang Ruochen was greatly shocked. "How is that possible?"
"There are many things in this world that will baffle you. It's strange. I have never wanted to speak of the things I have kept hidden in my heart, but today I have told you so much."
Huang Tian could not help but wonder if it was because of love for his daughter.
Looking at Huang Tian's calm expression, Zhang Ruochen could not help but secretly admire his state of mind.
Zhang Ruochen could not imagine being able to remain so calm when speaking of White Queen and the Seizing Heaven Divine Emperor, if he were in Huang Tian's place.
"When do we set out?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"No rush. We need to wait a little longer, until Caiyi Shen is truly dead."
Huang Tian looked up at the sky again. Caiyi Shen's Star Soul Divine Throne had not yet gone out. Clearly, a Great God was not so easily killed completely.