Chapter 3024: Paying a Visit to Yu Ling Shen
The Night Rain Sea was an ocean formed from piled bones and corpses. It was said to span eight hundred miles, yet even with divine eyes, one could not see its edge. Clearly, profound divine patterns had been arranged here, the handiwork of a Boundless Realm deity.
Within the corpse sea, yin energy was thick, and eternal night reigned, with no daylight to be seen.
Under Ai Lianjun's guidance, Zhang Ruochen ascended a staircase condensed from smoke and mist, arriving at a divine temple suspended in midair. Space around the temple was warped, forming its own separate world. Divine lamps hung from the beams and pillars, and the halls flickered in and out of visibility, mysterious and unfathomable.
Legend had it that Yu Ling Shen's cultivation had reached the Grand Void Realm, making her a being at the pinnacle of the Great God level.
In the presence of such a figure, Zhang Ruochen naturally would not act rashly.
After a brief wait, a circular spatial gate materialized out of thin air before the temple.
Ai Lianjun made a gesture of invitation and said with a smile, "Please, Realm Lord. My master has a cold temperament and has always been detached from worldly affairs, so she may seem a bit neglectful. If it weren't for the emergence of the Origin Divine Temple a thousand years ago, when I awakened her from slumber in the Ancestral Realm, she wouldn't have come to sit guard in the Hundred Clans Royal City in recent years."
Zhang Ruochen nodded slightly and stepped through the spatial gate.
A moment later, the light before him shifted, and he found himself in a vast hall. The ceiling was a hundred zhang high, resembling a cyan sky, and before him stretched a sea of Eon-level rare flowers and exotic herbs, as if he had entered a forest of sacred medicine.
Any other deity arriving here would surely be filled with greed and excitement.
The Eon-level rare plants here were all of high age. Even deities who consumed them would gain tremendous benefits, enhancing their cultivation and extending their lifespan.
"Zhang Ruochen, I know of you. You are the Heir of Time and Space who provoked Qingtian into personally crippling your cultivation, the successor of Xumi." A melodious voice echoed through the hall.
Her true form was nowhere to be seen.
Zhang Ruochen followed a path paved with divine stones toward the direction of flowing water, saying, "Your mastery of space, Senior, is also extraordinary."
"If you live to be four hundred thousand years old, you too will have dabbled in all the paths of the world and reached extremely high levels. Why have you come to see me?" the voice asked.
Zhang Ruochen passed through the garden of Eon-level sacred medicine and finally saw Yu Ling Shen.
She sat cross-legged, surrounded by antique decor and elegant furnishings. Her cyan hair spread across the ground like a blue lotus.
With just a blink of Zhang Ruochen's eyes, all the scenery in the hall vanished, leaving only Yu Ling Shen and the empty ground suspended in the void. Everything else was pitch-black and hollow.
Zhang Ruochen knew she was using the Dao to intimidate him. The Grand Void Realm was, for him at present, indeed a realm he could only look up to from afar.
Even Xue Jue and Huangtian had spent over a hundred thousand years to reach the Grand Void.
Zhang Ruochen steadied his mind, his aura shifting. He stood tall and distinguished, saying, "I wonder, can Yu Ling Shen make decisions on behalf of the Yaksha Clan?"
Yu Ling Shen kept her back to Zhang Ruochen and replied, "I am neither the Realm Lord nor the Clan Leader, but when I speak, both the Realm Lord and the Clan Leader must listen."
"Then that's good," Zhang Ruochen said. "I, this Realm Lord, have come to seek cooperation with the Yaksha Clan."
"Cooperation in what?"
"In searching for the Sword Realm."
Yu Ling Shen said, "The Sword Realm is ethereal and elusive, existing only in ancient times. Realm Lord Ruochen, as the most outstanding figure of this Eon, do you truly believe it exists?"
Zhang Ruochen continued on his own, "I have inherited the legacy of the Sword Ancestor in the Sword South Realm, making me the one most likely to find the Sword Realm. The Yaksha Clan's power is vast, and no one understands the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain better than they do. If we join forces, as long as the Sword Realm is not merely a baseless legend, we will surely find it."
Yu Ling Shen was silent for a moment before asking, "I heard that in the First Divine Maiden City, you used the Sword Ancestor's seven soul swords to break within ten zhang of the renowned Sword God?"
This was not a particularly significant secret, so Zhang Ruochen admitted frankly, "The seven soul swords are indeed inherited from the Sword Ancestor, but how could such immense power be wielded at will?"
Yu Ling Shen believed this. In fact, everyone in the world thought so.
Yu Ling Shen said, "Realm Lord Ruochen should know that Blood Radiance Divine Lord and Mobosha have already come, but I declined them. What makes you think the Yaksha Clan would cooperate with you?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, "The Undying Blood Clan's power is immense. If the Yaksha Clan cooperates with them, they will only become pawns to be used. Even if the Sword Realm is found, the Yaksha Clan will gain nothing and may instead invite disaster."
"But cooperating with Xinghuantian is different—it is an equal partnership. Neither the Yaksha Clan nor Xinghuantian can monopolize the Sword Realm, and both sides must join forces to defend it. That is the first point."
"Second, the war between the Heavenly Court and the Hell Realm has been raging for a hundred years. The Hundred Clans Royal City's position is as sensitive as Xinghuantian's, and sooner or later, it will be uprooted by either the Heavenly Court or the Hell Realm. Xinghuantian has already suffered calamity; how much longer can the Hundred Clans Royal City remain peaceful?"
"This time, the Darkness Temple has intervened on a large scale, bypassing the Yaksha Clan, the Demon Wolf Clan, and the Fire Ghost Clan, and dispatching cultivators from over a dozen minor clans to explore the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain. This is clearly a signal."
