# Chapter 2967: Senior Sister
In the early morning, the sun had just risen, illuminating the earth.
A thick layer of snow covered the three-thousand stone steps.
The ancient Divine Terrace City sat atop the Cloud Mountain at the end of the steps, with red walls and white tiles, majestic and imposing.
Zhang Ruochen, Chi Kongle, and Mo Yin walked along the empty steps, leaving three trails of footprints as they entered the city. Xiao Hei had left the previous night to seek Tai Shang and did not travel with Zhang Ruochen and the others.
Although it was early morning, many shops in the city had already opened. Disciples of the Liangyi Sect, wearing white and blue Daoist robes, moved among them, purchasing pills and trading resources they had recently obtained.
Although the three had concealed their appearances with spiritual power, the intangible, vast aura about them still attracted the attention of many cultivators.
But everyone was already accustomed to such sights and were not overly surprised.
Ever since the Peach Tree had transformed into a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root, a thousand years had passed, and the Kunlun Realm had fully revived.
Coupled with the First Central Empire having activated the time-space treasure "Heaven Wheel Seal" left by Xumi Saint Monk, the Kunlun Realm now saw an endless stream of powerful figures emerging. From time to time, peerless prodigies would appear, or world-shaking figures would rise.
In this era, there were simply too many powerful beings!
Zhang Ruochen knew that Chi Kongle was deeply influenced by Xiu Chen Heavenly God's killing intent, making her half a Shura. Therefore, he deliberately brought her to the mortal world to experience the smoke of human life and the myriad forms of the mundane realm.
Zhang Ruochen spoke with a smile, "This Divine Terrace City was formed by the families of successive generations of Liangyi Sect disciples gathering together, gradually developing into a cultivation ancient city. Now, judging by its atmosphere, it is about to transform into a Saint City."
Chi Kongle said, "In the Hell Realm, Saint Cities are everywhere. When the city lords of those Saint Cities in the Blood Heaven Tribe see me, they have to bow and pay respects. This city isn't even a Saint City yet. I alone could destroy it."
When Chi Kongle was taken away from the Kunlun Realm by Wan Xin, a disciple of Xiu Chen Heavenly God, she was still very young. Now, her memories of the Kunlun Realm were already very vague.
She had spent most of her time in the Blood Heaven Tribe.
Zhang Ruochen was very patient and did not rush to change her. He still smiled, "Look, those wearing white Daoist robes are outer disciples. Those wearing blue Daoist robes are inner disciples."
"Back when I entered the Liangyi Sect to cultivate, outer disciples were at the Earth Extreme Realm. Most inner disciples were at the Heavenly Extreme Realm."
"Now, most outer disciples have reached the Heavenly Extreme Realm! Not only do inner disciples include Fish-Dragon Realm cultivators, but some have even reached the Half-Saint level."
"Over the years, the overall strength of the Kunlun Realm has increased by who knows how many times."
Zhang Ruochen's sigh was heartfelt, carrying an indescribable joy.
After all, back then, he had also contributed to protecting the Kunlun Realm.
The current prosperous scene was worth his extra attention.
As for how the world judged him, it didn't matter at all. He only acted with a clear conscience.
Mo Yin said, "Master, look at the city—it's hung with white silk and mourning banners. It seems the Liangyi Sect has lost some important figure."
"In this era, the fall of anyone is not surprising," Zhang Ruochen said.
Passing through Divine Terrace City, they walked slowly, as if sightseeing, along a tree-shaded path into the Liangyi Sect.
With Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation, the Liangyi Sect's formations could not stop him.
The Liangyi Sect had three palaces and seventy-two courtyards, with countless sacred mountains.
Zhang Ruochen first went to the Purple Cloud Sacred Mountain of the Longevity Courtyard. There, purple qi surged, sacred light shone for ten thousand zhang, and a thousand inner disciples practiced swordsmanship on the cliff facing the morning sun, full of youthful spirit and passionate struggle.
Then he went to the Pure Maiden Courtyard, where the young female disciples were all youthful and beautiful. Some were stunningly beautiful, earning the title of Fairy.
Next, he visited the Demon Suppression Courtyard, the Tranquil Courtyard...
Unfortunately, he walked through a thousand mountains but saw no old acquaintances.
