Chapter 3035: Chi Yao Invites Feiyu
With Feng Yan's current cultivation level, he was merely acting as the sword's consciousness, unable to lend any power to the Pure Yang Divine Sword. It was like Zhang Ruochen when he had received the Heavenly Mother's divine power!
After striking the second sword, more cracks appeared on Feng Yan's body. He did not pursue the Human Skin Lantern but instead let out a mournful roar and chased in the direction where Feng Yunba and Wu Yue had departed.
Mo Xiansheng was worried. He sent a voice transmission to Zhang Ruochen and Xuan Yuanqing, handed the Xufeng Divine Ship over to them, and went after Feng Yan.
No matter how powerful the Pure Yang Divine Sword was, Feng Yan was only a Lower Deity. If he encountered Wu Yue, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The entire world suddenly fell silent. The Saint Realm survivors who had been pressed to the ground by the divine power all stood up. Everyone's face bore excited smiles or tears of joy.
They had finally survived the endless darkness.
Zhang Ruochen and Xuan Yuanqing returned to the Xufeng Divine Sword, receiving the prostrations of countless cultivators.
Even the proud Shang Hong clasped his fists in salute to them.
"Both Great Gods possess a heroic bearing that truly inspires admiration. Today's battle, fought from a desperate situation, has left the gods of the Darkness Temple dead or fleeing. It was a complete reversal of the tide, a legendary feat that will be passed down for several eons."
The speaker was Jia Linnan from the Radiant Divine Temple.
A Middle Deity surviving a battle between Great Gods was incredibly fortunate. No wonder he was so excited. After all, this legend included him as well.
As long as he hadn't died, who could say he hadn't contributed?
Not everyone was overjoyed. Feng Xi, Feng Xuan, and many Feng Clan cultivators wore expressions of grief and worry in their eyes as they gazed in the direction where Feng Yan and Mo Xiansheng had left.
The divine battle ended quickly, and Xuan Yuanlian arrived in time, but a quarter of an hour had still passed.
...
The Dark Great Triangle Star Domain was an endless expanse of darkness and cold, with many places completely empty.
But today, a vast chaotic land had been born, with countless billions of miles of space shattered. Divine flames burned, turning everything crimson, and the fluctuations of divine power were fierce and chaotic.
One could imagine how intense the divine battle had been.
Feng Yan chased here with his sword, seeing a suit of armor standing in the chaos. The dragon head on its chest was fierce and menacing.
Feng Yunba's divine body had become somewhat translucent. He looked at Feng Yan, his aura still domineering, but his eyes were full of gratified smiles.
Feng Yan's eyes were bloodshot, but he could not shed tears. He was now nothing more than a clay figure. He swung his sword in all directions and roared, "Wu Yue, come out and fight me to the death!"
Mo Xiansheng caught up and saw Feng Yunba's fading body. Although he had long anticipated this outcome, his heart still felt choked, and he uncharacteristically wept with tears streaming down his face.
"A Pure Yang cultivator can only advance, never retreat."
Leaving this final message for Feng Yan, Feng Yunba's fading body transformed into wisps of crimson light mist that surged into Feng Yan's brow.
In truth, Feng Yunba had long since died. It was only a lingering obsession that had sustained him, wanting to see if Feng Yan would disappoint him.
After the remaining Pure Yang essence and esoterica of Feng Yunba surged into Feng Yan's body, the dragon-headed armor passed down by the Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable was now worn on Feng Yan's body.
...
Above the Pangu Realm, the Star Soul Divine Throne belonging to Feng Yunba dimmed.
In an instant, the entire Heavenly Court was shaken. Many deities rushed to the Feng Clan.
Although the successive falls of deities from the Radiant Divine Temple and the Feng Clan had already caused widespread panic, most of them were False Gods. Compared to Feng Yunba's fall, they were utterly insignificant.
The wielder of the Pure Yang Divine Sword, the future Infinite of the Feng Clan, a figure more formidable than the Feng Clan's patriarch, "Feng Shen"—how could he have fallen so silently?
Why hadn't that Heavenly being of the Feng Clan gone to rescue him?
Those in the know naturally understood where Feng Yunba had gone and immediately formed a new judgment about the perilous situation in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain.
Those who didn't know spread increasingly fantastical rumors and speculations.
...
Kunlun Realm, Central Imperial City.
The Ziyu Palace rose layer upon layer, magnificent and splendid, stretching five hundred miles in a spectacular sight.
The Yuanchu Divine Temple was located at the very top of the Ziyu Palace, above the sea of clouds, with divine light illuminating the nine provinces. Standing by the Heavenly Pool outside the temple, one could look down upon the myriad living beings of the world.
By the Heavenly Pool, a nine-zhang-long vermilion table was set, with snow-white paper spread upon it.
Shengshu Cainü stood beside it, grinding ink. Her demeanor was gentle and refined, dressed in a Confucian robe, her starry eyes incredibly lively.
With her current level of spiritual power attainment, she had become a representative figure of the contemporary Confucian path. The only one who could make her set aside her status to grind ink was naturally Chi Yao.
After all, she had been by Chi Yao's side since childhood, serving as both disciple and subject.
Chi Yao wore a goose-yellow embroidered phoenix thousand-bird skirt, holding a white jade dragon-sparrow brush. She was copying the "Water Classic Emergence Chapter" from the Third Confucian Ancestor's Sacred Book.
Every time she copied this chapter, she gained different insights.
More importantly, it was about tempering the calm state of mind during calligraphy and writing—something she had been pursuing since returning from the Heavenly Beginning Civilization.
After finishing one piece, the characters on the paper emitted divine light, as if about to come to life.
