Chapter 2948: A Drawn Game
On Star Heaven Cliff, gusts of cold wind swept through, with chaotic energy flowing rapidly within the wind.
"The World Spirit of Xinghuantian has awakened. All things grow, and the formation merges with the realm into one. This is a true Heavenly Venerable realm-protecting divine formation!" the old woodcutter said, trembling with excitement.
Zhao Gongming no longer had the mood to toy with his copper coins and couldn't help but sigh, "So this is the means left behind by the Xinghuan Heavenly Venerable? In this battle, the Heavenly Court has ultimately lost!"
At the other shore of Sea Stone Star Harbor.
That peerless figure, who had been sitting on the ground, now stood up, surrounded by a celestial radiance of heaven and earth. Each strand of that radiance contained the power to destroy an entire world, capable of destabilizing the void and devouring both light and darkness.
He let out a long sigh, a sound filled with the loneliness and desolation that traversed past and present.
The starry sky for trillions of miles around flickered between brightness and darkness because of that single sigh.
Within the same star domain, Luo Yan, the Undying Blood Clan Patriarch, the Death God Venerable... all the great figures of the Hell Realm sensed this aura that shook their minds and spirits, and they were all moved.
Then, as if by prior agreement, they all set off at the same time to rush over.
"In this game of chess, I have lost!"
The peerless figure was magnanimous, his voice crossing countless trillions of miles to reach Star Heaven Cliff. Zhao Gongming and the old woodcutter could both hear it.
His tone contained no loneliness or desolation, only calm and indifference.
The old woodcutter finally saw his figure, but could only see a patch of radiant light, as brilliant as a nebula.
Zhao Gongming also finally saw the Starry Sea Angler sitting not far away, and his heart tightened as he deeply realized how far he still had to go in the world of spiritual power.
The Starry Sea Angler's voice was vast and ethereal, saying, "What victory or defeat is there? Look, you and I have both lost so many pieces. How about we call it a draw?"
"Very well, let it be a draw!"
That peerless figure said, "Tell Old Nine, whether he believes it or not, about the matter of the God-Defying Clan... forget it, no need to say it! Tell him I am sorry about this matter, and that's enough. Farewell."
He waved his hand, and a wide, bright path of light appeared beneath his feet. He stepped onto it with a carefree air and vanished into the depths of the universe in an instant.
"I'm leaving too. See you again another day, and I hope there will be no more times of enmity."
Zhao Gongming flipped onto the back of a black tiger mount, holding his copper coin sword, and galloped through the starry sky with a domineering and imposing presence. Even with his abilities, he dared not cross Sea Stone Star Harbor directly and instead took a detour to Xinghuantian.
As he passed by Xinghuantian, he swung his sword in a single strike through the void.
That sword strike was unparalleled, cleaving through time and space, and cutting a rift in the not-yet-fully-awakened Thousand Star Xinghuan Formation. Outside Divine Maiden City, a black crack thousands of feet long appeared in the space.
Xuan Yi glanced at the sky and said, "The tide has turned against us. Everyone, withdraw from Xinghuantian immediately."
Mandala Flower God said, "If we leave, what about the sacred army of the Thirteen Realms?"
"Don't worry. Since the Heavenly Venerable didn't make a move, it means this place won't become another starry battlefield. And if Xinghuantian doesn't want to become a starry battlefield, they won't dare to make an example of the Thirteen Realms' sacred army."
Jia Tianxia stared deeply at Zhang Ruochen, his eyes filled with coldness. Then, turning into a bolt of lightning, he was the first to enter the spatial rift.
"Heavenly Mother cannot protect you forever. You will definitely die by my hand." The voice drifted out from the spatial rift.
The gods of the Heavenly Court all entered the spatial rift, leaving only Xuan Yi standing alone in front of the rift to cover the retreat. His eyes were fixed on Zhang Ruochen, and also on the Hell Realm gods beyond the sky, his aura cold and sharp.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze fell on the severely injured Ming Jian God, who was flying toward the spatial rift.
