# Chapter 3036: Shang Hong's Probe
"How is this possible?"
Chi Yao's eyes were filled with disbelief.
Ling Feiyu also saw the Star Soul Divine Throne that had dimmed in the starry sky, her expression shifting. "It's that ancient great figure from the Wind Clan, one of the foremost sword cultivators in the current universe. Could the Starry Sky Battlefield have erupted with another Hell Divine Tide? That shouldn't be the case—such a major event should have reached the Kunlun Realm by now."
In Ling Feiyu's understanding, aside from the most intense battlefields of the gods on the Starry Sky Battlefield, Great Gods almost never fell.
An existence like Feng Yunba was even less likely to fall. If his life were truly threatened, figures at the King or Venerable level would surely have been alarmed into action to rescue him.
Chi Yao suddenly thought of something, her face instantly turning deathly pale. Her figure vanished from the edge of the Heavenly Lake.
She arrived near the island where the Peach Tree stood, wanting to seek an audience with Tai Shang, but discovered the island had disappeared, shrouded in mist.
...
Heavenly Beginning Civilization, Divine King Manor.
"Brother Feng Si must have gone to the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain. Damn it, the Hell Realm truly calculated well—they deliberately fabricated that nonsense about the so-called Sword Realm to lure sword cultivators across the world to their deaths."
Luo Jinshu had a deep friendship with Feng Yunba. His heart ached unbearably, his eyes reddened, and he spoke with grief and indignation: "Brother Feng Si was our Daoist War God. He would surely have entered the Boundless realm in the future, and could even have sealed the Heavens. Who killed him? Who exactly?"
Yu Divine King had naturally also guessed that Feng Yunba had most likely gone to the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain; otherwise, he couldn't have fallen so silently.
"The Dark Great Triangle Star Domain is that dangerous?" he muttered to himself, his expression grave.
After all, that place was the last hope of the Heavenly Beginning Civilization, and Luo Ji had gone there with Zhang Ruochen!
Yu Divine King was both pleased and worried.
His worry naturally concerned Luo Ji's safety—since even an existence like Feng Yunba had fallen, it was unimaginable how fierce the struggle within must be. What kind of divine being had the Hell Realm sent?
His pleasure came from the fact that since both Feng Yunba and the Hell Realm expert who killed him had entered, if there were no profit to be gained, why would beings of this level flock to such a dangerous place as the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain?
The Sword Realm very likely truly existed.
If he weren't unable to extricate himself, Yu Divine King would have rushed to the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain right now.
He glanced at the grieving Luo Jinshu, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes. He said sternly: "The person who could kill Feng Yunba, even if not a Boundless, is probably not far off. Even if you knew who it was, what could you do? You grieve his death, but who will grieve the destruction of the Heavenly Beginning Civilization in the future? You're not even as good as that little... as Luo Ji. No wonder the old Heavenly Lord looks down on you, entrusting the task of guarding the Heavenly Beginning Civilization to that girl Ji."
Luo Jinshu looked at Yu Divine King with some confusion. He had always been taught by this father god that one must first establish virtue. Grieving for a close friend—what was wrong with that? Why was he being scolded?
Yu Divine King's heart was troubled. He feared something might go wrong in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain. After all, that boy Zhang Ruochen's cultivation was tens of thousands of miles behind Feng Yunba's. What if he were also killed? What if someone else reached the Sword Realm first? Wouldn't that cut off the last hope of the Heavenly Beginning Civilization?
For now, Yu Divine King couldn't care less whether Zhang Ruochen lived or died, but the future of the Heavenly Beginning Civilization was tied to Zhang Ruochen. It was a matter of mutual loss or gain.
After much deliberation, Yu Divine King ultimately felt that Zhang Ruochen was still too weak, unable to contend with the wolves and tigers in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain. So, ignoring Luo Jinshu, he went to see the old Heavenly Lord.
...
Feng Yunba's fall stirred up an increasingly violent storm. Many secret pieces of information leaked out, making the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain even more eye-catching.
The Wind Clan, the Undying Blood Clan, Xinghuantian, the Green Deer Divine Temple... all factions raised their regard for the rumored Sword Realm by another level.
This wasn't just about the Sword Dao!
It could even affect the pattern of the world.
The gods on the Xufeng Divine Ship were all immersed in grief, none yet contemplating the shockwaves Feng Yunba's fall would cause in the outside world.
Zhang Ruochen wasn't very good at comforting others, so he chose not to say much. He went alone to the courtyard where Qingkong Sword King had once lived and found the Yellow Spring Flowers.
Three thumb-sized yellow flowers, with no divine light leaking out, no startling phenomena.
Yet these three small flowers had caused the Wind Clan and the Radiant Divine Temple to lose over a dozen gods, and even Feng Yunba had died tragically. Without the Yellow Spring Flowers, what threat could Wu Yue and the Darkness Temple gods pose to the Wind Clan? Would Feng Yunba have died?
"Let's just burn them with Divine Flame!" A warm voice sounded behind Zhang Ruochen.
"Chi!!"
Shang Hong flicked a ball of flame from his hand, incinerating the Yellow Spring Flowers.
Zhang Ruochen didn't stop him. He had considered collecting the Yellow Spring Flowers, but when he tried just now, the colorless, odorless aura emitted by the three small yellow flowers easily penetrated even his Spiritual Power barrier.
It was easy to imagine that even if stored in the inner space of a Supreme Sacred Artifact, the aura would still leak out.
This was normal. The Xufeng Divine Ship had numerous formations, yet none could block this aura, allowing it to spread throughout the ship. Only a formation of the level of the Xufeng Divine Ship's protective divine formation could probably contain it.
