Chapter 2909: Danger Has Arrived
With spiritual power enveloping the area, although the Divine Maiden Tower of the World was as bustling and noisy as ever, filled with many cultivators, this palace courtyard was utterly silent.
Zhang Ruochen narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who has the Destiny Temple sent?"
"The strongest below the Venerable of the Judgment Hall, Qianmosang, a peerless war god of the Hell Realm, an ancient powerhouse who has survived five Eon Calamities."
Chi Yao's expression was grave, clearly quite wary of the impending arrival of the War God Mosang.
Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself, "The Judgment Hall."
"Qianmosang's personal arrival is a very dangerous signal," Chi Yao continued. "Back then, when the heavens manifested anomalies, the Fate Stream flowed backward, and water flooded the temple, it already stirred the Judgment Hall's intent to kill you. This time, the Gate of Destiny collapsed, shaking the entire Hell Realm, and coinciding with you and Xue Jue War God stirring up trouble on Xinghuantian—how could the Judgment Hall still tolerate you?"
Zhang Ruochen was still somewhat shocked by the news of the Gate of Destiny's collapse. But, keeping his composure, he smiled and said, "Did Bore pass these messages to you?"
Chi Yao did not deny it. "You can still laugh? Qianmosang could descend at any moment. If you don't leave now, you'll lose your chance!"
Zhang Ruochen thought deeply, then said, "Give me the 'Sixth Patriarch's Meditation Diagram.'"
"Everything that belongs to you, I can return. But you must prioritize what's urgent. Even if you don't go back to the Kunlun Realm, you should at least leave Xinghuantian first. The 'Sixth Patriarch's Meditation Diagram' might not fool Qianmosang, and who knows if there aren't God Venerable-level beings watching..." Chi Yao said.
Zhang Ruochen made a silencing gesture and looked out the window.
Chi Yao followed his gaze and saw, on the long bridge over the water pavilion, Bai Qinger, like a ghostly shadow, flying swiftly toward the palace courtyard at extreme speed.
The next moment.
Bai Qinger's voice sounded outside the courtyard: "Put away your spiritual power field. I have something important to tell you."
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his spiritual power field, stepped out, and saw Bai Qinger, wearing a black hood, standing below the stone steps. She had used a concealment secret art, but it couldn't fool Zhang Ruochen's eyes.
Bai Qinger followed Zhang Ruochen into the courtyard, dispelled the concealment secret art, and removed her hood, revealing a stunningly beautiful, breathtaking face. Her eyes were very sharp as she scanned the surroundings, finding only Lu Yi standing nearby.
"Where is Yiman?" she asked.
Lu Yi said, "She left this afternoon. I am the only one serving here."
Chi Yao's transformation technique was actually very sophisticated. Zhang Ruochen, having refined the Heart of Truth and being close to her, could easily see through it. As long as there was no close contact, even a great god like Bai Huanghou probably couldn't see through her true form.
Bai Qinger was already perceptive enough, but her mind wasn't on Lu Yi, so she didn't see through Chi Yao's transformation technique. She said, "You must leave Xinghuantian immediately."
Her tone was even more forceful and resolute than Chi Yao's, giving an irresistible feeling.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Lu Yi and instead smiled. "Because of Qianmosang?"
A flicker of surprise passed through Bai Qinger's eyes. "Not just Qianmosang, but also Mo Jie."
"Who is Mo Jie?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Bai Qinger said, "One of the Twelve Spirit Gods of the Darkness Temple."
"I've already met two of the Twelve Spirit Gods. They were quite mediocre," Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qinger rolled her eyes. "You're wrong, and very much so. The Qingxuan Spirit God you met only became one of the Twelve Spirit Gods after Qu You's death, and he's ranked at the bottom. But Mo Jie ranks second among the Twelve Spirit Gods. His strength far surpasses Qingxuan Spirit God's by an immeasurable margin. You openly killed Taluo Divine General, causing the Darkness Temple to lose all face. Do you think Mo Jie will let you off when he comes?"
Zhang Ruochen's gaze darkened, and a cold aura surged from him. "I haven't even sought revenge against the Darkness Temple yet, and they've already set their sights on me. It seems this really is a fight to the death."
Bai Qinger said, "Even the Hall Master of the Darkness Temple has personally acted. It was always a fight to the death. But the Darkness Temple is a behemoth; you must avoid their sharp edge when necessary."
Lu Yi said, "The young lady is right. Lord Ruochen should leave immediately and not act on impulse. But the War God Mosang and Spirit God Mo Jie have probably already arrived outside Xinghuantian. How should we leave?"
Bai Qinger glanced at Lu Yi, somewhat displeased. When gods spoke, where was her place to interrupt?
Bai Qinger said, "Go to the ruins of the Xinghuan Heavenly Venerable's Temple, take the Space Teleportation Array, and temporarily take refuge on Xingtiantian."
Zhang Ruochen naturally wouldn't flee in panic just because of Qianmosang and Mo Jie. With his status as the Heavenly Mother's Divine Envoy, even if Qianmosang and Mo Jie had ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare kill him openly. As for covert attacks, they'd have to worry about being found out. So even if Qianmosang and Mo Jie wanted to kill him, they would have to choose the right place and time.
A voice sounded in Zhang Ruochen's mind: "Don't hesitate any longer. Take Qinger and leave Xinghuantian. I can only delay them for a moment more."
Zhang Ruochen walked out of the palace courtyard gate and looked around.
"What's wrong?" Bai Qinger asked.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head slightly, thinking to himself, "That must have been Bai Huanghou transmitting a message."