"If the Hundred Clans Royal City cannot unite, when the Hell Realm truly makes its move, you will quickly split apart and be crushed one by one."
"But this time, if we deliver a heavy blow to the Darkness Temple, they will instead become wary and hesitate to act against the Hundred Clans Royal City."
"I know you dare not openly oppose the Darkness Temple, but I do."
"Therefore, this cooperation is not only about finding the Sword Realm but also about dealing with the Darkness Temple together. Our interests are aligned."
The Yaksha Clan was already deeply dissatisfied with the Darkness Temple and had considered using Zhang Ruochen's hand to teach them a lesson.
Hearing Zhang Ruochen's words, Yu Ling Shen only pretended to hesitate for a moment before saying, "Do you know that the Darkness Temple has sent at least three Great Gods, and Lixiao is merely the weakest among them?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Although my soul swords cannot be used at will, they can still slay gods in critical moments. Besides, if I could fight the Darkness Temple alone, why would I need to form an alliance with the Yaksha Clan?"
Yu Ling Shen asked, "Good, you have courage. That much, you share with Xue Jue. Tell me, what is your plan?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Enter the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain, first destroy the Darkness Temple, then seek the Sword Realm. The Yaksha Clan cannot be completely ignorant of the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain; you should know the best place to set a trap, right? And I will personally lure them in."
Finally, Zhang Ruochen added, "After it's done, the Darkness Divine Sword goes to the Yaksha Clan. The corpses and divine sources of the three Great Gods belong to me; I will use them to refine battle corpses."
A divine artifact—who wouldn't be tempted by that?
Yu Ling Shen could not think of a reason to refuse Zhang Ruochen. "Tell me, how do you plan to lure the Darkness Temple's Great Gods into the trap?"
After discussing various details with Yu Ling Shen, Zhang Ruochen left the temple. From start to finish, he never saw what Yu Ling Shen actually looked like, but he remembered her aura.
A cold laugh suddenly echoed in the temple: "This kid's spiritual power is only at the seventy-sixth level, yet he dares to dream of killing a Great God. Doesn't he know that, in our eyes, the thought of killing him far outweighs the thought of killing the Darkness Temple's Great Gods?"
"Don't say such things carelessly. If the person in that carriage is truly extraordinary, do you think the divine patterns and formations of the Night Rain Sea could completely hide from their perception?" Yu Ling Shen said.
The voice spoke again: "If the person in the carriage is truly of that level, why would Zhang Ruochen come to form an alliance with us? In my view, Zhang Ruochen is just setting up a smokescreen."
Yu Ling Shen said, "A person of that level, even if physically in the carriage, might have their divine soul elsewhere in the world. Think about it—Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power is only at the seventy-sixth level. What gives him the confidence to hunt the Darkness Temple's Great Gods? Besides, doesn't he know that we also covet the divine artifacts on him?"
"If he didn't have a great figure by his side, this would be nothing short of dancing on a blade—courting death."
"That kind of great figure won't involve themselves in such low-level conflicts. They are most likely using this to temper Zhang Ruochen."
The person hidden in the shadows fell silent, pondering Yu Ling Shen's words. After a long while, he said, "Zhang Ruochen's enmity with the Darkness Temple is indeed deep. His determination to deal with them is certainly there. On that point, we don't have to worry about him playing tricks."
Stepping out of the temple, Zhang Ruochen smiled wryly at Ai Lianjun, who was waiting outside. "Your master is indeed cold and aloof. I had hoped to catch a glimpse of her beauty, but I was disappointed. Is she the same with you?"
What a lecherous Sword God, daring to covet a Grand Void ancient goddess.
Knowing that Yu Ling Shen could surely hear their conversation, Ai Lianjun's heart raced. He forced a bitter smile and said, "Realm Lord, I dare not respond to such words. Come, our clan has prepared a divine feast—fine food, fine wine, and fine women."
Zhang Ruochen showed little interest. "No matter how beautiful the woman, how could she compare to a single glimpse of Yu Ling Shen's back?"
Ai Lianjun sucked in a breath of cold air, smiled nervously, and truly dared not say another word.
After the divine feast, the Yaksha Clan offered one of their saintesses to Zhang Ruochen. Zhang Ruochen claimed he was still captivated by Yu Ling Shen's back and declined their kindness.
As he was about to leave, Ai Lianjun said, "I heard that Realm Lord Ruochen has a deep friendship with the son of the Ice Emperor?"
"We have shared hardships," Zhang Ruochen said.
"Excellent!" Ai Lianjun breathed a sigh of relief and bowed deeply to Zhang Ruochen. "Please, Realm Lord, help us ask him what he truly wants. The Yaksha Clan will do everything in their power to satisfy him."
Zhang Ruochen looked puzzled. "How did the Yaksha Clan offend him? He has a strange temper, and as the Ice Emperor's only son, he has become increasingly arrogant and domineering. Even I have to be wary of him."
Ai Lianjun nodded in agreement. "His temper is indeed strange and unpredictable. But the Yaksha Clan has never offended him. On the contrary, when he arrived, we received him with the protocol reserved for a Great God."
Zhang Ruochen said, "If that's the case, why does Brother Ai look so troubled, treating him like a plague? Where is he now?"
"Lord Tutian stayed in the Night Rain Sea for a few days before heading to the Ancestral Realm, saying... saying he wanted to inspect the Yaksha Clan," Ai Lianjun said.
Zhang Ruochen feigned anger. "Arrogant! This so-called Emperor of Slaughter and Destruction, relying on his father's reputation, is running wild. Inspect the Yaksha Clan? What does he think he is? The master of the Yaksha Clan? Sigh, but who can blame him? The Ice Emperor dotes on him—he is his only son. Although I have the Heavenly Mother backing me, I am merely a divine envoy, not comparable to such a close blood relation."