Chapter 3017: Zhang Ruochen, Paying Respects to the Mountain
In a quiet manor, Zhang Ruochen met with the Underworld King.
Whether it was because he had been imprisoned in the Sword Grave for too long, cultivating a preference for stillness over activity, the Underworld King stood in the courtyard where yellow leaves drifted, his eyes closed in meditation.
Even when Zhang Ruochen walked up behind him, he did not open his eyes.
"I can sense that your cultivation has grown stronger. Did you break through?" the Underworld King asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Not yet. That step... is too difficult."
The Underworld King said, "The reason I am still staying in the Hundred Clans Royal City is to wait for you. I knew you would definitely come."
"What I want to know more is, who is behind the turmoil stirring all of this?" Zhang Ruochen said.
The Underworld King said, "Don't you know?"
"Why would I know?" Zhang Ruochen said.
The Underworld King said, "Since you returned to the Kunlun Realm, did you not go to see Yunshen Daozhu?"
"You mean... it is him, the elder, who is driving all of this?" Zhang Ruochen said.
The Underworld King caught a yellow leaf in his hand, opened his eyes, and said, "From the fall of a single leaf, one knows the autumn of the world! As long as you perceive one point, you can guess the general picture."
"In the few days before your arrival, seventeen clan emperors have already died in the Hundred Clans Royal City."
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly, saying, "That is impossible! This is not the time when the Yuhuang Realm was opened. There are no less than a hundred gods in the city now. Who could kill the clan emperors of seventeen small clans?"
The Underworld King said, "That person not only killed seventeen clan emperors, but to this day, the gods of the various clans in the Hundred Clans Royal City haven't even seen her shadow."
"Did an Infinite Realm expert make a move? No, how could an Infinite Realm god stoop to assassinating seventeen Great Saints?" Zhang Ruochen said.
The Underworld King said, "Those seventeen clan emperors seemed to have been killed by the Time Sword Art, each one having their Sacred Source shattered by a single sword strike, their lifespan exhausted. I initially suspected you, but Xue Tu told me you were in the Heavenly Beginning Civilization Great World."
"So, Sixth Uncle believes it was Qiangu Nüdi who did it?" Zhang Ruochen said.
The Underworld King said, "Only she possesses such skill. After all, she is the one who dared to swing a sword in the Fate Divine Domain and still escape. Not only do I suspect her, but now the entire Hundred Clans Royal City is pointing fingers at her and the Wujian Pavilion she established."
Zhang Ruochen could not be certain whether the mysterious expert who assassinated the seventeen clan emperors was Qiangu Nüdi, nor did he know if she had already returned from the Haishi Star Dock.
But it was a possibility.
Causing turmoil in the Hundred Clans Royal City could divert attention and slow down the progress of the Darkness Temple and those small clans in exploring the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain, thereby buying Zhang Ruochen time to find the Sword Realm first.
Assassinating clan emperors, rather than gods, was clearly intended to disrupt the mortal affairs of the various small clans, achieving the best effect with the least cost.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I am not referring to this matter. I am asking who stirred up the rumors about the Sword Realm and the Sword God Temple so feverishly?"
The Underworld King shook his head, saying, "Since you believe it is not Yunshen Daozhu, then I have no idea."
"It seems the waters are very deep this time," Zhang Ruochen sighed.
The Underworld King said, "The Darkness Temple even dispatched a Great God personally. How seriously do they take this? Who is in the carriage?"
Zhang Ruochen looked towards the White Feather Peacock Sacred Carriage parked in the distance, smiled slightly, and said, "A great figure I must serve with utmost care."
The Seven-Handed Old Man, who had been walking over, had already returned to his true form. Hearing this, he sucked in a breath of cold air, involuntarily squeezed his legs together, and walked with small, quick steps to stand before Zhang Ruochen and the Underworld King.
"Thump! Thump! Thump..."
A series of six Saint Realm cultivators from the Yaksha Clan were thrown to the ground, each bound with chains.
"Senior Brother, these are the people you wanted," the Seven-Handed Old Man said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Leave them here."
The Seven-Handed Old Man reported to the Underworld King, "I have already investigated. The Darkness Temple and the various small clans have indeed launched an operation against the Wujian Pavilion. It is said that even the Wujian Pavilion's main altar in the Hundred Clans Royal City has been destroyed. The Pavilion Master of the Wujian Pavilion has fled to the Wolf Clan's sacred land, the Seven Peaks Ringed Mountains."
Ever since Tai Shang was rescued, the Destiny Temple had conducted a purge against the Wujian Pavilion, reducing its power in the Hell Realm by over ninety percent and inflicting heavy losses.
And now, the Pavilion Master of the Wujian Pavilion was Zhang Ruochen's disciple, Han Xue.
Zhang Ruochen suddenly realized that the person who killed the seventeen clan emperors could absolutely not be Qiangu Nüdi. Someone was clearly trying to shift the blame onto the Wujian Pavilion and Qiangu Nüdi.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I need to go to the Seven Peaks Ringed Mountains! Seven-Hands, help me take good care of the great figure in the carriage. Whatever she commands, you must do your utmost to fulfill."
The Seven-Handed Old Man felt as if a great fortune had fallen from the sky, nodding repeatedly.
...
The Wolf Clan was one of the three strongest clans in the Hundred Clans Royal City. It had once been a major clan of the Kunlun Realm, but was later falsely accused of betraying the Kunlun Realm, subjected to a massacre by Heavenly Court cultivators, and forced to flee to the edge of the Hell Realm to eke out a living.
Fortunately, the Wolf Clan's number one expert, Wolf Ancestor, was favored by Nutian Shenzun and submitted to become his mount.