Zhang Ruochen turned to look at Shang Hong. "The Yellow Spring Flower poison inside the Heavenly Grandson seems to have dissipated quite a bit."
Shang Hong stood tall and straight, speaking with a teasing smile: "Daoist, please don't call me Heavenly Grandson. In today's world, with so many Heavens standing, there are thousands upon thousands of Heavenly Grandsons. When others use these two words, it's purely to give face to the Shang Clan. When you, Daoist, say it, it sounds like an insult."
As he spoke, Shang Hong bowed deeply to Zhang Ruochen. "I'm not very clear about the grievances between the two realms from a hundred thousand years ago. Over the years, I have heard something of the matters between the Paradise Realm and the Kunlun Realm. Ah, the struggles among those juniors below are truly difficult to restrain. I hope the Daoist won't take offense."
Zhang Ruochen sneered inwardly, unwilling to engage in hypocrisy with Shang Hong. "Did Xuanyuan Qing send you?"
"No! Shang Hong is genuinely grateful to the Daoist and also feels guilty, which is why I came to apologize in person. Of course, I won't naively think this can dissolve the hatred in the Daoist's heart toward the Paradise Realm. But with a great enemy before us now, I hope the Daoist can temporarily set aside the barriers in his heart. We must unite against the external threat!"
Shang Hong's eyes were sincere, his expression earnest.
On Xinghuantian, Zhang Ruochen had seen Shang Hong's arrogant demeanor, how he firmly maintained his status as Heavenly Grandson, looking down on all the heroes of the world.
Today, he had lowered his posture so much—he must have ulterior motives.
Shang Hong saw that Qing Pingzi didn't respond, so he continued: "The blood of the Five-Colored Clay Figure can neutralize the Yellow Spring Flower poison. Brother Yan and Sister Xi have already used their own blood to help us neutralize most of the toxin."
The discovery that the blood of the Five-Colored Clay Figure could neutralize the Yellow Spring Flower poison came from the fact that Feng Xi was unaffected by the toxin.
Unfortunately, although Feng Xi was a Five-Colored Clay Figure, she hadn't awakened the bloodline of Pure Yang Heavenly Venerable and didn't have three heads and six arms. Otherwise, they wouldn't have had to wait for Feng Yan to cross the Divine Tribulation.
Shang Hong smiled. "The Daoist has never been affected by the Yellow Spring Flower poison. Could it be that you've already drunk Sister Xi's blood? But that doesn't seem right—we only discovered the detoxification secret earlier."
Zhang Ruochen understood. It seemed Shang Hong had grown suspicious and was here to test him.
Zhang Ruochen snorted coldly, putting on a rigid expression: "The poor Daoist has his own secrets. Why should I explain them to you?"
Ignoring him, Zhang Ruochen walked away.
Jia Linnan watched Zhang Ruochen disappear from sight, then transmitted: "The Heavenly Grandson spoke kindly to him, yet this old fellow is so ungrateful."
"Do you think he can't hear your transmission?" Shang Hong said.
Jia Linnan's face changed, regret filling his heart.
Qing Pingzi was incredibly powerful, a Great God. Offending him in the Dark Great Triangle Star Domain could cost one their life.
Shang Hong released a corner of his Divine Realm World, enveloping the two of them, then said: "You don't need to worry. He won't do anything to you. But we need to clarify one thing first!"
"What thing?" Jia Linnan asked.
Shang Hong's eyes were deep, carrying a hint of killing intent. "Is Qing Pingzi Zhang Ruochen?"
"What?"
Jia Linnan exclaimed in shock. "That's impossible! Zhang Ruochen's martial cultivation has been crippled. How could he be Qing Pingzi?"
Shang Hong smiled. "I've already inquired about the time Qing Pingzi appeared. It coincides with the time Zhang Ruochen disappeared. After that, Zhang Ruochen vanished without a trace. That's the biggest suspicious point."
"Second, both Zhang Ruochen and Qing Pingzi have a Spiritual Power level of seventy-sixth rank. That's too much of a coincidence!"
Jia Linnan said: "Could it really just be a coincidence? The one who crippled Zhang Ruochen was Qingtian. No one could have helped him restore his martial cultivation, let alone make him this powerful."
Shang Hong sighed. "Actually, I don't believe Qing Pingzi is Zhang Ruochen either. But what if? Have you considered that if Qing Pingzi is Zhang Ruochen, and his martial cultivation has become this terrifying... I dare not even think about what enormous secrets lie behind this. So we must clarify this matter. Go, summon Lian Xi."
Jia Linnan revealed a disdainful expression. "Lian Xi? She's just a Saint-level cultivator, a former servant by Zhang Ruochen's side. If Qing Pingzi really is Zhang Ruochen, he's now a Great God. Would he care about a Saint-level servant? Using her to test Qing Pingzi might as well be telling the Heavenly Venerable's daughter directly."
Shang Hong's eyes sharpened. "Do not make a sound. Otherwise, there will be no place for us on the Xufeng Divine Ship."
Jia Linnan's heart jumped. Yes, Qing Pingzi was now riding a wave of momentum. The entire Wind Clan regarded him as their lifesaver, and he had fought side by side with the Heavenly Venerable's daughter, sharing life and death.
If he told the Heavenly Venerable's daughter without evidence that Qing Pingzi might be Zhang Ruochen, what would she think?
She would definitely think they wanted to deal with the Kunlun Realm's gods and were blind to the bigger picture.
Even though Shang Hong had released his Divine Realm World, he couldn't hide from Zhang Ruochen's perception. Zhang Ruochen heard his transmitted conversation with Jia Linnan.
"So they've suspected me. Fine, since you want to court death, I'll send you on your way." A cold gleam flashed in Zhang Ruochen's eyes, then returned to normal as he faced Xuanyuan Qing, who was standing ahead.