"Leave the Heavenly Venerable's Gauze behind!"
As he shouted this, Zhang Ruochen had already transformed into a beam of divine light, rushing in front of Ming Jian God to intercept him, and struck down with his divine sword.
Ming Jian God also slashed out with his sword.
"Boom!"
The two swords clashed.
Ming Jian God could not withstand such immense force, and his body plummeted rapidly toward the ground.
Under Zhang Ruochen's control of his divine energy, the God-Defying Stele flew up from the ground and slammed into him.
"Pfft!"
Ming Jian God's protective divine light and divine realm world could not block it. His body was struck again, with the sound of bones breaking, and he was sent flying backward.
Zhang Ruochen reached out and snatched the Heavenly Venerable's Gauze from Ming Jian God's body.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to also take the Mingjun Sword, a sense of crisis that made his hair stand on end spread over him, sending a chill down his spine. Forced to act, he grabbed the God-Defying Stele and, using all his strength, swung it behind him.
The stele's inscriptions were fully activated, emitting a dark light, causing time and space to become chaotic and the rules of heaven and earth to shatter continuously.
Xuan Yi first grabbed Ming Jian God and threw him into the spatial rift, then pressed out a palm with his bare hand, colliding with the God-Defying Stele.
"Boom!"
The God-Defying Stele flew back, and Zhang Ruochen, as if struck by a divine mountain, retreated dozens of miles before stabilizing himself.
Xuan Yi flew backward, blood light flickering on his palm, but he landed steadily on the ground beneath the spatial rift. As he retreated, he said, "The identity of the Heavenly Mother's envoy is useful, but in the end, it is not your own power. I hope you can live long enough to fight me with your own strength one day."
As Xuan Yi retreated into the spatial rift, the rift closed and disappeared.
Outside Divine Maiden City, heaven and earth were in chaos, with scorched earth stretching for millions of miles.
Everywhere were shattered spaces, cracked canyons, rivers of golden magma, and rising black smoke. No life could be seen—a scene of doomsday.
The canyons were filled with terrifying remnants of divine power like lightning and sword energy, and the golden rivers contained divine flames that could burn false gods to death.
The wounds left by the divine war would likely take ten thousand years to heal.
But finally, it had calmed down.
Zhang Ruochen felt the divine power within him receding, and he felt no nostalgia or greed. Instead, there was a sense of relief, along with infinite anticipation for the future.
"Thank you, Heavenly Mother!"
Zhang Ruochen bowed deeply toward the starry sky in the direction of the Abyss of Darkness.
The Heavenly Mother, standing above the Abyss of Darkness, nodded gently and said, "This time, I helped you both to assist you and to repay a debt of gratitude to the Holy Clan from the past. The dangers on your future cultivation path will still have to be faced by yourself."
She took one last look at the starry sky, filled with infinite light and countless lives, with a hint of reluctance. Then, her figure sank, and she descended back into the Abyss of Darkness.
The Earthly Mother, who had rushed to the Abyss of Darkness at top speed, ultimately failed to see her. She only saw Wu Qingzong standing on a star at the edge of the Abyss of Darkness.
"Does she not even want to see me?" the Earthly Mother said, her voice aged and trembling, tears in her eyes.
Wu Qingzong said, "It was already difficult for her to leave the Ancient Desolate Ruins City. The chaos of the strange beasts is entirely suppressed by her alone, and she cannot stay away for long. She asked me to bring you a message."
"What message?"
"The chaos has already arrived. Take good care of Luozu Cloud Mountain Realm. The demonic path will surely flourish again, and the darkness will eventually pass." Wu Qingzong said.
The Thousand Star Xinghuan Formation fully manifested. Spiritual veins, sacred veins, and divine veins all surged with thick gaseous radiance. The mountains became more beautiful, the rivers clearer, and the soil more spiritual.
