Chapter 2951: Luo Sha Enters the City
Zhang Ruochen once again walked into the depths of the Heavenly Maiden Divine Pavilion, to the ruins of the Heavenly Venerable Divine Temple. The place had changed dramatically. Among the broken walls and collapsed beams, spiritual flowers and exotic herbs grew abundantly, their leaves sparkling like emerald, their petals vibrant and colorful, exuding a faint, fragrant scent.
On the thousand-zhang-high stone walls, white mist flowed, divine light flickered faintly, and the murals seemed alive.
It was still dilapidated and still filled with countless unknown dangers, but it now possessed much more life energy.
It could be predicted that this place would eventually evolve into a sacred land of divine soil, restoring the glory of the Heavenly Venerable Divine Temple.
All of this should be related to the awakening of the World Spirit!
Zhang Ruochen walked forward, arriving below the Heavenly Venerable Bright Moon Platform.
The Nether Flower Pavilion Master, Yu Qiancheng, and the Snow Domain Pavilion Master, Liu Qingcheng, were leading a group of Great Saints and Saint Kings, clearing the surrounding environment and repairing the damaged parts of the Bright Moon Platform.
"Greetings, Realm Lord!"
Seeing Zhang Ruochen, the women showed great respect and stepped forward one after another to pay their respects.
Yu Qiancheng's snow-white skin was faintly visible beneath her black lace as she walked over, but she deliberately restrained her seductive aura. "Realm Lord, we have received the divine oracle from Divine Master Yuyan. From now on, you can command all cultivators of Xinghuantian, including the pavilion masters of the Goddess Twelve Pavilions."
"The Divine Temple ruins are vast and boundless, filled with dangers. You must all be careful," Zhang Ruochen said.
Yu Qiancheng replied, "Before going into seclusion to heal her injuries, the Divine Master had already cleared the area from the Heavenly Maiden Divine Pavilion to the Heavenly Venerable Bright Moon Platform and set up a divine formation. For now, there is no need to worry about safety."
Zhang Ruochen took out a Eon-level sacred medicine that was beneficial for healing injuries—a White Turtle Mystic Herb—and handed it to her. "You are also seriously injured. Don't neglect your cultivation."
"Thank you, Realm Lord."
Unable to hide her joy, Yu Qiancheng gracefully bowed to Zhang Ruochen.
This White Turtle Mystic Herb had at least five eons' worth of medicinal power, making it extremely rare and precious even for gods.
She knew that her earlier initiative to befriend Zhang Ruochen, learn music from him, and help him deliver messages had, in an intangible way, brought her closer to Zhang Ruochen than the other gods of the Goddess Twelve Pavilions. This would bring endless benefits to her future rise in status among the gods of Xinghuantian.
Liu Qingcheng, also a pavilion master, watched this scene, feeling a certain envy in her heart.
When there were external enemies, they could indeed join forces to fight together. But when there were no external enemies, the competition between the pavilion masters often outweighed cooperation.
Zhang Ruochen ascended the Heavenly Venerable Bright Moon Platform, each step feeling like climbing into the vast nine heavens.
Amidst the ethereal clouds and mist, he saw Bai Qinger sitting alone in the void, cross-legged. Her black hair hung down into the void, splitting into countless beautiful figures as she repaired the formation inscriptions.
The Heavenly Venerable Bright Moon Platform, as if carved from white jade, towered above the clouds.
From above, one could observe the starry sky of the Thousand Star String.
Below was a boundless sea of white clouds, stretching endlessly.
At the center of the Heavenly Venerable Bright Moon Platform was a circular groove. The bracelet that had once been worn on Bai Qinger's wrist was now embedded there, emitting dazzling specks of starlight.
Zhang Ruochen looked up at the starry sky and thought to himself, "So the Heavenly Venerable World is that unfamiliar starry sky we saw underground. Only by placing your bracelet on the Heavenly Venerable Bright Moon Platform can it be activated and merged with the Thousand Star Xinghuantian Formation. With this formation guarding us, even a God Venerable would find it impossible to break into Xinghuantian."
He had thought that such a heavy blow would be enough to make Bai Qinger despondent.
But at this moment, she showed no signs of sadness or pain.
The more she acted this way, the more worried Zhang Ruochen became. "I have already agreed to Divine Master Yuyan to be the Realm Lord of Xinghuantian and help you handle everything that comes next."
Bai Qinger opened her eyes, and countless doppelgangers returned to her main body. "You are the Realm Lord. At most, I am just the City Lord of the Heavenly Maiden Divine City. It should be me helping you."
"Do you care about that?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Bai Qinger replied, "You know I have always been strong-willed and dislike being under anyone's command."
"Once I finish dealing with the Thirteen Realm Army and the gods of the Hell Realm, I will hand the position of Realm Lord over to you," Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qinger showed no hint of joy. Her bare feet stepped on the void, creating ripples of light as she landed on the ground. "Not liking being under someone's command doesn't necessarily mean being above them. Zhang Ruochen, to be honest, when I first truly met you in the Ice King Star's Jifeng Saint Mansion, I never imagined our relationship would develop to this point."
Zhang Ruochen said, "I will also be honest. Back then, you were ruthless in your actions, strange and extraordinary, and truly so domineering that it was suffocating."
"But the fate between people is truly wonderful."
After saying this, Bai Qinger stared at Zhang Ruochen for a long time before continuing, "I won't fight you for the position of Realm Lord, but you must give me the title of Realm Lord's wife. I don't want to end up like my mother, having nothing even at the moment of death, leaving behind only a reputation of beauty that the world mocks. I don't want the man I love to be the next Duotian Divine Emperor, or the next Huangtian."
