Chapter 2970: Red Dust
Haitang Popo smiled and said, "I am merely an artifact spirit; how would I know about matters at their level? Most of what I told you earlier are rumors passed down by later cultivators, along with some speculations I made after my own investigations. Take it as idle chatter and listen as you please."
With that, she flew down from the peak of the sword mountain and said, "Red Dust, there's no need to continue fighting. You cannot defeat him."
The woman in red, called "Red Dust," was panting heavily, her sacred qi completely depleted. She sheathed her sword and stood firm, yet still maintained an arrogant demeanor, refusing to show any sign of weakness.
Zhang Ruochen's true body descended and merged with his doppelganger.
"Grandmother, who exactly is he?" Zhang Hongchen asked.
Haitang Popo glanced at Zhang Ruochen and said, "You tell her yourself."
Haitang Popo left the seventh floor of the Sword Pavilion.
Zhang Ruochen looked at the woman before him, now graceful and poised, as if seeing Ling Feiyu standing in the snow in her red attire from days past. Back then, Ling Feiyu was like a half-master to him, teaching him the way of the sword in the snow.
Perhaps influenced by Zhang Ruochen's thoughts, the world within the seventh floor of the tower actually began to snow heavily, with goose-feather flakes drifting down, bringing a biting chill.
A single thought could influence the weather.
Zhang Ruochen reached into the void, and the jade sword that had been in Zhang Hongchen's hand appeared in his own.
He held the sword in his right hand and stroked its blade with his left.
With a gentle flick of his finger—
"Crack!"
The jade sword shattered inch by inch, scattering to the ground.
Zhang Hongchen was both shocked and angered. "What are you doing? Who exactly are you?"
To shatter a monarch-level sacred artifact with a single finger flick, this person was clearly no ordinary Great Saint.
"A sword of such low grade, how could it be worthy of a sword prodigy like you?"
Zhang Ruochen drew a vertical line with his finger, tearing open the spatial barrier of the "Sixth Patriarch's Zen Diagram" and creating a spatial gate. "I also have a sword mountain here, filled with countless famous swords and unparalleled opportunities. Dare you enter the mountain and give it a try?"
Zhang Hongchen looked at the spatial gate before her, seeing a vast, hazy expanse within, with intense fluctuations of sword intent.
Faintly, she could see an ancient mountain standing inside, covered with all kinds of swords.
"Why wouldn't I dare?"
Zhang Hongchen took a step forward, then paused, leaving a harsh remark: "If I can't find a satisfactory sword in that mountain, you'd better compensate me with a monarch-level sacred artifact war sword. Otherwise, no matter who you are, you will pay the price for destroying my sword."
"Whoosh!"
Like a red leaf, she dashed into the spatial gate.
Zhang Ruochen smiled, sat down on the ground, and took out a tortoise shell the size of a washbasin.
The shell was engraved with ancient characters and strange patterns.
It was the secret manual of the Liangyi Sect, the "Taiji Innate Art."
"Without yang, yin cannot be born; without yin, yang cannot transform."
Zhang Ruochen recited the first line of the "Taiji Innate Art" general outline, then used his spiritual power to decode the ancient text and ponder it deeply.
"When heaven and earth first opened, chaos was formless—this is the Wuji. Clear qi rose to form the heavens, and turbid qi sank to form the earth. Heaven is yang, earth is yin."
"Wuji gives birth to Taiji, and Taiji gives birth to Liangyi."
"Liangyi is yin and yang, heaven and earth, xuan and huang, qian and kun, spring and autumn—all that is unchanging and changing in the world. Change is yin, unchanging is yang."
...
Zhang Ruochen studied carefully, finding that his Wuji Divine Dao had many similarities with the Daoist path of cultivation.
According to Daoist understanding, Wuji is emptiness, Taiji is a circle, and Liangyi is black and white, aligning with the process of heaven and earth's evolution.
All things in the world have yin and yang aspects.
Heaven is yang, earth is yin.
Substance is yang, emptiness is yin.