Some had exhausted their lifespans and were buried in the mountains, leaving only a lonely tombstone. Others had died in conflicts, their bodies and bones gone.
On the path of cultivation, the one who remains is king.
Among ten trillion cultivators, it is difficult for even one to become a god. Most people ultimately die on this path.
Shangqing Palace was one of the three palaces of the Liangyi Sect, governing thirty-six sacred mountains.
Now, it could be called thirty-six Saint Mountains.
All the halls, cloud towers, stone gates, and martial buildings of Shangqing Palace were hung with white mourning banners. All disciples entering and exiting wore mourning clothes over their Daoist robes.
A steady stream of disciples came to offer incense.
On the square outside the palace stood a massive bronze cauldron, its surface rusted black, exuding an ancient charm. It was protected at the center by a formation that no cultivator could approach.
This cauldron was used for heaven worship and preserved the sword intents of successive generations of Saint Realm cultivators of the Liangyi Sect.
A thousand years ago, during the coronation ceremony of Saint Heir Disciples, this Heaven Worship Bronze Cauldron would be used. Every Saint Heir Disciple could enter the cauldron to seek opportunities in sword intent.
When Zhang Ruochen had been in the Heaven Worship Bronze Cauldron back then, he had found a peerless opportunity, fusing the sword intents of the three founders of the Liangyi Sect: Shangqing, Taiqing, and Yuqing.
Later, Zhang Ruochen's sword path had progressed so smoothly, breaking through time and again, and cultivating the Third-Rank Sword Dao Sacred Intent. It was hard to say that the Three Pure Ones' sword intents had not helped.
Now, having stepped into the Divine Realm, Zhang Ruochen stood once again beneath the Heaven Worship Bronze Cauldron, feeling an indescribable perception.
In his mind, for some reason, the image of seeing the Nine Cauldrons in the Abyss of Darkness surfaced.
The Nine Ancestors had cast the Nine Cauldrons.
He who obtains the Nine Cauldrons commands the world, and all clans obey.
The Nine Cauldrons could be called the number one divine artifact in the world.
Zhang Ruochen did not believe that this Heaven Worship Bronze Cauldron had any connection to the Nine Cauldrons, but perhaps it was simply his longing for the Nine Cauldrons that made him involuntarily associate any cauldron he saw with them.
"The shape of this cauldron is somewhat similar to one of the Nine Cauldrons."
Unconsciously, Zhang Ruochen walked through the formation, arrived beneath the cauldron, and reached out to touch it.
Even if it were similar, it would not be strange.
All the cauldrons in the world were extensions, imitations, and reproductions based on the form of the Nine Cauldrons.
"Who dares to break the formation and touch the Heaven Worship Bronze Cauldron?" an elder who had reached the Saint King Realm roared.
A sword light flew straight toward Zhang Ruochen in the formation.
Chi Kongle's eyes turned cold. She swung her sleeve, and a surge of fierce, heaven-defying energy shattered the sacred sword flying toward Zhang Ruochen into pieces.
Even the Saint King Realm elder was struck by the energy.
Just as his body was about to shatter, a blazing, yang-attributed flame river surged out from Shangqing Palace, wrapping around the Saint King Realm elder and pulling him onto the square.
"Boom!"
The hall struck by Chi Kongle's energy flashed with the light of its defensive formation, then collapsed with a thunderous roar.
"Swish! Swish!"
Breaking sounds rang out continuously, densely.
In an instant, saints gathered outside Shangqing Palace, all holding sacred swords, staring at the three people beneath the Heaven Worship Bronze Cauldron as if facing a great enemy.
A tall, strikingly beautiful woman walked out of Shangqing Palace, surrounded by the saints.
She wore a loose black Daoist robe, her long hair falling to the ground, tied with a ribbon, and a simple wooden hairpin stuck in her hair. Her skin was as white as frost and snow, her waist as slender as a willow. Though she had a beauty like a celestial being, her expression was extremely cold.
The flame river that had saved the Saint King Realm elder flew back into her palm and disappeared into her body.
Her starry eyes swept over Zhang Ruochen and the other two, finally settling on Chi Kongle. "You have such strong killing intent, not even concealing the Hell Realm aura on your body. Do you really think the Kunlun Realm has no one and you can act with impunity?"
"What? A Hell Realm cultivator?"