Shengshu Cainü smiled and said, "The brushwork flows like clouds and water, completed in one go. It captures the charm of the Confucian Ancestor while possessing the master's unique momentum. Your state of mind has advanced another step."
Chi Yao showed no self-satisfaction. She said, "The Confucian Ancestor's characters are like the vast universe, each containing a different Dao. My copying is merely capturing the form, just a way to nurture my spirit and allow me to view things more calmly. Since they have arrived, let them come in."
Before long, a slightly plump, gracefully curvaceous, and wonderfully ethereal Mystic Maiden led Ling Feiyu and Zhang Hongchen to the shore of the Heavenly Pool.
The vermilion table and brush and paper had already been removed. Several Mystic Maidens stood in the hazy mist, their figures indistinct.
With a slight wave of Chi Yao's hand, they all withdrew.
Chi Yao finally had the chance to carefully observe the woman in red before her. She indeed possessed a sharp, soaring aura, like a red-feathered bird taking flight. Even facing Chi Yao, a top-tier Upper Deity, she showed no timidity.
Like an unyielding sword's edge, or a winter red plum.
No wonder he had taken a liking to her—she was truly no ordinary mortal woman.
"Please, sit," Chi Yao said.
Ling Feiyu replied, "How could a Saint Realm cultivator dare to sit before a True God?"
"Very well."
Chi Yao's gaze fell on Zhang Hongchen. She said, "Hongchen's talent is unparalleled, and her achievements in the Sword Dao surpass even the Sword Emperor of her time."
"The era of the Sword Emperor had incomplete Heavenly and Earthly rules, with divine and saintly qi far less abundant than now. Yet he managed to reach the Great Saint Realm against the odds. Hongchen is still far from that."
Ling Feiyu continued, "True God, why not speak plainly about the reason for summoning this sect leader back to the Kunlun Realm?"
Using the title "sect leader," Ling Feiyu clearly harbored no fear of Chi Yao, and even showed a hint of defiance and coldness.
Chi Yao did not argue with her. She was very calm, looking down at the sea of clouds, and said, "Back then, the Demon Emperor supported my unification of Kunlun. His battle with me at the Bronze Furnace Plains was to test whether I had the strength. He was a proud and unruly man. He said that if I couldn't even kill him, then the so-called unification of Kunlun would be nothing but a joke, and I would be unworthy of supporting Kunlun's future."
Ling Feiyu kept her hand on her sword and said, "The Moon-Worshipping Cult is called a demon sect by the world's cultivators. It has always been a gathering place for demons and monsters. Whatever a True God does is right. Anyone who dies is not wronged. There is no need to explain so much to this sect leader. At a True God's level of cultivation, why are you still so fixated on right and wrong?"
Zhang Hongchen stood to the side, her heart pounding as she secretly observed Chi Yao's expression.
A True God's wrath could annihilate the Moon-Worshipping Demon Cult.
"Good!"
Chi Yao said, "Since Miss Ling puts it that way, you must be a perceptive person. I will be blunt. Do you think Chen Ge becoming the master of Xinghuantian is a benefit or a drawback?"
Ling Feiyu's eyes, sharp as a divine sword, finally showed a trace of desolation.
She had long known that Chi Yao's purpose in summoning her back to the Kunlun Realm must be related to Zhang Ruochen.
If Chi Yao intended to kill her and Hongchen, she would fight to the death, even if it meant utter annihilation.
But Chi Yao's words seemed aimed at mending relations and winning her over, which made Ling Feiyu uncertain how to respond.
Ling Feiyu said, "Where he goes, what does it have to do with me? He must surely understand the benefits and drawbacks himself."
Chi Yao shook her head. "Xinghuantian is ultimately caught between the Heavenly Court and Hell. Perhaps both sides are tolerating it for now, fearing the strength of the Starry Sea Angler. But when the time comes that it must be uprooted, the strike will be swift and overwhelming, leaving them no chance to survive. I don't want Chen Ge to be annihilated along with them."
With her current cultivation, Ling Feiyu naturally had some understanding of the cosmic situation. She said, "You cannot change his will."
"I alone cannot change it, but with a few more people, it might be different," Chi Yao said softly, lowering her gaze.
After her journey to the Heavenly Beginning Civilization, Chi Yao had come to see who her greatest rivals were. Bai Qinger of Xinghuantian was a femme fatale, Luo Sha of the Rakshasa Clan was no kind soul, and Ji Fanxin of the Thousand Stamen Realm was unfathomably deep, her retreat being a masterful move.
Chi Yao was not a woman who lived solely for Zhang Ruochen. She had her own ambitions and pursuits. But Xinghuantian indeed held too many uncertain factors, like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment.
The marriage between Zhang Ruochen and Luo Sha was also riddled with signs of manipulation.
The Kunlun Realm was different. Tai Shang had no selfish motives toward Zhang Ruochen and would not deliberately scheme against or use him. Sending him to the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain to search for the Sword Realm, Chi Yao had gradually come to understand the reasoning.
The Sword Realm must exist. Tai Shang surely knew some of the truth from back then, or he would not have sent Zhang Ruochen on such a dangerous mission.
Secondly, if Yuqing and Taiqing were truly found, wouldn't Zhang Ruochen gain two more backers?
Tai Shang was paving the way for Zhang Ruochen, not just training him to be the master of the Kunlun Realm, but with greater expectations.
Chi Yao looked at Ling Feiyu, whose gaze was no longer so sharp, and said, "You and Hongchen are both people he cares about. Your words will surely influence him. You must know the legends about Bai Qinger. And everyone knows what kind of person that Rakshasa Princess is. They are both too shrewd and ruthless. Even I admit I fall short. You don't have to give me an answer now... Hmm..."
Chi Yao sensed something. Her expression changed as she looked up toward the starry sky beyond the realm.