By the end, her voice was no longer calm and indifferent. Her eyes reddened, and she turned her face away.
Clearly, she had already learned many truths.
Zhang Ruochen could feel the pain in her heart. He walked over, opened his arms, and pulled her slender, soft body into his embrace, breathing in the faint fragrance from her hair.
Bai Qinger did not resist. She closed her eyes, leaving only two rows of long eyelashes, as if enjoying this broad and gentle embrace. It felt like being in her mother's womb—safe, comfortable, and warm.
The wind blew her white sleeves, and the starry river shone brightly. They looked like a pair of celestial lovers standing on the cloud platform.
"Zhang Ruochen, will you look down on me? Do you think I would stoop to any means to achieve my goals?" Suddenly, she spoke softly.
Zhang Ruochen knew what she was referring to.
Given her indifferent attitude toward everything in the world, her strong-willed and bold personality, asking such a question full of insecurity was clearly because she had experienced great joy and sorrow in life, and her state of mind was at a low point.
Also, because she had truly developed feelings for Zhang Ruochen, she cared about his opinion.
Zhang Ruochen did not want to continue this depressing mood. He smiled and said, "As long as you don't stoop to any means against me, that's fine."
Bai Qinger clenched her fist and struck his chest heavily, then pushed him away, gathering her emotions. "I want to give you the position of the First Divine Maiden City Lord as well."
"Why?" Zhang Ruochen was puzzled.
Bai Qinger's eyes turned sharp, revealing her edge. "I want to focus on cultivation and not be delayed by mundane affairs. Otherwise, when will I ever catch up to Xuanyi?"
There was another point she did not mention.
The Goddess Twelve Pavilions was, after all, a place of romance. Although Bai Huanghou was renowned for her power and beauty, when cultivators mentioned her name, there was no trace of reverence—only lust for her beauty and boundless desire.
This had even turned Huangtian into a laughingstock for countless people.
She did not want Zhang Ruochen to suffer the same ridicule and criticism because of her.
Zhang Ruochen nodded gently. "For us, cultivation is indeed the top priority. I will select suitable people to handle the mundane affairs of the Goddess Twelve Pavilions and Xinghuantian."
Bai Qinger said, "The Sundial can currently only support one god in cultivation?"
"That's the case now. It was severely damaged a hundred thousand years ago and hasn't fully recovered yet," Zhang Ruochen said.
Bai Qinger replied, "Once things in Xinghuantian are completely stable, I will take you to meet someone. He might be able to repair the Sundial. Then, we can activate the Sundial and cultivate together, and our cultivation will advance by leaps and bounds. Catching up to Xuanyi will be within reach."
"That would be excellent."
Zhang Ruochen had also been thinking about going into seclusion to cultivate. After a moment's thought, he took out a box and handed it to Bai Qinger. "The Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze. A gift for you."
Bai Qinger glanced at the box and then looked away. "It's useless now."
"Someone once told me that when giving a gift to a woman, a treasure robe is the best choice. Consider this as a betrothal gift for marrying you," Zhang Ruochen said.
"If it's a betrothal gift, it's a bit lacking."
Bai Qinger accepted the box, looked at the Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze inside, and then returned the box to Zhang Ruochen. "Give it to me on the day you decide to marry me. I want the world to know how much I mean to you, Zhang Ruochen."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's heart began to ache.
This was a trap!
After all, the women he had promised to marry were not limited to Bai Qinger alone. Where would he find betrothal gifts as precious as the Heavenly Venerable Treasure Gauze?
Every woman had a competitive heart.
And clever women were not limited to Bai Qinger alone.
Soon, Zhang Ruochen met the second one in the Heavenly Maiden Divine Pavilion.
Luo Sha entered the Divine Maiden City together with the Rakshasa Clan's ancient god, Yuying. As soon as she saw Zhang Ruochen, she spoke without any courtesy. "One million! Realm Lord, give me one million sacred meals, and I will convince my father to lead the Rakshasa Clan's gods away."
Sacred meals, of course, referred to the Heavenly Court's sacred realm army.
Zhang Ruochen said, "You just entered the city and already know I've become the Realm Lord. It seems the Tianluo Divine Kingdom has also placed people in Xinghuantian."
Luo Sha was very direct. "Are you going to agree or not?"
"If I hand over one million sacred realm cultivators from the various Heavenly Court realms to your Rakshasa Clan, Xinghuantian will surely face frenzied retaliation," Zhang Ruochen said.
Luo Sha held a staff, her light green divine robe flowing like water-silk satin, trailing far behind her. She walked straight to the highest seat in the Divine Maiden Palace and sat down. With her silver-white crystal crown, she looked noble and elegant, as if she were the master of Xinghuantian.
She stared at Zhang Ruochen and asked seriously, "Are you just a puppet Realm Lord? If you can't make the decision, call Bai Qinger out. This princess will negotiate with her."
The Heavenly Court's Thirteen Realm army had only a few tens of millions of sacred realm cultivators in total.
If they really gave one million to the Rakshasa Clan as sacred meals, it would be a miracle if Xinghuantian wasn't destroyed. Did they really think that having the Thousand Star Xinghuantian Formation meant they could do whatever they wanted?
"The number you're asking for is too large. I still want to be the Realm Lord for a few more years," Zhang Ruochen said.
Luo Sha said, "You should understand that if the Rakshasa Clan's gods hadn't arrived, how could the Heavenly Court's gods have retreated? But mobilizing gods requires giving them enough benefits, doesn't it? One million sacred meals isn't too much! Where's Bai Qinger? Let her come out. She's the future master of the Goddess Twelve Pavilions and Xinghuantian. Hiding behind a man—what kind of skill is that?"