"How arrogant! Now that the Kunlun Realm has several gods sitting in it, a Hell Realm cultivator still dares to come and cause trouble?"
...
The surrounding Saint Realm cultivators of the Liangyi Sect were shocked, angry, and resentful.
Chi Kongle faced off against the black-robed woman, saying, "Your cultivation is not bad. Do you dare to fight me?"
The black-robed woman extended her delicate jade hands from her cloud sleeves, saying, "If you want to die, I'll send you on your way."
The two women were about to clash.
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his gaze from the Heaven Worship Bronze Cauldron, clasped his hands behind his back, turned, and looked at the black-robed woman with a smile. "Senior Sister, my daughter has an aggressive temperament. If she has offended you in any way, please forgive her."
Walking out of the formation, Zhang Ruochen passed Chi Kongle and Mo Yin and stood opposite the black-robed woman. The spiritual power shrouding his body dissipated somewhat.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's face clearly, the black-robed woman's delicate brows furrowed slightly, and she complained, "I was wondering which Hell Realm cultivator would dare to cause trouble in the Kunlun Realm. So it's you!"
"Isn't it me?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Looking at Gai Tianjiao's current appearance, Zhang Ruochen was also extremely shocked.
No matter how he looked at her, where was her former fierce and mighty image?
She was simply a peerless beauty with endless charm. The black Daoist robe added a touch of mystery.
But recalling her former appearance and comparing it to her current beauty, Zhang Ruochen found it hard to look directly at her. He had to look away.
"Everyone, withdraw!" Gai Tianjiao said.
"Yes, Sect Leader."
Although the saints did not know who the visitor was, with the Sect Leader here, they dared not act rashly and retreated one after another.
Gai Tianjiao stepped forward and said, "This is Kongle? I completely didn't recognize her. Her temperament and personality have undergone earth-shattering changes."
"And isn't Senior Sister the same?" Zhang Ruochen said in a half-joking tone.
Gai Tianjiao said, "You know, the reason I looked like that back then was because I was ambushed, and the yang energy in my body was out of balance."
"Didn't you say you didn't care about your appearance at all? Why have you restored it now?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Back then, the Liangyi Sect had four great beauties.
Gai Tianjiao ranked first, even more beautiful than Han Qiu and Qi Feiyu.
Gai Tianjiao snorted lightly, "Do you think restoring my appearance is that easy? If I relied on transformation techniques, being seen through would only invite ridicule."
She paused, then said, "There are some secrets I really don't want to reveal."
"Everyone has their own secrets. If you don't want to say, then don't," Zhang Ruochen said.
Gai Tianjiao said, "But with you, I want to say it. Perhaps you can give me some clues to find that detestable strange person."
"What strange person?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Gai Tianjiao said, "It's embarrassing to say, but I was once captured by a strange person who forcibly fed me medicine. After three months, my appearance was restored, and my cultivation greatly improved. I don't know whether this is a great shame or an unexpected great fortune!"
"Did this happen in the Kunlun Realm?"
"Yes."
"Not many people could capture Senior Sister. Could it be that the other party was a god?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Gai Tianjiao said, "Aside from gods, I believe no cultivator could have made me so embarrassed and miserable. Those three months were the darkest period of my life. I tried to die many times but failed!"
"Why does Senior Sister think I can provide you with clues?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Gai Tianjiao stared intently at Zhang Ruochen, saying, "Every time that strange person fed me medicine, he would mutter, 'What a disgrace to the family! The Zhang clan is shamed. How could a descendant have such heavy tastes?'"
Zhang Ruochen forced himself to stay calm, but he already understood who Gai Tianjiao was talking about.
It was all his fault.
If he had known that old immortal took the matter of continuing the family line so seriously, he would never have mentioned Gai Tianjiao's name.
Zhang Ruochen pretended to be deep in thought, muttering, "The Zhang clan... the Zhang clan... It's really hard to guess. After all, there are many Zhang cultivators in the Kunlun Realm, and the other party might not even be from the Kunlun Realm."
"Senior Sister, don't overthink it. This is ultimately a good thing."
"If that strange person appears again, go report it to the gods. There will always be a god who can stop his evil deeds. I firmly believe that those who do many unjust things will bring about their own destruction. Such people will eventually be punished by heaven."
(Chapter End)