In an instant, he fully understood. For figures as important as Qianmosang and Mo Jie to come to Xinghuantian, their primary task should be to thoroughly investigate the relationship between the Goddess Twelve Pavilions and the Shang Clan. One represented the Destiny Temple, the other the Darkness Temple. Bai Huanghou was probably worried about the secret of the God-Defying Clan being exposed, which is why she wanted Zhang Ruochen to take Bai Qinger and flee.
Zhang Ruochen grabbed Bai Qinger's wrist. "You're coming with me."
Bai Qinger raised her head and stared into his eyes, surprised.
Lu Yi, standing behind, was very displeased but couldn't speak, only fuming inwardly.
Bai Qinger tried to break free from Zhang Ruochen's grip but couldn't. She sighed sadly, looked down at the rippling light on the lake, and said, "You should understand that I won't leave Xinghuantian at a time like this."
"Then I'll stay with you. Facing danger together is better than bearing it alone," Zhang Ruochen said.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's firm gaze and warm expression, which didn't seem like sweet talk, Bai Qinger's heart was stirred again. She said, "Zhang Ruochen, oh Zhang Ruochen, is it so easy for you to develop feelings for a woman?"
Zhang Ruochen turned around, gave an apologetic look to Lu Yi, and said to Bai Qinger, "I just want to do everything in my power to protect everyone I care about."
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen spotted a black shadow on a distant glazed pagoda behind Lu Yi. The shadow was extremely well-hidden. If it hadn't been for the shadow's gaze falling on Zhang Ruochen, triggering his senses, he wouldn't have noticed it at all. Even so, the shadow vanished in a flash, leaving no trace.
Zhang Ruochen's perception was very sharp, even surpassing that of great gods. He vaguely guessed who it was. "He hasn't left Xinghuantian yet? What could his purpose be?" He immediately averted his gaze, pretending not to have seen anything, but his mind was already devising countermeasures.
Bai Qinger didn't want to implicate Zhang Ruochen. "Alright, I'll leave with you. Follow me to the Space Teleportation Array."
"Wait a moment."
Zhang Ruochen extended five fingers, using his spiritual power to condense characters in the air. These characters formed a letter. Though the letter was initially intangible, it became solid when it fell into Zhang Ruochen's hand.
Zhang Ruochen handed the letter to Lu Yi. "When I was at the Great Saint realm, Second Uncle was very helpful to me, treating me like family. Leaving without a word would be too rude. Miss Lu Yi, please deliver this farewell letter to him."
Lu Yi took the envelope and stared at Zhang Ruochen with a questioning look, on the verge of losing her temper. What did you, Zhang Ruochen, mean by this? Did you want to elope with Bai Qinger and leave her behind in the Goddess Twelve Pavilions?
Zhang Ruochen, afraid that Chi Yao would directly swing her sword, quickly grabbed her hand holding the letter with both hands. "Thank you, Miss Lu Yi. I hope we meet again."
"Stop wasting time. Let's go."
Bai Qinger flew out first, and Zhang Ruochen followed closely.
Chi Yao suppressed her emotions, knowing that Zhang Ruochen wouldn't make such an unusual arrangement without reason. She looked at the letter in her hand and headed toward the palace courtyard where the Yama Clan cultivators were staying.
The Divine Maiden Tower of the World was vast, comprising twenty-one palace courtyards, brightly lit and bustling with activity. But few cultivators knew that there was a twenty-second palace courtyard within the Divine Maiden Tower of the World. This courtyard was very close to Bai Huanghou's Divine Maiden Palace. Passing through the Divine Cloud Battle Platform, one could reach its entrance. This twenty-second palace courtyard was the ruins of the Xinghuan Heavenly Venerable's Temple.
After passing through the Divine Cloud Battle Platform, the lights disappeared, and the sounds of instruments, laughter, and chatter gradually faded away.
Bai Qinger said, "The Xinghuan Heavenly Venerable's Temple is the greatest secret of Xinghuantian. Even the various pavilion masters of the Goddess Twelve Pavilions cannot approach it. I'm making an exception for you today."
"Be careful. We've entered the overlapping area between the Divine Maiden Tower of the World and the ruins of the Xinghuan Heavenly Venerable's Temple. The sky, ground, and underground are all covered with Heavenly Venerable divine patterns. If we trigger them, we might not escape unscathed."
She stopped. Ahead lay a boundless expanse of broken walls and ruins, desolate and ancient. The night was thick, and mysterious forces floated in the air, blocking vision, making it impossible to see the full extent of the Heavenly Venerable's Temple ruins. Only nearby could be seen mountain-like shattered divine statues, overturned bronze cauldrons, and scattered black-gold pillars...
Tendril-like old vines dragged through the rubble. Strange cries came from the darkness, capable of piercing the divine soul. All of this indicated that the ruins of the Heavenly Venerable's Temple were no safe place, harboring unknown dangers.
Although Zhang Ruochen was here for the first time, he could roughly discern the Heavenly Venerable divine patterns or ancient array patterns distributed in the space. This was a perception and observation ability that many great gods lacked. Only the combination of the Wuji Divine Dao and the Heart of Truth could achieve this.
Bai Qinger led Zhang Ruochen through a broken stone wall to a relatively flat area. The stone wall had collapsed in many places, with giant rocks scattered everywhere. Zhang Ruochen estimated that its original height must have exceeded a thousand zhang, like a mountain range, extremely majestic. After all, gods had enormous divine bodies; a thousand-zhang stone wall wasn't too tall. The Heavenly Venerable's Temple should have such a scale.
Bai Qinger said, "The Space Teleportation Array is right here. I'll make it appear."
Along the way, Zhang Ruochen didn't pay close attention to what Bai Qinger was saying. Instead, he focused all his attention on the black shadow hiding in the dark, carefully on guard.
Just as Bai Qinger was clearing the giant rocks on the ground, a patch of black demonic mist silently seeped into the broken stone wall, spreading toward her and Zhang Ruochen.