Light is yang, darkness is yin.
Thunder and lightning are yang, rain and snow are yin.
After some contemplation, it resolved countless doubts in Zhang Ruochen's mind. He understood that no dao exists without attributes; all have yin and yang.
The Way of Truth is yang.
The Way of Nothingness is yin.
The Way of Origin, unchanging, is yang.
As he continued reading, his insights grew, and the Taiji circle automatically manifested, revolving around his body.
Within the Taiji, tens of thousands of dao rules, chaotic and disorderly, shuttled back and forth, evolving into a nascent universe.
Yang-attribute dao rose upward.
Yin-attribute dao sank downward.
But tens of thousands of daos had not only yin and yang attributes but also others, making it nearly impossible to achieve yin-yang balance. As soon as heaven and earth formed, they collapsed with a roar.
Zhang Ruochen, sitting between heaven and earth, suffered backlash and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Indeed, it's not that simple. Knowing yin and yang doesn't mean one can unify them and evolve Liangyi."
Holding the tortoise shell, he continued to observe.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Ruochen opened his eyes again to find a white figure beside him.
Chi Yao, dressed in white, was spotless, like a pear blossom standing in the wind and snow. "How is it? Has studying the 'Taiji Innate Art' elevated your cultivation to the next level?"
Zhang Ruochen was not surprised by her presence. "I've gained some insights, but the 'Taiji Innate Art' should only be a partial remnant of the 'Innate Dao Method,' mainly recording martial cultivation rather than dao comprehension."
"After prolonged study, one's heart gradually becomes sharp, boiling, and filled with battle intent. But what I need now is not that—it's the ability to calm the mind, to borrow the insights of the ancients and comprehend something of my own."
"The 'Taiji Innate Art' is no longer useful to me."
Chi Yao said, "It seems you've encountered some problems in your cultivation, which is why you had to return to the Kunlun Realm."
Zhang Ruochen caught the underlying meaning, stood up, and said, "There are too many people and matters in the Kunlun Realm that I care about. I was bound to return eventually."
Chi Yao's aura was vast and sharp as she gazed into the distance. "The 'Innate Dao Method' is one of the six great wonders of the Kunlun Realm, but it became incomplete after the catastrophe of the Taiji Dao in ancient times. Apart from the main altar of the Taiji Dao, the Liangyi Sect, Sixiang Sect, and Bagua Sect each hold partial remnants. If you want, I can borrow all the remnants for you."
Zhang Ruochen said, "It's inconvenient for me to reveal my identity. It would be best if you handle it."
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh..."
Though Chi Yao remained on the seventh floor of the Sword Pavilion, three divine thoughts condensed and flew like meteors toward three directions of the Kunlun Realm.
With her current cultivation, status, and influence in the Kunlun Realm, the Dao Lord of the Taiji Dao and the leaders of the Sixiang and Bagua Sects would naturally send the texts upon receiving her divine thoughts, without her needing to fetch them personally.
Chi Yao noticed the spatial gate behind Zhang Ruochen. "Hongchen has exceptional talent; her future achievements will be remarkable. If you return to the Kunlun Realm, I will treat her mother and her as family. Whether Ling Feiyu can survive the divine tribulation or not, I will regard Hongchen as my own daughter."
"I'm not forcing you to return to the Kunlun Realm now."
"I know that the Ming Emperor is still imprisoned in the Destiny Temple, and you have your own helplessness. I'm just afraid that when you marry the Rakshasa Princess or Bai Qinger in the future, you might forget that there is still a home in the Kunlun Realm."
Who says the sentimental are only troubled by the heartless?
The sentimental have far more troubles than this.
Zhang Ruochen knew that his current troubles were all of his own making, and he could blame no one. He only regretted that he hadn't cultivated the "Three Corpses Dao," which would have allowed him to have three Zhang Ruochens.
One in the Kunlun Realm, one in the Hell Realm, and one in Xinghuantian.
But even that might not be enough...