On the canyons that had been refined by divine flames, tender green spirit plants began to grow.
These spirit plants absorbed the remnants of divine energy in the canyons, becoming crystal clear and sprouting flame-like patterns.
The dark clouds dispersed, revealing sunlight and a sky as blue as washed sapphire.
The cultivators of the entire Divine Maiden City climbed up from the ground, running through the streets, shouting joyfully.
"The gods of the Heavenly Court have retreated!"
"Zhang Ruochen has won! We have won! It's all over!"
"The divine might has dissipated. It no longer presses us to the ground, making it hard to breathe. A breath of fresh air has never been so precious."
...
In the Divine Maiden Pavilion of the world, the women who had been sorrowfully expecting the sky to fall and the earth to collapse walked out of their pavilions, leaning on the railings to gaze into the distance outside the city. Tears of joy fell from their beautiful faces.
Some cultivators rushed onto the city walls, shouting Zhang Ruochen's name excitedly.
Zhang Ruochen looked back and couldn't help but reveal a brilliant smile. Something different seemed to have grown in his heart.
If the Heavenly Court army had not targeted Bai Qinger, if Yu Yao had not helped him, if the Heavenly Court army had shown more respect for the lives of this world, perhaps Zhang Ruochen would never have fought so desperately.
But there were no "ifs." He was here, his eyes could see, his ears could hear, and his heart was moved.
Seeing the joyful cultivators in the city, the scenes of old people and children embracing, a man tossing his daughter into the air in celebration, a blood-stained dog walking down the street... it all seemed worth it.
While the entire Divine Maiden City and all of Xinghuantian were boiling with joy, the sacred army of the Heavenly Court was shrouded in gloom.
Although they had controlled thousands of kingdoms and held the lives of countless humans in their hands, with the full awakening of the Thousand Star Xinghuan Formation, no one knew how many sacred cultivators had been suppressed beneath the formation.
The gods had left, and they would be like abandoned pawns, waiting in fear for an unknown judgment.
A demigod from the Sword God Realm remained quite calm, saying, "Everyone, don't panic. Xinghuantian cannot do anything to us, or their own doom will not be far off."
"That may be true, but the gods of the Hell Realm are still outside the realm!" a Great Saint said, worried.
Another Great Saint snorted coldly, "Xinghuantian indeed does not dare to kill all of us. But those who committed slaughter in Xinghuantian—how could they be let off? After a purge, who knows how many will be judged. The defeated want to walk away unscathed? Hmph, everyone better not hold onto any illusions."
"It's all Zhang Ruochen's fault. If not for him, how could the Heavenly Court have failed this time?"
"You better not mention his name. Do you think he can't hear your voice? With Ruochen Sword God's current cultivation, the moment you call his name, he will surely sense it, and his spiritual power thoughts have probably already locked onto you." A Great Saint from the Thousand Stamen Realm of the demon clan said.
A Great Saint from the Eastern Universe said, "A great traitor of an epoch can be called Ruochen Sword God. Everyone knows that your Thousand Stamen Realm has a special relationship with Zhang Ruochen, but is there really a need to flatter him like this?"
"As long as it can protect the cultivators of the Thousand Stamen Realm, I, this Saint, do not mind going to Zhang Ruochen's door to beg him."
The Great Saint who said this was Ji Fanxin's senior sister, Dan Ling Wang.
Of course, now she should be called Dan Ling Huang.
"Hua!"
Divine punishment descended. A sword light fell from the sky, piercing through that Great Saint from the Eastern Universe.
On the ground, only a pool of blood and flesh remained.
Vaguely, a majestic voice echoed through heaven and earth: "Those who disrespect the gods shall be slain!"
All the saints present felt a bone-chilling cold and trembled in fear.
They truly realized that the Zhang Ruochen of today was no longer the sacred cultivator who could be casually insulted.
Moreover, they were now in the same realm, right under Zhang Ruochen's nose.