Chapter 2984: Starry Sky Gate
Feng Qi said with a serious expression, "Brother Huang Niu, you may not know this, but Grandmother Tianhu has a withdrawn and eccentric personality. Even in the Southern Universe, where many demons gather, she has few close allies."
"Moreover, since her youth, she has been at odds with the Buddhist sect. Being able to invite a great god from the Western Buddha Realm to help her resolve the corpse poison was already a feat of calling in many favors."
"As for the Radiant Lord Gods, there are only a few of them, and each one looks down upon the cosmos. To put it bluntly, with our cultivation levels, if we went to seek help, we probably wouldn't even be able to see a doppelganger of a Lord God."
"Nine-Tailed Heart Fox did go to the Radiant Divine Temple, hoping to ask the Hall Master to save her. But after spending a massive amount of Divine Stones, she only managed to invite a great god who specializes in the Way of Light."
"Although we are all gods of the Heavenly Court, if you truly want to ask someone for help, it costs them their own cultivation and Divine Qi, and you have to pay a price. The price required to invite a Radiant Lord God is something the Fox Clan cannot bear."
Feng Xi looked at Zhang Ruochen, who had remained unmoved, and said, "I've heard something about that battle thirty years ago. It's said that the one who acted was a corpse-skin doppelganger of the Three Calamities Demon Lord, and a demon clan god king of the Infinite Realm stepped in to save Grandmother Tianhu. I just didn't expect that the Radiant Divine Temple wouldn't have a Lord God come forward to help Grandmother Tianhu resolve the Three Calamities Corpse Poison."
Feng Qi sighed, "It's only because Grandmother Tianhu has offended too many people. Please, you two, don't spread this around."
Feng Xi asked curiously, "Since she's the one asking for help, why didn't Nine-Tailed Heart Fox come in person?"
Feng Qi answered smoothly, smiling, "She felt that if she came to pay her respects as a Lower Position God, the Yellow Ox Daoist would directly refuse her. So, she entrusted me to come first and test the waters."
He continued, "I see that Brother Yellow Ox is very different from those other gods who claim to be aloof but are actually only after profit. Could you help the Fox Clan and make a move? As for the reward, it will definitely not be lacking."
Grandmother Tianhu was the number one powerhouse of the Fox Clan. If she fell, the entire Fox Clan's status in the Southern Universe would plummet.
Zhang Ruochen's expression was extremely calm, and he said, "If I remember correctly, Grandmother Tianhu's cultivation has already reached the Grand Void Realm, hasn't it? Although I, this poor Daoist, resolved the Yin-Shang Corpse Poison on those Wind Clan Great Saints, they were only at the Great Saint realm, and the poison they had was just Yin-Shang Corpse Poison."
"The Three Calamities Corpse Poison includes three types of corpse poison: Yin-Shang, Yang-Huo, and Huang-E. It is more than ten times more terrifying than Yin-Shang Corpse Poison alone."
"It's not that I, this poor Daoist, don't want to help, but my cultivation is limited, and I can't do anything about it. Brother Feng Qi, please take your leave."
Feng Qi showed a look of regret, said no more, and took his leave.
Feng Xi said, "If Brother Yellow Ox truly has a way, you could actually make a move and help Grandmother Tianhu. Although the Three Calamities Corpse Poison in her body is no longer fatal, it will slowly corrode her physical body, divine soul, and will. Her cultivation will decline. When the Eon Calamity comes, she will surely die."
"Why doesn't Sister Xi ask the Infinite Realm ancestor of the Wind Clan to save her?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Feng Xi said, "Even I find it difficult to meet an Infinite Realm ancestor. I don't even know if the ancestor is sleeping in the clan's forbidden land or somewhere in the starry sky, battling with the gods of Hell."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen realized how fortunate he was. The Drunken Old Man, Grandmaster, and others must have valued him greatly, which was why he could see their true bodies every time he went to pay his respects.
Otherwise, with their status, even a Heaven Mending Realm god would not be granted an audience.
Just as not every Great Saint who came to pay respects would be received by Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen's eyes were deep, and he said, "I, this poor Daoist, consider Sister Xi as one of my own, so I'll say one more thing. The Yin-Shang Corpse Poison on the Wind Clan Great Saints may not be unrelated to the Three Calamities Corpse Poison on Grandmother Tianhu."
"Understood."
Feng Xi's expression changed slightly. She said no more, stood up, and took her leave.
Afterward, Nine-Tailed Heart Fox came to visit in person, lowering her posture to the point of kneeling on the ground, but Zhang Ruochen still refused to see her.
What a joke. With his current cultivation, if he went to help a Grand Void Realm great god resolve corpse poison, his identity would definitely be exposed. If the Infinite Realm gods of the Heavenly Court weren't handling this matter, why should he, a Heaven Mending Realm god, meddle in it?
...
The various ancient civilizations were originally hidden in cosmic secret realms, making it difficult for ordinary gods to find a way in.
But as the Shura Star Pillar Realm crossed the void, the war between the Heavenly Court and Hell broke out, and one ancient civilization world after another emerged from the secret realms.
Standing on the Divine Wood Warship, Zhang Ruochen gazed into the universe.
Nine ancient civilizations were like nine huge clouds of light mist. Around these clouds, countless stars shone, and countless Star Soul Divine Thrones were scattered in all directions. One Star Soul Planet after another was connected by formation inscriptions, forming a breathtaking wall of the Starry Sky Defense Line.
This wall of the Starry Sky Defense Line was unknown how many billions of miles long, connecting countless planets and war cities.
Countless warships flew in from all directions in the universe, some transporting supplies, some transporting troops, surging forward, rushing toward a Starry Sky Gate suspended in the void.
This Starry Sky Gate was ten thousand miles high and three thousand miles wide, with intense spatial fluctuations.