Seeing Zhang Ruochen silent, Chi Yao realized she had lost control of her emotions again. A hint of softness appeared on her cold face. "Before coming, Kunlun said that this time, the family could finally reunite. The separation between the Heavenly Court and Hell is too vast, and the starry sky is too wide for gods to cross easily. It's not easy to return once. How about bringing Kongle and Hongchen, and we have a proper family reunion?"
Zhang Ruochen looked at her picturesque face, hardly believing she was the mother of two children. He smiled. "Since I've returned to the Kunlun Realm, a family reunion is only natural."
Chi Yao said, "Before coming, I visited the northern cliff of the Book Mountain and saw Danqing. Let's celebrate the New Year together this year."
Zhang Ruochen's heart trembled slightly, feeling that Chi Yao's words carried deeper meaning. What exactly was she trying to do?
"Oh, and there's one more important matter I want to tell you."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "What important matter?"
"The Divine Ancient Nest is about to emerge!" Chi Yao's face was filled with gravity and seriousness.
The Divine Ancient Nest was one of the five prehistoric civilizations in the universe. Zangjin Baihu and the Swastika Azure Dragon were prehistoric divine seeds that Fengdu Dadi had excavated from the Divine Ancient Nest.
Legend had it that within the Divine Ancient Nest, there were beings capable of conversing with Fengdu Dadi.
The Divine Ancient Nest had never participated in the conflict between the Heavenly Court and Hell, and its emergence at this critical juncture undoubtedly added countless variables to the battle situation in the world.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to ask further, Zhang Hongchen withdrew from the sword mountain, her face brimming with excitement as she flew out of the spatial gate and landed gracefully.
Around her, nine swords circled.
Each sword was different—one was made of ancient jade, bladeless like a ruler; another was shaped like a blade of grass, thin as paper; one blazed with flame, like a ball of light.
She had taken nine swords, each left by ancient sword gods.
Not only had she taken nine swords, but she had also gained a portion of the sword dao essence.
Overjoyed, Zhang Hongchen's eyes sparkled. "You're reliable enough. With these nine swords, I'll let bygones be bygones!"
Chi Yao looked at Zhang Ruochen with a puzzled expression.
Only then did Zhang Hongchen notice Chi Yao standing beside Zhang Ruochen. Her pretty face changed dramatically, like a cunning rabbit encountering a hawk. She quickly bowed respectfully. "Greetings, True God."
In the Kunlun Realm, the person she feared most meeting was Chi Yao.
No matter how proud she was or how noble her status, in the presence of this former empress of the Kunlun Realm, she was brought back to reality.
At the same time, she began to wonder—who was this man who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the True God Chi Yao? A thought arose in her heart, one that made her both flustered and eager with anticipation.
She stared intently into Zhang Ruochen's eyes, as if trying to see something in them.
Zhang Ruochen was filled with guilt, his heart softening. He was about to step forward—
Just then, Gai Tianjiao's thunderous voice rang out: "Zhang Ruochen, you despicable scoundrel! You try to exchange a bit of life spring for my sect's sacrificial bronze cauldron? If you have the guts, just rob it openly—that would be more manly, and I might actually respect you. A god sneaking around stealing things—aren't you afraid of being ridiculed by the cultivators of the world?"
"Boom!"
A pillar of fire descended from the sky, crashing to the ground.
Dust flew everywhere.
Gai Tianjiao, dressed in a black Daoist robe, was furious, with flames flowing even through her hair. She strode out of the dust, looking as if she were ready to duel Zhang Ruochen.
...
I've noticed that many readers are still unclear about the realms of gods, so I'll write them out again here.
Gods are divided into three major realms: the Heaven-Repairing Realm, the Taizhen Realm, and the Infinite Realm.
Gods of the Heaven-Repairing Realm are divided into: Lower-Level God, Mid-Level God, Upper-Level God.
Gods of the Taizhen Realm are also called "Great Gods," divided into: Taiyi Realm, Taibai Realm, Taixu Realm.
The Infinite Realm is where one is enfeoffed as a king and honored as a venerable.