Under the protection of Nutian Shenzun, after a hundred thousand years of recovery and reproduction, the Wolf Clan grew strong, its power even greater than a hundred thousand years ago. It established its own Wolf Realm, its might shaking the starry sky where the Hundred Clans Royal City was located.
The power of Nutian Shenzun was evident from this.
The Seven Peaks Ringed Mountains was a sacred land established by the Wolf Clan in the Hundred Clans Royal City. Demonic Qi condensed into a sea of clouds between the peaks, lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled like a drum.
On the summit of the fourth peak stood a majestic and magnificent demonic hall. On its roof was a giant divine bone wolf head, larger than a mountain, its fangs sharp and its divine might intimidating.
At this moment, over twenty gods from various small clans had gathered in the demonic hall.
The Corrosion Clan's Moni God, his body wrapped in white bandages and exuding a putrid stench, said in a hoarse voice, "Han Da Shen, hand over the Pavilion Master of the Wujian Pavilion, and I will leave immediately. My clan's emperor cannot die in vain."
"We are allies; we must remain united. Don't let a Pavilion Master of the Wujian Pavilion harm our harmony," said the Fire Ghost Clan's Yun Jun, his body ablaze with flames, slightly distorting the surrounding space.
"Don't say that girl isn't in the Wolf Clan. My clan has cultivators who saw her enter the mountains with their own eyes," Moni God said with great confidence.
Reason was on their side.
Moreover, since the other two major clans, the Yaksha Clan and the Fire Ghost Clan, had sent gods, if the Wolf Clan did not compromise, it would be equivalent to making enemies of all the other clans in the Hundred Clans Royal City.
Han Da Shen was the grandson of the Wolf Ancestor, old and frail, his body withered. He said weakly, "Dozens of gods have arrived together, and it's all for a Great Saint?"
"She is not an ordinary Great Saint; she is the disciple of Qiangu Nüdi! There are even rumors that she has an extremely close relationship with that person from Xinghuantian," Yun Jun said.
Ai Lian Jun represented the Yaksha Clan, sitting on a chair, always very calm. He said, "Han Da Shen, you are an elder, and we all respect you deeply. However, in just a few days, seventeen clan emperors have died in the Hundred Clans Royal City, causing panic. The juniors have come to report to the gods; how can we sit idly by? This is no small matter. If we don't curb it, the consequences will be unimaginable."
"In fact, if she hadn't hidden in the Seven Peaks Ringed Mountains, why would we have to mobilize such a force? It is precisely because the Wolf Clan's might is too great that we are forced into this position."
Han Da Shen said, "I am worried that you have fallen into someone else's trap."
Seeing that Han Da Shen did not deny that the Wujian Pavilion's Pavilion Master was in the Seven Peaks Ringed Mountains, Moni God's confidence grew even stronger. He said, "Once we have that girl in our hands, we will spread the word. If any more clan emperors are assassinated, we will kill her directly."
"And if another clan emperor is assassinated? Will you really kill her?" Han Da Shen raised his eyelids.
Moni God said, "Naturally, I will kill her. If the murderer does not come to me for revenge, it only proves that this is indeed the scheme of a schemer."
"Knowing it's a scheme, you still jump into it?" Han Da Shen was about to say just that.
From outside the mountain, a melodious divine voice drifted in: "Zhang Ruochen, paying respects to the mountain!"
The gods in the demonic hall were all shaken, rising to their feet one after another.
"Zhang Ruochen has actually come?"
"Really? He came at just the right time. It seems the rumors are true; this Wujian Pavilion's Pavilion Master indeed has an unusual relationship with him."
"Even if the relationship is unusual, does he dare to acknowledge it? Don't forget, the Destiny Temple is still purging the Wujian Pavilion. Does he dare to openly offend the Destiny Temple?"
...
Although the gods in the hall pretended not to take Zhang Ruochen seriously, these words were exchanged through divine thought communication; no one dared to say them aloud.
The identities of the Heavenly Mother Divine Envoy and the Xinghuantian Realm Venerable carried too much weight; ordinary gods simply could not afford to offend them.
Han Xue was on the fourth peak, standing in a cluster of hexagonal red buildings not far from the demonic hall. She had been very worried that Han Da Shen would not be able to handle the gods of the Hundred Clans Royal City, her expression grave, ready to escape to the Wolf Realm through a Space Teleportation Array at any moment.
But when Zhang Ruochen's voice drifted in from outside the mountain, all her worries vanished, replaced by joy. Her starry eyes sparkled, and she wished she could rush out of the mountain to greet him immediately.
However, Han Xue restrained herself, knowing full well that she must never let anyone know she was Zhang Ruochen's disciple.
Otherwise, it would bring great trouble to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen arrived very quickly. Under the gaze of the gods, dressed in black, he walked step by step into the demonic hall.
With a "clang," the heavy blade of the Abyssal Ancient Sword left its sheath, like an iron stele, thrown by Zhang Ruochen and thrust heavily into the center of the hall. The demonic hall shook, and countless divine patterns on the ground shattered.
Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands behind his back, his divine might domineering and vast. He said, "Moni God, who do you want to kill?"
Moni God looked at the sword embedded in the ground, then at Zhang Ruochen, sneering inwardly. This brat's martial arts were already crippled; he was merely using his Spiritual Power to control the sword.
Fearless, he said, "Naturally, it is that Pavilion Master of the Wujian Pavilion. May I ask what advice Realm Venerable Ruochen has?"
"You dare to kill her? She is my disciple. For daring to have such a thought, today I will break one of your arms to teach you a lesson."
Zhang Ruochen was even more arrogant and protective than the gods had imagined, making no attempt to hide his master-disciple relationship with Han Xue.
Not only Yun Jun, Ai Lian Jun, and the other gods, but even Han Da Shen was shocked.