Zhang Ruochen sighed, "In the end, there are still more cultivators who are struggling, fighting, and vowing to resist to the death."
Feng Xi walked over, her long dress fluttering in the wind, her hair flowing like a waterfall, and said, "Those petty villains who disregard the greater good are only a minority. Most cultivators understand the principle that when the lips are gone, the teeth will feel cold."
The Wind Clan Great Saints followed behind Feng Xi, all respectfully bowing to Zhang Ruochen.
"Whose divine temple is that?"
Zhang Ruochen pointed to a black divine temple floating above the Starry Sky Gate.
The temple drifted in a sea of starlight, and the aura it emitted was extremely awe-inspiring.
"The Truth Temple Hall Master!"
Feng Qi and Nine-Tailed Heart Fox walked over.
Feng Qi said with reverence, "With the Truth Temple Hall Master guarding the Starry Sky Gate, no god from Hell, no matter who comes, can hide their identity and sneak into the Starry Sky Defense Line."
Although Zhang Ruochen's expression remained unchanged, his heart was in turmoil.
At such a close distance, and with the Truth Temple Hall Master being no ordinary Infinite Realm, could he really fool her?
The Truth Temple Hall Master would surely see him as the second Desolate Heaven. If he was caught, with her temperament... Zhang Ruochen didn't dare to think further.
If he could, he would flee immediately.
The Divine Wood Warship was getting closer and closer to the Starry Sky Gate, and Zhang Ruochen's heart grew more and more tense, with cold sweat forming on his palms.
If he fled now, he would only expose himself faster.
But the old yellow ox was not afraid at all, looking up at the black temple above. What was there to fear? It was just the Truth Temple Hall Master. At worst, he would die.
Gradually, the Divine Wood Warship arrived beneath the Starry Sky Gate.
Starlight shone on the warship.
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen felt a cold gaze pierce through his body, as if his clothes had been stripped away, and even his flesh, blood, bone marrow, and Primordial Embryo were laid bare before the other's eyes.
"It's over."
Zhang Ruochen knew that with his current cultivation, he could not fool the Truth Temple Hall Master.
His heart sank to the bottom, waiting for divine punishment to descend.
But as space violently trembled, the Divine Wood Warship passed through the Starry Sky Gate and directly jumped to the sky above the Heavenly Beginning Civilization World.
Zhang Ruochen turned back to look at the distant Starry Sky Gate, astonished.
Why was this happening?
In that situation, it was impossible to fool the Truth Temple Hall Master.
"Could it be Grandmaster? Grandmaster must have known that the Truth Temple Hall Master was guarding the Starry Sky Gate and still let me come, so he must have made some arrangements." Zhang Ruochen thought to himself, and he immediately felt completely relieved.
"Brother Yellow Ox, look, that's the Shura Star Pillar Realm!" Feng Xi pointed ahead, her expression heavy.
This was the first time Zhang Ruochen had seen the Shura Star Pillar Realm from the Heavenly Court's perspective.
The Shura Star Pillar Realm was colorful and seemed to be right above Zhang Ruochen's head. The "momentum" it carried made even him feel a tightness in his chest and difficulty breathing.
It felt as if, if it tilted, it could crush the Heavenly Beginning Civilization World into pieces.
The two were close at hand. The divine patterns, planets, formations, and war fortresses on the periphery of the Heavenly Beginning Civilization World had already been heavily damaged. They wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.
Above the atmosphere of the Heavenly Beginning Civilization World floated a camp forged from steel.
A holy army clad in white armor flew over from the camp.
The leading cultivator was a Demigod. He flew into the Divine Wood Warship, knelt before Feng Qi, and said, "Disciple pays respects to Master."
"Rise."
Feng Qi then introduced Zhang Ruochen, Feng Xi, and Nine-Tailed Heart Fox to the cultivator.
In the presence of the gods, Yan Wen behaved very humbly, bowing to each.
He said, "Mingshu has already prepared an excellent place to stay in Doulv City. Now, disciple will lead Master and the gods there."
"I won't go. I need to head to the Wind Clan camp first."
Feng Xi looked specifically at Zhang Ruochen and softly said, "Xi will likely see Brother again soon."
After Feng Xi left with the Wind Clan Great Saints, Feng Qi quickly grabbed Zhang Ruochen and laughed, "My disciple Yan Wen's wife is a direct descendant of the Heavenly Beginning Civilization's Heavenly Lord lineage and the biological granddaughter of King Yu. Brother Yellow Ox, why not come to Doulv City with me? You can learn more about the situation before heading to the Starry Sky Battlefield."
Zhang Ruochen had originally planned to go to Doulv City, so he didn't refuse. He sighed, "Doulv City... how many years has it been? Finally, I'm back. Alright, it's good to go there."
The Divine Wood Warship charged into the atmosphere and flew toward Doulv City.
Feng Qi shot a glance at Nine-Tailed Heart Fox, who understood immediately and sent out a divine thought, transmitting some unknown message.
Zhang Ruochen saw all of this.
"Boom!"
Just as they entered the Heavenly Beginning Civilization World, the Divine Wood Warship's protective formation was attacked, shaking violently.
Then, a cold shout rang out: "Yu Yu, you've finally come to the Starry Sky Defense Line. Do you dare to compete with me on the battlefield? Whoever fails to kill a god from Hell will hand over their Truth Esoterica to the other."
Yu Taizhen shot up from the ground like a beam of light, his divine radiance dazzling, blocking the Divine Wood Warship.
...
I've been thinking that from now on, when I'm writing, I should try to keep a livestream running.
Actually, livestreaming is like installing a surveillance camera for the readers. Everyone can take a look if they want. For me, it's a way to control myself and not play with my phone while writing.
I'm not sure if I can keep it up...